After all was said and done, the most exciting moment of this year's Super Bowl may have been Aretha Franklin's performance of the national anthem.
In a lackluster performance by both teams, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck put up a 63.4 quarterback rating, while Pittsburgh Steelers winning quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, ranked an even more dismal 22.6.
As in all Super Bowls, however, there had to be a winner. And in the end, Steelers coach Bill Cowher received the Gatorade bath and kisses from his wife, and running back Jerome Bettis rode off victoriously into the sunset after his young apprentice, Willie Parker, set a new Super Bowl rushing touchdown record en route to Pittsburgh's 21-10 win.
So how did it happen? Hasselbeck looked perplexed on the sidelines as the clock wound down, trying to figure out how the Steelers had won. Regular-season MVP Shaun Alexander was undoubtedly left wondering why he was so ineffective in the biggest test of his career.
Other than their three touchdown plays, the Steelers offense was downright terrible. Pittsburgh couldn't even make a first down on its first four drives, yet inexplicably was clinging onto a 7-3 lead at halftime. Seattle was able to throw the ball at will against the Steelers' defense in the first half, but Seahawk's wide receiver Darrell Jackson, who caught five passes before the intermission, disappeared after halftime.
Seattle's offensive scheme was a mystery to anyone watching the game, even stumping John Madden. The Seahawks showed almost no patience with the run, and continued to pass the ball to no avail. Receivers ran long routes and forced Hasselbeck to throw into double and triple coverage, a tendency that was exacerbated by constantly being in third-and-long situations.
Two key plays will certainly weigh heavily on Hasselbeck's mind this offseason: The interception by Ike Taylor late in the third quarter with Seattle trailing 14-10 and the momentum swinging the Seahawks' way, and the pass to Jerramy Stevens at the one-yard line that was called back on a holding penalty.
Forced into first-and-long, Hasselbeck scrambled in his best Brett Favre impersonation - the only problem was he threw an air ball right into the heart of Pittsburgh's cover-two defense and Taylor's waiting arms.
With its running game stifled by Pittsburgh's defensive line, particularly tackle Casey Hampton, Seattle had trouble running a one-dimensional offense. Hampton may well have been the unheralded MVP of Super Bowl XL, stuffing everything that came his way and forcing the Seahawks to give Alexander the ball outside, where he was swarmed by Pittsburgh's speedy linebackers.
Other News and Notes from around the league:
Look for the Oakland Raiders to hire Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt to replace departed head coach Norv Turner. The Raiders are the only team with a coaching vacancy remaining, and contracts will be very difficult to negotiate this offseason because the NFL still does not have a new collective bargaining agreement in place.
If the owners do not reach an agreement with the players soon, the 2007 season will be an uncapped year, i.e. the end of the salary cap. The owners will convene next month in Orlando to try to resolve this issue.
Finally, where will disgraced Philadelphia Eagles wide reciever Terrell Owens wind up? Denver or Dallas seem to be the most likely options, as Denver coach Mike Shanahan loves the challenge of a head case (note his drafting of Maurice Clarett last year) and met with Owens last week.
For those of you concerned with NFL broadcasting, there will be some changes next year. James Brown, currently the host of the Fox pregame show, will move to CBS, which means Greg Gumbel will be back in the announcing booth as part of the number two CBS crew alongside Dan Dierdorf. John Madden moves to NBC to broadcast Sunday night football, while Joe Theismann will join Al Michaels on Monday Night Football, now on ESPN.
