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No catch phrase needed to recall Holmes' big play

PITTSBURGH (AP) - There's no catchy nickname for it - The Catch, after all, is taken by the 49ers' Dwight Clark. That's all right with Santonio Holmes, who is fast realizing that a catch phrase won't be needed for people to remember his play of a lifetime.

Second-and-goal at the Cardinals 6, 42 seconds to go. The Steelers, down 23-20 in the Super Bowl, are in scoring range only because of Ben Roethlisberger's 40-yard completion to Holmes two plays before. Immediately after that, on first down, Roethlisberger's pass sails above Holmes' outstretched hands in the left corner of the end zone.

This time, Roethlisberger looks right and spots Holmes in the back of the end zone along the right sideline. As three defenders converge, Holmes makes the catch, managing to drag his left foot and tap his right foot in-bounds at the same time. It is one of the best clutch catches in Super Bowl history, and it secures the Steelers' record sixth Super Bowl title.

A catch this good doesn't need a name. The image of it that remains with anyone who watched the game is enough.

``That's going to be with me the rest of my life,'' Holmes said. ``When I'm dead and gone, people still will remember the Super Bowl catch.''

Maybe it won't be recalled in Pittsburgh with the same reverence as, say, Franco Harris' Immaculate Reception against Oakland in 1972, but Holmes couldn't go anywhere during the offseason without being reminded of it. He couldn't go out among friends or family, couldn't go to dinner, couldn't go online.

``Everywhere I go- MySpace, Facebook - everyone's sending messages, `That was a great catch' and `That was a great game,''' Holmes said.

That's also part of Holmes' challenge as the former first-round draft pick from Ohio State, known as 'Tone to his teammates, begins his fourth NFL season.

Namely, how does he top making a remarkable catch to win the Super Bowl?

Catch 120 passes? Not going to happen in the Steelers' offense. Make 20 touchdown catches? Not going to happen in the Steelers offense. Win the Super Bowl again? That, he believes, could happen.

Holmes still hasn't had a 1,000-yard receiving season, which is viewed as the benchmark for success by an NFL receiver, but that's also partly the result of the Steelers' spread-it-around system. Hines Ward, the leading receiver in club history, hadn't had one since 2004 until he had 1,043 yards receiving last season.

``Hines reiterates that to me a lot, you can't expect big numbers,'' said Holmes, who has 156 receptions in three seasons. ``You just go out and play hard and take it for what it's worth.''

What offensive coordinator Bruce Arians likes is he's seeing the play-to-play consistency he has sought from Holmes, in route running, blocking and being on target with his quarterback.

``He's building on it (the Super Bowl),'' Arians said. ``It's very good to see. The consistency is there. You'd hope for that with him, and that he'd take last year's success and build on it. ... That word consistency has been a big word with him and I the last couple of years.''

Holmes missed the final two preseason games after taking a helmet to the back Aug. 22 against Washington, but he expects to be fine for Thursday's season opener against the Titans, who beat the Steelers 31-14 on Dec. 21. The Steelers didn't lose again; the Titans did, to Baltimore in the divisional round.

``It shows you the caliber of guys who get the job done,'' Holmes of the Steelers bouncing back from that loss to win their second Super Bowl in four seasons.

To try to win a third in five seasons, Holmes said the Steelers must have the kind of playmaking they've become to expect from Roethlisberger. The quarterback may have had a down season statistically a year ago while facing a difficult schedule, yet he repeatedly found a way to win games.

``He's the head of our train,'' Holmes said. ``If he derails, the rest of the team probably falls back.''

FanNation.com via AP