Superbowl XLIII

You didn't really think the end of the month would come without me mentioning the Superbowl did you?


                                             Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers



A few notes about the Cardinals:
Everyone knows about the explosive Cardinal offense. I'm more impressed with their offense being quarterbacked by 37 year old Kurt Warner. Warner is a fun QB to watch because of his intelligence. Then there's wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Whoa. He could probably catch anything...including the Hale-Bopp Comet Marshall Applewhite went "crazy" over. Even better, Fitzgerald has a good attitude and good work ethic. Speaking of work ethic reminds me of Cardinal Strong Safety Adrian Wilson. Recently I saw an interview where he told the story about how in the off-season he and his family left for a 17 day vacation. After relaxing on the beach for 4 days, Wilson told his family to pack and get ready to go home. He felt like while he was taking time off, his opponents were gaining on him. That's a sucky deal for his family but you have to admire his commitment.
Also, the Cardinals have the second longest Championship drought in American sports. First of course is the Chicago Cubs as they approach 101 years without a title. The Cardinals haven't won a championship in 60+ years.

                                 Larry Fitzgerald making one of his acrobatic receptions


A few notes about the Steelers:
Unlike the Cardinals, the Steelers are rich in football history. They have 5 Superbowl wins, a sixth win will be the most by any team. They have historic players like: "Mean" Joe Green, Terry Bradshaw, Rod Woodson, Franco Harris, Lynn Swan, Jerome Bettis and my personal former favorite Steeler, Greg Lloyd.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is the star of the team now and rightfully so. The great thing about the Steelers is they play with a blue-collar type of attitude which directly reflects the city of Pittsburgh itself. Naturally, Pittsburgh's defense is always stellar. Troy Polamalu leads the secondary with his ability to cover receivers and to come up and stop the run.
Linebacker James Harrison was NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Harrison is the only player to go undrafted then receive player of the year honors. Impressive.

At 6'5" 240, he's known as "Big Ben" Roethlisberger 

So, basically the Steelers can either win another Superbowl marking the most wins for one team in history OR the Steelers can lose to the Cardinals, one of the most unsuccessful teams in American professional sports.

I don't really have a favorite NFL team anymore. I stopped "loving" the 49ers after all my favorite players from the 80s and 90s bailed. Now when I watch the NFL I typically cheer for teams that have former Boise State players or players I really enjoyed watching in college. Or both. Although, between these two Superbowl teams there's no players from Boise State, there's plenty I've watched since their college days. Despite all of that, the team I'm picking and cheering for has nothing to do with any of what I just mentioned. I'm going for the underdog. Go Cardinals!
Kurt Warner is amazing and Fitzgerald is superhuman. I guess I also tend to cheer for the team from the west.



I'm not one of those people who watch the Superbowl for the commercials, but I do enjoy them. I don't watch because of the halftime performance, but I usually I enjoy it. I don't watch because 100 million other people are watching. I watch because I love football. If nothing else, it gives me an excuse to eat a buttload of buffalo wings.