Super Bowl XL

Unfortunately, I won't be able to see the game tonight. Rather than grace you with an awful pick, here are some questions I have about the game in general:

1) In two weeks, can't you convince yourself of anything? People have invented all sorts of reasons how different things could happen. There's one group that thinks for sure that Pittsburgh will blow Seattle out. Another group thinks Seattle has a chance and can win easily. With two weeks to think about it, I think people can come up with any reason for anything, and convince themselves it's right.

2) Is Pittsburgh's running game that good? It seems like from the playoffs they've done very well throwing short pasess. Their average rush per carry in the regular season was 4.0 yards, which is actually way below Seattle's 4.7.

3) Is the 6th seed in the AFC really better than the 1st seed in the NFC? That's what the oddsmakers say. Granted, if Roethlesberger had been healthy the entire year, the Steelers may not have been #6 (after all, they were 15-1 last year).

4) Will there be any good commercials? Usually there's a ton of buzz for the commercials to look out for. Not so with this game. The pre-game buzz has been fairly low even for the game itself. Did you know Jerome Bettis grew up in Detroit, MI?

5) How good is Seattle's defense? They are 16th in yards allowed and 7th in points allowed. Their rush defense was 5th overall, was that because they were 25th against the pass? Their defense was pretty poor a year or so ago, can a team really turn it around that much in one year?

6) Does it make a difference that Pittsburgh plays a 3-4 defense? Seattle's offensive line is supposed to be one of the best, but they haven't had to match up against a 3-4 this year except for Houston in week 6. The speed and coverages of the 3-4 are a little different than the 4-3, so could this be an edge?

7) The coaching match-up of this Super Bowl may be between two Hall of Famers. Bill Cowher would beat a lot of his demons by winning this one. Mike Holmgren would go down with a select few in professional sports as coaches who have won championships with two different teams. You can check that out - many coaches have brought two different franchises to the championship level but very few have won two with different teams. Of course, the coaches don't play on the field.

8) What happens with the shirts that say "Super Bowl Champions" but are for the losers. For example, there must have been a ton of "Super Bowl XXXIX Champions - Philadelphia Eagles" merchandise. Does it just get destroyed? I think that stuff should be given to the homeless.


Tags: football, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XL