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click photo to enlarge Tickets - Sec 120, Row 36, Seats 25-26 click photo to enlarge  Skaters and fans at the Motown Winter Blast click photo to enlarge  Cool stained glass window inside the Hard Rock click photo to enlarge  Pittsburgh fans took over the Hockeytown Cafe click photo to enlarge  Matt outside Ford Field (it was very cold) click photo to enlarge  Big Ben Roethlisberger on the Big Screen click photo to enlarge  Wideshot of Heinz Field North (Ford Field) click photo to enlarge  Ben Roethlisberger just before scoring a TD click photo to enlarge  Lining up just before Willie Parker's record-long 75-yard TD run click photo to enlarge  The Pittsburgh Steelers got One For The Thumb! click photo to enlarge  Jerome Bettis retires from football on top |
Season Summary: On a cold February evening at a beautiful domed stadium in the not-so-beautiful city of Detroit, Michigan, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally won their 5th Super Bowl title! Fans had been cheering for "One For The Thumb" since 1981, the year after the Steelers won their last championship. The team had made it to Super Bowl XXX (thirty) but lost in a disappointing effort against Dallas. Ten years later, Pittsburgh was back in the big game - this time Super Bowl XL (forty) - and only 290 miles away from home. It was almost pre-ordained that the Steelers and all their rabid fans were going to have a party in Motown. It almost didn't happen, though. After riding the winningest rookie quarterback in NFL history (Ben Roethlisberger) to the 2004 AFC Championship, the team was predicted to be a Super Bowl contender in 2005. However, injuries, a mid-season losing streak and a stellar season by the Indianapolis Colts took the limelight off the Steelers. With just a 7-5 record coming into Week 14, the team was on the outside looking in and would need help making the playoffs. Amazingly, the team got hot and ripped off its final four games to end the season 11-5, while all the cards fell into place. Pittsburgh snuck into the post season as a 6th seed and would need to go on the road to make it to Detroit. The team that lost the AFC Championship at home the year before rallied together and went into Indianapolis, Denver and Cincinnati - the 1, 2 and 3 seeds - to become the first team to make it to the NFL Championship by winning three games on the road. It was a storybook run that included three-straight near perfect games by 23-year-old QB Ben Roethlisberger, big contributions by just about everyone on the team and one play that will go down in Steelers history -- "The Tackle." While icing the game against the Indianapolis, Jerome Bettis fumbled at the goal line and the Colts would have run it back for a game-winning touchdown if it were not for Big Ben's shoestring tackle of Nick Harper. Had Roethlisberger not made the stop, Bettis would have retired knowing that he cost his team the game. Instead, The Bus was able to go out on top -- a Super Bowl champion! -- Top of Page -- Matt's dilemma: Although I've been a Steelers fan since I was 6 years old, I have been rooting on the Seattle Seahawks as a season ticket holder since 2003. While getting ready to watch the NFC Championship in Qwest Field in Seattle, I was able to see the Steelers lock up their birth to the Super Bowl, and that is when I realized that my dream of having the Steelers play the Seahawks in the championship was really somewhat of a nightmare. I knew that I would have to root against the team that I had adopted since moving to the Pacific Northwest. Believe it or not, I actually felt sad as Seattle closed out its win against Carolina to head to Detroit. -- Top of Page -- Why spend so much damn money to go? Yeah, it cost a ton of money to get decent tickets - heck, any tickets - to Super Bowl XL, but how could I pass up the chance? My #1 and #2 teams were playing, the most famous quarterback ever to come out of my college - Miami University - was leading my favorite team and the site was just 3-1/2 hours from my Mom's place in Cleveland. It was perfect. I could fly into Cleveland, avoid the crush of people in Detroit and stay with my Mom. Plus, I could have my Cousin Beth - another Steelers fan since childhood - join me from her home in the Philadelphia area. I couldn't have planned it better. :) -- Top of Page -- Motown: Beth and I got up very early on Sunday morning to drive to Detroit. The weather forecast was for a snow storm, but it didn't happen. The traffic was so light that we made it in just 3-1/2 hours...what it would normally take if nothing was happening in Detroit. We found parking about 1/4 mile from Ford Field for just $15 and walked around frigid Detroit for several hours. In the 24-degree temperatures, we went to the Motown Winter Blast, bought some souvenirs and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe before heading to the stadium. After wading through the sea of Steelers fans in the Theater District, we waited in a 45-minute security line before getting near the building. Ford Field was incredible! It may be the best domed stadium in the league, and may be the best of all the stadiums. We bought some more souvenirs, got some food and found our seats, which were pretty good -- in the corner and just high enough to get a good view of the game. Time seemed to crawl until game time, but kickoff finally came and I expected a well played game. I'd be wrong in my expectation. -- Top of Page -- |
click photo to enlarge Cousins Beth & Matt with my Mom Donna in C-Town click photo to enlarge  Hard Rock Detroit and the ubiquitous guitar click photo to enlarge  GM Center was decked out for the Super Bowl click photo to enlarge  Steelers fans descend upon Ford Field click photo to enlarge  Pregame warmups - As seen from our seats click photo to enlarge  Cousins Matt & Beth from our lower level seats click photo to enlarge  The Steelers huddle up at their 20 yard line click photo to enlarge  The Rolling Stones play at halftime (yawn) click photo to enlarge  The Steelers offense milks the clock with a 21-10 4th quarter lead click photo to enlarge  The on-field trophy presentaion ceremony click photo to enlarge  Matt & Beth delirious with happiness after the game |
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Steelers 21 - Seahawks 10: Both teams struggled in the first half and, after a Ben Roethlisberger TD run at the goal line, the Steelers limped into halftime with a 7-3 lead. After a less-than-inspiring halftime concert by the Rolling Stones, the Steelers blew the lid off Ford Field on the second play of the 2nd half. The offensive line, led by All-Pro Alan Faneca, opened a gaping hole in the left side of the Seahawks defense, allowing "Fast" Willie Parker to rip off a Super Bowl record 75-yard touchdown run! The place, filled with at least 70% Steelers fans, went crazy and it wasn't even the most exciting play of the game. That would come later and at a much needed time. Late in the 3rd quarter, Pittsburgh was just yards from a game-clinching 21-3 lead when Ben Roethlisberger threw the worst pass of his life -- an interception on a fade to the end zone. The Seahawks ran the ball back into their red zone and eventually scored a touchdown to make the game 14-10 heading into the 4th quarter. The Steelers offense was struggling and the defense was tired, so after a clutch interception by Ike Taylor, a controversial penalty and some nice offensive sequences placed the offense into Seattle territory, the time was right for a game breaking play call. Big Ben pitched the ball left to RB Willie Parker, who then handed off to streaking WR Antwaan Randle El, running the opposite direction. Ben threw a key block and Randle El launched what he later called "the prettiest pass of [his] life" for a touchdown to WR and eventual MVP Hines Ward, who had left the Seattle secondary in the dust. (By the way, Randle El's pass made him the first wide receiver to throw a touchdown in a Super Bowl.) With a 21-10 lead and just 9:00 on the clock, the defense unleashed their wrath on the Seahawks to deliver the win for the Steelers. A few key defensive sacks and a Seattle offense that suddenly forgot how to manage the clock meant that there would be no last second comeback. Pittsburgh fans at Ford Field and around the world savored their team's first championship in 26 years! It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and well worth the expense and travel. -- Top of Page -- |
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