Super Bowl XLV: Ben Roethlisberger rolling right, B.J. Raji’s girth and other game keys
If you hit a bar for the Super Bowl, there are several things you can do -- talk about the redemption of Big Ben, debate who truly should be called "America's team," or just pull up clips on your Smart-Ass Phone of SB memories.
At some point, though, you will need to discuss the game on the televisions around you; this is where this entry purports to come in. For each team, we're going to offer you a handy three things you need to discuss. Say then at regular intervals and you'll be perceived as smart, or at least on the fringes of sports intelligence. We can't work miracles over here, honestly.
Pittsburgh Steelers
1. Whole thing for Pittsburgh really comes back to this: Ben Roethlisberger rolling right. Big Ben says a lot of stuff wherein he tries to come off as humble -- always claiming he's not as good as Brady or Manning or even Rodgers, and in many respects, that's true; Roethlisberger will probably never win an MVP award or anything. He is, however, a very, very good quarterback, and primarily for two reasons: he is huge, and thus hard to bring down (think of tackling a DL, and that's the equivalent) and, despite said size, he can roll out and keep defenders at bay, which in turn extends the play at hand and allows someone to get open. For evidence of this, watch the entire second half of the AFC Championship against the Jets. You can beat the Steelers by limiting his ability to do this; he threw for 503 yards the last time he met the Packers (2009 regular season), so clearly this needs to be limited.
2. Rodgers can pick good secondaries apart -- and aside from Troy Polamalu, the Steelers' secondary is not that elite. Rodgers will hit a few big plays in this game, and you can't control that. But for Pittsburgh, it's all about the pressure. If guys like James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley and Brett Kiesel are getting pressure, that gives Rodgers less time to make those plays. If the line for GB is blocking well, though, and he has more than 3.5 seconds to find a guy downfield, Bryant McFadden and Ike Taylor (the main CBs for Pittsburgh) will get exposed on a semi-regular basis. That's not good if you wave terrible towels.
3. Rashard Mendenhall. Dude goes over 1,100 yards on the semi-regular, has been a truck in this postseason (very solid game against the Jets) and never gets mentioned at all among top RBs. He can control this game on the ground. If Pittsburgh is up 10-3 in the second quarter and can burn nine minutes on a drive, that takes Rodgers and company off the field, which is an amazing preventive measure that's actually quite simple. Mendenhall. Did anyone see this cat coming out of Illinois? I ain't no draftnik, but I did not.
Green Bay Packers
1. B.J. Raji. This dude is about to become a legit star, i.e. a marketable presence in the world; no one should be surprised if he gets a touch near the goal line on offense, i.e. Fridge in Super Bowl 20. Here's the thing about Raji: he isn't as good as Vince Wilfork or Haloti Ngata yet, but he might be right behind them as the third-best NT in the NFL. If Pouncey tries to start for Pittsburgh, and he's at, let's say, 75 percent ... well, score a huge win for GB there. You cannot block this man easily at 100 percent. If your ankle is all kinds of f*cked up, it's much harder. You double on him and they'll get you from somewhere -- Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, Charles Woodson on a blitz, whatever. Raji commands a lot of attention and if he's going against (a) a guy at less than 100 percent or (b) a second-stringer, that's a big area of dominance for the Packers inside the trenches.
2. James Starks will do nothing in this game -- no one runs on Pittsburgh -- but Jordy Nelson could be a surprise star. He's 6-3. That's the biggest Packers' WR, height-wise. Pittsburgh's DBs are shorter than average. Nelson is extremely fast (pause) for a white guy (exhale). He has three-four inches and some speed on McFadden, Gay, and Clark; he could go nine catches for over 100, and it shouldn't surprise anyone.
3. Charles Woodson. Sometimes in huge-ass games, it all comes down to who legitimately wants it more. Woodson has done a ton of stuff in football: D-MVP of the NFL, only Heisman winner to primarily play defense, etc. He's never won a Super Bowl; he's been here once and got routed as a Raider by the Bucs. He could come out firing. The dude is like 36 or something, but has a lot left in the tank. If he gets one or two successful corner blitzes off and pops a ball loose, in a close game -- remember, the last time they met it was 37-36 -- that makes all the difference. HEART OF A LION, as Gus Johnson would scream. HEART OF A LION indeed.
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