Super Bowl Win #6

Although I was cheering for the Cardinals, this is what a Super Bowl should be. After a first quarter domination, I thought we were heading for a Super bore, but the Cardinals kept fighting back and finally took the lead.
How did Ben Roethlisberger continue to elude the Cardinal defensive pressure? Not a Ben fan, he should've been the MVP.
Hats off the Arizona Defense. They continued to stop the Pittsburgh Offense from goal line situations, except for the final drive. They earned a Safety and kept the Steelers to field goals twice when Pittsburgh made it within the five.
I do question some of the penalties, but definitely not a deciding factor in the game.

Super Bowl Pick

I'm not taking the Cardinals to win, but the Steelers don't have cheerleaders. Arizona represents in this post.
Arizona is the underdog story, but my only reason to cheer for the them is their Defensive Line coach, Ron Aiken. Aiken was the Iowa Defensive Line coach from 1999 - 2006 and left to join Wisenhunt's staff, a coach he worked with at Vanderbilt.
I was tired of the Kurt Warner story after he led the St. Louis Rams to the NFL title in 2000 and now it has been brought up again.
My prediction--Pittsburgh 24 - Arizona 16.

Other thoughts...

• It is very unfortunate to see the natural turf of Kinnick Stadium be replaced by the fake stuff. As a fan of venues such as Wrigley Field and Lambeau Field, Kinnick was another stadium that was an arena for how the game is meant to be played.
• Hopefully Ed Podolak will return to the Iowa Football broadcast booth. I'm happiest for Gary Dolphin. Dolph lost a good friend at the conclusion of the '08 regular season, producer Pat Mormann to a car accident. It will be tough enough on Gary as he prepares for the '09 season, losing Ed would be a tough adjustment for the Iowa broadcaster.
• Saturday Night Live is really bad.
• Topic of conversation on local radio is "Who is the biggest Cedar Rapids Star? Kurt Warner or Zach Johnson?" I'll take Zach Johnson, however either answer has merit. Post your pick in the comment section.
• Saw "Hotel for Dogs." Better than I thought.
• Warren Sapp...underrated.
• Enjoy the game.

Super Showdown Set

The Super Bowl is set and let the Kurt Warner saga be repeated for the next two weeks. It is the Cardinals and Steelers and I'm sure few had predicted this match-up when training camp began in July. And today, Cub fans were reminded of how the Cardinals were able to break their 61 year of futility. That was in comparison to the Cubs' 100 years. Thanks, Fox!

But there are other former Iowans involved in this year's game. First year NFL player Ken Iwebema was drafted in April to play for former Iowa Defensive Line coach, Ron Aiken. I could not be any happier for Aiken. Ron is one of the nicer people in the coaching profession. When he left the University many were surprised to see him leave Iowa City with his children in school, for the NFL life in Phoenix. Aiken is truly a family man and put them ahead of his coaching career. He emphasized to me how, at his previous stops, the family would always gather for at least one meal during the season, even if it meant they ate in the car while their sons slept in their car seat. When they moved to Iowa City, Ron would bring his three sons with him to the Cedar Rapids hotel on Friday nights during the season as he met with the team. Each son was well-mannered--yes sir, no sir--and sat in the hotel lobby and read their chosen book. Any time he could spend with his family was precious to Ron. I am very happy to see him have the opportunity to play in the sport's biggest game.

I am also a new fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. My loyalties still belong to the Green Bay Packers, but after visiting the Buccaneer complex while in Tampa, I have a new found appreciation. Video Director Dave Levy treated us very well, but also new head coach, Raheem Morris. While Levy and I talked privately in his office, Morris started a conversation with my four students who were waiting in the hallway. Morris spoke with them for nearly five minutes the day following the last game of the season. Levy commented on how great of a person Morris was and how happy he was to have him as the new defensive coordinator. Levy must be very pleased with the hire now.