The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most storied franchises in NFL history, having hoisted six Lombardi Trophies. Fans love to tell the stories of the incredible moments that got the team those championship wins, like James Harrison’s 99-yard “Immaculate Interception” touchdown, Lynn Swann’s leaping 53-yard catch from Terry Bradshaw, and the gadget play when Antwaan Randle El threw a touchdown pass to Hines Ward. However, we talk less about the two Super Bowls that got away. Those teams were incredible and the players fought hard to win. The two teams that beat the Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, have players that tell stories about having to go up against the solid Black and Gold defenses.
For one former Packers’ offensive lineman, Daryn Colledge, his Super Bowl story is one of having to block one of the most prolific defensive ends in Steelers history, Brett Keisel. Colledge recently shared his story of Super Bowl XLV, which capped off the 2010 season with the Packers defeating the Steelers, 31-25.
The 2010 season was Keisel’s ninth year in the league, all of them with Pittsburgh. He had made quite a name for himself, helping the Steelers win two previous Super Bowls, XL and XLIII. Known as a hard-working, nose-to-the-grind-stone type player, Keisel became a fan favorite also in part because of his iconic beard.
Recently, Colledge joined an Idaho sports radio show called Prater & The Ballgame which airs on KTIK 95.3 FM. Super Bowl XLV was his first and only Super Bowl appearance and he said he certainly felt the nerves. Here, he was just a small-town kid from Alaska who was going to be going up against his childhood football heroes, the Steelers.
Leading up to the game, he knew he was going to be up against Keisel. Colledge said he had played against Keisel before and knew exactly how tough he was. He knew that Keisel had done this before successfully and felt like the Packers were, “young, dumb and hungry” in comparison. Worst of all, Colledge said that he was sure he had lost the game and that would be his legacy.
“I think I hung on with hope, prayer, and fingernails. Brett was extremely talented, you know the ‘fear the beard’ campaign was in full swing and I knew how good he was. I knew I was going to have my hands full the whole game. I knew I was going to be facing him 90% of the snaps and I knew what he was capable of. I had to be my best the whole game. You said that false start I had didn’t matter, but it’s one of the only things I still remember from that game, the feeling I had when I jumped and I’m like, ‘I just lost us the Super Bowl,'” recalled Colledge.
Colledge said he was still relatively young and was going to be a free agent after that season. All he could think about was that he cost his team the game and all of Green Bay would hate him. The show’s hosts remind listeners that Green Bay had a three-point lead on their last drive of the game and they were at third and five when Colledge jumped.
Instead of the Steelers’ defense being able to capitalize upon that mistake, Aaron Rodgers did what he has done so many times during his career, won his team a game. He threw a 31-yard pass to Greg Jennings that got them the first down. They were able to get into field goal range and have Mason Crosby kick a 23-yard field goal.
Colledge said it was like an elephant had been lifted off his chest. You would think that he would have gone out that night and celebrated that victory with some drinks and his teammates, but Colledge said going up against Keisel took every thing out of him.
“I think I was asleep. I think Bret Michaels was playing a concert for about an hour and a half, but I literally had blocked ‘the beard’ for two and a half hours, and I wanted to go to bed. I went to bed at like 10:30 PM, fell asleep in my hotel room. A bunch of guys went out to party and had a great time and it was much deserved, but as an offensive lineman who played somewhere between 60 and 75 plays, I was like, ‘Alright, I am ready to go to sleep.’ I’d love to tell you some crazy NFL story and that some media mogul or rap star showed up and we had an awesome party, but that was not me.”
That loss would mark the last time the Steelers or Green Bay would make a Super Bowl appearance. The Packers are one of the oldest teams in the NFL and have the most championship wins, which includes before the modern era. They have four Super Bowl victories and like the Steelers, are considered part of the backbone of the modern NFL.
