Super Bull XLIII

The talk started as soon as Super Bowl XLIII ended. The NBC announcers declared it, the "SportsCenter" anchors pushed it and the American masses agreed: This was the greatest Super Bowl in NFL history.

Are you serious? Did we watch the same four quarters? Because the game I watched — riddled with quizzical play-calling, bonehead penalties, questionable officiating and a highly controversial ending — was far from the best Super Bowl ever. Was it exciting? The fourth quarter was, yes. And was it close? For sure, but no closer than the three other Super Bowls in my lifetime alone that have come down to the final play.

Sunday’s game was sloppy from the opening drive, in which the Steelers were unable to reach the endzone following a first-and-goal from the Arizona one-yard line. Three predictable runs — off the right side, off the left side, then right up the middle — resulted in only a short field goal and a 3-0 lead.

The entire first half, final play aside, was remarkably unmemorable. The teams traded passing touchdowns — I dare you to name either receiver — and combined for 61 yards in penalties and just 47 yards rushing. On the final play of the half, Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner miraculously overlooked six-foot, 242-pound Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who was standing just three yards from the line of scrimmage. Warner fired a pass directly into Harrison’s chest, and the linebacker returned the ball 100 yards for a touchdown.

That Warner could overlook a man the size of a small car is impressive, but that monumental brain lapse was topped only by the fact that Harrison, whose 5.25-second 40-yard dash wouldn’t make a turtle jealous, was able to beat the entire Cardinals offense in a sprint down the length of the field. Oh, and I forgot to mention the blatant block in the back that all seven field officials magically missed. Sloppy football, sloppy officiating: 17-7 Steelers.

The third quarter was not much better. The Steelers — a team that prides itself on grinding, time-consuming offense — could not run the ball, and the offensively gifted Cardinals remained mired in an ill-conceived run-first gameplan that rendered what is arguably the best receiving corps in NFL history utterly obsolete. Warner’s first six completions of the second half went for six yards or less, a streak that ended with just 10 minutes, 32 seconds left in the game.

The Steelers added three points in the third quarter at the end of an ugly drive aided by three Arizona penalties, including a questionable pass interference and a roughing the holder that was one of the least intelligent football plays you will ever see. As in the first quarter, the Steelers had a first-and-goal on the Cardinals’ four-yard line and were unable to reach the endzone. Sloppy football, sloppy officiating and sloppy playcalling: 20-7 Steelers.

And then the game became exciting. Someone on the Arizona sideline reminded head coach Ken Whisenhunt that passing plays of more than 10 yards could be effective, and the Cardinals’ high-powered offense began picking apart the Steeler secondary. A four-minute, eight-play touchdown drive of only passes brought the Cardinals to within six points, and, with just 2:37 remaining in the game, a 64-yard completion from Warner to Larry Fitzgerald gave Arizona its first lead of the game.

The Steelers took the lead back with just 35 seconds to play — a perfect pass and catch from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to wide receiver Santonio Holmes — and I was ready to forgive. I was prepared to overlook the shoddy officiating, the senseless play-calling and the poor decision-making. I was willing to ignore the five personal fouls, 162 yards in penalties and the endzone holding call that resulted in a Cardinals safety. I was ready to admit that this was a pretty damn good football game … until the final 10 seconds produced perhaps the most unfair, incredulous ending in NFL history.

With fewer than 10 ticks left on the clock, Warner was hit mid-throw by Pittsburgh linebacker LaMarr Woodley, resulting in a loose ball that was recovered by the Steelers. The referees signaled fumble, which would have ended the game, but every football fan in the country was thinking the same thing: This play is going to be reviewed.

The debate among my friends started immediately. Woodley clearly moved the ball before Warner’s arm started moving forward, but the Arizona quarterback appeared to have regained his grip on the ball before throwing it to the ground. NBC’s announcers ran quickly through replays to prepare for the booth review — coaches cannot challenge plays in the final two minutes of each half, they need to be called by the referees themselves — but no such review came. Game over, Steelers win.

We sat there stunned for a second, and then the outrage began. My roommate and I shared identical texts which read, “How do you not review that!?” I got an angry call from a friend at USC, a confused e-mail from a friend in Peru and a voicemail from my father, all with the same unanswerable question.

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I have now seen the replay about 100 times, and I must admit that it is a very difficult call. Personally, I believe it was an incomplete pass, which would have given the Cardinals a last-second Hail Mary from the Pittsburgh 29 — tell me Larry Fitzgerald cannot make that catch — but I understand how it can be interpreted as a fumble.

Regardless, the play has to be formally reviewed. It was perhaps the biggest play in Cardinals franchise history and undoubtedly the biggest play of the Super Bowl. Take the time to get it right.

Think of all the controversial calls in NFL playoff history. The 2000 Music City Miracle? Video reviewed. Tom Brady’s 2002 “tuck” in the snow against Oakland? Video reviewed. Roethlisberger’s 2006 Super Bowl touchdown against Seattle? You guessed it, video reviewed.

This play would probably have joined the list — it was that close — but it was instead placed in a category all its own: Super Bowl-defining plays decided in real time without replay consultation. I feel bad for the Arizona fans and players. The team played 59 minutes and 50 seconds of football, only to see the final moments snatched from their fingertips by an inadequate crew of officials.

How can we call this the best Super Bowl ever? How is it on the list? Aside from the close score and a few memorable plays, the game was, from a football standpoint, aggravatingly sloppy and, at the end, utterly disappointing. Do you care to disagree? Allow me to suggest a video review.