NFL Predictions 2011: 5 Reasons for and Against an All-Pennsylvania Super Bowl

What are the odds of an All-Pennsylvania Super Bowl? It has never happened before, but Super Bowl XLVI could be the year that Pennsylvania sees the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers meet for the first time in the Super Bowl.

It's not like Pittsburgh is a stranger to the big game, as they have already made eight appearances, while the Eagles have only made two Super Bowls in their history.

The Eagles were already a good team, but they made the biggest splash in free agency, which might be enough to put them over the top in the NFC.

We don't normally make predictions like this so early, as we haven't even seen one preseason game yet, but the chances of an All-Pennsylvania Super Bowl seemed to be a topic worthy of discussion.

So, we will present the best five reasons for why this could happen, and the best five reasons why it will not. Feel free to chip in with your thoughts or any other reasons you may have.

Reason One For: Eagles Have the Most Talent in NFC

In 2010, the Philadelphia Eagles were tied for the lead in the NFC East with the New York Giants at 10-6, but the Eagles won the division due to winning the tiebreaker.

They were already a solid team at the conclusion of 2010, but the string of moves that the team has made since free agency started has seemingly placed them as the early favorite to become the champions in the NFC.

One of my more recent assignments at Bleacher Report has been to track every transaction for all 32 NFL teams since the lockout was lifted.

If you have not seen the article before, you can find the link for it here. In analyzing the moves of all 32 teams, it is clear to me that the Eagles have landed the most talented impact players of every other NFL team. 

The impact players I am referring to are Cullen Jenkins, Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Then you throw in role players like Ronnie Brown, Donald Lee, Vince Young and Anthony Hargrove and you realize the depth and magnitude of how much the Eagles have improved.

We also need to reflect on the Eagles draft, as another source for improving the team. Who doesn't like the selection of Danny Watkins in the first round? The kid is a warrior, and he is a feel-good story. Casey Matthews has been impressive in camp so far, and he may be their starter in various packages.

So, when you take a good team and make it that much better, it is easy to project them as the prohibitive favorite to capture the title in the NFC. What could derail them? We will cover that later in the presentation.

Reason One Against: Eagles Play in Tough NFC East

Based on the 2010 season, you just know that Dallas will improve on their poor showing, and the New York Giants could very well qualify for the playoffs after missing out two years in a row. If either of those teams takes a step up, it could very well be at the Eagles' expense.

It appears to be a rebuilding year in Washington, especially with a very questionable starting quarterback situation. The Eagles will have to improve on their 10-6 record if they want to be assured of a playoff berth.

Based on the 2011 NFL strength of schedule rankings at ESPN, the Eagles schedule is harder than any of the following NFC teams: Arizona, San Francisco, St. Louis, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, New York Giants and Tampa Bay. It means that the deck is stacked slightly against them to repeat in the playoffs.

Another reason the Eagles could fail boils down to the decision of just who do the Eagles take care of financially first and foremost. Is it Michael Vick, or is it DeSean Jackson?

Jackson just reported to Eagles camp on Monday morning this week. Will the other player be offended or feel disrespected if the Eagles pay top dollar to one and not the other? Finally, will this issue create a division in the locker room?

Reason Two For: Steelers Want to Avenge Super Bowl Loss

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a proud organization. Looking back over their history in the Super Bowl, they hold a 6-2 record in the big game. So, despite losing to the Green Bay Packers 31-25 last year, I think they will come out hungry in 2011 for a chance to repeat as the AFC representative.

The Steelers respond well to Head Coach Mike Tomlin, as he has led the Steelers to division titles in three of the four years that he has been the head coach.

The worst regular season record to date under Tomlin has been 9-7, so he has proven that he has the ability to follow up one winning season with another.

Then you look at the talent base. The Steelers linebacking corps is arguably the best in the NFL. They are well paid, as evidenced by the new contract they just signed LaMarr Woodley to. The Steelers linebackers keep the defense humming along.

It also helps that the Steelers get to play four games against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, two teams that are in rebuilding mode. Along that line, the Steelers have the sixth easiest ranked schedule in the NFL in 2011.

When you are the AFC Championship team you are supposed to have a difficult schedule the following year. But since the Steelers belong in the AFC North, they have four breathers on their schedule until the Bengals and Browns turn the fortunes of their teams around.

Reason Two Against: Has Success Removed Steelers Edge?

The James Harrison interview for Men's Journal back in July; entitled "Confessions of a NFL Hitman," is something that might have been fun at that moment for Harrison, but it has the potential to come back and bite him or his team hard somewhere down the road.

Whether it comes in the form of a very heavy fine from the NFL due to an illegal hit, being suspended by Commissioner Roger Goodell, (you know, the guy Harrison refers to as a crook and a puppet), or the cause of a fracture in the chemistry of the locker room, Harrison has been the source of embarrassment for himself and his team.

Harrison is not alone. Hines Ward had more than his fair share of offseason eyebrow-raising issues, and is just one sign that the Steelers are quite possibly losing their edge. Ward had his DUI incident, and how could we forget about the crazy tweets from that famed historian Rashard Mendenhall.

Has success gotten to this team and made them a little too overly arrogant or cocky? If we start hearing quotes about, "Don't you know who I am?", then it is safe to assume that Mike Tomlin has a bigger job on his hands than we initially believed.

Reason Three For: Andy Reid Has the Eagles Ready to Win

Coming in to the Philadelphia Eagles Wild Card Playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys in 2010, the Eagles had been 7-0 in first round playoff games under Head Coach Andy Reid.

That obviously changed when the Cowboys beat the Eagles, and then the Packers made it two losses in a row for Reid in the first round in 2011.

So, even though this is a veteran coach who has led a veteran team to the playoffs in eight of the 11 years that he has been in charge, the Eagles are as poised as a team could be for ultimate success in the NFC.

The two early exits in the last two years must have Reid privately champing at the bit to go far in the post-season.

With the collection of new free agent veterans to add to the mix, the Eagles are being tabbed as the new "Dream Team." These new additions should be hungry to be in the playoffs, as their careers are not adorned with many playoff appearances. That is the case for Ronnie Brown, Vince Young, Ryan Harris, Nnamdi Asomugha and Jason Babin.

So, you add some passion and greater sense of team, desire and destiny to players with talent, and you have a collective unit that is ready to run through a wall for you.

Reason Three Against: Dream Teams Often Fail

When you have a "Dream Team", or the best team that money can buy, look no further than the 2010 season of the Miami Heat, or how often the New York Yankees have won the World Series in the last 10 years.

No matter how many stars you are able to assemble on a team, there has to be some type of common chord or intangible quality that connects a team into a unit that is capable of winning under any circumstances.

What will be the fate of the "Eagles 2011 Dream Team" roster? Early speculation is that fans are taking a wait-and-see attitude because Andy Reid has brought home the same number of Super Bowl trophies as the fans of the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, to name a few.

I know I didn't list all of the teams without a Super Bowl win, but you get my point.

When you collect many stars, egos have to handled and juggled accordingly. The Eagles already have three Pro Bowl caliber corners, so whoever doesn't start will probably have an attitude right out of the gate. The 2011 team will probably be Andy Reid's most difficult challenge in all his years of coaching the Eagles.

Reason Four For: The Steel Curtain Still Lives

The Steel Curtain has been around a long time in Pittsburgh, but it seems that it has never gone away, based on the current version of the Steelers defense.

In 2010, the Steelers led all NFL defenses by allowing only 14.5 points per game average. Their overall defense was ranked as second best for the entire NFL, trailing only the San Diego Chargers.

The Steelers defense continues to be a turnover creating unit, as they generated 35 turnovers in 2010, good for a tie for fourth best among all 32 teams. The Eagles, interestingly enough, were just one turnover behind Pittsburgh.

No matter what kind of bumps in the road the Steelers offense may experience throughout the season, the defense is usually there to pull them out of their funk, and keep them in every game.

Last but not least, we have to bring up Troy Polamalu, who is the Steelers ace up their sleeve. He seems to always be in the right place at the right time, to make a play at the end of the game to preserve a Steelers win.

His importance to the overall success of the Steelers can't be stressed enough. In 2010, Polamalu was tied for second in the NFL in pass interceptions (seven) with Asante Samuel of the Eagles.

Reason Four Against: The Jets Are a Team of Destiny

After knocking on the door of the AFC Championship Game two straight years, only to walk away with two tough losses, the New York Jets may finally be ready to take that next step up. The team most likely to stand in their way is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So, what will happen if the Jets meet the Steelers in the playoffs? The Jets appear to be committed to passing the ball more in 2011.

Signing ex-Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress gives the Jets a tall target in the red zone, and it is not out of the question that the Steelers may regret that they did not do a better job to secure Burress if he makes a catch that knocks them out of the playoffs. 

It would probably come down to a battle of superior defenses, banging heads to see which one can be more dominating. When you have a game like that, it can come down to a field goal differential, and that could come down to something as simple as the way that the football bounces on that day.

Not only do the Jets pose a challenge to the Steelers repeating in the Super Bowl, but you also have to take into account the Patriots, Colts, Chargers, Ravens and Chiefs as potential roadblocks to Pittsburgh repeating.

Reason Five For: State of Pennsylvania Celebrates

Although there have been numerous chances for an all-state Super Bowl in the past, the fact is that it has only occurred twice so far in the history of the game.

The first time was an all-New York final, when the New York Giants beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. The second time was an all-California final, when the San Francisco 49ers beat the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. So, why not an all-Pennsylvania final?

When you look at the possibilities, we could have the following other combinations to look forward down the road:  All-Florida (Miami, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville), All-Texas (Dallas and Houston), All-California (San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland...Los Angeles is a possibility down the road), All-New York (Buffalo, New York Giants and New York Jets).

Although they are not in the same state, a Baltimore vs. Washington Super Bowl, or St. Louis vs. Kansas City Super Bowl would be intense local rivalry games.

Then there is the prospect of a New York Giants vs. New York Jets Super Bowl. If that ever happens, New York City would go in to such a tizzy that they may never recover for years.

Reason Five Against: Rest of the NFL

The odds of the two Pennsylvania teams meeting in the Super Bowl are improbable. Roughly two weeks ago, I wrote an article that addressed the odds of each team's chances for winning the Super Bowl, according to Vegas Insider.com, which cited current Las Vegas odds. You can find a link to that story here.

Granted, that was two weeks ago, before free agency even started up. Back then, the Eagles were the 10th favorite team to win it all their odds were at 7:1. The Steelers were tied for the heaviest favorite (along with Green Bay and New England) at 4:1 odds.

Since that article was written, as of today the Eagles are now listed at 12:1 and the Steelers are listed at 9:1 odds. The link to the Vegas odds can be found here.

There are a number of very strong NFL teams that have a realistic, legitimate chance to win Super Bowl XLVI. All you need are a few key injuries at the wrong time, or have the ball bounce the wrong way, get a few unlucky calls, and you are bounced from contention.

Can an All-Pennsylvania Super Bowl occur? Of course it can, anything is possible. Will it happen? The odds are stacked against it, but that is why the games are played, because you just never know what can happen on any given Sunday.