Harrison rumbles....and rumbles... and makes history

James Harrison (92) runs back an interception for a touchdown in the second quarter. Deshea Townsend (26) runs with him. [DANIEL WALLACE | Times]

Steelers LB James Harrison may have just came up with one of the best plays in Super Bowl history.

Harrison, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, did more than impress the capacity crowd with his 100-yard interception return to end the first half - the longest play in Super Bowl history. Harrison's highlight-reel play started when he stepped in front of a slant at the goaline to Anquan Boldin, rumbled all the way down the right sideline. He got a few blocks, including a big one by DB Deshea Townsend on Kurt Warner.

But Harrison got into the end zone as time expired and fell flat on his back, with the extremely exhausted linebacker trying to catch his breath for a couple minutes.

Big Ben on pace for big day

Teammates said all week that QB Ben Roethlisberger was on a "mission" in this year's Super Bowl, stemming from his struggles - and nerves - in the Steelers last Super Bowl win.

So far, Roethlisberger appears one cool customer.

Roethlisberger is 8-9 for 122 yards, and has the Steelers dominating this game so far, up 10-0 on the Cardinals. He's taking what the defense gives him, tossing some quick screens to Santonio Holmes and tight end Heath Miller, who has three first downs on three early catches.

There was the quintissential Roethlisberger "playground" pass, where he scrambled to his left, then his right, thwarted a would-be tackler and hit Miller for a first down on this current scoring drive.

The only miscue so far for Roethlisberger is underthrowing a potential touchdown pass to Nate Washington in the first quarter, which hung up in the air a little too long, giving Cardinals DB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie enough time to break it up..

A few more quarters like this, and Big Ben may be able to add Super Bowl MVP to his resume.

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Deion's colorful exchange on Philly, McNabb

Deion Sanders is not shy about anything. "Prime Time" isn't afraid to speak his mind.

So when you put the future Hall of Fame defensive back in a conversation with writers from Philly or New York, you know you'll get something colorful out of it.

That's what happened this week when Sanders, an NFL Network analyst, held court on Media Day, and some Philly writers peppered him with questions on Donovan McNabb.

Reporter: "People from Philly want to know why Deion Sanders hates Philadelphia?"

Sanders: "I don’t hate Philadelphia. I never said nothing derogatory about Philadelphia. What I said about Philadelphia was that Donovan McNabb wants to leave. I don’t dislike Philadelphia. I think it’s a beautiful city. It's also a city that booed a player that was injured named Michael Irvin. Cheered. Cheered, when he was injured. That’s my thoughts about the athletic realm of Philadelphia. But I never said I hate the city."

Reporter: "Why do you think Donovan wants to leave?"

Sanders: "Maybe because they booed him on draft day, maybe cause they continue to doubt him, (after he's) taken them to four championship games. Maybe cause no matter what he does, it's never enough. Maybe that’s the reason."

Reporter: "He keeps saying he wants to stay. You don't believe that?"

Sanders: "Donovan is a well spoken, articulate guy. He does a great job presenting himself professionally in front of the media. I'm telling you what I know, not what I've heard."

Reporter: "He told you then?"

Sanders: "I'm telling you what I know, not what I heard......"If I'm gonna say he told me, I’ll said he told me. So don’t try to take me down that street."

When asked why McNabb would want to leave Philly, Sanders gave an analogy:

Sanders: “If you pull in your driveway and your wife is booing you, and you've been good to her, you bring home food, you bring home groceries, (take) care of your kids, taking them places that they’ve never gone before. And they're constantly booing you, downgrading you every time you get to the crib…When you turn down that street, do you still want to go home?...

- JOE SMITH

Ditka on the Steelers 'D'

Mike Ditka had one of the best defenses of all time with the 1985 Bears, who won the Super Bowl behind the likes of LB Mike Singletary and DE Richard Dent. And when Ditka talks about the Steelers taking on the Cardinals, he referenced his former team.

“It comes down to personnel, can my guys block their guys?” Ditka said. “It’s the same thing we had in ’85, it didn’t matter. We had a lot of mismatches cause our people were better than their people.”

How would the two compare – 1985 Bears vs current Steelers?

”Our defense was good - This one’s good,” Ditka said. “Our defense shut out two teams in the playoffs and gave up 10 points in the Super Bowl, so that’s pretty good. This is great defense. I hate to say one is better than the other….Pittsburgh in the 70s, Cowboys in 80s, they're all good defenses."

Now it's up to the Steelers to see if they can do their own "Super Bowl Shuffle."

- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Tomlin: Hines will be Hines

In his final pre-game press conference, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin continued to hit on several familiar themes of the week.

Star WR Hines Ward, who has a sprained right knee, "is great," and will play Sunday. Tomlin said Ward looked good in practice Thursday - his first full session since injuring the knee in the AFC Championship game. Tomlin said he looks back on experience, when Ward played well while hurt in last year's playoffs - despite the loss. Saying his standards and expectations of Ward haven't changed, "I expect him to be Hines Ward on Sunday," Tomlin said.

Tomlin also repeated what he told a pool reporter after Thursday's practice - that reports about Ben Roethlisberger getting an x-ray on his back this week were inaccurate - and that Big Ben will play.

"Like a lot of situations involving Ben's medical status - I don't know where that report came from," Tomlin said. "Ben's fine. He's going to play."

Tomlin said his team will keep their regular pre-game routine throughout the weekend, and will stay at an undisclosed location Saturday night.

As for a pre-game speech, Tomlin said he'll do what he's always done in communicating with the players, "wing it."

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Ward expected to practice more Thursday

Steelers star receiver Hines Ward (sprained right knee) was the only Pittsburgh player to be limited in practice today, but is expected to participate more with the first-team offense Thursday, according to  pool reporter Peter King.

According to the report, Ward wore a brace as he walked through some plays with the first-team offense before practice, then jogged a few routes before working out on his own for the next 55 minutes (on a side field).

King reported it didn't appear coach Mike Tomlin was worried about Ward, as Tomlin didn't watch his leading receiver go through his separate workout on the side (where he ran about half speed to slightly better than half speed.

"Hines is playing," Tomlin said. "I'm not worried about him."

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Tomlin: Gruden's Raiders insight in Super Bowl win "overstated"

Much has been said about the supposed “advantage” the Bucs had in their 2002 Super Bowl win with then-coach Jon Gruden, a former Raiders coach who led Tampa Bay to a victory over his former team; the theory is that Gruden’s insight from his Oakland days helped the Bucs in their preparation, and victory.

On Wednesday, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin – a Bucs assistant during that Super Bowl – downplayed the inside advantage.

“I really think it was overstated,” Tomlin said. “The reality is, when we had our Super Bowl run, we faced that offense every day all season, training camp, organized team activities, etc, etc. If you look at the teams we played in the playoffs, we played San Francisco coached by coach Mariucci – West Coast – we played Philadelphia Eagles coached by Andy Reid – West Coast – and then we played the Raiders coached by Bill Callahan – West Coast. So we played the same offense three weeks in a row and besides that, we (played against it) all year. So it got to the point where we didn’t really have to go to new scout cards for the week, we played the same offense three weeks in a row."

- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Steelers' James Farrior apparently not so well known ... to one reporter

During every Super Bowl Media Day, with the hundreds of reporters from newspapers, television and Hollywood, there's bound to be some gaffes, some blunders.

And some silly/misinformed questions. And we're not talking about the person who asked Cardinals QB Kurt Warner today, "Can you bring sexy back?"

But give Steelers veteran linebacker James Farrior, left, credit for handling a misinformed question with class Tuesday, when someone confused him for NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison, below right.

Question: "James, being an undrafted guy out of Virginia, could you talk about you're journey to this point?"

Farrior: "Undrafted?"

Another reporter: "He was a first rounder"

Farrior: "You're talking about the other James (Harrison)."

(Farrior was a first-rounder by the Jets in 1997. Harrison was undrafted and cut by the Steelers three times before finding stardom.)

Farrior then answered the revised question, on his "journey," which he had spoken about before.

"I feel like coming to the Pittsburgh Steelers was like a rebirth to me," said Farrior, a Jets first-round pick in 1997 who has made two Pro Bowls since joining the Steelers in 2003. "I feel like the Steelers allowed me to do the things I've always thought I could do. ... It's a perfect fit."

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

(Pictured: Above left: James Farrior. Right: James Harrison. Getty Images. Click to enlarge.)

Tomlin calls walking back into RayJay "surreal."

Ever since he arrived in Tampa, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has mentioned how "special" it has been.

Tomlin said his wife was so excited, she came in on Saturday, two days before the team. But the former Bucs assistant said i t didn't really sink in until Monday night.

"I didn't realizeit until I went to eat dinner last night, and I knew the options," Tomlin said. "It's good to see old friends, familiar faces, and to mix that with the spectacle of the Super Bowl, is very special. It's been special thusfar."

On Tuesday for Media Day, Tomlin said he was taken aback when he first walked back into Raymond James Stadium.

"It's surreal, really,' he said. "We were in the lockerroom a few minutes ago. I've been in that locker room many times. It's just realy something that I am taking in, something that I am enjoying and it's special."

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Cardinals GM says Anquan Boldin's future will be re-evaluated after the Super Bowl

Cardinals general manager Rod Graves said WR Anquan Boldin’s future with the team will be re-evaluated after the Super Bowl. His fit became an issue after an uber-publicized shouting match with offensive coordinator Todd Haley during the decisive drive of the NFC Championship, on which Arizona scored to beat Philadelphia with Boldin on the sidelines.
“We still consider him a core member of our football team,” Graves said, noting that he was unsure if Boldin was happy. “I think you’d have to ask him that. I know that Anquan loves football. He loves his teammates. He’s one of the greatest competitors I’ve ever been around. It would be my belief that he would like to continue here.”
Boldin caught 89 passes for 1,038 yards and 11 TDs during the regular season but has almost become a third option in the postseason with Larry Fitzgerald grabbing 23 passes for a record 419 yards and a record-tying five TDs in the postseason.

Cardinals' long-time owner takes in the spectacle

Bill Bidwill was soaking in the pomp on Tuesday of a long-awaited return to glory for a team his family has owned for 77 of its 110 years. The 77-year-old owner, wearing a bright red blazer, red-and-black bowtie and Super Bowl cap, strolled the barrier behind the player interview stations along the sideline at Raymond James Stadium. He denied interview requests with a somewhat dismissive flick of the hand until indulging later.
“People should know my father wants to win,” said his son and team president, Michael, alluding to the commonly held perception his father was too frugal to be successful. “I’ve sat and watched games with him or years, and it meant everything to him.”

His father did himself no favor dispelling the cheapness image, though. How did he celebrate winning the NFC Championship?

"I went home, finished off the morning coffee in the microwave, went to bed and got a good night’s sleep," he said. "Then I woke up with a smile.”

Bidwill was the PA announcer for the Cardinals during their last title season, 1947, when they won the NFL championship.

Cardinals look to leaders, says Warner

Cardinals QB Kurt Warner said the little queries diminished last week, but he expects them to begin again, now that the Cardinals are ensconced in Tampa, away from familiar surroundings and free to fret – all but five of them – about making the most of a once-woeful franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance.

“They’re looking for something from their leader in regards to how they’re going to help,” said Warner, who won in one of two Super Bowl appearances with the Rams. “And I think one of the things is being calm, being collected, understanding what the situation is and trying to instill it in those guys around you. You might not even say anything. When they look at your face or they see you dealing with the media or they see you dealing with some of the distractions of dealing with the Super Bowl. If you start to panic, then they start to panic. If you’re relaxed and calm and handle the things that are thrown at you, I think it makes it easier for them to do the same.”

Steelers TIA welcoming a party of five

The Steelers are known for their passionate - and sometimes fanatical - fan base.

You may have to add crafty to that list.

The small group ....err, five people...that greeted the AFC champions at a Tampa International Airport Monday afternoon had to jump a few hoops to get there. Sarasota resident John Johnson, 32, said since the Steelers didn't release where they were landing, he had to sneakily ask around throughout the aiport.

Then, he hit the jackpot, getting a tip from an attendant: "The U.S. Airways person said, 'I can't believe you told them that," he said.

But there was Johnson, along with Sarasota resident Troy Spencer, among the less than handful Steeler fans who successfully saw Pittsburgh arrive. "Big Ben was pointing a camera at us," Wenzowski said.

"There were five of us," Wenzowski said. "But two were employees."

Then there were those who left too late.

"I saw them (coming off the plane) on TV," said Henry Walls, a Sarasota truck driver. "So I left my fiancee in the shower and came out here...

Walls laughed; "I'm going to be in an argument when I get home."

Wells, Spencer and Johnson were among the nearly 20 Steelers fans standing outside their hotel, waiting by the driveway to see players and coach Mike Tomlin arrive for their daily press conferences.

"Six-BERG!" "Six-BERG"

- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Above, from left to right: Ray Howard, 36, Apollo Beach; John Johnson, 32, Sarasota;
Henry Walls, 37, Sarasota; Troy Spencer, 41, Sarasota; Joe Short, 39, New York

Monday's Super Bowl photos

The pilot waves a team flag out his window as the Cardinals exit a Northwest Airlines jet at Tampa International Airport on Monday afternoon.   [WILLIE J. ALLEN JR.   |   Times]

Warren Sapp giving "Tour of Tampa"

If you're hanging out downtown Tampa tonight, you could run right into the middle of a Warren Sapp show.

The animated former Buc is filming his guide to Tampa for NFL Network, likely taking a crew to his favorite hotspots (let your imagination do the rest).

Needless to say, the show is taped. It will air sometime later this week.

And, no, there's no "pool reporter." Oh well, I gave it a shot.

-- JOE SMITH [AP photo]

Uptons admit Steeler allegiance

Rays CF B.J. Upton and his younger brother, Justin, were featured guests this morning on ESPN's "First Take," live from Cotanchobee Park in Tampa.

Though we were expecting to hear B.J.'s take on the comparisons between the Rays unlikely run to the World Series and the Cardinals trip to the Super Bowl, we actually found out that both Upton brothers grew up Steeler fans.

Growing up in Virginia, Upton said it was "ingrained" from his father that they would be Steeler fans, and they made trips to Three Rivers Stadium; he referenced watching the likes of Neil O'Donnell and Merril Hoge.

Justin, a Diamondbacks outfielder, joked he didn't know how his Pittsburgh leaning would be taken in Arizona.

No, there were no Terrible Towels. No predictions.

But B.J. did say he planned on trying to convert Rays manager Joe Maddon, a huge Cardinals fans, before the big game.

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Cardinals' hotel ready for team's arrival

Greetings from the lobby of the Cardinals team hotel, the Grand Hyatt off Rocky Point, under the new overpass, in the shadow of the big red crane. Not much going on right now. The lobby has been sufficiently slathered with massive Cardinals logos, and there's a fine selection of Buzzsaw gear for sale. Luckily the hotel bar gives me a fine view of the curious and the guests as they toddle in.

The Cardinals are expected in a few hours. Should take them about three minutes to get here from TIA. They'll be in prime position for an evacuation if there's a bloody coup in town this week.

Cardinals' James on the edge of stardom again?

PHOENIX — The story seems all wrong. The casting is completely out of place. Someone has tinkered with the script.

Supporting role?

Edgerrin James doesn’t do supporting roles. Does he?

The guy has star quality, okay? And if the Cardinals were ever going to make a Super Bowl run, it was going to be on Edge’s legs. He was going to lead the turnaround. He was going to be the homecoming hero. Wasn’t he?

Why, then, has James spent most of this season in the passenger’s seat?

Read complete story here.

(Pictured - Cardinals running back Edgerrin James has had a heavier load during the playoffs: 52 carries for 203 yards and a touchdown. Getty Images.)

By Gary Shelton, Times staff writer

Son's fight with leukemia holds lessons for Pittsburgh Steelers' Aaron Smith

PITTSBURGH — It is a father’s job to teach.

And so Aaron Smith sits his 4-year-old son down, and pulls out paper and pen. First, he draws a circle. Smooth, neat and clean. And then he draws a second circle with squiggly lines and imperfections.
He explains to Elijah  the second circle is abnormal and needs to be replaced. That it needs to be removed to make room for more of the clean circles. The lesson is neither technical, nor quite anatomically correct, but it will suffice for now.

Find the complete story here.

(Pictured - Aaron Smith of the Steelers learned three months ago that his son has leukemia. AP photo.)

By John Romano, Times columnist

'Bird-watch update: At last, we've spotted a Cardinal

By now, you've probably read around 432 reports of how Arizona Cardinals fans seem few and far between in these parts.

Well, here's report No. 433: While searching for someone in an Arizona jersey Sunday at the NFL Experience at Raymond James Stadium, we spotted jerseys of 14 different NFL teams before finding someone bearing Cards colors.

Before encountering a 30ish man in a replica No. 40 jersey of deceased Cardinal-turned-military hero Pat Tillman, we found Saints and Steelers, Bears and Bucs, Colts and Cowboys. Heck, we even spotted a dude in a retro Randall Cunningham Eagles jersey.

Other quirky sightings: A humongous Buccaneers team photo, where one can stand between, say, Ike Hilliard and Ronde Barber for picture purposes; a plaster replicate of the hands of hall-of-fame quarterbacks gripping the ball (Jim Kelly grips it high); and people standing 30-40 deep in line for the, uh, privilege of kicking, punting and passing an NFL ball.

The NFL Experience will shut down Monday-Wednesday before re-opening Thursday at 3.

JOEY KNIGHT