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uper Bowl XLV will be the 45th annual edition of the Super Bowl in American football, and the 41st annual championship game of the modern-era National Football League (NFL). The game, to be played on February 6, 2011, will pit the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the NFC champion Green Bay Packers to decide the NFL champion for the 2010 season. The game will be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the first time that the Super Bowl will be held in the Dallas – Fort Worth area; and the third time it will be held in Texas (Houston was the host city to Super Bowls VIII and XXXVIII).
NFL PLAYOFFS SUPER BOWL 2011
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The two teams are Pittsburg Steelers and Green Bay Packers who defeated the New York Jets and Chicago Bears respectively in the AFC and NFC games. Both these teams have great quarterbacks in the form of Big Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers and it should more likely than not turn into a defensive game.
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I know we're all a little upset we're not seeing the Colts play in the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year, but the Super Bowl looks, on paper at least, to be highly entertaining, matching up two very even teams. How even are they? My Predictor has them only 0.2 points apart. So ya, it's close.The Steelers come into the Super Bowl having defeated the Ravens and Jets at home (sound familiar?) after finishing 12-4 on the season, winning the AFC North. The Steelers were in the Super Bowl just two short years ago, defeating the Cardinals 27-23, winning their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history. They are 6-1 all time in the Super Bowl, with only a 27-17 loss to Dallas in Super Bowl XXX.
The Packers had a slightly more difficult road to the Super Bowl, having to go on the road and win three games as the #6 seed, the first team in NFC history to do so. They beat the Eagles, destroyed the Falcons, and survived against their hated rivals the Bears two weekends ago in the NFC Championship game. This is their first Super Bowl appearance since SB XXXII, a 31-24 loss to the Broncos. They did win the Super Bowl the year before, a 35-21 win over the Patriots.
These two teams met last season in one of the best games of the year. The Steelers had lost 5 games in a row, and it looked like it was going to be a sixth when Aaron Rodgers found James Jones for a TD, putting the Packers up 36-30 with 2:06 to go. The Steelers had to start at their own 14 yard line, but marched down the field, and on the final play of the game, Ben Roethlisberger found Mike Wallace on the sideline in the end zone for a 19 yard Touchdown, tying the game at 36. They added the PAT, winning the game 37-36. The teams combined for 886 yards passing, including 503 from Roethlisberger.
How do these two teams matchup in 2010? Let's find out:
| Statistic | Steelers | Packers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | Rank | Defense | Rank | Offense | Rank | Defense | Rank | |
| Avg Start Pos | 33.2 | 2 | 30.5 | 17 | 31.3 | 11 | 29.6 | 10 |
| DSR | 69.8% | 15 | 64.6% | 6 | 73.2% | 7 | 64.4% | 4 |
| Turnovers | 1.03 | 3 | 2.26 | 3 | 1.24 | 7 | 2.06 | 6 |
| Yds/Drive | 31.57 | 10 | 25.54 | 5 | 34.13 | 5 | 27.17 | 10 |
| ToP/Drive | 3:01.0 | 5 | 2:36.0 | 10 | 3:03.0 | 1 | 2:36.0 | 9 |
| Yds/Play | 5.475 | 9 | 4.554 | 2 | 5.753 | 5 | 5.018 | 11 |
| First Downs/Drive | 1.70 | 13 | 1.56 | 10 | 1.87 | 9 | 1.53 | 7 |
| 3rd/4th Down | 42.2% | 10 | 33.8% | 3 | 40.8% | 14 | 36.1% | 11 |
| ANPY/A | 7.149 | 3 | 4.017 | 2 | 7.138 | 4 | 3.852 | 1 |
| 3 and Outs | 3.15 | 6 | 3.76 | 18 | 3.59 | 13 | 4.04 | 13 |
| RZ Eff | 69.3% | 11 | 54.2% | 1 | 65.6% | 17 | 62.6% | 15 |
| Plays/Drive | 5.742 | 12 | 5.540 | 14 | 5.907 | 8 | 5.435 | 9 |
| Penalty Yds / Play | 0.868 | 21 | 0.752 | 24 | 0.677 | 8 | 0.779 | 17 |
| RB Success | 43.0% | 23 | 35.5% | 1 | 49.0% | 5 | 49.1% | 26 |
| Yds/Carry | 3.98 | 19 | 3.10 | 1 | 4.07 | 16 | 4.64 | 29 |
| Net Punts Yds/Game | 41.31 | 2 | 37.07 | 6 | 38.37 | 19 | 40.50 | 28 |
| Overall | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||||
Statistical Keys to the Game:
- Statistically, these are the two best teams in the NFL, and you can certainly see that by these rankings, which are littered with single-digits. It doesn't happen every year, but this year it certainly is the case.
- The Steelers were middle-of-the-road when it comes to Drive Stats, while the Packers defense is very good getting opposing offenses off the field. For the Steelers to win, they'll need to sustain drives like they did against the Jets.
- The Packers lone weak spot on defense is their run defense, so look for Rashard Mendenhall to carry the load once again. The more of him we see, the better the Steelers will do.
- On the flip side of the ball, 3rd and 4th Down Conversions will be key for the Packers, as the Steelers defense is great at getting the other team off the field on those downs. The Packers aren't bad, but need to have a good game converting to win.
- Red Zone Success will also be essential for a Packers victory, as the Steelers are best in the NFL in Red Zone defense, while the Packers are merely average. If the Steelers can force Field Goals, look for them to hoist the Lombardi trophy.
Other Keys to the Game:
- The match-up between Aaron Rodgers and Troy Polamalu. Polamalu always seems to be around the football, and wreaks havoc on opposing offenses. Rodgers will need to move him around the field with his eyes, and try to avoid him.
- Experience. Most of this Steelers team has played in the Super Bowl, while the Packers have very few with Super Bowl experience. It's debated every year whether experience actually matters in a game like this, and it probably doesn't hurt to know what it will be like.
- Late-game strategy and execution. Twice this postseason the Packers have narrowly escaped game-winning drives by their opponent, intercepting passes inside their own 5 yard line both times. Head Coach Mike McCarthy routinely goes very conservative late in games with the lead, causing heart attacks for Packer fans. The Steelers are excellent at putting games away, as well as scoring when they are behind. If it comes down to the Steelers needing a late TD, the advantage will lie with Pittsburgh.
- The Packers have never trailed by more than 7 points all season, the first time that has ever happened in the Super Bowl era. If they get down by more than 7, they'll have to do something they haven't done all season, which is come from more than one score down.
Prediction:
For those of you following Eric's Prediction Contest for the Playoffs, I've only gotten two of the ten playoff games correct, while my Predictor is 8-2. So naturally I should listen to the Predictor, right? Well, I'll keep the final score the same, but I'm switching the teams around. I think the Packers have a great offense and a very good defense, while the Steelers have a great defense, but just a good offense. Aaron Rodgers will be the MVP, and the Packers will have their 4th Super Bowl title.
Packers 24, Steelers 23
SUPER BOWL XLV OVERVIEWAs America scarfs down their nachos and wings and pizza and beer on Sunday evening, while taking in lame commercials that some ad agencies created from their colons, you may notice that, in between commercials, a football game is taking place.
Indeed, the forty-five incarnation of the Super Bowl takes place between two teams with feisty defenses and nearly infallible quarterbacks. The Green Bay Packers had to play ‘road warrior’, mounting dominant first halves on Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Chicago en route to “Jerryland” in Dallas. On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Steelers with a first round bye, outworked Baltimore in a come-from-behind win, and then built up a big enough lead on the Jets that New York couldn’t quite overcome. Now matched up head to head in Dallas this Sunday night, one side has to give. Can Ben Roethlisberger overpower Green Bay’s poaching zone defense? Or will Aaron Rodgers navigate Pittsburgh’s stifling linebacker coverage?
TEN QUESTIONS
1. How did Green Bay dominate Chicago so early?
Aaron Rodgers is on a crazy roll right now. Unlike Peyton Manning and Tom Brady this playoff season, I haven’t once seen Rodgers look timid, nor have I seen him second guess himself. The opening drive in which the Packers went downfield on a tough Bears defense, Rodgers just patiently made his reads and racked up first down after first down before scrambling in from one yard out for the score. A 14-0 halftime lead was built, and Jay Cutler was taken out of the game with a knee issue that became the source of controversy. The only reason that the game even became close is because Green Bay was unprepared for third stringer Caleb Hanie, and the kid was playing with a sense of “even if I fail, I won’t get blamed.” Matt Forte was held to 70 yards rushing, and the Packers prevented just about any big play.
2. How was Pittsburgh able to run up the score on the Jets in the first half?
The Steelers’ first possession of the game ate up around ten minutes of clock, and even the best defenses can’t go ten minutes on the field without being deflated. To let Pittsburgh keep the clock rolling for that long and end up with a touchdown, it’s demoralizing. Compounding the problem is that the Jets could not answer back, instead watching haplessly as Pittsburgh added 17 more points in the second quarter. A team like Pittsburgh can strangle a quarterback, and Mark Sanchez seemed wholly unprepared to throw a counter punch after the Steelers chewed up that first quarter. The Jets offensive line, considered one of the stronger lines in the league, allowed Ike Taylor to fly in and clobber Sanchez, forcing a fumble that William Gay took in 19 yards for a touchdown, at a point in which the Jets couldn’t afford to give ground. Pittsburgh simply dominated when it mattered.
3. Is Aaron Rodgers capable of navigating Pittsburgh’s defense?
What did I say earlier about Rodgers playing with no fear? You don’t want to play stupid against Pittsburgh, but there’s no sense in being conservative against Dick LeBeau’s new “Steel Curtain” either. Rodgers, of course, is the former type. He’s completed 15 passes between 20 and 39 yards this postseason, far more than the second place quarterback (Jay Cutler with 7), and, as mentioned, led Green Bay down field on Chicago on that opening drive without hesitation. Pittsburgh, of course, has kept up their defensive pressure all postseason; the Steelers have two defensive touchdowns (one off of a fumble, the other on a pick six), and have seven sacks over two games, including five against Baltimore. Rodgers has developed a quicker release on his throws due to offensive line woes (particularly last season), and it’s up to him to make sure the Steelers coverage doesn’t shadow his range of vision.
4. Is Ben Roethlisberger the most underrated quarterback in football?
This would be Ben’s third trip to the Super Bowl in just seven seasons, and the troubled quarterback is a win here away from tying the likes of Troy Aikman and Tom Brady, while bringing him a ring away from equaling Joe Montana and his famed predecessor in Pittsburgh, Terry Bradshaw. It’s time to start making the argument that Ben is, in fact, one of the best quarterbacks ever. His career stat line may not be as staggering as Brady’s or Peyton Manning’s, but Ben Roethlisberger has them trumped in another category: fourth quarter comebacks. Roethlisberger possesses 26 game winning drives, and 19 fourth quarter comebacks in his impressive career, including Super Bowl XLIII, when he found Santonio Holmes for the improbable touchdown. In 2010, Roethlisberger led four victories in the fourth quarter, including two over Baltimore (the December late comeback, and the playoff third down bomb to rookie Antonio Brown).
5. Which offensive player of Green Bay’s would be most effective?
My money would be on Greg Jennings. In three games this postseason, Jennings has put up 17 catches for 239 yards, albeit with zero touchdowns. That’s okay, because against Pittsburgh, getting downfield is a moral victory unto itself. Because let’s face it, trying to run on the Steelers is like running in concrete shoes. James Starks and Brandon Jackson, and even John Kuhn, are going to find themselves getting swarmed. Rodgers, if he can find time like he’s been able to, can sidestep as much of the rush as possible and start firing bullets downfield. Jennings is his ideal target in this situation; not many number one corners can shut him down completely. If Rodgers uses a deep passing game to at least enter the red zone, from there he has more options with the shorter field. An offense is more confident running the ball with daylight in their sights.
6. Which offensive player of Pittsburgh’s would be most effective?
This is where Rashard Mendenhall would come in handy. The Eagles and Falcons stupidly tried to force throws into Green Bay’s abyss of a zone defense. For as effective as the Packers zone is, you can burn them with runs. This is a defense that, during the regular season, was giving up 4.7 yards a rush. How can a team get away with that as a Super Bowl contender? That’s easy, getting turnovers. Green Bay’s zone employs some of the most complex and confusing blitzes that a quarterback will see, and the lack of comfort afforded him leads to blindly-thrown interceptions, and “never had a chance” fumbles. While Roethlisberger is known for his clutch capabilities and supreme confidence, it doesn’t mean that Pittsburgh won’t defer to Mendenhall early and often. After all, Pittsburgh challenged New York’s defense with that opening drive; expect them to try the same on Green Bay.
7. Which part of Green Bay’s defense matches up best with Roethlisberger?
Just about any quarterback would struggle to fight off Green Bay’s complicated blitz, given the layers of uniqueness that Dom Capers keeps adding to the charge. Clay Matthews, perhaps better than any Packers defender, stands the best chance of making Roethlisberger have to do it all himself. Despite the 4.7 yards per carry average that Green Bay allows, Matthews can still chase down the fastest running backs in the game. If you take the edge away from Mendenhall and Isaac Redman, that leaves the middle. Problem here is that Maurkice Pouncey may not be able to go with a busted ankle, and he’s been one of the difference makers for that offensive line. If he can’t go, or he’s less than optimally effective, that’s more pressure that the linebackers will be capable of bringing. Roethlisberger won’t mind throwing so much, but take away the run, and the Steelers become predictable.
8. Which part of Pittsburgh’s defense matches up best with Rodgers?
We may as well be living in a parallel universe, because Pittsburgh’s linebackers provide the most pop for their defense. I feel like I could rewrite the previous paragraph and just modify some of the names, but let’s keep this fresh. James Harrison, Lawrence Timmons, James Farrior, and Lamar Woodley have a combined 30.5 sacks this season, and that’s in addition to helping the Steelers became the NFL’s most superior run stopping unit. Rodgers’ move is to scramble to his right to avoid pressure, and then make a quick read before throwing, and this is where Pittsburgh will do their most damage. Get to Rodgers early, and Green Bay has to readjust with tight end help. If you take away Rodgers’ various options deep, he needs to take a little longer to find a good read. I predict at 6 or 7 Rodgers passes will be thrown out of bounds.
9. What part of Pittsburgh can Green Bay exploit the most?
Since the Packers have been good at building early leads this playoffs, and the chances of them doing it on Pittsburgh’s defense are a little slimmer, it’s time for Pittsburgh to take advantage. While Green Bay has a crippling zone defense, their man to man coverage is, for whatever reason, flawed. Roethlisberger, if he can fight off the blitzes that’ll be thrown his way, needs to take advantage by completing his passes early. Anytime you can render a zone ineffective, you force a defense to either go deeper into the playbook to dig their heels in with unseen blitzes, or you force them to go man to man. Charles Woodson thrives on zone coverage, and that’s kept him playing at a high level. But get him man to man on Mike Wallace without a safety nearby, and that can become an easy six points. Point blank, Pittsburgh must score early.
10. What part of Green Bay can Pittsburgh exploit the most?
Green Bay’s calling card has been their ability to force turnovers. 24 interceptions and 17 fumble recoveries on the season means that my previous paragraph would be easier said than done for Roethlisberger. Baltimore had the right idea in round two, making Pittsburgh pay dearly for a pair of fumbles in their own territory. Green Bay simply cannot relent in their pass rush, as well as their run stopping. Keeping Roethlisberger off the field, especially taking him out after a turnover, is in Green Bay’s best interests. Much like Pittsburgh needs to build an early lead, as does the Packers. Their second half defenses have faltered (nearly coughing up the Eagles and Bears games), and Roethlisberger is not the guy to face in the fourth quarter. Getting to Roethlisberger early on would remedy the need to try and hang on late, and it keeps Aaron Rodgers in the driver’s seat.
ANALYSIS
While many are anticipating a low scoring, mud-slinging, defensive fight to the death, I truly believe we’re going to see something a bit closer to a shoot out, much like the Steelers-Cardinals Super Bowl of two years ago. If Green Bay can put up points early, they’re not out of the woods, because Roethlisberger seems to enter a cheat code in the fourth quarter that turns him into the Tasmanian Devil. Pittsburgh, should they exert themselves on Green Bay with high scoring early, have to know that if Mark Sanchez can lead a near comeback victory on them, Aaron Rodgers can most assuredly top it. It’s a game where both teams have to be on their toes for all sixty minutes. Both teams can force turnovers, and they can institute comebacks out of scratch. In the end, I predict a less-than-a-touchdown win for Pittsburgh, by holding off Aaron Rodgers late.
Prepare yourself, folks.
During the next two weeks, you’re going to be hit over the head with more Super Bowl discussion and debate than you might be able to physically handle. As someone far smarter and pithier than me once described the two weeks before the Super Bowl — we’re about to enter the “”paralysis of analysis” zone.
Yes, until Feb. 6, you’re going to read and hear it all. We’ll be flooded with all the many lessons Aaron Rodgers learned or didn't learn from Brett Favre, the lessons Sam Shields and Tramon Williams have learned from Charles Woodson and the lessons Ben Roethlisberger learned after taking that fateful trip down to Milledgeville, Ga., last summer.
We’ll see more than enough NFL Films footage from two franchises that have combined for 18 league championships and 49 Pro Football Hall of Famers, hear the name Lombardi even more than usual, and maybe — just maybe — get a few Lynn Swann highlights.
Screaming talking heads on TV will debate if Dick LeBeau’s the “greatest defensive mind ever,” they’ll shout at each other until they're red in the face over which of these two die-hard fan bases is the superior clan, and they’ll lose their breath over some worthless argument surrounding Terrible Towels and cheese-shaped hats made of foam. Points will be made, heads will be nodded and there will be countless laughs at jokes that aren't funny.
The Black Eyed Peas will be involved in a news story at some point, and so might a media-starved ex-player promoting a soup product or fashionable sports drink. Media Day will bring out the freaks, the few days following Media Day will feature members of the media grasping at straws for far-reaching angles that haven’t been exhausted, and the bookmakers out in Vegas will share their exotic prop bets to a nation salivating for something new to chew on.
As for the actual football?
You’d be surprised, but there usually isn't that much X’s and O’s discussed during these two endless weeks of buildup. If there’s anything that’s lacking from the dead zone between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, it’s the actual analysis of the game, itself.
In truth, this one has all the makings of a classic. Off the field, it has all those bells and whistles, too. On the field? It should be awesome. Here are my five first-glance things to watch for in a Steelers-Packers Super Bowl.
1. The two 3-4 masters and the quarterbacks who just don’t go down: With apologies to Rex Ryan and Wade Phillips, defensive coordinators Dom Capers and Dick LeBeau are the top two 3-4 defensive minds in the NFL, and between them, combine for more than 50 years of NFL coaching experience. The difference in their respective Super Bowl game plans, of course, will be the two quarterbacks their respective pass-rush happy 3-4 defenses will be facing.
Capers, a former NFL head coach with both the Panthers and Texans, relies on endless pass rushing pursuit from All-Pro outside linebacker Clay Matthews. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might not evade Matthews with agility and sheer speed, but Roethlisberger’s nearly impossible to bring down at first contact. His carnival of pump fakes and dips and dunks, paired with an uncanny ability to find receivers in stride on third-and-long, make him just about immune to a ferocious pass rush.
Aaron Rodgers, on the other hand, is the closest thing to Steve Young that we’ve seen since the 49ers Hall of Fame quarterback retired in 2000. In addition to his Young-like accuracy, Rodgers is arguably the top scrambling quarterback in the NFL. And that includes Michael Vick. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley might get to Rodgers in the Super Bowl, but his ability to make nothing out of something with his feet creates a potential matchup problem for LeBeau and his hard-charging defense.
Everyone knows about Roethlisberger and Rodgers’ incredible arms and their ability to hit receivers downfield. Their abilities to evade hard-pressing pass rushers, though, could actually play bigger roles in determining the better team in Dallas.
Either way, both Capers and LeBeau's game plans will be fascinating to watch unfold.
2. The Packers and their newly found running game: During the preseason, I sat with a few friends who’d just finished their fantasy football draft. One of my buddies, a cat named Scott, obnoxiously boasted all afternoon about his “Sleeper Pick of the Year” — Packers running back James Starks. Scott, of course, is one of the seven State University of New York — Buffalo football fans in America, and thus, had a bit of a paternal love for Starks, his fellow Buffalo Bull.
After a season battling injuries and finding himself in and out of the active lineup, Starks finally made an impact on the Packers' offense in the final month of the season. During the playoffs? He’s provided the necessary balance to a Packers offense that struggled to find a running game for the bulk of the season.
In Sunday’s NFC Championship Game at Chicago, Starks carried the ball 22 times for 74 yards with a touchdown. In Green Bay’s three postseason games, he’s averaged 23.3 carries a game. Heading into the playoffs, everyone pointed to the Packers’ running game as the team’s Achilles’ heel.
Now? It’s a strength.
Starks didn't do much for Scott's fantasy football team, but he's doing a heck of a lot for the Packers this month.
Of course, for all of his success this postseason, James Starks hasn’t seen anything like the Steelers’ defense, which gave up an NFL all-time best 63 rushing yards per game in 2010.
LET'S KICK IT
The Packers and Steelers don't have any cheerleaders? Take a look at what Super Bowl XLV is missing.The Jets, one of the top rushing teams in the game, scrapped for just 70 yards on Sunday. New York's the only team to top the 100-yard mark all season vs. the Steelers, and did so in Week 15.
The spotlight will be on bigger names, but James Starks — the former Buffalo Bull — might be the most important player on the field in Dallas.
3. The fast start: After Jim Cornelison’s riveting rendition of the national anthem got a frenzied Chicago crowd rocking for Sunday's opening kickoff, the Packers started on fire and numbed any momentum the Bears might have had in the early moments of the NFC Championship Game. You know that image of a balloon being popped by a pin and weezing its way into oblivion? That was Soldier Field five minutes into Sunday's game.
The Packers’ first offensive series could serve as a study for high school football teams looking to analyze “The Perfect Drive.” Rodgers completed four passes for 76 yards and scrambled for the game’s first score. They scored on a Starks touchdown a few minutes later, stretching the lead to 14-0. The rest was history.
A few hours later in Pittsburgh, the Steelers opened the game with a clock-eating nine-minute scoring drive and jumped to an early 7-0 lead. They’d extend that lead to 24 points before giving up 19 consecutive to close out the game. Both teams started with well-defined game plans, executed them perfectly, and did enough damage in the first half to withstand late comebacks from their rivals. Though the Steelers did come back from a 14-point halftime deficit vs. the Ravens two weeks ago, it’ll be hard to do the same on a neutral field versus an offense as high-powered as Green Bay’s. The fourth quarter might be when it matters most, but those first 15 minutes could very well be when this Super Bowl is won.
4. Shootout Part II? Doubtful. The most entertaining regular-season game of the 2009 season pitted the slumping Steelers vs. the red-hot Packers in a late December aerial show at Heinz Field. Rodgers completed 26 of 48 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns that afternoon, while Roethlisberger torched the Packers for 503 yards and three scores, including a game-winning touchdown pass to then-rookie Mike Wallace late in the fourth quarter.
What really killed the Packers in that game? Besides their horrendous pass defense? Penalties.
Five of Green Bay’s seven penalties in that Week 15 game resulted in first downs for Pittsburgh. The Steelers, as they usually do, capitalized and optimized their opportunities.
Can we expect a similar type of game two weeks from now? I highly doubt it. Rodgers and Roethlisberger are playing well, but neither of these two defenses is giving up 400 yards in the air anytime soon.
Green Bay’s two young defensive backs — Tramon Williams and Sam Shields — have played above and beyond what the Packers ever expected from them this season. Meanwhile, the Steelers defense has a certain guy with long hair named Pola-something in the defensive backfield this time around. There’s no chance Rodgers puts up the fireworks he did last season against Pittsburgh with No. 43 in the lineup.
5. The ‘Ol vets: In the end, this one might come down to veteran players making the biggest plays down the stretch. In Green Bay, there’s wide receiver Donald Driver, playing in his first Super Bowl after 12 seasons in the league, and Charles Woodson — the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner — who’ll be suiting up for his second shot at a Super Bowl after his Raiders were blown out by the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXVII. Woodson has been waiting eight years to return to the big stage. Chad Clifton’s a longtime Packer but has yet to play in the big game, while Ryan Pickettsuited up for the Rams in their loss to the Patriots back in 2001. To be certain, there haven’t been many Super Bowl highlights, let alone memories, from the Green Bay locker room.
Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, most of the guys suiting up on Feb. 6 already have Super Bowl rings, if not two. Three players — Larry Foote, Antwan Randle El, and Bryant McFadden — won rings with the Steelers, left to play elsewhere, only to come back for this 2010 campaign. Been there, done that? You can say that again. Even coach Mike Tomlin, in just five years in Pittsburgh, is the only head coach in NFL history to coach in two Super Bowls before age 40.
If we’ve learned anything in the past three weeks, it’s that this Packers team isn’t scared of challenges. To be certain, they do not become weeping willows when under the national spotlight. But will the bright lights of the Super Bowl be an entirely different ballgame for this year’s road warriors? Will the Steelers' edge in Super Bowl experience make a difference? From the coaching staffs down to the special teams, I can’t recall a Super Bowl matchup with a bigger differential in the two teams’ Super Bowls played.
Then again, it hasn’t fazed this Packers team this month. Why should such a silly thing as big-game experience matter now?
And now with those five things out of the way, let’s get back to what really matters . . . what song will the Black Eyed Peas open up with at halftime?
Ah, the Super Bowl. There's really nothing like it.
