"All the critics you can hang'em...I'll hold the rope" - Chuck D of "Public Enemy"
Yes.
We're only a little bit more than 48 hours away from kickoff in Super Bowl XL and we're even closer to the end of all the hot air that so-called "experts" have been blowing in and around Detroit, Michigan.
With the notable exception of the Jerramy Stevens/Joey Porter "war of words", which did nothing more than make me wonder how the person who shot him in the ass in 2003 manage to miss that super-sized mouth, it was a boring week as far as Super Bowls go. Granted, there's still time for someone to pull a Eugene Robinson (soliciting sex from an undercover police officer), Stanley Wilson (coke binge) or Barrett Robbins (bipolar-fueled drinking binge in Tijuana) and completely submarine his team's chances of winning the game, but I wouldn't count on it, though. Both head coaches are in complete control of their teams and neither team appears to have someone that careless...or crazy.
First the links, then my obvious Super Bowl XL prediction.
John Levesque, whose photo reminds me of my Intro to Philosophy professor in college, chimes in on the whole "Porter vs. Stevens" issue, referring to Jerramy as "positively brilliant" in how he handled it. Trust me, "brilliant" and "Jerramy Stevens" rarely collided in the same sentence before this season.
Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times shows why Seattle has the reputation of being an overly nice city, as he introduces you to the Joey Porter you don't know. After writing this column, I think Kelley bought Porter an ice cream cone and they may have even held hands.
No link, but the Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Year award went to Tampa Bay RB Carnell "Cadillac" Williams. Lofa Tatupu was one of the 5 finalists for the award, but he couldn't attend the press conference because he was, you know, practicing to play in the Super Bowl.
I'm linking to this story, because the people who write the headlines need "link" love, too.
Michael Smith (from Boston) has a great article about the Seahawks defense, who you most assuredly don't know too much about. What he didn't mention was this: That group is surprisingly young, and will be together in some form for a few more years.
Want to know which team people like Carrot Top, Bill O'Reilly or Vince Neil picked to win Super Bowl XL? Go here to do so.
My favorite was Barry Williams, aka Greg Brady, who picked the Steelers to win because "they are used to the cold". Ok Greg, but did you know that Ford Field is a domed stadium? And Bob Cousy picked the Steelers. We'll see if I ever hold the elevator for him again.
Mac's Much-Anticipated, Highly-Objective Super Bowl XL Prediction
I've been a Seahawks fan for 25 of my 30 years on planet Earth, so you already know who I am taking. And while my personal bias plays a role, it's not the only reason I'm making that prediction. You see, everyone wants their team to win. That's why we're fans. The difference is this: I KNOW that the Seahawks are going to win.
Why the Seahawks Will Win
- Talent. From the front office to the long-snapper, Seattle is more talented than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Right now, Seattle has the better QB (for how long, I have no idea, because Roethlisberger is going to be a very, very good QB), the better RB (Alexander is far superior to Willie Parker), the better offensive line (including the best two lineman in this game) and a better group of WRs (Ward is the best overall, but Jackson, Engram, Jurevicius and Stevens are better than Ward, Randle-El, Cedrick Wilson and Heath Miller).
Defensively, the schemes make it impossible to accurately compare who's better. But in the secondary, where both teams use similar packages, the Seahawks are slightly better than Pittsburgh in coverage, whereas Pittsburgh tackles a bit better. Plus, Troy Polamalu is an absolute demon on the field.
- Experience. Just because this is Seattle's first trip to the Super Bowl, that doesn't mean they have the least amount of experience. Five members of the Seattle Seahawks already own Super Bowl rings (Chuck Darby, Joe Jurevicius, Tom Rouen, Grant Wistrom and John Howell), whereas only one Pittsburgh Steeler (Willie Williams) has played in a Super Bowl. His team lost, by the way. On the coaching front, Seahawk coaches have 18 Super Bowl rings between them, which far exceeds the Steelers total.
- Pressure. Seattle is the underdog, the team that's merely there to keep the Steelers from feeling lonely. Everyone devalues the NFC so much, the 6th-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers are the favorites over the Seahawks, who were the best team in the NFC this year. Couple that with Porter's trash-talk and the overwhelming need to get Bettis his ring, and you can already sense that the Steelers' throats are tightening.
But What About That 3-4 Defense?
If you've been watching ESPN, FOXSPORTS or the NFL Network, you no doubt heard them wonder how can Seattle beat the Steelers' 3-4 defense. Here's a secret for you: The West Coast Offense (Seattle runs the purest form of it) was designed by Bill Walsh to beat the 3-4 defenses that was popular back in the 70s and 80s. Walsh taught Holmgren, who in turn, will teach Cowher and Dick LeBeau on Sunday night.
People will point to the way that Dallas (who, like Pittsburgh, runs a 3-4 defense) effectively stopped the Seahawks offense back in October. That's true, but Pittsburgh doesn't have the physical CBs to throw Seahawk WRs off their routes like Dallas does. Also, Seattle played that game without their top 2 WRs (Darrell Jackson and Bobby Engram), who were out with injuries. Towards the end of the game, Seahawk WRs did a great job of beating the press coverage and Seattle marched 80+ yards in less than 2 minutes to tie the game, which they eventually won.
Can Seattle stop the Steelers running game?
Absolutely. While the Steelers offensive line is very talented, so is the front four of the Seahawks defensive line. Seattle is an under-sized, but fast defense, and they'll be able to get to Parker before he gets to the edge, where he's most effective. When the Steelers turn to Bettis, Seattle is quick to plug up the holes, leaving Bettis little room in which to run.
I like the Seahawks chances against Ben Roethlisberger, as well. They may not sack him, but they did a tremendous job of confusing Jake Delhomme (another Super Bowl QB) and applying enough pressure to force some bad throws, something Big Ben is already prone to do anyways.
The Steelers have several good WRs, but none with the game-changing speed of Steve Smith or Santana Moss, the two WRs that the Seahawks shut down already in the playoffs. Being able to play man coverage, and not roll coverage towards one side or the other, will allow them to be there to make plays on passes to Randle-El or Heath Miller in the middle of the field.
What's the X-Factor?
The "X-Factor" in any game is always turnovers. If either team turns the ball over a few times, they're not going to win. Both teams did a good job in terms of "Turnover Ratio" this year (Seattle was 7th, Pittsburgh 10th), so it may be more of a matter of who is more likely to turn the ball over in this one? There's no clear answer to this, but I'd feel more comfortable with Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck handling the ball than I would with Willie Parker and Ben Roethlisberger.
Mac's Pick
Seattle 31, Pittsburgh 16
Super Bowl XL MVP: Matt Hasselbeck
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