Super Bowl 2011: Full Report Card of Each Position for Both Teams
The 2011 Super Bowl is finally only days away.
After almost two weeks of “Picture gate,” Big Ben redemption stories, complaints of the freezing Dallas weather and Clay Matthews-Troy Polamalu hair comparisons, it’s time to finally start focusing on the actual game.
The Packers are favored by three, and Vegas is loving the Steelers. So what will be the deciding factors in the game?
Is it Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' large arsenal of receivers?
Is it the Steelers' No. 1-ranked run defense?
Is it the experience of the Steelers?
Is it the opportunistic Packers defense?
Here is an evaluation of each position in the Super Bowl.
1. QB
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Aaron Rodgers vs. Ben Roethlisberger
Two Super Bowl rings and a boatload of experience vs. the hottest QB in the league.
Big Ben said it himself: He will never be the MVP of the league. Roethlisberger has a knack for doing just enough to win the game for his team.
Rodgers has put up the gaudy numbers and has turned into a household name across the country.
Experience wins out on the grandest stage.
Expect Rodgers to be confused by the complex blitzing schemes of Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. Big Ben's two previous Super Bowl appearances will pay off, allowing him to quickly adjust to the Packers defense.
Rodgers will force a few throws, and the tenacious Steelers secondary will make him pay.
Advantage: Steelers
2. RB
2 of 16
James Starks vs. Rashard Mendenhall
The Packers rookie runner has gone from a nobody to suddenly a major factor in the Super Bowl. He didn’t even play his first regular season game till Week 13. Now eight weeks later he is facing the NFL's No. 1-rated rush defense.
Will the pressure break the young, naive rookie?
Mendenhall is going to his first Super Bowl but has over two years' more experience than Starks. His 1,273 yards in the regular season and 167 playoff yards prove this guy can produce.
The Packers have more depth with John Kuhn and Brandon Jennings than the Steelers' Isaac Redman and Mewelde Moore.
But Mendenhall is far and away the best of the bunch, and the Steelers will run him into the ground if they have to.
Advantage: Steelers
3. WR
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Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson and James Jones vs. Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Antwaan Randle El
Not much debate on this matchup at first glance...but the matchup is closer than you would expect.
Jennings is the top dog of the bunch, but Ward is the most experienced.
The difference will be Jones and Nelson against Wallace and Sanders.
Their production was very similar during the regular season, but the Packers passing game has played exceptionally well in the postseason.
Wallace and Sanders have three years of experience between them and are a bit of a wild card for the big game.
Advantage: Packers
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4. TE
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Andrew Quarless vs. Heath Miller
Miller is one of the top tight ends in the league, and Quarless didn’t even catch a pass in the NFC Championship Game against the Bears.
Miller is the safety valve for Big Ben and is an exceptional blocker as well. Quarless is a fifth-round rookie.
Advantage: Steelers
5. RT and RG
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Bryan Bulaga vs. Flozell Adams and Josh Sitton vs. Ramon Foster
The rookie Bulaga has more than held his own for the Pack. He has improved throughout the season and looks to be a mainstay on the Green Bay line for years to come.
The former Pro Bowler Adams replaced injured Willie Colon and has performed admirably. But he is still prone to giving up sacks, and that’s why the Cowboys gave up on him.
Foster took over the starting spot from Trai Essex in the middle of the season and has performed well in the running game. Sitton is a 6’3", 318-pound slab of meat that has been an important part of the Packers O-line.
Advantage: Packers
6. Center
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Scott Wells vs. Doug Legursky
Maurkice Pouncey still hasn’t practiced this week and can barely walk. The Steelers haven’t ruled him out, but don’t hold your breath on him playing Sunday.
Scott Wells started all 16 games for the Packers, and Rodgers is very comfortable...uh...putting his hands by his butt.
Legursky cost the Steelers as center against the Jets.
Advantage: Packers
7. LT and LG
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Chad Clifton vs. Jonathan Scott and Daryn Colledge vs. Chris Kemoeatu
Scott has been banged up in the playoffs but has performed well in place of the injured Max Starks. Clifton is a Pro Bowl selection and one of the best in the game.
Aggressive run blocker is a phrase used to describe Kemoeatu, but his pass protection is so-so. Colledge is a solid guard that rarely makes a mistake.
Advantage: Packers
8. Defensive Line
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B.J. Raji, Cullen Jenkins and Ryan Pickett vs. Ziggy Hood, Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel
Both teams play a 3-4 scheme where there are two ends and a nose tackle. In one of the most talented matchups, the experience factor wins out.
Raji, aka “The Freezer,” is a supreme talent that is a sack master, but he’s only in his second season. Jenkins is another constant threat to tackle the QB, but he doesn’t provide a whole lot in run prevention. Pickett is the opposite—solid against the run and light on the sacks.
Hood is a bear to block in the run game and can occasionally reach the QB. He is the young guy of the bunch. Hampton is a 10-year vet that is playing in his third Super Bowl. Keisel is only a year behind Hampton and has enjoyed one of his best seasons. He has really stepped up his play in the postseason, and you can expect more of the same on Sunday.
Advantage: Steelers
9. Inside Linebackers
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A.J. Hawk and Desmond Bishop vs. Lawrence Timmons and James Farrior
Hawk may not be the stud Matthews is, but he is certainly no slouch. Reliable against both the run and pass games, Hawk is rarely caught out of position. Bishop is a tackling machine with 103 during the regular season, and he has played very well in the playoffs.
But going against Timmons and Farrior—two heady and experienced playoff LBs?
Advantage: Steelers
10. Outside Linebackers
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Clay Matthews and Erik Walden vs. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley
Matthews was a hair (bad pun) short of winning Defensive Player of the Year. Walden is filling in for the injured Nick Barnett and is one of the weaker links in the Packers defense.
Harrison is a monster and owns the longest INT return in Super Bowl history. He gets to the QB and is a sure tackler as well. Woodley has recorded a sack in every postseason game he has played in and is one of the more undervalued players on the physical Steelers defense.
Advantage: Steelers
11. Cornerbacks
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Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams vs. Bryant McFadden and Ike Taylor
Woodson was the Defensive Player of the Year a season ago and forced seven turnovers this season. He is one of the only Packers to have played in the big game and is one of the vocal leaders of the team. Williams had six INTs in the regular season and has three so far in the playoffs—including the game-clincher against the Eagles.
The Steelers corners are terrific at not allowing the big play. McFadden and Taylor may have only had four INTs between them this year, but they are sure tacklers that keep their man in front of them at all times.
Advantage: Packers
12. Safeties
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Charlie Peprah and Nick Collins vs. Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark
Collins has been one of the top safeties this season, and his partner Peprah is an above-average defender in coverage.
But all things considered, this is the weakest part of the Packers defense and most likely to be exposed.
Polamalu is the defensive MVP and is really the MVP of the whole NFL.
It's a simple as this: plays full season in '08 and wins Super Bowl, misses most of '09 and team misses playoffs, plays almost entire '10 and Steelers ___ in the Super Bowl.
Clark is a hard hitter that has been around the block for nine years and counting.
Advantage: Steelers
13. Special Teams
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Tramon Wiliams, Mason Crosby and Tim Masthay vs. Antonio Brown, Shaun Suisham and Jeremy Kapinos
The returners are a wash. Both have the potential to take one to the house but have modest return averages. Don’t expect a kick or punt return for a TD in this game.
Suisham has been cut by both the Cowboys and Redskins in the past but has hit 16 of 18 since replacing Jeff Reed. He is capable of blowing up at any given moment. Crosby is much more reliable, and odds are he won't wilt under the pressure.
Tim Masthay had an outstanding game against the Bears two weeks ago and rarely kicks a touchback. Kapinos is another fill-in; he has taken over since Daniel Sepulveda was injured. Kapinos is serviceable, but nothing special.
Advantage: Packers
14. Intangibles
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The Steelers play as smart as any team in the league and have been here before. The Packers haven’t faced much adversity in the playoffs, and it remains to be seen if they can respond to an early deficit.
The Steelers know what they need to do, and they will dive, duck and punch their way to get there.
Advantage: Steelers
15. Coaching
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Mike McCarthy vs. Mike Tomlin
Mike is better.
Oh, which one?
X's and O's-wise, it's a wash.
McCarthy isn't the greatest at time management, has had a few questionable challenges throughout the season and has never coached a Super Bowl.
Tomlin is rarely questioned with any move he makes and has won a Super Bowl.
Advantage: Tomlin
Verdict
16 of 16
The Steelers have the advantage at two of the most important offensive positions in QB and RB. They lose the battle of the O-lines but make up for it with their superior D-line, linebackers and safeties.
The bottom line is simple: The Steelers have been there, done that, and the Packers are the new kid on the Super Bowl block.
If it comes down to the basic positions on the field, the Steelers have the advantage. If it comes down to intangibles and coaching, the Steelers are looking good.
Any way you hatch it...the Steelers will win Super Bowl XLV.
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