Speaking of a little help, Ben Roethlisberger's scrambling around was finally rewarded, when Hines Ward got open...and actually caught the ball. On Ward's first touchdown reception, Ben and Hines were completely in sync: the very second that Ben pump-faked towards the middle of the end-zone, Ward stepped hard towards the middle of the end-zone (before cutting hard towards the outside corner). In turn, Leon Hall broke hard to the middle of the end-zone, leaving Ward standing wide-open in the corner. Ward was equally as open on his second touchdown reception. In other words, it appears as though Hines Ward is back to being the Hines Ward that we all know and love. Furthermore, not to sound too egotistical, but I personally feel that Ward's resurgence is due to my pointing out (in last week's article) the passes that he had dropped in the Denver game.
I know, I know: I sound crazy. But, hear me out. I mentioned my disdain with the penalties, and the following week, the referees improved (i.e. the infractions evened out). Similarly, I call out Ward for dropping passes, and the following week, he improves his play. Following that same line of logic, my Super-Lotto ticket was not a winner this past week...so...next week... [Note: if everything works out according to plan, I will continue to write my weekly report...only I will do so with a much bigger smile upon my face.]
But, I digress...back to football.
In short, Ben put forth yet another Herculean showing: pushing down defensive linemen, escaping blitzing linebackers, and moving defensive backs (out of position) with a mere turn of his head and/or a well-timed pump-fake. In fact, on one particular play, just before being sacked, Ben completed a pass to Santonio Holmes, for a first down...while Ben's body was at a 45 degree angle to the turf. Normally I do not suggest that a quarterback make such an acrobatic throw; that said, with a wide-open Santonio Holmes a mere ten yards away from him, and "only" one defender holding onto his legs, Ben did not take as big of a risk as one might have assumed. Plus, Ben is on a roll: the kid could hike through a swamp, and come out cleaner than when he went in. Speaking of which, I should have Ben buy my lottery ticket for me.
Again, I digress.
Simply, the game was all but statistically over by half-time...when the Bengals opted for a field goal, instead of going for a fourth-and-short. Trailing by eleven points, and having shown almost no signs of being able to move the ball regularly against Pittsburgh's defense, Cincinnati probably should have gone for it on that fourth down. Marvin Lewis' poor judgement was then exacerbated, when on the ensuing drive, the Steelers marched down the field, and scored yet another touchdown. In other words, not to trivialize the rest of the game, but essentially everything that took place in the second half mattered very little: the game was over when Willie Parker rambled into the end-zone, putting the Steelers up 21-6.
In conclusion, if not for Tom Brady's mind-boggling season, Ben would be a serious candidate for MVP. Similarly, the Patriots appear to be the obvious pick for winning their fourth Super Bowl in six years. Then again, Buster Douglass beat Mike Tyson; Villanova knocked off Georgetown; and, the Simpsons have been on the air for 16 seasons. In other words, I like Pittsburgh's chances (for a sixth Lombardi trophy) a lot better than I like my odds of winning the lottery.
