Fireside with Fury - Super Bowl Edition

The fighters are scrambling out of MacDill Air Force Base (actually MacDill doesn't have fighters, they have tankers but they aren't too exciting).  The deployment to the war in Tampa is underway with the media frenzy leading the first wave.  Media day is behind us and they continue to invent stories or make a story appear to sound useful.  The Cardinals are in their first tournament finals while the Steelers enter their seventh.  I've been staying clear of the hype, the Mayor blowing his nose in a Terrible Towel and somehow the Cardinals are being portrayed as a squad akin to the 49ers of the 80's.

On Sunday, two of the oldest franchises in the NFL will square up in Tampa, FL.  The Arizona Cards are a relatively new team but the Cards name dates back to the 1920's and like the Steelers, entered the NFL in 1933.  The Cards have hailed from Chicago, St Louis and Arizona and briefly merged with the Steelers to form the Cards-Pitt during World War II in 1944.

The Steelers first played the Cards in 1933 and won 14-13.  Our last meeting occurred in 2007 and the result was a loss on the road, 21-14.  The two franchises have met 58 times since 1933 with the tally being 32-23-3 in favor of the Steelers. 

FC's Gospel covers an in-depth look at both teams, so I won't elaborate.  The Steelers run to the finals has been surprising.  Not many, including myself, thought this team could make it to the dance.  With the NFL's toughest schedule, a multitude of injuries and the token O-Line struggles, I thought a play-off appearance would be success for 2008-09.  They enter SB XLIII as Division Champs and AFC Champs and have had a good draw throughout the playoffs.  The Cards are not a pushover but they are not the world beaters like a few in the media are making them out to be.  Arizona is doing the right things.  They are making an investment in this squad, something Cleveland or Cinci or Detroit have not figured out.  They have talent on both sides of the ball, good coaches and state of the art facilities.  They don't have a fan-base established like PGH, but few teams do.  They are building towards it and that is good for the NFL.

The table below takes a look at both teams in a few key stat areas:

Officiating: Veteran White Hat Terry McAulay will officiate his 2nd Super Bowl and his 10th playoff game.  This season, the message board has been very concerned about the crew we draw.  All around NFL fan sites, the zebras have been a topic of much discussion.  I am often a homer for the unpopular ones but I started to think that the officiating isn't any worse in 2008 than in 1978.  We complain about the same things now that were complained about then.  Rules have changed, re-play is used and some other stuff but I think all the griping is due to the amount of re-plays we all get to watch.  We'll see a play several times and if an announcer feels that there is an issue we will see that play many more times with them interjecting their own interpretations of the playing rules.  I don't think the officiating is worse, I think it is most likely the same, just covered better.  To illustrate this, here is an article from October 1978 (note Terry Bradshaw complaining) out of Sports Illustrated:

The complete article can be found here: 

http://v ault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094158/1/index.htm

Steeler Joke: 

A man in Topeka , Kansas decided to write a book about Churches around the country. He started by flying to San Francisco and started working east from there.

Going to a very large church, he began taking photographs and making notes. He spotted a golden telephone on the vestibule wall and was intrigued with a sign, which read "Calls: $10,000 a minute.

Seeking out the pastor he asked about the phone and the sign. The pastor answered that this golden phone is, in fact, a direct line to heaven and if he pays the price he can talk directly to God. The man thanked the pastor and continued on his way. As he continued to visit churches in Seattle , Dallas , St. Louis , Chicago , Milwaukee , and around the United States , he found more phones, with the same sign, and the same answer from each pastor.

Finally, he arrived in Pennsylvania . Upon entering a Church in Pittsburgh , he saw the usual golden telephone. But THIS time, the sign read "Calls: $0.35 cents." Fascinated, he asked to talk to the pastor, "Pastor Jones, I have been in cities all across the country and in each church I have found this golden telephone and have been told it is a direct line to Heaven and that I could talk to God, but in the other churches the cost was $10,000 a minute. Your sign reads only $0.35 cents a call. Why?

The reverend , smiling benignly, replied : "Son, you're in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania now, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers- soon to be 6 time Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3 vibrant rivers meeting at the Point of the most beautiful downtown area around, the city with the best hospitals, neighborhoods and friendliest people in the world! You're in God's Country.... It's a local call."

Not a Joke: This week, Arizona Mayor, Phil Gordon stomped and blew his nose in a Terrible towel during a pep rally. He later apologized by saying that he did not intend to offend anyone. I'd have more respect for the man if he just would have blew his nose in the towel and went about his business. You don't have to be the head cashier at a game Stop to know that the Terrible Towel is symbolic to Steelers fans. He sure as hell offended us and he knew it. Beware of the curse Mr. Gordon.

This will be my seventh Super Bowl I've witnessed, although I have not watched a Super Bowl in person. That is fine with me. I don't have a Super Bowl party and I don't attend other folk's parties. I can only watch a game with select people; those that are interested in the game. That is my ritual and we are 5-1. The loss was watching with a large group of people along the New Mexico border in '95. Never again.

GO STEELERS!