Super Bowl 2011: Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, and 8 Stars To Watch For
The Super Bowl is highly regarded as the grandest stage in all of sports.
The electricity in the building is unmatched, the drama and pageantry leading up to the game is easily better than your favorite afternoon soap, and of course, the actual play on the field is second to none.
This year, the Super Bowl matchup is filled with playmakers and stars. Two of the greatest franchises in professional football will be squaring off in what is sure to be a stellar game.
Both teams have defenses that have the ability to not only stop their opponent, but to cause turnovers and even score.
Both teams are coming in with offenses that are tried and true, and you better believe they know how to put points on the board.
It’s going to be a star studded matchup this year in Dallas, fittingly enough considering the giant star that occupies the middle of the field on most normal Sundays.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at 10 players that are sure to shine in the Super Bowl.
No. 10: Mike Wallace
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When Santonio Holmes left Pittsburgh many people wondered who, if anybody, would be able to fill his spot as a big play receiver.
This postseason hasn’t been exactly stellar for Wallace, but I would be incredibly remiss if I kept him off of this list.
Wallace came up big for Pittsburgh many times this year though. He has an uncanny mixture of speed and quickness that can’t really be taught.
Big Ben likes to throw the deep ball and he definitely has the ability to do so.
I expect that Mike Wallace will be sprinting downfield trying to catch those passes quite a few times in Dallas, and I would be very surprised if we don’t see a big play out of him.
No. 9: Greg Jennings
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Early on in the season I was calling for Greg Jennings to step up.
Quite like Mike Wallace, Jennings has a burst of speed that can only be matched by few in this league, and his route running and hands are second to none.
Jennings' biggest knock this year has been consistency, or lack there of. He has had games in which he seems to be an unstoppable threat down the field, but then there were a few games when you barely heard his name called.
Considering that the next game he will be playing is called the Super Bowl, I expect that Jennings is going to come up very big for the Green and Gold.
When you see Aaron Rodgers throw a dart in the seam, or bomb the ball down the sideline, I bet that you will see No. 85 at the receiving end of that pass more times than not.
No. 8: B.J. Raji
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The big fella can catch and run the football! Who saw that one coming!?
B.J. Raji is establishing himself as one of the best nose tackles in the league, and he definitely cemented his place in Packer lore with his pick six in the NFC Championship game.
Not only that, but we have seen the Packers use him as a fullback down at the goal line twice now in this post season!
“The Freezer” is quickly running, catching, blocking, tackling and dancing his way into our hearts.
He is going to have to come up big for the Packers in the Super Bowl, and I expect he will.
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No. 7: Rashard Mendenhall
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In my opinion, Rashard Mendenhall is the X- factor for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. He is a bowling ball of a man and when he gets forward momentum with the football in his hands, you better watch out!
The Steelers have always been known to boast a powerful rushing game and Mendenhall has not disappointed the Terrible Towel in anyway.
Pittsburgh’s offense is predicated on having a firm balance between the run and passing game, so Mendenhall’s presence in the backfield is huge for them. He has the ability to be a bruising “up the gut" runner, but he has also shown incredible bursts of speed in the open field.
Rashard Mendenhall is going to have to play an important role in Pittsburgh’s offense in the Super Bowl.
I expect him to do just that.
No. 6: Charles Woodson
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Charles Woodson is the only player in NCAA Division I history to win the Heisman trophy as a primarily defensive player, so it is incredibly surprising that he has not yet appeared in a Super Bowl.
Woodson is known to be one of the best shut down corners in the league and is still considered to be one of the best, even though he is becoming a bit long in the tooth.
Charles Woodson has the ability to shut down an opponent’s receiver, but his ability to play at the line of scrimmage and stop the run game is incredibly understated.
The Packers do a great job of disguising Woodson’s true purpose in any given package, so you have to expect him to drop in coverage, play the line, play as a spy, or blitz off the corner on any play.
Charles Woodson is a big time player and I expect him to shine on the world’s biggest stage.
No. 5: James Harrison
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Harrison is famous for his 100-yard pick six in Super Bowl XLII.
He intercepted an errant Kurt Warner throw, ran it back all the way down the field and subsequently almost died from exhaustion as time ran out in the first half.
Harrison is also known for his bruising, smash mouth hits and for sometimes being a dirty player.
He has been the center of a lot of the “helmet to helmet” drama of the past season and he pretty much went toe-to-toe with the commish over it. He even considered retiring due to the new rules, but I think it’s safe to say he is probably happy that he did not follow that route any further.
Harrison brings Super Bowl champion experience to the defense, as well as his intimidating style of play. Aaron Rodgers is an incredibly mobile and elusive quarterback, so it’s going to be up to Harrison to stop “Air Rodgers.”
You are going to be hearing his name a whole lot.
No. 4: Troy Polamalu
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Troy Polamalu has great hair and he has an incredibly funny hair commercial.
You have to be pretty sweet in order to get guys to pay attention to hair commercials, and let me tell you this guy is as good as it gets.
Polamalu has shown time and time again that he is one of the best defensive players in the league and history might just look back on him as one of the best ever.
He has a knack for getting a “hat on the ball” as they say. He is constantly making plays, causing havoc and definitely causing tons of turnovers.
Polamalu is going to have to step up one more time for the Steelers, and when you consider the quarterback that he will be playing against and the potential of getting another ring on his hand, I can almost guarantee you that he will make his presence known in a big way.
No. 3: Clay Matthews
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Speaking of good hair, how can I not have a slide dedicated to Clay Matthews!
Matthews is good, he is scary good.
Actually, he is just plain scary, but that’s what makes him good.
Clay Matthews is the leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year and he has shown us that he’s not satisfied with just kicking butt in the regular season. Matthews has been dominant throughout these playoffs and he has put a hurtin’ on every quarterback he has faced so far.
Matthews comes at ya like a freight train coming off the edge, and I can only imagine all the obscenities and scary things that he is yelling in the process.
Clay Matthews is going to have to play a huge factor in this game considering that the man he will be trying to take down is known as Big Ben.
I expect Matthews to come up big and I also expect him to single-handedly cure Duchenne.
No. 2: Aaron Rodgers
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Aaron Rodgers has silenced all of his critics and has been playing up to the potential that many of us thought he could reach.
He is actually exceeding that potential in my opinion.
Rodgers has all the intangibles a super star quarterback has to possess: Deadly accuracy, powerful arm, pocket presence, elusiveness and an incredibly uncanny cool under pressure.
Aaron Rodgers has made a case for himself to be considered one of the best quarterbacks in this league, and given his age and experience, it looks like he is going to have a long, prosperous run.
He has rewarded Packers fans and the organization for trusting him to fill the shoes of “the old gunslinger”, and any questions out there about his ability to lead a team, or make plays in big moments have been answered in a resounding fashion.
Really, the only question that is left in the mind of Packers fans is: “Brett who?”
Aaron Rodgers is a superstar and he will play like one in the Super Bowl.
No. 1: Ben Roethlisberger
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Ben Roethlisberger has been through hell and back in the past couple of years and say what you will about his character, there is no way that you can dispute his greatness on the football field.
I mean coming in as a rookie and leading your team to a Super Bowl win would have been enough for most, but to follow that up with one more ring and now yet another Super Bowl appearance?
This man is a very good quarterback. He’s one of the best in my opinion.
They call him Big Ben, and it’s not some kind of ironic “we call him big because he is actually really small” nicknames.
This guy is huge and the fact that he plays quarterback really makes it hard on the opposing defense.
Send a corner blitz? That’s fine it works for me, but good luck trying to tackle him on your own kid.
Even when defenses do get to Roethlisberger he has an incredible elusiveness for a man his size, and he is one of the best at improvising, stretching plays and finding open receivers down the field.
Ben Roethlisberger is a two-time Super Bowl champion, and he now has a chance at No. 3.
That is why he is No. 1 on my list of stars playing in the 2011 Super Bowl.
He’s a star no doubt and he will play big, naturally.
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