Super Bowl - Breakdowns by Position
The World Series, the World Cup, the Stanley Cup, the NBA Championship, and even March Madness are pale mortals in America compared to 1 football game every year, the Super Bowl. Super Bowl Sunday is now played almost a full month later in the year than when it originally started and it only seems to build to the game even more. Bart Starr was the first Super Bowl MVP when the Packers defeated the Chiefs at the Memorial Coliseum in a 35 to 10 victory. This years Super Bowl will be “a first” for the Arizona Cardinals with their veteran and former Super Bowl MVP, Kurt Warner at the helm. An almost inconceivable match up at the beginning of the year is actually pretty close. Let’s break down Cardinals vs Steelers.
QB
Arizona - Kurt Warner; Pittsburgh - Ben Roethlisberger
This really isn’t a fair fight since Warner is a 14 year veteran and future Hall of Famer but let’s look. Not only has Warner played in two Super Bowls to Roethlisberger’s one but he played well, damn well. In his first Super Bowl the former grocery clerk (Warner) threw for 414 yards and two touchdowns. Roethlisberger, on the other hand, went 9 of 21 for 123 yards and 2 interceptions. It’s a performance that he says still haunts him. Really, in comparison, Warner grab the win for his team while Big Ben almost threw it away. Now, Roethlisberger has grown a lot but he’s just not the guy the Warner is.
Edge: Cardinals by 2 car lengths
Backfield
Arizona - Edgerrin James; Pittsburgh - Willie Parker
Kind of a tough spot here because both teams use multiple backs quite a bit. Arizona’s running game really hasn’t been that dominate but with Edge finally coming to life in the postseason it has been very effective. Willie Parker is a guy that I think is very underrated on most days. Parker is really a guy that can make a cut, find a seam, and just take off. He is also very fresh coming into this game and should play a big role. James probably won’t be asked to win the game while Parker might have to take one a bigger role for Pittsburgh. Arizona also has a more pounding running in Tim Hightower and a 3rd down guy in JJ Arrington so they show quite a number of looks. Both teams have solid fullbacks but are not spectacular though Arizona’s guys are quite large.
Edge: Steelers
WR’s
Arizona - Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin; Pittsburgh - Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes
Probably the category that will be the most lopsided here with Arizona just being totally stacked. Fitzgerald is the best receiver in the league right now and Boldin is probably third with Andre Johnson in between. Fitzgerald has amazingly consistent hands and has great run after catch ability. Boldin brings a toughness to the field and also has excellent hands. Hines Ward is also a tough receiver but he will be playing with an injured knee and Santonio Holmes just is not a very matured player yet.
Edge: Arizona by a mile
TE
Arizona - Stephen Spach; Pittsburgh - Heath Miller
Okay, not real close here for play making ability. Heath Miller has been a standout since he entered the league and has consistently been on the same page with Big Ben. Spach and his backup Leonard Pope are pretty much used as blockers and really are not featured in the Cardinals offense. Matt Spaeth is second on the Pittsburgh depth chart and has also been pretty effective in his second year with 17 receptions this year for 100+.
Edge: Pittsburgh by a lot
Offensive Line
There are really no stand out players here from either team. It’s going to be more of which group can show up for the big game. Arizona benefits from Kurt Warner’s ability to get rid of the ball very quickly while Roethlisberger is solid at avoiding the rush. This a big toss up.
Edge: Even
Offensive Advantage Overall: Arizona.
It has to be. There is one position that absolutely has to be solid in the Super Bowl and that is the QB. Warner should show up, as always, and play very well. It will be interesting to see Big Ben try to make up for his last performance.
Defensive Line
Arizona - Darnell Docket; Pittsburgh - Casey Hampton
Pittsburgh is a 3-4 defense which immediately highlights the 325 pound Casey Hampton at nose tackle. Hampton does a very good job at sucking up blocks and making plays. The Steelers have another guy in Aaron Smith at defensive end that is more of a pass rusher and is overlooked way too much. Smith is a real big guy at 6 foot 5, 300 pounds and can get to the quarterback. The Cardinals have their own feature guy in the middle with Darnell Docket and have guys that can get to the QB from the end position. Bertrand Berry is one of those guy and he can cause problems in a hurry.
Edge: Locked up!
Linebackers
Arizona - Karlos Dansby; Pittsburgh - James Harrison
Pittsburgh understands to play an effective 3-4 you need to have a lot of really good linebackers and they easily have the best line backing core in the league. Before I gush about the Steelers LB core I will say that Karlos Dansby is a steady play maker for the Cardinals and can cause some turnovers. James Harrison highlights the Steelers foursome with great speed and pass rushing ability. James Farrior and Larry Foote are excellent tacklers and play the middle very well. LaMar Woodley is my unsung hero as he plays opposite of Harrison and can also get to the quarterback in a hurry. There is not another set of linebackers in the league like these ones playing for the Steelers.
Edge: Steelers, Steelers, Steelers
Defensive Backs
Arizona - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Adrian Wilson; Pittsburgh - Ryan Clark, Troy Polamalu
Some really solid and overlooked talent here on both sides. The stand outs are obvious with Polamalu and Wilson. I think Wilson is the bigger hitter and leader but Polamalu is just one nasty ball hawk. The real story of this game will be how well Rodgers-Cromartie can shut down whoever is matched up and if Ryan Clark can help stop Fitzgerald over the middle. Clark is a very hard hitter and could very well take someone out of the game even if it happens to be himself. Cromartie is very fast and will be able to run with anyone on the Steelers side of the ball though Hines Ward could end up pushing him around some.
Edge: Push! Polamalu fans will hate me but the Arizona corners are better than the Steelers
Defensive Advantage Overall: Steelers
How could I even think of picking the Cardinals? I can’t, and that’s why it’s the Steelers on D. This is also why I think this is a great match up for the Super Bowl. It’s going to be a great offense vs a great defense. Warner will play games with his eyes looking recievers off but so will Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu and they will be sending a blitzer while doing it.
Special Teams
Arizona - Neil Rackers, Steve Breaston; Pittsburgh - Jeff Reed, Santonio Holmes
Rackers has one of the strongest legs in the game today and is also very accurate. He can be a guy to go out and win a game at the last second if Arizona needs him to be. Fortunately for Pittsburgh so is Jeff Reed. Steve Breaston has been excellent all year returning punts and kicks while Santonio Holmes really isn’t a primary returner. Pittsburgh hasn’t had a ton of big plays on their special teams this year while Arizona has made a lot. If Breaston manages to break loose he will be gone in a hurry.
Edge: Arizona
That wraps up the breakdown of the game by positions. This game really should be very good and I am predicting one of the best Super Bowls of recent memory. I am also going to guess that if the Cardinals manage to pull this game out Kurt Warner will retire in Elway fashion and then get his ticket to Canton. On the other side, if Big Ben gets another Super Bowl victory he could very well be on his way to the shrine later too.
Technorati 
Del.icio.us 
StumbleUpon 
Digg 
Facebook 
Mixx 
Reddit
Tags: Football, NFL, Sports, Super Bowl
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
One Response to “Super Bowl - Breakdowns by Position”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
February 1st, 2009 at 7:58 am
Your breakdown almost makes me feel like Arizona has a reasonable shot, but if nothing else, you do have a nice reality dose in it with Warner’s superbowl perfomances vs Ben’s. Granted, Ben’s had a couple of years to settle down. Ultimately, I think it has to come down the Steeler’s D against the Card’s running game. Unless the Steeler’s offensive is completely unable to generate any rhythm and the game stays degrades into a defensive battle, I don’t think that Arizona is going to be able to sustain any running game against the Steelers and it’s going to put a ton of pressure on Warner to be the hero.