Super Bowl Preview

The clash of titans on turf for the NFL Championship, a tradition dating back 76 years. This rendition will be the 43^rd in the modern Super Bowl era, with the traditionally hard-nosed Pittsburgh Steelers going up against the perennial basement-dwellers known as the Arizona Cardinals. Ranked sixth and 21^st in the ESPN Power Rankings entering week 1, neither seemed to have even a remote shot with the one-helmet-catch-away-from-immortal 2007 Patriots team returning almost intact and the Dallas Cowboys’ offseason of stockpiling players that maximized both talent and time incarcerated. Injuries to both Tom Brady and Tony Romo turned the league sideways, allowing the Tennessee Titans to waltz through 10 games undefeated and the Giants to seemingly prove that the Super Bowl XLII victory was the start of an era. Of course, in this day and age the NFL’s best commodity is not its stars but instead the parity of competition. With a newly stalwart defense and continued success from their offense, the Arizona Cardinals have won one more playoff game in the last month than in the 62 years since their last NFL Championship in 1947. To put that in perspective, Harry Truman was president and the Soviet Union had yet to test its first atomic weapon. Coming into the playoffs with an 8-8 record from the NFC West, perhaps the lousiest division in the NFL, the Cardinals have been a distinct surprise to say the least. The Steelers, on the other hand, have just continued to play their pure gridiron football, bludgeoning their way through the playoffs as they have so many times before.

This brings us to the most important point: the game. The coach of the Arizona Cardinals is a product of none other than the Steel City. Ken Whisenhunt was the offensive coordinator for the Steelers before being passed over for the head coaching job in favor of Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin. Three years into a four-year contract down under in the desert, Whisenhunt has brought his new team to the verge of a championship against none other than the man who took the job that he originally wanted. As much as some people scoff at the idea of “bulletin board material”, I can guarantee that Whisenhunt is preparing for this game with more ardor than he might have otherwise, though I’m not sure how much extra effort you can muster when you know 145 million people are watching cameras cut to your sideline every few minutes. Given that there’s no lack of motivation, it’s all going to come down to the high-flying Cardinals offense against the rock-solid Steelers defense. With such a stalwart run defense, Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower of the Cardinals will need to manage to put the ball on the ground with some authority to open up passing lanes for the difficult-to-match aerial attack spearheaded by Kurt Warner. The trio of receivers including Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and one of my favorite Michigan alums Steve Breaston will go up against the league-leading Steelers secondary led by the dauntless Troy Polamalu. If I had to pick a single matchup that will determine the game, it would be Troy Polamalu’s defensive instincts against Kurt Warner’s aging decision-making. The one image that sticks in my mind from this season more than any other is Polamalu’s one-handed interception on November 17^th. Combining Polamalu’s hair with plays like this has given me the insight to nickname him “The Predator” and issue my fearless prediction for the outcome of the Super Bowl: Steelers 31, Cardinals 24, with Warner throwing a Favre-like interception on the crucial final drive that could have tied the game. I could pontificate for hours, but the reason they play the game is to stop people like me from pretending we know anything. I, for one, will be watching closely on February 1^st.