Welcome one and all to the extra large Super Bowl edition of The Crystal Ball. This year’s tilt features Titletown USA versus the City of Champions. And while our own version of Brett Keisel’s playoff beard may be coming in patchy, it hasn’t diminished our excitement one iota. Are you ready for some football? Well you still have a few more hours of pregame to wade through, so sit back and relax as we prepare you for the last football game you will see in a long time. Or at least until Arena League starts up again in March.
Opening Kickoff
Snow, ice and winter temperatures have rocked Dallas this week in the lead up to Super Bowl XLV. Something tells me Strickland Propane is making money hand over fist.
In This Corner…
The Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, two of the longest running organizations with storied histories will face off in the playoffs for the first time in their existence with the championship of the NFL on the line. What could be more exciting than this?
Usually I enjoy giving a bit of a history lesson on each squad facing off in the Super Bowl. But this year I will not bother you with a detailed narration about these two fantastic franchises. You know why? I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times this week. It’s been one of the biggest storylines of all. As fans we have been inundated with talk of the history, the players, the championships, the iconic games and the traditions of the Packers and Steelers. And you know what? They are all wonderful. Seriously. I could not speak more highly of both organizations and I mean that. Obviously I would speak that way of the Steelers, but I mean the exact same thing about the Packers.
Usually no matter the opponent, I can work up a good lather of distaste for them, but not this time. I love how Green Bay runs their operations, how the team sticks together in the face of adversity, how their fans live and die with the fortunes of the teams and how they have a tradition that goes all the way back to when college football was more popular than professional football. I love how the fans moon the visiting team bus after games, the cheese heads, the Lambeau Leap, that the fans own the team and that they play all their games outdoors in one of the coldest parts of the country. Heck, their head coach is from Pittsburgh, how much more could you like the Packers if you weren’t a devoted fan? They could easily be my favorite Steeler Super Bowl opponent of all time.
With that said, let’s jump right into the absurdity that is Super Bowl week.
Only In Faux NFL Reality…
The NFL felt the need to pass out its annual awards this week, with Steeler safety Troy Polamalu winning best hair, I mean Defensive Player of the Year. I wonder if that will impact Sunday’s game in any way?
Bill Belichick spirited away the Coach of the Year award for his stellar 14-2 season. I cannot figure out how he won though considering that putrid coaching job in the Pro Bowl. Seriously Bill, a 42-0 deficit at one point is unacceptable.
Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger cleared the air and worked out their differences with each other at Media Day. All is right again in Steeler Nation and somewhere an angel got their Terrible Towel.
According to one study, a Super Bowl loss will increase the risk of a heart attack in the losing team’s city. Yes, it’s the loss that causes heart attacks, not a steady 20 week diet of brats, beer, cheese, fries and wings.
Brett Keisel’s beard gave interviews during Media Day. On Sunday it will have its own jersey too.
Did you hear about the Green Bay homeless couple that won a trip to the Super Bowl? It’s actually a sweet story and I hope they get back on their feet soon while they enjoy a break from reality.
Rumors abounded early in the week that several Steelers, including Hines Ward and Ike Taylor, unwound on Monday by hitting a strip club. While Ward denied this, my first thought was please don’t be Roethlisberger.
Nope, Big Ben these days prefers the warm confines of piano bars. This should have been a funny story about a guy enjoying some goofy fun with his friends. Instead it's made salacious and naughty, mainly because of the involvement of TMZ. Personally, I loved it all except for his choice of songs. Ben, when you get back to the Burgh give me a call and we'll go karaoke. I've got a bit of experience in the area and I’ll show you how to pick a good song that’ll get the crowd fired up.
Hines Ward used his pulpit of Media Day to take another well deserved shot at the NFL regarding player safety and concussions. Hey NFL, let me reiterate this one more times. The majority of fans do not want 18 games; they just do not want to play regular season prices for pre season games.
Much has been said about how this will be the first Super Bowl ever that will feature no cheerleaders, as neither the Packers or Steelers employ cheerleader squads. Don’t worry sports fans; I’m sure there will be plenty of T&A during the commercials.
Upon Further Review
With the Steelers preparing to win their third Super Bowl in six years, the scrutinizing light of the national media has focused its glaring spotlight on Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Questions proliferated all week regarding what this game, and a potential win, would mean for Roethlisberger. Would a third victory thrust him into the conversation of top current quarterbacks in the NFL? Would it add weight to his legacy and the growing assumption of him being one of the best big game quarterbacks of all time? Would it push him into the conversation of one day reaching the Hall of Fame? And would it be the perfect ending of a tumultuous season and give Roethlisberger redemption after his sexual assault allegations disgraced himself and the Steelers organization?
There have been a multitude of stories and arguments both for and against the redemption story. Some feel that a win would provide him the tonic he needs to put the past behind him and show the world how he has changed. While others have been pointedly critical of such notions and adamant that a Super Bowl victory will never excuse his repugnant behavior.
By now it’s painfully obvious I am a huge Steeler fan. And I will be rooting them on with my usual fervor Sunday night. And I will root for them come Monday as well no matter what happens. So obviously I have a personal interest in Big Ben changing his life for the better, because it reflects upon my favorite team but also because I find hope and inspiration in stories about people who successfully change their lives. But do I think Roethlisberger winning the Super Bowl is a redemption story? No.
Roethlisberger’s Super Bowl is a story of a man who focused his energies into his job and managed to get an opportunity to get to the top of his profession. Nothing more.
Real redemption comes from making changes in your life. Now from all accounts he has done that. He has worked hard to heal fractured relationships with his teammates and stepped up to be the leader all expected him to be. He has been more open and accommodating with fans and with the community. He has taken the punishment given to him and accepted the slings and arrows thrown at him by many with an accepting gate, saying he has no one to blame but himself.
But winning a Super Bowl does not close the book on redemption. The redemption story is still being written. True redemption doesn’t happen in a span of months or games or wins. It takes years of work, effort, self sacrifice and personal change. It takes time to put the past behind you and work your way through life.
Not everyone will forgive nor forget his actions, but everyone, no matter how they feel about the man, need to step back and gain a bit of perspective.
To those who think Big Ben winning the Super Bowl does give him redemption and is evidence that he has changed his life and all is now right with the world, chill out. How can you determine how a man has changed merely by his performance at his job? Unless you are close friends with him, you do not know him, most likely will never know him and are just transferring his on the field success to his off the field life. It doesn't work that way.
And to those who still hate him, call him a pig, boo and turn your nose up at him, chill out as well. Just like his most fervent supporters, you don't know him either. All you see of his life is the small slice played out in the public eye, which to this point have been a successful football career and a boat load of off the field trouble. You have no idea what he does at home or how he may work in private to turn his life around. Who knows, perhaps he spends his evenings sewing mittens for underprivileged kids or meditating.
And that’s the crux of the issue; no one really knows how he has changed except for close friends and family. But everyone sees what they want to see, whether it is a great redemption story or another over privileged athlete getting away with abhorrent behavior. In our society, we no longer give the benefit of the doubt or believe people can change unless it benefits us in some way. Plenty of Pittsburgh fans feel Ben has changed, because Roethlisberger under center benefits them. Much like how Eagle fans embrace Michael Vick, because Vick winning benefits them. Do they really care about how these men may be trying to change their life? No probably not. They only care that they keep winning.
Look I’m not looking past what either Roethlisberger or Vick did, or excusing their actions in any way. I cannot and will not. However I prefer to live in a world where we give the benefit of the doubt to a person trying to change for the better. Perhaps I’m naïve, or perhaps just a fool. But I’d rather think they have made successful changes in their lives and are becoming better people and members of society. Of course I have my doubts about both men, and unless some strange twist of fate occurs where I become friends with them, I honestly will never know. But I would rather live my life hoping they do the best they can to improve their lives and themselves while providing hope and inspiration to people everywhere who are also trying to change their lives in positive ways rather than forever condemning these flawed humans, especially considering we are all flawed humans in some way.
I thought of these things last evening as I watched the Steelers Huddle, a local television show hosted by players Ryan Clark and Antwaan Randle El. Roethlisberger was their special guest for the episode, and tons of fans showed up to see him in person. The fans were cheering and supportive, and Ben was being fun, goofy and smiling while being open and accommodating as he interacted with the fans at every opportunity to the fans. I like him better like this. No, it does not tell me if he has truly changed or found redemption, but he’s much more fun as Big Goof than Big Douche, and that alone is a start in the right direction.
Going Into Labor
With Heir Goodell using the platform of Super Bowl week to continue to stoke the flames of unrest within the NFL, The Crystal Ball is introducing a new segment this week that will in future editions detail the latest movements in the NFL and NFLPA’s billion dollar game of chicken. While there has been plenty going on this week on the labor front, we shall hold off on starting the condemnation of both sides until next week. After all, it is the Super Bowl, and it’s nice to pretend everything is just fine until at least this season is officially in the books.
But tune in next week during our season wrap up as we start analyzing the aspects of this completely unnecessary labor battle and ego clash as we build up to March 3rd, when Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith will tear a goose apart with their bare hands on live television.
He Said He Said
“Well, I can guarantee you my hair's more expensive." – Steelers safety Troy Polamalu when asked to compare his hair to Green Bay’s Clay Matthews
That’s just because Suave is so affordable.
“Super fan bases. We salute the die-hards who follow the Steelers or Packers. Not just for their passion, but for their savvy knowledge of the game and its intricacies. You can always spot one of their true believers because they carry a can of silver polish inside their parkas, in case they run into the Lombardi Trophy and it hasn't had a good rub-down in the past 10 hours.” – ESPN.com’s Greg Hardy
Hey, you get your first can of silver polish as part of the welcome package when you move to Pittsburgh.
''Sorry we brought the weather with us.'' - Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy upon arriving in Dallas
Thank you, thank you, he’ll be here all week.
"I've been coaching for 25 years, and I think I'm tired. I need a rest.'' - Former Titans head coach Jeff Fisher
Somewhere Joe Paterno is calling Jeff a pansy.
"I'm not happy about it, and they know I'm not happy about it. I'm not going to be happy about it, for a long time. I expressed that throughout the whole time it was going on, I expressed how much I didn't think it would be good for us. My opinion isn't going to change. It's kind of an attack on me, I feel like. Usually when you fire the position coach, it's because you're not really happy with how that position did. And when I look back on my season and on our season as a team, I mean, we won 13 games."- Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, on the dismissal of quarterback coach Jim Zorn
Yeah, and the team failed to win the division, you personally collapsed in the playoffs again and the team couldn’t beat their division rival in the playoffs yet again. So perhaps a change was necessary Joe.
"It's special. I don't know what else to say about it. It's special and scary." – Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on Brett Keisel’s beard.
Just like an eclipse.
"Just shampoo and conditioner, comb it out every once in a while, brush the birds and squirrels out, and take care of it." – Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel on beard care during media day
Ahhh, but with what do you use to comb it? Come on, no one had that follow up question?
"Everybody's talking about, 'Do you think he's going to make the Hall of Fame?'.He's already accomplished more than a lot of the guys that are in the Hall of Fame." – Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana on Ben Roethlisberger
Coming from such an accomplished big game winner, that’s a rousing endorsement.
"I don't want to hurt nobody, I don't want to step on nobody's foot and hurt their toe, I don't want to have no dirt or none of this rubber on the field fly into their eye and make their eye hurt, I just want to tackle them softly on the ground and, if y'all can, lay a pillow down where I'm going to tackle them so they don't hit the ground too hard, Mr. Goodell." – Steelers linebacker James Harrison during Media Day
Now how can you villainize such a warm and fuzzy guy?
"I was surprised why the commissioner would expect 24 players who don't play for the Steelers to support Ben. Those guys are competitors. I would imagine they would have wanted the commissioner to throw the book at Ben. That's funny to me." – Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin responding to the quote attributed to Roger Goodell that no Steelers stuck up for Roethlisberger during the league’s investigation last spring
And that’s what makes Tomlin so good; he can maintain his sense of humor despite the stupidity of the situation.
"What's the Steeler Way? It's to win championships. That's the Pittsburgh way." – Steeler linebacker LaMarr Woodley
Boy isn’t that the truth. Pittsburgh Pirates please heed this comment and move forward appropriately.
"Quit pretending to be the flag-bearers for our health care and safety when you're telling us in the next sentence that we need to go to 18 games. That doesn't cut it. Obviously you don't give a (swear) about our health and safety.” - Browns linebacker Scott Fujita
Get ready to hear more players speaking like this over the next few weeks as each side battles for public opinion. And Fujita is correct.
Idiot of the Week
This week we bestow this award on two very prominent members of the NFL community, commissioner Roger Goodell and Sports Illustrated writer Peter King.
In an interview with King for a Sports Illustrated piece, Goodell made remarks about Roethlisberger that many can only figure were meant to stir up trouble or create division in the locker room. While the interviews were done at the beginning of January, the article was slated to run this week when the quotes came out. His comments, if you had missed them, were as follows.
Goodell said when he was investigating what to do with the quarterback, he talked to "I bet two dozen [Steeler] players" and "not one, not a single player, went to [Roethlisberger's] defense. It wasn't personal in a sense, but all kinds of stories like, 'He won't sign my jersey.'"
However, the quote was wrong. Apparently, Goodell did not specify speaking to Steeler players, but players from a variety of different teams. The same day the quote appeared; King and Sports illustrated issued a clarification.
But something about this quote fiasco bothers me. King was very proud of his fluff piece, I mean profile article of Goodell to the point he devoted a portion of his regular Monday column discussing it and talking about specific sections of the piece. Now King did his interviews with Goodell at the beginning of January, and obviously spent considerable time crafting his article in the month before slated publication.
With a month of work behind it done by a senior Sports illustrated writer with over 25 years of experience, how could King get such a simple quote wrong? This is the sort of error you see from a cub reporter on their first assignment, not a writer who has years of experience interviewing sports figures. It makes me wonder if King really did get it wrong, or Goodell made him his scapegoat. Considering how Goodell has screwed up the concussion issue, the illegal hits crusade he started and is now blowing the labor negotiations, I have no trouble believing he made a call to King and told him to change it, and King who loves his access to the upper tiers of the NFL, acquiesced and surrendered part of his journalistic integrity in the process.
So Roger Goodell, for once again trying to stick it to the Steelers while ending up with egg on your face, and Peter King, for getting played by Goodell like a violin, you are both idiots.
Prognosticating the Future
One of the most entertaining parts of Super Bowl week is watching numerous talking heads trying to figure out who will win before actually playing the game. Polls, predictions and simulations abound with desperate souls trying to prognosticate the outcome of the game, usually with the same accuracy as Punxsutawney Phil and his yearly weather forecast.
EA Sports each year runs a simulation of the two Super Bowl teams in an attempt to determine the winner. This year their game reproduction forecasts a Steeler victory. While EA is fairly accurate, and I like their results, I know ultimately it means nothing.
Then of course there is one of my favorite predictors, the Scripps Howard News Service and their annual gleaning of Super Bowl picks from celebrities. While I love Maya Angelou’s reasoning for picking the Packers, and due to her hypothesis I assume Paula Dean will also be rooting for Green Bay, I think someone may need to remind Jimmie Johnson who is currently coaching the Steelers.
Then there’s this article from Marc Ramirez of the Dallas Morning News, who went out of his way to detail all of the wacky ways people try to predict the winner of the game.
Sometimes, the winner can be determined by goofy superstitions. For instance, this year there is the potential that the Packers cursed themselves by choosing to wear their home uniforms for the Super Bowl. Green Bay got to the big game by being effective road warriors, much like the Steelers in 2005. When Pittsburgh made Super Bowl XL, they chose to wear their road uniforms and dance with the one who got them there. The Packers loved their road jerseys until they got to the big dance, and then abandoned her for someone prettier. I guess they don't have that same road warrior superstition Pittsburgh had in Super Bowl XL.
Hey Green Bay, not to frighten you, but Pittsburgh is undefeated in Super Bowl play in the road whites. Heck if Green Bay really wanted to win as a sixth seed like the Steelers in XL they should have gone all the way and worn their road uniforms. Rodgers even had a game saving tackle after a turnover in their last game just like Big Ben did during the 2005 playoffs. Why not pull out all the stops?
But I digress. For me, the true indicator of the Super Bowl winner comes from looking at the latest scandal sheet. To put it succinctly, I determine Super Bowl winners based on who has a scandal, started a scandal, and is embroiled in a scandal or on the cusp of one. And by my definition, a scandal is anything off the field that takes away from the team itself, puts all the focus on one player or anything that may disrupt a team from properly preparing for the game. So with those ground rules, let’s take a look at each team.
Green Bay – Well, Green Bay created a maelstrom of nonsense with Photo gate. They planned on having their team photo taken at the usual time during Media Day Tuesday. But if they did that, it would leave out all the players the team placed on injured reserve, who were not due to show up in Dallas until Thursday. The team rapidly reversed field, and chose to have their official photo taken Friday.
That should have been the end of it, right? Unfortunately not. First head coach Mike McCarthy brought it up again after the initial fire died down, giving new life to the story. Then Aaron Rodgers gave a subtle dig to some of the players on injured reserve, stating that they, "are still a part of this team, but some of them didn't choose to stick around,'' busting on those who chose to rehab away from team headquarters.
This caused a new round of insanity between the team and the injured players, and prompted linebacker Nick Barnett to blast Rodgers on Twitter. Barnett apologized afterward, but by then the damage was done. While this may seem rather trivial, it’s still the kind of issue that fractures a team.
Pittsburgh – Good gravy take your pick. How about Roethlisberger and his sexual assault case, or James Harrison and his illegal hits and fines, Hines Ward and his antics earlier in the week or calling the NFL on its hypocrisy, the firestorm ignited at the beginning of the week by Roger Goodell and his comments on Big Ben, Roethlisberger and Keisel at a piano bar, cutting Jeff Reed in November, the constant injuries to the offensive line, Polamalu’s shampoo wars with Clay Matthews or even Leftwich and Dixon going from quarterback saviors to injured and backups to Charlie Batch. You name it, we’ve got it. It chills me to the bone.
So by my parameters, the winner of the Super Bowl would be Green Bay. But this year, things are slightly different. There is a new curveball in the equation not previously accounted for. Which we will detail in…..
On Tap This Week
You know what? I didn’t lose a single game last week.
Last week: 0-0
Season to date: 164-102
Oh yeah, there were no games last week. Wait, the Pro Bowl was last week? Oh yeah, I vaguely remember hearing something about it in between Dallas weather reports.
As for this week, I heard there is a little completion scheduled for Sunday evening, I may even tune in.
Super Bowl Sunday
Pittsburgh (14-4) vs. Green Bay (13-6)
Alright, let’s get down to it. Who’s going to win this game? Obviously, I have my, shall we say, leanings but that doesn’t guarantee victory in any such way.
Despite the usual flaws, for the third time in six years, like it or not Pittsburgh is in the Super Bowl. And it would seem for a variety of reasons, people do not like it.
Many casual fans, fans of other teams, those whose have lost respect and admiration for the Steelers as they gave Roethlisberger another chance or are just tired of seeing one team win the Super Bowl repeatedly and want to see someone new grab the trophy have filled the Green Bay band wagon to capacity. And to be honest, I do not blame them. I have said for two weeks that if they were playing any team other than Pittsburgh, I would be grabbing for a cheese head hat myself.
But from all the analysis and breakdowns, many people are acting as though Green bay is the perfect kryptonite to the Steelers. I didn’t think I would have to defend a seasoned playoff team filled with Super Bowl winners as they prepare to play a talented team with almost non-existent Super Bowl experience, yet here we are.
So let’s look at the matchup and break it down according the biggest key points that have been bandied around for the last two weeks and see if the theory that Green Bay will roll Pittsburgh holds any water.
1) Green Bay’s defense is too good – Apparently, Clay Matthews and company running Dom Capers’ 3-4 defense will overwhelm Roethlisberger and the Steeler offensive line. Except this is the same defense that lost to Detroit and Miami and ranked 18th in the league against the run. Now, do you feel that sounds like a better unit than the Ravens or Jets run? Also keep in mind, Dom Capers and Dick LeBeau both worked on creating the current version of the Zone Blitz defense, so I think Pittsburgh may have some inside knowledge of how to exploit it.
2) Pittsburgh’s offensive line too weak – I say this with everyone else every year, yet here we are again. Despite this weak line, Rashard Mendenhall managed to eke out 121 yards rushing against the Jets defense, so that worked out well. And while I agree no Pouncey does diminish the line, something tells me Flozell Adams may have an inspired game that will more than make up for it.
3) Green Bay’s passing game is too potent for Pittsburgh’s secondary – Ok; I will give the pundits this one, because the Packers air attack is tremendous. But just two years ago, the Steelers found themselves in the Super Bowl facing down an Arizona team that rocked one of the most dynamic passing teams in some time. They racked up almost 380 yards of passing against the Steelers, yet somehow Pittsburgh prevailed. Just something to keep in mind.
But mere schemes, game plans, and talent level will never determine a game like this. A game like this is decided by want and need.
And let’s be honest, Green Bay needs this win. Packer fans need this win almost desperately. They need it to fully embrace Aaron Rodgers. They need it to finally let go of Brett Favre. They need it to put the last few uncomfortable years behind them and celebrate again as Titletown USA.
Rodgers himself needs it to finally put Favre in his rearview mirror and be Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers, not the guy who replaced Favre. Ted Thompson and the Packer brass need this to finally get the validation they should already have for sticking to their guns and taking tons of public relations flak in their divorce from Favre and show everyone they knew what they were doing in building this team.
And that pent up need and desire worried me greatly, because couple that with a young and hungry team, and it’s hard to overcome.
But after watching James Harrison and Hines Ward on Media Day and hearing the Steelers defend Roethlisberger after Goodell’s comments hit the airwaves something I have been feeling for months was confirmed. The Steelers are on a mission to win the Super Bowl.
The Packers don't understand this is more than a game for the Steelers; this is a statement to Roger Goodell and the league which has painted them as the bad guys. They need to trump him the only way they can, by winning it all. They need to be the championship face of the NFL, to make him whither under their glare as they accept the trophy.
They need to remind him each day of the off season that the best team in the league is the one with the accused quarterback who took his rightfully earned punishment even when that punishment appeared to be in the form of questionable non-calls for obvious penalties that resulted in injury after injury. That the best team is the one with the wide receiver unafraid to speak out about the hypocrisy of the league, the one with the defense that got better and better despite fine after fine for hits that were not only legal as per the NFL rules, but celebrated by the league as they profited from them. And they need to show him the best team in the league is the one with the owner whose influence helped propel Goodell into the position he now holds.
Normally distractions and scandals doom a team; I've said that for years. But this time, I think it's propelling Steelers on an almost mythical sized undertaking and Goodell knows and fears it. This team is motivated by more than a win and a trophy. They are motivated by a cause, by a mission, by something they see as greater than themselves and one game.
A common supposition has been that Goodell and his crusade to crack down on violence has targeted the Steelers. But the common response has been why would he do that, it make no sense. I have my own theory on the subject, and there are many other ones out there as well. Whether or not any of them holds water matters not. The players feel they have been unjustly treated and been portrayed by the NFL as the bad guys, dirty players and a scoundrel organization. And they do not like it. They want to show up Goodell and his attempts to hamstring the team, whether real or imagined, in the worst way. It’s a shame Green Bay chose to wear their home jerseys, the Steelers really would look good playing the bad guy wearing all black.
Yes, the scandals and distractions go against Pittsburgh in predicting a winner. And yes, Green Bay’s need goes against the Steelers as well. But never underestimate a motivated team playing with a gigantic chip on their shoulder.
Steelers over Packers
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to cleanse my palate from the 30 hours of pre game shows I’ve ingested thus far before kickoff by enjoying a rousing viewing of the Puppy Bowl. Enjoy the game everyone!
Labels: football, humor, NFL, picks, Pittsburgh, Playoffs, Steelers, Super Bowl
