Super Bowl:Distraught Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he felt like he let his team and fans down after throwing two interceptions in a 31-25 Super Bowl defeat to the Green Bay Packers last night.
‘Big Ben’, who sat out the opening four games of the NFL season after being suspended for violating the league's personal conduct policy, said there were several throws that he would like to have back.
"I don't put blame on anybody but myself. I feel like I let the city of Pittsburgh down, the fans, my coaches, my team mates. It's not a good feeling," he said. "You know me, I hate to lose. Like I said, especially when you feel like you're letting down guys that really stepped up today in a big way, so it's really hard."
Roethlisberger's first interception, an attempted pass to Mike Wallace, was returned for a touchdown by Nick Collins to put the Steelers down 14-0 down in the first quarter. His second pick, also on a pass attempt to Wallace, set up a Green Bay scoring drive that put the Packers up 21-3 late in the second quarter.
Roethlisberger said the Steelers, who battled back with two touchdowns and were down four points at the start of the fourth quarter, believed a record-breaking comeback could be in the cards but blamed himself for the failure.
"We're a team of fighters. We don't quit. We believe in each other. We were going to fight all the way to the last second, which I think we did," said Roethlisberger. "If I had played a little bit better, I feel like we would have had a better chance to win the game."
Green Bay’s victory was the fourth Super Bowl triumph for the team from the small city Wisconsin, following their wins in the first two editions in the late 1960s and their last win in 1997.
Those wins were part of the legacy of former coach Vince Lombardi who won five NFL titles with Green Bay, including the first two Super Bowls held in 1967 and 1968 and is widely regarded as the greatest NFL coach.
Now the city of just 101,000 citizens, all of whom could have fit inside the cavernous Cowboys Stadium, can have the trophy named after their adopted son back in their possession.
"That's where it belongs. It is the Lombardi Trophy. Lombardi is viewed as one of the greatest ever to coach and we get to bring it back home, so we are very proud of that," said cornerback Charles Woodson, who was forced out of the game before halftime.
The Packers, formed before the NFL existed, are unique in being owned by the community rather than a billionaire. They are a reflection of their early years when they emerged from regional football to win nine NFL championships in the pre-Super Bowl era.
President Mark Murphy said the victory was a tribute to that tradition.
"It's very, very gratifying," he said. "We have a tremendous history and tradition and I think the players respond well to that. I couldn't be happier for everybody associated with the organization. The fact that it is the Vince Lombardi Trophy says a lot.
"To be able to bring it back to Green Bay is something special."