Steelers 27, Cardinals 23: Best Super Bowl ever?
Santonio Holmes' tip-toe TD: Best Super Bowl catch ever?
The Boss: Best Super Bowl halftime show ever?
Better late than never, I've got XLIII thoughts about Super Bowl 43:
43. Gotta make it snappy. My free Grand Slam at Denny's is calling.
42. If you watched the Australian Open final, you saw Roger Federer break down into tears after losing to Rafael Nadal. Which begs the question, "After a loss, you want a guy (Federer) who cries or a guy (Tony Romo) who shrugs?"
41. My favorite Super Bowl: XII.
40. I think Troy Polamalu's hair is ridiclous. What's that? Yes, I assume it could be jealousy.
39. Two years from today I'll be blogging about my memories of the just-completed Super Bowl XLV played in Arlington's Jonestown Coliseum.
38. Though Dreamgirls was likely the most annoying movie I've ever seen heard, no denying that Jennifer Hudson can sing. Wow.
37. Wonder who North Texas will trot out for its musical entertainment come XLV?
36. My guess is Carrie Underwood for the national anthem.
35. Willie Nelson at halftime.
34. With Petty Theft for pre-game out in the parking lot. And Jessica Simpson serving beer. On roller skates.
33. Worst commercial was the one where the guy throws a crystal ball into another guy's crotch. Really? That's funny? Let's see him hurl one into a woman's ovaries. Now that would be a knee-slapper. No? Why not?
32. We had ads about stupid horses, talking babies, yadda, yadda and more yadda. But give me Danica Patrick in the shower any day. Or GoDaddy.com and its array of cleavage. I'm simple. Sue me.
31. I can get Kelvin Martin's Super Bowl "trophy". What?
30. It was a fumble, but why didn't we review the last play involving Kurt Warner. I really didn't have a rooting interest, but I was intrigued by a final-play Hail Mary to a leaping Larry Fitzgerald in the end zone. You?
29. Speaking of Fitzgerald, I think Terrell Owens still thinks he can do those things.
28. He can't.
27. Love or loathe the Steelers, you gotta admit the Terrible Towel is cool.
26. I know they put on a good show and damn near won the game, but isn't having the Cardinals in the Super Bowl like having the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series or the Clippers in the NBA Finals?
25. Were Cowboys' fans wearing black armbands of mourning Sunday? Or has last season's haplessness already melted into this season's hope?
24. In the amazingly uncreative/copycat NFL, the Steelers direct-snapped the ball to running back Willie Parker. Betcha a nickel the Cowboys design a couple similar plays for Felix Jones next season.
23. I hate Terry Bradshaw. Yes, still.
22. I've forgiven Jackie Smith. But I'll never be able to forget.
21. Ratings for the game here in Dallas were 44.3, ranking only 26th-highest in the country. Proving yet again that we're not a sports town, we're a winners town.
20. As for halftime shows, give me Prince. Every year.
19. I didn't watch NBC's 24-hour pre-game show, what'd I miss? At least one Pat Tillman feature. Right?
18. 3D glasses are cool. So are Hi-Def TVs. But aren't we just biding our time with HDTV until we can all afford 3DTVs?
17. John Madden is the most overrated announcer in the history of the NFL. It'll be a better football world without Madden and first-down chains.
16. Matt Millen offered his expertise on NBC's studio roundtable. You're kidding, right? Dumbest thing since Dr. Phil wrote a book on weight loss.
15. My favorite Cowboys' Super Bowl play? Bob Lilly herding Bob Griese and finally sacking him for a 27-yard loss in VII.
14. My least favorite? See No. 22.
13. This list seemed like a much better idea up around No. 30.
12. Tough week for Cowboys' fans. Same week the Super Bowl again doesn't include their team, their stadium - Texas Stadium - starts having its possessions hauled off in fans' trucks.
11. And then there's Bob Hayes. He finally makes the Hall of Fame, but not without controversy. Sad. So sad.
10. At least we can shut up for now about the alleged Cowboys' Hall of Fame bias. With Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Rayfield Wright and Bob Hayes, that's four in the last four years. Next year Emmitt Smith will make it five consecutive classes with at least one Cowboy.
9. After Emmitt, Larry Allen?
8. For the record, Steelers' linebacker Lamarr Woodley was drafted 20 spots after the Cowboys' Anthony Spencer. Woodley had six sacks in the playoffs; Spencer got arrested.
7. The Cowboys' hiring of Dan Reeves as a consultant sounds genius, but won't it further undermine Wade Phillips' lack of authority? Jason Garrett. Terrell Owens. Jerry Jones. Add Reeves to the flow chart and Phillips' power will be that of the equipment manager.
6. I've been to six Super Bowls. My first was XXVI in, of all places, Minneapolis. Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to Mark Rypien?
5. Cowboys haven't played in a Super Bowl in 13 years. Think about that for a minute. We have a whole generation of 7th Graders who have never experienced just how crazy their city can be.
4. For years it was style over substance, but the last two Super Bowls have been pretty dang good entertainment. David Tyree's catch. Holmes' catch. Tough to top.
3. Hurts to admit it, but with six Super Bowls, a hearty traveling fan base, an enduring lineage of defense and classic uniforms, the Steelers are the NFL's best franchise.
2. Guess who online oddsmakers have established as the NFC favorite to play in Super Bowl XLIV? Yep, the Cowboys. At 9-1, they trail only the Patriots at 8-1.
1. The Cardinals almost had a great month, but the Steelers had a great year.
