Steelers receive Super Bowl XLIII rings

By John Harris, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Super Bowl XLIII Most Valuable Player Santonio Holmes proudly displayed his new ring following a much-anticipated ceremony Tuesday night at Heinz Field honoring the players, coaches and executives who made it possible.


The Steelers' Santonio Holmes shows off his new Super Bowl Ring after the team received them in a ceremony Tuesday at Heinz Field.Andrew Russell/Tribune-Review

"I'll probably wear it the whole night. I'll probably end up sleeping with it,'' said Holmes, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger in the Steelers' 27-23 victory against the Arizona Cardinals.

Holmes said his ring differs somewhat from his teammates' because "MVP'' is engraved inside.

"I've always wanted to be part of some championship team where I had a major role in it,'' Holmes said. "I played in two state championship games in high school. I won a national championship (at Ohio State). Winning the Super Bowl, this is the first time I actually had a chance to contribute, and I'm very proud of myself.''

There were stories galore among the players who appeared as happy last night as they did following the franchise's record sixth Super Bowl victory in Tampa, Fla., four months ago.

Roethlisberger was the first player to leave the ceremony, making his way to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Mellon Arena. As he hurried to his car, Roethlisberger was asked if winning Super Bowl XLIII was better than winning Super Bowl XL in his second pro season.

"A little bit,'' he said.

Roethlisberger is among 22 players on the roster who have rings from Super Bowls XL and XLIII.

"You think about winning two Super Bowls, the schedule we had and what we had to go through, this one is really special,'' said cornerback Ike Taylor, one of 10 players to start in both Super Bowls.


A look at all six of the Steelers' Super Bowl rings.
Tribune-Review

Former Steelers Larry Foote and Nate Washington, who were members of both Super Bowl teams, also attended the ceremony.

"I'm just happy to see these guys, happy to see it all pay off,'' said Washington, who signed a free-agent contract with the Tennessee Titans.

The ring can best be descibed as a combination of flash and class.

Nearly twice the size of the previous Super Bowl ring, it features six diamonds surrounding the Steelers' logo, which rests atop a football-shaped design with 32 diamonds.

One side of the ring features six Lombardi trophies rising from Heinz Field and the score of Super Bowl XLIII. The other side has each players' name and jersey number along with the Steelers' helmet and NFL shield.

"(Defensive captain) James Farrior helped design it," safety Ryan Clark said. "He said it was big, maybe too big. I think it's perfect.

"You saw a bunch of grown men act like kids. It was kind of like Christmas. You know what you're going to get, but you never know how excited you're going to be until you open that box.''

There are a small number of people in the organization with six Super Bowl rings. That group is headed by team chairman Dan Rooney.

Hall-of-Famer Joe Greene, entering his sixth season in the personnel department, is the only person to play with the Steelers to have six Super Bowl rings. College scout Bill Nunn, who has been with the Steelers since 1968, also has six rings.


Steelers' Super Bowl ring: Latest one includes 63 diamonds and traditional setting of black and gold

Wednesday, June 10, 2009
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/


Rebecca Droke/Post-Gazette

This may be the sixth Super Bowl ring for some in the organization, but for many such as Nick Eason, the Super Bowl XLIII ring is their first.

The Steelers' Super Bowl ring keeps getting bigger, and Joe Greene, who picked up his sixth last night, could not decide which he likes more.

You have six kids, you love them all equally.

"There is no best," Greene said.

The latest, which weighs in at 3.7 ounces and contains 63 diamonds that go 3.61 carats, is Greene's and the Steelers' biggest, by far, dwarfing their ring from Super Bowl XL.

Counting all the diamonds, it was another whiteout night across town in Pittsburgh.

"It is a beautiful ring," said Greene, who earned four as a Hall of Fame defensive tackle for the Steelers and two more as a scout. "Beautiful, beautiful ring."

Greene is one of five club employees who have earned six rings, including Dan Rooney and scout Bill Nunn. At one time, 22 players owned four Super Bowl rings, earned over six seasons in the 1970s.

Last night, the two-ring club of modern Steelers numbered 28 members, including linebacker Larry Foote. After the Steelers granted his wish to be released so he could sign with his hometown Detroit Lions, Foote rejoined them for one final time for their ring ceremony inside Heinz Field's East Club Lounge. He skipped their White House visit May 21, but said there was no way he would miss this trip.

Homestead native Charlie Batch, who picked up his second ring, held it up next to his Super Bowl XL ring, which looked half the size of the new one.
"Everybody's in awe right now," Batch said. "When everybody opened his box, it was like 'Wow!' "


Rebecca Droke/Post-Gazette

First Super Bowl ring for Nick Eason.

The latest ring, in keeping with a long-held tradition of championship rings, is gaudy. In keeping with Steelers tradition, it is black and gold -- 14-karat gold (and all those diamonds) on a black background.

The face contains six large, brilliant-cut diamonds, one for each Super Bowl victory. There are seven other diamonds that represent the Steelers' seven conference championships and seven others below to add up to their 14 division titles in a football design.

The face includes a red, blue and yellow stone to resemble their hypocycloid logo. On one side of each ring are six Lombardi Trophies with the 27-23 score of their victory against Arizona in the Super Bowl. On the other is the ring owner's name, the Steelers helmet logo, the NFL logo and the player's number.

"This is the defining moment," Batch said, "to put an exclamation point on last season. It signifies everything we accomplished last season."

The Steelers moved the start of their ceremony 30 minutes ahead to 6 p.m. because many of them had tickets to the Stanley Cup final game between the Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.

The ceremony, which included dinner and a band, was supposed to last until 11 p.m.

Ben Roethlisberger was the first to emerge at 7:43 p.m., holding the large box with the large ring inside. He jumped into his Porsche and sped across town to Mellon Arena for the game.

The 28 players who received the past two Steelers Super Bowl rings:
Jeff Reed, Roethlisberger, James Farrior, Hines Ward, Batch, Bryant McFadden, Tyrone Carter, Ike Taylor, Deshea Townsend, Willie Parker, Troy Polamalu, Foote, Andre Frazier, Greg Warren, Chris Kemoeatu, Kendall Simmons, Chris Hoke, Marvel Smith, Max Starks, Trai Essex, Heath Miller, Nate Washington, Travis Kirschke, Aaron Smith, James Harrison, Arnold Harrison, Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel.

NOTES -- Coach Mike Tomlin canceled practice yesterday and took his team bowling instead, a tradition he began last year. The Steelers have two practices left on the schedule, today and tomorrow, before they break until training camp opens July 31. ... Some good seats still can be had for Steelers home games this coming season, and they will go on sale through Ticketmaster beginning at 10 a.m. June 20. Individuals can buy up to four tickets for the regular season; there is no limit to the two home exhibition games. Most tickets are $59 to $62, but some single seats also are available up to $240.

Heinz issues six-pack of Super Bowl ketchup

Wednesday, March 04, 2009
By Bob Batz Jr., Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Business wire

The commemorative Heinz Six-Pack' pays tribute to the Steelers' six championship titles.What would someone do with a Super Bowl six-pack? Not of championships, but of bottles of ketchup.

Find out by picking up a "Six-Pack" of 14-ounce, classic Heinz ketchup bottles in a cardboard holder, just released by the H.J. Heinz Co. According to a news release, sponsor of Heinz field, the pack of six bottles, each with a label commemorating a Super Bowl win, sells for $35.

You also can purchase individual 2008 Super Bowl bottles for $6 each. They'll be available until the next football season at myheinz.com (plus shipping, which adds $8 to $15 to local orders). The site also allows you to order Heinz products with custom labels.

You also can pick up the six-packs and bottles at Heinz gift shops at the Heinz 57 Center (357 Sixth Ave., Downtown) and at Prime Outlets, Grove City.

First published on March 4, 2009 at 3:24 pm

Kemoeatu re-signs with Steelers

February 27, 2009
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/teams/steelers/

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Left guard Chris Kemoeatu turned down an offer from the New York Jets and re-signed Friday with the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, who would have been depleted on the offensive line without him.

Kemoeatu's contract is worth $20 million over five seasons and pays him a signing bonus of nearly $4 million, which is believed to be less than the Jets were offering. Nearly $6 million is guaranteed Kemoeatu, a former backup who started only two games during his first three Steelers seasons from 2005-07.

The Steelers released former starting right guard Kendall Simmons on Thursday. Losing Kemoeatu -- who helped them win a Super Bowl in his first season as a starter -- would have left them with former undrafted free agent Darnell Stapleton as their only experienced guard. Stapleton also was a first-year starter last season.

The Jets wanted Kemoeatu as the replacement for right guard Brandon Moore, but Kemoeatu preferred to stay with a team that has a chance to win a third Super Bowl in five years.

Last year, the Jets signed longtime All-Pro guard Alan Faneca from the Steelers, creating a starting job for Kemoeatu in his fourth season in Pittsburgh.

Kemoeatu was a Steelers sixth-round pick in 2005, likely dropping in the draft because of a 2003 incident in which the former Utah lineman kicked an UNLV player in the face while his helmet was off. Kemoeatu had been suspended for the first half of that game following an on-field dispute with a San Diego State player the week before.

Kemoeatu's contract is the same length as the $24 million, five-year deal Simmons signed in August 2007, only 18 months before Pittsburgh released him.

Simmons' contract included a $7.85 million signing bonus, of which the remaining $4.71 million will count against the Steelers' 2009 salary cap. The Steelers do not have to pay Simmons his non-guaranteed salary of $3.1 million.

Simmons missed the final three months of the regular season and the playoffs last season after tearing an Achilles tendon against the Ravens. The former first-round draft pick also sat out the 2004 season with torn knee ligaments that occurred during training camp.

Simmons' departure means the Steelers probably will be without two longtime starting offensive linemen who missed most of last season with injuries. Former starting left tackle Marvel Smith became a free agent Friday and is likely to leave following the decision to make Max Starks the franchise player.

Starks moved in at left tackle after Smith developed back problems for the second successive season. Smith was limited to five games in 2008, a year after back surgery caused him to miss the final month of the 2007 season.
Another Smith also got no guarantees from the Steelers -- guaranteed money, or a job.

Anthony Smith, the safety who unwisely guaranteed a victory over the then-unbeaten Patriots in 2007, became an unrestricted free agent Friday after the Steelers didn't tender him a contract.

The Steelers gave up quickly on Smith, whose career in Pittsburgh declined rapidly after he was a third-round pick from Syracuse in 2006. He angered coach Mike Tomlin not only by guaranteeing the Steelers would beat the Patriots a season later, but by getting beat for two touchdowns during New England's 34-13 victory.

Smith's playing time dwindled last season, and he was deactivated for all three playoff games.

By failing to make a $1 million, one-year qualifying offer to Smith, the Steelers won't receive a draft pick in compensation if he signs elsewhere.

Steelers' Super memories caught on DVD by NFL

Tuesday, February 24, 2009
By Robert Dvorchak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


John Heller/Post-Gazette

Fans line up inside the AMC Loews Waterfront 22 cinema in West Homestead as linebacker James Harrison signs autographs before the debut of the NFL Films DVD documenting the Steelers' season.

With a show business sense of preparation, NFL Films had outfitted Santonio Holmes with a microphone for the Super Bowl.

And as the Steelers were taking the field for their winning drive, Holmes could be heard telling quarterback Ben Roethlisberger: "I want the ball."

That line played prominently in the premiere of Super Bowl XLIII Champions, which opened to an overflow crowd last night and is now available on DVD at various outlets.

Holmes and several teammates attended a special screening at the AMC Loews Waterfront before heading out to Best Buy in Bethel Park to autograph the first copies that went on sale.

"We're going to have this moment to share for the rest of our lives," said Holmes, who has been on a whirlwind tour of celebrity ever since his MVP catch lifted the Steelers to their sixth Super Bowl title. "All of it has been great."

The drama has long-since played out, and the ending is etched in the collective memory. But the story, available from Warner Home Video and NFL Films for $24.98, apparently never gets old.

"It'll be a collector's item," said Hines Ward, who was the MVP of Super Bowl XL and is on the ring committee designing the new bling. "You get to watch the Super Bowl from a different level."

Ward will be signing copies from 1 to 3 p.m. today at the West Mifflin Wal-Mart, and LaMarr Woodley will attach his signature to purchased copies from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Giant Eagle in the Robinson Town Center.


John Heller/Post-Gazette

Hines Ward signs autographs before the debut of the NFL Films documentary on the Steelers' super season yesterday at the AMC Lowes Waterfront.

In addition to the highlights leading up to the team's sixth Super Bowl title, the DVD includes bonus material and features that fans can savor through the winter.

Narration is provided by Harry Kalas, the Hall of Fame baseball announcer with the Philadelphia Phillies who has been a longtime contributor to NFL Films.

Given unrestricted access, NFL Films has a way of eavesdropping on conversations and showing just the right angles -- set to music -- to stir the emotions again and again.

Not much is out of bounds. The DVD includes Tunch Ilkin noting that a James Harrison snap almost ended up in the Ohio River; Casey Hampton chuckling over a touchdown run by Byron Leftwich; Tennessee's LenDale White stomping on the Terrible Towel; and Limas Sweed getting an attitude adjustment from Hines Ward before throwing a memorable block.

There are several segments that provide insights into coach Mike Tomlin. But in a Super Bowl that produced more big plays than any other, the Steelers provide enchantment.

Before the dramatic winning drive, a resolute Max Starks is overheard saying: "We got this. We are built for this. We are built for this!"

The Steelers came back for a 27-23 win, climaxed by a tiptoe touchdown catch that fans will be talking about for years.


Robert Dvorchak can be reached at bdvorchak@post-gazette.com.
First published on February 24, 2009 at 12:00 am


Steelers enjoy premiere of Super Bowl video

By John Harris, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes didn't have to wait to watch the end of Monday night's VIP screening of the official Super Bowl XLIII video.

Holmes, the Super Bowl MVP who caught the winning touchdown pass in the final minute, knows the ending by heart — the good guys win.

But he watched anyway.

Holmes was joined by teammates James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, Hines Ward and Willie Parker, who gathered at the AMC Loews Waterfront 22 theater in Homestead for the red-carpet event.

Woodley made Holmes' 6-yard touchdown catch from Ben Roethlisbeger hold up when he forced Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner to fumble while attempting a desperation pass. The Steelers recovered, enabling the clock to run out in their 27-23 victory.

"I kind of miss working out," said Woodley, who, like many of his teammates, has been on the television and radio circuit following the Super Bowl. "I'm going to start back training (in March)."

While his teammates dressed casually for the event, Ward wore a stylish suit without a tie. He also sported a pair of sunglasses.

"I thought winning the first Super Bowl was good. But winning the second one feels extra special because of all the stuff we had to go through," said Ward, the MVP of Super Bowl XL. "We had the hardest schedule before the season started. Overcoming a lot of different things with injuries and what-not and still staying the course and being able to come together as a team and win the Super Bowl."

As for his choice of clothing, Ward replied, "I've got to teach some of the younger guys what the red carpet is. We're the first ones on our team to watch the premiere."

Ward wasn't wearing sunglasses to make a fashion statement. He said he suffered a broken blood vessel in his eye resulting from a negative reaction following offseason surgery for a torn rotator cuff he suffered in the second week of the season.


Steelers running back Willie Parker signs autographs before walking to a screening of the team's official championship DVD Monday in Homestead.
Andrew Russell/Tribune-Review

"I'm wearing shades because I busted a blood vessel while I was throwing up (because) of the anesthesia during surgery. It was pretty bad," Ward said. "Any time you go under the knife, it's a big deal.

"Shoulder injuries are the worst. I had my knee 'scoped a couple of times; I can get over that. I thought the shoulder wouldn't be as bad. They put a couple of screws in it to make sure it heals properly. I'm supposed to be in a sling, but it doesn't look cool to be on the red carpet in a sling."

Ward attributed his emotional response immediately following the Super Bowl win to playing in the game despite a painful knee injury.

"A lot of people were concerned about the knee. I had a six-week injury but played in two weeks," he said. "That's why I was very emotional about the game because I put so much into it."

Woodley plans to ask some of the veterans who played in Super Bowl XL about the best way to prepare for next season. The Steelers finished 8-8 the year after winning their last Super Bowl.

"There's definitely going to be some of those questions coming up. Just the things we can do to get better," Woodley said.

"Week to week, every team we play is going to give us their best shot. Every team wants to beat the Pittsbugh Steelers. They feel like if they beat the Steelers, they're on top. Our job is to take care of business like we've been doing."

The Super Bowl XLIII DVD arrives in stores today. Ward, Holmes and Woodley will be signing copies of the DVD this week at selected area locations.

Bittersweet moment for Steelers' Rooney brothers

With the restructuring of team's ownership on track for March closing, the brothers reflect on final Super Bowl

Monday, February 23, 2009
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Kay Rooney

Pat, John, Tim and Art Jr. at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla.

The photo, taken moments after Super Bowl XLIII ended, shows four Rooney brothers posing on the confetti-covered field in Tampa, Fla., after the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals.

Six rings all around for Pat, John, Tim and Art Rooney Jr., who collectively own 64 percent of the team their father founded.

There is only one thing missing from that photo: smiles.

"It was a great way for the end, as my dad left the team," Art Rooney Jr. said, "with all of us being on the field and Dan at the podium taking the Super Bowl trophy."

The four brothers were happy in that photo, Art insists, but sad at the same time, which is probably why none is smiling.

"We realized -- all four of us -- that it was the end as dad left it to us. Nobody talked about it, though. It's a nice picture, although with no smiles. We still had our game faces on."

Two of those four Rooneys will sell all of their stock in the team when the closing takes place, and the other two will sell about half of what they have owned since their father, Art Sr., died in 1988.

That closing is on schedule to occur by the end of March, sources on both sides told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That is the timetable their brother, Dan Rooney, and his son, Art II, gave the National Football League when league owners unanimously approved the restructuring of the franchise in December. No complications developed nor are any expected before the deal closes, although they are working on minor details.

Brothers John and Art Rooney Jr. will maintain about half of their previous 16 percent ownership stake each. Brothers Pat and Tim Rooney will sell all of their 16 percent each and remain in the racing and casino businesses.

A requirement by the NFL that the Rooneys either divest themselves of their interest in the casinos or the team prompted the restructuring. Also, the league requires that each team have a partner who owns at least 30 percent. In the restructuring of the Steelers, the league has approved a joint 30 percent ownership by Dan and his son.

As part of the new ownership, at least three new major partners are buying into the team at unspecified amounts. They are Thomas Tull, a film producer based in Los Angeles; James Haslam III, president of Pilot Travel Centers; and the Paul family of Pittsburgh. Other minor investors also might surface.

J.B. Smith, a venture capitalist from Detroit who announced early this month that he was talking to the Rooneys about becoming a fourth major investor, is not part of the deal. Sources say there never were negotiations between him and the Rooneys.

The McGinley family of Pittsburgh, which has owned 20 percent of the team, also is selling some of its shares in the restructuring.

The photo of four Rooney brothers on the field after winning their sixth Super Bowl not only will be the last under those circumstances, it was the first. Art Rooney Jr. said they never went onto the field after the previous five Super Bowl victories.

"We were lucky to get into the inner circle after the game, but it worked out well," he said. "It was bittersweet, but what a way to say goodbye!"


Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
First published on February 23, 2009 at 12:00 am

On the Steelers: SB XLIII ... Truths, lies & misconceptions

Mike Tomlin, Santonio Holmes and things you thought you knew about the game

Sunday, February 15, 2009
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Bob Donaldson/Post-Gazette
A lot ... but 350,000?

Gleaned from the NFL Network's abridged version of the Super Bowl was a telling one-way conversation between Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians on the sideline as the Steelers invaded the Arizona 1 for the second time in the game. They had to settle for a field goal after a first down at the 1 on their first series.

"Let's get this thing into the end zone," Tomlin said to Arians. "How about that? That would be good."

Indeed, Gary Russell scored from the 1 on third down.

One more comment from that NFL Network replay. Tackle Max Starks, as the Steelers' offense was about to take the field for the final time, trailing by three: "We got this. We are built for this. We are built for this."

Officially, it was a bad performance

Some observations on penalties called, penalties not called and other points of controversy after watching two replays of the game:

• John Madden's call for James Harrison to be thrown out of the game for "punching" Arizona safety Aaron Francisco after a punt was over the top. First of all, Harrison did not punch him; he pushed him down with an open hand. Also, Harrison reacted because Francisco had tried to cut him by throwing a block below his knees. He's lucky Harrison responded in such a restrained manner.

• Likewise, Ike Taylor did not just start throwing punches along the Arizona sideline because someone said something to him. Running back Tim Hightower, perched on the sideline, grabbed Taylor's facemask as the play entered the Cardinals' sideline, prompting Taylor to react.

Tomlin would say that it still does not excuse either player for his reaction because it cost penalties on each occasion, although Harrison's was just 1 yard.

More than a few bad calls

The officiating in the Super Bowl was as horrid as many in a long line of bad games by them in 2008. But not all the calls went against the Arizona Cardinals:

• The holding call on center Justin Hartwig in the end zone for a safety was a joke. Hartwig was engaged with his right hand on a Cardinals defender to his right when he was run over. Hartwig did not pull the defender down.

• Perhaps Kurt Warner's fumble on his last play was legitimate, perhaps they did do a quick review up in the booth, but on such a play in the Super Bowl, could they not have taken two minutes to look at it more closely? They took longer than that to overturn a meaningless touchdown by Troy Polamalu on the last play of a regular-season game against San Diego (only to get it wrong).

• Yes, Santonio Holmes should have gotten flagged for whatever it was he did after catching the winning touchdown. Yes, the Steelers should have had to kick off from their 15, and, yes, it might have helped the Cardinals get 15 yards closer. But Warner fumbled on the Steelers' 44, not the 15, and he needed a touchdown, not a field goal. It's a stretch to assume Arizona would have scored a touchdown merely because the Cardinals would have been 15 yards closer.

• If you're going to count the non-call on Holmes' excessive celebration, you have to count the non-calls on the two blocks in the back by the Cardinals on the subsequent kickoff.

• Referee Terry McAulay overturned a Warner fumble on the first series of the second half, ruling it was an incomplete pass on a challenge by Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt. OK, but someone other than Whisenhunt should have thrown a flag on the play as it happened because if that was a forward pass, Warner, still in the pocket, was trying to shot-put it to one of his offensive linemen, which is illegal.

Holmes could just as easily been the goat

What was Holmes thinking? His little celebration could have turned him from Super Bowl hero to the greatest goat in Super Bowl history. All for what?

People still remember Leon Lett's bonehead play in Super Bowl XXVII, and his team won, 52-17! Had Holmes' showboating cost the Steelers 15 yards, had the Cardinals, with two timeouts left, raced to a touchdown to win, Holmes would never have lived it down.

Of course, if an elephant had wings it might fly, which is why Tomlin has not scolded Holmes, yet. But one day during OTAs in April or May, Tomlin will remind Holmes about it as only he can.

Math errors, at the least

Not to kill the buzz, but can those talking about a Steelers "dynasty" please put it to rest, and those estimating attendance at parades be a tad more realistic?

Two Super Bowl wins in the past four years does not make a dynasty. And six in 35 years does not cut it, either. Now, four in six years, that's a dynasty, and the Steelers had one in the 1970s, need I remind no one. They would have to win the next two Super Bowls to match it.

The New England Patriots won three in four years as did the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s.

Now, that estimate of 350,000 who watched the Steelers parade celebration looks fine in print, and it likely makes everyone civically proud. They must be using the same estimator who badly overcounted those who turned up to watch the old Pittsburgh marathons. Either that or they included the television viewers.

Having 350,000 jam their way into the Golden Triangle would be the equivalent of 5Â 1/2 Heinz Fields emptying into downtown Pittsburgh. Oh, the parking spaces!

Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
First published on February 15, 2009 at 12:00 am

2009 Dapper Dan Awards: Mike Tomlin & Shavonte Zellous

Charity to honor Steelers coach, Pitt basketball star and Dick LeBeau

Sunday, February 15, 2009
By Robert Dvorchak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Mike Tomlin & Shavonte Zellous

During the shared experience of a championship season, Mike Tomlin became the youngest coach to take his team to the Super Bowl, and Dick LeBeau had the distinction of being the NFL's oldest coordinator.

At the 73rd annual Dapper Dan Dinner & Sports Auction presented by BNY Mellon, they'll share the spotlight along with Pitt senior basketball player Shavonte Zellous.

Tomlin has been named the 2008 sportsman of the year while LeBeau, an ageless wonder at 71, has been chosen for a lifetime achievement award. Zellous, a cornerstone in the turnaround of the women's basketball program at Pitt, is the 2008 sportswoman of the year.

The dinner will be held Thursday, April 2, beginning with a 6 p.m. reception, at the Petersen Events Center on the Pitt campus.

Tomlin, 36, joins his two immediate predecessors, both of whom coached Super Bowl winners, as Dapper Dan honorees. Chuck Noll received the award for 1972, the first time in franchise history the Steelers won a division title and won a playoff game. Bill Cowher won it in 1992, his first with the Steelers. He was honored again for the 1994 season.

But Tomlin has already earned a special niche. No other coach has won two division titles or won 22 regular-season games in his first two seasons. That, and a sixth crown for the team's trophy case, made him an obvious choice to be embraced by his new hometown.

"It's a great honor," Tomlin said.

Although he didn't hoist the Lombardi Trophy on Super Bowl night, he has since lifted the silver football and had his picture taken with it while flanked by Dan Rooney and his son, Art II. But Tomlin and his staff already are hard at work evaluating prospective draft picks ahead in advance of the NFL Combine.

"I'm always moving to new challenges," said Tomlin, who was named the 2008 Motorola coach of the year in voting by fans. "I'm a moving on kind of guy."

LeBeau, the mastermind behind the NFL's stingiest defense in 2008, joins some rare company with his award. Previous honorees for lifetime achievement were Arnold Palmer, Joe Paterno and Dan Rooney.

"That's some pretty heady company," said LeBeau, the most respected and revered coordinator in the game today. "I'm honored and humbled. It's more than I deserve. It's dizzying stuff."


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Dick LeBeau celebrates the AFC title at Heinz Field last month with one of his linebackers, Lawrence Timmons.

LeBeau just completed a half-century in pro football. A cornerback for 14 seasons for the Detroit Lions, he still holds the NFL mark of 171 consecutive games played at his position, and his 62 career interceptions rank seventh all-time. He has been a coach at various levels for various organizations since 1973.

The franchise he works for now was just four years old, and the Dapper Dan was one year old, when he was born in 1937.

When asked about his age in the run-up to the Super Bowl, LeBeau got a laugh from the media by voicing a riff from the late James Brown, the self-proclaimed hardest working man in show business.

"I don't know how you're supposed to feel at age 71," LeBeau said, "but I feel good. Da, da, da, da, da, da, dum..."

Meanwhile, with the dinner tables to be at court level for the awards banquet, Zellous will feel right at home. It is on the Peterson Events Center court that she helped Pitt qualify for its first-ever appearance in the NCAA women's tournament and then led the team to the Sweet 16 in 2008.

Lightly recruited out of Jones High School in Orlando, Fla., she has surpassed 2,000 points for her career and is averaging more than 23 points per game this season.

"I just think it's an awesome honor for Shavonte," said Pitt coach Agnus Berenato, a two-time winner of the sportswoman of the year award. "[She] stands for all the right things, and she had done so much for this university on and off the court."

Zellous got the word from her coach, and it left her searching for words.
"My mouth just dropped and a big smile hit my face," she said. "This is not just an award for me, but for our whole team, because my teammates and coaches make everything possible for me. I can't describe it really. I'm just very honored."

In addition to the individual honors, results of the "Danny Awards" for best play, best moment and breakthrough athlete of 2008 will be announced.
Voting is being done through March 15 at www.post-gazette.com/dapperdan. A celebration of the Super Bowl victory, and the distinction of being the first franchise to win six trophies, will be marked with player appearances.

The Dapper Dan is the city's oldest, largest and most prestigious sports banquet. Proceeds from the event benefit the youth sports and education programs of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania.

Robert Dvorchak can be reached at bdvorchak@post-gazette.com. Staff writer Paul Zeise contributed to this story.

First published on February 15, 2009 at 12:00 am


Dapper Dan data

• What: The 73rd annual Dapper Dan Dinner & Sports Auction.

• When: 6 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. dinner, will be held April 2.

• Where: Petersen Events Center.

• Tickets: All seating will be on the court level. Prices are $200 for premium seats, $150 for general seats, and $100 for courtside. Call the Dapper Dan Hotline at 412-263-3850 to purchase tickets.

• Honorees: Sportsman and Sportswoman of the year for 2008 are Mike Tomlin, coach of the Steelers, and Shavonte Zellous of the Pitt women's basketball team. In addition, Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will receive the lifetime achievement award.

• Also: The Danny Awards will also be announced for best play, best moment and breakthrough athlete of 2008. To vote, go to www.post-gazette.com/dapperdan.

• Of note: The Dapper Dan was founded in 1936 by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports editor Al Abrams. The primary beneficiary since the 1990s is the Boys & Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania.

Foote scoffs that he's a Lion in waiting

By John Harris, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Thursday, February 12, 2009


Steelers linebacker Larry Foote celebrates after defeating Arizona.
Christopher Horner/Tribune-Review



Steelers inside linebacker Larry Foote is the type of player every championship team should have on its roster.

He's heady and productive, and you won't find a better teammate. His strong run support is a perfect complement to Lawrence Timmons' obvious strengths against the pass.

So why was Foote pledging his allegiance to the Steelers a week after winning Super Bowl XLIII? And why did the Detroit native feel compelled to tell me he has no desire to play for his hometown Lions, despite a newspaper article that implied otherwise?

"It would be ludicrous for me to say I want to leave my last year. It would be stupid to even want to do that," Foote said. "The bottom line is in 2002 the Lions had a chance to draft me. They chose not to. The Steelers did."

Foote was a fourth-round draft pick from Michigan, the 128th player selected.

"I can relate to all the pain of not getting picked on the first day and see bums go ahead of me. The Steelers (drafted) me," Foote said. "I'm a Steeler. I'm a Super Bowl champion."

Foote remains upset over comments appearing in the Detroit Free Press a few days before Super Bowl XLIII. They were attributed to longtime friend Brian Blackburn, who said about Foote, "He wants to come back here. This is the last year of his contract, and he wants to come back here and play for the Lions for about four years and call it quits after that."

Foote, 28, will be entering the final year of a $13.4 million contract extension he signed after winning Super Bowl XL.

"That was one of my boys just talking stupid stuff in the paper," Foote said this week. "I think all players say that toward the tail end: 'I'll just end up going home and finish up there.' But that was just talk."

Foote wants to finish his career with the team that gave him his start, but there's two sides to every story. The final year of his contract isn't guaranteed, and there's the not-so-small matter of Foote holding off Timmons for the starting spot.

By Foote's own admission, Timmons, listed on the 2008 depth chart as a backup, appeared in more plays than Foote in the Steelers' 27-23 Super Bowl victory over Arizona.

"Quiet as it's kept," Foote said, "everybody knows my role is reduced, no doubt about that."

Speaking with reporters, director of football operations Kevin Colbert said he expects Foote to return.

"Foote is under contract," Colbert said. "Any player who is a starter and still a contributor, it would be hard to make any kind of adjustments."

Reduced pay for reduced play in 2009? Foote, scheduled to earn $2.885 million, said he wouldn't accept a pay cut.

"If they want to reduce my salary, I understand where they're coming from," Foote said. "I still think I'm in my prime. I have some good years ahead of me, so I'm not going to accept that. I haven't heard anything like that."

What about potential free agency after next season?

"Would somebody want me? I don't know. I've never been a free agent. I've never been on the market," he said. "I don't know if the Lions even want me. My play hasn't dropped off, just my (playing) time has dropped off. I can be as productive as any linebacker in the league with the opportunity."

Roethlisberger says he played with two fractured ribs

Tuesday, February 10, 2009
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Ben Roethlisberger told Sports Illustrated that he played Super Bowl XLIII with two broken ribs.


The Steelers had little reaction yesterday to Ben Roethlisberger's comments that he played Super Bowl XLIII with two broken ribs.

"To our knowledge, he was ready, willing and able to go and obviously he performed admirably," said Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' director of football operations.

The breaks did not show on an X-ray taken before the Super Bowl but did turn up on an MRI he had in Pittsburgh last week, Roethlisberger told Peter King of Sports Illustrated.

"Fractured ribs," Roethlisberger said. "Luckily, in the game, I didn't take any big hits to make 'em hurt. But I knew all along there was something wrong. There wouldn't have been anything they could have done about fractured ribs anyway. It was just suck it up and play."

Roethlisberger was not listed on the Steelers' injury report at all before the Super Bowl and did not miss a practice.

Coach Mike Tomlin denied a report in the days leading to the Super Bowl that Roethlisberger had X-rays taken on his back/ribs.

"Not that I heard," Tomlin said. "Ben's health is often the subject of inaccurate reports. He's fine."

Roethlisberger did miss the Wednesday practice in Pittsburgh after the AFC championship game and was listed on the Steelers' injury report that week with an unspecified back injury.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, in response to a query about Roethlisberger's statement about his ribs and whether he should have been listed on the injury report the week of the Super Bowl, answered in an e-mail:

"Ben's injury was disclosed in the required injury report the week prior to the team going to Tampa for the Super Bowl.

He was listed throughout that week with a back injury. The reports that week said he did not practice on Wednesday and fully practiced on Thursday and Friday.

He was then listed on Friday as probable for the Super Bowl with a back injury.

The Steelers then fully cleared him to practice and play and he was not listed on the SB week injury report.

We also have a pool reporter procedure for Super Bowl week.

A [Pro Football Writers Association] appointed reporter attends every practice session of each team to report on the physical condition of the players.

AFC pool reporter Peter King reported throughout the week that Ben fully practiced and 'looked sharp.'

There was no doubt as to Ben's availability. Then, of course, he played the entire game."


Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
First published on February 10, 2009 at 12:00 am

Reliving Pittsburgh's final drive, through the eyes of Roethlisberger

Peter King
MONDAY MORNING QB
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/
February 9, 2009

I need to relive the Steelers' last drive of the Super Bowl. I want to relive it. I watched a DVD of the game sent from NBC the other day, then spoke at length to Ben Roethlisberger Saturday night about one of the great drives in big-game history. Four things that stand out now, eight days after the fact:

Santonio Holmes is embraced by teammate, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after catching a seven-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger with 35 seconds remaining to give Pittsburgh a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals for a record sixth Super Bowl title, February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.(Getty Images)

1. Roethlisberger still doesn't know why he threw the winning pass into triple coverage to Santonio Holmes. "If I'd thought about it, and now, looking back, seeing what I've seen, I never would have thrown it,'' Roethlisberger told me from southern California, where he was soaking in memories of the best game of his life, getting away from it all, and considering some lucrative endorsement deals.

2. Roethlisberger, playing on adrenaline, toughed out the game with at least two small rib fractures -- which didn't show up in an X-ray the week before the game but did when he got an MRI after returning to Pittsburgh.

3. Mewelde Moore should go down as the unsung hero of the final drive. First he made a crushing, crucial block on a blitzing Aaron Francisco that allowed Roethlisberger to convert a third-and-six into a first down. Later he sold a flat pattern so well that Roethlisberger's arm motion to Moore took cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie off double-coverage on Holmes and onto Moore -- freeing Ben to throw it to Holmes, who, after a slip from Francisco, scampered 40 yards to set up the winning touchdown.

4. Not sure I've ever heard John Madden as excited about a play as he was about Holmes' winning touchdown catch. A guttural "UNBELIEVABLE'' came out of Madden's mouth when he knew Holmes had kept both toes inbounds and fallen to the ground in possession of the ball.

I spent two hours examining the eight plays of the drive, which will go down as an NFL classic. I mean an all-timer. I know Roethlisberger's only 26, but this I can promise: Even if he wins three more Super Bowls and goes to the Hall of Fame someday, Big Ben will never have a championship game drive like this again -- 88 yards, trailing by three, final three minutes, starting with a first-and-20, eschewing anything like a play-it-safe mode, ending with one of the great clutch passes thrown in the NFL.

Lofty words. True words.

Before I take you back to the breezy Tampa night, there's a part of Roethlisberger's football personality that you've got to know. Rewind to Nov. 20, a Thursday night in Pittsburgh. With 2:20 left in the fourth quarter, the Steelers led Cincinnati 20-10, and all Roethlisberger had to do was bleed the clock the rest of the way and the Steelers could go home, safely, winners. But he was quarterbacking for points, not to kill the clock.

With a bum shoulder, he took off out of the pocket from the Bengals' eight, dove for the goal line, stretched his arm with the ball out, and crossed the plane for a touchdown. In the locker room I asked him: "Why not play it safe?'' And he said: "Heck no. I will never ... Casey Hampton said to me on the sidelines, 'What are you doing scoring? Why didn't you just go down at the one?' I said, 'Hamp, don't you know by now? That's my heart.' I'm a competitor. I want to get in the end zone. And I want to win. Period. I don't think about running the clock out. I don't think about saving myself. It'll take someone to bring me down. It's the competitive side. [Coach Mike Tomlin] tells me, 'Don't take a hit. Get down, slide.' But in that situation, it's competition.''

So here we go in the Super Bowl. Arizona 23, Pittsburgh 20, 2:30 left. Ball on the Steeler 22. But guard Chris Kemoeatu holds on first down, so with 2:24 left, the real drive starts on the Pittsburgh 12. "Hard enough to go 78 yards starting on first-and-10,'' Big Ben said. "But the odds of going 88 yards, with 20 yards to go on first down ... '' The Steelers needed about 58 yards to get into Jeff Reed's field-goal range -- but that's not what Roethlisberger was thinking. He wasn't thinking tie and get the game into overtime. He was thinking win.

"Never once,'' he said. "Not on the entire drive do I think 'field goal.' Never do I think, 'Play it safe.' Subconsciously, I guess I knew it. Of course I knew it, because we were down by three. But I wasn't trying to get us into field-goal range.''

Roethlisberger is an interesting case. I've asked other quarterbacks -- Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Tom Brady -- about big plays and big drives, and they remember tiny details. They're like Tiger Woods going shot-by-shot on a Thursday round (particularly Peyton), able to tell you why he went with the three-iron instead of the four-, 278 yards out from the tall grass on the seventh hole. Not Ben. "I don't remember a lot of the plays from that drive,'' he said. "I just don't remember things in great detail like that.'' So some of this was pulling teeth, but the insight was good.

"I want the ball! I want the ball!'' Holmes shouted before the series. As if Roethlisberger didn't know that.

From the 12: On first down, Roethlisberger evaded Antonio Smith and Darnell Dockett at the 2, rolled right and threw between two defenders to Holmes for 14. I was surprised at his next play, trying to get it off before the two-minute warning -- the long throw up the right side to Nate Washington, blanketed by Francisco.

"Nate's a great jumper, and hopefully he can make a play,'' Roethlisberger said. "It's either going to be complete, incomplete, defensive pass interference or offensive pass interference. Nate knows he can't let that ball be caught.'' Washington and Francisco both bat the jump ball away.

Santonio Holmes holds off Arizona Cardinals safety Aaron Francisco to setup the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter of the NFL's Super Bowl XLIII football game in Tampa, Florida, February 1, 2009. (Reuters)

Third-and-six, 1:56 left. "The message from [offensive coordinator Bruce Arians] was, 'Hey, we got two plays to get the first down. Don't force it.' '' When the Steelers were in the shotgun on this drive, the sidecar to Roethlisberger was journeyman back Moore, in for his receiving and blitz-pickup skill. Arizona sent three defensive linemen and stunted and faked four others. But at the snap, five men rushed -- the three front men, plus linebacker Chike Okeafor and Francisco, both of whom came up the middle.

Kemoeatu whammed into Okeafor, neutralizing him, and Roethlisberger, smack-dab in the middle of the pocket, looked like easy pickins for Francisco. But up stepped Moore, and a step before Francisco would have lit into Big Ben, Francisco was stoned and lifted off the ground on a great block by Moore. With a sliver of room, Roethlisberger threaded the ball between Rodgers-Cromartie and linebacker Karlos Dansby. Gain of 13. First down at the Steeler 39. "That's the kind of play that makes Mo special,'' said Roethlisberger. "Great blocker. He's been great for us all year.''

Clock running. Roethlisberger hit Washington on a post-and-out route for 11. Clock running. Roethlisberger saw three receivers covered and scrambled for four up the middle. Timeout. Second-and-six, Arizona 46.

There are big plays in a game, and there are big decisions that lead to big plays. And Rodgers-Cromartie was about to make a decision that he'll regret for a long time, and the Pittsburgh quarterback was about to pull back a pass that'll be the best decision of his NFL career.

On second-and-six, wide receiver Hines Ward, tight end Heath Miller and Washington were flanked left, Moore as a sidecar to the right of Roethlisberger, and Holmes six yards outside the right tackle -- the only receiver to the right. At the snap, Moore slithered out to the right flat, and Holmes did a quick 11-yard curl, sitting at the Cards' 35. Because the Cards sent five rushers and blitzed outside 'backer Okeafor from the left instead of leaving him in coverage on the hot receiver (Moore), Roethlisberger had Moore wide open at the 46, with a few yards of free space in front of him.

"I was getting ready to throw it to Mo,'' Roethlisberger said. "In fact, I was throwing it to him -- but at the last possible second I saw Cromartie sprinting up to cover Mo. He must have been reading my eyes. So I pulled it back. Who knows what would have happened had I thrown that one?''

I'll tell you what: Rodgers-Cromartie would have blasted Moore in his tracks. It would have been a gain of one, maybe, and set up about a third-and-five. But that's what huge hands do for you. Roethlisberger has oversized hands, and when he pumped the ball to Moore, he did more than pump -- he almost let the ball go. But at the last moment he saw the corner coming up and pulled the ball back in.

Santonio Holmes catches a touchdown pass against Arizona Cardinals safety Aaron Francisco during the fourth quarter of the NFL Super Bowl XLIII football game, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa, Fla. (AP)

"Then I looked back at Tone [Santonio], and he had some space,'' Roethlisberger said. Big Ben threw to the outside shoulder of Holmes, and Francisco, coming up for the double-coverage, slipped three yards from Holmes. The receiver was off to the races, and Francisco collared him down at the Arizona six.

Pittsburgh took its last timeout. Now the Steelers had a gimme field goal, but no one on the sideline told Roethlisberger to be safe here. Not with 48 seconds left and a fresh set of downs, six yards from the win. It was time to go for the jugular, and Roethlisberger knew it. On first down, he pumped to Miller near the back of the end zone on the right, pulled it back, and let fly for Holmes at the left corner of the end zone. Holmes had beaten Rodgers-Cromartie and Antrel Rolle. The pass was a little high, but Holmes went up, twisted around slightly ... and just couldn't close his hands around the tight spiral.

"I thought I lost the Super Bowl,'' Holmes would say later.

Roethlisberger didn't care. "Tone knew and I knew I'd go back to him,'' he said.

But the next play had Holmes as the third option. "Mo in the flat, Hines on the pick-pivot, Tone in the corner of the end zone,'' Roethlisberger said, running through his options. Cornerback Ralph Brown "kind of jumped the route'' on Moore at the seven; Brown was wavering between Holmes, running for the corner and covered by Rodgers-Cromartie and Francisco.

Ward "was kind of open, and I almost banged it to him'' at the five, with a Card defender on his back," said Roethlisberger. He knew he could have sledgehammered the ball into Ward, but would his receiver have hung onto it or would it have been knocked away? Finally, Roethlisberger took a micro-second and looked at Miller, but he was covered. Now it was back to Holmes. Brown straddled the goal line, waiting for Big Ben's decision, and when he saw Roethlisberger switch his eyes to Holmes quickly and wind up, Brown skittered back.

"It's one of those throws where you just don't think,'' Roethlisberger said. "You're just trying to put it where the receiver can catch it, but if you don't, he's the only one who can catch it. When I let it go, I thought it was his ball or no one's. But a second later, I see the corner [Brown] and I think, He's gonna pick it off.''

The ball went five inches, maybe six, over the gloved fingertips of the leaping Brown. Francisco was coming in for the kill shot on Holmes. Rodgers-Cromartie reminded me so much of Asante Samuel on last year's miracle catch by David Tyree -- a spectator, strangely and regrettably, on the biggest play of the season, instead of a mugger as soon as the ball hit Holmes' hands.

Holmes had missed the previous throw. Not this one. Leaning over the white boundary stripe, five feet shy of the end line, Holmes snatched the high ball out of the air and got what -- one, two feet down? The Ultra Slow-Motion camera at NBC director Fred Gaudelli's disposal (the network had three of these artsy cameras in use, two low at either end zone, and one on the 50) dispelled all doubt that Holmes got his right foot down. No way referee Terry McAulay would have been able to overturn the call anyway, but Ultra Slow-Mo assured that the Steelers had their touchdown -- and Roethlisberger his drive for the ages.

When he hugged Holmes, Roethlisberger said to him: "The other catch would have been a lot easier. You should have caught that one,'' meaning the pass on the previous play. And they both laughed.

Now that he's relived it a few hundred times, Roethlisberger wouldn't change a thing. Obviously. "I was just trying to make a play,'' he said. "Nothing complicated. Looking back on it, if I was a little timid, or if I thought about it, it's a different story. But you can't play football like that. It's a game of reaction. I play the game one way. You saw it on that drive.''

*******

Regarding the celebrated ribs: Roethlisberger was speared in the kidney area in the AFC Championship Game. His midsection hurt so much that he had X-rays before the Super Bowl. They were negative. But a subsequent MRI told a different story. He found out last Thursday.

"Fractured ribs,'' Roethlisberger said. "Luckily, in the game, I didn't take any big hits to make 'em hurt. But I knew all along there was something wrong. There wouldn't have been anything they could have done about fractured ribs anyway. It was just suck it up and play.''

The kid from Miami of Ohio sucked it up pretty good. The Super Bowl win standings of the Quarterback Class of 2004: Roethlisberger 2, Eli Manning 1, Philip Rivers, J.P. Losman, Matt Schaub 0. Look at the three draft picks in the first round before Roethlisberger in 2004 -- cornerback DeAngelo Hall, wideout Reggie Williams, cornerback Dunta Robinson. Think Atlanta, Jacksonville and Houston regret those picks?

Steelers' Tomlin prefers low profile

By John Harris, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Monday, February 9, 2009


His legend is growing daily, buy Mike Tomlin possesses the ability to deflect attention from himself during his rapid ascension as one of the hottest coaching properties in professional sports.

When Tomlin learned two years ago that he would be named the Steelers' new coach, he was playing foosball with his two sons, Michael Dean and Mason.

"I got off the phone and they were interested in finishing the game, so we did," Tomlin said. "Really, that is the approach I have taken."

Tomlin's willingness to downplay his role when the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, in Super Bowl XLIII was never more evident when he didn't hold the Lombardi Trophy during the postgame celebration.

"I actually never even touched it," he said. "I see five of them every day when I go to work. I know what they look like. I'm just glad that I can do my part in terms of contributing to that trophy case."

His unassuming, blue-collar approach to coaching one of the NFL's most popular franchises — not to mention being the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl — could potentially make Tomlin an inviting target among advertisers.

But don't count on that happening.

"He has all the elements of someone that if they want to be a successful marketer, they can be," said David Carter of the Los Angeles-based Sports Business Group and executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California. "He's the face of a team that is as well-regarded from a national standpoint as just about any that's out there."

Tomlin prefers to remain in the background.

"He's not a pitchman. I can't see him on a soup commercial, or drinking soda on TV and smiling into the camera. He's a football coach," said RRA-Goal Line Management president Brian Levy, who represents Tomlin.

"(Winning the Super Bowl) certainly enhanced his visibility. Obviously, there are probably some corporations that would like to have him endorse their products. But he's a part of the team. He doesn't want to separate himself from that."

According to Carter, Tomlin's aversion to the spotlight is what makes him so likeable.

"The very thing that makes him valuable is that he's comfortable with himself and comfortable in these settings. That is actually the driving part of the value, his authenticity," Carter said.

Tomlin is happy just coaching the Steelers and adding to the team's legacy.

"To me, he's still the same guy he was when he was a defensive backs coach just getting started. He'll never, ever change," Levy said. "I think that's one of the things he's scared about, if he starts going into the corporate America stratosphere with marketing and endorsements. That it's going to take away from who he is and what his core beliefs are."

Holmes' performance sets stage for stardom

By Kevin Gorman, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Sunday, February 8, 2009

Santonio Holmes during holds up his MVP trophy during a parade to celebrate winning Super Bowl XLIII on February 3, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)

He crossed the line in October, blurred the line in Baltimore and touched down his tiptoes inside the line with a Tampa Two-Step that will go down as the greatest game-winning catch in Super Bowl history.

So, what's next in line for Santonio Holmes?

After winning the Super Bowl XLIII Most Valuable Player award just a month shy of his 25th birthday, the Steelers wide receiver appears destined for NFL stardom.

Not only did he catch a 6-yard scoring pass with 35 seconds remaining to clinch the Steelers' sixth Lombardi Trophy, Holmes was handed the torch from Hines Ward as their prime playmaker.

"He's got great ability," offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said, "and it's about putting him on stage and letting him go."

Holmes shined brightest on the premier platform in professional sports, catching four of his nine receptions for 73 of his 131 yards on the final drive of the 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

"Santonio Holmes had just an extraordinary night," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "It was just something to marvel at."

Santonio Holmes runs with the ball in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Getty Images)

The most extraordinary thing to marvel at was the mid-season transformation made by Holmes, a 2006 first-round draft choice out of Ohio State. He was deactivated against the New York Giants after Pittsburgh police found three blunts in his SUV Oct. 23 and charged Holmes with a misdemeanor for possession of marijuana.

Although Holmes finished with the most receptions (55) of his three-year career, his 821 receiving yards were the lowest and his yards-per-catch average dipped from 18.1 to 14.9 and his touchdowns from eight to five. He fell short of his preseason goals of being a 1,000-yard receiver and making the Pro Bowl.

"I wanted to be a guy that you could trust and depend on 100 percent, and those guys believed in me," Holmes said. "It means the world to me."

The 5-foot-11, 192-pound Holmes has meant the same to the Steelers. He already had a controversial, last-minute touchdown catch on his resume, when his 4-yarder with 43 seconds left clinched a 13-9 victory over Baltimore and the AFC North Division after reviews showed he crossed the plane of the goal line.

It carried over to the postseason, where Holmes turned in pivotal plays by scoring a 67-yard punt return against San Diego in the AFC divisional round and on a 65-yard reception against the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.

Santonio Holmes is pursued by Aaron Francisco of the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Holmes caught a six-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining to give Pittsburgh a 27-23 victory over Arizona for a record sixth Super Bowl title. (Getty Images)

But his Tampa Two-Step in the far right corner of the end zone was one that sent Holmes sparkling like a shooting star.

"What a great play by Santonio," Steelers inside linebacker James Farrior said. "We're world champs because of that play."

Steelers, Cardinals meet again in Pro Bowl

By The Associated Press
Sunday, February 8, 2009

Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowl players, from left, Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, and James Farrior pose with two hula dancers at the Ihilani Resort and Spa Friday, Feb. 6, 2009, in Kapolei, Hawaii. (AP)

HONOLULU — The Pro Bowl features an intriguing matchup for fans who didn't get enough from the Super Bowl: The Steelers' shutdown defense versus the Arizona Cardinals' high-powered offense.

"Maybe the fans want to see an exciting game like that, but I don't know if my heart can take it anymore," Steelers linebacker James Farrior said. "This is the closest they can get, but this don't even come close to what they want to get back from us."

The world champion Steelers have three members on the AFC squad, and they're all on defense: Farrior, Troy Polamalu and James Harrison, who's still trying to catch his breath from his Super Bowl-record 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.

They'll go up against an NFC offense featuring three starters from the Cardinals: quarterback Kurt Warner and receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

"We can maybe beat them here," said Warner, who's considering retirement. "But I don't know if it's the same consolation as beating them in the Super Bowl."

Troy Polamalu throws a pass during an AFC Pro Bowl football practice at Aloha Stadium, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009, in Honolulu. The Pro Bowl football game will be held Sunday. (AP)

Farrior doesn't know what to expect from the Cardinals in the Pro Bowl, which is usually played at half-speed and features more handshakes than hits.

"I don't know how they're going to act, if they're going to play hard or they're going to try to enjoy this like everybody else," he said. "But those guys are a great team and they showed the heart of a champion. We just came up with the plays at the end."

Boldin said he's moved on from the Super Bowl.

"This is an all-star game," he said. "We all just want to come out and have fun."

The he added, with a laugh: "It's not anything as far as revenge."

But for the first time in forever, the Cardinals aren't on the underdog team. The NFC, which also features All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, is favored by 2 1/2.

Polamalu didn't like the sound of a mini-rematch of the Super Bowl.

"I don't want any more of them. No way," Polamalu said.

James Harrison, right, rubs the shoulders of Steelers teammate James Farrior during an AFC practice for the Pro Bowl NFL football game, in Kapolei, Hawaii, Thursday Feb. 5, 2009. (AP)

Today's game

What: NFL Pro Bowl

Who: AFC vs. NFC

When: 4:30 p.m., today

Where: Honolulu

TV: NBC (WPXI-11)

More info: Check out NFL.com

Reconstructing Big Ben unnecessary

Ben Roethlisberger -- Two-Time Super Bowl Champ

Saturday, February 07, 2009
By Gene Collier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tries to get to the podium after defeating the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.

Too much of this week's psychic cool down from Super Bowl XLIII has been spent Reconstructing Roethlisberger, trying to wedge the professional definition of someone who is not 27 into impractical parameters Big Ben himself partially helped to define.

No. 7 spent too much of the previous week in the fully audible hope that he wasn't as bad as he was in Super Bowl XL, as though that might be some kind of consolation prize for a fan base that I don't think would be walking around today saying, "At least Ben's passer rating jumped into the 40s," had the Cardinals won, 28-6.

But I can't hear anymore about how Roethlisberger's master performance in hoisting the Steelers to an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl victory "erased" his performance in Pittsburgh's fifth Super Bowl victory.

If it did, well, that's a shame.

Shall we re-visit Detroit?

No, seriously.

On Pittsburgh's first possession, false-start penalties by Heath Miller and Max Starks presented the jittery 23-year-old quarterback with a third-and-19, the first of seven third downs he failed to convert. Eight others, he converted.

Though he failed to complete five consecutive passes in the first half and started out 2 for 8 with an interception, that kind of stretch still somehow defines his day around here four years later. But look at what happened from that point forward.

Down, 3-0, to the Seattle Seahawks and facing third-and-6, Ben scrambles and flicks a shovel pass to Hines Ward for a first down, whips a 20-yarder to Cedric Wilson at the Seattle 22, and stalks backward when Miller's offensive-interference penalty sets up third-and-28 at Seattle's 40. Ben drops back, flees left almost to the sideline, dances in place like a kid who'd waiting too long to go to the bathroom, and nails Ward with a cross-carpet pass at the Seattle 3. When Jerome Bettis can't get in from the 3, can't get in from the 2, Ben got in airborne from the 1.

After Willie Parker's 75-yard run made it 14-3, Ben threw his second interception, this one a red-zone blunder that Kelly Herndon ran back all the way to the Steelers' 20, setting up the only Seattle touchdown. In response, Ben enables the famous gadget play, pitching to Parker headed left, and turning to face blitzing strong safety Michael Boulware crashing off Seattle's left flank. As Parker hands the ball to Antwaan Randle El crossing the carpet in the opposite direction, Boulware is waiting for Randle El ... until Ben knocks Boulware, a converted Florida State linebacker, cleanly out of the way.

Randle El to Ward, 43 yards, touchdown, megawatt smile, iconic photo, 21-10, cut to a beaming Bill Cowher, but there is still 8:56 to play. On the next possession, Ben helps the Steelers chew 4:15 off the clock, hitting Randle El with a 7-yard completion on third-and-6, then running for three on third-and-3. Ballgame.

Is that the kind of performance anyone would want to erase?

"I played a little better than I did last time," Ben said after securing his second Lombardi Trophy. "It's really special to be able to come back on that last drive, probably a drive that will be remembered for a long time, at least in Steelers history."

Not if the amnesia that enshrouds Super Bowl XL is any indication, but at least Ben won't have to say he hopes he plays better than he did against the Cardinals, whose hearts he exploded into shards over two desperate minutes that framed Pittsburgh's last possession.

"We thought we were going to be world champs," said Arizona linebacker Karlos Dansby. "We had the opportunity to be great, but we didn't get out and finish. We didn't finish it."

To punctuate his fifth pro season, Roethlisberger ran or passed for every inch of the 88 yards he pushed Pittsburgh across in 109 seconds, his final act a pass only perfect enough to elude three Cardinals in the right corner of the end zone, to sail over the heads of 6-foot-2 Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie and 6-2 Aaron Francisco, to fly just beyond the reach of the leaping Ralph Brown II and into the hands of Santonio Holmes at the only spot on earth a catch might have been possible.

It was like throwing the ball into a fedora behind a stand of young pine trees.

Of course, the next thing you'll hear on the squawk shows is that he underthrew Nate Washington in the first quarter and probably wasn't as funny on Letterman the next night as Steve Martin. In fact, he'll probably have to get back on Late Night just to erase that performance.

Gene Collier can be reached at gcollier@post-gazette.com. articles by this authorFirst published on February 7, 2009 at 12:00 am

Jaw-dropping, jaw-breaking feats

Steelers' greatest hits

Saturday, February 07, 2009
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

LaMarr Woodley (L) and James Harrison (92) sack Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in the fourth quarter of their NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 7, 2008. (Reuters)

This goes back to the beginning, all the way back to the Steelers' 38-17 win against the Houston Texans in their first game of the season, their sixth consecutive opening-game win. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 13 of 14 passes for two touchdowns and a 147.0 passer rating, running back Willie Parker had 138 yards and three touchdowns and linebacker James Harrison rang up three sacks. "We're a good team, you know?" defensive end Brett Keisel declared that hot September day.

Yes, we do know.

We surely know now after the Steelers rallied to beat the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, in Super Bowl XLIII.

Along the way, there were memories to last a lifetime:

• Wide receiver Hines Ward scratching like a dog in front of the Cleveland Dawg Pound after scoring the only touchdown in the Steelers' 10-6 win. "Just marking my spot," Ward said, grinning.

• Linebacker James Farrior flipping off Browns fans, who cheer an injury to teammate Ryan Clark.

• Two touchdowns in 15 seconds -- the second coming after a Harrison sack and forced fumble -- wipe out a 13-3 halftime deficit and lead the Steelers to a 23-20 overtime win against the Baltimore Ravens.

Santonio Holmes eludes Baltimore Ravens' Ed Reed on his way to a 38-yard touchdown reception during the third quarter of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Monday, Sept. 29, 2008. The Steelers won in overtime 23-20. (AP)

• Roethlisberger's impassioned speech at halftime to his teammates before leading the comeback against the Ravens. "I was tired of being booed," Big Ben said. "I was tired of being embarrassed."

• Tight end/fullback Sean McHugh's block on Ravens linebacker Bart Scott sends Scott's helmet flying. Funny, the Ravens didn't put a bounty out on McHugh.

• Roethlisberger, under incredible pressure, completes an 18-yard pass to Ward on a third-and-8 as the Steelers rally to beat Jacksonville, 26-21. "He's the best at extending plays that my eyes have ever seen," backup quarterback Byron Leftwich says of Roethlisberger.

• The Steelers' 38-10 win at Cincinnati, their eighth consecutive win at Paul Brown Stadium. Get this: The Bengals haven't won eight in a row there.

James Harrison sacks Bengals quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick during the NFL game at Paul Brown Stadium on October 19, 2008 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Getty Images)

• Ward's block on Bengals rookie linebacker Keith Rivers, which left Rivers with a broken jaw. "I feel sorry that it was broken, but I don't feel sorry for what I did," Ward said after the Bengals threatened to get even. "I'm not going to allow this silly [stuff] to change the way I play."

• Teammates cry in the locker room after defensive end Aaron Smith shows up to play in a 21-14 loss to the New York Giants after missing practice all week because his son, Elijah, then 4, was diagnosed with leukemia. "This was the best part of my week -- by far -- even though we lost," Smith said. "This was where I needed to be for a few hours. These guys are family to me."

• Leftwich fills in admirably in the second half for an injured Roethlisberger in a 23-6 win at Washington. " I can play this game," he said after leading the Steelers to 13 second-half points by completing 10 of 17 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown.

Troy Polamalu intercepts a pass by San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers in the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008. (AP)

• Safety Troy Polamalu's diving, scooping interception in an 11-10 win against San Diego, his most remarkable play of the season. At least until January, that is.

• Polamalu's end-of-game touchdown-that-wasn't against the Chargers, which cost bettors who took the Steelers and gave 5 points millions.

• New England coach Bill Belichick, standing in the freezing rain, glaring, as the Steelers take advantage of five Patriots turnovers to score 23 consecutive second-half points in a 33-10 win in Foxborough.

In this Nov. 30, 2008, file photo, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark falls onto New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker after an incomplete pass to Welker during fourth quarter of their NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass.(AP)

• Nose tackle Casey Hampton blowing up Patriots center Dan Koppen and sacking quarterback Matt Cassel two plays after he was called for defensive holding. "Yeah, I was mad," the man they call "Big Snack" said. "After the sack, I told the ref, 'Hold that!' "

• Clark's monstrous hit on Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker.

• Cornerback Deshea Townsend's interception and 25-yard return of a Tony Romo pass for a touchdown to beat Dallas, 20-13. Somewhere, Jessica Simpson is crying.

• Roethlisberger leads a late 12-play, 92-yard drive as the Steelers take down the Ravens, 13-9, in Baltimore to clinch the AFC North Division. "There is nothing like beating Baltimore," said Ward, the target of alleged bounties in the Ravens' locker room.

Santonio Holmes makes a catch with both feet in the endzone for a late fourth quarter game winning touchdown as Ed Reed #20 of the Baltimore Ravens defends on December 14, 2008 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 13-9. (Getty Images)

• Ward, with his trademark smirk, to Ravens All-Pros Ray Lewis and Ed Reed moments before teammate Santonio Holmes catches the winning 4-yard touchdown pass: "I told 'em both that we were about to score and beat 'em in their own backyard.' "

• Coach Mike Tomlin after the Baltimore win: "Hopefully, that was the signature of Steelers football for '08."

• Roethlisberger's thumbs-up signal as he's being carted off the field with head and neck injuries in the second quarter of the 31-0 win against Cleveland. Steelers Nation finally gets to exhale.

• That makes 11 wins in a row against the hated Browns, but who is counting?

• The Steelers' defense holds the Browns to a mind-blowing 106 total yards, including 20 passing.

Ben Roethlisberger gives a thumbs up after being injured during the second quarter of their NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, December 28, 2008. Steelers team neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Maroon holds Roethlisberger's head as he is taken from the field. (Reuters)

• The defense is even better in a 35-24 playoff win against San Diego, holding the Chargers to 15 rushing yards.

• Do you believe the Chargers had just one play in the third quarter?

• Holmes' 67-yard punt return for a touchdown gets the Steelers started after the Chargers took a 7-0 lead. Do you think he's becoming a big-play guy? Just wait.

• Holmes takes a short pass from Roethlisberger and turns it into a 65-yard touchdown in a 23-14 playoff win against the Ravens.

• Clark's ferocious hit on Baltimore running back Willis McGahee. "Hands down, Ryan Clark is the hardest-hitting safety in football," teammate Larry Foote said.

• Polamalu's interception and 40-yard return for a touchdown against the Ravens, the Steelers' most remarkable defensive play of the season. At least for two weeks, that is.

Troy Polamalu runs for a touchdown after intercepting a pass in the fourth quarter in the NFL's AFC Championship football game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 18, 2009. (Reuters)

• Harrison intercepts a pass by Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and returns it 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half to give the Steelers a 17-7 halftime Super Bowl lead. It is, quite simply, the greatest play in Super Bowl history.

• Roethlisberger, facing a first-and-20 at his 12 with the Steelers down, 23-20, with 2:24 to play, leads one more amazing comeback to get the franchise its record sixth Super Bowl championship. "I hate to lose," Big Ben said. "I hate being second. It's hard for me to open a door for someone because I don't want them to beat me in the door."

• Holmes' sublime 6-yard touchdown catch with 35 seconds left for the winning points.

Now that is the signature of Steelers football for '08.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
First published on February 7, 2009 at 12:00 am