Super Bowl Preview

 by Greg Ward

Steelers v. Cardinals

This matchup includes a very intriguing storyline that will undoubtedly get a great deal of media attention. It involves the coaching situations of both teams. For those who might not be aware, here is a brief history.

After the 2006 season long-time Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher
announced that he was stepping down, thereby creating an opening for one of the league’s premier head coaching positions. Immediately speculation grew that either Ken Whisenhunt or Russ Grimm (both assistants under Cowher) would get the head job. This speculation was fueled by the thought that Cowher had a good system in place and therefore it would be best to pass the torch to someone who could keep things going.

Of course Pittsburgh also had to adhere to the NFL’s “Rooney Rule”
(coincidently named after Steeler President Dan Rooney), and interview at least one minority candidate for the open position. At the time Mike Tomlin had just finished his first season as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator and was seen as an up-and-coming assistant in the league. Therefore his interview was seen by many league insiders as more of a token gesture to ensure Pittsburgh was in compliance with the league’s hiring rules. However, a funny thing happened on the way towards the Whisenhut/Grimm coronation. Tomlin knocked his interview out of the park.

In the end Tomlin got the job to the shock of most people in the league, and Whisenhunt then landed the head coach position with Arizona, taking Grimm along with him as his assistant head coach. It is widely assumed that both Whisenhunt and Grimm fervently believe they should have gotten the job in Pittsburgh. Tomlin, of course, would argue that his resume since taking over speaks for
itself.

This promises to provide quite an intriguing backdrop to the story that
will unfold once toe meets pigskin on Super Bowl Sunday.  There is no team Whisenhunt and Grimm would like to beat more than Pittsburgh, and Tomlin would love nothing more than to cement his standing as the Steelers coach than to win a championship while defeating the very men many thought were most deserving of his job.

Of course the game itself will be played on the field, and from that
perspective this game comes down to one aspect, and one aspect alone. This game will be decided by Arizona Quarterback Kurt Warner. The Steelers possess the league’s best run defense, and they will undoubtedly plan to stuff the Cardinal’s rushing attack early on and therefore force Warner to beat them without the threat of a running game. It would not be any surprise at all to see the Cardinals meet this challenge by having Warner throw the ball 50+ times.

If Warner is able to beat the Steeler defense with a few big plays to
all-world receiver Larry Fitzgerald and not make too many mistakes, the Cardinals will have a chance to continue their unbelievable ride to Super Bowl glory. If Warner is stymied, so too are the Cardinal’s chances of winning since the running game alone is not enough o defeat the Steelers.

If the Steelers can keep Warner and Fitzgerald in check, they have just enough offensive firepower to win a low scoring game. If, however, this game becomes a shootout, the advantage goes towards the Cardinals and their prolific passing attack. Either way, the final outcome will leave one coaching staff feeling vindicated on a cool Tampa evening.