SUPERBOWL XL PREVIEW

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SuperBowl XL Preview - Seattle (15-3) vs. Pittsburgh (14-5)

Detroit, MI - (MySportsbook) - When the Pittsburgh Steelers last raised the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl Champions, on Jan. 20th, 1980, current Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was not yet born. Strong safety Troy Polamalu's mane of hair wouldn't begin sprouting until he came into the world 15 months after Super Bowl XIV, and Steelers running back Jerome Bettis was but a growing seven-year-old.

That trio of superstars and their Pittsburgh teammates don't have a memory of a Steelers Super Bowl victory, a fact that the AFC Champions will be trying to change on Sunday night, when they meet the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL at Detroit's Ford Field. Bill Cowher's team enters the tilt having won seven consecutive games, including road victories over the higher-seeded Bengals, Colts, and Broncos during the playoffs.

The majority of Seattle's players have no personal Super Bowl frame of reference either, as the Seahawks will on Sunday be making their first such appearance in a mostly mediocre 30-year history. The NFC Champions will be trying to cap off the best season in team annals on the highest of high notes. Head coach Mike Holmgren and company won a franchise-record 13 games during the regular season, setting another team mark with 11 consecutive victories en route to the NFC West crown and the No. 1 overall seed in the conference. Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander won the NFL rushing title with 1,880 yards during the regular season, also setting a league single-season record with 28 touchdowns during the campaign.

The stage for Super Bowl XL will be four-year-old Ford Field, the sparkling Motor City facility that is hosting the game for the first time. The Super Bowl was last held in the Detroit area following the 1981 season, when the 49ers won their first-ever world championship by downing the Bengals, 26-21, at the Pontiac Silverdome.

SERIES HISTORY

Seattle leads the all-time series with Pittsburgh, 8-6, and has won the two most recent head-to-head meetings. The Seahawks were 23-16 home winners when the teams faced off at QwestField in 2003, and they also prevailed, 29-10, when they last visited the Steel City, in 1999. The Steelers last defeated the Seahawks during the 1998 campaign, winning by a 13-10 margin at home.

Holmgren is 4-1 in his career against Pittsburgh, including 2-0 since taking the helm of the Seahawks franchise in 1999. Cowher is 2-4 against Seattle and 1-4 all-time against Holmgren in his career.

The franchises will be squaring off in the postseason for the first time.

SEAHAWKS OFFENSE VS. STEELERS DEFENSE

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (3459 passing yards, 24 TD, 9 INT) earned his second career Pro Bowl citation for his work during the 2005 regular season, when he led the NFC in passer rating (98.2) and tied for the conference lead in touchdown passes despite being without his No. 1 wideout Jackson for most of the season. During the playoffs, the 30-year-old Hasselbeck has posted a strong 109.6 passer rating and has thrown three touchdowns without an interception. Hasselbeck also has 48 rushing yards in the postseason, including a touchdown against the Redskins in the divisional round.

Alexander (1880 rushing yards, 15 receptions, 28 TD) is the reigning NFL MVP after winning the league rushing title and setting a single-season record for touchdowns. After being knocked out early against the Redskins with a concussion, Alexander responded with 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 34 carries against the Panthers in the NFC Championship. Maurice Morris (288 rushing yards, 1 TD) and fullback Mack Strong (78 rushing yards, 22 receptions) received a fair amount of touches while spelling Alexander during the season, and the duo combined to fill in for Alexander for most of the Washington contest. The Pro Bowler Strong has 47 rushing yards on seven carries in the 2005 playoffs, including a 32-yard run versus the Redskins.

Jackson (38 receptions, 3 TD) heads a deep group of receivers that generally features Bobby Engram (67 receptions, 3 TD) as the other starter and Joe Jurevicius (55 receptions, 10 TD) in the role of No. 3 wideout. With Jackson out for 10 games, Engram finished the regular season atop the team chart in catches and receiving yards (778), while Jurevicius paced the club in TD catches. Since Jackson has returned, Jurevicius and second-year wideout D.J. Hackett (28 receptions, 2 TD) have seen fewer opportunities. Backup quarterback Seneca Wallace entered the Carolina game as a wide receiver, catching a 28-yard pass from Hasselbeck. Jackson has accounted for 15 of the 23 completions to Seattle wide receivers during the playoffs.

The Seahawks' most reliable pass-catcher other than Jackson in the playoffs to date has been tight end Jerramy Stevens (45 receptions, 5 TD), the 6-foot-7 former first-round draft pick who made a leaping touchdown grab against the Panthers in the NFC Championship. Stevens has eight catches for 79 yards in the playoffs. Ryan Hannam (13 receptions, 1 TD) has appeared when the Seahawks have used two tight ends this season, but is not much of a threat as a receiver. Hannam has two grabs for eight yards in the postseason thus far.

The Seahawks' offensive line is one of the best in the business, with left tackle Walter Jones, left guard Steve Hutchinson, and center Robbie Tobeck all headed for the Pro Bowl. The right side combination of tackle Sean Locklear and guard Chris Gray isn't bad either. Locklear made headlines prior to the NFC Championship when he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, but he played against Carolina and will be in uniform on Sunday night. The Seattle o-line helped the team finish third in the NFL in rushing offense (153.6 yards per game), and the Seahawks were near the top of the league chart in sacks allowed (27) as well.

Pittsburgh's primary defensive line group of nose tackle Casey Hampton (42 tackles) and ends Kimo von Oelhoffen (35 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and Aaron Smith (39 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) was literally at the forefront of a unit that ranked No. 3 in the league in rushing defense (86 yards per game) during the regular season. Each member of the three-man front will be playing in his first Super Bowl. End Brett Keisel (33 tackles, 3 sacks) and nose tackle Chris Hoke (6 tackles) are the team's top line reserves, but both received only limited snaps with the defense in the regular campaign.

Inside linebackers James Farrior (119 tackles, 2 sacks) and Larry Foote (102 tackles, 3 sacks) were 1-2 on the Steelers in tackles during the regular season, and both have played well during the postseason. Farrior has two-and- a-half sacks and an interception in three 2005 playoff games, while Foote is tied for the team lead with 19 tackles and has an interception of his own. The Steelers' pressure package is heavily dependent on outside linebackers Porter (56 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 2 INT) and Clark Haggans (59 tackles, 9 sacks), who were 1-2 on the team in sacks during the regular season. The Pro Bowler Porter leads Pittsburgh with three sacks in the postseason. Pittsburgh's 47 sacks on the regular season ranked behind only Seattle (50) and Miami (49) in the NFL.

Ike Taylor (91 tackles, 1 INT) and Deshea Townsend (54 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INT) were both good enough to start the entire season at corner for the Steelers, though neither is particularly renowned for his playmaking abilities. Taylor posted just his second interception of the year against Denver in the AFC Championship. Rookie Bryant McFadden (18 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) has appeared frequently as a nickel corner this season. Pittsburgh's top playmaker in the secondary is the strong safety Polamalu (91 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INT), who has been at his best in the 2005 postseason. Polamalu is tied for the team lead with 19 tackles along with an interception (not including a pick with which he should have been credited against Indianapolis) and half-a-sack. At free safety, fourth-year pro Chris Hope (96 tackles, 3 INT) is less heralded but led the team in interceptions during the regular campaign. Tyrone Carter (24 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) has appeared frequently off the bench in the playoffs, notching 14 tackles, and Mike Logan (24 tackles) has seen time when the team has used multi-defensive back sets as well.

STEELERS OFFENSE VS. SEAHAWKS DEFENSE

Roethlisberger (2385 passing yards, 17 TD, 9 INT) had an outstanding regular season, posting a 98.6 passer rating and generally displaying the presence that led him to be named 2004 NFL Rookie of the Year, but reserved his best play for the postseason. "Big Ben" is 49-of-72 passing (68.1 percent) for 680 yards with seven touchdowns and just one interception through three 2005 playoff games, for a lusty passer rating of 124.8. The Miami of Ohio product enters Super Sunday with a career record of 26-4 as a starter.

The Steelers running game has struggled somewhat during the playoffs, with both Willie Parker (1202 rushing yards, 18 receptions, 5 TD) and Bettis (368 rushing yards, 9 TD) averaging well under four yards per carry. Parker has just 132 yards on 47 carries (2.8 avg.) on the ground, but did manage to score his first career postseason TD via the air against the Bengals in the Wild Card round. Bettis, who will be playing in his hometown of Detroit, has three touchdowns to his credit in the 2005 playoffs. Third-down back Verron Haynes (274 rushing yards, 3 TD, 11 receptions) has 54 rushing yards and three catches in the playoffs, and fullback Dan Kreider (7 receptions) has done a good job blocking for Parker and Bettis.

Each of Pittsburgh's top three receivers - Ward (69 receptions, 11 TD), Antwaan Randle El (35 receptions, 1 TD), and Cedrick Wilson (26 receptions) - has had his moments in the 2005 playoffs to date. Ward leads the Steelers with 10 postseason catches and has a couple of touchdowns, Randle El has nine receptions for 97 yards and a score, and Wilson has shaken off a quiet regular season with eight grabs for a team-high 196 yards and two touchdowns. With former No. 4 receiver Quincy Morgan out for the year with a broken fibula, Nate Washington received a rare chance to play on offense against the Broncos in the AFC Championship. Washington, an undrafted rookie out of Tiffin University, had a 13-yard catch against the Broncos.

Rookie tight end Heath Miller (39 receptions, 6 TD) gave the Steelers passing game an added dimension over the middle during the regular season, and has been a major part of the postseason game plan as well. Miller has seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown in the playoffs, inflicting major damage to the Colts in the divisional round. The rookie from Virginia had three catches for 61 yards and a touchdown in that game. Veteran Jerame Tuman (3 receptions) appears in two-tight end situations for Pittsburgh, and is known primarily for his blocking abilities. Tuman has two catches for 28 yards in the playoffs.

A well-regarded Steelers line is led by a pair of Pro Bowlers in center Jeff Hartings and left guard Alan Faneca. The rest of the trench crew is solid, with left tackle Marvel Smith, right guard Kendall Simmons, and right tackle Max Starks all holding their own through the 19-game season. The Pittsburgh line was known best for its run-blocking abilities, helping the team rank fifth in the NFL in rushing offense (138.9 yards per game), but also allowed a modest 32 sacks on the regular campaign. Roethlisberger has been sacked five times through three 2005 postseason contests.

Left end Bryce Fisher (47 tackles, 9 sacks) and right end Grant Wistrom (52 tackles, 4 sacks) are Seattle's usual starters on the edge, contributing greatly to the team's NFL-best 50 sacks during the regular season. Fisher led the Seahawks in sacks, while Wistrom, who played in two Super Bowls with the Rams in 1999 and 2001, was seen as one of the line's top run-stoppers. Fisher had a sack against the Redskins in the divisional round. Former Bear Joe Tafoya (29 tackles, 1 sack) is the club's top end reserve. The play of the Seahawks' interior line may have been the overall strength of the team's defense in 2005. A rotating group consisting of Rocky Bernard (52 tackles, 8.5 sacks), Marcus Tubbs (40 tackles, 5.5 sacks), Craig Terrill (18 tackles, 2 sacks), and Chuck Darby (30 tackles, 2.5 sacks) was arguably the most productive in the league this season. Bernard and Darby have combined for three of Seattle's four sacks thus far in the postseason. Darby played in Super Bowl XXXVII as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The transformation of Seattle's defense from a hot-and-cold unit to a consistently productive group had much to do with the emergence of a pair of rookie linebackers - Tatupu (104 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 INT) and Leroy Hill (72 tackles, 7.5 sacks). Tatupu, the middle linebacker and better-known member of the group, led Seattle in tackles by a wide margin and was tied for second on the team in interceptions. Hill, a third-round pick out of Clemson, was a bigger surprise, taking over starting duties when Jamie Sharper was injured and ranking among team leaders in sacks. The third member of the starting LB group is outside man D.D. Lewis (62 tackles), who battled injury problems in 2005 but was a credible run-stopper when healthy. Kevin Bentley (31 tackles) has recently been the Seahawks' No. 1 backup at linebacker.

Marcus Trufant (64 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) is considered the best of the Seahawks' cornerbacks, and the former first-round pick out of Washington State will likely be matched with Ward. On the other side, veteran Andre Dyson (20 tackles, 1 INT) is the likely starter, with Jordan Babineaux (74 tackles, 3 INT) appearing often in nickel situations. Dyson, who missed the final month of the regular season with an ankle injury, started the NFC Championship against Carolina. Kelly Herndon (54 tackles, 2 INT) will probably see most of his time in the dime formation. Strong safety Michael Boulware (73 tackles, 4 INT, 2 sacks) has emerged as the secondary's top playmaker, and Marquand Manuel (71 tackles) has performed capably at the free safety slot since taking over for the injured Ken Hamlin in October. Boulware and Manuel both had interceptions against the Panthers in the NFC Championship game. Etric Pruitt (7 tackles) can back up either safety slot, and sees most of his action on special teams.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Seattle kicker Josh Brown (18-25 FG) has made four short field goals during the postseason, missing on his only attempt of more than 40 yards when his 49- yard try against the Panthers was short. Brown is 5-of-8 on kicks of 50 yards or greater this season, but connected on just three of his final seven field goal tries during the regular season. Brown had two game-winning field goals in 2005, a 50-yarder to beat the Cowboys on Oct. 23rd and a 36- yarder to down the Giants in overtime four weeks later. The Nebraska product also missed a potential game-winner against the Redskins on Oct. 2nd. Four of Brown's 89 regular season kickoffs went for touchbacks. Punter and 13-year NFL veteran Tom Rouen (41.6 avg.) will be playing in his third Super Bowl, having won two rings as a member of the Denver Broncos in 1997 and 1998. Rouen, who played for the Steelers briefly in 2002, is averaging 42.3 yards per punt during the 2005 postseason, slightly better than his regular season clip.

 

After regular punt returner Jimmy Williams (5.8 avg.) coughed up what could have been a key fumble against the Redskins in the Divisional Playoff, the Seahawks placed Peter Warrick (4.8 avg.) in that role against the Panthers. Warrick didn't fare much better, amassing a total of seven yards on two returns and looking tentative, but should continue to handle those duties in the Super Bowl. Warrick had two punt returns for scores during his tenure with the Bengals (2000-04). Josh Scobey (22.5 avg.) has handled all but two of Seattle's kickoff returns this year, and has yet to break one for a touchdown. Scobey also lost a fumble against Washington, but was permitted to keep his job against Carolina. Scobey's only career kickoff return for a score came in 2003 as a member of the Arizona Cardinals, when the Kansas State product led the NFL in kickoff return yardage.

The Seahawks have proven to be susceptible to the big return this year, having allowed the Rams' Chris Johnson to score on a 99-yard kickoff return in Week 5 and the Panthers' Steve Smith to go to the house on a punt return in the NFC Championship. The Hawks were middle-of-the-NFL-pack in both punt return defense (8.4 avg. per return) and kickoff return defense (22.0 avg.) during the regular season. Scobey (23 special teams tackles) and backup linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski (21 tackles) were 1-2 on the team in special teams tackles during the regular campaign.

Pittsburgh kicker Jeff Reed (24-29 FG) has missed just three kicks of shorter than 50 yards this season, but did not make a field goal of longer than 44 yards during the regular season. Reed is 3-of-3 on field goals during the 2005 postseason, including a season-best 47-yarder in the first quarter against the Broncos in the AFC Championship. Reed hit game-winning field goals against the Chargers and Ravens during the regular season, and the fourth-year pro out of North Carolina also had touchbacks on five of his 84 kickoffs. Punter Chris Gardocki (41.8 avg.) finished near the bottom of the NFL in punting average during the regular season, but his one-step approach basically eliminates the prospect of a blocked punt. Gardocki, who will be appearing in his first Super Bowl, has never had a punt blocked during his 15-year NFL career.

The Steelers boast one of the most electrifying punt returners in the game in Randle El (10.2 avg.), who had two punt returns for scores during the regular season and has five returns for TDs during his four-year pro career. Randle El has not broken a punt return longer than 20 yards in the 2005 postseason, but is averaging a healthy 10.5 yards on eight attempts. Defensive backs Ike Taylor (19.7 avg.) and Ricardo Colclough (21.5) have both seen time as kickoff returners during the postseason, with Taylor handling most of those duties in the team's last two games. Taylor's longest return during the 2005 postseason thus far was a 36-yarder against the Bengals in the Wild Card round. Backup wideout Quincy Morgan (25.3 avg.), who was the Steelers' most frequent kickoff returner during the regular season, was lost for the year with a broken fibula sustained against Cincinnati on Jan. 8th.

Pittsburgh allowed 9.1 yards per punt return during the regular season, the 23rd-best figure in the league, and were middle-of-the-pack with 21.9 yards per kickoff return allowed. The Steelers have not surrendered a return for a touchdown since the Jets' Santana Moss scored on a punt return in a 2004 AFC Divisional Playoff. Backup end Brett Keisel led the team with 23 special teams tackles during the regular season, and backup defensive back Chidi Iwuoma was second with 19 stops.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Steelers and Seahawks have taken far different paths to reach the Super Sunday stage. Pittsburgh barely made the playoffs and was forced to beat the AFC's top three seeds on the road, while Seattle had a postseason berth wrapped up around Thanksgiving and enjoyed a couple of home games against Wild Card teams in the playoffs. And though the Seahawks were the NFC's top seed and have won more games than the Steelers, it should be Pittsburgh that is a bit more sure of itself on Sunday night. Pittsburgh has answered every challenge thus far in the postseason, and also happens to be both more physical and more big-game-tested than Seattle. The Seahawks are young in a few key areas, including at the linebacker position, and may have some trouble finding their footing in the most important contest in franchise history. Seattle is good enough to make this an interesting and competitive game, but look for the Hawks to make one too many mistakes down the stretch, and for Cowher and company to raise the Lombardi Trophy.

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