Got that wrong

I wasn't sure there would be a post today, as I strongly believe that the Monday after the Super Bowl should be a national holiday. But some thoughts are beating on the inside of my head, ready to get out, so I must type.

What can I say? After giving it some thought, I think my pick was based on my admiration for the coaching genius of Mike Holmgren. C'mon, any guy who encourages his wife to go to the Congo during a week he'll be in a city where parties by Playboy, Maxim, and Jenna Jameson are being thrown is a brilliant man.

I hope the coach found some consolation somewhere in Detroit last night, because his team's mistakes cost them the game. I've read some squawking about the officiating (via Deadspin), but if Seattle hadn't committed costly penalties, missed field goals, and been afflicted with some of the worst dropped passes ever seen, they could've won the Super Bowl.

(Photo by Chuck Burton/ AP)

I forget whether I heard it on TV or radio yesterday, but someone said you can't have those moments when a guy claps his hands, shakes his head, beats himself up for not making a play, and expect to win the Super Bowl. There's no going back. But Jerramy Stevens had four of those moments last night. His performance was so bad it made me question whether he was shaving points. Not since Neil O'Donnell threw two passes right to Larry Brown (more on him later) had such a thought occurred to me.

(Photo by Paul Sancya/ AP)

You cannot drop balls placed right into your hands - especially in this game. Stevie Wonder could've caught some of those passes. And every one of those drops would've been a big play for the Seahawks. Was Stevens still wondering why Joey Porter was picking on him all week? Where the #@$% was his head?

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh didn't play a great game. They could've been beaten. But when the Steelers had to make a play, they did so. And one of the great playoff runs in NFL history got the storybook ending many of us wanted to see. It really does seem fitting that the Steelers won the Super Bowl in Detroit, as they represent the type of team I think we'd like to see here. Not just a championship team, of course, but one that plays tough, physical football, with a coaching staff creative enough to design offenses and defenses suited to its talent, and athletes who play hard and do what's necessary to win.

[Editor's Note: Please excuse Mr. Casselberry while he wallows in his annual post-Super Bowl "How far the Lions are from a championship team" realization. We've given him some vodka and now return you to your regular sports blog.]

▪▪ Speaking of officiating, aren't you getting really tired of watching bad calls ruin big football games? This entire postseason, whether in college or pro football, has been stained by the referees. Again, I'm not saying Seattle lost because of bad pass interference, holding, or personal foul calls. But they were a factor. Maybe football has reached the point where the referees are just going to miss their share of calls, due to the speed of the game. And maybe we're more aware of it because of advances in television coverage. But it would be nice to see an important football game played without officiating questions and complaints hanging over it.

▪▪ Had you almost forgotten Willie Parker even played for the Steelers? Kudos to the Detroit News' Bob Wojnowski for writing about him yesterday. I'm beginning to wonder if the past two weeks, with the "Everybody Loves Jerome" show was something of a smoke screen to throw off the media and the Seahawks' game plan. Oh, you know Bettis will get a bunch of carries in Detroit. And then on game day, "Fast Willie" rips off the longest run in Super Bowl history.

▪▪ Has there ever been a Super Bowl in which the crowd weighed so heavily in favor of one team? Maybe when the 49ers played in Palo Alto, but that game was in California. I knew Detroit would be Pittsburgh West this week, but it was still amazing to see all those Terrible Towels twirling around. (And how hilarious was it to hear the crowd boo Larry Brown when he was introduced with the Super Bowl MVPs? I love fans who never let go of a grudge, man.)