One's amazing, one's clutch: Who wins?
Any self-respecting Cowboys fan needs to pay attention to this game tonight and not just because it's in our house.
If the 'Boys ever want to get back to this game, the pinnacle of sports entertainment, they need to follow the guidelines the Steelers and Packers organizations have laid for success.
-- They built their teams from the draft.
-- They don't overpay for aging players.
-- They encourage rookies to step in and fill a role without missing a beat.
-- They instilled a team mentality that pushes their players to make each other better than their individual parts.
-- But most importantly, they trust their talent evaluators. And their talent evaluators are very good.
Talent evaluators are the equivalent of major league baseball scouting departments, and millions of dollars are pumped into these departments to serve one specific purpose: find the right players for their organization.
This is how you build a championship team, from the ground up. I know I'm not busting down any barriers with that statement because it's common sense, but the Cowboys have been so futile in this department over the past decade that I feel they need to hear it (even though the odds of anyone in the Dallas Cowboys front office ever reading this blog post are as good as my lotto chances).
The Packers have the cornerbacks and the Steelers have the safeties. Whoever wins will determine which is more important in fixing their porous secondary. To me, at least.
Take a look at this draft from literally 22 months ago. The 2009 draft, where they had 12 picks to build a core foundation following the Pacman/Tank/T.O. disaster. Here's a good laugh.
LB Jason Williams - Cut after only 18 months
OT Robert Brewster - Cut and signed to practice squad
QB Stephen McGee - Went 1-1 in 2010, led two 4th-quarter comebacks, counting the Arizona game.
LB Victor Butler - Inconsistent, but makes plays in the backfield. Still has rising stock.
DE Brandon Williams - Missed entire rookie season, fringe roster candidate.
CB DeAngelo Smith - Cut during rookie offseason.
S Mike Hamlin - Cut this season
K David Buehler - Excellent kickoff specialist, but fringe kicker. Struggles with routine kicks.
S Stephen Hodge - Cut in offseason
TE John Phillips - Injured knee in first preseason game. Still has rising stock.
CB Mike Mickens - Cut in offseason.
WR Manuel Johnson - Practice squad player, played late in season after injuries.
But I digress...
2011 Pro Football Championship
Let me begin by saying I like using the Pro Football Championship over the Super Bowl. It just sounds more professional and cooler, so I'm using this now. You'll warm up to it someday.
How the Steelers can win the 2011 Pro Football Championship
-- Rashard Mendenhall has to be effective: The Steelers won't go anywhere without Mendenhall moving the chains. He doesn't necessarily need to go over 100 yards and 2 TDs, but he needs to move the chains and keep Green Bay's defense on the field. Keeping drives alive is the Steelers calling card, and they'll fall behind if they have too many three-and-outs.
-- The Steel Curtain needs a pick-six: In the 2009 Pro Football Championship against Arizona, James Harrison returned an interception 99 yards at the end of the first half to give the Steelers a bigger cushion to hold off Kurt Warner in the second half. The Cardinals fell behind and passed, passed, and passed some more. They took the lead with 2 minutes left before the Santonio drive saved Pittsburgh, so the pick-six kept them in that game.
-- Basically because of Big Ben: Ben Roethlisberger wins games. He's not the picture-perfect Brady or Manning in the pocket, but his ability to improvise in the heat of the moment puts him into an elite class of NFL greats. We saw it against New York, we saw it against Baltimore, and we saw it in both of his Super Bowl wins.
How the Packers can win the 2011 Pro Football Championship
-- Secondary must be secondary: The Packers secondary has been unbelievable this postseason and I expect them to make a big play on Sunday. But Clay Matthews and AJ Hawk have to stuff the run and disallow screen passes from being too effective. Getting the ball back is the most important thing for Green Bay, and their linebacking crew is going to be tasked with that objective.
-- Gotta get into the endzone: The Packers will move the ball. I don't doubt that one bit. But there's a huge difference between a touchdown and a field goal, and that could be a thorn in the Packers side. They'll get into the red zone, but the real task is punching it in. I can see them working John Kuhn towards the endzone, so they have to hit him in the flat. If not, it'll be tough to seam a crossing pattern through those safeties.
-- Can't have a Stark contrast: James Starks has done a terrific job this postseason, giving the Packers exactly what they've needed. But the Steelers are nearly impossible to run on, and someone who came out of nowhere three weeks ago has to be effective. If he gets stuffed everytime he touches the ball, it plays right into the Steelers hands. They need to get effective screens or figure out a way to incorporate an advanced short-pass scheme to run the clock.
PREDICTION: Steelers 30, Packers 27 (OT)
The first game with the new halftime rules has to happen on the biggest of stages with two teams of such magnitude. This will go into halftime at 13-7 or something, because both teams will sputter out of the gate. So much hype around a game of this magnitude takes a quarter or two to work out the jitters, but I expect the second half to be as memorable as they come. The Packers will give themselves a 27-17 lead into the 4th quarter before the Steelers roar back with a long drive capped by a Roethlisberger QB sneak, get a stop and kick a game-tying field goal.
Greg Jennings will catch a surely game-clinching streak pattern down the middle of the field, but Ryan Clark strips the ball and recovers. Ben marches them into field goal range, and Suisham hits a 38-yard game-winner.
Super Bowl MVP: Ryan Clark
