XL reasons to watch
By GARY SHELTON, JOHN ROMANO, RICK STROUD and JOANNE KORTH
Published February 5, 2006
DETROIT - Do you care yet?
Are you paying attention yet?
It is game day, and still, neither of the teams in the Super Bowl is called "Indianapolis." There is no talk of dynasties. There is little debate of greatness. The Hall of Fame is resisting the urge to start carving busts early.
When it comes to Super Bowls, America loves its brand names. Give us a star like Joe Montana. Give us a sideshow like Terrell Owens. Give us a coach like Bill Walsh or a story like Doug Williams or a team like the Patriots. Give the people who barely follow the sport a reference point.
By comparison, this Super Bowl doesn't exactly sizzle. It is a championship between the unexpected (Pittsburgh) and the unconsidered (Seattle). Also, it is in Detroit.
As football games go, however, today's matchup is inviting. For one thing, the score should be close, a late and welcome trend of Super Bowls. Consider: Three of the last four Super Bowls have been decided by three points. Of the previous 35 games, only two were.
Why else should you watch Super Bowl XL?
Here are XL reasons:
I. R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Aretha sang it, both teams are crying for it. It has been amusing watching two teams trying to wrestle for the "nobody thinks we can win" title. If you listen, no one has applauded either team all season. When it's over, don't be surprised if someone refers to the confetti shower by saying "and then they threw trash on us."
II. Bald vs. beard
Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, 30, has become a champion for bald men everywhere with his shiny pate. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, 23, has thick, wavy hair and a scraggly mountain man beard he promises to shave when the season is over.
III. Commercials
Face it, the commercials are sometimes the best part of the telecast. Who can forget where they first saw the Budweiser lizards? This year, you can expect more monkeyshines from careerbuilder.com, a duet by Pizza Hut lovers Jessica Simpson and Miss Piggy and much more. About 85-million people are expected to watch, so companies want to please the audience. Remember Mean Joe Greene tossing his jersey to the boy in the Coke commericial? It aired first during the Super Bowl. The cost of a commerical? An average of $2.5-million for a 30-second spot.
IV. Ray Rhodes
How can you not pull for the Seattle defensive coordinator? Rhodes, the former coach of the Eagles and Packers, suffered his second stroke this season. It was in September, and Rhodes, 55, remembers waking up unable to see and unable to maitain his balance. He was rushed to the hospital. Now, he is at his sixth Super Bowl as an assistant (the others were with the 49ers). Rhodes is being monitored carefully by the Seahawks. Coach Mike Holmgren checks daily to make sure Rhodes goes home at the proper time, and yes, that was him yelling in the coaches' box during the NFC title game. "I'm very fortunate to be part of this," Rhodes said.
V. The quest
He has been a part of the NFL longer than the Super Bowl, and still Dick LeBeau has not slipped one of those championship rings on his finger. The Steelers defensive coordinator is in his 47th consecutive season in the league. At 68, LeBeau understands he is running out of time. "With age comes perspective," he said. "The clock ticks for all of us. The older you get, the more you realize years like this are very special."
VI. Windows XL
This Super Bowl is for the geeks. The kids who were a little bit smarter in the classroom, but a little bit slower on the playground. The kids who knew a little more about gigs and bytes than screens and blitzes. This is Paul Allen's Super Bowl. The Microsoft co-founder and multi-billionaire rescued Seattle by purchasing the Seahawks in 1997 before they moved to Anaheim. He's since gotten a stadium built, hired one of the league's top coaches and delivered the first Super Bowl to the Pacific Northwest.
VII. Willie Parker
If you missed Parker on college Senior Day at North Carolina, well, this is your chance to catch up. Parker didn't play a down on Senior Day. In fact, he didn't play many in college. He was a career backup with a reputation for bouncing every run outside. Yet, the second-year player has become a key element for the Steelers, taking over the running back job from Jerome Bettis (age) and Duce Staley (injury). He rushed for 1,202 yards during the regular season. He hasn't done much in the playoffs, but he's the Steelers' home run hitter in the backfield.
VIII: Super Bowl X El
Going into today's game, none of us has any idea how the Steelers will use Antwaan Randle El, their receiver-runner-passer-returner-gimmick guy. Remember when the Steelers called Kordell Stewart Slash? Randle El is Slasher. Sometime during today's game, Randle El will do something fun. Pay attention.
IX. Sweet Rags
Steelers fans have their Terrible Towels, but the Seahawks defense has inspirational Sweet Rags. The small towels, handed out by former Bucs defensive lineman Chartric Darby, are a show of unity. Each player's towel is printed with his number.
X. Terrible Towels
Pittsburgh radio icon Myron Cope, the voice of the Steelers for 35 years until his retirement before this season, invented Terrible Towels as a gimmick for a 1975 playoff game against the Baltimore Colts. The Steelers went on to win Super Bowl X and fans have been waving yellow towels over their heads ever since.
XI. The Bucs' third cousin, once removed.
As a franchise, Seattle was born the same season as the Bucs, 1976, and it has shared many of the same growing pains. The Bucs had Jack Thompson; the Seahawks had Kelly Stouffer. The Bucs had Keith McCants; the Seahawks had Brian Bosworth. The Bucs had Trent Dilfer; the Seahawks had Trent Dilfer. Remember the Bucs' 0-14 first season? On Oct. 17, the Bucs almost won, losing 13-10. To the Seahawks. From one corner of the country to another, a salute.
XII. Tampa connections
The Bucs aren't in the Super Bowl, but several former Bucs will have a role. Receiver Joe Jurevicius and defensive tackle Chartric Darby will see plenty of playing time for the Seahawks, whose president of football operations is Tim Ruskell. Steelers defensive backs Chris Hope and Bryant McFadden went to Florida State, as did Seattle receiver Peter Warrick. Steelers offensive tackle Max Starks went to Florida. Seahawks receiver Darrell Jackson is from Tampa and played at Florida, as did safety Marquand Manuel. Left tackle Walter Jones and rookie tackle Ray Willis played at Florida State.
XIII. Marquand Manuel
The Seattle safety, a former UF player and Miami native, has 17 brothers and sisters. John is the oldest at 39, India the youngest at 14. Marquand is in the middle at 26. The others, in no particular order, are Joe, Leron, Tevra, Shekera, Zet, Kedra, Lisa, Candice, Omar, Sheryl, Brian, Tony, Marlyeve, and identical twins Nehemiah and Jeremiah.
XIV. Welcome, Seattle
Now that the Seahawks have made it, it reduces the teams who have never made a Super Bowl to six. Which means that Seattle no longer is in the room with Arizona, Houston, Cleveland, Detroit, New Orleans and Jacksonville. For most of those teams, it could still be a wait. Only Jacksonville made the playoffs this season; the others were a combined 21-59 and three changed coaches.
XV. Mike Holmgren makes history
The Seahawks coach is trying to become the first to lead two teams to a Super Bowl victory. He won one and lost another with the Green Bay Packers.
XVI. Casey Hampton
In the category of "just lucky to be here," you have to admire Hampton. When Hampton was in the seventh grade, he was playing video games at a friend's house when a man, being chased at gunpoint, crashed through the door. He jumped on Hampton's back as the pursuer began shooting. Three bullets hit the man on top of Hampton; none hit Hampton. Turns out, the Steelers are lucky, too. Hampton, called "Big Snack" by his teammates, has become one of the premier nose tackles in the game.
XVII. Al Michaels and John Madden
This might be the final broadcast for this Monday Night Football tandem. Boom! Madden is headed to NBC, which will air Sunday night games this fall. Michaels is slated to remain on Monday nights with ABC partner ESPN.
XVIII. Bryce Fisher
Who says there are no Patriots here? How about Bryce Fisher? The Seahawks defensive end interrupted his career to spend two years of active duty in the Air Force. He was not asked to go overseas. Capt. Fisher is a pretty good football player, too, particularly for a guy who was cut from a 3-13 Buffalo team. This season, he had nine of the Seahawks' league-leading 50 sacks.
XIV. No T.O. here
Two Pro Bowl receivers. Both unhappy with their contracts. One is now a pariah, and the other is in the Super Bowl. You don't have to hate Terrell Owens to enjoy today's game, but it might help to appreciate Hines Ward. Like Owens, Ward wanted more money before this season. He became Pittsburgh's first significant holdout in 12 seasons, but did not make a spectacle of himself. He did not burn bridges. He did not incite a war in the locker room. And he eventually got a five-year, $27.5-million extension.
XX. Bill Cowher's chin
It juts even more when the Steelers coach is mad. And watch for spittle.
XXI. Troy Polamalu and Lofa Tatupu
How 'bout a nice Samoan punch? That's what these two defenses get with Polamalu, the Steelers safety, and Tatupu, the Seahawks rookie middle linebacker. Both are of Samoan descent and were teammates at Southern Cal, where they graduated and won national championships. It's easy to tell them apart on the field. Polamalu is the one with the shoulder-length hair.
XXII. New blood
Tired of the Patriots? Sick of Tom Brady? You're in luck. This is the freshest game in years. The Seahawks have only five players with Super Bowl experience, including former Bucs Joe Jurevicius and Chartric Darby. The lone Steeler with a Super experience is cornerback Willie Williams.
XXIII. The Rooney family
They have owned the Steelers since 1933, when patriarch Art bought the team for $2,500. When Art died in 1988, his son, Dan, took over. The Rooneys are patient and steady, employing just two coaches - Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher - the past 37 years. Dan, 73, has dedicated himself to the welfare of the league, acting as its social conscience.
XXIV. Trick plays
Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle El and Heath Miller were quarterbacks in college or high school. Needless to say, they can do more than just catch the ball. That makes the Steelers a dangerous team to defend. Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt likes to have a bunch of trick plays in the game plan. They pulled one off in the playoffs against the Bengals when Randle El took a direct snap, threw a lateral across the field to Ben Roethlisberger, who fired downfield to Cedric Wilson for a 43-yard touchdown.
XXV. Prep work
For those who like to dream big, this is your Super Bowl. Neither Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren nor offensive coordinator Gil Haskell ever played a regular season game in the NFL. Neither had a direct pipeline into the league. Neither had reason to believe he would be here today. Holmgren spent 10 years coaching three high school football teams in, and around, San Francisco. Haskell was across town coaching St. Ignatius High for nine seasons. Twenty-five years later, they're in the Super Bowl.
XXVII. Jerome Bettis' parents
This likely will be the final stop for the Bus. His parents, Johnnie, 63, and Gladys, 59, have never missed one of Jerome's games and will, of course, be in attendance. They've sat in rain and freezing weather and have borrowed a car when theirs broke down. You can bet they are hoping their son, 34 on Feb. 16, retires.
XXVIII. The other homecoming
When he came home last week, they gave Jerome Bettis a key to the city. Larry Foote didn't need one. He'd never left. Bettis got all of the attention, but he isn't the only Detroit resident returning for Super Bowl XL. Foote, the linebacker who led the Steelers in tackles this season, grew up in Detroit and spends his offseasons here. And while Bettis is working with developers to build apartments and an entertainment complex on a 43-acre waterfront site in Detroit, Foote has simpler dreams. He wants to return to Detroit and coach high school football.
XXVIII. The unknown MVP
Seattle running back Shaun Alexander led the league in rushing and set an NFL record with 28 touchdowns. And the most anyone knows about him outside the state of Washington is that he wants a bigger contract.
XXIX. The Steelers logo
The easily recognizable three-diamond logo was adopted in the early 1960s from the Steelmark, the insignia used by the American Iron and Steel Institute, to honor Pittsburgh's steel industry. The three colors of the diamonds represent the three materials used to produce steel: yellow for coal, orange for iron ore and blue for steel scrap. Pittsburgh is the only NFL team to have its logo on just one side of the helmet, the right side, because an equipment manager was uncertain how it would look on the gold helmets. When the helmets were switched to black, the team kept the single-sided logo for its uniqueness.
XXX. Mack Strong
The fullback has suffered through thin and now thick during his 12 seasons with the Seahawks. While MVP Shaun Alexander gets all the yards and acclaim, Strong has been his escort. Once in a while, they throw him a bone, but he only carried 17 times this season for 78 yards. His biggest moment came after Alexander was knocked out against the Redskins in the division playoff, and Strong ripped off a 32-yard run.
XXXI. Taking out the trash talk
So it wasn't as funny as Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson saying Terry Bradshaw couldn't spell CAT if you spotted him the C and T. Nor was it as comical as Falcons cornerback Ray Buchanan saying Shannon Sharpe looked like Mr. Ed. And it wasn't close to Joe Namath guaranteeing the Jets would upset the Colts in Super Bowl III. Still you have to thank Seattle tight end Jerramy Stevens for inciting Steelers linebacker Joey Porter with his innocuous line about Jerome Bettis leaving Detroit without a trophy.
XXXII. The Seahawks defensive line
This unit led the league with 50 sacks during the regular season. Go ahead, name a starter. Well? Did you come up with tackles Chartric Darby and Rocky Bernard or ends Bryce Fisher and Grant Wistrom?
XXXIII. Ken Whisenhunt
Just leave, baby. The Steelers offensive coordinator, who is sometimes confused for coach Bill Cowher because of a striking resemblance, will interview for the Raiders' head-coaching job after the Super Bowl. A victory would look pretty good on his resume. He is said to be the favorite of Raiders owner Al Davis.
XXXIV. If it's close Three of the last four Super Bowls have been decided by three points. That can't make a Steelers fan feel good today. Pittsburgh placekicker Jeff Reed was a steady 24-of-29 on field goals this season, but did not kick one longer than 44 yards. From 45 and beyond, he was 0-for-3. Seattle's Josh Brown was 7-for-12 from beyond 45.
XXXV. Ken Hamlin
The Seahawks safety fractured his skull Oct. 17 after being beaten by two at-large suspects with what witnesses said was a street sign outside a Seattle nightclub. It ended Hamlin's season and perhaps his career, although he vows to play next season. Hamlin will be on the Seahawks sideline. "They're keeping me off the field, but they can't keep me off the sidelines," Hamlin said.
XXXVI. An XL-size game
No Tom Brady. No Terrell Owens. No Warren Sapp. No Tedy Bruschi. This is the Super Bowl without the superstars. Which is all the more reason to pay attention to Seattle's offensive line. It may be the finest unit in the league, a remarkable combination of talent, size and cohesion. The Seahawks have three offensive linemen on the Pro Bowl roster. The other 15 NFC teams combined for five Pro Bowl linemen.
XXXVII. The Rolling Stones
If you can't get no satisfaction during the game, try watching halftime. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the other 60-something rockers take time out from their world tour and promoting their 29th studio album to play for the NFL audience. Jagger is keeping his big lips locked when it comes to revealing what songs the group will play. "This is very American, very Americana," Jagger said. "A bunch of people sitting at home getting drunk." Just hope there's no wardrobe malfunction.
XXXVIII. Building from within
If you miss the days before the salary cap, if you miss the days of players staying with one organization, then Pittsburgh is the team for you. The Steelers rarely make a splash in the free-agent market, instead focusing on the draft. "The Steelers do it a little different," said linebacker James Farrior, a rare free-agent pickup. "They like the guys they go with in the draft. I feel a little honored I was one of the free agents."
XXXIX. 12th Man
If nothing else, you can have a little fun thinking about Texas A&M's misery every time the cameras pan to the celebrating Seattle fans. The 12th Man, they call themselves. It's a bit of a cliche, but it's enough to annoy Aggie fans, who went to court last week to claim ownership of the phrase. Also, Texas A&M claims the trademarks to "fifth place in the Big 12" and "What? Texas scored again?" This just in: The winner of the MVP gets a car. SMU is considering a restraining order.
XL. It's in Detroit.
If the NFL can pull this off, it's full-steam ahead in the effort to get an NFL stadium built in Beirut.