Arizona+Cardinals+vs.+Pittsburgh+Steelers

Cardinals beat Eagles, 32-25, in NFC Championship and advance to Super Bowl The confetti rained down, the crowd of 70,000-plus screamed and the Arizona Cardinals were going to the Super Bowl, while veteran defensive tackle Bryan Robinson had a single thought crawl through his head. “Really, I was thinking, ‘Not bad for the worst playoff team ever,’ ” Robinson said. The Cards accomplished the improbable Sunday – improbable to everyone except perhaps themselves – by beating the Philadelphia Eagles, 32-25, in the NFC Championship at University of Phoenix. Tampa comes next, for Super Bowl XLIII and a chance to be champions of the NFL against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A dizzying thought to be sure. “Arizona Cardinals and Super Bowl in the same sentence,” quarterback Kurt Warner said. “I like the way that sounds.” The accomplishment was “very good,” owner Bill Bidwill said while accepting the Halas Trophy on the field afterward, although “I imagine there are some superlatives I could add to it, but I can’t think of any right now.” Fittingly, the game was decided by the Cardinals’ offense. The Cards (12-7) dominated the first half and led 24-6 at halftime. But the Eagles wrested control of the game in the third quarter, outgaining Arizona, 165 yards to 8. When Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb completed a 62-yard bomb to DeSean Jackson just over the outstretched fingers of cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Philadelphia had taken a 25-24 lead with 10:45 left in the game. “That last drive when we all looked at each other and said, ‘This is it, we’re going to win this game,’ ” fullback Terrelle Smith said. Taking over on their own 28-yard line, the Cardinals moved to the Philadelphia 8 with 2:59 left in the game, converting at one point a fourth-and-1 when running back Tim Hightower scooted around right end for a six-yard gain. Facing a third-and-goal, Warner -- who had his best game ever against Philadelphia’s blitzing defense – threw a middle screen to Hightower. Hightower made a couple of moves before barreling into the end zone. “I was speechless,” Hightower said. “I saw the end zone and my eyes lit up. It was one of the best feelings to know the coaches have confidence in you in one of the most crucial situations of the game.” The play was Warner’s fourth touchdown pass of the game. On the next play, Warner found tight end Ben Patrick for a two-point conversion, and the Cards had a seven-point lead with 2:53 left. The drive “was an indication of our growth as team and that’s what it’s really all about,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. The defense, which had been punctured plenty in the second half after the stellar first half, drew on the offense’s success. The Eagles (11-7-1) drove from their own 20 to the Arizona 47, but there McNabb threw four straight incompletions, with cornerback Rod Hood covering wide receiver Kevin Curtis on the final play. “The coolest thing throughout was, offense and defense, we didn’t panic,” Robinson said. “When they scored on us, (wide receiver) Anquan (Boldin) looked at me and said, ‘We’ve got it.’ “We truly feed off each other. Lackluster third quarter, but it’s all worth it right now to be called NFC Champs.” Warner was spectacular, completing 21-of-28 passes for 279 yards. Nine of the passes when to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who had 152 yards and an NFC Championship-tying three touchdown catches. The Cards did have to punt one final time, but the Eagles’ last ditch multi-lateral play with nine seconds left on their own 7 turned into a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle Darnell Dockett. That’s when Whisenhunt said he felt like the team had won. The celebrations had begun. “I can’t even put this into words,” said safety Adrian Wilson, the longest-tenured Cardinal. “It has been a rollercoaster ride for eight years. To finally get to this point, to win an NFC Championship, means a lot. I’ve been saying this all night, the Arizona Cardinals just changed their stripes.” And now, after a week, they will head to Florida to cap their incredible season. “We are happy to have the NFC Champion trophy,” Smith said, “but we want that Super Bowl trophy.”

The game itself, well, you know how it unfolded. You know how wonderful it was so that doesn’t need repeated. After the game it was electrifying. I was there when the team lost the AFC Championship game in 2001 and 2004. I know what that feeling is like. So, to sit there and see this team do it at home, in front of that amazing crowd, was just unreal. I got a chance to see Dermontti Dawson after the game. He was just thrilled for the team. James Harrison’s mom grabbed me and gave me a big hug and was the happiest I think I have ever seen her. The rest of the week seemed like a blur, with one day running into the next. The players came in on Monday and you could tell it was just starting to hit some of them. They were thrilled. They held a team meeting where they got all of the details for their families for the trip to Tampa. It was then off to individual meetings to look at game film of the Ravens game and proceed like they would on a normal Monday. After their meetings some players headed into the media room to talk while others started turning in their travel forms and ticket requests. They wanted to get details out of the way as soon as possible. On Tuesday we had a staff meeting, everyone getting their assignments and details for the trip. We all knew that there was a lot to be done, but nobody minded one bit. Everyone welcomed the extra work. Coach Tomlin held his press conference on Tuesday, but pushed it back by an hour because of the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. When it did take place, it was a packed house. Wednesday it was back to work for the players, business as usual, except of course for the extra media throng on hand. NBC spent a lot of time at the practice facility, and Bettis was back to conduct some interviews. The players talk to the media at lunch time and after practice, so it was a busy time for the media relations staff, shuffling players from interview to interview. Sports Illustrated’s Peter King was in during the week and on Thursday, we all knew why when the Steelers were on one of the covers and a story about Tomlin written by King was one of the features. THere was also a story on the Steelers defense. Rod Woodson, who along with Dawson is a finalist for the Hall of Fame, was there on Thursday for NFL Network. It was great to see him and he really seemed to enjoy being back in Pittsburgh. The media were still swarming on Friday. Every inch of space was used for one-on-one interviews and there never seemed to be a down moment. After practice the players had a chance to pick up some Super Bowl merchandise for their families when a sale was held at the practice facility. The great crew from the Steelers merchandise department and Sideline Stores did a fantastic job. Players were walking out with bags filled with stuff, and Casey Hampton even needed a dolly to get all of his purchases out of the building. A pep rally was held at Heinz Field on Friday night (you can check out all of the details on the Super Bowl page) and it was like being at a game. The crowd was insane – there was so much energy there. Players even had a hard time getting there because the crowd was so large traffic was backed up all around the stadium. James Farrior, Deshea Townsend and Ben Roethlisberger all addressed the crowd and set them into a frenzy before the evening game to an end with fireworks. The players wrapped up their work week on Saturday with a morning walk-through and then like the rest of us, they were getting ready to take off for Tampa on Monday morning. Reference "http://www.azcardinals.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=2852" "http://news.steelers.com/article/102492/"
 * Super Bowl Diary Day 1 ** Where do I begin? This week has just been amazing. The excitement in the city has been electrifying. Everyone has been so upbeat, the staff has been smiling all week long and the players have just been their normal, upbeat selves. So, let’s start off with the AFC Championship game. What an amazing atmosphere that was. Before the game national media were everywhere. The press box was literally jammed and I am happy that I was sitting between two people that I get along great with – Jon Pugliano and Tim Benz. Antwaan Randle El was there to cover the game for NFL Network. It was great to see him. And Jerome Bettis was there was well and seeing him was super. Both of those guys played such a huge role in Super Bowl XL that it just seemed like a good sign to have them there.