Category: Super Bowl (Page 35 of 36)

In a September post, I wrote about Mike Holmgren and the manner in which he left the Green Bay Packers.

In 1998, when Mike Holmgren demanded a head coaching job that also included complete control over all personnel decisions, it was obvious that he was going to have to find that job at a franchise other than the Green Bay Packers. The team was on the heels of two consecutive Super Bowl appearances and GM Ron Wolf was regarded as one of the best of the business and was deservedly given much of the credit. It was clear that the Packers weren’t going to fire him to appease Holmgren’s misguided career aspirations – back-to-back Super Bowl appearances weren’t enough? Many thought that Holmgren would land in San Francisco, a franchise that was familiar with the coach’s work and was at the time somewhat unhappy with their coach, Steve Mariucci, a Holmgren disciple. Oddly enough, the two teams faced each other in the playoffs that year and the futures of both coaches may have been altered by a blown call in that game. During San Francisco’s final drive (with the Packers leading 27-23), Jerry Rice fumbled after a catch. The Packers recovered, but the referee watching the play called Rice “down by contact” and the 49ers kept possession. The drive ultimately resulted in a last second touchdown pass from Steve Young to a then up-and-coming Terrell Owens, which gave San Francisco the win, 30-27. Had that fumble call gone the other way, Mariucci would have likely been fired for losing a first round playoff game at home and Holmgren would have been the favorite to take his place. The win bought Mariucci some time in San Francisco and forced Holmgren to look for complete control elsewhere. He ultimately signed with Seattle, where he has had mixed success in seven seasons and has recently had to relinquish his GM duties. Oh, the irony!

Fast forward four months and Holmgren is on the verge of winning his second title. While many Packer fans have mixed feelings about his recent success (or are blatantly rooting against him), I for one would like to see him win. I’ve always been a fan of his coaching style – he’s offensive minded, but knows enough about defense to keep his defensive coordinator honest. He’s very demanding and not always that popular with his players. He scripts the first set of plays and his teams are usually lethal the first time they have the ball.

But the biggest reason I’m rooting for Seattle this weekend is that Holmgren has had this success with the Seahawks only after giving up his GM responsibilities. I have to think, looking back, that he must regret (to some degree) leaving a great Green Bay team, only to be mired in mediocrity for several years in Seattle. He has to wonder what kind of success he would have had in Green Bay over that same span. His own ego drove him out of Wisconsin and he had to swallow that ego in order to coach a team to his third Super Bowl. I’d like to see that humility pay off.

Man, I hope Seattle wins. Jerome Bettis overexposure, annoying Steeler fans and Troy Polamalu’s hair make it impossible for me to root for Pittsburgh. Who do you think will win and why? Let’s try to keep it civil, people.

This is an unusual position for the Steelers. After being road underdogs in their last two playoff games, Pittsburgh opened as a 3-point favorite Sunday as the Seahawks were dismantling the Carolina Panthers in the late game. The line quickly moved to 3.5 and then to 4, with a majority of the early money being placed on the Steelers.

Often times a Super Bowl number moves within the first 24 hours and then stays put until the final two days. That could be the case again this year. If there is movement, most likely it would be Pittsburgh being bet up. And why not? If it weren’t for a Jerome Bettis fumble near the goal line against Indy, the Steelers could have won all three of their playoff road games by double-digits against the Bengals, Colts and Broncos. Talk about awe inspiring.

So if you want to bet the Steelers, now is the time. If you think Seattle will beat the spread, then you may want to wait until gameday, when the line may move in Seattle’s favor in response to a lot of money being bet on Pittsburgh.

So we’ve got two weeks to talk about this game. Might as well start now. Actually, I think ESPN may have even kicked off its Super Bowl coverage Saturday night.

I’ve been picking against the Steelers throughout the entire playoffs (click to see our complete Bullz-Eye staff predictions), and now it’s obvious that my loyalty to the Browns has blinded my judgment the last three weeks. Either that, or it’s all rotten luck, in which case I’ll now call a Steelers win in February and hope that the rotten luck continues.

One thing I do know: the Seahawks are my second-favorite team in football right now. Even though I think they’re going to lose, of course (wink-wink).

So who are you picking?

The Seattle Seahawks managed to contain Steve Smith defensively and moved the ball offensively, resulting in a 34-14 win over the Carolina Panthers. Smith, the NFL’s leading receiver, only caught five passes for 33 yards despite numerous attempts to get him the ball. He did manage to score on a punt return in the first half, but was otherwise a non-factor.

Matt Hasselbeck continued his strong play, completing 20 of 28 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Shaun Alexander shrugged off last week’s concussion to rush for 132 yards and two scores. All in all, it was a brilliant offensive and defensive effort for the Seahawks, who will be appearing in their first Super Bowl two weeks from today.

Pittsburgh is the early linesmakers’ favorite, and it will be interesting to see if the Steelers let the pressure get to them. Both teams are playing loose and the squad that can continue to do so will have the advantage in Detroit. The key will be Pittsburgh’s blitz packages – Seattle has one of the best offensive lines in football and if they are able to give Hasselbeck time, the Seahawks will have a good chance of winning. Both teams are formidable, balanced squads so it should be a good game.