winner Santonio Holmes sat on the grass alongside the end zone - legs outstretched, head bowed, arms wrapped tightly around the ball. He'd come too far to let go. The kid who once sold drugs on a street corner had grown up to become Most Valuable Player of a most remarkable Super Bowl. Holmes, who overcame his gritty childhood in rural south Florida, made a brilliant touchdown catch with 35 seconds left to give the Pittsburgh Steelers their record sixth Super Bowl title, a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. “I dared the team,” Holmes said. “Just give me the ball, give me the chance to make plays and I will do it for you.” He was true to his word on the 6-yard winner. After a pass to the left corner went through Holmes' hands, Ben Roethlisberger lofted the ball toward the right corner, over the hands of not one, not two, but three Arizona defenders. Holmes leaped to get it - and somehow managed to drag both feet in bounds, his toes barely scraping the grass before he tumbled out of bounds. The official threw up both arms - touchdown! - and Holmes sat out of bounds for several seconds, looking down at a ball he didn't want to give up. His teammates piled on top of him, celebrating a game that will go down as one of the greatest in Super Bowl history. The referee took a look at the replay to make sure Holmes had control of the ball and got both feet down. The third-year receiver never had any doubt. “I knew it was a touchdown 100 percent,” he said. “My feet never left the ground. All I did was stand on my toes and extend my hands.” Amazingly, Holmes' catch came at exactly the same point - 35 seconds remaining - as Plaxico Burress' 13-yard touchdown catch in last year's Super Bowl, giving the New York Giants their upset of the unbeaten New England Patriots. That finish was a classic. This one was even better. Earlier in the week, he used the Super Bowl stage to acknowledge selling drugs in Belle Glade, Florida, hoping his story would persuade other youngsters growing up in tough surroundings to turn their life around, just as he did. “This is a wonderful blessing,” Holmes said. “I would like to thank the Lord for helping me overcome all the things I overcame, the coaches for sticking with me, the organization for being behind me and believing in me, and my quarterback for giving me this opportunity to make plays for him all season.”
