The Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks put on a show in Detroit's Ford Field that can be classified as a classic glass half-empty, half-full situation.
Those who view the 40th edition of the Super Bowl as half-full (including the great majority of the Ford Field crowd, who proudly waved their Terrible Towels in support of the Steelers) see it as one that gave two proud members of Steeler Nation the chance to finally be known as champions.
Bill Cowher was hired as Pittsburgh's head coach in 1992, replacing the only coach to win four Super Bowls: Chuck Noll. Unlike Noll, it took Cowher awhile to get his first, and only, victory in the big game.
He had come close, losing 27-17 in Super Bowl XXX to the clearly-superior Dallas Cowboys and losing four AFC Championship Games. With the 21-10 victory in Super Bowl XL, Cowher retired after the 2006 season with the monkey off his back.
For 33-year-old Jerome "the Bus" Bettis, the Super Bowl was a fairy-tale sendoff to his power-running career. Winning his first-ever Super Bowl ring in his hometown, Bettis led the Steelers out of the tunnel in the pregame and, on Pittsburgh's final drive, ran the ball twice for four yards to get a game-clinching first down.
For those who see Super Bowl XL as half-empty, it was seen as a game in which neither team played well enough to win the big game. And, especially if you're asking Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, the referees didn't put on a Super Bowl-worthy performance, either.
"We knew it was going to be tough going against the Pittsburgh Steelers," Holmgren said the day after the Super Bowl in front of about 15,000 fans at Qwest Field. "I didn't know we were going to have to play the guys in the striped shirts as well."
The first questionable call of the game cost the Seahawks a go-ahead touchdown in the first quarter. Seattle wide receiver Darrell Jackson caught a pass in the end zone, but the TD was called back.
The officials said Jackson interfered with Steelers free safety Chris Hope by putting his right hand into his chest before getting wide open for the catch. A call deemed ticky-tack by some people watching the game.
Josh Brown kicked a 47-yard field goal to put the Seahawks up 3-0.
Then, with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, the Steelers faced a third-and-goal. Ben Roethlisberger dived for the goal line, but was arguably just short. However, the referees signaled touchdown, and the call was upheld after a booth review.
With the Steelers up 7-3 on their opening drive of the second half, running back Willie Parker scored on a 75-yard touchdown dash for what would turn out to be the game-winning score (and a Super Bowl record for longest run from scrimmage).
The ensuing Seahawks drive was stalled when tight end Jerramy Stevens dropped a pass at the Pittsburgh eight-yard line. It was the second of three passes that Stevens dropped that evening.
And it ended up costing Seattle points, as Brown missed a 50-yard field goal. Brown ended the game successful on only one of three field-goal attempts, as he missed a 54-yarder to end the first half.
The Steelers followed his second-half miss by driving to the Seahawks' seven-yard line. However, the drive was ruined when Seattle dime back Kelly Herndon intercepted an underthrown pass by Roethlisberger.
The Seahawks got a touchdown off the turnover, as Stevens caught a 16-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck in the end zone to cut Pittsburgh's lead to 14-10.
The interception was one of two thrown by Big Ben in Super Bowl XL. He finished the game with 22.6 quarterback rating -- the worst by a winning QB in Super Bowl history -- completing only 9-of-21 passes for 123 yards.
The Steelers did produce a touchdown pass by game's end. In the fourth quarter, wide receiver -- and former Indiana University quarterback -- Antwaan Randle El faked running a reverse and threw a 43-yard pass to Hines Ward for the touchdown and a 21-10 Pittsburgh lead.
Ward finished the game with five catches for 123 yards, winning Most Valuable Player honors despite dropping two passes.
The touchdown drive started with an Ike Taylor interception that killed a Seahawks drive that started in the waning moments of the third quarter at their own two-yard line. Stevens caught an 18-yard pass that put Seattle one yard away from taking the lead early in the fourth quarter.
Only to have the catch called back by another arguable call. Right tackle Sean Locklear was penalized for (allegedly) holding linebacker Clark Haggans, sending the Seahawks back to the 29-yard line.
Two plays later, Taylor returned Hasselbeck's interception to that location, where the quarterback cut him down with what looked like a cross-body block to his knees. Thinking that Hasselbeck was attempting to hit Steeler cornerback Deshea Townsend, the referees called a 15-yard illegal block penalty on the Seattle QB.
Hasselbeck, as it turns out, never touched Townsend.
Overall, those who see Super Bowl XL as a glass half-empty view it as one in which the Steelers won despite a performance that was, at best, mediocre. And one in which it got a lot of help from the zebras.
For those who see it as half-full, well, winning ugly is still winning. And you would have a hard time thinking of anybody more deserving of championship status than Jerome Bettis and Bill Cowher.
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