Holmes Brings Home Win, MVP
Photo By Terry Gilliam
Santonio Holmes Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
by Mike Wachsman
As the cheers reached a crescendo and lights and cameras flashed incessantly, Santonio Holmes soaked it all in and thought about what it meant to win the Super Bowl and be chosen Most Valuable Player.
Serving as the go-to guy for Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Holmes caught four passes for 73 yards and a dramatic touchdown with 35 seconds left on a final drive that gave the Steelers "one for the other hand" in a thrilling 27-23 victory over the plucky Arizona Cardinals.
Holmes played much of the 2008 campaign in the shadow of veteran receiver Hines Ward, but with Ward feeling the effects of a sprained knee suffered in the AFC championship, Holmes was primed to take over. And take over he did, grabbing nine passes for 131 yards -- none more meaningful or spectacular than his tip-tap grab in the right corner of the end zone as time was ticking away.
"Ben coming back and having the faith in me and believing that I could be the one to make that play, he gave me the opportunity in the back of the end zone and I promised myself this time I wouldn't lift those feet off the ground," said Holmes, alluding to the play just prior to his touchdown. "Ben put it where only I could catch it and I took my eyes off of it thinking about keeping my feet down before I got my hands on the ball. I wasn't going to let that happen again, and he made a perfect throw."
Dozens of thoughts should have been swirling through Holmes' mind in the afterglow of the victory, but one thing took precedence -- family.
"I just spent time with my kids," he said. "I didn't not want to be with the fans at the time, but I think my play on the field and everybody celebrating that, they appreciated that. My kids were excited about seeing Madagascar 2, so I put in the movie. We spent time together watching it and just being together. I just relaxed a lot, really."
Holmes was perfectly content to let his teammates do all the partying. After all, he was the one who sparked the celebration in the first place, in the process becoming the first Ohio State player to win MVP honors.