After Larry Fitzgerald split a sea of Pittsburgh Steelers defenders to give the Arizona Cardinals the lead with 2:37 left in Super Bowl XLIII, Santonio Holmes told himself he wouldn’t be denied again.

He thought of missed opportunities in his football career, from underwhelming performances in meaningful high school games to redshirting during Ohio State’s 2002 national championship season.cheap nfl nike jerseys china

He had to be the difference this time, so he walked up to his quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, who was positioned close to offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, and tapped him on the hip.

“I said, ‘[No.] 7, I want the ball right now,'” Holmes, 34, recalled of his words before the game-winning drive. “‘No disrespect to the other guys. I want the ball.’ He never said anything. He just threw it to me.”

Ten years ago Friday, Holmes made a play that will forever live in black-and-gold folklore. The freeze frame says it all: Holmes tapping his two feet on the Cardinal-painted end zone as three defenders closed in, securing the ball while bracing for the fall out of bounds from the far corner.

Roethlisberger delivered the kind of throw that inspires shoe ads. The brilliant 6-yard touchdown with 42 seconds left gave the Steelers a 27-23 lead, secured their sixth world championship and changed Holmes’ life forever.cheap nfl jerseys china nike

“Millions are watching you. What are you going to do now?” Holmes said about his mentality before the play. “You didn’t ask God to put you in this place for you not to do what you were supposed to do.