Arizona Cardinals strike too quickly in Super Bowl

''The only problem with the quick-strike abilities of Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald was that they left too much time for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who engineered a 78-yard touchdown drive. Roethlisberger tossed the winner to Santonio Holmes, who tightroped the end zone corner with 35 seconds remaining in the Steelers' 27-23 win.''

Read Rick Stroud's story here.

Tampa International Airport running smoothly despite Super Bowl exodous

TAMPA -- The citywide exodus of Super Bowl visitors began early this morning at Tampa International Airport, with officials expecting the busiest day in more than a year.

Despite the traffic, there were no big delays at ticket counters or security-screening checkpoints. Airlines began checking in passengers as early as 3 a.m., and the Transportation Security Administration brought in extra officers from Orlando to open all 27 of the airport's screening lanes.

Airport officials estimate about 32,000 passengers will fly out of Tampa through Monday, likely the most since the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2007, said airport executive director Louis Miller.

Warner: I'm not sure I'm coming back

After his record-setting postseason, Cardinals QB Kurt Warner told reporters he wasn't ready to decide whether he was going to play next season.

"I don’t know if I’m going to play next year," Warner said. "I’m going to enjoy what we just accomplished as a football team. I want to take some time away from the game and then I’ll make a decision. There are just so many emotions that go into making that decision. There are things that make you want to come back. There are things that make you say, ‘Man I wish I had a break.’ I really don’t know. I don’t want to make an emotional decision."

Warner, who threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns tonight, now owns the top three passing yardage games in Super Bowl history. No other quarterback has thrown for 300 yards in three Super Bowl appearances, let alone three consecutive appearances.

Son comes up big, dad comes out of seat

Say this about Larry Fitzgerald Sr. -- the veteran sports journalist is a pro in press-box decorum.

His son, Larry Jr., has just put the Cardinals ahead with a 64-yard TD catch from Kurt Warner with 2:34 to play, and he didn't appear to even crack a grin. Oh sure, dad stood up, but so did every other body in Raymond James Stadium.

If the Cardinals pull this thing out, we're betting we'll see at least a smile.

We think.

-JOEY KNIGHT

(Times photo/Eduardo A. Encina)

Son scores, dad doesn't flinch

Either Larry Fitzgerald Sr. is a bastion of journalistic etiquette, or a little bored.

Larry Fitzgerald Jr.'s fourth-period, 1-yard touchdown catch from Kurt Warner, which put the Cardinals back in the game, evoked nary a grin from his dad, seated in the auxiliary press area in Raymond James Stadium.

Fact is, Larry Sr., a veteran reporter for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, hasn't shown any emotion throughout the game.

We'll keep you updated on dad's expressions, just in case Larry Jr. comes up with a game-winning TD or something.

JOEY KNIGHT

Can the elder Fitzgerald remain outwardly unbiased?

By now, you've probably read around 432 stories about Larry Fitzgerald Sr., father of the all-galaxy Cardinals receiver of the same name and a veteran sports reporter covering the Super Bowl. Larry Sr. has maintained that, true to the etiquette of his profession, he'll abstain from cheering tonight.

Well, we'll be able to tell you better than just about anyone else inside Raymond James Stadium if he holds true to his intentions. He happens to be sitting no farther than 7 feet from us in an auxiliary press area in the stadium's northwest corner.

We'll keep you posted on his emotions as his son's performance unfolds.

JOEY KNIGHT

Q & A: Ex-Cardinals QB Jim Hart

In this dizzying week of bird watching, we spotted one of the more prized Cardinals: four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Jim Hart. A 19-year NFL veteran (1966-84) who spent his first 18 years with the St. Louis Cardinals, Hart was among dozens of NFL alums signing autographs Friday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The event benefited the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, which helps disabled and financially needy NFL alumni and is near to Hart's, well, heart. During a lull between signings, Hart, 64, spent a few minutes with the Times:

Do you feel like the plight of needy NFL alumni is finally being heard through the efforts of Mike Ditka and the GGAF?
Yes, I do. The message (Thursday) was to perpetuate it and keep it out in the public to make sure that more people know of the plight. It's a travesty. On the other hand, we knew what we were getting into. I'm one of those who took the (NFL's) pension early but I had to. I had a business that went south and I had two kids in college and another in private school, so I had to do it. So it is what it is. It's a lot less than if I had waited until 65, which is my almost-age now, but hey, taking it early I was able to put two kids through college and another in private school for a while.

Larry Fitzgerald has zero dance moves

So why doesn’t Larry Fitzgerald have a jaunty end zone dance? It doesn't necessarily have to be all Chad Johnson River Dance-y, but just a little something to underscore all those record-setting touchdowns? Seems we've found something the dreadlocked one can't do.

"I haven't danced since my prom and it wasn't pretty,'' he said.

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Whisenhunt ready for the big pep talk

Coach Ken Whisenhunt seems to relish his upcoming pre-game speeches in a game where oddsmakers, analysts and likely most of the partisans at Raymond James Stadium either expect or hope for a Steelers victory. The former Pittsburgh offensive coordinator under Bill Cowher said he’s learned a few motivational tactics from the former head coach he will use against his old team.
"When Coach Cowher used to stand up and talk, I wrote all of that down,” Whisenhunt said. “I told Coach Cowher that I have notebooks with little tabs in there from when he spoke before the championship game, when he spoke before the Super Bowl (in 2006), when he spoke at the mini camp meeting, all of those things.
“I’d go back and look at those things and get ideas of where he was and what he was thinking about. … I’ve been in situations that I’ve learned from, and when we get into this type of situation, I use those things to help me get an idea of what direction I am going.”
Whisenhunt said he learned the benefits of note-taking on meetings from Jeff Van Note, his teammate with the Falcons from 1985-86.
“Seventeen years he was a player and he took notes in every meeting he was in,” Whisenhunt said. And if he needs to go deeper into his material, perhaps he can pull from his season playing for three-time Super Bowl-winning coach Joe Gibbs.

Cardinals not getting defensive about Steelers

Yes, Pittsburgh’s defense finished the regular season ranked best in the NFL, allowing just 13.9 points and 237 yards per game.

Yes, LB James Harrison was named the league’s defensive player of the year, LaMarr Woodley is one of the best young linebackers in the league and few players can disrupt or change the course of a game like SS Troy Polamalu.

But the reputation of the defense has grown past the statistically provable to the mythical. One would think these 11 men in black and gold could stop Xerxes at Thermopylae and how silly would the movie ‘300’ look then? 

Friday's Super Bowl Photos

Tampa Bay native Tracy Williams performs at the 2009 Bud Bowl Block Party, between Channelside Entertainment District and the St. Pete Times Forum, on Friday. [EDMUND D. FOUNTAIN   |   Times]

McNabb: Cards’ success hinges on Whisenhunt

Donovan McNabb knows Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt well. They're neighbors. It's not known whether one has knocked on the other's door for sugar, but the Eagles quarterback lives two houses down from Whisenhunt in Arizona. 

And McNabb, whose Eagles lost to the Cardinals two weeks ago 32-25 in the NFC Championship Game, says that Arizona is a much different team than the one he beat on Thankgiving – and the reason is because the Cardinals have taken the personality of their coach.

Kurt Warner among Walter Payton award finalists

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is among three finalists for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

Philadelphia Eagles safety Brian Dawkins and Minnesota Vikings center Matt Birk are the other finalists.

The winner will be announced before the Super Bowl on Sunday.

The award, named after the former Chicago Bears running back, recognizes a player's off-the-field community service as well as his on-field excellence.

A breakfast of hopeful champions on Sunday

Arizona Cardinals WR Steve Breaston said a McDonald’s breakfast – sausage, egg and cheese biscuit with a hash brown and a large orange juice  – will be part of his pre-game ritual for the Super Bowl. Or was he cleverly angling for an endorsement deal? Either way, here's hoping running away from the Steelers' defense is enough to burn this off.

And for the assistant assistant assistant trainer he sends out for the meal, this is likely the closest franchise to the team hotel.

Arizona Cardinals punter Ben Graham will be the first Australian in a Super Bowl

Arizona Cardinals punter Ben Graham doesn’t see himself as the trailblazer for football back home in Australia.

“There’s been guys before me,’’ he said, mentioning that Darren Bennett  came from Down Under to the NFL in 1995 and spent 11 seasons in the league. “But I am proud to be the first Australian to be in a Super Bowl.’’

And that has created more interest for the game, one he didn’t start playing until 2005. He retired after 11 years playing Australian Rules Football and, thanks to the success of Bennett, figured he’d give the NFL a shot; he was introduced to it watching the Super Bowl on TV (regular seasons games didn’t make the airwaves there.)

Much of what he knew as a pro in Australia transferred nicely in America.

“You’re playing a team sport and you have a role to play and the work ethic doesn’t change,’’ said Graham, 35. “The locker room antics and having to fit into a team culture, a team environment, doesn’t change. As far as the specific skills, in Australia, everyone does everything. You’re on the field 120 minutes. Everyone runs, tackles, kicks, catches. Here, it’s just one role.’’

Arizona Cardinals longsnapper Nathan Hodel pictures his next job

Unlike most of his teammates, Arizona Cardinals long snapper Nathan Hodel didn't grab his assigned seat and leaf through the newspapers strewn to kill time between media interviews.

He was intent on using whatever time he had to study and be better prepared for his job. So, out of his bag he pulled out a green highlighter and a hardback book -- "Fundamentals of Photography.''

"It’s my second career. I’m just trying to make sure I know the ins and outs,'' said Hodel, who's starting a freelance photography business next month, shooting portraits and landscapes.

Although just 31, the Illinois alumnus (he has a degree in communications and a MBA in sports marketing) knows he will need a second act sooner or later.

"This thing doesn't last long,'' he said. "I’ve done it for eight years and that’s abnormal. You’ve got to have a backup plan. I was planning for this to be over after my first training camp. ... It (photography) is just something I like to do and if I can parlay that into a career, that'd be great.''

Picture that.

Cardinals' Russ Grimm says he'll be patient

Russ Grimm, the Cardinals offensive line coach who interviewed for and was erroneously reported to have been offered the Steelers job that eventually went to Mike Tomlin, said he still wants his own team. But he doesn't seem in a rush.

"Being around this game this long, in some of these interviews I tell them ahead of time, “Look, I’m interviewing you in the process’," he said on Thursday. "I’m not just going to jump on that first train that comes by. I know there’s only 32 jobs, but I want to make sure it’s a job where I feel it has a good chance to be successful, where I’m able to be comfortable at, where I can bring in coaches that I know they’re going to coach the way I want them to coach, so I mean sometimes that holds me back.

"Sometimes making it far into the playoffs takes some opportunities away. If it is that way, that’s fine. I love what I’m doing right now."

Grimm was an assistant with the Pittsburgh for  six seasons before following then-offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt to Arizona before last season. Grimm played 11 seasons as an all-pro guard in Washington and coached there for eight years.

Thursday's Super Bowl Photos

Bruce Springsteen jokes around with E Street Band members Max Weinberg (left) and Steven van Zandt at a press conference on Thursday. The band is the performing at half time of Super Bowl XLIII. [BRIAN CASSELLA   |   Times]

 

Will Arizona Rolle the dice with an oh-so-tricky offensive play?

Among the accepted truths of this Super Bowl is that Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt will encourage offensive coordinator Todd Haley to attack Whisenhunt’s former team with skullduggery. Whisenhunt’s end-around-Antwan Randle-El-to-Hines-Ward wide receiver pass for a 43-yard score was the turning point in a Super Bowl XL win over Seattle when he was the Steelers’ offensive coordinator.
The Cardinals’ first playoff touchdown in a decade came on a 42-yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald off a flea-flicker against Atlanta in the Wild Card game (above). A flea-flicker for 62-yard TD to Fitzgerald was crucial in the Cards’ NFC Championship game over the Eagles. And the appearance of safety Antrell Rolle as an offset running back on the first drive appeared to flummox Philadelphia as RB Edgerrin James sprung free for a 16-yard gain.
Could Rolle again be an X-factor on Sunday?
Q: How many offensive plays with you in them are there in the playbook?
Rolle: This game?
Q: Sure, if you want to tell me that, but I was asking in general terms.
Rolle: I don’t know.
Q: In the playbook in general?
Rolle: I can’t give out that information.
Q: Several? Some?
Rolle: They probably have me in there one play, just to throw a wrinkle in here and there. There’s no actual designed number of plays I have. They tell what to do and I just get it done.
QB Kurt Warner would prefer Haley remain conventional.
“I want to throw them out every week," Warner said of trick plays.  "As a quarterback, you always want to be in control. With trick plays, you are not in control.”

Cards as historic as Obama? Dobler says so

Worked the red carpet at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Wednesday night as 100 NFL legends gathered for the Mike Ditka Gridiron Greats Legends dinner, raising money and awareness for retired NFL players who need assistance because of inadequate disability and pension. Lots of notes ...

-- The Cardinals franchise has waited more than six decades since its last NFL championship, but it's easy to go a bit over the top with the historical significance on this year's team reaching Sunday's Super Bowl against Pittsburgh.

"Having the Cardinals in the game is as historic as Obama being in the White House," said Conrad Dobler, an offensive lineman who played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1972-77.

Dobler, speaking before entering Mike Ditka's Gridiron Greats Legends Dinner at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa, said he did not see Arizona's postseason success coming at all.

"If I had known that, I would have put a grand down on it in Reno," he said. "That didn't happen."

Dobler, who walks with a cane as a result of chronic knee problems that continue to require surgeries, said he visited with patients at a veterans' hospital Wednesday.

"It was better for me than them. It does more for me than I did for them, because it makes me feel good about myself," he said.

-- Cowboys legend Tony Dorsett, who won a national title and Heisman Trophy at Pittsburgh, said he's rooting for the Steelers. "I'm a Steelers guy. That's home," Dorsett said. "The black and gold was something we all wanted to wear as kids growing up and playing ball in the streets." Dorsett said he's also pulling for another Pitt standout, Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald: "He's a breath of fresh air, quite a gentleman, real humble, but one hell of an athlete," Dorsett said.

-- Former 49ers star Randy Cross, asked for his favorite Super Bowl moment, said it's hard to answer: "Asking a Niner, we haven't been there and lost. I was in three, I won three. I have three kids. It's like asking me which one is my favorite kid. My last game was Super Bowl XXIII, 20 years ago. That was a very nice way to go out." Cross said he was a Pittsburgh fan in their heyday, got married 30 years ago last week and started his honeymoon with a redeye flight to Miami to see the Steelers and Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII.

-- Steelers star Rocky Bleier, who came in right next to Cowboys star Roger Staubach, said his favorite Super Bowl memory was catching a touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw against Dallas just before halftime in the Steelers' 35-31 win against the Cowboys 30 years ago. "I was just talking to Roger about that," Bleier said. "He still hasn't forgotten, or forgiven."