2008 Woodie Awards
Fitzsimmons Files: Seahawks Soar Over Steelers?
Brian Fitzsimmons
Issue date: 2/2/06 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Let me begin by stating that it is an absolute pleasure to know America will enjoy watching some team other than the New England Patriots win the Super Bowl. The constant Tom Brady nonsense that littered the sports world for over four years needed to halt at some point, right?
The apparent ending to the Patriots dynasty run begins with this year's Super Bowl XL, and it will take more than an XL performance from the Steelers to pull off a victory against the Seahawks on Sunday evening.
Pittsburgh finished the season with an impressive 11-5 record, but what people fail to remember is that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger missed significant time due to injury. He also didn't have the crazy Grizzly Adams beard he is rockin' now.
Compared to Seattle, who finished 13-3, their defensive statistics stand out noticeably, and that alone will allow the game to be a close one.
The Steelers allowed an average of 284 yards of offense per game this season, as opposed to Seattle's 317. The key defensive number for previewing this game is the Steelers allowed an average of only 85.5 yards of rushing offense, but is that good enough to somewhat contain Shaun Alexander, who was this campaign's Most Valuable Player?
My guess is that Alexander will do what he did all season long, which was stomp over every defensive line that was thrown at him. This season he rushed for 1,880 yards and ran in a whopping 27 touchdowns, so I doubt the voters for the prestigious award had a tough time figuring out whether he deserved it or not.
The Steelers are a very talented bunch, and their defense could be enough to keep it interesting, but they lack a stud such as Alexander, to give them that edge that is necessary to obtain a Super Bowl title.
Some people have dubbed Roethlisberger as the next Tom Brady, but it cannot be said until Big Ben wins three out of four championships in his first five years, as Brady did. If he performs at a superstar level, and the Steelers somehow gut out a win, then the discussions of the theories possibilities would be valid.
The apparent ending to the Patriots dynasty run begins with this year's Super Bowl XL, and it will take more than an XL performance from the Steelers to pull off a victory against the Seahawks on Sunday evening.
Pittsburgh finished the season with an impressive 11-5 record, but what people fail to remember is that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger missed significant time due to injury. He also didn't have the crazy Grizzly Adams beard he is rockin' now.
Compared to Seattle, who finished 13-3, their defensive statistics stand out noticeably, and that alone will allow the game to be a close one.
The Steelers allowed an average of 284 yards of offense per game this season, as opposed to Seattle's 317. The key defensive number for previewing this game is the Steelers allowed an average of only 85.5 yards of rushing offense, but is that good enough to somewhat contain Shaun Alexander, who was this campaign's Most Valuable Player?
My guess is that Alexander will do what he did all season long, which was stomp over every defensive line that was thrown at him. This season he rushed for 1,880 yards and ran in a whopping 27 touchdowns, so I doubt the voters for the prestigious award had a tough time figuring out whether he deserved it or not.
The Steelers are a very talented bunch, and their defense could be enough to keep it interesting, but they lack a stud such as Alexander, to give them that edge that is necessary to obtain a Super Bowl title.
Some people have dubbed Roethlisberger as the next Tom Brady, but it cannot be said until Big Ben wins three out of four championships in his first five years, as Brady did. If he performs at a superstar level, and the Steelers somehow gut out a win, then the discussions of the theories possibilities would be valid.