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Let The Hype Begin
Super Bowl XLIII Storylines To Watch Out For
Nick Eatman
January 19, 2009 12:53 PM
IRVING, Texas - The NFL has to be excited about this upcoming Super Bowl matchup. Pure defense against electrifying offense.
No, the Steelers and Cardinals might not be an ideal pick of teams. But in today's NFL, what would be? This league is full of surprises, ups and downs - and Sunday was no exception.
Ok, so we've got two weeks to hype it up. Two weeks for one player to say something derogatory about another. Two weeks for us to know everything there is about Arizona and Pittsburgh.
For starters, let's take a look at a couple of early, yet obvious storylines.
The Cardinals will be trying to win the franchise's first championship of any kind since 1947. They will play in their first Super Bowl, leaving just five teams (Saints, Texans, Jaguars, Lions and Browns) who have yet to play in the big game.
The Steelers will play in their seventh Super Bowl, trailing only the Cowboys (eight) for the most in league history. However, a Pittsburgh win would make the Steelers the first team to collect six Super Bowl wins, surpassing the Cowboys and 49ers - each with five.
This game will pit a pair of second-year head coaches in Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin and Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt, who spent six seasons on the Steelers' staff, including the last three as offensive coordinator before taking the Arizona job in 2007.
Whisenhunt was calling the plays for the Steelers the last time Pittsburgh played in a Super Bowl.
In fact, he gets the credit for calling a reverse, receiver pass from Antwaan Randle El to Hines Ward that sealed the Super Bowl XL win over Seattle.
How about Kurt Warner? He's going back to his third Super Bowl. If he gets his second ring, he can go ahead and book his reservations to Canton, Ohio. He could probably go ahead anyway.
This game will also feature some players who are the very best at their positions in Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu - both of whom made a huge difference in getting their teams to the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Although Arizona is playing in its first-ever Super Bowl, the Cardinals do have a little bit of drama with which to deal. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin was clearly upset with his diminished role in Sunday's win over the Eagles. The Pro Bowl receiver was seen in a yelling match with offensive coordinator Todd Haley in the fourth quarter. Boldin reportedly hurried off the field after the game, missing out on the Cardinals' celebration.
And from a local standpoint, the Cardinals have several familiar faces to the Cowboys, especially on the coaching staff, including Haley, the Cowboys' passing game coordinator in 2006. Arizona also has former Cowboys coaches Maurice Carthon, Clancy Pendergast and Freddie Kitchens on staff. Wide receiver Jerheme Urban spent the 2007 training camp with the Cowboys.
Also, both the Cardinals and Steelers defeated the Cowboys in close, home games during the regular season. Pittsburgh needed 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to upend the Cowboys in late December. The Cowboys and Cardinals battled in overtime back in October in a game Arizona won, scoring two special teams touchdowns, including a blocked punt return for a game-winning score.
Super Bowl XLIII Storylines To Watch Out For
Nick Eatman
January 19, 2009 12:53 PM
IRVING, Texas - The NFL has to be excited about this upcoming Super Bowl matchup. Pure defense against electrifying offense.
No, the Steelers and Cardinals might not be an ideal pick of teams. But in today's NFL, what would be? This league is full of surprises, ups and downs - and Sunday was no exception.
Ok, so we've got two weeks to hype it up. Two weeks for one player to say something derogatory about another. Two weeks for us to know everything there is about Arizona and Pittsburgh.
For starters, let's take a look at a couple of early, yet obvious storylines.
The Cardinals will be trying to win the franchise's first championship of any kind since 1947. They will play in their first Super Bowl, leaving just five teams (Saints, Texans, Jaguars, Lions and Browns) who have yet to play in the big game.
The Steelers will play in their seventh Super Bowl, trailing only the Cowboys (eight) for the most in league history. However, a Pittsburgh win would make the Steelers the first team to collect six Super Bowl wins, surpassing the Cowboys and 49ers - each with five.
This game will pit a pair of second-year head coaches in Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin and Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt, who spent six seasons on the Steelers' staff, including the last three as offensive coordinator before taking the Arizona job in 2007.
Whisenhunt was calling the plays for the Steelers the last time Pittsburgh played in a Super Bowl.
In fact, he gets the credit for calling a reverse, receiver pass from Antwaan Randle El to Hines Ward that sealed the Super Bowl XL win over Seattle.
How about Kurt Warner? He's going back to his third Super Bowl. If he gets his second ring, he can go ahead and book his reservations to Canton, Ohio. He could probably go ahead anyway.
This game will also feature some players who are the very best at their positions in Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu - both of whom made a huge difference in getting their teams to the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Although Arizona is playing in its first-ever Super Bowl, the Cardinals do have a little bit of drama with which to deal. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin was clearly upset with his diminished role in Sunday's win over the Eagles. The Pro Bowl receiver was seen in a yelling match with offensive coordinator Todd Haley in the fourth quarter. Boldin reportedly hurried off the field after the game, missing out on the Cardinals' celebration.
And from a local standpoint, the Cardinals have several familiar faces to the Cowboys, especially on the coaching staff, including Haley, the Cowboys' passing game coordinator in 2006. Arizona also has former Cowboys coaches Maurice Carthon, Clancy Pendergast and Freddie Kitchens on staff. Wide receiver Jerheme Urban spent the 2007 training camp with the Cowboys.
Also, both the Cardinals and Steelers defeated the Cowboys in close, home games during the regular season. Pittsburgh needed 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to upend the Cowboys in late December. The Cowboys and Cardinals battled in overtime back in October in a game Arizona won, scoring two special teams touchdowns, including a blocked punt return for a game-winning score.
