THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

It is all over but the shouting. The Arizona Cardinals take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII (43) in Tampa, Florida.

For those expecting a Super Bowl Recap, waiting one more day will not kill you.

First things first. Congratulations are in order for the 2009 Hall of Fame Class, to be enshrined in Canton Ohio in August of 2009. Rod Woodson, Randall McDaniel, and Bruce Smith all made it, as did the late Derrick Thomas and the late Bob Hayes.

Yet the true joy was seeing Buffalo Bills Owner Ralph Wilson enter the Hall of Fame at age 90. He founded the Bills in 1959, and has been the sole owner for half a century. He has 2 AFL Championships, and 4 AFC Championship rings. He has not won a Super Bowl, but he is a winner. Most admirable is his willingness to criticize owners for putting money above fan loyalty by moving their franchises in the dead of night. At no time did Ralph Wilson even consider leaving Western New York. The NFL is better off for having his vision and leadership.

Yet today is about the Super Bowl.

Normally I either attend or host a Super Bowl party. The only exceptions were last year, and the 2002 season.

As 2002 became early 2003, the Raiders ended up facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in San Diego. I drove down from Los Angeles to take part in the NFL festivities. Yet while it was fun being around so many fans, including the Raider Nation, I became worried. If the Raiders lost, I did not want to be around anybody. I watched the game in complete isolation, and it was the right move.

The 2008 season was magic. I finally got to attend the Super Bowl in person. For those who never have, do it. Yes it is expensive, but the memories will last a lifetime. As the Giants shocked the world and crushed the Patriots in their quest for perfection, I found myself saving the confetti. A half a century from now, when they show highlights from one of the greatest Super Bowls ever played, I will look at my kids and grandkids, and for the billionth time, remind them…”I was there.”

This year the ticket prices are ridiculously low, but I will watch it as the host of the party from my home. It will be the first Super Bowl for “the boy.”

My friend is bringing his 2 year old son. I am prepared. I have been tivoing episodes of “The Wiggles.” The Super Bowl will be on the big screen and the Wiggles will be on the small screen. There will be no cursing.

The boy got his first taste of my football pad for the AFC Title Game, and he was as lovely as the Steelers and Ravens played ugly. Yet this is his first Super Bowl. I hope he is not overwhelmed.

I am rooting for the Cardinals, but am under no illusion that the Steelers are the better team. When powerful offense meets powerful defense, defense usually wins. Last year was a great example.

I will avoid predictions because I have never been more wrong than this year. A good model for the Steelers to follow would be the 2001 season, where the Rams offense led by Kurt Warner met a buzzsaw Patriots defense. With Warner leading the Cardinals, the Steelers need to jam the Arizona receivers at the line and throw them off of their routes. The Buccaneers also did this well against the Raiders in 2002, another example of defense defeating offense.

No matter what, this will not be the greatest upset of all time if the Cardinals win. Super Bowl III, with Joe Namath backing up his guarantee of the Jets defeating the Colts, remains the all time shocker. Then comes the Patriots over the Rams to end the 2001 season, followed by the Giants 2008 shocker last year against the Patriots.

The Cardinals are only the second team in history to make the Super Bowl with a 9-7 record. The first team was the 9-7 Rams in 1979. However, that Rams team had just won their diviosn for the 7th straight year, the only team to ever do that. Ironically, even though that team was the weakest of all 7 of them, none of the other teams reached the Super Bowl, as they could not in previous years get past the Cowboys or Vikings. That Rams team also faced off against a heavily favored Steelers team. The Rams actually led 19-17 after 3 quarters before the Steelers won 31-19 to win their 4th Super Bowl.

Kurt Warner was not quarterbacking the Rams in 1979. That came 20 years later.

With Al Michaels and John Madden doing the broadcast, it will be outstanding from an announcing standpoint.

The food is prepared, with red meat in abundance.

The only thing left is what really matters, the game itself.

Check back tomorrow, and if you need anything at all from me…it can wait. The game is coming on.

Are you ready for Super Bowl XLIII!!!!!!!!!

Let’s get it on!!!!!

eric

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 1st, 2009 at 3:24 pm and is filed under SPORTS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.