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A Word from The Writer: The Monday Analysis - 5 February 2006 - Super Bowl XL Edition We have a new champion to christen in for this Final Edition. Despite the new crowning, the 2005 season ends in sloppiness. Super Bowl XL Seahawks 10 Bill Cowher has the monkey off his back. He now has a Championship. In one of the sloppiest Super Bowls in recent history (maybe we're all just jaded), the Pittsburgh Steelers ended a 20 year drought and won their fifth franchise championship, the first with 14-year head coach Bill Cowher. Let's get right to it. The quarterbacks sucked in this game. Ben Roethlisberger was 9-21 for 123 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs with a 22.6 rating. Pathetic. Roethlisberger managed to get the ball to four receivers all night. Matt Hasselbeck was a bit better, not much at 26-49 for 273 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT with a 67.8 rating. Hasselbeck got the ball to eight different receivers. For two of the best quarterbacks in the league, these are terrible numbers for the Super Bowl. The running game was a little different. Both quarterbacks rushed better than they passed, Roethlisberger had 7 attempts for 25 yards and 1 TD, and Hasselbeck had 3 attempts for 35 yards. Shaun Alexander rushed 20 times for 95 yards. Willie Parker had 10 carries for 93 yards that included a 75-yard touchdown run. Jerome Bettis had 14 carries for 43 yards, and his final NFL game. He announced it at the end. He is done. Finally. The momentum flip-flopped like a Kerry-liberal until late in the fourth quarter. The game's MVP Hines Wards had five receptions for 123 yards, including a touchdown pass from Antwaan Randle-El to get the Steelers up to 21 points, and the game-winning lead. The key was that the Seahawks could command the ball (time of possession was 33:02 to 26:58), but could never capitalize on it. The Steelers were terrible, completely unprepared, but they made big plays to move the ball down field and get the scores necessary. Ball officiating riddled the ballgame as well, something the officials were hoping to avoid. They commented earlier in Super Bowl week they intended to keep the game quiet on their end. Not so. A lousy-called Super Bowl just ends a lousy-called 2005 season. And so a new champion is crowned, and we'll have to hear all the comparisons and accolades for weeks and months to come. It had to happen sometime. Congratulations to the Steelers and their fans. Enjoy the moment. Canton Calls in Six Troy Aikman, Harry Carson, John Madden, Warren Moon, Reggie White and Rayfield Wright are the Class of 2006. This is the largest group since 2001 elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, adding names to an already star-filled hall. QB Troy Aikman was a first round pick for the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, and led the team to three Super Bowl victories. Aikman is not the commentator for FOX NFL Sports. Harry Carson was a linebacker for the New York Giants from 1976-1988. He was selected for nine Pro Bowls, and was part of the championship team in Super Bowl XXI. John Madden coached the Oakland Raiders from 1969-1978. He won Super Bowl XI, and led the team to 17 consecutive wins between 1976-1977. Today, Madden is an NFL commentator, working for ABC (and ironically broadcasting the telecast for Super Bowl XL). He was worked for CBS and FOX, and moves to NBC in 2006 for their Sunday Night broadcast. QB Warren Moon played for numerous teams in his 22 season career, including the Houston Oilers (1984-1993), Minnesota Vikings (1994-1996), Seattle Seahawks (1997-1998), Kansas City Chiefs (1999-2000). Moon began his career in Canada in 1978, playing for the Edmonton Eskimos, and winning five Grey Cup titles. He was named to nine Pro Bowls, had nine 3,00 yard passing seasons, and four 4,000 yard passing seasons. Defensive End Reggie White, aka The Minister of Defense, played from 1985-2000 with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Green Bay Packers, and the Carolina Panthers, winning a championship in Super Bowl XXXI with the Packers. White was named to 13 Pro Bowls, named All-Pro 13 of 15 years including 10 first team selections, recorded more sacks (124) than games played (121). White passed away on December 26, 2004 at the age of 43. Rayfield Wright was a Tackle for the Dallas Cowboys from 1967-1979. Wright, known as "the Cat" was selected in six Pro Bowls, started six NFC Championship games, and played in five Super Bowls, winning championships in Super Bowls VI and XII. The Monday Analysis congratulates the entire Class of 2006. Induction
ceremonies will be held in Canton the weekend of August 5 & 6. The Class
of 2006 brings the Hall Membership to 235 members. Coaching Carousel Former Lions head coach Steve Mariucci told the Associated Press last week that he plans to take "a long time off" from coaching. Mariucci was fired from the 49ers in January 2003 after losing in the Divisional Playoffs, and immediately hired as the Lions head coach, a move that brought him back to his home state of Michigan. The situation, however, was not stable, and the team was littered with overpriced/overrated players and poor front office management. Mariucci has two years left on his $25 million contract with Detroit. Former Jets offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger was hired by the Broncos as assistant head coach. Offensive line coach Rick Dennison was promoted to Offensive Coordinator. Former Vikings head coach Mike Tice was offered the assistant head coaching position with Jacksonville. Tice and head coach Jack Del Rio played together in the early 1990s with the Minnesota Vikings. Tice was a tight end while Del Rio was a linebacker. Green Bay hired Kurt Schottenheimer as their new defensive backs coach. This is Schottenheimer's return to Green Bay where we was the defensive backs coach for the Packers in 2004. He was the defensive backs coach for the Rams in 2005, and worked as defensive coordinator for the Chiefs from 1999-2000, the Redskins in 2001, and Detroit from 2002-2003. Schottenheimer is the brother of Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer. Former Rams head coach Mike Martz rejected an offer to join the Detroit Lions as their Offensive Coordinator. Martz stated that he thought the match between him and head Rod Marinelli would work fine, but the money offered was not his bottom-line. Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Whisenhunt is expected to talk
with the Oakland Raiders about their head coaching vacancy next week. Patriots Notes Patriots head coach Bill Belichick accepted an offer from ABC to be the
analyst during the Super Bowl pregame show. Belichick, an owner of five
Super Bowl rings and an AFC Conference Championship ring, said the gig would
offer a unique perspective on the Super Bowl. Leave it up to Our Bill. He's
thinking of Super Bowl XLI already...ESPN's Chris Mortenson reports Tom
Brady has a sports hernia. Sources close to the Patriots indicate the Pro
Bowler needs surgery to repair the tear of the outer lining of the muscle. League Notes Bret Favre told ESPN that while he still is uncertain of his status for
the 2006 season, he is leaning towards retirement...The league announced
that the Saints would return to action at the Superdome on September 24th... Programming Notes
The Monday Analysis Finale This is the final edition of The Monday Analysis in this format. I want to take this moment to thank all of my readers for the past five seasons for their support, their enthusiasm, and their inspiration during this wild ride. Some of my readers, the four or five of you I worked with at real jobs, have been with the Analysis since the first edition on November 5th, 2001. It's these readers who I have thought about with the publication of each edition.
This has been a wild ride, and like all wild rides, they all come to an end.
See all of you on the other side. Top Ten Super Bowl XL List 1. Here's to the end of another long season <insert champagne cork popping sounds here>. 2. I'm not sure why ABC aired a feature on Jack Tatum, the "Assassin" defensive back form the 1970s Oakland Raiders. Tatum is known for his vicious hits on players, but he is infamous for a hit on Patriots WR Darryl Stingley during a preseason game that left Stingley paralyzed from the neck down. Today, Stingley remains in a wheelchair, and Tatum has never approached Stingley with an apology, a move that leaves many irked. Neither Stingley or Tatum had anything to do with Super Bowl XL. You mean to tell me the producers of ABC Sports couldn't think of anything better to air than more publicity to Tatum for a cheap move that ruined a man's life? Weak. 3. The touchdown pass from Antwaan Randle-El to Hines Ward was the best pass of the night. A wideout to wideout. How very....bonding. 4. The two most incoherent people on the planet have to be Bill Cowher and Hines Ward in the post game. What did they say? 5. What was Mike Holmgren going for on that punt with six and change to play? 6. I loved hearing all the Steelers fans boo Tom Brady before the game with all the MVPs walking in and then Brady performing the coin toss. That's bitterness, and Patriots Nations loves to be the cause of that bitterness. 7. Speaking of, pretty low-class that none of the Steelers shook Brady's hand after the coin toss. After all, he'll probably go to Canton. They won't. 8. Super Bowl XL had some pretty bad moments, including the National Anthem with Aretha Franklin and Aaron Neville, and the half-time show with the Rolling Stones. I think the Stones should hang it up - fast. 9. Some fun commercials, but where were all the big movie ads? Hello, Hollywood, anyone home? 10. the last of ticker tape at the end. I just feel like it has been nine months of monumental hype for Extra Large, and when it came time for the show, it died on all angles. 5 February 2006 |
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