The NFL has distributed in the press box at Cowboys Stadium a statement that will keep some fans who have tickets from actually getting in to tonight’s game.
“There are a limited number of sections in temporary seating areas inside the stadium that have not been fully completed,” the statement reads.? “We are working to resolve the matter and expect that by game time most of the fans affected will have been accommodated in their seats or relocated to similar or better seats.
“Those fans that are affected by this will be directed to the Party Plaza area while the matter is resolved.
“Fans who are not accommodated with seats inside the stadium will each receive a refund of triple the cost of the face value of their ticket.
“We regret the situation.”
Regret is an understatement.
Frankly, a triple-cost refund isn’t enough.? The NFL also should reimburse the affected fans for all travel and lodging expenses.? Regardless of how this happened, it’s inexcusable for the fans to find out upon arriving at the stadium that they’re S.O.L.? At a bare minimum, the affected fans should be refunded every dime spent to make a trip they otherwise would not have made.
And how is this something that comes up now, on game day?? Surely, the league knew about this before Sunday.? Why not be candid about it so that the affected fans could choose either not to make the trip to Dallas or not to make the trek to the stadium.
Of course, that would have increased the numbers of folks who’d be eligible for refunds, and it would have prevented the league from getting as many folding chairs as possible crammed into the venue so that refunds of some big-dollar tickets wouldn’t be required.
It’s disappointing to see a league that gets so many things right whiff on something so fundamental as ensuring that every ticket sold will translate to a corresponding seat.
Posted by Mike Florio on February 7, 2011, 1:46 AM EST
It widely was presumed that Super Bowl XLV, the first NFL title game played in Cowboys Stadium, would break the NFL single-game attendance record of 103,985.
It didn’t happen.
The official attendance, including those who weren’t actually inside the building but watching the game on outdoor HD monitors, was 103,215.
The temporary-seat snafu apparently didn’t prevent the record from being set, since only 400 fans were displaced.? It’s unclear whether those 400 fans opted to join the outdoor-indoor Party Pass crowd.
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 7, 2011, 12:34 AM EST
If the Steelers had won Super Bowl XLV, Ben Roethlisberger would have been praised as a future Hall of Famer who had earned his third Super Bowl ring. But the Steelers lost. And Roethlisberger knows that means he’ll take plenty of the blame.
“There’s a lot of what ifs. There’s a lot of throws I’d like to have back,” Roethlisberger said. “We turned the ball over. A lot of that is my fault.”
Roethlisberger had a mediocre game against the Packers, completing 25 of 40 passes for 263 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Particularly costly was the first-quarter interception that Green Bay’s Nick Collins returned for a touchdown.
Collins said he got a read on Roethlisberger and saw it coming.
“I was able to read Big Ben and got a nice jump on the ball,” Collins said. “I made a couple cuts to get into the end zone.”
Posted by Mike Florio on February 6, 2011, 11:40 PM EST
With the Packers winning Super Bowl XLV, it means that first game of the 2011 regular season will be played at Lambeau Field on a Thursday night, televised by NBC.
And there’s one game on the Packers’ home docket that screams out for consideration.
The Saints.
In addition to the Packers’ NFC North opponents, Green Bay hosts the Saints, Buccaneers, Broncos, Raiders, and Rams.
Of those games, a clash of the past two Super Bowl winners could be the best of the bunch.? Then again, a rematch of the 2010 NFC title game between the Bears and the Packers also would be extremely compelling.
We’d be shocked if it’s not one of those two.? Either would be great, and it’s another reason to get the labor situation resolved so that the season game begins on time.
Posted by Mike Florio on February 6, 2011, 11:29 PM EST
Eight days before Super Bowl XLV, Packers coach Mike McCarthy took a calculated risk.? He had his players fitted for rings.
“We wanted to come into the game focused,” guard Daryn Colledge said.? “We knew we had a chance to win this and came in with that mindset, and that’s the way we played:? Downhill.
“It’s a pretty quiet process.? It’s a ring fitting like you probably did for your own wedding ring.? I think it just sets that mental mindset that you’ve got to go out there and you’ve got something to accomplish.”
Still, if word of the ring-fitting had surfaced, the Packers would have been called presumptuous, and the Steelers may have discovered some extra motivation in the maneuver.
In the end, there’s a good chance that the effort helped the team put the I.R. photo controversy behind it, allowing the Packers to ensure that the sizes of their fingers wouldn’t be used only for NFC? championship rings.
Posted by Mike Florio on February 6, 2011, 11:15 PM EST
A constant stream of Dunder Mifflin’s finest products is being distributed in the press box at Cowboys Stadium, and we’ve now received a list of the Super Bowl records, as compiled by the Elias Sports Bureau.
As it turns out, only one record was set — fewest combined rushing attempts, with 36.? The Packers ran the ball 13 times, and the Steelers ran the ball 23 times.
Several other records were tied:? most Super Bowls (Steelers tied Cowboys at eight); fewest turnovers by a team (Packers with zero tied 17 others); most points in first quarter by a team (Packers with 14 tied six others); largest lead at end of first quarter (Packers with 14 tied Dolphins in Super Bowl VIII and Raiders in Super Bowl XV); fewest first downs by penalty, both teams (zero, tying five other Super Bowls); fewest rushing attempts for winning team (Packers with 13 tied the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV), most two-point conversions (Antwaan Randle El with one tied five others).
Also, the Packers have now won 13 NFL titles, the most of any team.? Green Bay receiver Jordy Nelsn’s 140 receiving yards broke Max McGee’s franchise Super Bowl record (138) from the first Super Bowl ever played.
The Packers also became the first time in NFL history to score a touchdown on an interception return in three straight postseason games.
Posted by Mike Florio on February 6, 2011, 10:59 PM EST
Like Patriots safety Rodney Harrison seven years ago, Packers cornerback Charles Woodson won the first Super Bowl ring of his career despite leaving the game with a broken bone.
For Harrison, it was a broken forearm.? For Woodson, it was a broken collarbone.
Woodson confirmed that he suffered the injury while diving to the ground late in the first half.
He’ll have plenty of time to heal.? And we’ve got a feeling it won’t be hurting quite as much.
Nine years after the tuck rule game and eight years after losing to the Bucs as a member of the Raiders, Woodson has become the rare Heisman Trophy winner to play a key role in becoming a Super Bowl champion.
UPDATE:? Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Woodson tried to address the team at halftime, but he became too emotional and couldn’t finish.
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 6, 2011, 10:58 PM EST
When the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLV started, the Packers had the lead, but the Steelers had all the momentum.
And then, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Packers linebacker Clay Matthews changed that.
Matthews burst through the line and drilled Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall three yards behind the line of scrimmage, forcing a fumble that Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop recovered. On the Packers’ ensuing possession they scored to expand their lead to 28-17, and that hit from Matthews proved to be the play of the game.
“I was able to get around my guy and make a solid hit right on the football,” Matthews said after the game. “I wasn’t sure that it had come out until I looked up and saw Desmond with the ball.”
For the Packers, the hit was emblematic of the style of play Matthews has delivered for the two years he’s been on the team, two years in which he’s been as good as any defensive player in football. But Matthews wanted to put the spotlight on his defensive teammates.
“We have been playing team defense all season and this was just another case of that tonight,” Matthews said. “I am so proud of our defense.”
Posted by Mike Florio on February 6, 2011, 10:34 PM EST
In December 2009, the Packers took a six-point lead over the Steelers with 2:06 to play.? Starting from his own 14, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led the team to a one-point win.
In February 2011, the Packers took a six-point lead over the Steelers with 2:07 to play.? Starting from his own 13, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger couldn’t get it done.
And that sums up the outcome of Super Bowl XLV.? As expected, the game entailed plenty of scoring.? The Steelers fought back from an 18-point deficit to keep it interesting throughout the second half.? After cutting the score from 21-10 to 21-17, a sense emerged that the Steelers not only would catch the Packers but blow by them.? When Ben Roethlisberger badly missed a wide open Mike Wallace on what would have been a 44-yard touchdown pass, the surge of momentum evaporated, punctuated by a 52-yard Shaun Suisham field goal attempt that looked like a postseason kick from the foot of Mike Vanderjagt.
The Packers eventually pushed the lead back to 11 with an Aaron Rodgers touchdown pass to Greg Jennings (their second of the night), but the Steelers didn’t quit.
A 66-yard drive capped by a 25-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Mike Wallace and a two-pointer on an option play to Antwaan Randle El cut the gap to three.? A long drive by the Packers, which nearly resulted in a Larry Fitzgerald-style catch-and-run from Greg Jennings, ended with the three-pointer that pushed the Green Bay lead back to six.
Five plays later, a fourth-down attempt from Roethlisberger to Wallace hit the turf, and Vince Lombardi was waiting to welcome his boys home.
“We’re going back to Titletown baby!” said safety Nick Collins, who returned a first-half interception for a touchdown.? “This is big.? It’s coming back home.? The Vince Lombardi Trophy is coming back home.”
It wasn’t the prettiest or most exciting of Super Bowls, but the Steelers had something that, early in the game, it appeared they wouldn’t — a chance to win the game late.? In plenty of past situations, they’ve pulled it off.? Tonight, they didn’t.
So congrats to the Packers on getting their fourth Super Bowl win.? With the Cowboys and 49ers at five and the Steelers at six and a strong nucleus of talent in Green Bay, the Packers could be getting to No. 5, No. 6, and maybe No. 7.
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 6, 2011, 10:16 PM EST
When Steve Young led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl XXIX title, he famously yelled “Somebody take the monkey off my back,” referring to the way he had always been dogged by comparisons to Joe Montana.
Now the monkey is officially off Aaron Rodgers‘ back. Brett Favre no longer casts a shadow over Rodgers’ career.
By winning the Super Bowl XLV Most Valuable Player award, Rodgers has now accomplished something Favre never did. Rodgers’ performance in the Packers’ 31-25 victory over the Steelers was nothing short of sensational, and was a better game on football’s biggest stage than Favre ever turned in.
Rodgers had a Super Bowl performance that stands on its own as one of the greatest ever. He completed 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions, and did it against a good Steelers defense, on a day when his receivers weren’t giving him much help, with several drops. Rodgers was as good as it gets in the biggest game of his career.
“This is a great group of men that we put together here, a lot of character, been through a lot together,” Rodgers said after the game. “It’s just great to be able to share it with them.”
At age 27, Rodgers has already reached the top of the football world. Expect him to stay on top for a long time — and maybe, some day, be remembered as the greatest Packers quarterback of them all.
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 6, 2011, 9:26 PM ESTThe Packers appeared to be in command at halftime, but as we begin the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLV, the Steelers are making a game of it.
An eight-yard touchdown run by Rashard Mendenhall narrowed the deficit to 21-17, and the Steelers aren’t going down without a fight.
Statistically, the Steelers have been the better team in most aspects of the game: Pittsburgh has 15 first downs to Green Bay’s nine, and 296 yards to Green Bay’s 210.
But turnovers have hurt the Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger has two interceptions to none for Aaron Rodgers, and Mendenhall started the fourth quarter with a fumble. Now we’ll see if the Steelers can overcome those mistakes, or if it’s the Packers bringing home the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on February 6, 2011, 8:09 PM EST The Steelers need to buck some serious historical trends or the Green Bay Packers are going to be Super Bowl champs this year.
Teams are 10-0 when they return an interception for a touchdown in the Super Bowl.? Nick Collins did that in the first quarter.? No Super Bowl champion have ever won after falling behind by more than 10 points.?? The Packers lead 21-10 at halftime.
This game doesn’t feel lopsided, despite the Packers leading 21-3 before an incredible two minute drive capped by a Ben Roethlisberger touchdown toss to Hines Ward.? The Steelers actually out-gained Green Bay (204-174), but the Packers are making the big plays.
Aaron Rodgers‘ two touchdown passes were ridiculous, well-defended plays.?? Ben Roethlisberger has thrown two picks, including one to former Cheesehead punching bag Jarrett Bush.
The Packers have to be concerned with their tendency to let second half leads melt away and they can’t be happy with some of the injuries piling up.? Donald Driver had x-rays on his ankle.? They were negative, but he’s questionable to return.? Packers cornerbacks Sam Shields and Charles Woodson have shoulder injuries.
Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is questionable to return after hurting his foot.
We’ve got a feeling this game is going to stay interesting until the end despite the uneven start.
UPDATE: Woodson is out for the rest of the game with a collarbone injury.? Shields is reportedly expected to return, but he didn’t play in Green Bay’s first series back.? Sanders is also out.
The Steelers have cut the score to 21-17 early in the third quarter. ? Giddy up.
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 6, 2011, 7:36 PM EST
The NFL has announced that the 400 fans whose Super Bowl tickets weren’t honored because temporary seating in Cowboys Stadium wasn’t available were let into the building — but only to watch the games either on monitors or in standing-room only sections.
According to the league’s announcement, fans could watch the game on monitors or from standing room platforms in each corner of the stadium. Better than nothing, but not as good as the NFL, you know, actually providing seats for all the fans who bought one.
The league also said it would give fans triple their money back on $800 tickets, which would mean every ticket holder gets $2,400. That won’t be enough to compensate fans who paid more than face value, or compensate fans for their travel costs. Furthermore, the league’s statement that it’s refunding triple the value of $800 seats conflicts with a previous statement that the face value of the seats was $900. I talked to fans before the game who were holding $900 tickets.
The NFL added a typical PR line to conclude its statement: “We regret the situation and apologize for the inconvenience it caused. We will conduct a full review of this matter.”
Finally, the NFL explained that it was able to relocate 850 of the displaced fans because “We routinely hold back tickets in the event problems may arise. In addition, the Cowboys and the NFL returned tickets.”
But in this case a problem did arise, and the NFL didn’t hold back enough tickets.
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 6, 2011, 7:16 PM ESTAll week, just about everyone predicted a close Super Bowl. Through the first quarter, it’s looking like everyone might have been wrong.
The Packers have jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and the Steelers are in danger of letting this game get away from them early.
The scoring came suddenly: Jordy Nelson caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers, and then 17 seconds later Nick Collins picked off Ben Roethlisberger and ran 37 yards for a score.
The Steelers also have injury concerns: Bryant McFadden has left the game and is questionable to return with a hip injury, and Flozell Adams is injured and getting worked on.
Through 15 minutes, everything is going Green Bay’s way.
Posted by Evan Silva on February 6, 2011, 6:45 PM EST
The NFL announced just prior to Super Bowl XLV kickoff that Vikings safety Madieu Williams is its 2010 Walter Payton Man of the Year. He is eligible to donate $20,000 to a charity of his choosing.
Other finalists for the Man of the Year award were Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and Bears defensive end Israel Idonije.
Williams is currently in Iraq with United States troops.
“It is a tremendous honor to win this award named after Walter Payton, one of the greatest men to ever play in the National Football League,” said Williams, who was also named the Vikings’ 2010 Community Man of the Year for his local and national charitable works. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to accept the award, but it’s an even greater honor to be here in Iraq with Task Force Iron Horse on a goodwill tour watching the Super Bowl with our troops.”
Williams has funded the building of multiple schools in Sierra Leone and is the founder of the Madieu Williams charitable foundation.
More info on Williams and his good works can be found at MadieuWilliams.com.
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on February 6, 2011, 6:00 PM EST
Well, we have some answers from the NFL following the latest round of Seat-Gate.
The league says 1,250 fans were affected.? The NFL and Cowboys were able to relocate 850 of them to “similar or better seats.” ? 400 of them will be denied seats.
“These fans will each receive a refund of triple the cost of the face value of their ticket. The face value of these tickets are $900,” the NFL said in a statement.?? “The safety of fans attending the Super Bowl?was paramount in making the decision and the NFL, Dallas Cowboys and City of Arlington officials are in agreement with the resolution.”
(The NFL will apparently not replace hotel and transportation costs for the fans.)
We have no clue how the league found 850 similar or better seats out of thin air when this place was jammed pack to begin with.
UPDATE: The extra seats came from unused seats in the auxiliary press box.?? (Those are in the crowd.)
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