I know we're all a little upset we're not seeing the Colts play in the Super Bowl for the second
Midway in the NFC, winning its third straight road playoff game 21-14 over the rival Chicago Bears. The Packers can also hold their own in the hair department, too, with the grungy locks of Clay Matthews matched against Polamalu's thick mass of curls.
A pair of over-the-top 'dos for America's most outsized sporting event, a de facto national holiday that brings all of America together in front of their high-def, big-screen TVs for a blitz of salsa and wings, unabashed capitalism and glitzy halftime shows -- and, for most of the past decade, some dang good football.
And let's not forget our other national pastime: gambling.
The Packers opened as 2½-point favorites for the game Feb. 6 at Cowboys Stadium, the spaceship of a stadium that Jerry Jones built to showcase a game as big as all of Texas.
That spread sounds about right, based on the classic finishes that have become the norm in a game that used to be anything but Super on the field.
Beginning in 2000, when the Rams stopped the Titans a yard short of the tying score as time ran out, six Super Bowls have been decided by a touchdown or less, many of them going right down to the final seconds.
The storylines abound in this one, from Ben Roethlisberger turning an offseason of discontent into a year of triumph to Aaron Rodgers leading the sixth-seeded Packers to one big win after another, much like the guy whose shadow he's left in the dust, Brett Favre.
Roethlisberger is going for his third title in six years. Green Bay is known as Titletown USA, but the Packers haven't won it all since 1997.
The people who wear cartoon-looking blocks of cheese on their heads figure that's long enough, considering the boys of the frozen tundra have won more titles than any other franchise when taking into account what happened before there was a game with Super in the title.
The Packers count a dozen NFL titles in all, including the first two Super Bowls in 1967 and '68 with Vince Lombardi stalking the sideline. That '97 title, a 14-point romp past the New England Patriots, is the only time Green Bay has hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy since then, though.
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:
Size vs. speed. The Steelers’ wide receivers are big and physical, and the Packers’ cornerbacks are small and fast. If the Packers rely on their nickel scheme, CB Sam Shields will have to fight off blocks and play the run. The Steelers will try to make sure they run in Shields’ direction when he’s on the field. Getting open deep will be a problem for the Steelers’ receivers because Shields and Tramon Williams are tough to beat. Their ability to cover vertical routes will allow Capers to keep an eighth player in the box to play the run all the time.
3. Special considerations. Neither team is great on special teams, but when the Packers have to punt, they have a true weapon in Tim Masthay. He was largely responsible for winning the field position battle in two victories over Chicago. Punting indoors at Cowboys Stadium will allow him to hit the ball well. Field position could be the difference in this game. The Packers have almost no return game to speak of, so they need Masthay to have a great game.
Three key Steelers
LB LaMarr Woodley. The offense at least has a shot with LT Chad Clifton single-blocking OLB James Harrison, but rookie RT Bryan Bulaga is in for a huge test against Woodley. A powerful man who can hold the edge in the run game, Woodley has to be blocked consistently or it will be hard to move the ball. Woodley has to take advantage of playing against a rookie and get in the backfield a lot.
C Maurkice Pouncey/Doug Legursky. If Pouncey plays, it will probably be with a gimpy ankle. If he doesn’t play, it will be up to Legursky to hold the point against NT B.J. Raji, the rising star of the Packers’ defensive line. Raji can play with power and speed and, as he showed last week, is swift enough to drop into coverage and make an interception. To get Rashard Mendenhall rolling, the Steelers need to at least get a stalemate against Raji. It’s possible the Steelers will attack the edges rather than up the middle because of the matchup in the middle.
CB Bryant McFadden. CB Ike Taylor will probably get the assignment of covering WR Greg Jennings, which means McFadden—who is battling an abdominal injury—will have the task of handling Donald Driver, James Jones or Jordy Nelson on various downs. McFadden has the size to deal with Jones and Nelson, but Driver’s quickness could give him problems. He’s going to have to know the team’s route combinations inside and out because Mike McC
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