The Better Front Four

As I mentioned Sunday, many football games are won and lost up front. The defensive line or "front four" is equally as vital to winning football as the offensive line is. While Green Bay holds the o-line edge, Pittsburgh is known for its tough as the streets d-line.

The Steelers have always claimed to take on the tough persona of the city of Pittsburgh's steel workers and it all begins on the line. This year's Steeler line consists of a front three in left end Ziggy Hood, right end Brett Keisel and nose tackle Casey Hampton.

Hood has emerged as a force in replacing pro-bowler Aaron Smith, who was lost mid-season to injury and Keisel is best known for toughness as well to go along with his Jeremiah Johnson mountain beard.

The Steelers do with three what many teams in the league cannot do with four, and that is pressure the quarterback. If for some reason they cannot get to the signal caller with three, they have an enormously talented linebacker corps to get the job done.

On Green Bay's side of things, their d-line is talented but young and a bit inexperienced. The Packers also feature a three-man d-line in person of B.J. Raji, Cullen Jenkins, and Ryann Pickett.

All three are young, but very talented. Raji displayed his athleticism in the NFC title game when he snatched an interception out of mid-air from the arm of Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie and danced his way into the endzone.

Jenkins has made huge plays for the Packers all season long and has continued to throughout the playoffs. Though both lines are tough, I have to with the more experienced and larger in Pittsburgh.

The real battle between these two great teams' defenses is at linebacker and I will preview that Tuesday.

The Guys Up Front! Who has the better Offensive Line?

"In the trenches," a place where many football games are won and not even noticed by the casual football fan, but a position that is extremely important. The Pittsburgh Steelers have long been known for having huge, physical linemen to protect the quarterback, but this team in Super Bowl XLV, has a bit of a different look due to injuries.

Starting center, rookie Maurkice Pouncey will not play after breaking his ankle in the AFC championship game and will be replaced by backup Doug Legursky. Two of "Big Ben's" other key protectors, Max Starks and Willie Colon were lost to season-ending injuries during the regular season. Undrafted free agent Ramon Foster was signed to fill in at right guard and Jonathon Scott was brought in to fill the hole at left tackle.

Chris Kemoeatu is the only starter from Super Bowl XLIII that will be playing in Super Bowl XLV. So up front the Steelers will line up with Legursky at center, Foster at right guard, Kemoeatu at left guard, Scott at left tackle and veteran Trai Essex or Flozell Adams at right tackle.

With Green Bay's pass rush, and Pittsburgh's depleted o-line, Roethlisberger will have to keep his head on a swivel to avoid getting crushed by the likes of Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji.

As for the Packers, their "big boys" are led by veteran Chad Clifton from Tennessee, who is 34 years old and anchors the Green Bay o-line at left tackle.

Clifton has protected some of the game's greatest in Peyton Manning (in college) and Brett Favre, and say now that he is continuing to protect a great one in Aaron Rodgers.

Joining Clifton up front are right guard Josh Sitton, veteran left guard Daryn Colledge, star rookie right tackle Bryan Bulaga out of Iowa, and center Scott Wells.

With Green Bay's depth chart the same as it was in week one, I have to give a huge edge to the Packers with the offensive line. When healthy, Pittsburgh's is right there with the league's best, but because of injuries, they just aren't ready to be considered dominant like Green Bay's.

I look for Rodgers to be sacked a couple of times by the Steelers' great defense but make no mistake, Green Bay will be able to keep Dick Lebeau's vaunted "D" off of Rodgers long enough for him to make plays.

Quarterbacks On a Roll

Both Super Bowl XLV quarterbacks have been en fuego as they head down a collision course that will end in Dallas on February 6th.

However, both have playoff histories that are polar opposites. Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers has lived in the Brett Favre shadow ever since being drafted to the Packers. Rodgers was dubbed the next franchise quarterback as soon as he was drafted out of California in 2005.

Rodgers took over the starting quarterback role in 2008 when Favre left for New York. After a couple of up-and-down years, Rodgers has finally settled into his comfort zone under center and led the Packers to their first post-Favre playoff win this season.

Rodgers out dueled the red-hot Mike Vick in the divisional round, took out the NFC's No. 1 seed Atlanta in the conference semis, and finished it off with another victory over the arch-rival Chicago Bears in the NFC championship game.

As for Roethlisberger, things are kind of ho-hum. Roethlisberger has been here before as he is a two-time world champion. The Steelers can go into this game, knowing that Roethlisberger is unflappable and has ice in his veins.

That is yet to be seen of Rodgers, but the kid shows all the signs of being pressure free. Rodgers has fought through a concussion already this season and through injuries to some of his star offensive players.

Roethlisberger seems to always catch the breaks that he needs, especially late in games as displayed in Super Bowl XLIII with his game-winning TD pass to Santonio Holmes to ground the Arizona Cardinals.

It is yet to be seen if Rodgers can handle the bright lights, and with Big Ben already having two titles under his belt, I have the slight, and I do mean slight edge to Pittsburgh at the quarterback position.

I do, however, expect huge things from Rodgers and I also do think that he will be ready and step up for Green Bay when it matters most. Green Bay 24, Pittsburgh 17, in case you forgot or haven't been following along.

Kicking Game in Super Bowl XLV

Even though I, personally do not believe that kicking should be a part of football as I think that you should have to go for two or go for it on fourth down every time, it doesn't change the sad but true fact that the great game of football unfortunately includes kickers.

Many past Super Bowls have ridden on the legs of these wimps. Some, like Adam Vinatieri of New England have been heroes, while other like Scott Norwood of Buffalo have had to live with the agony of being "the goat" for muffing a game-winning kick for the rest of their lives.

While Norwood is the real life Ray Finkle and I don't expect a new goat to come from this game, Pittsburgh and Green Bay's kicking games are definitely polar opposites.

Pittsburgh has relied on the steady, beefy leg of Jeff Reed in the past but decided to let Reed go before the season this year. The replacement... Shaun Suisham. Suisham is a Redskins and Cowboys reject who has been chastised in the past for missing "easy" game-winners.

Green Bay on the other hand has Mason Crosby. Crosby, out of Colorado has a huge leg and is capable of booming long field goals and possesses dead-eye precision.

I have to give the edge to the Packers here because of Suisham's haunted past. If Reed was still in black and yellow, then it would probably be a push.

However, I do not think that this game will come down to a kicker, god let's hope not, but if either kicker wants to impress me, don't drill a 50 plus yarder but instead get out there on a kickoff and baptize somebody. Kickers... what a joke.

Running game crucial for Steelers

The running game is always severely important in any football game and the Pittsburgh Steelers have always put a huge emphasis on it. With "glory days" backs like Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier and Jerome Bettis paving the way to titles in the past, its to no surprise that upstart back Rashard Mendenhall seems to be grabbing the torch.

Mendenhall is a third-year back out of the University of Illinois and was Pittsburgh's first round draft pick in 2008. This season, he accumulated 1,273 rushing yards and scored 13 times. Where Mendenhall has really stepped it up though is in the playoffs.

He has been "Mr. reliable" as the Steelers have out toughed the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets to reach Super Bowl XLV. Mendenhall stands only 5'10" tall but weighs 225 lbs. and is like a bowling ball rolling down the field once he gets the legs churning.

While Green Bay's defense is built to stop a runner like Mendenhall, with a big and athletic front four and talented, speedy linebackers, it is definitely going to be easier said than done.

Green Bay's running game is suspect as good as their passing game, but some unsung heroes have came up huge over the last couple of weeks. James Starks, an undrafted rookie out of the University of Buffalo and John Kuhn, a boulder-like halfback/fullback hybrid out of Division II Shippensburg College in Pennsylvania have bolstered the Packers rushing attack with tough runs for first downs and touchdowns against Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Chicago.

Kuhn actually has won a Super Bowl ring with the Steelers. He was on their practice squad in 2006 when they defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.

Kuhn and Starks, along with Brandon Jackson out of Nebraska have been filling all season since week one when Green Bay's star back Ryan Grant was lost for the year to a right ankle injury.

It will be interesting to see who comes up big for their respective teams but as far as the edge goes, I have to give this one to Pittsburgh with Mendenhall.

Even though the Steelers get this advantage, I'm still sticking to my guns and saying Green Bay 24, Pittsburgh 17.

Wide Receiver Comparison for Super Bowl XLV

A big part of any football game is the advantage that a team has on the perimeter, in person of their receivers. Super Bowl XLV will be no different as both teams have very talented, but also contrasting receiving corps.

The Green Bay Packers are led by a pair of wily veterans in Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. Driver caught 51 passes for 564 yards on the season, while scoring four touchdowns. Jennings was Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers' main man as he hauled in 76 balls for 1,265 yards and scored 12 times.

Both Driver and Jennings will need to huge on the grandest stage of them all as Green Bay will be without their talented, young tight end Jermichael Finley, who was lost early in the year with a season-ending knee injury.

The Packers last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in 1996, when Brett Favre led them over the New England Patriots. That team was built very much like this one... a talented, young quarterback with veteran receivers, decent running back and tough offensive and defensive lines.

On Pittsburgh's side of things, they are just two years removed from their last Super Bowl victory, but the receiving corps couldn't be any more different. Gone are the stars like Santonio Holmes, and here are the young speedsters like Mike Wallace.

Wallace is Pittsburgh's leading pass-catcher with 60 catches for 1,257 yards and 10 scores. Wallace is quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's favorite target due to his down-the-field speed and ability to get loose on the edge.

Pittsburgh has also added another young speedster in the slot, rookie Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders, out of SMU caught 28 balls for 376 yards and two touchdowns.

Both receiving corps are talented but I give a slight overall edge to Green Bay. Though Wallace, Sanders, and grisly veteran Hines Ward are impressive, I just think that Driver, Jennings, James Jones and Jordy Nelson are just a smidge better.

Green Bay gets the edge in receivers, but the Steelers have a huge advantage at the tight end position with veteran Heath Miller. Miller is a bailout plan for Roethlisberger and seemingly makes huge catches week after week.

I firmly believe that whoever wins the receiving battle will probably win the Super Bowl and the guys in green and yellow will definitely not be blinded by the bright lights.

First Preview for Super Bowl XLV

Following the conference championship games of last weekend, two dominant teams stand alone among the ranks of the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who have won the most Super Bowls of any franchise with six, look to secure a seventh against another storied team, the Green Bay Packers.

The Steelers, champions of the AFC, will hope to ride their relentless defense led by safety Troy Polamalu, linebackers Lamarr Woodley, James Farrior, and James Harrison as well as durable and rotund quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to the victory.

The defense has been a mainstay for Pittsburgh throughout the team's existence and definitely throughout the 2010-2011 playoffs. The offense is where the Steelers may be a bit vulnerable as they have sputtered a time or two in the past few weeks on that side of the ball. One bright spot has been the play of running back Rashard Mendenhall, who has channeled his inner Jerome Bettis and plowed over opposing AFC defenses in January.

An offense that seems to be having no problem is that of the NFC champion Green Bay Packers. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has established himself as one of the best in the league and a Super Bowl ring would only farther cement that. Rodgers has a lethal receiving corps to chuck it to in Pro-Bowlers Donald Driver and Greg Jennings.

The "cheesehead" fans have also been enjoying the "man off the milk carton," James Starks. Starks, an unheard of running back out of the University of Buffalo went undrafted but has been so stellar that he has been not only a part of the Green Bay attack, but integral in the offensive game plan down the stretch.

Green Bay also boasts a defense that is not too shabby as reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, cornerback Charles Woodson anchors the secondary along with upstart ballhawking safety Tramon Williams. The likely new NFL Defensive Player of the Year also wears green and yellow, in the person of linebacker Clay Matthews.

Matthews is a force and along worth solid linebackers A.J. Hawk and Dezmon Briscoe attacking an injury ravaged Steeler offensive line, it should be interesting to see how Pittsburgh fairs against the rush.

More will follow on a daily basis, but I guess it wouldn't be a preview without a prediction, so here goes...... I have it going this way.... Green Bay 24, Pittsburgh 17 with Rodgers as the MVP. Stay tuned for more Super Bowl coverage folks.