The Case of Michael Vick

On Friday, whilst peacefully reviewing work documents, I received, what I consider to be, some of the most disturbing news of my relatively short life: the office secretary irately announced that her very good friend, who works for a Pittsburgh Cab Company, just texted her “we just dropped M. Vick off at Steelers facility” (sic). Knowing that our secretary is not one to B.S., immediately, all present members of my office darted into the common area shouting incoherent slews of obscenities, grumbles and words I can’t describe as belonging to the English language. After a few hours to calm down, during which office staff drifted in and out of the common area to profess their disgust with the alleged situation and debate the veracity of the text, we began to wonder, if maybe, just maybe, there would be any upside to our beloved team, or any team for that matter, acquiring one of the most unpopular sports figures at the moment.

The Case for Michael Vick:
1. He has served his time: Michael Vick has undoubtedly served his time, well, at least the time that was assessed as being a sufficient punishment by a court of law. While many, including myself, view his punishment as inadequate for the crimes he committed, Vick has no further obligation to society, and, like other one-time criminals, should be allowed to resume his professional career and put the incident behind him. Or, as Coach Mike Tomlin put it, "I thought the basis of our country was built on second chances and redemption. This guy pays his debt to society and he's reinstated by [NFL] commissioner [Roger] Goodell, he deserves an opportunity to right some of the things he has done wrong." (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/around_the_nfl/post/Tomlin-Vick-has-paid-debt-to-society?urn=nfl,150597).

2. Talent: Before his incarceration, Vick was a premiere athlete who made three Pro-Bowl appearances in six seasons and commanded a contract worth $130 million over 10 years. While he might not be the best quarterback, Vick made up for any shortcomings with raw athletic talent, specifically his speed and evasiveness. Although Vick will most likely have a good bit of rust to shake off, the price any team willing to take him will pay will be an immense bargain in comparison to his pre-incarceration earnings potential. Further, like T.O., Vick will recognize this year as a make-or-break year and will have tremendous motivation to not only give it everything he has to prove himself worthwhile as a PR risk, but also to walk the proverbial “straightened arrow” to avoid any additional public unrest. These factors combined make Vick a very solid backup quarterback with potential to either transition to a starting position or be a valuable bargaining chip in future trade negotiations.

The Case Against Michael Vick:
1. PR Nightmare: Do I really need to run through this? We’re all aware of the issues that acquiring a convicted felon will bring to a team, especially a felon who orchestrated and profited from the torture of animals over a lengthy period of time: PETA will protest and the franchise could alienate their dog-loving fans. But aside from this, any team which takes Vick will have to do some serious damage control for signing a convicted felon at all (absent the animal-related aspect). In recent years, the media has directed much attention to the legal woes surrounding professional athletes and the NFL has come under fire for condoning such behavior in the name of winning. How could a team possibly rebut this accusation while acquiring Vick? In continuing to accept questionable athletes into its ranks, the NFL, and particularly the team which takes him, runs a great risk of being viewed as “dirty” or “dirtier”, which could be off-putting to fans, especially families. So, the question is, “is Vick worth the PR nightmare which will ensue?”

2. Time Away Impact on Skills: Aside from character issues, there are many questions regarding Vick’s ability to play. Michael Vick has missed the past two NFL seasons and, unlike an injured star or a benchwarmer, this time was spent in a federal penitentiary, not running drills and honing skills. This begs the question of just how much rust does Vick have to shake off before being able to compete at a level that would justify a team acquiring him? Moreover, how will this athlete, who has always been the face of his franchise, adjust to his non-preferential treatment? If after several months the humility Vick has acquired throughout the past two years begins to wear thin, and Vick falls back into his egocentric ways, Vick could prove to be a distraction to his teammates.

Super Bowl Countdown: That's All Folks

Super Bowl XLIII has come and gone and we were graced with one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever. We witnessed the Steelers start with an efficient first drive and proceed to dominate most of the first half. The Cardinals were able to muster a second quarter touchdown, but the first half culminated with the most memorable interception in Super Bowl history.

It looked as though the Steelers would run away with it in the third quarter, but the Cardinals defense came up with a game-changing red zone save. It was the spark that the Cardinals needed as Larry Fitzgerald carried them to 16 straight points and what looked to be their first title in franchise history. But then Santonio Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger happened. The game was capped with one of the nicest catches, if not the best catch in Super Bowl history.

There are the normal rumblings that the Steelers were carried to victory on the back of the referees, but there was only one call that was blatantly wrong, the roughing the passer call in the third quarter. There are also a few people out there that question whether Holmes’ had possession with two feet in bounds, but that looks to be sour grapes. It is clear when he tapped his two toes, and he did get two toes down, that he had possession of the ball and maintained that possession. Lastly, as NFL officials tell us today, the replay booth did look at the Warner fumble and confirmed it without needing to “buzz” the ref. However, I would rather focus on everything great about Super Bowl XLIII.

We watched a Steelers’ defense show why they were so great and then show that even the unflappable can be beaten. Larry Fitzgerald reminded us why he is considered a top-two receiver in the game (Yes, I do consider Andre Johnson on the same level). Kurt Warner demonstrated why he is Mr. February with a third outstanding performance. We saw a fourth quarter comeback and a remarkable game-winning drive. This game had everything for every type of fan. While it fails to be quite as exceptional as last year’s Super Bowl because of the undefeated Patriots; from a purely game play perspective, I give it a definite advantage.

With that said, I do have two complaints about the game. First, the refs called too much. I would have rather have seen the officials let them play a little more. Both sides were penalized with some pretty questionable calls. I would rather see a few more holds go uncalled than watch the refs try to micromanage the game. Second, they got the Super Bowl MVP wrong. Santonio Holmes played extremely well and was very deserving, but Big Ben earned the honor. Ben was by far the best player on the field last night. He escaped pressure and kept plays alive purely based on desire. His numbers weren’t overwhelming, but they were very good. While Santonio made an incredible catch, the throw was even more unbelievable. Ben found a hole and put the ball where only his receiver could catch it. It is silly how perfect the throw was. Plain and simple, without Ben, the Steelers don’t win.

Congratulations to the Cardinals on reaching their first Super Bowl and playing a great game. There is a great base of young talent for the Cardinals to build with and maybe make it back before another 43 years. Even greater congratulations to the Steelers and the Rooney family. This record-setting sixth Super Bowl speaks volumes about the Rooney family and their dedication to excellence. They are the model franchise in professional sports. Feel free to voice your opinion on the game, the Boss, and the commercials.

Super Sunday: Countdown to Kickoff

Hopefully you had a chance to check out SportsJudge's daily previews throughout the week. In case you missed out, here are links to the varying perspectives:

Monday - "In Between the Tackles" author Mike Colligan told you why LaMarr Woodley and Heath Miller would be the not-so-obvious reasons why the Steelers thumped the Cardinals 31-17.

Tuesday - Matt Cohen, Senior Deputy Justice of SportsJudge.com's fantasy dispute resolution service, chose with his mind over his heart and predicted the Cardinals would continue to shock the world with a 31-28 win.

Wednesday - Editor-in-Chief of the SportsJudge Blog, Joe Romano, talked X's and O's and explained that since defense wins championships, the Steelers will come out on top 27-17.

Thursday - Jordan Zucker of Girls Guide to Fantasy Football gave her female position-by-position breakdown and felt the Cardinals offense would be too much for the Steelers defense in a close 24-20 win.

Friday - Marc Edelman, founder and CEO of SportsJudge.com showed that from a statistical point of view, despite his best mathematic efforts, he doesn't feel Cardinals deserve to even be in the same building as the Steelers. He envisions a 23-17 Pittsburgh victory.

Saturday - Chris Carmona, from SortofSports.com, with a flare for the dramatic, described his wild vision of a 26-20 Pittsburgh Steelers win.

Wish today's game was in 3D? Sorry, not this year. But today will be a good test of the technology for future Super Bowl broadcasts. Multiple segments are planned in 3D throughout the game which viewers can only truly appreciate if they've picked up their free glasses prior to gametime. Dreamworks plans to air a 90-second preview for their new movie Monsters vs. Aliens and Pepsi has created a second spot featuring their SoBe Lifewater dancing lizards from last year.

Viewers can also expect to see a slightly different look from the typical NBC broadcast. According to Broadcasting and Cable:

"The biggest change...viewers will see is a slightly refined graphic look, as NBC will have individual player stats briefly pop onscreen to replace the 'score bug' in an effort to reduce on-screen clutter."

Finally, if the Steelers and Cardinals don't interest you, and you're not a huge fan of commercials, you can always toss $10 on the coin toss or one of hundreds of other proposition bets at your local casino. Here's a few worth a second look:

~Big Ben's first pass: Incomplete +160...Complete -200

~How many times will NBC show Kurt Warner's wife Brenda? Over/Under 2.5

~Jersey number of first player to score a TD: Over/Under 38.5

~Who will be tackled by their hair first: Troy Polamalu or Larry Fitzgerald?

~The odds of Bruce Springsteen wardrobe malfunction: 3-to-1

~Who will have more today: Kurt Warner touchdowns or Lebron James made 3-pointers?

~How many types of food will John Madden mention? Over/Under 2

~Who will have more today: Steelers/Cardinals total sacks or Ernie Els 4th-round birdies?

~Coin Toss: Heads -105...Tails -106 (How does that work??)

~Feeling a Steeler blowout? Steelers -21.5 points...$100 bet wins $450

Super Bowl Countdown: On the Road to History

By now you think you've heard it all. You've seen the media coverage for two weeks, and you've had great in-depth analysis right here for the past five days. But you are still unsure of who is going to walk away victorious on Sunday. There is something that is holding you back from the Cardinals, but yet you aren't impressed by what Pittsburgh brings to the table either. I'm here to give you the last bit of information you need to push you one way or the other.

First, you have a lot going for you if you are the Cardinals. You have the Democrats on your side, one of, if not the best receivers in the league and his dad who is a long-time newspaper columnist, and a rejuvenated Super Bowl MVP and two-time MVP quarterback.

On the other hand, if you are the Steelers you have one of the league's best mascots, the best defense in the league this year with bone-crushing hitters, and a sound Super Bowl quarterback.

I wanted to look at previous Super Bowls and make my assessment on that, but then I realized that none of those Super Bowls might actually apply to Sunday's game. I mean, so what if I told you that teams that win 9 games or fewer are 2-2 in the Super Bowl (Cardinals: 9-7)? So what if you knew that teams with 12 wins have the most Super Bowl victories, 12 (Steelers: 12-4)?

Only three times in the Super Bowl era has a team with 3+ fewer wins than their opponent won the Super Bowl. (2007 Giants: 10-6 def. 16-0 Patriots; 2001 Patriots: 11-5 def. 14-2 Rams; 1957 Packers: 9-4-1 def. 13-1 Raiders).

You already know that the Steelers outscored their opponents by almost 8 points this season. Would you change your mind if I told you that the average margin of victory in the Super Bowl is over 15 points? But, in the past five years alone the Super Bowl winner has won by just over 6 points a game.

The Steelers have played in six Super Bowls, two of those were in Florida, much like this year. Pittsburgh is 2-0 when the Big Game is played in the Sunshine State and in their six Super Bowl games, they outscore their opponents by five points a game. Too irrelevant still?

What if we looked at the Steelers most recent Super Bowl victory. Three years ago the Steelers beat the Seahawks 21-10. Ben Roethlisberger had his worst game....ever. In 72 regular season games, and nine playoff games. Big Ben had his worst performance to date. That day in Detroit, Roethlisberger went 9-21, 123 yards, 0 TD, 2 INTs and a QB rating of 22.6. Things got so bad that the Steelers went to a different quarterback to throw the touchdowns that game as Antwaan Randle El completed a 43 yard pass to Hines Ward to seal the game. Which way are you leaning now?

Meanwhile, how about the last two Super Bowls that Kurt Warner has been in? Well he only set the record for most passing yards in a single Super Bowl and lead his team to a fourth quarter comeback, and saw his team give up a fourth quarter lead two years later.

You can't lose two of your last three games going into the playoffs and expect to be hot enough to win the Super Bowl much like the Cardinals are trying to do this year. Or you can't have the same amount or more turnovers on offense than your defense creates throughout the season and expect to win. Unless of course, you are last year's Giants team. Am I making sense yet?

I've always lived by numbers and logic. They can tell any story you want them to tell you. Stats are mostly of coincidence, unless you make them of value. I surround myself with printed sheets of Super Bowl history and pen markings. Which stats mean the most in this game? I'll give you a magic # for this game. Let's say it is '2'.

This year, Arizona is just 3-7 when committing 2 or more turnovers on offense. Pittsburgh is 2-4 when their offense coughs it up 2 or more times. The Cardinals are 7-0 when their team forces 2 or more turnovers while the Steelers are 8-1 in the regular season when they force the other team to give it up two or more times. So you look at that and say that the first team to give up 2 turnovers will lose the game.

I have to take the league's best defense in this situation. The Steelers will control the clock with the run while Warner will be forced to air it out more often. The problem is though, can the Steelers keep the Cardinals from the one or two big scoring plays? So how about this.

Prediction: A game decided by Jeff Reed missing a last-second field goal to win the game, thus sending it into overtime. In overtime, Kurt Warner throws an interception which is returned for a touchdown and a 26-20 Steelers victory.

How about that one for the stats book?

Super Bowl Countdown: On Their Road to Tampa...Cardinals Have Little Shot at Victory

[Editor's Note: Today's SportsJudge Super Bowl preview comes from Marc Edelman, founder and CEO of SportsJudge.com -- fantasy sports dispute resolution. Be sure to check back tomorrow at 1pm ET for our final in-depth look at the Big Game from Chris Carmona. Also, make sure to join the all-new Sports Judge blog feed.]

I was looking forward to writing this column all week. My plan was to tell the world exactly how the underdog Arizona Cardinals would pull off a mighty upset against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII. I had even scribbled a few notes to myself about just how they would do it.

Then, I sat down at my computer and began typing. However, there was just one problem.

I was completely out of my mind.

Lets face it, the Arizona Cardinals are not a bad football team. They finished their season 9-7. However, the Steelers have been absolutely dominant. They marched into the Super Bowl with a regular-season record of 12-4.

Over the course of the 16 game regular season, the Steelers cumulatively outscored their opponents by a count of 347-223. This translates to an average margin of victory of more than a touchdown and extra point. The Cardinals, on the other hand, outscored their opponents this season by just one measly point, 427-426.

If you look at their common opponents, these differences stand out even more. The Steelers and Cardinals faced five common foes: Dallas, the New York Giants, New England, Washington and Philadelphia. The Steelers went 3-2 in those games. They lost to the Giants and Philadelphia, while beating Washington, Dallas and New England. The Cardinals meanwhile went 1-4. They beat Dallas, but lost to everybody else -- including to New England by a score of 47-7. (Although the Cardinals beat the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, the Eagles beat them in Week 13, 48-20).

It is possible that the Cardinals are a better team now then they were at the start of the year, as they have won three straight in the playoffs. However, a look at their week-by-week performance does not seem to support that argument. In terms of wins and losses, the Cardinals began the year 7-3. They finished 2-4. Indeed, the Cardinals' only two wins over the final six weeks of the regular season came against NFL's doormats, St. Louis (2-14) and Seattle (4-12).

By contrast, it is the Steelers that have been on the great second-half role. Including the playoffs, Pittsburgh has won eight of their past nine games. This streak includes both wins at home and on the road against the Baltimore Ravens (11-5), as well as a pair of wins over the AFC West champion San Diego Chargers (8-8). To use BCS language, there's no doubt the Steelers had not only the better record in the second half of the season, but also the better "strength of schedule."

Finally, no even-handed analysis would be complete without looking at the regular-season injury factor. In fairness to Arizona, the Cardinals played large chunks of the season without their no. 2 wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Boldin missed Arizona's week 5 and 6 games against Buffalo and Dallas, as well week 16 and 17 games against New England and Seattle.

However, even with that said, the Cardinals managed to go 3-1 in their four games without Boldin. Indeed, they had a better winning percentage without Boldin than with him. So, we can't really call Boldin's return the difference maker that puts Arizona over the top.

On the other hand, the Steelers this season were forced to play without their star running back, Willie Parker, for parts of three of their four losses (this includes the game against Philadelphia where Parker got hurt). With a healthy Parker, the only team to get in the Steelers' way in 2008-09 was the Tennessee Titans--a well-rounded team that went 13-3. The Titans probably were the best team in the NFL this season. However, the they were upset in their first round playoff game by the Baltimore Ravens. Then, the following week, the Steelers defeated a solid Ravens team for the third consecutive time this NFL year.

So when it comes down to it, the romantic in me really wanted to tell the world why the Cardinals are going to win their first-ever Super Bowl. However, sounder judgment prevented me from doing so.

My prediction: Kurt Warner displays his usual strong leadership, and the three-headed monster of Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston and Boldin each play up to their abilities. However, in the end, the Steelers are just the better team.

Verdict: The City of Pittsburgh will celebrate it's sixth Super Bowl victory, this time by the final score of 23-17.

Super Bowl Countdown: On the Road to Tampa

[Editor's Note: With the Super Bowl only a few days away, SportsJudge continues its daily coverage of the big game with a preview from Jordan Zucker of Girls Guide to Fantasy Football. Be sure to check back every day this week at 1pm for different perspectives from the SportsJudge community. Be sure to check out Mike Colligan's 31-17 Steelers prediction, Matt Cohen's 31-28 Cardinals prediction, and Joe Romano's 27-17 Steelers prediction if you haven't already.]

I feel I have better claim to call myself a sports advocate, reporter, or writer than a sports expert. But I’ll break down the road to the Su Pa Bo by position and notes from my all girls League Home Sauce draft.

QB: Warner vs. Roethlisberger – advantage Cardinals

Warner was drafted in the 11th round as a back up to Carson Palmer (her proudest draft move). Roethlisberger went at the beginning of round 3, the 5th QB to go.

RB1: Edge vs. Fast Willie – advantage Steelers

In our draft, Willie Parker was solely responsible for a bunch of hangovers. We have a rule that if you try to draft a player already taken, you have to do a tequila shot. About half of the girls went for Willie after he was already on the board. In their defense, Willie went in the first round, and he was ranked and predicted to go much later, so when the girls were expecting to hear his name called they had forgotten that he was long gone. (cross him off next time!!) “Is Willie Parker really good looking?” asked Timekeeper Mitch? “Why are all of the girls trying to draft him?!?!”
Here’s why: Willie is a stud. Yes, he was overworked last year. Yes, he’s liable to be out with injuries, but he can go big.

RB2: Hightower vs. Moore – advantage Cardinals

Neither player was drafted (both picked up off the waiver wire). Hightower eeks the win due to the goal line carries and hence double the TDs.

WR1: Fitzgerald vs. Ward – advantage Cardinals

Duh. No offense Hines, but Larry is the best, especially for a pasty Irish guy… oh, wait. If it were a smiling contest Hines would win. Larry was drafted in the 3rd round, the 7th WR to go. Hines went in the 9th round, so both produced great value for their draft positions.

WR2: Boldin vs. Holmes – advantage Cardinals

But both have a great ass. Anquan went in the 5th and Santonio went in the 3rd (to a huge Steelers fan though…)

TE: Pope vs. Miller – advantage Steelers

Not the best comparison since the Cardinals rarely target the TE (Who would need to with Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Breaston on the team?) Miller was drafted in the 7th round, 7th TE on the board.

K: Rackers vs. Reed – wash

I mean really.
Both went in the 2nd round of our draft. Kidding. Rackers went in the last round and Reed was picked up off the wire early in season.

D/ST: Cardinals vs. Steelers – advantage Steelers
This warrants an explanation like the WR category did.

Experience – advantage Steelers

It’s the Cardinals first time to the Su Pa Bo ever, while the Steelers have been 6 times before, only losing one of them. They are tied for most wins (5) with the Cowboys and 49’ers.
Of course this gives the under-dog advantage to the Cardinals.
Both team's fans and uniforms are fine (it’s not like Oakland or Cincinnati is playing… coincidence?)

Conclusion: I know it is said that “Defenses win championships.” Someone should have told that to the Bears two years ago when they lost to the Colts. I’m going with the Cardinals.

Prediction: AZ 24 – PIT 20
Breakdown:
AZ – Fitzgerald TD, Boldin TD, Hightower TD, Rackers FG
PIT – Parker TD, Reed FG, Holmes TD, Reed FG

Super Bowl Countdown: On the Road to Tampa

[Editor's Note: With the Super Bowl only a few days away, SportsJudge continues it's daily coverage of the big game with a preview from Joe Romano, Editor-in-Chief of the SportsJudge Blog. Be sure to check back every day this week at 1pm for different perspectives from the SportsJudge community. Be sure to check out Mike Colligan's 31-17 Steelers prediction and Matt Cohen's 31-28 Cardinals prediction if you haven't already.]

Two teams playing out of two different cities will battle for league supremacy on Sunday, but this game will revolve around one, Pittsburgh. It is the home of the Terrible Towel, Primanti Bros., and Iron City Beer. It is where Ken Whisenhunt made his name, Larry Fitzgerald shined in college, and Steve Breaston was born and raised. However, the Woodland Hills product could be the key to the game for the Cardinals.

You have all heard about how great the Steelers’ defense is, and it really is great. We all know James Harrison can pressure the QB, Polamalu is arguably the best safety in the game, and Casey Hampton is ginormous, but what many may find out is how slow Deshea Townsend is. Unfortunately for the Steelers, he will draw coverage duty on the speedy Breaston in man coverage. This could be the match-up that kills the Steelers.

The Steelers have two solid corners in Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden. Ike is a pure coverage guy and McFadden is a physical corner who will make Boldin work to get off the line, but Townsend as the nickel back against Breaston has to keep Dick Lebeau up at night. The key will be forcing third and long, allowing the Steelers to zone-blitz the Cardinals and giving support over top against Zona’s supremely talented trio of receivers. Pounding the Cardinals' receivers at the line won't hurt either. I am sure the Steelers won’t forget how Breaston burned them for a TD last year.

There are two keys to the game when the Steelers have the ball: locate Adrian Wilson and, more importantly, run the ball. Earlier this week, Mike Colligan called Adrian Wilson the best safety in the game. I won’t go that far, but he is the third best safety behind Polamalu and Reed and is a game changer. Roethlisberger must account for Wilson every play. If Roethlisberger is careless, Wilson could come up with a game changing interception or land a hit that will give Steelers’ receivers alligator arms.

The biggest key to the game will be the Steelers ground attack. The Steelers have made a name for themselves by running teams into submission and will need to do it again to beat Arizona. By successfully running the ball, the Steelers keep the dangerous Cardinals’ passing attack off the field. Arizona’s glaring weakness is in their run-stopping linebacker corp. Some will point to their success against the run so far in the playoffs, but that is supremely attributable to teams playing from behind. Dansby is a very good pass rusher, but overall, the linebacker corps is weak against the run.

By exploiting the run, the Steelers will also open up Heath Miller. Keeping the Cardinals thinking run first should open up some seams and zone pockets for Miller to exploit. We all saw Celek find great success for Philly, and he isn’t half the player that Heath is. However, it will be tough to establish Heath without the run. Again, the key for the Steelers offense will be to run the ball.

This game should be far closer and more entertaining than most are claiming it will be. Each team has super stars on each side of the ball, and we have a hard-hitting defense against an electrifying offense. In the end, defense wins championships.

Prediction: The Steelers return to Pittsburgh with their record setting sixth Super Bowl, 27-17.

Super Bowl Countdown: On the Road to Tampa

[Editor's Note: With the Super Bowl only a few days away, SportsJudge continues it's daily coverage of the big game with a preview from Matt Cohen, Senior Deputy Justice of SportsJudge.com. Don't forget to check out yesterday's first preview from Mike Colligan if you haven't already and be sure to stay tuned for different perspectives on Super Sunday every day this week at 1pm.]

Super Bowl XLIII is a tale of two franchises that couldn't be more different from each other. On the one hand you have the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh is trying to become the first team in NFL History to win 6 Super Bowls, in this, their 7th Super Bowl appearance. They have one of the best owners in all of sports in the Rooney's, and entered this season just as they have for most of the previous 15 years, as one of the favorites to win the AFC Championship. The Arizona Cardinals on the other hand have not won 10 games in a season since 1976 (By comparison the Steelers have won at least 10 games 14 times since 1976), and had their first winning season since 1998. The Cardinals have one of the worst and cheapest owners in all of sports in the Bidwell's, and entered the season just as they always do, as huge underdogs to make any kind of run to the Super Bowl.

The Steelers have the league's #1-ranked defense and it is this defense that will have to win the game for them. Pittsburgh has the best safety (Troy Polamalu) and the best LB (James Harrison) in the league. Harrison was not only the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year (and top fantasy defensive player leading my team into the postseason!!!), but he is the biggest game-changer on either side of the field in this Super Bowl. Harrison had 16 sacks and 7 forced fumbles during the regular season and in order for Pittsburgh to win he will have to get to the QB. By getting pressure on Warner (something the Eagles had a lot of trouble with), Harrison will go a long way towards stopping Arizona's #1-ranked Passing Offense. If this pressure leads to a few turnovers for the Pittsburgh defense, it could lead to an easy day for the Steelers. On offense, Big Ben will do what he always does; he won't be flashy but he will make the necessary plays to have Pittsburgh in position to win the game.

Speaking of turnovers, it's the Arizona defense which has been leading the league throughout the postseason with 11 turnovers in their 3 playoff games. Clancy Pendergast's crew has been on an incredible role this postseason. Arizona has several big name players on defense including Carlos Dansby, Adrian Wilson, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie; but as a whole the defense was inconsistent throughout the regular season. Will the defense of the past 3 games show up in the Super Bowl or will the defense revert back to it's regular season form? Personally, I think it is more likely that it'll be somewhere in the middle. The defense has clearly improved but they can't expect to get the same amount of turnovers they have been getting over the previous 3 postseason games, and as a result the only way Arizona is winning is if Kurt Warner and the offense outplays that vaunted Pittsburgh defense.

Everyone talks about the 2 big WRs in Arizona, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, but to me the two players to look out for if Arizona is going to win this game are Steve Breaston, who had 77 Catches 1,006 Yards 3 TD in the 2008 Regular Season (7 Catches for 70 Yards in the Postseason) and Jerheme Urban, who had 34 Catches 448 Yards 4 TD (Only 5 Catches for 30 Yards in the Postseason). Urban has had his best games when going against the best passing defenses. Against the Giants he caught 5 catches for 69 yards and against the Vikings he caught 3 catches for 82 yards and 1 TD. These defenses, much like the Pittsburgh defense will be able to do, can somewhat contain the big 3 WRs, leaving Urban open with a chance to move the ball down the field.

Finally a quick mention of the coaches. While Mike Tomlin is an excellent coach, but Ken Whisenhunt has proven himself to be one of the smartest coaches in the league time and time again. I'm still amazed at his attempt for a free kick in the regular season. As a result, I don't see any Charger or Falcon-like letdown where they are just happy to be in the Super Bowl. Whisenhunt is going to have his team ready to show the Steelers that they made a mistake in passing on him for head coach, and more importantly will have his team in position to win the championship.

This is a strange game for me. I usually always root for Pittsburgh if its an AFC game. I really like Heinz Field, I like their fans, I like the terrible towel, I like their owner, and I like Steely McBeam (best mascot in the NFL!). That being said however, I really like Kurt Warner from his time on the Giants, he was very good with Eli and I would be happy to see him win another championship. At 45-1 odds going into the season to win the championship and still 40-1 odds to win the championship entering the playoffs, nobody expected the Cardinals to have any chance at winning it all this year, but they will continue to surprise.

Prediction: I just have a strange feeling that the Cards are going to win and Kurt Warner is going to win another MVP. Cardinals 31 - Steelers 28.

Super Bowl Countdown: On The Road To Tampa

[Editor's Note: With the Super Bowl only a few days away, SportsJudge wants to give you the inside scoop on the big game. Today's preview is from Mike Colligan, author of SportsJudge's "In Between the Tackles" column. It's the first in series of varying perspectives which will appear each afternoon at 1pm ET, concluding with Chris Carmona's usual in-depth look on Saturday.]

Quick. What current NFL player owns the record for sacking Ben Roethlisberger the most times in a single game? No guess? Come on, think of some of the best linebackers in the game. It's not Brian Urlacher. Not Zach Thomas. If you guessed Ray Lewis...you're in the right division. Give up? How about James Harrison. Yes, that James Harrison...of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his final college game at Kent State, Harrison brought Big Ben down 5 times and single-handedly took Roethlisberger and Miami (Oh.) out of field-goal range on what would have been the game's game-winning drive.

Now I'm not telling you this to set the stage for a lecture on how good AP defensive player of the year James Harrison is. If you've had access to your TV or computer or football-obsessed coworker in the cubicle next to yours over the past seven days, you know ALL about that. I want to dig a little deeper and go "In Between the Tackles."

The 2008-09 version of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been fairly predictable this season in my mind. In their losses to the Eagles, Giants, Colts and Titans, Roethlisberger was absolutely harassed. The Steelers offensive line was shredded, and the rest of the offense was out of sync. Luckily, two weeks off at the end of the season (playoff bye and a 'game' against the Cleveland Browns) allowed them to come in well-rested and wear out a Baltimore Ravens squad that hadn't had a break since their unscheduled Week 2 bye. I didn't expect many problems against the Ravens and San Diego the week before, but I will admit this game makes me a little nervous.

Arizona has proven they can score with anyone in the league when they're hot. Their secondary, led by Adrian Wilson (the best safety in the game in my opinion), have become football-hungry vultures with 11 takeaways in three playoff games. The Steelers haven't proven they can run the ball with any consistency. If they have any weakness on defense, it's probably the slow and aging inside linebacker James Farrior, which could mean a big receiving day for JJ Arrington and Tim Hightower out of the backfield.

All of this being said, I still think the Steelers are definitely the better team. As I mentioned above, all of the attention is being heaped upon James Harrison, on and off the field. For that reason, I think that means Ken Whisenhunt and company will make sure that Harrison doesn't beat them. Double teams, triple teams, even a few holding penalties...whatever it takes to keep Harrison from touching Kurt Warner.

The player on defense who will benefit from this attention will be the underrated second-year linebacker out of Michigan, LaMarr Woodley. Woodley finished the season with 11.5 sacks, mostly due to the fact that he ends up in one-on-one matchups with blocking backs. I don't see the Cardinals attempting to establish much of a running game, so expect to see lots of Tim Hightower. Keep in mind Hightower is a rookie and rookies often struggle to pass-block in pressure situations. On Sunday, he has the responsibility of picking up deceiving blitzes from Harrison, Woodley and even Troy Polamalu...maybe all at once. Throw in Kurt Warner's total lack of mobility in the pocket and well-documented fumbling tendencies, and I think Woodley has a field day.

On the other side of the ball, it would be easy to predict a big game out of Hines Ward or Santonio Holmes, but my pick for the game-changer is tight end Heath Miller. Despite failing to appear in two games this season with an ankle injury, Miller reeled in a career high 48 passes in the regular season. In fact, over the past four weeks, Miller has 220 yards receiving. If you had a chance to watch the Cardinals and Eagles last week, you probably noticed that Philadelphia tight end Brent Celek became Donovan McNabb's target-of-choice and finished the game with 10 catches and two touchdowns. Keep in mind Celek only had 27 catches all season. With Ward battling a knee injury, I think Miller steps up and has a huge day against an Arizona secondary that gives up big plays and lacks depth.

Prediction: In the end, the Steelers dominating defense will be too much for Warner's aerial attack and Pittsburgh leaves Tampa with their sixth Super Bowl title and a 31-17 win.