BennyT
03-02-09, 04:05 PM
TAMPA — You know what forrmer Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green might say about the dramatic turn of events at the end of Super Bowl XLIII that allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to capture a record sixth Super Bowl crown.
"They are who we thought they were," Green might say. "We let 'em off the hook!"
The Cardinals nearly pulled off the unfathomable. They almost produced what would have been the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history by overcoming a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit against the Steelers and their No. 1-ranked defense.
Almost.
Then, with less than three minutes to play and a Lombardi Trophy within their grasp, the Cardinals turned into the Cardinals again. The Steelers went 78 yards on their eight-play drive to history as the Cardinals — so game in advancing to the Bowl in the first place, and even moreso in battling back in the fourth quarter — reverted back to the characters that have come to symbolize the ills of one of the NFL's most frustrated franchises.
They couldn't tackle Big Ben Roethlisberger, and let the Steelers quarterback perform more Houdini magic to slip away to make clutch throws. Defensive backs slipped as if they were on roller skates, allowing Santonio Holmes to zip upfield on a 40-yard gain.
Tackling? A myth. And on Big Ben's TD throw, Holmes got an inch or two higher than the Cardinals cornerback who saw the football sail over his fingertips.
When the Cardinals got the ball back for one last stab at marching to a win, the blocking broke down and Kurt Warner was hit. Fumble.
In the classic sports film Jerry Maguire, Rod Tidwell, the fictional Cardinals receiver played by Cuba Gooding, Jr. caught the winning TD in the Super Bowl.
The Cardinals, winning the Super Bowl?
That remains just a bit of Hollywood fiction, rather than an omen.
In real life, the Cardinals blew it. Again.
Maybe next time, life will imitate art.
"They are who we thought they were," Green might say. "We let 'em off the hook!"
The Cardinals nearly pulled off the unfathomable. They almost produced what would have been the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history by overcoming a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit against the Steelers and their No. 1-ranked defense.
Almost.
Then, with less than three minutes to play and a Lombardi Trophy within their grasp, the Cardinals turned into the Cardinals again. The Steelers went 78 yards on their eight-play drive to history as the Cardinals — so game in advancing to the Bowl in the first place, and even moreso in battling back in the fourth quarter — reverted back to the characters that have come to symbolize the ills of one of the NFL's most frustrated franchises.
They couldn't tackle Big Ben Roethlisberger, and let the Steelers quarterback perform more Houdini magic to slip away to make clutch throws. Defensive backs slipped as if they were on roller skates, allowing Santonio Holmes to zip upfield on a 40-yard gain.
Tackling? A myth. And on Big Ben's TD throw, Holmes got an inch or two higher than the Cardinals cornerback who saw the football sail over his fingertips.
When the Cardinals got the ball back for one last stab at marching to a win, the blocking broke down and Kurt Warner was hit. Fumble.
In the classic sports film Jerry Maguire, Rod Tidwell, the fictional Cardinals receiver played by Cuba Gooding, Jr. caught the winning TD in the Super Bowl.
The Cardinals, winning the Super Bowl?
That remains just a bit of Hollywood fiction, rather than an omen.
In real life, the Cardinals blew it. Again.
Maybe next time, life will imitate art.