Last Sunday, I was right there with Steelers Nation when Ben Roethlisberger attempted to lead a potential game-winning drive with under two minutes remaining in the game. I was also right there grimacing at that last incomplete pass which effectively sent the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay.
Profuse cursing, trash talking, and a bitter night's sleep followed immediately after. When I woke up the next morning and sipped some green tea, I thought to myself that the loss was probably for the best.
In fact, the world is probably a little better of a place since Pittsburgh lost.
First and foremost, the loss means that Wiz Khalifa's infinitely annoying song, "Black and Yellow," will finally fade away. That song has to be one of the most annoying team anthems in recent memory, and, frankly, it may be one of the reasons why the Steelers lost.
What's more? The song is simply about a car.
Annoying trends aside, the Packers' victory is a good thing because it gives us a chance to shift our focus. We have an opportunity to evaluate some players without the influence of the absurd hype that surrounded them during the buildup to the game.
We could question Troy Polamalu's lack of presence in his Super Bowl appearances or how the cornerbacks' soft play may have compromised the Steel Curtain.
However, the main evaluation has to be given to none other than Ben Roethlisberger. The loss forces the public to really examine the quarterback. When you look at his performance from when he first joined the league, you have to ask yourself if he is really Hall-of-Fame material.
I agree that winning two Super Bowls by the age of 28, along with going against Ray Lewis and the Ravens twice a year and surviving, is quite an accomplishment.
But it is a severe overstatement to consider him an elite quarterback based on those accomplishments. Roethlisberger does his job well, but it is the team as a whole that accomplished the achievements.
You can't attribute things like championships to just one man because that one man can't single-handedly win the game without the 10 other men around him. Just ask Peyton Manning. One of the greatest quarterbacks of all time couldn't make it past the Wild Card round this year because he lacked the offensive personnel he needed to make the plays he became known for.
The thing I respect about the Steelers is that they win as a team and, as you saw Sunday, go down as one. Green Bay didn't win solely because of Aaron Rodgers' excellent performance, but because they were the better team on that given Sunday.
Roethlisberger is an adequate component of the Pittsburgh machine and not much more. With the unimpressive statistics and the amount of mistakes he made, I can't legitimately deem him an elite quarterback.
Well, I wouldn't say so just yet, anyways. Big Ben is only 28 years old and has a huge chunk of his career ahead of him. It will be interesting to see how far he can go after the loss and to see if he can make it to the next tier.
And, as a sports journalist, I love seeing stuff like this.
E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
Photo: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
