Best Price: $49.95Superbowl XLV PreGame
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Super Bowl XLV Preview
Two of the most storied programs in professional football are set to meet in the most expensive sporting venue in the world.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers have nine Super Bowl trophies between them and will face each other Sunday in Super Bowl XLV.
Tough they’ll play indoors at the $1 billion Cowboys Stadium, the winter storm that’s blanketed north Texas is fitting for two cold-weather teams.
The Steelers (12-4) beat the Arizona Cardinals two years ago for their sixth Super Bowl all-time and their second since 2006.
Pittsburgh, buoyed by their typical lock-down defense and strong-armed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, beat the New York Jets and division rival Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs.
The Packers (10-6) beat Michael Vick and the Eagles, the NFC’s top-ranked Atlanta Falcons and the Bears to earn their first trip to the Super Bowl since 1997.
Sunday’s matchup pits two of the league’s most dynamic quarterbacks in Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Roethlisberger. Both signal-callers are adept at avoiding the pass rush and making plays outside the pocket.
Rodgers completes 65.7 percent of his passes and finished the regular season with 3,922 passing yards and 28 touchdowns.
Roethlisberger returned from a league-mandated, four-game suspension to finish with 3,200 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Roethlisberger, however, will have a new center for the game after first-year player Maurkice Pouncey was ruled out of the Super Bowl due to a high ankle sprain suffered in the AFC Championship Game.
Second-year center Doug Legursky, who has played all three positions along the line and even lined up at fullback, will start in place of Pouncey.
That could be good news for Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji, who is the centerpiece of Green Bay’s 3-4 defense led by Dom Capers.
Both defenses run similar 3-4 schemes as Capers was once an assistant with Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau while they worked on Bill Cowher’s staff.
The zone-blitz concept was birthed by LeBeau and used by both coordinators throughout stops with Cincinnati (LeBeau) and Carolina (Capers) and Houston (Capers).
In the 3-4, rush linebackers play a crucial part in creating pocket pressure.
For Green Bay, second-year linebacker Clay Matthews has been unstoppable at times this season with 13.5 sacks.
His Pittsburgh counterpart is 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison, who returned an interception off Kurt Warner for a 100-yard score two years ago in Pittsburgh’s last Super Bowl win.
Harrison is known as a big-hitter.
Linebacker play is a staple of both defenses, but both teams have a dynamic, Pro Bowl defensive back to keep an eye on.
Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu finished the regular season with seven interceptions despite missing two games to injury.
Green Bay veteran cornerback Charles Woodson had just two interceptions this season, but accounted for 92 tackles – third most on the team. He’s lined up in the slot and out wide, giving Capers the option of blitzing him and letting him play coverage. Woodson forced five fumbles this season.
Pittsburgh’s defense led the league with 14.5 points given up per game. Green Bay was just a hair behind at 15.
Two premier quarterbacks, two crushing 3-4 defenses and two of the most historic teams in league history will create what looks to be a classic Super Bowl.
That said, which quarterback has the edge. Which 3-4 defense will make the most plays?
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The Steelers doing it Without Big Ben
Many in the football world, though that the Pittsburgh Steelers would not be able to function without the likes of Big Ben. This has proven to not be the case and in fact the team looks to be doing better without him and his never-ending band of drama. The team is 2-0 and is not looking back, this is not where the team was expected to be and has shocked a large number of fans as a result.
A few seasons ago, it was a motorcycle wreck that had him on the sidelines along with some concussion issues. This season it was off the field conduct that has him benched. Notice how when he is on the sidelines, the team is looking a lot stronger and has a purpose to their playing. Maybe the best thing for the team is to let him sit out the season.
The back up quarterback has proven that he is able to handle the load and lead the team to victory. This had been an area of concern when the team took to the field for the fist game. That was quickly put to rest as the team mowed down their opponents in easy fashion.
Then the second week came and the result was the same, this leads a lot of the Steelers faithful wondering if it could be a three peat for the team and their fans. The fans are hoping that this season will be a return to the glory that Bill Cower and his team had when he was at the helm of the team. This may be the best season for the team and as a result this will lead to the team needing to get the running game in check and allow them to speed past the opposing team.
The defense is looking to be as dominant as the offense this season. There is little doubt that the team can handle their own when they are at the top of the division. There are very few teams that will be able to knock the team off of their perch and as a result this will almost lock them into a playoff spot barring any weird freak of nature and the team losing their focus.
There will more than likely be a petition that will involve the Steelers being asked to keep Big Ben on the bench. They see the team as being dominant as long as the starting quarterback is left on the bench and the back up is allowed to do what they need to do in an effort to lead his team to the post season. Even if you are not a fan, you will not be able to dispute the fact that the team is on track to make a lasting impression on the NFL and will be a difficult team to get past in their division, this will be a true test of their abilities as a dominant force. These players are all committed to make a difference in the team and are not going to settle for anything less than perfection.
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