Super Bowl XLIII: Controlled Aggression Key for Steelers, Cardinals Defenses

The old axiom is "Defense wins Championships." If that is the case, one of these two vastly different defenses will be responsible for their team carrying the Vince Lombardi Trophy home from Tampa this Sunday.

The more storied of the two is, of course the Steeler defense.  Led by the man credited with being responsible for the origination of the zone blitz defense, Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau, the Pittsburgh defense was top rated in the league, not just in scoring, but in most meaningful categories.

This defense can virtually go an entire game & not come at an offense the same way twice. They cause turnovers, sacks, & total chaos to befall opponents offenses.

The Cardinal defense, while effective, lacks the notoriety & the impressive numbers of the Steeler defense.  In fact, it could be worth noting that there is a fairly recent comparison that could in made to the Colts defense of a few years ago. 

That defense came into the playoffs completely unable to stop the run, & seemed to be totally ineffectual. Then came the playoffs, & we know the rest of the story. The difference there is that the Cardinals don't have a player of the skill of the Colts Bob Sanders riding to the rescue in time for the post season.

Still, Defensive Coordinator Clancy Pendergast's defense mixes it up well, using both a 4-3 defense along with a "30" front. They have mixed blitzes in extremely effectively throughout the playoffs, & SS Adrian Wilson has been tremendously disruptive to opposing offenses, particularly when moved closer to the line of scrimmage. 

The Cardinals' defense has feasted on opponents' turnovers in the postseason, including eight interceptions, with five of them coming off the arm of Carolina Panthers QB Jake Delhomme. The Cardinal defense will need to be sure to maintain the integrity of their gaps, as they struggle when they fail to stay in their appropriate lanes.

Pittsburgh uses a 3-4 front to unleash a variety of blitzes & coverages. They are as capable of dropping a lineman back into a passing lane for coverage while blitzing SS Troy Polamalu as they are of bringing an all out blitz with linebackers, especially OLB James Harrison, who is the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. 

But should the Steelers blitz, they had better get to Cardinal QB Kurt Warner, because he is good enough to make them pay for failing to do so.

The contrast in styles makes for an interesting chess game between the two teams.  Whomever can manage to anticipate & counter the other successfully more often will have a decided advantage.

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at the Special Teams & Coaching staffs.