04/25/24
January 18, 2009
Steelers Will Face Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII: The Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals will meet Feb. 1 in the Super Bowl, bringing together owners whose families have been in the NFL since the 1930s. This is the Cardinals first trip to the Super Bowl and the Steelers' seventh. "Arizona, on the other hand, has won more playoff games this month (three) than in it had in the franchise's first 87 years (two)," observes Rich Gosselin.
As much as I've hated Bill Bidwell for moving the franchise out of St. Louis, I do hope they win the Bowl. Although I watched the PHI/ARI game without sound, man that was a good game. Good luck to the Cards!
posted by BoKnows at 12:25 AM on January 19, 2009
I had an idea the Cards could do it. Also, it seemed possible
that Flacco could unravel a bit. Flacco will be a good one in
the years to come.
Of the teams that have been in the league for a while, we're
now down to only three teams that haven't made it to the SB.
Lions, Browns, Saints.
(Texans and Jags too new to the league to count on this tally).
Just think: a guy goes into a coma two years ago and wakes up
early next month. The first newpaper headline he sees reads:
President Obama Welcomes World Champion Arizona Cardinals
to White House.
Who needs to fuck with fantasy sports when real life ends up
wiping out the Wildest Dreams category on the Jeopardy game
board?
posted by beaverboard at 12:27 AM on January 19, 2009
Larry Fitzgerald is incredible. And if Kurt Warner can finish this off and get another Super Bowl ring, he'll probably solidify his Hall of Fame chances.
posted by dyams at 05:07 AM on January 19, 2009
Warner and Fitzgerald are great players,but they haven't met the Steelers defense. I think they are in for a rude awakening. Flacco was the talk of the town in the playoffs,until he went against the Steelers. His qb rating 18.3. It looks like the Steelers will be the first team with 6 superbowl rings.
posted by Doehead at 08:29 AM on January 19, 2009
The Steelers' defense is great, but they are also going to find that playing against weapons like the Cardinals have on offense is a lot different than playing against Joe Flacco and Mark Clayton. The Chargers showed you can pass on the Steelers, and Arizona's passing game is better than San Diego's. The defenses the Cardinals have beaten so far in the playoffs aren't exactly pasties. Given any time at all to throw, Kurt Warner still throws the best, most accurate passes in the NFL. I fully expect Pittsburgh to win the matchup, but I definitely think the Cardinals will make a good game of it.
posted by dyams at 09:23 AM on January 19, 2009
Flacco was the talk of the town in the playoffs,until he went against the Steelers.
Meh, I watched both his playoff games and wasn't that impressed at all. It sounded more to me like the pundits were trying to create a good offensive story out of team carried by their D.
posted by jmd82 at 09:35 AM on January 19, 2009
Flacco was the talk of the town in the playoffs,until he went against the Steelers.
He played nearly identically to Ben in his first playoff run. Managed games and limited chances to lose. Then when faced with the challenge of the Big Kid on the Block (New England for Ben) he had 4 INTs and played horribly. Flacco will be a good player in this league, but he still needs more time to learn. As a Steelers fan, I anticipate tough games with them for a long time. *gulp*
posted by scully at 10:27 AM on January 19, 2009
I predict that the Chicago Cardinals will narrowly defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Championship Game.
posted by afl-aba at 11:08 AM on January 19, 2009
The Curse of Ollie Matson may be over for the Cardiac Cardinals. The Chicago Cardinals traded him for 9 LA Ram players, and still got the worst of the deal.
As the Cleveland Browns have only been around since 1999, wouldn't it be more correct to say that the Baltimore Ravens (the team that used to play in Cleveland) is one of the three longtime teams to never win a superbowl?
posted by pullmyfinger at 11:28 AM on January 19, 2009
I'm sure pullmyfinger was just pulling our legs... right.
posted by scully at 12:02 PM on January 19, 2009
To be somewhat meta for a minute: the last time the Steelers made the Super Bowl, it was cause for hordes upon hordes of Steelers fans to rush this very site, post between one and six comments consisting only of the words "ONE FOR THE THUMB" in every post, and then leaving. That was a strange two and a half weeks.
I'm confident that we can weather such a storm much better in this day and age, given (a) there's now the sign-up quiz, and (b) the Steelers fans have run out of fingers.
Also, somehow I totally missed these entire playoffs. Damn.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:07 PM on January 19, 2009
As the Cleveland Browns have only been around since 1999 ...
Cleveland got to keep their franchise history in the move. So all that postseason futility remains in Ohio, along with Jim Brown's rushing yards, Ozzie Newsome's catches and Bernie Kosar's 'fro.
posted by rcade at 12:15 PM on January 19, 2009
(b) the Steelers fans have run out of fingers.
I think even people from Pittsburgh have 2 hands :-) As for me, I'm saying "one for the other thumb". Guess it's ok if I say it since I've posted more than 6 comments :-)
It'll be a good matchup. Yes, Steelers most identifiable weakness is in the secondary (if you call it a weakness, since only 2 teams have gained 300 yards against them total through ground or air). But Warner is also a guy who if he gets pressure early turns into a different QB. So it'll be interesting to see which wins out. Should be a good matchup (immovable force versus irresistible object). Historically the strong defensive teams win out in these things, but we'll see.
The Steelers have been pretty consistent throughout the season (even their losses, all but one were close games that could have went either way). The Cardinals however have been very streaky. They happen to hit the good streak at the right time, though..so to me the big question will be whether they can carry that hotstreak over the 2 week delay before the game (and also get over the "I'm just happy to be here" mentality and focus on winning).
posted by bdaddy at 12:28 PM on January 19, 2009
But Warner is also a guy who if he gets pressure early turns into a different QB.
I heard that all last week from Jacksonville sports radio, but Warner consistently beat the blitz until the third quarter. When it counted most, he drove the team the length of the field for the go-ahead score. After two weeks of going against the Cards because of tough defenses, I don't think the book on Warner is true.
posted by rcade at 12:51 PM on January 19, 2009
The defenses the Cardinals have beaten so far in the playoffs aren't exactly pasties
Pasties are very annoying but provide limited defense.
posted by tron7 at 01:00 PM on January 19, 2009
I'm not sure what I'll do this year without a universally villified team to root against. Oh well, there's still the commercials.
posted by tron7 at 01:04 PM on January 19, 2009
They happen to hit the good streak at the right time, though..so to me the big question will be whether they can carry that hotstreak over the 2 week delay before the game (and also get over the "I'm just happy to be here" mentality and focus on winning).
I hate the two week delay. I think it cools off every team on a hot streak and probably does more to ensure blow outs in the Super Bowl than any other factor.
I like what Warner's done and I think Larry Fitzgerald is the best receiver in football but I have a bad feeling that this one will be over by halftime (I'd love to be wrong though)
posted by cjets at 01:41 PM on January 19, 2009
Thank you, tron, for your insight on pasties. Alas,they do not provide much defense, but if you get the ones with the little twirlie ends on them, they can certainly distract.
posted by tahoemoj at 02:52 PM on January 19, 2009
Willis McGahee was released from the hospital and is on his way home to rest.
posted by scully at 03:37 PM on January 19, 2009
First, Sydney boy Grant Balfour pitches in the World Series, now Melbourne lad Ben Graham is punting in the Superbowl.
Well, that's about the limit of coverage in the media down here, anyway.
Go Ben, even if you did play for Geelong.
posted by owlhouse at 04:14 PM on January 19, 2009
Just think: a guy goes into a coma two years ago and wakes up early next month.
You forgot to add: "... uh, oh yeah. Your wife left you for your brother, your 401k is now worthless, your house is worth half, and your position was filled because they pronounced you legally dead last year. And damn dude, your breath. But hey, we have a black president and the Cardinals won the superbowl ..."
posted by smithnyiu at 05:12 PM on January 19, 2009
Why even bother with pasties if they don't have the twirlie ends on them...I mean seriously, what's the point?
In fact, I think Warner should wear them in the SB. That way he might be able to distract the Steelers' rushers long enough to get his passes off. Because I think it will all come down to whether or not he has time to throw.
The Cards are playing good enough defense to win, if they can score points.
If Pittsburg can get to Warner early and often, then it will be over before the halftime show.
posted by dviking at 05:34 PM on January 19, 2009
PITTSBURGH! THERE'S BLOODY 'H' AT THE END, PEOPLE!!!!!
effin' hell that bothers me.
posted by scully at 06:52 PM on January 19, 2009
I'm with you, terrapin. If you're making a joke regarding someone else's spelling mistake (mine; PATSIES is obviously what I meant), you should double-check to make sure you don't have words spelled wrong, too.
posted by dyams at 07:34 PM on January 19, 2009
PITTSBURGH! THERE'S BLOODY 'H' AT THE END, PEOPLE!!!!!
effin' hell that bothers me.
It bothers me that it's not pronounced 'Pitts - burrogh'.
posted by owlhouse at 07:54 PM on January 19, 2009
There's a big difference between a burgh and a borough.
Also, you might be surprised how many defensive backs wear pasties. Those pads chafe like nobody's business.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 09:15 PM on January 19, 2009
My bad on the spelling...my mother's side of the family live in the Pittsburg, CA area, and I consistently have incorrectly spelled the city of the Steelers without the h. At 50 I'm thinking there's no hope for me to overcome this learning disorder, other than to stick to threads that do not involve teams from eastern Pennsylvania.
BTW, here's a video of pasties AND football
posted by dviking at 09:37 PM on January 19, 2009
There's a big difference between a burgh and a borough
Not where I come from, Dr J.
Peterborough, Middlesbrough and Edinburgh are all pronounced the same.
Except for the 'Peter', 'Middle' and 'Edin' bits, obviously.
posted by owlhouse at 09:38 PM on January 19, 2009
I had predicted several endings to this season before it began. This was not any of them. Here's to the Cardinals and the Steelers for making it interesting!
posted by Joey Michaels at 01:35 AM on January 20, 2009
Nothing against the Steelers, it's just that the Cards have been NFL's forgotten franchise since the beginning of time.
The Cardinals? They play football you say? How 'bout that!
Jokes aside, the Steelers/Cardinals Super Bowl should be one hell of a game. The best defense versus one of the best offenses there's been since St. Louis' Greatest Show on Turf and when the Patriots and Tom Brady went nuts throwing TD's in Randy Moss' first year there.
I honestly cannot wait for this game because I have no clue as to who will win, I just want to see a good game.
posted by BornIcon at 10:42 AM on January 20, 2009
...other than to stick to threads that do not involve teams from eastern Pennsylvania.
Ahem...last time I checked, Pittsburgh was on the western edge of P-A. : )
DrJE. just for the record, I don't think I ever posted "one for the thumb" but I could be wrong, and, the other hand IS bare.
If the Steelers Defense can't shut down the Arizona's passing game, it will be Warner and Whisenhutt hoisting the Lombardi trophy. (Man that dude can pass a football)
posted by steelergirl at 05:16 PM on January 20, 2009
Kurt Warner: probably one of the most well-known people to graduate from my university. Univ. of Northern Iowa, represent. Homer bias aside, I cannot wait to see this game. Should be fantastic.
posted by boredom_08 at 07:03 PM on January 20, 2009
In this age of jackass athletes, and in football it's amazing how many of them seem to be wide receivers (Anquan Boldin may be the latest example), you have to root for a guy like Kurt Warner. He's never let the success he's had in the past change him a bit, and when he was benched in recent seasons he continued to be a positive influence on the team, help out young players (even a young quarterback on his own team who seems intent on killing his own career all by himself), and was always smart enough to realize that if you do have talent and a good, team-first attitude, he would eventually get another chance. Well, this year he has played spectacularly and has put the once-lowly Cardinals in the Super Bowl. It's easy to say he has great receivers to help him, and he does. But the guy throws incredible passes, and I truly believe he makes Fitzgerald and the others great as much, if not more, than they make him. You watch McNabb playing last weekend, overthrowing receivers, throwing behind them, etc. Warner knows how to complete his throws, make the tight passes, and put the ball where his receivers can catch it. Yeah, it sounds like I'm totally kissing his ass, but you have to admit the NFL is currently filled with extremely mediocre quarterbacks (with the exception of a very few). Watching a guy like Warner makes it easy to appreciate someone who actually knows what he's doing, and some of these other poser-QBs should pay attention.
posted by dyams at 08:52 PM on January 20, 2009
I'd take slight issue with that, Dyams. Haven't we seen Warner shouting at teammates in the huddle after busted plays? Has he not yelled at a coach or two?
I'd say Boldin showed some emotion late in the game that was entirely understandable. He's been there a while and it looked to me that he was pissed that he wasn't on the field to see the dream through to the end. I'm cutting him some slack because he had half his face peeled off earlier to correct the broken jaw he sustained putting himself in harm''s way by running those mid-field patterns - and returned within a couple weeks!
That said - Warner's a phenomenal passer and has come up big on more than a few occasions. So he's okay in my books.
But the Steelers beat the shit out of a tough, tough Ravens team. I mean they physically just hurt the bad Ravens all over the field. I have to think that Pittsburgh is a big favorite. It could be a great game if the Cards play their best - or it could be a one-sided street fight.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:48 PM on January 20, 2009
I'm not questioning Boldin's toughness at all. But to start making a scene on the sidelines, throwing a fit when your team is this close to making it to the Super Bowl (the Cardinals, for gods sake!) showed Boldin as kind of a me-first, team-second type athlete that bugs me. And that in no way means he may not have had a point. But his point would have only been really valid if the Cards had not been successful. His actions coming during the same season he whined about wanting to go elsewhere doesn't help his case also. He reminds me of Scottie Pippen with Michael Jordan (Fitzgerald). He may need to realize he's in a great situation in Arizona and that without Fitzgerald on the field he may not be as spectacular as he thinks he is.
posted by dyams at 06:16 AM on January 21, 2009
Total disagreement. Anquan Boldin is a beast in his own right and put up some big numbers before Larry Fitzgerald became the Larry Fitzgerald we all know and love these past few seasons. The two compliment one another just like Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne have for the Colts, maybe better.
What Q did on the sidelines was showed that he cared enough about playing to help out his team, not become some melodrama diva. He was taken out the game with no explanation and he blew up in the heat of the moment. The Cards still won the game so it's pretty much end of story. That is, until the media recycles it all over again these two weeks before the Super Bowl.
posted by BornIcon at 02:04 PM on January 21, 2009
Bad time and place to get in an argument with the coach (who, I thought, was supposed to be one of the guys in charge) when he (the coach) is trying to get the TEAM to the Super Bowl. And I just don't think Boldin is happy Fitzgerald is now the man in Arizona. That's all I'm saying.
posted by dyams at 05:25 PM on January 21, 2009
dyams, I assume you missed Warner yelling at/with that same coach in the same game? Or his comments about how his wife is always asking what he and his coordinator were yelling at each other about (each) week. Be fair.
posted by scully at 10:05 AM on January 22, 2009
...I just don't think Boldin is happy Fitzgerald is now the man in Arizona. That's all I'm saying.
I hear you but what you're saying isn't accurate. Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald have been friends on & off the field and have supported one another. I'm not giving my opionion that they're friends, it's been reported how they're friends and also they have said it plenty of times.
In this time where most pro athletes only care about themselves, it's a breath of fresh air to see two quality wide recievers that do in fact care about one another and wants the other to succeed.
The only thing that Anquan wanted was a reasonable explanation as to why he was being taken out of the game which he was not given. Sounds to me as this happened in the heat of the moment and since Anquan doesn't have a history of portraying himself as a diva, IMO, he deserves a pass.
That's just my opinion though.
posted by BornIcon at 11:17 AM on January 22, 2009
BI,
How excatly does one communicate he cares about the team by saying things to Todd Haley that (heatedly) evokes this response: "don't call me that." How does saying disparaging things about a coach to his face IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE TEAM make him a "team player?" Seems to me a team-centered response wouldn't include trying to undermine a coach's judgment in front of the whole team on national television.
Whatever he was saying to Haley, it is doubtful it was centered on "the team." Doesn't make him a horrible person necessarily, everyone has blow ups, and i love his toughness, and his previous lack of diva-like behavior. I'm sure it was rare moment of poor jugdment. Also, i have no problem with confronting the coach, but again, on the field in front the nation and the rest of the team isn't the place. A private, man to man meeting behind closed doors is where that should happen. To me, this reveals the fact that he was thinking "me," not "us."
So, i think he is a stud, probably a great guy who had a momentary lapse in judgment, but lets not try to spin this into Boldin worrying about the team.
posted by brainofdtrain at 05:53 PM on January 22, 2009
terrapin; I understand coaches and players will exchange words now and again. But choosing to get into a heated dispute with the offensive coordinator in the fourth quarter when your team is trying to go down the field to win the game, the NFC Championship, to get to the Super Bowl, isn't the time to be in the guy's face. And Boldin can laugh about it and downplay it, like it's just something that happens all the time with players/coaches, but the fact he ran out of the locker room as soon as he could get his uniform off after the game tells me it wasn't just your run-of-the-mill sideline disagreement. Boldin may be friends with Fitzgerald, but the fact he's making $4 million a season, and Fitzgerald got $10 million/per, is the reason Boldin has been demanding to be traded all season. He made negative comments about Whisenhunt during his contract complaints. I don't consider this "diva-like" behavior, because I consider that a stupid term. Haley made a decision as to who he had on the field, it didn't happen to include Boldin at that point, and that's just the way it goes. Maybe Haley could see the guy (Boldin) is slowed by his hamstring injury to the point he couldn't separate from any coverage. Who knows. Whatever Haley's reason, his planning helped the Cards ultimately win the game. Boldin says it's "No big deal, it happens all the time, the media makes too much of it, blah, blah, blah," but it was serious enough to cause Boldin to skip celebrating with his team after the biggest win in the team's entire history? Whatever, Anquan. He's a great player, but this won't go down as his finest moment(s). As for Warner, whether he has run-ins on the sideline or not, I think he has proven throughout his career he's about the team winning first. He's not a sulker.
posted by dyams at 07:34 PM on January 22, 2009
dTrain,
I didn't say that he was "worrying about the team", I said that he wanted a reason as to why he was pulled out of the game, which he was not given by Haley. Boldin is a competitive player and wants to compete regardless if he's hurt or not, remember earlier in the season when he left his face on the field and came back just 3 weeks later?
We are pretty much on the same page here since we both agree that Boldin is one hell of a wide reciever. The difference to me is that Haley has shown to be an emotional individual and when he was the recievers coach with the Cowboys, he actually had a pushing & shoving match with of all people, then Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells.
I just think that Haley owed it to Boldin to explain to him exactly why he was being pulled since he was a major reason as to why the Cardinals have had such a fantastic season thus far.
posted by BornIcon at 01:27 PM on January 23, 2009
Wow, the Cardinals. I really hope they win it all now. Nothing against the Steelers, it's just that the Cards have been NFL's forgotten franchise since the beginning of time.