Green Bay Packers Win Super Bowl XLV

The 2010 NFL Season culminated with the Green Bay Packers returning the Lombardi Trophy back to Title Town after winning Super Bowl XLV

The 2010-11 NFL season was completed with a thrilling game in Super Bowl XLV as the Green Bay Packers (14-6) defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers (14-5) by a score of 31-25 in Arlington, Texas. The Packers win brought an NFL-record 13tth Championship to “Title Town”.  As the league’s smallest market team won their first championship in 14 years.  The Packers joined the 2005 Steelers as the only No. 6 seeds to win a Super Bowl and Mike McCarthy’s team also became the sixth Wild Card team to win a Super Bowl.  Plus the third team to do so after winning three road playoff games.

“The Dynasty Bowl”, as some had themed this game, started out looking like a “stinker” as the Packers built an early 21-3 halftime lead but the Steelers fought back to make it a game in a match-up two of the NFL’s most-storied franchises.  The whole thing was not over until Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s fourth-down throw over the middle to Mike Wallace fell incomplete with just under a minute to play.  After two victory-formation kneel-downs, the Packers, the NFL’s second oldest franchise, improved their league-best postseason record of 29-16 in 45 games.  As new legends Aaron Rodgers, Charles Woodson, and Clay Matthews will now walk with past Hall of Famers Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Reggie White and Willie Davis in brought another title to the “Frozen Tundra” playing surface at historic Lambeau Field.

With the threat of potential CBA-Armadegon and “No Football” after March 4th looming, you could sense that the NFL Universe wanted to see a great game and a high-level quarterback performance.  And Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t disappoint.  The game’s MVP brought the Lombardi Trophy back to it’s original stomping grounds as he completed 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns with most importantly no interceptions for first NFL title since some guy named, Brett Favre, led the Packers to a championship in Super Bowl XXXI (January 26, 1997).

Conversely, Roethlisberger never really got it going as he lost his first Super Bowl in three tries.  Like any playoff game, the Super Bowl was won by Green Bay due to are usual keys — Strong Quarterback Play (i.e. Taking Care of the Football), Good Attacking Defense, a Balanced Offensive Attack based first in the Run, Sound Special Teams Play, and Limiting Penalties.  Of that list “turnovers” loomed most large in Super Bowl XLV.  Roethlisberger threw two costly interceptions that the Packers turned into 14 points and Pittsburgh continued their turnover misery with running back Rashard Mendenhall’s very costly fumble that led to 7 more points off turnovers for Green Bay.

Definitely congratulations are in order to the entire Packers’ organization including their players, coaches, front office, and staff.  Special kudos must also go to the architects of this team, head coach Mike McCarthy, GM Ted Thompson, and Personnel Head Mark Murphy.  Your team did the NFL proud by winning with persistence, grit, determination and a little magic.

Rodgers said after the game, “This a great group of men we’ve put together here.  Lot of character, been through a lot together. It’s just great to be able to share it with them.

Lloyd’s Leftovers

• I thought the pre-game performance by Christina Aguilera was terrible as the former Pittsburgh home-girl set a bad tone for the Steelers by singing a choppy national anthem, including forgetting a lyric or two.
• Everyone always wants to know the commercials that I liked and didn’t like. I just found it amazing that in our tough economy, about 28 advertisers paid over $3 million per 30-second spot. My number one has to be the “Budweiser: Singing Cowboys” ad (I like the tough guy cowboys singing an out-of-character Elton John’s Tiny Dancer) followed closely by the GM “Emimem” spot and the lovely Kim Kardashian’s ad where she breaks up with her trainer for Sketchers. A stinker was the Motorola Mobility ad taking a shot at Apple and the Ozzy Osbourne ad. You can watch all of the Super Bowl ads at YouTube.com/adblitz
• The 14 minutes of the Black Eyed Peas’ halftime performance really lived up to the hype.  I really like the re-emergence of former Guns and Roses guitarist Slash as Fergie sang “Sweet Child of Mine”

Now that Super Bowl XLV is over, I can take a quick break.  Like most people, my NFL season is “suspsoed” to end with the Super Bowl.  But constant CBA talk, the NFL Combine (later in February into March), and the NFL Draft (in April, with the Carolina Panthers currently on the clock) are already here.

Lloyd Vance is a Sr. NFL Writer for Taking It to the House and Sports Journey Network , who is also an award-winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)