Thoughts on Super Bowl XL

The Super Bowl play did not go quite as I thought it would, although the Steelers won as predicted. Both teams were tight in the first half. I wrote that the Seahawks would be affected by first game jitters because the franchise had never appeared in a Super Bowl. Pittsburgh was also jittery. That franchise has appeared in five previous Super Bowls, but this group of players had not.

For the second straight year, a Pennsylvania team made the Super Bowl!

Seattle's offense was impressive. They played good enough to win, but for their receivers. Those guys dropped way too many balls!

Matt Hasselbeck was very impressive. My estimation of him went up a notch or two. Ben Roethlisberger looked like a second year quarterback, no better or worse than Eli Manning. He gets lots of accolades for being a winning quarterback, but I wonder how he would do on a weaker team. Could he carry Houston or Detroit? Would Joey Harrington look more like a star if he played for Pittsburgh? It worked for Jake Plummer when he signed on with Denver. Young quarterbacks are over-rated.

Ben Roethlisberger did not cross the plane of the goal line on his touchdown run. The official got it wrong. I would have over-ruled it on the replay.

The Steelers receivers were as stunning as the Seahawk receivers were inept. Hines Ward caught a touchdown pass. Randell-el tossed one. The Steelers picked up their play in the second half.

The commercials were more business-like this year. Very few were as funny as the Bud and Miller Lite commercials of the '70s and '80s. The Spring crime deterrent spot was humorous.

Russ Grimm, now an assistant coach with the Steelers, gets his fourth Super Bowl ring with this win.

I've seen every Super Bowl, all forty. Is that old?