With arguably the biggest sporting event of the year just around the corner, I found it only fitting that I write my first "real" post on this years Super Bowl.
This years game features the classic battle of the high powered offense against the leagues top defense. Kurt Warner is coming off an MVP caliber season, and Larry Fitzgerald has simply been Superman for the Cardinals' offense. Edgerrin James has also been a pleasant surprise, and you can't forget about Anquan Boldin. Fitzgerald and Boldin have combined for 29 receptions, 525 yards, and 6 TDs in the postseason, with Fitzgerald leading all receivers in the postseason by more than 200 yards. Running back Edgerrin James comes in to this game as the fifth leading rusher this post season, tallying 203 yards and a touchdown on 52 attempts.
Now on the other side of the ball: The wall that is the Pittsburgh defense. This defense enters the game with NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison, and James Farrior, both Pro-Bowl selections at the linebacker position. These two lead the front 7 and a defense that has allowed just 19 points per game, and only 244 yards per game in the postseason.
The story here will be how efficient the Cardinals' passing attack will be against the Steelers defense. Pittsburgh allows right around 200 passing yards per game and 3 TDs, where Kurt Warner has thrown for about 257 yards a game with 8 TDs. It will be interesting to see how the Steelers secondary can contain the Cardinals' offense, with All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu looking to intercept every pass and take it in for a score.
What needs to happen for the Steelers to win is Big Ben Roethlisberger to take advantage of the inferior defense. He has enough tools to break the secondary down and get the ball in the endzone. Look for WR Nate Washington have a big game. Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are going to get the star treatment, and if the Cardinals' forget about Washington for a second, he could be gone for 6 points. Also, Willie Parker needs to continue his success in the postseason. Parker has rushed for 193 yards and 2 TDs on 51 attempts this postseason.
However, look for Bertrand Berry and Adrian Wilson to keep the Cardinals' defense playing at a high level. Arizona has 8 interceptions this postseason to go along with 7 sacks.
My Pick: Arizona 27, Pittsburgh 21.
This offense is too powerful, despite how stong Pittsburgh's defense is. Kurt Warner is a proven winner and has the necessary tools needed to win a championship. His two All-Pro options at receiver will be hard for the Steelers to stop, especially when they also have Edgerrin James to worry about.
Arizona Cardinals: Super Bowl XLIII Champions.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
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i dont think the steelers defense will give up that many points, i think warner will probably throw 2-3 tds and 3 ints but i predict it steelers 27 cardinals 24
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! Either way, it will be fun to watch Kurt Warner go against this defense.
ReplyDeleteGood thoughts, Cole. Well-developed, convincing arguments with few typos. Impressive, man.
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter!
ReplyDeletei agree with the first comment i dont think the steelers defence will give up that many points. i see the game at 21-17, steelers are the new superbowl champs
ReplyDeleteAlso another part about being a good journalist is being able to deal with criticism and not delete comments that don't inflate your ego... Just a thought
ReplyDeleteWhat you left me was not constructive, you were ripping my piece apart. At least have the decency to leave your name and not just go by "Anonymous."
ReplyDeleteAnd if you want to talk about my grammar, there was a double negative in your comment...Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteAlright you win... I wasn't ripping your piece I was pointing out to you a major typo that made your piece look sloppy and telling you the truth. What you wrote is basically just mentioning each team's roster along with individual player statistics. What little analysis you do provide makes it appear to the reader that you are leaning Pittsburgh's way, yet you choose Arizona in your prediction. Like I said it is your first piece so it's not going to be perfect, I'm just trying to give you some tips on how to improve. Your reaction to what I said and the fact that you felt the need to point out my own grammar error (which I still don't see) shows that you are sensitive to criticism about your writing and as a journalism major that is something you are going to have to be able to deal with. I think it is great that you are doing this and trying to get a head start on what you would like to do with your life, but if you can't take criticism, especially in something as opinionated as sports, you will never make it. And for the record, it doesn't matter who I am, just know that I am an unbiased reader giving you unbiased suggestions. Maybe I'm a sportswriter myself, or maybe I'm just some random person. It shouldn't make any difference, I'm just trying to give you some tips.
ReplyDeleteIf it makes you feel any better I thought your second piece was much improved compared to this.
I understand that you were giving me criticism. I want to first thank you for reading and offering your opinion as well. I know there's only so much you can write about something like the Super Bowl that hasn't already been said in the past two weeks. I just felt obligated to write about it as my first post considering it's happening tomorrow. I tried to be as in depth as I could and provide as many "interesting" facts as I could. And you're right about the fact that it would appear that I was leaning Pittsburgh's way. I'm sorry for that. But again, thank you for your thoughts, and I hope you continue to read and offer up your opinions, and I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions.
ReplyDeleteExcellent piece Cole. I'm quite impressed, and this will be an interesting blog to follow.
ReplyDeleteNice job Cole. I hope you're right...I'd hate to see the Steelers win.
ReplyDeletedid Nate Washington even play this game?
ReplyDeleteNo he didn't do anything. I just thought Arizona would have covered Holmes better than they did and would forget about Washington. I thought he was going to be a sleeper and make a big play when no one expected it. Obviously, he didn't because Arizona couldn't cover Santonio Holmes.
ReplyDeleteHey man I understand why you would write about the Super Bowl as your first piece no explanation necessary. One last word of advice though, apologizing for jumping to conclusions is fine, I wasn't looking for, but apology accepted, but never, ever apologize for something you wrote because of one person. I said it seemed like you were favoring Pittsburgh, but then picked Arizona, but I am only one person! You can let me know that you take my comment into consideration, but definitely don't apologize for it, you don't owe anyone an apology! And I will definitely continue reading your stuff and offering my insights, so don't worry about losing me or offending me.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't think the last play was a fumble, BUT had Warner not thrown that pick or had just one player been able to tackle Harrison it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Great game though, and is there any doubt now that Larry Fitz is the best player in the league? Oh and by the way, your Washington analysis wasn't completely off. He got open on a bomb early in the game but Rogers-Cromartie made an outstanding play to break it up.