| Authored by Andrew Perna - 28th January, 2009 - 7:07 pm
 In case you forgot, there is still one more game left in the NFL's 2008 season.
It's okay; I really don't blame you if this Sunday's Super Bowl slipped your mind. It's been nearly two weeks since the championship games, the coaching carousel has taken over the headlines, Terrell Owens is getting his own show on VH1, and the always-entering draft is roughly two months away.
Admit it. Unless you root for either the Cardinals or Steelers, Super Bowl XLIII is just another reason to get sloshed and eat way too much on a work/school night.
I assume that at this point you are spending a majority of your day coordinating exactly what, where, and when you'll be eating on Sunday. Even if you are from Pittsburgh or Arizona, the menu is just as important as which spot on the couch you'll park yourself after Jennifer Hudson finishes singing the National Anthem.
With just sixty minutes, barring overtime -- good thing Donovan McNabb's Eagles didn't advance, that could have been a confusing situation –- of game action left in the NFL this season, I'll attempt to end my playoff picks on a high note.
I stand 4-6, having whiffed badly on the Eagles over the Cardinals and correctly picked the Steelers to down the Ravens in a pair of games that feel as though they took place months ago.
Here's a quick recap of how I've forecasted Arizona so far this postseason:
Wild Card: Falcons over Cardinals, 28-17
Divisional: Panthers over Cardinals, 31-22
Conference Championship: Eagles over Cardinals, 27-21
That puts me in quite a pickle. Do I attempt to make the fourth time the charm and pick the Steelers to win their sixth Super Bowl? Or, should I take the Cardinals to prevent disrespecting them four times in a matter of five weeks?
I could drag out the tired argument that Pittsburgh is much more ready for this game, having been here before and gotten the job done with a very similar cast of characters. However, that's the same line of thinking that led me to pick the Eagles to win the NFC Title. We all know how that turned out.
My colleague Jeff Risdon will being breaking down the X's-and-O's for you, and while I could attempt a little bit of that to impress you, I'm going to predict the game using five basic, but vital categories.
Moxie. Déjà vu. Resiliency. Explosiveness. Hunch.
Now that you are thoroughly confused, let me explain each category.
Moxie
Basically, I'm looking for a team that has balls. At this point in the season, to have reached the Super Bowl, both the Steelers and Cardinals have to have demonstrated pretty large sets. Pittsburgh has the history of tougher play, but Arizona has proved doubters (mainly, yours truly) wrong on multiple occasions this season. After letting a seemingly insurmountable lead vanish against the Eagles, the Cards didn't fold and marched downfield to win the game. That's a damn near perfect definition of moxie.
Advantage – Push
Déjà vu
As I said earlier, the Steelers have been here before. They can recall what won them a title against the Seahawks a few seasons ago and try to duplicate that success in Tampa. However, Mike Tomlin wasn't the head coach then, which means the approach might not be the same.
Meanwhile, Ken Whisenhunt was a member of that coaching staff alongside Tomlin, which means he can impart knowledge to his inexperienced club. The Cardinals also have Kurt Warner, a former Super Bowl participant, ready to lead his young teammates. It hasn't mattered yet for Arizona, but if their young studs are going to show their age ... the biggest stage is the most likely place.
Advantage – Steelers
Resiliency
As much moxie as the Cardinals showed in the fourth quarter of their NFC Title game victory over the Eagles, an argument can be made that they never should have been in position to lose after such a dominant first half of football. After Philadelphia got within a touchdown, the shock should have jarred Arizona back to life. Instead, they put half of Phoenix on pacemakers by allowing McNabb to connect with DeSean Jackson on a game-changing touchdown strike.
I don't think the Steelers would have let such a lead evaporate.
Advantage – Steelers
Explosiveness
Millions of people around the world knew just how great Larry Fitzgerald was well before the playoffs, because of how highly coveted he was in the fantasy leagues. After three dominating performances, en route to an NFL postseason receiving record, everyone knows just how well he plays the game of football.
In the first half of the NFC Title game, I don't think the Eagles could have kept him out of the end zone with twelve or thirteen men on the field.
Advantage – Cardinals
Hunch
The sexy pick here is the Cardinals, plain and simple. 57% of voters picked Arizona over Pittsburgh in a recent RealGM.com poll, and that is simply based on the question – "why not?" I tend to agree with RealGM's faithful, wouldn't the better story be the Super Bowl Champion Arizona Cardinals?
(Sorry Steeler fans)
Advantage – Cardinals
Okay, so that didn't work out quite as planned. I have two for Pittsburgh, two for Arizona, and one push. The expectations for a correct prediction aren't very high based on my performance thus far, so hold on...
Fishes into pocket...
Angrily gets up, opens the closet, and takes out piggy bank...
Struggles to open piggy bank...
Slams piggy bank on floor and grabs a quarter...
Flips it over to check the state; it's Wyoming, big deal...
Sits down at laptop, flips coin...
I'm going to pick the Steelers to win Super Bowl XLIII, based purely on knowledge, analysis, and hours and hours of contemplation.
Hey, where the heck did I get this quarter?
Andrew Perna is Deputy Editor of RealGM.com and co-host of RealGM’s Radio Show. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail: Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
