Reaction from Sunday's post-game interviews to some of the AFC championship game's main story lines:

-- Max Starks, on facing former Steelers assistants Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm in the Super Bowl:

"It's going to be emotional for us. Those are the coaches I won my last Super Bowl with. But it's going to be old school versus new school. I think it's going to be a challenge. I'm glad we're doing it in Tampa instead of Pittsburgh any more, because it's getting a little bit cold up here."

-- Starks, on the chance to become the first NFL team to win six Super Bowls:

"It's time to separate ourselves from the rest of the pack."

-- Deshea Townsend, on returning to the Super Bowl:

"I've played with a lot of players that have never made it to an AFC championship game. You can't let an opportunity slip away. That's what I told our guys before the game. You have to seize the moment, make it happen."

-- Santonio Holmes, on his 65-yard touchdown catch, which came on a scrambling throw by Ben Roethlisberger:

"I kind of felt like he was throwing the ball away. He felt like he was throwing the ball away. I got lazy and let the defender (Fabian Washington) feel like the ball was going to be thrown out of bounds. When I saw it (thrown) short, I reacted to the ball quicker than he did, and I had a group of guys that were running with me."

-- Holmes, on the goal-line catch that was overturned early in the game on a replay challenge:

"I definitely feel like they took that touchdown away from me. I had total control of the ball, I extended across the goal line and scored a touchdown."

-- Mike Tomlin, on Ben Roethlisberger's play:

"Ben is a special guy. He is at his best in the midst of the most difficult adversity, in other years and in this year. Such was the case today. He recognized the magnitude of the game, and he did what his team needed to do. He was very efficient and made great decisions."

-- Troy Polamalu on how this year's defense compares to that of the Super Bowl XL champion defense:

"Without a doubt this is the best defense that I've ever played on, but we'll see what happens in the next game. I think it's going to solidify how good we are. This team had to rely more on the defense. We had to make a lot more big plays. We caused and forced a lot more turnovers than in the past."

-- Joe Flacco, on Polamalu's interception:

"I think that Troy was able to read my eyes. Both of our receivers were on that side of the field and he does a great job of doing that. You have to influence him as much as you can away from where you want to throw the ball. I think he was able to beat me there, he read me a little bit."

-- John Dudley