Scenes From a Cold, Dark Super Bowl Loss

I am quite sure I did not need a dramatic introduction to let you know what this write-up is about. I just like adding LOST bits. A minimum of let me have that. To say I was angry soon after the Steelers loss is really an understatement. I necessary a few days to write this column, as I am nonetheless fuming. Literally fuming. I'm nonetheless trying to maintain the smoke from coming out of my mouth. Individuals are telling me that's just the cold air, but I understand greater.

It just wasn't one play, it had been the complete game. Ben has never been a guy to raise his game in Super Bowls (30-51, 379 yards, 1-3 TD/INT ratio by 50 percent prior Super Bowls. He was dreadful in the very first 1, and before final drive of the second, he really didn't play nicely. Devoid of James Harrison's last-second touchdown at halftime, the Steelers win is really in doubt). I'm not positive why Ben doesn't play effectively for any full four quarters within the Super Bowl, but he just doesn't. And I have discovered to accept it. But he really got outplayed by Aaron Rodgers, which was the biggest difference in this game. I am not putting the full blame on Ben (the rest I will get to momentarily), but when the opposing quarterback is playing to his full possible, you need to raise your game too. Ben had two bad picks, and missed guys open all over the field. I'm not sure what the deal was, but Ben appeared to possess the peripheral vision of the 89-year-old bus driver at some points.

Assume about all of the drops Rodgers had. Without the six drops, Rodgers easily reaches 400 yards and possibly five touchdowns. Roethlisberger didn't have any excuses for his performance. The offensive line didn't play horribly. He'd time. He over/underthrew Mike Wallace on a few plays that could have gone for big yardage. Let's begin with Bryant McFadden, who played the game as if he had been John McFadden, my sixth grade football coach who had 3 fingers and was 250 pounds. He was an ass. McFadden got burned all night long, and proved that the Steelers need a cornerback as a draft choose in the early rounds. We saw William Gay play among the worst games of his illustrious career, which he would have played worse had Jordy Nelson not contracted dropitis during the game. Jordy Nelson should have had 15 catches for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns. He'll settle for 9,140 and 1, but he might have had among the greatest single games for any wide receiver in Super Bowl history.

Even the two safeties, Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu, played poorly. Clark was burned a few times, and Polamalu allowed the touchdown to Greg Jennings, which really clinched the overall game. On that exact same drive, Jennings could get completely open in the middle of the field on 3rd-and-5 on a decently deep slant, and caught it for a enormous game. I had Vietnam-esque flashbacks to the Larry Fitzgerald touchdown in Super Bowl 43 with four minutes left that put the Cardinals ahead. I might or may not have cried in anger on that play.

Obviously, the Steelers need a guy to replace the aging McFadden. The actual question is where to draft a corner within the draft. The seemingly obvious choice would be second round, simply because the Steelers require a first-round top quality lineman. That's fantastic, especially if we are able to draft Mike Pouncey and shift him to some guard position. What would become more enjoyable than seeing the Pouncey brothers together. As long as they don't kiss, the Steelers might have the first fun offensive line in NFL history.

But we need a cornerback, and the Super Bowl really put this on display. The road was in a position to hold up, but the secondary got torn apart. You have to believe that you'll find several very good lineman within the second and third rounds, but there's a lack of shutdown corners. I have no clue what to do here. You can't fulfill each requirements. If I was forced to create a selection, I'd say lineman. Ben can't take a beating like he did this year. Nevertheless it is fairly effortless to create a case for getting a cornerback.