The Cardinals Should Have Won That Game

An anti-climactic headline, perhaps, but it's true. The day after Super Bowl XLIII, I'm left thinking two things, the first of which is, "Man, the Cardinals looked like the Eagles out there," and when one thinks that one has seen the Eagles, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, one is usually also left thinking, "Wow, they should have won that game!"

How did the Cardinals look like the Eagles? With an effective defense that was able to keep them in the game, and a sputtering offense that failed to appear for the first 25 minutes of the game, and then committed cardinal errors (pun totally intended!) at the absolute worst times, like, say on first and goal from the two with 18 seconds remaining in the half, and then again with fifteen seconds left in the game, when the Cardinal front line simply did not protect their man.

On top of that, the officiating crew may well have ended the game on an incomplete pass. You don't take two minutes to review the last meaningful play of the SUPER BOWL?! If I'm the commissioner, I tell the crew: do not end the game on a judgement call. Let the players settle it. If it's close, err on the side of play.

I'm not blaming Kurt Warner; there's not a lot more he could have done -- and yeah, yeah, "Hall of Fame quarterback, blah, blah, blah." But it was a terrible decision by Warner to throw that ball straight into the arms of James Harrison. (Hats off to James Harrison, who I'm told, has overcome great adversity. I looked it up and I have to agree: being the first president to die in office can be a set-back to one's Super Bowl aspirations. Good work, James!) And not a great decision by Warner to allow himself to be playfully cast aside on the run-back of said errant throw. As my friend Marc aptly said, "That's a 14-point turnaround. If the Cardinals score on that series, they go into halftime up 14-10" and receiving the ball in the third quarter, I'll add. And add to that: first and goal from the two with 18 seconds! You've got three plays at least -- and there's no way you want to come away (an underdog, mind you) with less than a field goal in this situation. Awful play. Cost the game.


Of course, both my and Marc's expert analysis came at game's end, too late to do any good. Oh, and I also hear, too late, that it was William Harrison who did the Oval Office Deep Six, contrary to James' Tampa Bay Pick Six, for which he'll reap returns during contract negotiations to rival those of the not-so-famous McKinley Tax Act, enacted by William's grand-son, president Benjamin Harrison. But I digress.

The Cardinals should have won that game!

Like the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, the Cards failed to show for the first half. See, that could be another headline:
CARDS FAIL TO SHOW

And it's apt because it may have been the Cardinals plan to "hide" Larry Fitzgerald during the first half, and then surprise the Steelers with him in the second half. Now, I can't believe Arizona would do that -- that's just stupid. But the Eagles do stupid stuff, like not double-covering Larry Fitzgerald; if the Cardinals are impersonating the Eagles, maybe they do stupid stuff, too! Either way, Fitzgerald was almost the MVP of this game, and definitely appears to be on his way down a long road to Canton if he continues to play the way he did this season. And he appeared fully ready, when the ball was thrown his way, to single-handedly take this game away from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead, a final-seconds interception left that dream unfulfilled.

Cardinals should have won that game.

Not to take anything away, of course, from the SIXTH TIME NFL SUPER BOWL CHAMPION, PITTSBURGH STEELERS. Ben Roethlisberger was stellar. A big man, who carried the team's destiny on his shoulders. Santonio Holmes' catch to put the Steelers ahead for good was a Lynn Swan caliber moment. His headline could be:
HOLMES DELIVERS K.O. BLOW
STEELERS WIN RECORD SIXTH SUPER BOWL

Here are some other potential headlines that crossed the shallow waters of my stream of consciousness:

If you're in Phoenix:
STEEL CURTAIN CALL FOR WARNER
Cards QB loses encore Super Bowl

If you're in Pittsburgh:
BEN AGAIN!
Steelers Win Second Super Bowl in Four Years Behind Roethlisberger

If you're me:
EAGLES FAIL TO WIN SUPER BOWL BY FAILING TO BEAT THE CARDINALS IN NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
or, simply:
CARDINALS SHOULDA WON THAT GAME