Random Thoughts: Super Bowl Edition

Here are some random thoughts for Super Bowl week:

• The big story of the week has been whether or not Hines Ward will play with a sprained MCL (typically an injury that takes a good 5-6 weeks to recover from). He will do everything in his power to be on the field, but how effective would he be? Either way, this is a huge issue for the Steelers. Ward is so key to everything they do on offense, especially when they need a clutch play. Ironically, Ward also missed last year's game with Arizona due to injury.
  
  
• One of the great things about sports is how guys who are not superstars often step up their game in clutch playoff situations, and the Steelers have had no shortage of that this post-season. LaMarr Woodley has recorded multiple sacks in each of the two playoff games. Jeff Reed hit three long field goals in the cold and wind of Heinz Field. Santonio Holmes has been nothing short of brilliant, returning a punt for a touchdown in the first game and making an electrifying catch and run play in the second game. Now the Steelers will need some equally big performances for the grand finale.
  
  
• I watched some of media day. What a huge waste of time. Watching Deion Sanders interview James Harrison on the NFL Network was one of the most painful experiences ever. ESPN's coverage was even worse. They spent more time in the studio asking Qadry Ismail questions about the game than they asking the players! I kept wondering if he was going to bring up this game, but he never did. That being said, there were a few decent interviews, like the one where Bruce Arians talked about how they completely revamped the offensive playbook when Cowher and Whisenhunt left. B.A. said that it had become too complicated because Cowher always added to it thru all the years of different offensive coordinators, and that he wanted to simplify it so the younger guys on the offense would have an easier time understanding it. That also made me feel better about the Jon Gruden Effect that I wrote about last week.
  
  
• Some of the defensive players used media day to campaign for Dick LeBeau to be in the Hall of Fame. Good for them. Media day has no bearing on the game itself so why not use it as a stage to ask why a guy who ranks #7 on the all-time interceptions list and who basically invented one of the NFL's most effective defenses does not belong in Canton.
  
  
• This really is a great time to be a Pittsburgh sports fan. Both of our (real) professional sports teams made it to the championship round of their respective leagues this year (and both did so by beating their most hated rival). Our college basketball team was ranked #1 in the country. Our college football team is respectable once again and continues to churn out first round draft picks every year. And our baseball team is on the cusp of history (in case you didn't know, the Pirates will be trying to set the record this year for most consecutive losing seasons in any of the four major North American sports leagues). It really is a golden age for local sports!
  
  
• A reader brought up a great point to me: isn't it nice how hardly anyone in the politically correct media is talking about how Mike Tomlin is a black Super Bowl coach? The temptation is certainly there, especially with the media gushing all over Obama right now. And granted, several people have asked Tomlin about our new president (the basic implication of each question being, "You guys are both black, right? Were you aware of that?"), but for the most part, the media has steered clear of this kind of stuff. Maybe this means that the media has come far enough in this country that Tomlin will not be classified as a black coach but rather recognized for what he is - a great coach.
  
  
• While there are a ton of connections between Pittsburgh and "Pittsburgh West", there is certainly not a lot of history between these two teams. They have only played four times in the past two decades (see box below). However, for one season they not only had history between them, they shared it. In 1944, the two teams merged for one season since both club's rosters were depleted due to World War II. They called the team the "Card-Pitts". It did not go well. They finished 0-10 and were given the derogatory nickname of "Car-Pets".

Steelers vs. Cardinals: Recent Meetings 2007: Steelers 14, Cardinals 21 2003: Steelers 28, Cardinals 15 1997: Steelers 26, Cardinals 20 (OT) 1994: Steelers 17, Cardinals 20 (OT)

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