It comes as no surprise that everyone was on their best behavior these past two weeks in front of the media in order to avoid giving the opposition any bulletin board type material before the big game. So of course Ken Whisenhunt and Ben Roethlisberger did a great job dodging the topic of a feud between them which supposedly dates back to Whisenhunt's tenure as his offensive coordinator. While things were kept pretty quiet then, it was apparent that something was going on shortly after Whisenhunt left the Steelers when he stated that Roethlisberger "lacked confidence" at crucial times when the stage or the moment was big. Big Ben responded by saying "I don’t agree" and giving us a bit of insight by adding "There were a lot of things I didn't agree with Ken about." Then a year later, when Pittsburgh traveled to Arizona and lost, by all accounts Roethlisberger was said to have gone to great lengths to avoid Whisenhunt before and after the game ~ a game in which he was intercepted twice and barely completed 50% of his passes. Now, I would not go as far as to say that Whisenhunt is in Roethlisberger's head, but I definitely think that Whisenhunt knows exactly which buttons to push. He knows how to make Ben feel uncomfortable and will be looking to turn up the heat in the Super Bowl. Potentially making this an even easier task is the fact that Roethlisberger did not play very well in his first Super Bowl appearance. Despite winning the game he was devastated with his poor play and will probably find it hard to resist the urge to want to prove something on his return trip. Some say that Big Ben is not exactly the "sharpest tool in the shed", but even he must realize and hear the widespread public perception that the Steelers have gotten to both Super Bowls mainly due to their dominating defense. And deep in their hearts and in their most honest moments, even the most die-hard Pittsburgh fans have to be fearful that they will witness Roethlisberger pressing too hard in an effort redeem past mistakes, change public perception and beat his former mentor with whom he has a rocky history. Maybe you buy this angle, maybe you don’t. But whether or not Roethlisberger is feeling any pressure prior to the game, Whisenhunt is certainly going to make sure he feels pressure during the game. Whisenhunt has first-hand knowledge of what types of things make him feel most uncomfortable. He knows what kinds of defenses, coverage schemes and blitz packages will work best against his former pupil. Whisenhunt gives his opportunistic defense an above average chance to continue building upon their plus-9 turnover differential in the postseason. In the 2007 game between Arizona and Pittsburgh, the Cardinals limited Roethlisberger 17 completions in 32 attempts, picked him off twice and sacked him four times. They also limited Willie Parker to 37 yards on 19 carries. In addition to having intimate knowledge of Pittsburgh's offensive players, Arizona's offense should also be well prepared for Dick Lebeau's zone blitzes as a direct result of Whisenhunt's first hand experience. After all, he is only a couple of years removed from facing LeBeau's defense and schemes in OTAs and practices on a daily basis. And even if you want to debate how much or how little of an advantage this actually gives Arizona, there is no denying that it gives them an added advantage when combined with offensive coordinator Todd Haley's ability to devise specific plays and schemes custom tailored from studying their opponent’s tendencies. The most recent example of this was the NFC Championship game. Haley preplanned various calls and plays designed to take advantage of Philadelphia’s eagerness to attack the line and swarm to the ball on running plays. One play, for instance, was called the "Philly Special" and was designed to entice their secondary to commit to the run. Essentially it was a very typical looking flea-flicker, but in this case the devil was in the details: the exact choreography used and the exact area of the field to which it was run was based upon film based research of individual tendencies of the Eagles defensive players. If Haley is doing stuff like this based on normal film study, then imagine what he can do with Whisenhunt’s and Grimm’s inside first-hand knowledge? In any case, I find it pretty interesting that the team who wanted to mold itself after the Pittsburgh Steelers finds itself playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. And in case you have not noticed, these Cardinals are finally playing with the toughness that Whisenhunt and Grimm have been demanding over the last two seasons and with an attitude and swagger that none of us have ever seen from a Cardinal team before. Arizona Quarterback Play This is Kurt Warner's third Super Bowl appearance and he comes to Tampa Bay already owning two of the most prolific passing games in Super Bowl history (414 yards in the 2000 and 365 in 2002). Over his career, Warner has won two MVPs (1999 and 2001), a Super Bowl MVP (1999) and has passed for over 28,000 yards, 182 touchdowns and a 93.8 career passer rating. And although it has been awhile between trips, Warner’s playoff career stats are just as impressive. Over his career Warner is 8~2 in the postseason, with nearly 3,000 passing yards and a 97.3 passer rating. What makes him great and what will give Warner the best chance versus the Pittsburgh blitz is his ability to make quick decisions. Although he is not very nimble, Warner knows how to get rid of the ball quickly when he has to and usually ends up making intelligent decisions. He showed us a preview of this against the Eagles in the NFC Conference Championship. He handled the Philly blitz schemes by rapidly identifying pressure, making quick reads and then intelligently delivering the ball. There are not too many blitzes that Warner has not seen over the course of his career and he always seems to know exactly where the pressure is coming from. But make no mistake, Pittsburgh is certain to get their licks in. Warner will definitely find himself in some inescapable situations and will take some shots. But then he will do exactly what he has always done: He will stand in the pocket, ignoring the pressure with his eyes downfield, taking the hit when necessary while delivering the ball. And then he will continue to get up, dust off his jersey and do it again and again.
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It comes as no surprise that everyone was on their best behavior these past two weeks in front of the media in order to avoid giving the opposition any bulletin board type material before the big game. So of course Ken Whisenhunt and Ben Roethlisberger did a great job dodging the topic of a feud between them which supposedly dates back to Whisenhunt's tenure as his offensive coordinator. While things were kept pretty quiet then, it was apparent that something was going on shortly after Whisenhunt left the Steelers when he stated that Roethlisberger "lacked confidence" at crucial times when the stage or the moment was big. Big Ben responded by saying "I don’t agree" and giving us a bit of insight by adding "There were a lot of things I didn't agree with Ken about." Then a year later, when Pittsburgh traveled to Arizona and lost, by all accounts Roethlisberger was said to have gone to great lengths to avoid Whisenhunt before and after the game ~ a game in which he was intercepted twice and barely completed 50% of his passes. Now, I would not go as far as to say that Whisenhunt is in Roethlisberger's head, but I definitely think that Whisenhunt knows exactly which buttons to push. He knows how to make Ben feel uncomfortable and will be looking to turn up the heat in the Super Bowl. Potentially making this an even easier task is the fact that Roethlisberger did not play very well in his first Super Bowl appearance. Despite winning the game he was devastated with his poor play and will probably find it hard to resist the urge to want to prove something on his return trip. Some say that Big Ben is not exactly the "sharpest tool in the shed", but even he must realize and hear the widespread public perception that the Steelers have gotten to both Super Bowls mainly due to their dominating defense. And deep in their hearts and in their most honest moments, even the most die-hard Pittsburgh fans have to be fearful that they will witness Roethlisberger pressing too hard in an effort redeem past mistakes, change public perception and beat his former mentor with whom he has a rocky history. Maybe you buy this angle, maybe you don’t. But whether or not Roethlisberger is feeling any pressure prior to the game, Whisenhunt is certainly going to make sure he feels pressure during the game. Whisenhunt has first-hand knowledge of what types of things make him feel most uncomfortable. He knows what kinds of defenses, coverage schemes and blitz packages will work best against his former pupil. Whisenhunt gives his opportunistic defense an above average chance to continue building upon their plus-9 turnover differential in the postseason. In the 2007 game between Arizona and Pittsburgh, the Cardinals limited Roethlisberger 17 completions in 32 attempts, picked him off twice and sacked him four times. They also limited Willie Parker to 37 yards on 19 carries. In addition to having intimate knowledge of Pittsburgh's offensive players, Arizona's offense should also be well prepared for Dick Lebeau's zone blitzes as a direct result of Whisenhunt's first hand experience. After all, he is only a couple of years removed from facing LeBeau's defense and schemes in OTAs and practices on a daily basis. And even if you want to debate how much or how little of an advantage this actually gives Arizona, there is no denying that it gives them an added advantage when combined with offensive coordinator Todd Haley's ability to devise specific plays and schemes custom tailored from studying their opponent’s tendencies. The most recent example of this was the NFC Championship game. Haley preplanned various calls and plays designed to take advantage of Philadelphia’s eagerness to attack the line and swarm to the ball on running plays. One play, for instance, was called the "Philly Special" and was designed to entice their secondary to commit to the run. Essentially it was a very typical looking flea-flicker, but in this case the devil was in the details: the exact choreography used and the exact area of the field to which it was run was based upon film based research of individual tendencies of the Eagles defensive players. If Haley is doing stuff like this based on normal film study, then imagine what he can do with Whisenhunt’s and Grimm’s inside first-hand knowledge? In any case, I find it pretty interesting that the team who wanted to mold itself after the Pittsburgh Steelers finds itself playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. And in case you have not noticed, these Cardinals are finally playing with the toughness that Whisenhunt and Grimm have been demanding over the last two seasons and with an attitude and swagger that none of us have ever seen from a Cardinal team before. Arizona Quarterback Play This is Kurt Warner's third Super Bowl appearance and he comes to Tampa Bay already owning two of the most prolific passing games in Super Bowl history (414 yards in the 2000 and 365 in 2002). Over his career, Warner has won two MVPs (1999 and 2001), a Super Bowl MVP (1999) and has passed for over 28,000 yards, 182 touchdowns and a 93.8 career passer rating. And although it has been awhile between trips, Warner’s playoff career stats are just as impressive. Over his career Warner is 8~2 in the postseason, with nearly 3,000 passing yards and a 97.3 passer rating. What makes him great and what will give Warner the best chance versus the Pittsburgh blitz is his ability to make quick decisions. Although he is not very nimble, Warner knows how to get rid of the ball quickly when he has to and usually ends up making intelligent decisions. He showed us a preview of this against the Eagles in the NFC Conference Championship. He handled the Philly blitz schemes by rapidly identifying pressure, making quick reads and then intelligently delivering the ball. There are not too many blitzes that Warner has not seen over the course of his career and he always seems to know exactly where the pressure is coming from. But make no mistake, Pittsburgh is certain to get their licks in. Warner will definitely find himself in some inescapable situations and will take some shots. But then he will do exactly what he has always done: He will stand in the pocket, ignoring the pressure with his eyes downfield, taking the hit when necessary while delivering the ball. And then he will continue to get up, dust off his jersey and do it again and again.
Arizona Receiving Corp Only one question: How in the hell do you cover a guy that doesn’t even need to be open to catch the ball? Larry Fitzgerald will be by far the most dangerous talent wearing cleats on Sunday. Once considered just a sideline threat and a field stretcher, Fitzgerald has been challenged by his coaches for the last two years to become more. Instead of always playing the sideline, he was asked to line up in the slot and to run different patterns that exposed him to new areas of the field. And the dividends are clearly paying off. Fitzgerald has already broken Jerry Rice's postseason receiving yards record, and will have a chance to pad his record setting 419 postseason total with whatever damage he inflicts in the Super Bowl. Fitzgerald and can pretty much do it all when it comes to receiving and has proven to be unstoppable during the postseason. He has incredible hands and great athleticism. But it is his unearthly jumping ability that has allowed him to take it to a whole new level and allows Warner to get Larry the ball even when he is well covered. Ever since his days at the University of Pittsburgh, we’ve seen that all-too familiar image of him leaping over the heads of defenders, stretching his reach as far as he can and making the sure-handed grab. And it seems like he makes the catch every single time. Actually noted for having small hands, I’d argue that inch-for-inch, Fitz has the best hands in the NFL. Look, there’s no doubt in my mind that mad-scientist Dick Lebeau will be doing his best to thwart the Cardinal pass attack with the best defense in the NFL carrying out his genius schemes. But here’s the rub: At best all you can hope to do is to slow down or somewhat contain Larry Fitzgerald. But doing so or attempting to do so will require you to sacrifice coverage and manpower on other areas of the field. And that’s a pretty risk with Anquan Boldin lining up on the opposite side of the field. It seems hard to believe anyone could ever forget about a guy as talented as Boldin, but that’s essentially what you’d have to do if you decide to devote special attention towards locking up Fitzgerald. Boldin is every bit as talented as Fitzgerald is, albeit in a different manner (think "bull in a china shop"). But it is Boldin's ability to run after the catch as a result of his physicality and athleticism that makes him shine on game day. Boldin is now healthier than he’s been at any point so far in the postseason, which makes him every bit as deadly as Fitzgerald. And don't sleep on Steve Breaston either. What makes Breaston great is not his hands, his speed or his athleticism. He is a trusted target for Warner because of his toughness and willingness to make the tough catch across the middle. Steve Breaston, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald all surpassed 1,000 and 75 receptions each during the regular season. I’ve seen teams occasionally sporting a pair of 1,000 yard receivers, but three 1,000 yard receivers? That spells trouble for any defense, even the best one in the NFL. Attacking The Middle It's nearly impossible to find a flaw in Pittsburgh’s defense, but they do occasionally look a bit slow in the middle of the field. In fact, opposing teams have done well when isolating their skill players on the Steelers inside linebackers, especially 33-year old James Farrior. Opposing running backs and other skill position players have made significant gains and key plays by outrunning him in coverage. Expect to see Steve Breaston looking to expose this matchup by running routes across the middle. Arizona running backs JJ Arrington and Tim Hightower will be also factors in the receiving game, releasing into areas vacated by defenders trying to keep pace with Fitz and Boldin. Arizona Offense Evolving In a short answer, look no further than Arizona’s mega time-consuming drive in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship. That was a deliberate, patient, confident 14-play drive that gave me one more reason to believe in this team and to trust what I was witnessing over the course of the postseason. Further illustrating an evolved offense, Arizona has opted to run the ball 59 percent of the time on first and second downs in the postseason. This is a dramatic increase from the 37 percent of the time that they ran on those down during the regular season. And similar increases are also seen on other traditional running down and distances (i.e., third and short, goal line, etc.). Such a change indicates that Whisenhunt has successfully instilled a grittier, nastier playoff attitude in his team. Do I think they will be able to run with a lot of success against the Steelers? Of course not. But I do think that Arizona has enough confidence and commitment to the run to not abandon it and to use it when they need to do so. Turnover Battle Postseason statistics indicate that Arizona has a great chance to win the all important turnover category on Sunday. Even the regular season numbers make it close, with the Steelers (30 takeaways) barely edging the Cardinals (29 takeaways) by single turnover. But this is not the regular season and it is the astounding 11 takeaways that Arizona has already accumulated so far in the postseason and their +9 turnovers overall that make a convincing case for them winning the turnover battle in the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh’s Offense With all due respect to the Pittsburgh backers, the Steelers offense is far from stellar. At best, the Steelers offense is conservative and methodical. They want to establish the run, control the clock, use Hines Ward to pick up third and long and take the occasional deep shot downfield to Nate Washington or Holmes. Like I said, conservative and methodical, which should only makes it easier for the Cardinals to draw upon and implement actionable defensive gameplans based on Whisenhunt’s and Grimm’s intimate knowledge of the Pittsburgh offensive personnel. The Steelers rely too heavily on their defense and had to come from behind often during the regular season to win games. In fact, Pittsburgh has won fewer than half of their games by more than one score. Why would the Super Bowl any different? And how is this offense going to keep pace with the Cardinals? This is not a team that is built to make dramatic comebacks. The largest deficit they overcame all season was the 10 point deficit to Dallas. Despite numerous comebacks this season, other than the Dallas game, all of those comebacks were of the 3 point, 2 point and 1 point variety.
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Arizona Receiving Corp Only one question: How in the hell do you cover a guy that doesn’t even need to be open to catch the ball? Larry Fitzgerald will be by far the most dangerous talent wearing cleats on Sunday. Once considered just a sideline threat and a field stretcher, Fitzgerald has been challenged by his coaches for the last two years to become more. Instead of always playing the sideline, he was asked to line up in the slot and to run different patterns that exposed him to new areas of the field. And the dividends are clearly paying off. Fitzgerald has already broken Jerry Rice's postseason receiving yards record, and will have a chance to pad his record setting 419 postseason total with whatever damage he inflicts in the Super Bowl. Fitzgerald and can pretty much do it all when it comes to receiving and has proven to be unstoppable during the postseason. He has incredible hands and great athleticism. But it is his unearthly jumping ability that has allowed him to take it to a whole new level and allows Warner to get Larry the ball even when he is well covered. Ever since his days at the University of Pittsburgh, we’ve seen that all-too familiar image of him leaping over the heads of defenders, stretching his reach as far as he can and making the sure-handed grab. And it seems like he makes the catch every single time. Actually noted for having small hands, I’d argue that inch-for-inch, Fitz has the best hands in the NFL. Look, there’s no doubt in my mind that mad-scientist Dick Lebeau will be doing his best to thwart the Cardinal pass attack with the best defense in the NFL carrying out his genius schemes. But here’s the rub: At best all you can hope to do is to slow down or somewhat contain Larry Fitzgerald. But doing so or attempting to do so will require you to sacrifice coverage and manpower on other areas of the field. And that’s a pretty risk with Anquan Boldin lining up on the opposite side of the field. It seems hard to believe anyone could ever forget about a guy as talented as Boldin, but that’s essentially what you’d have to do if you decide to devote special attention towards locking up Fitzgerald. Boldin is every bit as talented as Fitzgerald is, albeit in a different manner (think "bull in a china shop"). But it is Boldin's ability to run after the catch as a result of his physicality and athleticism that makes him shine on game day. Boldin is now healthier than he’s been at any point so far in the postseason, which makes him every bit as deadly as Fitzgerald. And don't sleep on Steve Breaston either. What makes Breaston great is not his hands, his speed or his athleticism. He is a trusted target for Warner because of his toughness and willingness to make the tough catch across the middle. Steve Breaston, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald all surpassed 1,000 and 75 receptions each during the regular season. I’ve seen teams occasionally sporting a pair of 1,000 yard receivers, but three 1,000 yard receivers? That spells trouble for any defense, even the best one in the NFL. Attacking The Middle It's nearly impossible to find a flaw in Pittsburgh’s defense, but they do occasionally look a bit slow in the middle of the field. In fact, opposing teams have done well when isolating their skill players on the Steelers inside linebackers, especially 33-year old James Farrior. Opposing running backs and other skill position players have made significant gains and key plays by outrunning him in coverage. Expect to see Steve Breaston looking to expose this matchup by running routes across the middle. Arizona running backs JJ Arrington and Tim Hightower will be also factors in the receiving game, releasing into areas vacated by defenders trying to keep pace with Fitz and Boldin. Arizona Offense Evolving In a short answer, look no further than Arizona’s mega time-consuming drive in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship. That was a deliberate, patient, confident 14-play drive that gave me one more reason to believe in this team and to trust what I was witnessing over the course of the postseason. Further illustrating an evolved offense, Arizona has opted to run the ball 59 percent of the time on first and second downs in the postseason. This is a dramatic increase from the 37 percent of the time that they ran on those down during the regular season. And similar increases are also seen on other traditional running down and distances (i.e., third and short, goal line, etc.). Such a change indicates that Whisenhunt has successfully instilled a grittier, nastier playoff attitude in his team. Do I think they will be able to run with a lot of success against the Steelers? Of course not. But I do think that Arizona has enough confidence and commitment to the run to not abandon it and to use it when they need to do so. Turnover Battle Postseason statistics indicate that Arizona has a great chance to win the all important turnover category on Sunday. Even the regular season numbers make it close, with the Steelers (30 takeaways) barely edging the Cardinals (29 takeaways) by single turnover. But this is not the regular season and it is the astounding 11 takeaways that Arizona has already accumulated so far in the postseason and their +9 turnovers overall that make a convincing case for them winning the turnover battle in the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh’s Offense With all due respect to the Pittsburgh backers, the Steelers offense is far from stellar. At best, the Steelers offense is conservative and methodical. They want to establish the run, control the clock, use Hines Ward to pick up third and long and take the occasional deep shot downfield to Nate Washington or Holmes. Like I said, conservative and methodical, which should only makes it easier for the Cardinals to draw upon and implement actionable defensive gameplans based on Whisenhunt’s and Grimm’s intimate knowledge of the Pittsburgh offensive personnel. The Steelers rely too heavily on their defense and had to come from behind often during the regular season to win games. In fact, Pittsburgh has won fewer than half of their games by more than one score. Why would the Super Bowl any different? And how is this offense going to keep pace with the Cardinals? This is not a team that is built to make dramatic comebacks. The largest deficit they overcame all season was the 10 point deficit to Dallas. Despite numerous comebacks this season, other than the Dallas game, all of those comebacks were of the 3 point, 2 point and 1 point variety.
Pittsburgh's O-Line In addition to several question marks on the Pittsburgh O-Line, Ben Roethlisberger exacerbates any O-Line limitations by holding onto the ball too long. During the regular season the Steelers O-Line gave up the 4th most sacks in the NFL (49). And in their last postseason game versus the Ravens they gave up four sacks. To the Steelers credit, they have worked hard all season long at improving the O-Line play and have definitely come a long way. But this is a group who has a glaring weakness when it comes to recognizing blitzing linebackers and other specifically disguised blitz schemes. Teams like Dallas, Philly and Baltimore did a great job of bringing pressure up the middle by disguising their intentions. And believe it or not, few teams in the NFL are as varied and creative in creating pressure than the Arizona Cardinals. Defensive Coordinator Clancy Pendergast has even been criticized for being “too creative” at times, but with the help of Whisenhunt’s and Grimm’s intimate knowledge the Cardinals defense will certainly mentally test Pittsburgh’s O-Line on Sunday. Looks for defensive ends Bertrand Berry and Antonio Smith to provide the pass rush and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett to be disruptive in all phases of the game. Nothing To Lose Attitude Arizona is a team that has played its best football when things looked to be at their worst. How many times did we count them out during the regular season? Whether it be counting them out of an individual game or counting them out of the entire season as a whole, this a team that has endured and prevailed. Remember the Dallas game when they choked away up a 10-point lead and seemed to have lost all momentum? They responded calmly in OT to claim the victory. Then in December the Cardinals lost two games by a combined score of 21 to 82 and things seemed to definitely be at their worst. Their playoff worthiness and hopes were called into question and theu were basically dismissed in the eyes of many. But as usual, just when things looked to be at their darkest, the Cardinals took their cue to go rip off four straight victories on route to the Super Bowl and becoming the hottest team in the NFL. Naturally their crazy postseason run was punctuated with a win versus Philly that totally fit the script ~ a game in which they allowed the Eagles to tie a record for the greatest comeback in NFC Championship history, only to then calmly respond with that slow, methodical, time consuming fourth quarter scoring drive to all but seal the deal. What more can happen to this team? Do you think there are any situations that genuinely scare this group anymore? Look, this is a weird game and I will respect anyone for honestly believing that either team could easily win this Super Bowl. But the Cardinals are not scared of anything, they are playing with house money and are now walking with a serious swagger. I have found it very easy to dismiss my prejudices from the regular season and to accept what this team is showing us in the postseason. This is a team that literally had a "Come To Jesus" moment after getting their asses kicked in New England. Due to a refueling issue, the it took over 11 hours to get back to Arizona, which forced them to let the sting of that loss sink in deep. Whisenhunt piggybacked the message by deviating from common late season NFL philosophy and making the Cardinals put the pads back on for full contact drills and practice. The result was a sudden turn around and commitment to playoff toughness. The result was four straight wins and a team that believes they can beat anyone.
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Pittsburgh's O-Line In addition to several question marks on the Pittsburgh O-Line, Ben Roethlisberger exacerbates any O-Line limitations by holding onto the ball too long. During the regular season the Steelers O-Line gave up the 4th most sacks in the NFL (49). And in their last postseason game versus the Ravens they gave up four sacks. To the Steelers credit, they have worked hard all season long at improving the O-Line play and have definitely come a long way. But this is a group who has a glaring weakness when it comes to recognizing blitzing linebackers and other specifically disguised blitz schemes. Teams like Dallas, Philly and Baltimore did a great job of bringing pressure up the middle by disguising their intentions. And believe it or not, few teams in the NFL are as varied and creative in creating pressure than the Arizona Cardinals. Defensive Coordinator Clancy Pendergast has even been criticized for being “too creative” at times, but with the help of Whisenhunt’s and Grimm’s intimate knowledge the Cardinals defense will certainly mentally test Pittsburgh’s O-Line on Sunday. Looks for defensive ends Bertrand Berry and Antonio Smith to provide the pass rush and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett to be disruptive in all phases of the game. Nothing To Lose Attitude Arizona is a team that has played its best football when things looked to be at their worst. How many times did we count them out during the regular season? Whether it be counting them out of an individual game or counting them out of the entire season as a whole, this a team that has endured and prevailed. Remember the Dallas game when they choked away up a 10-point lead and seemed to have lost all momentum? They responded calmly in OT to claim the victory. Then in December the Cardinals lost two games by a combined score of 21 to 82 and things seemed to definitely be at their worst. Their playoff worthiness and hopes were called into question and theu were basically dismissed in the eyes of many. But as usual, just when things looked to be at their darkest, the Cardinals took their cue to go rip off four straight victories on route to the Super Bowl and becoming the hottest team in the NFL. Naturally their crazy postseason run was punctuated with a win versus Philly that totally fit the script ~ a game in which they allowed the Eagles to tie a record for the greatest comeback in NFC Championship history, only to then calmly respond with that slow, methodical, time consuming fourth quarter scoring drive to all but seal the deal. What more can happen to this team? Do you think there are any situations that genuinely scare this group anymore? Look, this is a weird game and I will respect anyone for honestly believing that either team could easily win this Super Bowl. But the Cardinals are not scared of anything, they are playing with house money and are now walking with a serious swagger. I have found it very easy to dismiss my prejudices from the regular season and to accept what this team is showing us in the postseason. This is a team that literally had a "Come To Jesus" moment after getting their asses kicked in New England. Due to a refueling issue, the it took over 11 hours to get back to Arizona, which forced them to let the sting of that loss sink in deep. Whisenhunt piggybacked the message by deviating from common late season NFL philosophy and making the Cardinals put the pads back on for full contact drills and practice. The result was a sudden turn around and commitment to playoff toughness. The result was four straight wins and a team that believes they can beat anyone.
I like Zona and if I were you I would put at least 27K down on them and be happy with 27K from a $500 wager. That could be 1/3 year of salary to some of us. Sure it would be nice to win it all and you are probably right with the side, but if it lost, how would you feel knowing you could have at least had 27K?
You decide, but usually I take the free money no matter what anybody says and tries to talk you out of hedging and saying, "You box, why did you even place the wager then. Let it Ride." Nothing is guaranteed in life and the few times that it is, you better take advantage while you can. Forget about what you can win and just think about what you have ....(it's even a little more if you split it down the middle)......Max out all Credit Cards in the Morning and get a loan from the shark (unless you have family or friends that will give it to you) to cover what you don't have and after the game, take your money and run!
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I like Zona and if I were you I would put at least 27K down on them and be happy with 27K from a $500 wager. That could be 1/3 year of salary to some of us. Sure it would be nice to win it all and you are probably right with the side, but if it lost, how would you feel knowing you could have at least had 27K?
You decide, but usually I take the free money no matter what anybody says and tries to talk you out of hedging and saying, "You box, why did you even place the wager then. Let it Ride." Nothing is guaranteed in life and the few times that it is, you better take advantage while you can. Forget about what you can win and just think about what you have ....(it's even a little more if you split it down the middle)......Max out all Credit Cards in the Morning and get a loan from the shark (unless you have family or friends that will give it to you) to cover what you don't have and after the game, take your money and run!
no......you are for not reading everything written here, because if you dont hedge, you will lose all that money......
come on my friend, the guys going for 55 grand , with pitt on ML ,you have to give him credit to have a shot at this, and your telling him arizona will win , maybe your right , but why do it in this tread ,do you enjoy telling kids there's no santa claus
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Quote Originally Posted by luckythirteen:
no......you are for not reading everything written here, because if you dont hedge, you will lose all that money......
come on my friend, the guys going for 55 grand , with pitt on ML ,you have to give him credit to have a shot at this, and your telling him arizona will win , maybe your right , but why do it in this tread ,do you enjoy telling kids there's no santa claus
And even if you did add zero's, you put half on the Cards and Be Happy! Also understand the 3+ Team Parlay is really a suckers bet. Sure there are times you win ( I play em too), but the odds are stacked way against you, so when you have a opportunity to hedge something with a amount like this, you take the odds that were stacked against you and get something instead of nothing.
I am going to assume you are either some sort of Dime Player and you like your chances and the payout and threw something at it or you were just taking a shot and going all in on something. Who cares really, you just need to know to take advantage of the situation and TAKE the FREE money!!!!!
Good Day!!!!
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And even if you did add zero's, you put half on the Cards and Be Happy! Also understand the 3+ Team Parlay is really a suckers bet. Sure there are times you win ( I play em too), but the odds are stacked way against you, so when you have a opportunity to hedge something with a amount like this, you take the odds that were stacked against you and get something instead of nothing.
I am going to assume you are either some sort of Dime Player and you like your chances and the payout and threw something at it or you were just taking a shot and going all in on something. Who cares really, you just need to know to take advantage of the situation and TAKE the FREE money!!!!!
You take the points here ......you are Guaranteed 27,695 or you might even get lucky and the Steelers win by 6 or less and hit both. Either way you covered your ass and give yourself the best chance at cashing BIG!!!!! How are them apples?
Half or the Full 55K + $27,685 if Pitt wins like I said above.
Or you Let It Ride
$0 of the Full 55K
Or you take Ari ML
Half of the win amount and you can guarantee $55 no matter the end result.
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You take the points here ......you are Guaranteed 27,695 or you might even get lucky and the Steelers win by 6 or less and hit both. Either way you covered your ass and give yourself the best chance at cashing BIG!!!!! How are them apples?
Half or the Full 55K + $27,685 if Pitt wins like I said above.
Or you Let It Ride
$0 of the Full 55K
Or you take Ari ML
Half of the win amount and you can guarantee $55 no matter the end result.
It comes as no surprise that everyone was on their best behavior these past two weeks in front of the media in order to avoid giving the opposition any bulletin board type material before the big game. So of course Ken Whisenhunt and Ben Roethlisberger did a great job dodging the topic of a feud between them which supposedly dates back to Whisenhunt's tenure as his offensive coordinator. While things were kept pretty quiet then, it was apparent that something was going on shortly after Whisenhunt left the Steelers when he stated that Roethlisberger "lacked confidence" at crucial times when the stage or the moment was big. Big Ben responded by saying "I don’t agree" and giving us a bit of insight by adding "There were a lot of things I didn't agree with Ken about." Then a year later, when Pittsburgh traveled to Arizona and lost, by all accounts Roethlisberger was said to have gone to great lengths to avoid Whisenhunt before and after the game ~ a game in which he was intercepted twice and barely completed 50% of his passes. Now, I would not go as far as to say that Whisenhunt is in Roethlisberger's head, but I definitely think that Whisenhunt knows exactly which buttons to push. He knows how to make Ben feel uncomfortable and will be looking to turn up the heat in the Super Bowl. Potentially making this an even easier task is the fact that Roethlisberger did not play very well in his first Super Bowl appearance. Despite winning the game he was devastated with his poor play and will probably find it hard to resist the urge to want to prove something on his return trip. Some say that Big Ben is not exactly the "sharpest tool in the shed", but even he must realize and hear the widespread public perception that the Steelers have gotten to both Super Bowls mainly due to their dominating defense. And deep in their hearts and in their most honest moments, even the most die-hard Pittsburgh fans have to be fearful that they will witness Roethlisberger pressing too hard in an effort redeem past mistakes, change public perception and beat his former mentor with whom he has a rocky history. Maybe you buy this angle, maybe you don’t. But whether or not Roethlisberger is feeling any pressure prior to the game, Whisenhunt is certainly going to make sure he feels pressure during the game. Whisenhunt has first-hand knowledge of what types of things make him feel most uncomfortable. He knows what kinds of defenses, coverage schemes and blitz packages will work best against his former pupil. Whisenhunt gives his opportunistic defense an above average chance to continue building upon their plus-9 turnover differential in the postseason. In the 2007 game between Arizona and Pittsburgh, the Cardinals limited Roethlisberger 17 completions in 32 attempts, picked him off twice and sacked him four times. They also limited Willie Parker to 37 yards on 19 carries. In addition to having intimate knowledge of Pittsburgh's offensive players, Arizona's offense should also be well prepared for Dick Lebeau's zone blitzes as a direct result of Whisenhunt's first hand experience. After all, he is only a couple of years removed from facing LeBeau's defense and schemes in OTAs and practices on a daily basis. And even if you want to debate how much or how little of an advantage this actually gives Arizona, there is no denying that it gives them an added advantage when combined with offensive coordinator Todd Haley's ability to devise specific plays and schemes custom tailored from studying their opponent’s tendencies. The most recent example of this was the NFC Championship game. Haley preplanned various calls and plays designed to take advantage of Philadelphia’s eagerness to attack the line and swarm to the ball on running plays. One play, for instance, was called the "Philly Special" and was designed to entice their secondary to commit to the run. Essentially it was a very typical looking flea-flicker, but in this case the devil was in the details: the exact choreography used and the exact area of the field to which it was run was based upon film based research of individual tendencies of the Eagles defensive players. If Haley is doing stuff like this based on normal film study, then imagine what he can do with Whisenhunt’s and Grimm’s inside first-hand knowledge? In any case, I find it pretty interesting that the team who wanted to mold itself after the Pittsburgh Steelers finds itself playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. And in case you have not noticed, these Cardinals are finally playing with the toughness that Whisenhunt and Grimm have been demanding over the last two seasons and with an attitude and swagger that none of us have ever seen from a Cardinal team before. Arizona Quarterback Play This is Kurt Warner's third Super Bowl appearance and he comes to Tampa Bay already owning two of the most prolific passing games in Super Bowl history (414 yards in the 2000 and 365 in 2002). Over his career, Warner has won two MVPs (1999 and 2001), a Super Bowl MVP (1999) and has passed for over 28,000 yards, 182 touchdowns and a 93.8 career passer rating. And although it has been awhile between trips, Warner’s playoff career stats are just as impressive. Over his career Warner is 8~2 in the postseason, with nearly 3,000 passing yards and a 97.3 passer rating. What makes him great and what will give Warner the best chance versus the Pittsburgh blitz is his ability to make quick decisions. Although he is not very nimble, Warner knows how to get rid of the ball quickly when he has to and usually ends up making intelligent decisions. He showed us a preview of this against the Eagles in the NFC Conference Championship. He handled the Philly blitz schemes by rapidly identifying pressure, making quick reads and then intelligently delivering the ball. There are not too many blitzes that Warner has not seen over the course of his career and he always seems to know exactly where the pressure is coming from. But make no mistake, Pittsburgh is certain to get their licks in. Warner will definitely find himself in some inescapable situations and will take some shots. But then he will do exactly what he has always done: He will stand in the pocket, ignoring the pressure with his eyes downfield, taking the hit when necessary while delivering the ball. And then he will continue to get up, dust off his jersey and do it again and again.
Long write up, not sure i got much from it, guess i need to read it again.....
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Quote Originally Posted by luckythirteen:
It comes as no surprise that everyone was on their best behavior these past two weeks in front of the media in order to avoid giving the opposition any bulletin board type material before the big game. So of course Ken Whisenhunt and Ben Roethlisberger did a great job dodging the topic of a feud between them which supposedly dates back to Whisenhunt's tenure as his offensive coordinator. While things were kept pretty quiet then, it was apparent that something was going on shortly after Whisenhunt left the Steelers when he stated that Roethlisberger "lacked confidence" at crucial times when the stage or the moment was big. Big Ben responded by saying "I don’t agree" and giving us a bit of insight by adding "There were a lot of things I didn't agree with Ken about." Then a year later, when Pittsburgh traveled to Arizona and lost, by all accounts Roethlisberger was said to have gone to great lengths to avoid Whisenhunt before and after the game ~ a game in which he was intercepted twice and barely completed 50% of his passes. Now, I would not go as far as to say that Whisenhunt is in Roethlisberger's head, but I definitely think that Whisenhunt knows exactly which buttons to push. He knows how to make Ben feel uncomfortable and will be looking to turn up the heat in the Super Bowl. Potentially making this an even easier task is the fact that Roethlisberger did not play very well in his first Super Bowl appearance. Despite winning the game he was devastated with his poor play and will probably find it hard to resist the urge to want to prove something on his return trip. Some say that Big Ben is not exactly the "sharpest tool in the shed", but even he must realize and hear the widespread public perception that the Steelers have gotten to both Super Bowls mainly due to their dominating defense. And deep in their hearts and in their most honest moments, even the most die-hard Pittsburgh fans have to be fearful that they will witness Roethlisberger pressing too hard in an effort redeem past mistakes, change public perception and beat his former mentor with whom he has a rocky history. Maybe you buy this angle, maybe you don’t. But whether or not Roethlisberger is feeling any pressure prior to the game, Whisenhunt is certainly going to make sure he feels pressure during the game. Whisenhunt has first-hand knowledge of what types of things make him feel most uncomfortable. He knows what kinds of defenses, coverage schemes and blitz packages will work best against his former pupil. Whisenhunt gives his opportunistic defense an above average chance to continue building upon their plus-9 turnover differential in the postseason. In the 2007 game between Arizona and Pittsburgh, the Cardinals limited Roethlisberger 17 completions in 32 attempts, picked him off twice and sacked him four times. They also limited Willie Parker to 37 yards on 19 carries. In addition to having intimate knowledge of Pittsburgh's offensive players, Arizona's offense should also be well prepared for Dick Lebeau's zone blitzes as a direct result of Whisenhunt's first hand experience. After all, he is only a couple of years removed from facing LeBeau's defense and schemes in OTAs and practices on a daily basis. And even if you want to debate how much or how little of an advantage this actually gives Arizona, there is no denying that it gives them an added advantage when combined with offensive coordinator Todd Haley's ability to devise specific plays and schemes custom tailored from studying their opponent’s tendencies. The most recent example of this was the NFC Championship game. Haley preplanned various calls and plays designed to take advantage of Philadelphia’s eagerness to attack the line and swarm to the ball on running plays. One play, for instance, was called the "Philly Special" and was designed to entice their secondary to commit to the run. Essentially it was a very typical looking flea-flicker, but in this case the devil was in the details: the exact choreography used and the exact area of the field to which it was run was based upon film based research of individual tendencies of the Eagles defensive players. If Haley is doing stuff like this based on normal film study, then imagine what he can do with Whisenhunt’s and Grimm’s inside first-hand knowledge? In any case, I find it pretty interesting that the team who wanted to mold itself after the Pittsburgh Steelers finds itself playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. And in case you have not noticed, these Cardinals are finally playing with the toughness that Whisenhunt and Grimm have been demanding over the last two seasons and with an attitude and swagger that none of us have ever seen from a Cardinal team before. Arizona Quarterback Play This is Kurt Warner's third Super Bowl appearance and he comes to Tampa Bay already owning two of the most prolific passing games in Super Bowl history (414 yards in the 2000 and 365 in 2002). Over his career, Warner has won two MVPs (1999 and 2001), a Super Bowl MVP (1999) and has passed for over 28,000 yards, 182 touchdowns and a 93.8 career passer rating. And although it has been awhile between trips, Warner’s playoff career stats are just as impressive. Over his career Warner is 8~2 in the postseason, with nearly 3,000 passing yards and a 97.3 passer rating. What makes him great and what will give Warner the best chance versus the Pittsburgh blitz is his ability to make quick decisions. Although he is not very nimble, Warner knows how to get rid of the ball quickly when he has to and usually ends up making intelligent decisions. He showed us a preview of this against the Eagles in the NFC Conference Championship. He handled the Philly blitz schemes by rapidly identifying pressure, making quick reads and then intelligently delivering the ball. There are not too many blitzes that Warner has not seen over the course of his career and he always seems to know exactly where the pressure is coming from. But make no mistake, Pittsburgh is certain to get their licks in. Warner will definitely find himself in some inescapable situations and will take some shots. But then he will do exactly what he has always done: He will stand in the pocket, ignoring the pressure with his eyes downfield, taking the hit when necessary while delivering the ball. And then he will continue to get up, dust off his jersey and do it again and again.
Long write up, not sure i got much from it, guess i need to read it again.....
I guess a guaranteed 55K is nice and good advice too ....ARI ML or the way I said with the points, but it's only Guaranteed 1/2 the winning ticket. Like I said I like the Cards to cover ........so maybe I am bias. They could very well win by 10-17, unless Warner makes Troy " I wanna rip your hair out of your head" Polamalu the MVP.
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I guess a guaranteed 55K is nice and good advice too ....ARI ML or the way I said with the points, but it's only Guaranteed 1/2 the winning ticket. Like I said I like the Cards to cover ........so maybe I am bias. They could very well win by 10-17, unless Warner makes Troy " I wanna rip your hair out of your head" Polamalu the MVP.
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Panda you have to hedge that. BOL whatever you do. Though if you hedge you won't need luck. 
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