|
(Friday February 3rd, 2006)
Sunday’s Super Bowl is
likely to be won by the team with the most rushing
yardage. Winning the battle of the line of scrimmage
is as basic it gets, but it’s also a tried
and true method for victory. Last season the
Patriots won the rushing battle 112-45 in their
24-21 win over the Eagles. The year before,
the Pats outrushed Carolina 127-92 on their
way to the title. Even in their stunning upset
of the Rams five years ago, the Patriots won
the rushing battle against Marshall Faulk and
their strong St. Louis offensive line, 133-90.
This Super Bowl is so interesting because both
teams love to run the football behind mammoth
offensive lines and bruising running backs like
Jerome Bettis and rushing champ Shaun Alexander.
Both coaches, too, Mike Holmgren and Bill Cowher,
have a propensity to run the football and take
away the opponent’s running game. Both
offensive lines are solid.
Seattle was third in the NFL averaging 153
yards rushing per game, while Pittsburgh was
fifth averaging 139 yards per game. In the all
important yards per carry, Seattle averaged
4.7 yards (second) while the Steelers averaged
4 yards per pop (12th).
One aspect of the game that could be key is
that Seattle has faced only one good team all
season (Dallas) that ran a 3-4 defense. So does
Pittsburgh. In that game against the Cowboys,
Shaun Alexander had his worst game of the season
with 61 yards rushing on 21 carries. Seattle
needed a late miracle in the final minute, and
a timely Drew Bledsoe turnover, to win that
game 13-10. You can bet the Seahawks have watched
game film of that one again to try and figure
out what they did wrong and what adjustments
they need to make. Pittsburgh’s run-stuffers
and quick, aggressive linebackers are as good
as any in the league, and better than the Cowboys!
The Cowboys continually controlled the line
of scrimmage by putting as many as nine defenders
within 4 yards of the ball, even on passing
downs. The Seattle offense, averaging 407 yards
coming in to that game, finished with 289. In
addition, QB Matt Hasselbeck was 23-of-42 for
224 yards, with one TD and two interceptions.
He’ll likely have to put up better numbers
than that Sunday if Seattle is going to win
a championship. Notice that Dallas RB Marion
Barber ran for 95 yards on 22 carries in Julius
Jones' place. The Steelers would love to repeat
that kind of production with Jerome Bettis or
Willie Anderson.
|
|
|
One final thought is the explosive war or words
that’s been going on. Seattle TE Jerramy
Stevens took a foolish shot at Bettis, after
which Pittsburgh LB Joey Porter retorted, “I
think we can go out there and beat them.”
Porter also added, "I've got my first taste
of blood, and now I'm thirsty for more.”
Does anyone smell FIREWORKS? Said Seahawks coach
Mike Holmgren when asked about the rhetoric
between the two players, "You won't hear
Jerramy say any more about it the rest of the
week.” Which means he told Stevens to
keep his yap shut! Enjoy the game, and remember
that the dog has covered 4 straight Super Bowls,
with three of the last four decided by a field
goal.
Bryan Leonard is a documented member of The
Professional Handicappers League.
Read more of his articles and get his premium
plays here.
|
