Troy Takes Tenacious Team to Tampa with Timely Touchdown

Troy Polamalu outplayed Ed Reed. Yes, the Steelers’ star safety scrambled for a 40 yard interception return for a touchdown Sunday to carry Pittsburgh to the promised land. Reed was the highly touted safety in the game but the Raven was overshadowed by his nemesis on the other end. Hines and Holmes had their highlights, Ben proved pocket-perfect and Tomlin typified terrible towel tradition. But the real hero, Polamalu, is the reason Pittsburgh will be in their 7th Superbowl.
Peppy Pittsburgh tackled well and harassed the rookie quarterback from Baltimore. The Steelers won the Superbowl three years ago and some of the same players remain. They are no strangers to the big game but it will be a different feel for Roethlisberger. He did not have an outstanding Superbowl and now will have a chance to redeem himself with a mismatch against Arizona.
The 23-14 win was a battle of pure defense during championship Sunday. Joe Flacco had three costly interceptions for Baltimore. Ben had zero. Roethlisberger’s maturity and apparent experience in these situations was an important factor last week and will help determine the team’s outcome in two weeks. The chances are good he will step up again. He’s been through the elements of playoff football. Ben’s 65 yard pass to wideout, Santonio Holmes, allowed the Steelers a two-score lead in the second quarter. The defense was exceptional, holding the Ravens scoreless in two quarters. Willis McGahee, the Ravens running back, had two touchdowns but was knocked out of the game on a brutal Ryan Clarke hit late in the game. Clarke had 8 tackles for Pittsburgh. James Farrior had 6 tackles and Lamar Woodley had two sacks as 65,000 plus fans waved their terrible towels in snowy Heinz Field.
The scene is set and the game should be a nice finish to the season. Go Steelers!

Parting points: I was sad to see Leyton Hewitt already knocked out of the Australian Open. I know he’s coming off an injury, but it would have been nice to see him advance a little farther in his homeland.