NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira confirmed after the Super Bowl that Kurt Warner did fumble on the Cardinals’ final play of the game.

“I was really surprised on that one because I was definitely moving my arm forward to throw the ball,� Warner said. “I thought I’d almost gotten the ball off, so yeah, it does surprise you that in that kind of situation — five seconds to go to decide the Super Bowl — you would think it was something they’d do. But maybe somebody saw it clearly.�

According to NFL VP of Officiating Mike Pereira, the replay official upstairs did see the play clearly.
“We confirmed it was a fumble,� said Pereira. “The replay assistant in the replay booth saw it was clearly a fumble. The ball got knocked loose and was rolling in his hand before it started forward. He has to have total control.�

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt also was irked by the seemingly random ending.

“I was hoping it would be (reviewed),� he said. “I knew it was inside two minutes and it was a booth review. Obviously I would have liked to seen it replayed because it looked to me that Kurt was throwing the ball.�

The Cardinals had a difficult night with the officials. They were penalized 11 times for 106 yards. On one Steelers drive that ended with a field goal, Arizona was called for three personal fouls. The Cardinals also had to challenge two blown calls by the refs — one on a Ben Roethlisberger run that was initially ruled a touchdown, the other on an earlier incompletion that was initially ruled a fumble.

There is no doubt there were several questionable calls last night that went in the Steelers’ favor. The roughing the passer call on Karlos Dansby midway through the third quarter was brutal and as the article noted, the Cards had to challenge twice in order to get the correct call on two huge plays.

That said, I thought the penalties started to even out in the end. Not that the refs were trying to make up from previous calls, but no one can say that Pittsburgh didn’t get called for their fair share of penalties. Warner’s fumble still should have been reviewed, but at least Pereira came out and made the statement that the play would have stood as is had they went to the booth. (Not that that makes Arizona fans feel good or anything.)

Here are six quick-hit thoughts from the Steelers’ 27-23 victory over the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.

1. Santonio Holmes saved the Steelers.
Santonio Holmes saved the Steelers tonight. He saved Ben Roethlisberger from erratic play. He saved the usually stingy Pittsburgh defense from getting torched by Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald in the second half. He saved several of his teammates that decided to make costly penalties down the stretch. And he saved the Steelers from almost blowing a game they had control of for three quarters. Holmes was an easy choice for MVP and he was brilliant in Pittsburgh’s game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. True playmakers go above and beyond and that’s what Holmes did tonight. His touchdown catch was absolutely phenomenal and what a throw by Big Ben.

2. Why wasn’t the final play reviewed?
I’m confused – can an attempted forward pass not be reviewed by the booth in under two minutes? Because while it would have been a close call either way, Warner’s arm looked like it was coming forward on the final play of the game, which would have meant an incomplete pass and one last gasp for the Cardinals. And while it still would have been a long shot for ‘Zona to reach the end zone and win the game, I’m shocked the most important play wasn’t at least reviewed. Maybe the officials would have still come to the conclusion that Warner’s arm wasn’t coming forward and the fumble would have stood. But you’ve got to at least review it.

3. Harrison’s interception cannot be overlooked.
How fitting was it that the defensive player of the year came up with one of the biggest plays in the Super Bowl? James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown before half changed the entire makeup of the game. Some may fault the Cards for not trying to run the ball in that situation because they were at the 1 yard line and had they got stuffed, they still would have had plenty of time to spike the ball and have one last attempt at a touchdown. But they were out of timeouts and with only 18 seconds on the clock, it’s hard to blame Arizona for throwing the ball; Warner just made a bad decision with the pass. But had the Cards at least kicked a field goal in that situation, it’s a 10-10 game at half and maybe the game plays out differently from that point on. Regardless, Harrison’s effort was outstanding and he truly wasn’t going to be denied. If it weren’t for the Cards’ fourth quarter comeback and Holmes’ amazing play down the stretch, Harrison would have been the game’s MVP.

4. Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t great, but he was once again clutch.
One of the post game commentators used the word “outstanding� to describe Roethlisberger’s play tonight. That’s a stretch. While it’s true Big Ben kept plays and drives alive several times by scrambling away from defenders, his indecisiveness and his penchant for holding onto the ball too long also led to a couple of key holding penalties against the Steelers in the fourth quarter, including the one that led to a safety. That said, he was once again clutch down the stretch. He zeroed in on his best playmaker (Holmes) and put the ball in his hands in order to make plays. Roethlisberger’s play wasn’t sharp by any means, but then again, it rarely is. But there’s no denying he makes plays when the game is on the line and he did so once again tonight. He now has two Super Bowl rings and he’s still only 26.

5. Get aggressive, Aaron Francisco.
On Holmes’ 40-yard reception to set up the Steelers’ game-winning touchdown, Arizona safety Aaron Francisco took a horrible angle on the play and it allowed the Pittsburgh receiver to race up the sideline and put his team in position for the go-ahead score. Granted Francisco eventually made the tackle down field, but it looked like he was playing not to make a mistake and it cost his team. It’s one thing to be caught out of position. It’s quite another to allow a receiver to easily make a catch in the open field, completely overrun the play and then allow him to race down the field. Safeties have one of the toughest jobs on the field because they have to play in so much open space. But Francisco’s effort on that play was questionable at best. (Outside of chasing Holmes down and eventually making the tackle, of course.) Francisco also was one of the defenders who was beat on the Holmes’ touchdown catch.

6. Do the Cardinals even need Anquan Boldin?
Anquan Boldin has been one of the most underrated receivers in the league for several years and there’s no doubt he deserves to get paid like a No. 1 receiver. But should Arizona bend over backwards in getting him a new contract when they already have Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston on the roster? How good was Breaston tonight? I realize he’s able to make more plays with Fitz and Boldin on the outside, but does anyone think Breaston doesn’t have the ability to be a No. 2 in this league after the way he played in 2008? Thanks to him, the Cardinals might be able to acquire multiple draft picks in a deal for Boldin this offseason.

If Super Bowl XLII between the Giants and Patriots taught us anything, it’s that regular season records mean nothing and there are no guarantees when it comes to crowning a champion in the NFL.

The 17-0 Patriots looked like a slam-dunk to win the Super Bowl last January. That is, until a rowdy Giants bunch that played perfect football throughout the playoffs shocked most of the world en route to a 17-14 victory. Sound familiar?

No, the Steelers didn’t go 17-0 in the regular season. In fact, they were far from perfect and at times, looked awfully inconsistent. But with their No. 1 defense leading the way, it’s hard to argue that Pittsburgh doesn’t have the better overall talent heading into this year’s Super Bowl against the Cardinals, especially when you consider Arizona finished with a 9-7 record, competed in a crappy division and scored just one more point than they allowed this season.

But as the Giants proved last year, sometimes all it takes is momentum, which the Cards certainly have after soundly defeating the Falcons, Panthers and Eagles to get to Super Bowl XLIII. Arizona has a lot going for itself these days, including a resurgent veteran quarterback in Kurt Warner, a highlight reel playmaker in Larry Fitzgerald, and an underrated defense that is playing its best football of the season.

So who has the edge in Super Bowl XLIII? You can make a case for either team, which is exactly what I did. (Five of them actually.)

Below are five reasons the Cardinals will win on Sunday and five reasons why the Steelers will come away victorious. Contradictory? Sure, but play along – it’ll be more fun that way.

The moment every TSR reader has been waiting for is finally here: It’s time for me to hand out my Super Bowl pick.

I know, I know – you guys have been dying for this blog to come out since the Super Bowl XLIII matchup was set, but I wanted to take my time. I decided to go back and re-watch every single Arizona Cardinal and Pittsburgh Steeler game from this season in order to figure out each teams’ tendencies and therefore make the ultimate prediction.

But when I turned on my DVR to begin re-watching all the games I saw I had a couple of “Reno 911� episodes saved and I got lost in all the hilarity. (That Jim Dangle is one funny S.O.B.)

Needless to say, I didn’t re-watch one game, didn’t find one tendency and therefore my “ultimate prediction� is just going to be a flat out guess. Either way…

This is how I see Sunday’s big game playing out. The game will be tight for almost the entire first quarter, with both defenses playing well earlier on. The Steelers will strike first with a touchdown, then add a field goal to go up 10-0 midway through the second quarter. But thanks to the “don’t prevent the score� defense that every team seems to use right before halftime, Pittsburgh gives up a score right before Bruce Springsteen starts warming up, which in turn gives the Cardinals hope.

Your halftime score: an uneventful 10-7 Pittsburgh lead.

But the second half is where the action starts to heat up. All of a sudden the Steelers begin drumming up pressure and Kurt Warner has zero time to throw. Pittsburgh’s front seven starts suffocating Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower, all the while moving the pocket back so Warner can’t step up and deliver passes in a timely manner.

This leads to multiple sacks for the Steelers, which they turn into great field position. The Arizona defense, which in the first half had played damn near perfect football, starts to cave. Willie Parker starts finding open running lanes, which opens up the passing game for Ben Roethlisberger, who converts several third down conversions that essentially takes the life out of the Cards’ defense. Pittsburgh strikes twice for touchdowns in the third quarter, taking a 24-7 lead into the fourth.

Early in the fourth, Arizona offensive coordinator Todd Haley takes advantage of an overly aggressive Pittsburgh front seven and the Cardinals start attacking the edges and seams of the Steeler defense. All of a sudden, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breatson start to make plays in the open field and Warner gets into a rhythm. The Cards reach paydirt on a 1-yard James touchdown run and with still 11 minutes to play in the game, ‘Zona is still very much alive at 24-14.

Thanks to the offensive resurgence, the Cardinal defense forces a three and out and with the Pittsburgh defense still tired, Warner hits Fitzgerald on a reverse, pitch-back bomb to get the score within a field goal at 24-21 with seven minutes left to play.

But that’s as close as the Cards get to victory. Thanks to Parker, the Steelers drive into Arizona territory, eating up most of the clock. Big Ben then finds Heath Miller in the back of the end zone on a broken 3rd and 7 play to put Arizona away.

Super Bowl XLIII Final: Steelers 31, Cardinals 21.

Not that it matters because everything I just wrote will happen exactly as I laid it out, but feel free to post your score prediction for the game. Remember, only the people who don’t post a prediction are wrong…and those who predict the losing team to win.

The guys from The Love of Sports compiled a top 10 list of reasons to watch Super Bowl XLIII.

4. The Commercials
The Super Bowl’s legendary for some of the funniest and lamest commercials of the New Year. Who could forget Super Bowl XLI’s Pepsi Cola – Sierra Mist: Bearded Comb Over or Chad Johnson’s Super Bowl Party? If the $3 million price tag companies pay for a 30-second spot isn’t enough to watch a commercial or two in these hard economic times, then the anticipation of a potential sequel to the Bearded Comb Over should do the trick.

3. Pick a Side
If your team of choice didn’t make it to the Super Bowl, don’t feel bad when you become a temporary Steelers or Cardinals fan for the day. The game’s more interesting when you can get behind a team and watch them hoist up the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of the game. Both the Steelers and Cardinals will be more than happy to have one extra fan on the bandwagon.

2. Athletic Performance
Super Bowl XLIII boasts some serious NFL superstars who should have no problem hamming it up on the big stage. Warner, Edge, Troy Polamalu and Willie Parker are just some of the exciting playmakers to grace the television screen this Super Bowl Sunday.

1. It’s Football, People!
The ability to tackle a 220-pound man is something I won’t be able to experience in my lifetime, but I bet it feels pretty amazing to accomplish. The exciting plays, the unbelievable catches and the amazing story lines all contribute to one of America’s favorite sports and one heck of a Sunday afternoon. The only thing you have to do this weekend is ask yourself one question … Are you ready for some football?!?!?

The Super Bowl should be a holiday. Football, Super Bowl squares, food, adult-type beverages, friends – what more could you ask for on one day?