Five leftover thoughts from last night's AFC championship game:

1. Some people were quick to criticize Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians for conservative play calling in the fourth quarter, when Arians called for back-to-back runs by Willie Parker on the first two plays of a possession that began with 9:29 to play. Willie Colon was called for a false start on third down, and Ben Roethlisberger was sacked on the next snap. I don't have a problem with the play selection. Hines Ward, Roethlisberger's most reliable receiver was out of the game. The Ravens were rolling coverage to Santonio Holmes, who already had burned them on a 65-yard touchdown. The other options were Nate Washington and Limas Sweed, both of whom had dropped passes, and tight end Heath Miller. The problem with throwing to Miller over the middle is that such passes are usually into traffic and carry the risk that the ball could be tipped and intercepted. Plus, do you really want Roethlisberger running around in the pocket against the Ravens' blitz, where he could fumble or try to force a pass that winds up being intercepted? Parker hadn't done much to that point, but the Steelers needed to take time off the clock and he was their best option.

2. The Ravens lost their composure on a play that might have cost them the game. With seven minutes to play and the Steelers up 16-14, Jim Leonhard returned a Mitch Berger punt to the Ravens 39, giving Joe Flacco a short field to drive for the go-ahead field goal. But Daren Stone, who had been knocked out of the game on a hut by Carey Davis on the opening kickoff, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, a half-the-distance call that backed up the Ravens 14 yards to their 14. Five plays later Flacco threw the interception that Troy Polamalu returned 40 yards for the touchdown that put the game away.

3. Steelers owner Dan Rooney accepted congratulations from every quarter in the post-game locker room, including from Jerome Bettis. It was obvious Rooney was proud not only because his team got back to the Super Bowl for the second time in four years, but because Mike Tomlin reinforced his family's decision to hire a relatively unknown assistant two years ago over familiar names like Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm.

4. Many of the hits Sunday were downright scary. Four plays in particular rated as among the hardest shots I have seen in 10 years covering the NFL -- and that they all came in one game is remarkable. They were: Ryan Clark's crushing tackle of Willis McGahee, forcing a fumble and sending McGahee off on a cart; Limas Sweed's block on Corey Ivy trailing a catch by Heath Miller, a hit that not only stopped Ivy's momentum but doubled him over backward; Ray Lewis' hit on Willie Parker on a screen pass that fell incomplete; Carey Davis' bone-crunching hit on Daren Stone on the opening kickoff.

5. I've felt the Heinz Field press box sway several times, the first during pre-game of the 2002 Steelers-Browns wild card-game. But it never moved as much as it did Sunday after Troy Polamalu's game-sealing interception return. I looked at the monitor on my laptop and it was shaking. I don't know how much tolerance architects accounted for when the stadium was built, but I can't imagine the upper decks traveling much father than they did Sunday -- what seemed like at least a few inches back and forth -- without toppling onto the field.

-- John Dudley