Christhild blog

Steelers' Polamalu, Harrison silent in Super Bowl

ARLINGTON, Texas – Troy Polamalu whiffed on a tackle. James Harrison was nearly invisible.

Not the way the Pittsburgh Steelers drew this one up.

Pittsburgh's big-play, hard-hitting defensive leaders were nowhere to be found when the Steelers needed them most as Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay's offense led the Packers to a 31-25 victory Sunday night.

"It's incredibly humbling," Polamalu said. "Toughest loss I've ever had in my life."

Harrison stood in front of his locker, his head down and his voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't feel anything but pain," he said.

And that from a guy who's used to dishing it out.

"I just feel frustration, anger," Harrison said. "We just lost a Super Bowl. How the hell do you think I feel?"

He let the fans know, going on Twitter shortly after the game and typing out one simple word: "Sorry."

That pretty much summed things up for the Steelers defense, which isn't used to having to explain how they couldn't get the job done.

"They were hitting the big plays downfield," linebacker LaMarr Woodley said. "We let them out of third-down situations. When you let a team like that out of third-down situations, you lose the game like we did tonight."

The Packers were 6 for 13 on third down, including a 29-yard touchdown catch by Jordy Nelson that put Green Bay up 7-0.

"We weren't able to get any turnovers on defense," said Polamalu. "That was the difference."

Polamalu was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, but was anything but the impact player who helped get the Steelers to this point. He had a chance to make a big play early, but delivered only a glancing blow on James Starks.

Polamalu delivered his biggest hit the very next play — as Greg Jennings caught a 21-yard touchdown pass.

"I had some opportunities to make some plays," Polamalu said. "I was just off a step here or there."

Harrison had a sack, but made most of his noise with his mouth during the week while criticizing the NFL. He didn't have much to say after this performance, though.

"I mean, everybody is probably going through a little bit of, 'If I had done this, or what if I had done that?'" Harrison said. "I guess everything happens for a reason. I don't know what that one is right now."

Dick LeBeau's defense was one of the strengths all season for the Steelers, who have a long legacy of punishers — The Steel Curtain among them — who helped bring six previous titles to Pittsburgh. This team expected to do the same, with Polamalu and Harrison leading the way, as they so often have during the last few seasons.

But Polamalu finished with three not-so-memorable tackles, while Harrison had only the sack of Rodgers in the third quarter and a few quarterback hits.

"We had the opportunity to go out there and make the right plays," Polamalu said, "but we didn't."

It wasn't just Polamalu and Harrison to blame, of course. The Steelers' suspect secondary gave up several big plays as the Packers, even without the injured Donald Driver for most of the game, took aim at Bryant McFadden, William Gay and the rest of Pittsburgh's defensive backs.

The defensive line, led by the big-bearded Brett Keisel, got some pressure on Rodgers but it wasn't consistent enough, especially in the first half, to get the Packers off track.

"We don't grade on a curve," coach Mike Tomlin said. "We're not interested in moral victories and things of that nature. We didn't play well enough to win and Green Bay does, and we tip our hat to them because of that."

When the Steelers look back at this one, though, they'll wish Polamalu and Harrison had done what made them two of the elite defensive players in the NFL.

"We wanted to keep an eye on where Polamalu was," Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson said. "Aaron made great decisions all day."

The first quarter provided an ominous peek at how this night would unfold as Starks rumbled for 12 yards — and Polamalu had a shot at him, and missed. Jennings caught a 21-yard pass from Rodgers on the next play and Polamalu unloaded on him, his hair flying behind him, but there was one problem: the Packers receiver was already across the goal line.

Harrison was the Defensive Player of the Year two years ago, and capped off that season with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in a Super Bowl victory.

He was coming off another impressive season for the Steelers in which he had 10 1/2 sacks. He's a problem for receivers and tight ends coming across the middle, and for offensive linemen trying to protect their quarterbacks.

Not so much in this one. The Packers did a terrific job of keeping him out of Rodgers' face.

"He's probably one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL," Packers guard Daryn Colledge said, "so we feel in the huddle that all we've got to do is protect and he'll make things happen."

Harrison was one of the centers of attention during the week leading to the Super Bowl, taking some hard shots at the league by calling the NFL's talk about wanting to protect players "a show." He sarcastically suggested a pillow could be used to soften blows he delivers to opposing players, and ripped the owners' push for an 18-game regular season.

Harrison was fined $100,000 by the NFL for illegal hits this season, but won't have to worry about his wallet after this game.

"Bottom line is, we played subpar ball," Harrison said. "And, you see what the turnout is."

Rodgers, Packers win Super Bowl 31-25

ARLINGTON, Texas – Forget Lombardi on Broadway. Green Bay has the newest Super Bowl hit: Aaron Rodgers.

Capping one of the greatest postseasons for any quarterback, Rodgers led the Packers to their first NFL championship in 14 years Sunday with a 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Packers reclaimed the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for their legendary coach who is making his own star turn in New York these days in the play named after him.

Rodgers, the game's MVP, thrilled his legion of Cheesehead fans with a spectacular six-game string that should finally erase the bitterness of the Brett Favre separation in Green Bay. He's not equal with Favre in Super Bowl wins, yet he extended the Packers' record of NFL titles to 13, nine before the Super Bowl era.

The Packers QB threw for three touchdowns, two to Greg Jennings, and the Packers (14-6) overcame even more injuries, building a 21-3 lead, then hanging on to become the second No. 6 seed to win the championship. Coincidentally, the 2005 Steelers were the other.

Rodgers threw for 304 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown to Jordy Nelson, who had nine catches for 140 yards to make up for three big drops. Rodgers found Jennings, normally his favorite target, for 21- and 8-yard scores.

"Wow! It's a great day to be great, baby," Jennings said.

Then the Packers held on as Pittsburgh (14-5) stormed back.

"We've been a team that's overcome adversity all year," Jennings said. "Our head captain (Charles Woodson) goes down, emotional in the locker room. Our No. 1 receiver (Donald Driver) goes down, more emotions are going, flying in the locker room. But we find a way to bottle it up and exert it all out here on the field."

Few teams have been as resourceful as these Packers, who couldn't wait to touch the trophy honoring their coach — and their title. Several of them kissed it as Roger Staubach walked through a line of green and gold.

"Vince Lombardi is coming back to Green Bay," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said as the silver prize was handed to the team.

Rahm Emanuel endorsed for mayor by Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff, was endorsed for mayor on Friday by the Chicago Tribune, which praised his ethos of "dogged effectiveness."

The paper spoke of the need to make tough decisions about the city's finances.

"No other candidate combines Emanuel's candor about the threats facing Chicago with the will to take necessary steps -- some of them unpopular -- to tame those threats," the paper wrote.

Emanuel has already been endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times and Crain's Chicago Business.

In a Tribune poll published January 20, Emanuel led the field by 44 percent, compared to 21 percent for his closest opponent, former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun.

The February 22 contest is to replace Mayor Richard M. Daley, stepping down after 22 years in office.

(Writing by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Jerry Norton)

UNC Asheville rolls past Presbyterian 88-55

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – J.P. Primm scored 15 points to reach 1,000 for his career as North Carolina-Asheville routed Presbyterian 88-55 on Thursday night.

Matt Dickey also had 15 points for the Bulldogs (12-10, 7-5 Big South Conference), who have won three of four games.

Four other players reached double figures and 10 players scored for UNC Asheville, which shot 67.7 percent from the field (21 of 31) in the first half and 61.1 percent (33 of 54) for the game.

The Bulldogs scored the game's first seven points and took a 23-4 lead on Jaron Lane's layup with 14:06 to play in the first half. Lane's 3-pointer gave UNC Asheville a 34-8 advantage with 8:47 to play.

Lane scored 14 points, John Williams had 11 and Chris Stephenson and D.J. Cunningham added 10 points each for the Bulldogs.

Jake Troyli scored 11 points and Ryan Hargrave added 10 for Presbyterian (10-14, 4-8).

Andrew D. Hamingson Exits Role as Public Theater's Executive Director

Andrew D. Hamingson will vacate his position as executive director of the Public Theater, the organization announced Feb. 2. Citing personal reasons for his departure, Hamingson will be temporarily succeeded by Joey Parnes.

Hamingson arrived at the Public in August of 2008, after serving as the managing director of Atlantic Theater Company 2004-2008. Prior to that, he was the director of development for the Manhattan Theatre Club 1999-2004. He will continue on as a consultant over the next two months while the Public transitions.

In his position as executive director, Hamingson was elemental in bringing the Public's Tony Award-winning revival of Hair to Broadway in 2008, as well as spearheading the Broadway transfers of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and The Merchant of Venice in recent months. During his tenure, he oversaw the $35 million renovation of the Public's Lafayette Street home. Similarly, he was responsible for raising $35 million for the capital campaign for the renovation of the historic Biltmore Theater while at MTC.

While the downtown theatrical institution searches for Hamingson's long-term successor, former Public Theater executive director Joey Parnes will step in. Parnes served in that role at the Public 1994-1996 and has been the executive producer of Merchant, Bloody Bloody…, Hair and Passing Strange on Broadway. He has also been the general manager and executive producer for Well, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf and Butley in recent years.

"The Public Theater is one of the greatest non-profit theatres in the world," Hamingson said in a statement. "No other organization champions the work of emerging writers or produces American Shakespeare on the level of The Public. Artistic director Oskar Eustis and all the people who work at The Public are the greatest staff in the American theatre, and I am proud of the work we all have done together."