Over the Edge + February 2, 2011

19

A Preview of Super Bowl 2011

Pittsburgh Steelers face off against Green Bay Packers this February

BROCK CAMPBELL SPORST EDITOR

AFC CHAMPS: PITTSBURGH STEELERS (12-4, 1ST AFC NORTH)

The Steelers are without a doubt one of the most dominant franchises in league history. Super Bowl XLV will be the team’s eighth appearance to the ‘Big Dance’, a league record, and third in five years. In 2010 the Steelers finished with a 12-4 record locking down the second seed in the AFC. Their only losses of the season came against Baltimore, New England, New Orleans and the New York Jets, all playoff teams.

QUARTERBACK:

Ben Roethlisberger who sat out the first four games of the 2010 season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy already has himself two Super Bowl rings having won in 2005 and 2008. Big Ben, known for his scrambling capabilities, threw for seventeen touchdowns and thirty-two hundred yards, with five interceptions this season and a quarterback rating of ninety-seven, fifth highest in the NFL. Against the Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoff, Roethlisberger completed nineteen of thirty-two attempts for two- hundred twenty-six passing yards and two touchdowns but was sacked six times in a 31-24 win. He did not play as well against the Jets going ten for nineteen for one-hundred thirty-three yards and two touchdowns. Roethlisberger also threw two interceptions but stepped up in the clutch throwing for a first down that sealed the victory for the Steelers.

OFFENCE:

The Steelers display a balanced running and passing game. Over the |; regular season Pittsburgh averaged one-hundred twenty yards per game , on the ground, eleventh in the NFL, and two-hundred twenty-five yards YS passing, good for fourteenth. Of course Roethlisberger’s knack for getting out of jams is what makes the Steelers so dangerous. When ‘Big Ben’ isn’t handing it off to Rashard Mendenhall he’s looking down field for his two favourite targets, second year pro Mike Wallace and veteran Hines Ward. Wallace led the team with one-thousand two-hundred fifty-seven receiving yards on sixty catches.

DEFENCE: Pittsburgh prides itself as being the

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best defence in the league. The Steelers led all teams with fewest points allowed, limiting opponents to fourteen a game, and fewest rushing yards with sixty-two. Linebacker James Harrison, one of the NFL’s hardest hitters, leads the team with ten and a half sacks and six forced fumbles. In the backfield the Steelers have future hall of fame free-safety Troy Polamalu. Polamalu, who leads his team with seven interceptions, often makes the big plays when they need it most.

NFC CHAMPS: GREEN BAY PACKERS (10-6, 2ND NFC NORTE)

The Packers are attending their fifth Super Bowl in team history, and their first since 1997. Green Bay is the first sixth ranked seed (the lowest) to ever make the Super Bowl and now find themselves favored to win it all against the Steelers. The Pack’s six losses this season are really not indicative of a poor season, in fact Green Bay never lost by more than four points all year. As a wildcard they have had an impressive playoff run beating every one of their opponents on the road including a 48-21 beat down of the Falcons, a team expected to breeze through to the Super Bowl.

QUARTERBACK:

Green Bay’s run to the Super Bowl is due in large part to the play of QB Aaron Rodgers. This season Rodgers was fourth in passing yards with three-thousand nine-hundred twenty-two, averaging two-hundred sixty-one a game. Thus far in the playoffs Rodgers leads all QB’s with a pass completion percentage of seventy-one percent. In the NFC Divisional Playoff game against Atlanta, Rodgers completed thirty-one of thirty-six passes throwing for three-hundred thirty-six yards and three touchdowns. The following week against the Bears Rodger’s probably played his worst game, failing to connect in the end zone, but still managing two- hundred forty-four passing yards.

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QB Aaron Rodgers leads this season with a pass completion percentage of 71%,

OFFENCE:

With Rodgers at the helm Green Bay ranks fifth in pass offence, but with an average of one- hundred rushing yards a game the Packers ground game ranks twenty-fourth. However, running back James Starks has had some success in the post-season rushing for one- hundred twenty-three yards against Philadelphia. One of the biggest questions of the game will be if Starks can break through the Steelers’ D. It is expected that the Packers will go to their air assault, led by wide receiver Greg Jennings. In the Packer’s last two games Jennings has caught sixteen passes for two-hundred thirty-one receiving yards.

DEFENCE:

On D the Packer’s biggest weakness is their rush defence. During the regular season they gave up one-hundred forty-four rushing yards, ranking them eighteenth in the NFL. However, during the playoffs Green Bay’s frontline has stepped up allowing just seventy yards on the ground, second only to the Steelers. In the secondary the Pack are extremely talented, led by Pro-Bowl veteran Charles Woodson. When QB’s avoid throwing toward Woodson they have to contend with Sam Shields and Tramon Williams. Shields made two picks in the NFC Championship game and Williams is quickly making a name for himself as one the best at man-to-man coverage.

THE EDGE:

Although the Packers are coming into the Super Bowl favored to win, the edge goes to the more experienced Steelers. As already mentioned this is not Roethlisberger’s first rodeo, and the core of the Steelers lineup is essentially the same as its championship team in 2008. Albeit, Green Bay looks to be the best team, but for the most part this is the first Super Bowl for the majority of Packers, including Rodgers.