Wednesday, January 28, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. — The last time Jerome Bettis showed up at a Super Bowl involving the Steelers, he was the main attraction, the game's best story line, the hometown boy trying to go out a winner in Motown.When all was said and done, "The Bus" left the station a Super Bowl hero.
Now, Bettis, an analyst for NBC, can sit back and enjoy Sunday's game from a much different perspective, with much less fanfare.
Bettis' trip to Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII has been more like a relaxing vacation, and it can't compare to what he went through in 2006 in Detroit.
"It is enormous to get the brunt of Super Bowl coverage pointed at you," said Bettis, twirling the huge ring on his finger. "It's a lot of heat. Win, lose or draw, it changes your life. This is one time when a lot of people in this country pay attention to (football).
"When you are the focal point in this game, everybody is going to know who you are by the time the game is over. Sometimes, it's not in the way you want to be remembered, but they will remember you."
Being an analyst, Bettis has spent numerous hours reviewing the Steelers, and he's seen the changes the offense has undergone since he retired, particularly in the running game.
"I was never a scatback. I was a pound 'em, let's load up and get 3 yards and keep this train moving (running back)," said Bettis, the NFL's fifth all-time leading rusher with 13,662 yards. "It's a different offense now, but it still produces. That's why they're here. But I think it puts a lot more pressure on (quarterback) Ben (Roethlisberger) as a result."
Roethlisberger, Bettis said, is the key to the franchise's sixth Super Bowl.
"If he doesn't play well, they don't win," Bettis said. "It's not like a couple years ago, when we didn't need him to play his best. If he doesn't play his best game Sunday, they lose.
"The pressure is more on him now, but he is better prepared having gone through the Super Bowl (before)."
Then a 23-year-old, second-year starter, Roethlisberger had a dreadful rating (22.6) in Super Bowl XL, which the Steelers won, 21-10, over the Seattle Seahawks. He completed just 9 of 21 passes for 123 yards and two interceptions.
"He can't play any worse," Bettis said. "He'll be the first to tell you that."
Even though Ben made some key plays in that game?
"A dead clock is wrong twice a day," Bettis said. "No, this game you're going to see a different Ben. He is a different football player, and you'll see it."
As for a prediction, Bettis has one, right down to the final score.
"The reason I can be unbiased is because whichever teams wins, I am happy," Bettis said. "If the Cardinals win, I'll be happy for Ken Whisenhunt because he helped me win a championship. If the Steelers win, it's for my former teammates. "I think the Steelers win, 24-21, but if the game goes into the 30s, Arizona wins. I don't think the Steelers have enough offensively to score 30 points.
"Who knows? You see strange things happen in Super Bowls when teams are clearly favorites. Just look at last year (with the New York Giants). I think the game will be decided by the Arizona defense and the Steelers' offense."
The Steelers head into Sunday's game lacking the type of story Bettis gave them, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
"It was a motivating factor, yes," Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend said. "We got 'Bussy' home. But just to have the opportunity to play in the biggest game of your life, that was motivation enough."
Running back Willie Parker, who had a record 75-yard scoring run in Super Bowl XL, said Bettis continues to inspire his game.
"He taught me more about what the defenses are trying to make me do," Parker said. "He taught me that there is more than just running a play."
Bettis has no regrets about retiring.
"I was ready to go," Bettis said. "My mind was pretty much made up the year before I retired. I was comfortable with where I was in terms of me, internally, and my place in history."
The Bus Route
Jerome Bettis through the years:
1993 — Drafted as the 10th overall pick by Los Angeles Rams out of Notre Dame. Earns NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year.
1996 — Traded from the Rams to the Steelers with a third-round draft pick in exchange for a second-round pick in '96 and a fourth-round pick in '97.
1998 — Calls "tails" during an overtime coin toss in a Thanksgiving game against the Lions.
2006 — Goes out a winner in Super Bowl XL, retiring after the game in his hometown of Detroit. He later becomes a studio commentator for NBC Sports.
2007 — Opens Jerome Bettis Grille 36 restaurant on the North Shore.
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