THE PITTSBURGH Sports CHATTER

[Romeo Delight]

All that matters is how these two teams will play against each other on Sunday.

All that I was really saying was that I think Seattle's O line is the real difference, as well as Holmgren, considering how the team has gelled this year.

everything else is BS, especially whose schedule was tougher.

Maybe if Seattle had a different schedule they could have went 16-0, no one knows...

An argument could be made that that a tougher schedule has left them worse for wear or battle ready...it is all conjecture.

I guess what I am saying is I have heard way too many people, other than here, say that Seattle will lose only because they haven't beaten anybody.

That is fucking blind and stupid. I think we are in store for a great game, and I will be happy when Seattle proves the nayayers wrong.

[POJO_Risin]

I'm all about waiting for the game...

and give me a break about the naysayers...

they are nearly ALL fenceriders...

"Pittsburgh should win...but it will be close...and I wouldn't be surprised if the Seahawks win..."

bunch of pussies...

Pick a fucking team already...

Yeah...it's all about tomorrow...I concur...

and I'm content to leave it at that...

I won't...

but I'll at least say it...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by DavidFlamma
All that matters is how these two teams will play against each other on Sunday.

All that I was really saying was that I think Seattle's O line is the real difference, as well as Holmgren, considering how the team has gelled this year.

everything else is BS, especially whose schedule was tougher.

Maybe if Seattle had a different schedule they could have went 16-0, no one knows...

An argument could be made that that a tougher schedule has left them worse for wear or battle ready...it is all conjecture.

I guess what I am saying is I have heard way too many people, other than here, say that Seattle will lose only because they haven't beaten anybody.

That is fucking blind and stupid. I think we are in store for a great game, and I will be happy when Seattle proves the nayayers wrong.

Well then allow me say it in other terms....

Seattle won't lose because they haven't beaten anybody, Seattle will lose because their record, their rushing offense, and their entire defense has been grossly inflated BECAUSE of their medicore schedule...

And that includes the playoffs....

I don't think it's exaggeration to suggest that if Seattle was still in the AFC West, they may not have made the playoffs....

And one other thing, I'm getting tired of hearing how two offensive linemen are going to stop P-burgh's defense....

Judas Priest, look what happened when they played 3-4 defenses against HOUSTON and Dallas ??? Hasselbeck almost got his head taken off against Dallas...

What do you think will happen against the BEST 3-4 defense in the NFL ???

If Seattle pulls it off, I'll be the first one to tip my hat to ya....

But please don't be surprised when they don't......

[LoungeMachine]

The NFL has just announced the cancellation of SB XL

"Why bother playing it when EVERYONE knows Seattle won't win" said a spokesman for the NFL



ANY GIVEN SUNDAY.

And as far as I know, no one on these boards has any inside information as to the game's outcome.


So let's go ahead and see what happens, then we can see who was right, and who was wrong in here.

[Romeo Delight]

I say that Seattle will bring pressure without blitzing, and thus be able to provide effective coverage.

I'll take Alexander over the Bus, especially considering Alexander is seeing an enormous signing bonus should he perform well tomorrow.

[LoungeMachine]

Originally posted by Va Beach VH Fan


If Seattle pulls it off, I'll be the first one to tip my hat to ya....

Wonder who will be second

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by DavidFlamma
I say that Seattle will bring pressure without blitzing, and thus be able to provide effective coverage.

I'll take Alexander over the Bus, especially considering Alexander is seeing an enormous signing bonus should he perform well tomorrow.

Come on bro, you're really starting to reach ....

NEWS FLASH #1: There are Pro Bowlers on P-Burgh's offensive line too...

NEWS FLASH #2: Bus doesn't start, he just scores TD's... I sure as hell hope Alexander outrushes him....


9 1/2 hours....

[Douglas T.]

Here's how to win the Super Bowl
BY DAVID HAUGH
Chicago Tribune
It was da Renaissance man Benjamin Franklin and not da coach, Mike Ditka, who said that, in life, "at 20 years of age, the will reigns; at 30 the wit; at 40 the judgment."
The Super Bowl turns 40 on Sunday in Detroit.
And in Super Bowls, as in life, 39 years' experience suggests a combination of all three qualities - will, wit and judgment - improves the chance at success.
As the grand old game hits middle age at Super Bowl XL, an examination of its existence might be instructive for fans of the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers wondering how their teams can go home winners.
You don't have to be a mathematician, a football expert or four-time Super Bowl runner-up coach Marv Levy, a 40-year-old coach at the College of William & Mary when the first Super Bowl kicked off in 1967, to detect certain trends.
How to win a Super Bowl? History has taught us it comes down to five steps.
1. Avoid mental lapses
The most famous wardrobe malfunction of the Super Bowl was Janet Jackson's in Super Bowl XXXVIII but Thurman Thomas' was the most damaging, and it came in Super Bowl XXVIII when he missed the first few plays because a teammate grabbed his helmet accidentally on the Buffalo Bills' sidelines.
Bad luck or bad focus?
Thomas is the only player who cost his team by losing his helmet before losing the big game, but others have lost their heads.
Stanley Wilson's crack cocaine binge before Super Bowl XXIII still has some fans in Cincinnati wondering how much the Bengals missed their fullback in the four-point loss to San Francisco.
Eugene Robinson was ticketed for soliciting a prostitute on the eve of Super Bowl XXXIII and could have been cited for impersonating an NFL defensive back the next day as the Denver Broncos torched the Atlanta Falcons' distracted secondary.
Starting center Barret Robbins' bipolar-linked disappearance the night before Super Bowl XXXVII gave the Oakland Raiders a built-in excuse even before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers routed them 48-21.
So if the Steelers and Seahawks team hotels are harder to enter and exit than an airport terminal Saturday, they can blame those guys.
2. Take an early lead
It's not a perfect science, because the `85 Bears trailed the New England Patriots 3-0 after their opening drive and they still are celebrating that comeback victory. But the team to score first has won 26 of 39 Super Bowls, according to NFL.com. Teams ahead at halftime have won 30 of 37 times, and the nine teams that didn't allow their opponents to score in the first half never have lost.
That matters in this Super Bowl more than others because of the styles of the two teams. The Seahawks hope to strike early to force the ground-oriented Steelers into throwing more often than their balanced game plan prefers. Similarly, the Steelers in the postseason have taken to throwing early to get a lead so they can ice the victory and would love nothing more than to ride out a quick lead on their favorite Bus.
3. Get signature defensive play or performance
Without one, the St. Louis Rams never would have won Super Bowl XXXIV when linebacker Mike Jones tackled Kevin Dyson one yard short of a potential game-tying touchdown in the most clutch Super Bowl defensive play ever.
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown locked up a Super Bowl victory and an inflated free-agent contract with the Raiders with his second interception in the closing minutes against the Steelers the last time they were in the Super Bowl 10 years ago.
The Raiders thought Larry Brown might become the next Willie Brown, whose NFL Films highlight staple_a 75-yard interception return in Super Bowl XI_gave coach John Madden Super Bowl credibility he took into the announcer's booth. Ray Lewis made headlines for the right reasons during Super Bowl weekend in Tampa when the Ravens' defense dominated the Giants in `85 Bear-like fashion.
In Chicago, people remember William Perry's touchdown run as the lasting memory of Super Bowl XX but the sight of defensive end Richard Dent probably still makes Patriots quarterback Tony Eason cringe. Dent won Super Bowl MVP honors, one of seven times a defensive player has done so. Could Troy Polamalu of the Steelers or Grant Wistrom of the Seahawks make it eight?
4. Ride the hot foot
With apologies to Jim O'Brien, whose 32-yard field goal with five seconds left won Super Bowl V for the Baltimore Colts, Adam Vinatieri is the standard by which to measure all other kickers on this stage. Vinatieri won two of the past four Super Bowls with field goals in the final seconds - XXXVI with a 48-yarder on the final play and XXXVIII with a 41-yarder with four seconds remaining.
Without a clutch kicker, Bill Belichick might just be another NFL coach living off a single Super Bowl victory a la Brian Billick, Ditka and Madden rather than a genius bound for Canton.
Of course, trusting a kicker can backfire as the Bills and Levy found out in Super Bowl XXV when Scott Norwood missed a potential game-winning 47-yard field goal on the final play of the game. Imagine how much more youthful Levy would be if that miss hadn't aged him in dog years after that game.
5. Keep cool at QB
In 39 Super Bowls, the winning quarterback has been named MVP 20 times. From Joe Namath backing up his bold guarantee in Super Bowl III to Tom Brady paving his path to Canton with two MVP performances in three victories, the one thing all those quarterbacks had in common was poise. Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw and Kurt Warner possessed that intangible quality that is hard to illustrate with anything other than a Super Bowl ring; Fran Tarkenton, David Woodley and Neil O'Donnell did not.
The most memorable example of quarterback cool came from the 49ers Joe Montana in Super Bowl XXIII when he stepped into the huddle at the San Francisco 8-yard line with 3 minutes 10 seconds left, trailing 16-13. Montana approached tackle Harris Barton, who was agitated at a teammate for a penalty he committed, and pointed out comedian John Candy in the stands. Calmed, the Niners put together a game-winning drive on which Montana completed 8 of 9 passes, including a touchdown pass to John Taylor that is preserved in frames all over the Bay Area.
The legends of John Elway, Troy Aikman and Brett Favre followed, establishing a legacy for the position Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Hasselbeck dream of sharing.

[Romeo Delight]

Originally posted by Va Beach VH Fan
Seattle will lose because their record, their rushing offense, and their entire defense has been grossly inflated BECAUSE of their medicore schedule...

I think their passing game is underated.

Because of their weak schedule, they had games well in hand, early.

Most of the fourth quarter was spent running out the clock with people other than Alexander.

[POJO_Risin]

1. Their passing game is not underrated...I've been listening for two weeks how GOOD Hasselbeck is...that he's right behind Brady and Manning...lmfao...which is a joke in my book. He's good...but not that good...

2. uh...LoungeMachine..."The NFL has just announced the cancellation of SB XL"Why bother playing it when EVERYONE knows Seattle won't win" said a spokesman for the NFL--ANY GIVEN SUNDAY.
And as far as I know, no one on these boards has any inside information as to the game's outcome.
So let's go ahead and see what happens, then we can see who was right, and who was wrong in here."

perhaps you need to take your own advice...

[POJO_Risin]

Where the fuck is FORD?

even HE has to be getting ready for this game...

[Unchainme]

Thanks for changing the name Poj,

[POJO_Risin]

If I didn't...I'd end up with 40 Super Bowl threads...

probably will anyways...

[POJO_Risin]

ESPN Poll...who's going to win, and by how much...

Pittsburgh's up in that poll...but it's interesting to look at the state by state...

Ohio and Maryland...both bordering PA...and...both with teams that despise Pittsburgh...have Seattle winning by less than 7.

The only other states in the NE that are leaning towards Seattle? Massachussets and New Hampshire...the heart of Patriot country.

Alabama are also supporting Seattle...obviously from the Shaun Alexander connection...

there is nearly a line drawn down the middle of the country though...kinda funny...

[Unchainme]

they're showing the NFL films highlights of Super Bowl XIII Steelers, Cowboys right now. I always thought The Iron Curtain team of the late 70's early 80's was pretty cool.