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Super Bowl XLIII is less than a week away. The Arizona Cardinals are going for their first Super Bowl ring and the Pittsburgh Steelers are going for #6. Personally I hate both teams for many different reasons but both teams have proven that they are legit and deserve to be in the Super Bowl. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been solid all year, won some big games, won close games late, and have beaten nearly everyone they have played. The Arizona Cardinals won enough games to get in the playoffs (even though they lost quite a few games late) but they really stepped it up in the playoffs and convincingly beat every team they faced.

So how will the game play out?

The Pittsburgh defense is tough. They can send so many different blitz looks at the Cardinals and are good at confusing other teams.  With a team like the Arizona Cardinals that are based around the passing game I think it will be tough for Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and the rest to really get the passing game going.  Troy Polamalu is a game changer at safety but I am not too scared by the corners of Pittsburgh so if Arizona can get their receivers isolated and throw away from Polamalu and can get some early success in the passing game they have a shot.

Larry Fitzgerald is probably the best receiver in the league.  He has great size, awesome hands, and catches nearly everything thrown his way. If the O-line can give Warner a couple seconds for Fitzgerald to get downfield and he can get the ball away I think the Cards can have some success. A lot of this will be predicated on the Cardinals being able to run the ball. They don’t need to grind it out and get 200 yards on the ground but if they can at least show they are a threat to run it should soften up the D a bit and give them time to pass.

When Pittsburgh is on offense they need to get Willie Parker going.  I am not too convinced the concussions aren’t bothering Ben Roethlisberger and if I were the Steelers I would want him dropping back to pass as little as possible. He has been sacked more in the past few years than any other QB in the league and many of those sacks have been really hard shots. While the Cardinals don’t have a great front 7 they have been able to pressure the QB the last few games.

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So what does this all mean?  I think if the Cardinals can have some success early they will be OK.  When they are on defense they need to come up with a sack or two early, maybe force a turnover, and not let the Steelers go on some long drives. On offense they need a couple big plays to Fitzgerald early, get a few yards on the ground, and get some points on the board.

If the Cardinals have a fast start they will be in this game.  If Pittsburgh can control the clock, put together some long, punishing drives, and stop the Cardinals from scoring early I don’t think the Cardinals stand a chance.

My prediction?  Cardinals 35 Steelers 13.  The stars will align for the Cardinals and they will jump on the Steelers early.  But what do I know.  It could just as easily be 24-13 Steelers. 

Since I hate both teams and would like to see both of them lose my best prediction for the Super Bowl is me eating 50 of my awesome homemade chicken wings. 

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Arizona Cardinals:  For the first time in 61 years the Arizona Cardinals franchise is going to the Super Bowl. For many years the Cardinals have not even had a real shot at the playoffs and now they are playing for a championship.  While the Arizona Cardinals don’t have a huge national fan base they do have some great fans and have been getting a ton of support from their hometown crowd. Being as this is the first real taste of success the Cardinals have seen in the past few decades I expect the Cardinal fans to buy up a bunch of hats, shirts, jerseys and the like to commemerate this well deserved honor.

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Pittsburgh Steelers:  In contrast to the Arizona Cardinals the Pittsburgh Steelers have seen much success over the years. They have 5 Super Bowl rings and are going for their 6th and they are a perennial playoff team. Because of this they have built one of the biggest national fan bases in the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers are consistantly in the top 5 of merchandise sales every year and their fan base snaps up merchandise like few other fan bases.

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I expect Super Bowl gear (hats, jerseys, sweatshirts and hoodies, jerseys, etc) to sell well this year. Due to the fact that this is the Cardinals first Super Bowl and the Steelers great fanbase I expect this gear to sell well this year. It isn’t the best matchup possible in terms of fan gear sales but it should still be strong.

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If I were a fan of the St. Louis Rams I would be feeling cheated.  Just a few years ago they were the Greatest Show on Turf, going to the Super Bowl, setting records, winning games and were one of the most feared teams in the league. Now they are a laughing stock.  With no real owenership, no coach, and their skill position players getting up in years it is time for some big changes.

Players I like:  Steven Jackson - Jackson is a tough, strong runner who runs hard. You can’t ask for much more from a RB as far as running the ball goes. He was a bit hampered by injuries this year and with his running style that is to be expected. If the Rams can get someone to take some of the carries and some of the wear and tear away from him I think he should still have a couple more years as a top RB in the league.  He battled injuries all year, missed 4 games, and played on a terrible team but still had over 1000 yards and 40 receptions.

Donny Avery - Avery showed some good promise for a rookie receiver. 53 catches and 674 yards is a good start for a first year receiver. Considering all the wide receiver busts over the last few years I would feel pretty encouraged by those numbers if I were a Rams fan.

Chris Long - His numbers don’t leap off the page compared to other big time D-ends but for a rookie his 40 tackles and 4 sacks are a good start. He will need to get the sack numbers up to double digits next year though. He also didn’t have a sack in the second half of the season which might be room for concern but it will take another year or two before we will see what he can really do.

A fan’s view: This team needs some leadership. They need an owner, a coach, a good GM, and some players in the locker room to step up.  Right now this seems like a rudderless ship.  For a coach I think they should be looking to give a top DC or OC a job. Somebody like Rex Ryan could get this team turned around and I don’t think a retread like Schottenheimer or Shanahan would be the way to go.  I would need a reason to care about this team again and would need to see that the organization is committed to putting a winning team on the field every Sunday. 

Where do we go from here?  This team needs some toughness and that usually comes from the O-line and D-line.  Andre Smith would be a very smart pick with the second pick in the draft and would help a weak O-line right away.  I think it is also time to start replacing Marc Bulger and Torry Holt. Both of them (especially Holt) have had great careers but they are getting older and the Rams need to start looking towards the future.

What does the future look like?  Right now I would say it is pretty bleak. If I were an opponent Steven Jackson is the only player that would really make me think about my gameplan. Most of the other players are pretty pedestrian. There are some decent pieces there but they need a few more impact players on both sides of the ball.  Once the ownership situation gets settled this team can move forward so the quicker that can be settled the better.

Man, where to start with this one. The best thing the Detroit Lions did this year was showing Matt Millen the door. Time to get someone in there who knows personell and can get a good foundation built in the next year or two.  As Miami and Atlanta showed us this year it doesn’t take a lot to turn a franchise around and with some luck, good drafts, and some good free agent signings the Lions could be winning again in a couple years.

Players I Like:  Calvin Johnson: Great receiver. Lots of his numbers were put up in garbage time but then again that was 95% of the time for the Lions this year. Even on a terrible team 1300+ yards and 12 TDs is a great season.

 Ernie Sims and Paris Lenon: Solid pair of linebackers.  Both posted 100+ tackles this year.

Kevin Smith: Smith had a solid rookie season once he was made the starter.  He only lost one fumble on his 238 carries and will be a good RB to build on next season

Other than that there aren’t really any standout players. The O-line and D-line aren’t good and the secondary was horrible.

A fan’s view:  Fed up.  It has been to long since there was something to look forward to with the Detroit Lions. The Lions haven’t won a playoff game since 1991 and  have only had 3 double digit win seasons since the league went to 16 games. There also haven’t been any “superstars” (Calvin Johnson has potential though) since Barry Sanders and Herman Moore.  If I were a fan of the Detroit Lions I would be just fed up with how this team has been run.  I would be asking for the league to step in and do something about the ownership. If the league can punish players for conduct detrimental to the team and for other indescresions shouldn’t they be able to punish owners who hurt their team and the league as a whole with their terrible mismanagement?

Where do we go from here:  I am not sure Martin Mayhew is the answer at GM.  If I were the owner I would do everything I could to get rid of nearly anyone associated with this season.  I would have tried to get a big name GM in here that would at least give the fans some hope.  I think they also need to get an exciting coach. A retread like Marty Schottenheimer or Mike Shanahan won’t cut it. Bring in a young guy or someone who hasn’t been given a shot like Josh McDaniels or Rex Ryan.  This team needs some new blood.

As far as players I would really work on getting the best players available in the draft. If they can they should trade their first pick and pick up some more second or third round picks. It is gonna take a lot to turn this team around and spending a bunch of money on a #1 pick isn’t the way to do it. They should also avoid any high priced free agents. Yeah, they can pick up some pieces in free agency but there is no reason to spend millions on a big name player when they have so many holes to plug.

Maybe the fans would be temporarily excited about a big name player coming in but that would soon wear off as the losses continued to mount.  If the management can give the fans hope that in 2 or 3 years this team can be competitive again I think that is all they can hope for.  A turn-around for next year is very unlikely.  Bring in a stop-gap QB option for a year or so and work on developing a young QB (Matthew Stafford, Graham Harrell, Chase Daniel, etc.) who they can get later in the first round or somewhere in the middle rounds of the draft.  Build a solid O-line that will protect the young QB, get some energy players on the D-line, and build from there. 

What does the future look like:  Pretty bleak right now. But with a few shrewd moves, some good front office decisions, a solid coach, and a couple good drafts the Lions could easily be back to respectability within a couple years.

So what do you think?  Agree or disagree?  Who do you want as a coach? Who should they draft?  Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.