Better luck next year

Cam Ellis | Staff Writer

It seemed almost unfair. The Green Bay Packers, playing in their first Super Bowl since 1997, had gone through so much.

They had jumped so many hurdles, dodged so many bullets, that this seemed wrong. During the game, cornerback Charles Woodson and wide receiver Donald Driver, both emotional leaders of the team, went down with injuries that kept them from finishing the biggest game of their lives.

There’s no way a team crippled by injuries all year could handle even more adversity, right?

The look on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ face when holding the Lombardi Trophy was priceless. That’s right. Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay, the team that lost almost all of its starters to injuries, won Super Bowl XLV.

They beat Pittsburgh, 31-25, denying the Steelers their seventh championship and bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to “Title Town.” Rodgers was the game’s MVP, throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns, as he further distinguished himself as Green Bay’s quarterback of the future, not just a replacement for Brett Favre.

Pittsburgh, plagued by costly turnovers, didn’t have enough magic to stage yet another postseason comeback, something they had grown accustomed to doing. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw two interceptions, and running back Rashard Mendenhall lost a costly fumble. The Packers took advantage.

The Pack scored 21 points off Pittsburgh turnovers, including an interception return for a touchdown by safety Nick Collins. The Steelers charged back in the second half, but never quite captured all the momentum, and the Packers secured a victory when Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace dropped a poorly thrown pass from Roethlisberger on fourth down.

So that’s it, NFL fans. Another season came and gone. The Packers are world champions. With questions about whether the NFL will even play next year, one cannot help but feel frightened and sad.

Football is by far the most popular sport in America, and, with a presumed lockout looming next fall, we are all left wondering what will happen next. What would we do without football on Sunday afternoons?

The possibility of not having an excuse to get out of errands or homework concerns any and every football fan. I’d miss the excitement of overtime, the passion of scoring a crucial touchdown or the anticipation of a big Monday night game.

I wouldn’t miss Rex Ryan’s big mouth and even bigger belly, Tom Brady and Justin Bieber comparisons or the Redskins in general. But for all you suffering fans (cough, cough Cowboys, Panthers or Browns) don’t worry, there’s always next year. Or is there?