I'm 36 and have watched the NFL all season, every season for some 25-26 years. Not an eternity, but long enough to be able to give an accurate summarization of the last 30, of the last 40 super bowls. And the game has changed so much, the first 10 games are in an era where the rules were quite different, and even the season shorter. Believe me, if the Dolphins perfect season had the 2 additional games we have today comprising the 16 game season, it could have changed football history.
My summary of the games and teams I've watched is simply this. Many teams come and go but when it's playoff time, when it's big play time, when excitement is a must, the Pittsburgh Steelers have consistently delivered on more occasions than any other team in the leagues history. They have made at least one Super Bowl appearance in each of the last 4 decades, 3 in the 70's, the 80', 95' and now the new millennium. This makes em great but it doesn't really set them apart from the Cowboys or 49'ers, both of which also own 5 titles. What happened in the weeks leading up to Super Bowl XL is what separates the 2005 Steelers from every other team, every other franchise, every other group of men who have came together to compete in the game of football. While the media was busy stroking Payton Manning's ego and proclaiming that Tom Brady and the Pat's were back on track and ready take it to the house one more time, the Steelers were quietly planning their work, and it wouldn't be long until they worked that plan on every team that stood in their way.
The 2005 Steelers overcame more odds, compounded odds, than any other super bowl victorious team has ever had to face. They barely made it into the playoffs, and could have missed the post season altogether had it not been for a couple of weak teams that lost pivotal games. Yet what eventually decided the division championship between the Steelers and Bengals was a tie breaker, the Bengals had 1 more division win. How can a team involved in a tie breaker to decide the division not make it into the playoffs? It could have easily happened to the Steelers this year. But life came back to the team in the very late stages of the season and they were able to grab the last spot on the caboose. The dark horse was dismissed as "previously beaten" by Cinci, and the tone remained the same as the Steelers rode into Indy and stole the upset victory for a chance to play in the Championship game in Denver. By then the dark horse was getting a little more respect, and Denver was wondering what to expect. Their worst fear was to face a team that was in that zone, the unbeatable zone that propels teams to glory. Unfortunately for them, Denvers gut was right, and the Steelers smashed through Colorado and never looked back, handing the Broncos one of those old fashioned respect getter loses that finally cemented them as not only contenders, but favorites to win the big game over the Seattle Seahawks. And it distinguished the boys in black as the only team to ever advance to the Super Bowl from the lowest possible seed, 6th. The teams quarterback, Big Ben Rothlisberger, was a mere 22 years old but brought a record of 27-4 to the game. Ben also had a promise to deliver on, a promise he had made to Jerome Bettis who was seriously considering hanging up his cleats, after the previous years loss to the Pat's in Pittsburgh. Come back next year and we we'll make it all the way, I promise. Hines ward, Super Bowl XL MVP, made similar promises, and was obviously troubled by the thought of a ringless Bettis ending his career on such a sour note.
To seal the deal the game was being played in Detroit, the town which conceived and gave birth to Bettis, and a town that was certainly waiting with open arms for her son to return in a blaze of glory. And glorious it was, a spectical I will never forget, a story line so perfect, the outcome had to be obvious from the start. A mere 4 hour drive from Pittsburgh, the crowd at the game that day was 90%-10% Pittsburgh fans. Bill Cowher, the 14 year head coach, relief and joy just running down the mans face, deserved that moment, that trophy, his ring, and most importantly his spot in the Hall of Fame. He worked relentlessly to put that team together, to motivate his players, to get to the big game and win it all. He went through the O'Donells, the Kordell's, the whoevers for 14 years before finding the right combination of talent and motivation and when it happened, when the timing was absolutely perfect, when it counted the most, when it was not an option to loose, he propelled his players into the brightest spotlight that they'll ever know. It was the Cinderella story that could never happen in a million years. But because this team was so special, and cared for each another so much, I honestly think they were blessed by the hand of God, from coming back to just barely squeak into the playoffs, from the field goal attempt by Vanderjagt of the Colts, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, which he missed from 46 yards in a pristine dome atmosphere, to the easy win over a 13-3 Broncos team, I feel as if God was answering a prayer from a person that showed him selflessness and love for his friends and team mates, and by doing so made an example of the situation to teach us all a valuable lesson about caring for others. When you care enough, when you try hard, when you make commitments and when you care about others more than yourself, and then go to God in prayer when you are down, he will lift you up and make you victorious over your opponents. If that same person or group of people on the Steelers squad continues pray to God with the same concern and intensity and genuine selflesness, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be unbeatable until that person or group leaves the team. I truly believe this, and don't profess to be a born again Christian, but this stuff works folks. Sincere prayer works if your motivations are pure and it's what has made the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers the best team in NFL history. |
