(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
In addition to talking about how he was infamously in Larry Fitzgerald's way on the sidelines on James Harrison's 100-yard pick-six off Kurt Warner right before halftime in Super Bowl XLIII, former Cardinals free safety Antrel Rolle also talked about the other big play from that game on CBS Sports' All Things Covered podcast with Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson.
That play being Santonio Holmes' game-winning toe-tap touchdown reception in the back right corner of the end zone.
Since Rolle was a part of the Giants 2011 Super Bowl team, McFadden asked him whether the Mario Manningham catch in Super Bowl XLVI was better than Holmes' catch, and Rolle said Holmes all day.
"I don't think you can compare the two because Santonio Holmes how he caught it, the defensive scheme that we (had) for it, the timing of it," Rolle said on why Holmes catch was better than Manningham's. "But the best catch I've ever seen was (the) Odell Beckham behind the head. That's freakish. I mean, that dude's freakish. But the best pure moment catch, Santonio Holmes all day."
In reference to Holmes' catch, Rolle says he tells people all the time if he had to lose like that, he would lose like that a million times out of a million times.
McFadden then asked Rolle what coverage the Cardinals were in on the Holmes' game-winning touchdown, and he said they were in a box coverage.
"On the backside, we (were) pretty much playing kind of like a man-to-man with a guy hanging low," Rolle said. "And on that side where the play happened, we're supposed to have a guy that's playing the flat, the low outside guy. We had a high outside guy, which is supposed to be exactly where Santonio Holmes caught that ball, then we have a low inside guy for anything that's coming underneath, and then we have a high inside guy."
Rolle mentioned that the Steelers ran the exact play a couple of times earlier in the game and actually ran it to the opposite side right before the game-winning play, but Roethlisberger overthrew Holmes.
"The coach knew exactly what was coming and put us in the perfect coverage; if the coverage was ran the right way. The perfect coverage," Rolle said. "So mind you, we have a low outside guy and a high outside guy. They threw the ball exactly where the high outside guy was supposed to be."
McFadden jumped in and asked, "So the high outside guy went and attacked the shorter route and left a hole?"
"He attacked the shorter route. When Ben Roethlisberger threw the ball, dropped down low and it left an open area. (Aaron) Francisco tried to do the best he can to try to come over there and make a play, but it was greatness. It was greatness," Rolle responded.
Comments