The Super Bowl edition of Showtime's "Inside the NFL" Wednesday night made some points that were missed in NBC's coverage of Pittsburgh's 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Warren Sapp noted that the Cards' Larry Fitzgerald was unable to catch up with the Steelers' James Harrison on his 100-yard interception return for a touchdown until it was too late because he bumped into Cardinal teammate Antrel Rolle in a prohibited area on the sideline. If Rolle hadn't been there, Sapp said Fitzgerald would have caught Harrison on the final play of the first half.
Cris Collinsworth said the Steelers would have gotten a free play anyway to kick a field goal if Harrison had been stopped short of the goal line because there was a Cardinal penalty on the play.
Phil Simms added that Fitzgerald was out of bounds for 15 yards anyway and it was illegal for him to make the tackle. However, according to a Bills spokesman, Fitzgerald was legally allowed to return from out of bounds to make a tackle.
The program also had great sound of Pittsburgh Coach Mike Tomlin and MVP Santonio Holmes on the sidelines and addressed the issue that NBC avoided during the game -- the officiating that led to 18 penalties.
All in all, this episode alone proved why HBO was foolish to cancel the show after last season and Showtime was smart to pick it up.
What did you think of this year's "Inside the NFL" after its move from HBO?
