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Would you like to own the Reebok Pro Fade Grip gloves that Six-Burgh Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes wore when he caught the Super Bowl XLIII game-winning touchdown pass? Reebok is auctioning them (the highest bid at the time of this post is $7,400) or you can simply buy them for a cool million dollars. Santonio put his signature on the left palm. The “Immaculate Extension” auction (as Reebok is calling it) ends February 15. All proceeds go to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.
Source: Reebok International, Photo: courtesy Reebok

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Check out the Six-Burgh shirts for sale at NFLShop.com. It’s now the only legal place you can get them because the NFL’s apparel police shut down the sale of Six-Burgh tees from Pittsburgh’s own CommonWealth Press. The NFL objects to the use of team colors or any other indication or likeness of the Pittsburgh Steelers, including the designation Six-burgh, because it could confuse consumers who might mistakenly believe that the shirts were authorized by the Steelers or the NFL. And nobody wants that to happen.
Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, NFLShop.com

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Super Bowl XLIII achieved the largest television audience in U.S. history with a total of 151.6 million viewers, according to official national ratings data released this week by Nielsen Media Research. The total audience (viewership for all or part of a broadcast) of 151.6 million viewers tops the previous Super Bowl record audience of 148.3 million viewers — which was last year’s Super Bowl XLII between the Giants and Patriots.
Source: NFL Media

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The Pittsburgh Steelers celebrated their Super Bowl XLIII win with a parade through downtown “Six-Burgh” today (renamed by Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl). Over 300,000 fans lined the streets. That’s about the population of the city itself. In this photo, SBXLIII MVP Santonio Holmes is hoisting both the Lombardi and MVP trophies. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Source: Yahoo! Sports, Photo: Newscom

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Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes may be the Super Bowl XLIII MVP (deservingly so), but the award should be shared with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. In the face of incessant Arizona Cardinals defensive pressure, Ben played the role of escape artist all evening. And he was at his best when the Steelers needed him the most. With 2:37 on the clock and down by three points, Ben worked his two-minute magic to perfection, driving the Steelers from their own 12-yard-line in 2:02 for the go-ahead score. On the game winning drive, Ben was 5-of-7 passing for …read more

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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is calling linebacker James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown “the greatest single defensive play in Super Bowl history.” I can’t argue with that. It sure came at an opportune time. Not only was it an NFL record for the longest play in Super Bowl history, but his full field romp stopped what appeared to be a sure score for the Cardinals and gave the Steelers a ten-point lead and all the momentum heading into halftime. Of course, it’s what you would expect from the NFL’s Defensive Player …read more

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For two weeks of Super Bowl XLIII hype, Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes was overshadowed by Arizona Cardinals receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. But in the end, it was Santonio who had the best game. And the MVP award to go with it. Santonio made nine catches for 131 yards and one incredible touchdown. He made several huge grabs on the winning drive. I’ve seen some unbelievable receptions, but under the circumstances, his final catch was one of the most amazing I’ve ever seen. Completely outstretched at the farthest possible corner of the end …read more

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Here’s Troy Polamalu’s Super Bowl XLIII commercial for Coke Zero. You’ll notice the young man knows how to say Troy’s last name correctly.

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On the surface, Super Bowl XLIII has been touted as the Cardinals offense vs. the Steelers defense. The Cards had the NFL’s 4th best offense (in total yards) and the Steelers had the NFL’s top defense (fewest yards allowed). But there are so many other storylines and, of course, sports writers and fans have spent the past two weeks dissecting all the possibilities.
Certainly, I believe strength against strength is the most intriguing of tonight’s matchups. But, a few others quickly come to mind. I think the Cardinals are a completely different football team when …read more

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Here’s the Super Bowl XLIII Flip Card. This is a Press Box staple at any NFL game. The card shows alphabetical and numerical rosters for both teams, plus depth charts and a list of each team’s coaching staff. You’ll have to spit it out two-sided on the heaviest paper your printer will take if you want to come close to the real thing. Download the Super Bowl XLIII Flip Card.