Super Bowl XL

Yes, I wanted to come up with a title for this column a lot better than the one it has. Something like "Sick of the XS that is Super Bowl XL" or something. Maybe "As The Joey Porter Turns." I didn't though. I am just going to talk about the game. Ok I'll mention the other stuff.

Only 2 days until kickoff. Thank God, cuz I am sick of hearing about Jerome Bettis coming home, Matt Hasselbeck being bald (seriously, the Seahawks are such a "boring" team that this is their major story), or the "War of Words" between Joey Porter and Jerramy Stevens. Listen for it to be considered a War of Words there actually has to be a war behind it. All Jerramy Stevens said was the same thing any player playing in the game thinks. He didn't say "We are going to end Bettis' career by breaking his legs, and winning the Super Bowl! I GUARANTEE it." He said he hopes it's not a happy homecoming for Bettis cuz the Seahawks want to win this game. Joey Porter being Joey Porter though had to turn this whole thing into a "disrespect" issue. Please. Not that the media hasn't been helping this along (Can you blame them? I mean what are they going to write about? THEY'RE IN DETROIT.) by asking him about it everytime they can. I know Joey Porter needs this type of thing to get ready to play, but I mean, if you need extra motivation to get excited to play in the Super Bowl that's a bad sign for your team. Playing for the ultimate goal in your profession is not nearly as huge as proving Jerramy Stevens wrong!

Luckily for all of us, it's almost over. Lost in all this shuffle is that this could be one of the best Super Bowls of all time. We have been blessed the last few years with great games. We had Super Bowl XXXIV with the Titans being stopped one yard short of the trophy by the Rams, and three Patriots victories (Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX) won by a combined total of 9 points. Ya there were two blowouts, Ravens 34-7 over the Giants in XXXV, and Tampa Bay 48-21 over the Raiders in XXXVII.

This game could be better than all of them. More people have seen the Steelers play this season than they have the Seahawks. This leads a lot of people to believe the Steelers are better, and they may be. What a lot of people don't realize though is these teams are very similiar.

Onto the breakdown. (Point spread from Bodog.com, as of 2/3/06)

Pittsburgh Steelers (-4.5) vs Seattle Seahawks

We have two teams here who like to run the ball, have good quarterbacks, good wide receivers, and good defenses. There is a belief out there that the Steelers defense is better than the Seahawks. Statistically they'd be right. Also Pittsburgh may be harder hitters, but Polamalu's injury does concern me, no matter what the Steelers are saying about it. The Seahawks were ranked 16th in the NFL, but that number is misleading. When your offense is scoring 30 points a game, that means you are going to have a lot of big leads. What do teams do when they are down a lot? The drop back and throw. This is going to lead to yards against numbers rising for a defense. Where it helped the Seahawks though was in their sack totals. They led the NFL. Also the Seahawks have a knack for creating turnovers, just ask Jake Delhomme. I honestly see these defenses to be pretty even with a slight edge in favor of Pittsburgh.

Slight Edge: Pittsburgh

Quarterback
I think this is the key position in the game. Which QB can do the most to win the game. Roethlisberger has been amazing in the postseason, and he's had to be. The Steelers running game has averaged only 2.7 yards per carry. Hasselbeck also showed against the Redskins that he can carry his team on his back too. I have nothing against either one of these guys really. Both are solid players who can win games for you, but I have to admit I have more faith in Ben.

Edge: Pittsburgh

Running Back
Jerome Bettis is from Detroit in case you didn't know. That's where the Super Bowl is being played. Unfortunately Jerome Bettis only carries the ball around 5 times a game. (Unless it's against the Bears. Then he's 27 again.) Shaun Alexander is the best running back in the league right now, let alone this game. He broke the NFL touchdown record with 28, and proved in the NFC Championship that he can perform in big games. (Honestly I'm not sure where this "Shaun Alexander doesn't show up for big games" theory started. How many "Big Games" has he even played in?) The Steelers though could be a problem for Alexander. A lot of Shauns 1,800 yards came when Seattle had leads in a game, and they turn to Alexander to run out the clock. I don't know if Seattle is going to be able to get that large of a lead in this game, so Alexander is going to have to run for a lot of tough yards. Not to mention that the Steelers have an excellent run defense. Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis are going to have to do better than they have so far in the postseason. Both have been struggling for yards, and have had a tendency to let the ball hit the turf lately. This cannot happen in this game. The Seahawk defense creates enough turnovers on their own, the Steelers don't need to help them out.

Edge:Seattle

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
Hines Ward is the biggest name of any pass catcher in this game. The Steelers WR's are kind of small though. They are excellent run blockers though, and all have good hands. TE Heath Miller has proven to be a very useful tool for Big Ben, and could be a large X factor in this game. Cedric Wilson has played well enough to make Antwaan Randle El seem expendable after the season. The Seahawks have Darrell Jackson (So underrated!!!), Bobby Engram, Joe Jurevicious, and Jerramy Stevens at TE. Stevens is also pretty underrated as far as NFL TE's go. Just ask Hasselbeck how important Stevens' big body and soft hands are to this Seahawk offense in helping stretch the middle of the field. Darrell Jackson has been banged up, but he's easily in the Top 10 WR's in the NFL when he's healthy. Then you have Bobby Engram and Joey J. Both are alumni of Penn State, so we know they're good.

Edge: Seattle

Offensive Line

All right, so I'm not going to do some statistical breakdown of the O-lines. They aren't talked about enough though. The fact is both of these lines have been amazing, and I know that cuz if they hadn't been neither of these teams are in this game. You can't run the ball effectively without a dominant line, and you can't pass the ball effectively without an offensive line. When was the last time you ever heard a coach say "Well we couldn't block anybody, but in the end we didn't need to to win this game." That's right, you haven't. Whichever one of these two teams fantastic units blocks better will win this game.

Edge: Even

Special Teams
This aspect of teams is too often overlooked. The Seahawks have the better kicker, but with the game being played indoors that takes away some of their edge there. The Steelers do have a guy that can blow open a game return wise, Antwaan Randle El. Randle El is a free agent after this season, and a big return for a TD in Super Bowl XL can lead to a big contract. (Antwaan, I hear your mother calling you, she wants you to come home to Chicago.) Just ask Desmond Howard.

Edge: Pittsburgh

So now you all probably want to know who I think is going to win. Well, I'll tell you how it ends. Trailing 21-17 Pittsburghs Ben Roethlisberger will take the field with 2:38 left at his own 25 yard line. Shaun Alexander just scored a TD on third and goal to give Seattle the lead. Ben has 2 timeouts to use. Roethlisberger then leads the team down the field completing passes all over the field, and using the clock wisely. The Steelers even sprinkle in a draw to Willie Parker from the shotgun formation that gets 20 HUGE yards. Then with 25 seconds left, Roethlisberger finds Heath Miller in the end zone over the middle as the Seahawks worry too much about the sidelines. The legend that will be Ben Roethlisberger is born on Sunday February 5th 2006.

Pittsburgh Steelers 24 Seattle Seahawks 21.

Random Thoughts

• Is the NFL going to make Mick Jagger and Keith Richards keep their shirts buttoned after the whole Janet Jackson thing a few years ago?
• Jay Mariotti has his own thoughts on the Super Bowl's Halftime Show.
• The Fighting Illini went to Madison and beat up on the Badgers. Since Bo Ryan has coached the Badgers, they've lost twice at home in Big Ten play. (37-2) Both times to Illinois.(This season and last.) Last year the Illini got to the championship game, and if they keep playing like they did in Madison they may just get back to the Final Four again this year.
• FANTASY FOOTBALL PLAYERS: Edgerrin James doesn't think he'll be playing in Indy next year. This could have dramatic effects on your team.
• I'm happy Mike Martz turned down the oppurtunity to be the Detroit Lion's offensive coordinator for 2 reasons. One, now the Bears won't have to actually devise a gameplan against the Lions, and two, Martz was actually honest about why he didn't take the job. I wish others would just come out and say "They weren't offering enough." instead of "It just wasn't the right situation."
• Notre Dame's 2006 recruiting class has been ranked #3 in the country. Here's hoping the team is ranked at least that high at the end of next season.
• The NBA has released the All Star Starters.
• Hey Bode Miller, when the hell did skiers opinions start to matter? Just shut up and ski. I know you are only relevant (and I use that term loosely) for a couple of weeks every 4 years, but don't go attacking others just to try to keep the spotlight on you a little bit longer. After all you're the idiot who admitted you ski drunk sometimes.
• The Vikings Love Boat trial dates have been set. If you aren't aware of what happened, you can read this old column of mine. Wild Waters of Lake Minnetonka
• What the hell are they putting in the Orioles drinking water? First they want to be traded, then they don't. Make up your damn minds!!!
• As if things weren't bad enough for Eagles QB Donovan McNabb. Now Jerome Bettis and his mom are going to be taking away his Campbell's Soup adds.
• I'm never going to give Indiana basketball credit again. The second I say they are going to win the Big Ten they go in the tank.