mesaSteeler
02-02-2009, 06:02 AM
Steigerwald: The Catch II
By John Steigerwald
Times Sports Columnist
http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2009/02/02/sports/steelers/doc4986830012eb6523448709.txt
It’s the second greatest catch in Steelers history.
Nothing will ever beat Franco Harris scooping it off the turf for his Immaculate Reception but that was a fluke.
Santonio Holmes’ catch in the corner of the end zone with 35 seconds left in Super Bowl XLIII was no fluke and it beats any catch made by either Lynn Swann or John Stallworth in any Super Bowl. And that’s saying something.
The next time you watch the replay — and you’ll see it at least 5,000 more times before you die — notice how hard Ben Roethlisberger threw that ball. That’s a tough ball to hold on to when you don’t have to worry about toeing the sideline. For Holmes, with the game on the line, to be able to look that ball in and not bobble it while keeping his toes inside the line was one of the best catches in NFL history.
You’ve seen Swann’s leaping, bobbling catch in Super Bowl X against the Cowboys a few thousand times. That was spectacular looking but it wasn’t nearly as difficult as the one Holmes made.
You’ve seen The Catch by Dwight Clark of the San Francicso 49ers. Holmes’ was better and much more difficult.
Don’t forget to give Ben Roethlisberger credit for making an absolutely perfect throw.
And somewhere Little Miles is smiling.
I met Little Miles, Holmes’ stepfather, in Belle Glade, Fla., three years ago when I paid a visit to Holmes’ home. I asked Little Miles where Big Miles was and he said there is no Big Miles. His first name is actually Little. He showed me his driver’s license. He was looking forward to taking his first airplane ride to Pittsburgh to see his stepson play. Holme’s home was like a house only a lot smaller.
Probably about the size of your living room and dining room. I talked to his mother, who had just come home from picking corn in the field outside of town. She was proud of her son being a first-round draft pick. Imagine how she’s feeling now with a son who’s a Super Bowl MVP. I’m going to assume that she and Little were at the game and that they live in a much nicer house now. I hope she’s not picking corn anymore, but she did say at the time that she didn’t see any reason to quit her job.
It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that Holmes had a disappointing regular season but he more than made up for it in the postseason when he may have established himself as a premier wide receiver going into next season.
His last catch of the 2008 season was a perfect exclamation point for the end of a postseason that was as good as any Steelers wide receiver has ever had.
By John Steigerwald
Times Sports Columnist
http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2009/02/02/sports/steelers/doc4986830012eb6523448709.txt
It’s the second greatest catch in Steelers history.
Nothing will ever beat Franco Harris scooping it off the turf for his Immaculate Reception but that was a fluke.
Santonio Holmes’ catch in the corner of the end zone with 35 seconds left in Super Bowl XLIII was no fluke and it beats any catch made by either Lynn Swann or John Stallworth in any Super Bowl. And that’s saying something.
The next time you watch the replay — and you’ll see it at least 5,000 more times before you die — notice how hard Ben Roethlisberger threw that ball. That’s a tough ball to hold on to when you don’t have to worry about toeing the sideline. For Holmes, with the game on the line, to be able to look that ball in and not bobble it while keeping his toes inside the line was one of the best catches in NFL history.
You’ve seen Swann’s leaping, bobbling catch in Super Bowl X against the Cowboys a few thousand times. That was spectacular looking but it wasn’t nearly as difficult as the one Holmes made.
You’ve seen The Catch by Dwight Clark of the San Francicso 49ers. Holmes’ was better and much more difficult.
Don’t forget to give Ben Roethlisberger credit for making an absolutely perfect throw.
And somewhere Little Miles is smiling.
I met Little Miles, Holmes’ stepfather, in Belle Glade, Fla., three years ago when I paid a visit to Holmes’ home. I asked Little Miles where Big Miles was and he said there is no Big Miles. His first name is actually Little. He showed me his driver’s license. He was looking forward to taking his first airplane ride to Pittsburgh to see his stepson play. Holme’s home was like a house only a lot smaller.
Probably about the size of your living room and dining room. I talked to his mother, who had just come home from picking corn in the field outside of town. She was proud of her son being a first-round draft pick. Imagine how she’s feeling now with a son who’s a Super Bowl MVP. I’m going to assume that she and Little were at the game and that they live in a much nicer house now. I hope she’s not picking corn anymore, but she did say at the time that she didn’t see any reason to quit her job.
It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that Holmes had a disappointing regular season but he more than made up for it in the postseason when he may have established himself as a premier wide receiver going into next season.
His last catch of the 2008 season was a perfect exclamation point for the end of a postseason that was as good as any Steelers wide receiver has ever had.