I love Wisconsin!
Damian
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That ’70s show star Ashton Kutcher watched on as Cameron Diaz fed popcorn to A-Rod and the Cheeseheads lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy. In this the 45th year of the Super Bowl, the team that gave Lombardi his chance in pro-football are once again World Champions. And Aaron Rodgers now has the same amount of Super Bowl rings as Brett Favre.
Rodgers was named MVP with three touchdown passes, including a phenomenal pass down the centre to one of his favourite go to men Greg Jennings in the second quarter. With stats of four receptions for 64 yards and two touchdown receptions Jennings could have been forgiven for being disappointed for not being named MVP himself. But judging by the post-game interview that isn’t his style. Green Bay’s number 85 paid tribute to Donald Driver who was injured during the game, referring to him as the team’s best Wide-Receiver.
Jarrett Bush was another key figure for the Packers who watched several starters walk down the tunnel for treatment with Shields and Woodson also joining Driver. Woodson was forced to watch the whole of the second half from the sidelines wincing every time he cheered as the pain in his injured shoulder nagged at him. Bush came up with a big play in the first half when he intercepted the ball from Roethlisberger’s pass as Green Bay led 14-3. The turnover was Big Ben’s second of the game.
The Steelers’ were far from out of things though, are they ever? Their ablity to comeback is now synonymous with the franchise and they got themselves in to a position where seven points late on would have given them the game. But for once it was too little too late, and Green Bay regained the ball to kneel on the last two plays of Super Bowl XLV.
And whilst Roethlisberger is only 28, for me this felt like a bit of a swansong (even though we will see him again). Rodgers has every opportunity to truly step out of Favre’s shadow by leading the Cheeseheads to future Super Bowl successes. A potential lockout next season and beyond is the biggest threat to them right now.
