XLIII recap

Now 6 of the last 10 Super Bowls have been exciting. I don't know if last night will go down as a great game -- way too many penalties, for starters -- but it was certainly a very exciting game. The play of the game was the 100 yard INT for a TD at the end of the first half, which was at least a 10 point swing and probably a 14 point swing. It seems like the Steelers have one of those plays every game, something weird, improbable, whatever -- like the punt bouncing off the head of a Chargers blocker in the Divisional round. But that's what good teams do.

Remarkable that Kurt Warner now has the three highest passing yardage games in Super Bowl history. And while he's only 1 for 3 in the big game, he's twice been the victim of his defense failing to stop the other team's final drive (and was almost a victim of that in his one victory, as Tennessee came within one yard of winning that game). While the pro football Hall of Fame is a more mysterious process, and certainly less talked about than baseball's version, I gotta imagine that both QBs earned their entry last night. Warner has led two different teams to the Super Bowl, played great all three times, and has won league MVP twice. Put it this way, it is hard to argue that Peyton Manning (1 Super Bowl appearance, 1 win) is a hall of famer and then not include Warner (I should actually check the stats on that). As for Big Ben, only 1 QB has won two Super Bowls and isn't in the Hall of Fame (Jim Plunkett), so even if he doesn't win another, his odds are pretty good.