What, Those Guys AGAIN?

Super Bowl XLIII was much closer than most people expected. The Arizona Cardinals came back from a 13 pt deficit to take the lead with time running out. But the Pittsburgh Steelers sucked it up and went on a nearly 90 yard drive to score the winning touchdown with 35 seconds left. It came on a tiptoe catch by Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone. Steelers QB Ben Rothlisberger could not have made a better throw; there were three Cardinal defenders around Holmes.

So, now the Steelers have six Super Bowl wins, more than any other NFL franchise. What where the others?

Super Bowl IX: Steelers 16, Vikings 6
Special teams and defense carried the day. The Steelers scored on a safety in the second quarter, and put themselves in position for a touchdown when the Vikings fumbled a kickoff.

Super Bowl X: Steelers 21, Cowboys 17
It was the Terry Bradshaw - Lynn Swan show. They only hooked up four times, but one of them was a 64 yard touchdown bomb. Dallas made a good showing of it, with Roger Staubach throwing two TD passes, but the Steelers' defense was too much.

Super Bowl XIII: Steelers 35, Cowboys 31
The arm of Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw carried the day, firing four touchdown passes. Two to Lance Stallworth, one to Rocky Bleier, and one to Lynn Swann. Franco Harris ran 22 yds for another. The Cowboys again made it a tight contest, scoring two touchdown in the last seven minutes, but the Steelers recovered their second attempt at an onside kick.

Super Bowl XIV: Steelers 31, Rams 19
The Steelers' era of dominance came to a close with a shaky performance. But a win is a win. Terry Bradshaw shook off three interceptions to rally his team from behind twice. Once in the third quarter with a 47 yd. touchdown pass to Lynn Swan, and again in the fourth quarter on a 73 yd. pass to Lance Stallworth.

Super Bowl XL: Steelers 21, Seahawks 10
Sorry Steelers fans. This one should have as asterisk beside it, because the officials gave the Steelers some big breaks. There was the first quarter offensive interference penalty against Darrell Jackson that wasn't, nullifying a Seattle touchdown. And the fourth quarter holding penalty against offensive tackle Sean Locklear that wasn't, costing Seattle field position on the Steeler 1 yd line. And the illegal low block called against Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck that was in fact an attempted tackle. Each of these came at pivotal junctures in the game. But in ten or twenty years no one will remember any of that, so it goes down as a win.

Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
No need for a recap, because we've watched it already. But here goes: Steelers controlled the first half, closing it out with a 100 yd. interception return for a touchdown to go up 17-7. Cardinals rally from 20-7 to take a 23-20 lead with under 3 min to go. Steelers score to reclaim the lead, then force a fumble in the closing seconds to secure the win.

New NFL Hall of Fame Inductees

It was a pretty good round for the Buffalo Bills in the latest inductions to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Two of the six who made the cut were associated with the team: Bruce Smith, their fearsome defensive end from 1985 to 1998, and Ralph Wilson, long time team owner and founding member of the AFL.

It was even better for the late Bob Hayes. He won two gold medals at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the second thanks to his incredible come from behind surge running the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay. He helped the Dallas Cowboys win five Eastern Conference titles, two NFC titles, and a Super Bowls in ten seasons (1964-1974), in the process forcing NFL teams to invent zone coverage schemes to counteract his unmatchable speed. And yet, inexplicably and somewhat controversially, was passed over repeatedly by the Hall of Fame Committee. Today's decision makes him the world's only athlete to have Olympic gold, a Super Bowl ring, and a place in the Hall.

Also voted in were former Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel, former Kansas City Chiefs middle linebacker Derrick Thomas (posthumously), and well-traveled defense back Rod Woodson (Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders).