Anatomy Of A World Championship Winning Drive
by Michael Bean on Feb 2, 2009 2:41 AM EST
Email
PrintBTSC Super Bowl Coverage:
Celebration Thread
Initial Post Game Thoughts
One Play Helps Define The Season
An Early Salute To The Free Agents
*************************************
The drive and game ended with this lasting image:
How did we get there?
I'll try to stay out of the way as much as possible and let the pictures do the talking. They usually fare much better than me anyway.
The drive began with the Pittsburgh Steelers trailing 23-20 following a 64 yard catch and run by the All World Larry Fitzgerald. With two timeouts and 2:37 left on the clock, there was plenty of time for sure, particularly when you're talking about Ben Roethlisberger, an engineer of 17 game-winning drives prior to this evening in the 4th quarter or OT. Make that 18 after tonight, which only adds to his lead of most comeback victories since 2004.
But when Chris Kemoeatu was flagged for a 10 yard holding penalty on the opening play of the series, things weren't looking overly bright. 88 yards to go. No big thing.
Let's take a look:
I am purposefully excluding the first down play to post about that next. It was special for a number of reasons and deserves its own post.
To start, we see the Steelers in a 3rd and 6 situation. The play before, right before the two minute warning, Big Ben rushed to get the snap off before the two minute break of action. Not a terrible idea, but considering that we had two timeouts and only needed 3 points to tie, it was perhaps a bit foolish to not cherish the down more so than the extra second or two. Just sayin'. Anyway...
Play #1:
In the frame above, we see Ben's instincts on full display. #47 of the Cardinals is in his face being picked up by Mewelde Moore but Ben needed to not panic. He did not. Instead, he realized that...
Moore had his assignment and that there was a pocket for him to step up into. Great job by all involved to physically stick with their guys. Roethlisberger has a sixth sense about where to go if you do your job and though it's ugly at times, there are others when things materialize just so. Still, there was a throw and catch still to be executed..
And it was a tough catch at that. This frame doesn't really do it justice but Holmes reaches behind him to snare this one out of the air for a huuuuuge first down.
Play #2
This is just flat out gorgeous from Ben here. Notice above the pump fake Roethlisberger gives as he stares down Mewelde Moore in the flat. Again, it's not a great image, but I put a box around a Cardinals defender above who is off the ground and in Ben's face. Ben again stayed collected and let the offensive linemen bring him back down to the ground. More importantly though, notice how...
Ben's pump fake brought up that blurry Cardinals defender to account for Moore, which in turn left Holmes wide open in a soft spot of their zone. Had Ben not pump faked, we maybe get 5-10 yards in the flat to Moore. He did and it brought Holmes' defender off him. You'll notice the Cardinals safety is barely in the picture here and by the time the ball is delivered to Holmes...
It's far too late and Holmes is out of his break and off to the races.
BEAUTIFUL!
And finally...
Play #3:
Not sure I need to say much here other than...
Game, set, match Steelers!
Fine, if I had to say one other thing it might be move aside Montana and Clark. This TD connection between Big Ben and 'Tone may just be the leader in the clubhouse for all time great scoring plays to cap a SB.
44 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
What a Drive, What a Game
I bought my Santonio Holmes jersey the week after he scored in OT against the Bengals his rookie year. I saw it then, the player he could and would be. Congrats to #10 the MVP. I think Ben and him should have split the award, but maybe I’m just splitting hairs.
Big ups to Tone, and the rest of the Offense especially the OL.
I love this team. And I can’t sleep.
Can't sleep either
…and I’m wearing my #10 Kordell jersey!
by JoelSteedIsBack on Feb 2, 2009 3:24 AM EST up reply actions
No Jersey
But I do have Holmes’ rookie card. I got that as soon as I could during his first season.
"That's why they play the game."
Slept in my FWP
Yeah FWP didnt do a whole lot but hes my boy…
Sweet jesus what a drive. Elway can kiss it.
have post coming soon
about FWP.
he actually had a decent game.
he had about -15 rushing yards on 5 negative runs. 2 more for 0 gain. His other 12 runs were for about 70 yards. He still has it. The line gave him NOTHING to work with yesterday.
by Michael Bean on Feb 3, 2009 11:18 AM EST up reply actions
I have an old Kordell Jersey
I just took his name off the back. LOL! If I could just find a name plate for the back.
"The team that scores the most points wins."
John Madden
(Master of the obvious)
Holmes thought on that catch...
“It’s going down in history,” Holmes said after his catch gave the Steelers a dramatic 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. “All I did was extend my arms and use my toes.”
This from the Post Gazette
"From here on out, the Steelers are bird exterminators. It doesn't matter if it's the Ravens, Eagles, or Cardinals." ~random Steeler Fan!
i'm too afraid to go to sleep...
…and wake up to find this is a great dream! LOL
"From here on out, the Steelers are bird exterminators. It doesn't matter if it's the Ravens, Eagles, or Cardinals." ~random Steeler Fan!
I had to close my laptop after the Fitzgerald TD.
I was too distraught to even attempt intelligent conversation.
Kind of wish I had hopped back on to celebrate with yall during “The Drive,” but I was too busy doing cartwheels in my dorm room.
you know better now :)
Believe! Youd be hard pressed to find any negativity or doubt in the open threads when we got the ball back. Nervousness? Hell yeah. Doubt, no.
The catch was great, but
the throw was better.
BB….. one of 10 2x superbowl QB winners.
think it’ll be his last? PLEASE place a wager w/ me.
Whatever it takes!
by SteelerInSeattle on Feb 2, 2009 3:55 AM EST reply actions
the throw was insane
took SUCH great arm strength to fit it in that window. so freaking amazing he fit that in amongst 3 defenders.
We're headed back to the the SB next year
you can count on it.
by Hochuli loves Broccoli on Feb 2, 2009 3:37 PM EST up reply actions
Ben- not a great QB: a great FOOTBALL PLAYER!
I honestly don’t think Ben is the same kind of “great QB” that Brady or Manning is. I think he’s better than those guys, because he’s a true football player. More of Ben’s success comes from raw, natural talent and effort than from purely mechanical technique and precision. His instincts and throws are getting legendary. In that sense i think he will establish a legacy bigger and better than Manning or the tainted Brady.
On the other hand- i KNOW Ben doesn’t study half as hard as either of those other two. I wish he would- he’d be even better if he worked onhis fundamentals and actually learned to read defenses like the greats do. I think he is getting there as far as learning to read defenses, but he could study tape and work out with his WRs more. His lack of timing with certain WRs is evident. He has a couple favorites(Hines, Heath, Holmes) and the rest he can be off with at times.
Benwill certainly grow as time passes. And he’ll likely get better as his pure physical talent degrades with age. In a few years i believe he’ll be ranked among the Elways, Montanas and Favres. He’s already got the “Gunslinger” act down.
On a side note- It baffles me that ONLY Deion Sanders picks the Steelers to repeat. The rest of the NFLNetwork crew seems to already be fellating the Patricheats and Giants. Apparently 2 in 4 ain’t enough to convince these cool dudes….ahh-hhmm,
agreed on all accounts mostly
good comment.
i think ben studies more than you give him credit for though. manning is the hardest worker in the film room and he still got confused all the time at a younger age. its a tough, tough game. ben’s not the absolutely sharpest pencil in the box, but like you said, he’s just such a raw natural great out there as a football player that he succeeds so often under pressure.
but his best years are still ahead in terms of decision making.
Ben is more balls than brains
and that works for him, and for the Steelers.
sure
he is More balls than brains, but I think it might be overstated how little he studies or how unintelligent he is. I think it’s kind of a sixth sense and great instincts in his case more so than studying, but you can’t be as successful as he has been without putting in him some legit time in the fim room
by Michael Bean on Feb 3, 2009 11:36 AM EST up reply actions
i agree as well
i heard some commentators last night trying to give ben credit, but they were saying that he still isn’t as good as peyton or brady. i think i understand what they mean, but i don’t agree. maybe he’s not as good a passer as those guys, but, in my humble opinion, he’s a better field general than those guys. i would take ben everytime. he just finds ways to win. even with a sub-par offensive line. and a less-than-stellar offensive coordinator. ben roethlisberger should have been mvp last night. he is an elite nfl quarterback. take that eli manning and phillip rivers. and robert ethan.
...die trying
http://www.agentorangerecords.blogspot.com
100%...
I agree with you. Both Manning and Brady have very good lines and the key to beating them is getting preasure on them. Both will become less accurate with a heavy pass rush and some hits. Ben performs under preassure those two never dreamed of.
Are there any Ben doubters now? Did he earn his big fat pay check yesterday?
Film Studies
By the time Ben is ready to throw, the defense no longer looks like anything he’d see on film. ;)
That is a perfect quote
Reminds me of a boxing quote (not sure who said it; maybe Ali)
“Everybody has a plan until they get hit.”
The Study thing
is an issue here in town.
The local media occasionally discusses it, and some folks i know who work with the team say that Ben has had some flack from his coaches about putting in the hours to study. I think some of it is a bit of overconfidence on his part. I love Ben, but he is cocky to meet in person. Not offnsively so, but you notice it.And, he’s still young and strong enough to not quite “need” to put in the mental work to win. If he ever does get that itch to be cerebral about things- watch out!
It’s a kind of local semi-secret that Ben had a big problem with Whisenhut specifically BECAUSE Whis made him study. The rumor mill said that was the big reason Ben secretly lobbied for Whis to not be the next coach here. I think Ben knows now, that he’s a little more mature, that the study is a good thing and regrets disliking Whis for pushing him.
It’s kind of an open secret here that Ben really, really did not want Whis in charge, and that was the source of the original falling out. I believe they have squashed that bit by now, but it was a real sore spot for a while. Whis is a great coach, but he never handled Ben with kid gloves, and Ben really is a tiny, tiny bit of a prima donna(as much as i hate to admit it…lol).
Obviously, i wasn’t aware of this in the first-person, but it comes from a very reliable sourc. Still rumor, of course, but reliable rumor.
This was all from a couple years ago. It’s completely non-sequitor by now. But it does kind of fill in the blanks about the rumored animosity between Ben and Whis. Ben was a lot more hot-headed erly on than he is now. Hines, Farrior and especially Bettis really put him on the right course and Ben has grown up a lot in just these last two years. People develop dramatically in their early- to mid- 20’s. For instance: Ben was a regular on the bar scene the fist year or two, but is rarely seen out late now.
He’s a good guy, from all accounts, and a great football player. His only real issue is that dangerous combination of reat talent, ulti-million-dollar contract, success and youth. By the time he hits 30 i think he’ll be a HOFer, hands-down. If he isn’t already(which i think he might be, after tonight :-)
Hate to be an ass. . .
. . among on all the glory and the great coverage we’ve gotten here over the last 2 weeks, but Montana/Clark was in the NFC Championship game, so no worries about this play beating that one out (which it does).
Wondered
I wasn’t sure if Blitz was talking about Montana to Taylor (SB XXIII, I believe), because that has been considered the great comeback drive in a SB, or if he was talking about the throw to Clark in the ’81 NFCC game.
But, either way, I agree with him. This catch trumps both of those. The Taylor catch was a much easier play (Taylor was wide open, I think). The Clark catch was probably just as difficult, but not in a SB.
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Feb 2, 2009 11:15 AM EST up reply actions
The Drive
Now, we have to come up with a nickname for this drive/catch. The easiest seems to be “The Catch 2”, because it did look so much like the Montana to Clark catch in the 1981 NFCC game. But, I think we need to come up with something more original.
Blitz, as others have said, I’ve loved these pictorial breakdowns that you’ve down after each playoff game. This one is the best of them all, just because it’s the drive that won us number 6! :) :)
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Feb 2, 2009 11:10 AM EST reply actions
Nickname
I just started reading this blog during the playoffs. Excellent job by all involved.
How about “The Drive for 6.” Or simply “The 6.” Not only did Tone’s catch capture 6 points, it secured our 6th Super Bowl.
I’m ready for XLIV.
Not bad
We might need to put up a FanPost to get some suggestions.
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Feb 2, 2009 4:33 PM EST up reply actions
Jason Witlocks dumb arse had a really bad article about the ref’s in the game but did have a good name for the drive i though.
THE BIG END…
I'll drink your Milkshake, I'll drink it up!
by Frank Mineo (DYMS) on Feb 3, 2009 2:24 PM EST up reply actions
Triple Coverage
I still can’t believe that Ben beat triple coverage on that last play. Without the PERFECT pass, that’s no TD.
Two perfect passes
The pass on first down was gorgeous too. Holmes could have had it. Perhaps he should have had it… But he got the second one and that’s all we needed.
by Chicago Steeler on Feb 2, 2009 5:38 PM EST up reply actions
honestly it was good that he missed the first one
(as long as he was planning on catching the second) – burned that many more seconds off the clock…
Amazing--and depressing...What can top that?
Amazing drive! Watched it on youtube about 30 times in the last 3 days. Surreal to watch that happen live. I’m not sure we will ever witness a more meaningful Steeler’s drive—EVER. Which is amazing and depressing at the same time—nothing will top that HIGH of watching Ben slang the perfect pass to S-Dime in the back of the endzone to win a SuperBowl. And if I’m wrong and we top that I will be the happiest Steeler’s fan on earth.
by Heckler's Sports on Feb 4, 2009 10:05 PM EST reply actions
S Dime
Nice. Like that. Has the appropriate weed implications as well :)
We shall see about it being the best drive in franchise history – likely the one with the biggest implications. Obviously hard to top come from behind SB winning drivie in final minute. Never know with Ben though!
by Michael Bean on Feb 4, 2009 10:08 PM EST up reply actions
S-Dime
That’s what I’ve been calling Tone’ for years now…fits perfectly…hope it catches on. I agree, it would not surprise me if Ben does something like this again…I would love to see a Ben vs. Brady AFC Champ game in which Ben has the chance to take us the length of the field in 2 mins left in the game, again….that may top the SB win.
by Heckler's Sports on Feb 5, 2009 10:31 PM EST reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
"Thoughtful discussion with a sense of history."
Art Rooney Jr.
"Level-headed thinking." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
