Well, those last 10 minutes were some kind of insane, weren’t they? In a game that went from snoozefest to slugfest down the wire, the Steelers were the last team standing, winning 27-23 after a last-minute touchdown grab by Santonio Holmes that will undoubtedly rank among the best plays in Super Bowl history.
Holmes’ grab, seen above, came with just 35 seconds on the clock, wiping out a remarkable comeback by the Cardinals that had been capped by an insane 73-yard touchdown pass from Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald Jr. Now, we assumed that would be the final score, since we and the Warners always thought that comebacks were kind of Jesus’s “thing,” you know. And really, the comeback card was still in play… until game officials took it off the table with just five ticks on the clock.
Trying to march the Cardinals down the field, Warner had the ball near midfield when he cocked his arm back to throw, and Lamarr Woodley hit him. The ball came free as Warner’s arm came forward, and Pittsburgh’s Brett Keisel covered up the ball. We’ve got some rough video on YouTube here, in case you need another look at it. God, I hope someone uploads a better version soon.
Al Michaels calls it correctly when he says “clearly” the officials will review it upstairs. The Holmes TD in the end zone was a much easier call, and the refs spent about 2 or 3 minutes looking at it anyway; why not do the same here? We’re not saying it was definitely a forward pass; we’re saying it was just about impossible to tell at game speed, so why not take one more minute to make sure you’re, y’know, deciding the whole Super Bowl correctly?
And look, the point of contention isn’t that a win got “stolen” from Arizona or anything or that the Steelers didn’t deserve to win. Even if the call (somehow) goes the Cards’ way, they’re still about 35 yards away from the end zone with enough time for one more play. Those are long, long odds. But it really freaking sucks when a team gets its chance to compete taken away by the referees in such a hasty fashion. Just review it. Take a minute and remove all doubt. Nobody would get pissed about that.
But all that noise notwithstanding, this was definitely one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory. You can argue until you’re blue in the face whether it was better than last year’s; both sides would have merit. But 16 straight points in the span of 5 minutes to take the lead, then a last-minute highlight reel catch for the win? That’s good stuff, plain and simple, and at the very least, everyone can admit that it’s a refreshing change of pace to see the Super Bowl itself blow the commercials out of the water for once.
11:51 pm on February 1st, 2009
I suspect the NFL is feeling just a little heat over that, since they just made an announcement that the play was in fact reviewed, and the call was correct. I'm guessing the review was going on as Joe Willie was making his way through the fans with the trophy …
12:01 am on February 2nd, 2009
are you kidding me? and marshall faulk was just whining on nfl network that holmes should have been penalized for using the ball as a prop. talk about sour grapes.
ben is now in a category with joe montana. not tommy brady, joe montana baby.
12:43 am on February 2nd, 2009
Big Ben would be a Turdthlisburger on about 20 teams.
Don't you ever put his common name in the same sentence with the great Joe Montana, princess.
12:54 am on February 2nd, 2009
dude, did you see that last drive? did you watch it? he was unbelievable. he's 26, bro. 26??? he may get 2 or 3 more of them.
1:01 am on February 2nd, 2009
Just like the last time the Steelers were in the Super Bowl, Big Ben & Co. get plenty of help from the refs.
1:51 am on February 2nd, 2009
I couldn't find better video of the final sack, but here's some of the game as called in French:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POIv9JLWep0
Quite amusing.
1:55 am on February 2nd, 2009
Weeeeeeee are the champions, my friend!(Repeat 6 times)
1:59 am on February 2nd, 2009
Is Pittsburgh on fire yet?
3:31 am on February 2nd, 2009
I find it really funny that the longest play in Super Bowl history - Harrison's 100-yd interception return TD - was accomplished by a fat, slow defensive lineman.
4:20 am on February 2nd, 2009
Harrison is a linebacker.
5:01 am on February 2nd, 2009
NO review last play, replays showed feet clearly down with Holmes in possession. What was a farce was the Cardinals getting help from the first touchdown being overturned.
8:21 am on February 2nd, 2009
Actually folks, Holmes's feet weren't "clearly" down. None of the replays could conclusively show whether his right toe was on the turf. Do some digging, you'll see. If the call on the field had been incomplete pass, video review wouldn't have been enough to overturn it.
10:01 am on February 2nd, 2009
Check the INT return and let me know when you see the illegal block in the back by Woodley down near the 20.
10:08 am on February 2nd, 2009
They did review the last play in the booth! You people are a bunch of idiots! Mike Perrera was in the booth and did review it, they just didn't announce that it was being reviewed.
10:37 am on February 2nd, 2009
Great Job 6-Burgh. It's a shame that even with a 6th Superbowl Ring,that we still aren't getting respect. I can't believe all the haters. Don't be bitter,maybe your team will do better next year! God was on our side. God Bless The Steelers!!!!
10:41 am on February 2nd, 2009
By the way Nuthinhere…that so-called fat defensive lineman(aka James Harrison) ran 4 the longest 6 pick in Superbowl history,so….again,don't be bitter!!! HERE WE GO STEELERS,HERE WE GO. Lovin the win in Rochester,NY
10:58 am on February 2nd, 2009
Thanks, KingKong. I thought I was the only one on Earth that saw that one. As for the "fumble" at the end of the game, Michaels did mention that they "allegedly" reviewed it quickly and confirmed the call. I just believe the officials didn't want to force all of the people off the field for another play, ripping us from a possible Flutie moment in the biggest game of the year. The Cards were getting killed by the officials all game, though most of the calls against them were legit. But how often does a team have to challenge on two big calls and get them both reversed? Not very. A good, close game, though, and congrats to both teams on a classic match.
Oh, and thanks for growing your hair out, Mrs. Warner, I couldn't have taken looking at that flat-top again this year.
11:00 am on February 2nd, 2009
kevin garnet: You could clearly see his feet touch the turf, and a ripple through his legs at one point, implying that he most certainly got both feet down
11:14 am on February 2nd, 2009
worst super bowl ever. horrible refs, with way to many penalties, yet they still missed obvious calls (the INT runback before the half had a clear hold and an illegal block, it should have been reversed; and the last play of course) , oyyy! And i had money on the steelers (though I had 6.5)!
And i loved madden saying that Harrison "deserved" the TD so they have to give it to him bc he ran so much… come on!
11:22 am on February 2nd, 2009
I LOVE John Madden. And rather than pick apart the Suberbowl Champs,get over it,and pray that your team won't be watching from home again…like they did this year. Lovin the 6th ring in Rochester NY
12:04 pm on February 2nd, 2009
That was a great catch by Santonio Holmes. And it's always great to see a team win wearing Hawkeye colors!
12:11 pm on February 2nd, 2009
I'm glad people are getting the fact that it wasn't reviewed. That play was even more "overturnable" than the one that was overturned. I'm betting that the refs got caught up in the end of the game and went brain dead.
By the way, to be reviewed, the head referee must look at it, not anyone in the press box. The press box just buzzes the field referees that their is a question on the play. No doubt there was.
1:17 pm on February 2nd, 2009
The Bob McGrath who was the booth review man was really Bob McGrath from Seasame Street.
12:45 am on February 3rd, 2009
Nice win Steelers. I guess the curtain isn't Steel after all. The cards beat ALL the #1 defensive statistics the east coast centric panels touted so highly. One day we'll have a great following and winning history too.
2:00 am on February 3rd, 2009
Uh, femalesteelerlover, I am a Steeler fan so no bitterness here. Look at the post above mine, I was just correcting it.