NFL Pick 'em Week 22: Super Bowl XLIII

[Dragon]

Picks and discussion for Super Bowl XLIII go here!

PIT vs. ARI

[Aurelias Kazaar]

I might waffle on this during the week (because the Cardinals have looked real good during the playoffs)

PIT W vs. AZ

[Figrin D'an]

My gut instinct is that, with the off-week inbetween, Arizona's offense will cool down a little and that Dick LeBeau will have that much more time to come up with a defensive game plan to slow down the Cards passing attack.

This game will come down to pressure on Kurt Warner. Pittsburgh's front seven vs. Arizona's offensive line.

Gonna go with the Steelers by 7.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Since I have picked against them the entire playoffs. Arizona will shock the world again and win 24-14

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Pittsburgh

[Dragon]

It's no surprise at all to anyone who I'm picking...

Here we go, Steelers, here we go!

[Rutabaga]

Pittsburgh :)

[Nathanial K'cansce]

I pick Arizona.

[Lykaios]

I'm having a hard time with this one...

As a Cincy fan, yes, you read it right, a Cincinnati Bengals fan, go ahead and laugh -_-

Anyway, as I was saying...as a Cincy fan, tis my duty to abhor the Steelers...ok maybe, not so much as abhor, I'm no hater, but I do dislike them...a ton...however, living in Minny I came to like Mike Tomlin a lot when he was the Vikes' D coordinator, he's an overall good guy and knows his football...

And on the other side we have the Cardinals, how could you not root for the underdog? There's always something about the David vs Goliath matches where you can't help but root for the little guy. There's also Larry Fitz Jr. Another guy I've always liked since his days in South Minneapolis to his finishing second in the Heisman voting in his last year at Pit.

Since I'm not a gambling man, I think I'm just going for the hope that it's an awesome game like last year's and not your usual SB blowout where the commercials end up being more of a show than the game itself.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Fitzgerald is amazing, best WR in the game right now.

[Aidan Fox]

A cool article (http://steelertribute.com/XLIII_goodguys.htm) about the match-up from a Steelers fan site. I certainly agree - the Cardinals have been a classy team, and as much as I'll be severely disappointed if the Steelers win, I'll be happy for Whiz and Grimm and Warner and Fitzgerald.

[Miranda Tarkin]

Pittsburgh!

[Yog]

Pittsburgh!

I vote dis.

[Rutabaga]

Okay, this isn't Super Bowl related, but I still just have to say this:

NNNNnnnoooooOOOO! Why, VH1, why? Why did you give TO his own "reality" show??? :shakefist

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/28862126/

[Aidan Fox]

Because he's a vastly overhyped, attention-whoring, selfish, egotistical drama queen? That's reality TV's bread and butter.

I'd be happy if they cover his antics there and keep him off ESPN for a change.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Ha. I heard about that earlier today and thought to myself "Ya know, that really does fit up TO's alley."

[Park Kraken]

PIT (W) vs. ARI

The initial 7-day forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with a high of 67 degrees, after a cold front comes through on Thursday. So it should be very nice weather for the SB.

[Jedieb]

I picked against Arizona in the first 2 rounds of the playoff, but by the time they got to the NFC title game they were an easy pick for me. They beat the stuffing out of a Carolina team that I thought would run the ball down their throats. Plus, Philly just wasn't nearly as tough of a match up as the Giants would have been. But they did more than I expected when they came back and took the lead in the 4th quarter.

Still, I have to go with the Steelers. Like Fig mentioned, I think the layoff will end up cooling the Cardinals off. If the game had been played last weekend I think they would have had a much better chance. I'm probably wrong, but I smell a blowout. I think that Pittsburgh defense could easily end up dominating this game. A defensive score and some turnovers that give Big Ben and Parker several short fields to work with and the Steelers could easily lay down an old school 80's/90's SB blowout.

[Liam Jinn]

Fuck it, I'm taking Arizona. I know Steelers have the D, but since I'm not betting anything this year, might as well take the underdogs.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Derrick Thomas finally made the HOF
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3874838
He should have been in years ago, he joins Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson, Ralph Wilson, Bob Hayes, and Randall McDaniel. I wonder who will speak for Derrick, I suspect either Marty or Carl Petersen.

[Lykaios]

Amazing that Cris Carter's 1101 receptions and 130 TD's are not enough to get him into the HOF, apparently been 3rd all time is not good enough

[Ryan Pode]

Steelers win, 37-17.

[Miranda Tarkin]

so far Arizona saying they will kick-off ain't such a wise move.

then again - they just caused a loss XD

[Miranda Tarkin]

Touchdown by the QB!!! :eek :lol


EDIT - Arizona gets a break!

[Park Kraken]

That was an amazing 100 yard Interception return by the one guy, and a very good first half overall for the Steelers. Arizona started out looking a little rusty, and have been having problems with penalties, but they seemed to be shaping up a little bit in the second quarter.

[Miranda Tarkin]

We'll see how fired up they'll be in the 2nd half. That 1st half ending was amazing and they need to shake that off in order to make a come back.

I am so happy the Steelers are doing great tho :)

[Tell Cho]

I'm kinda hoping the Cards go home empty-handed. Take that for beating the Eagles! :shakefist

[Miranda Tarkin]

rofl at that Heroes vs Footbal players commercial

[Jamie Morrigan]

Park: that one guy is the Defensive MVP for the year for a reason. ;)

Awesome blocking on the runback all the way down the field - wow, that was an even higher point than Willie Parker's 75-yard run in SB XL. I'm impressed with how well the Steelers offense has moved the ball so far, aside from their sputtering in the red zone on their first possession, but that's been a problem all season.

I'm also impressed with what Wisenhunt has been able to do with his offense so far against the Steelers' D. This game is far from over, but I'm thrilled that the Steelers seem to be at the top of their game. Yes, Ben has his first pick of the postseason, but it was off a really phenomenal play by a lineman to not only tip it but launch it into the air so it could fall in the secondary.

[Figrin D'an]

Harrison's pick 6 to end the half is obviously the biggest play at this point, but I think the story of the game so far is Roethlisberger. He's making plays and keeping the Steelers offense moving, and Arizona hasn't really found a good way to stop him yet. The INT was only partially his fault (low throw, but lucky bounce on the deflection). I expect the Steeler's D to turn up the heat on Warner even more in the second half.

[Liam Jinn]

I think I just pissed off the neighbors after celebrating Arizona taking the lead.

[Jedieb]

The game's not over, but this 4th quarter comeback is amazing. I don't know what the hell LeBeau was thinking. Having the Steelers drop back their safeties has helped fuel both of Arizona's TD drives. Prevent defense prevents you from...

[Miranda Tarkin]

Whooooo! Td!!!!!!

[Miranda Tarkin]

Fumble And It's Pittsburg Baby!!!!!!!!

[Dragon]

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(^ Direct Quote)

[Jedieb]

I was rooting for the Steelers, but that didn't look like a fumble to me. The ball was in Warner's hand and you could see he pushed it forward. That's the definition of an incompletion. But regardless, how do the refs not go under the hood to review it? That's just wrong. We should have gotten to see a game ending Hail Mary.

[Liam Jinn]

I think I just pissed off my neighbors after crying about Arizona losing the game.

[Rutabaga]

I have one hell of a stomach ache.

But I'm happy. :dance :eee :crack

[Lykaios]

Wow, what a great game. Almost as good as last year's, almost...

Yeah, I had said I didn't have a favorite but I found myself rooting for the red birds as the game went on.

If Harrison's is not an example that every play counts in a game I don't know what is, if he hadn't scored in that INT or if it'd been the Cards to score it woulda been a completely different game, no if's or but's though...

I agree that Arizona's last play was not a fumble, arm was going forward and that shoulda been an incompletion. I still tip my hat off to Fitz, he disappeared during the first half but suddenly he appared and what a different game it was.

[Dragon]

I have one hell of a stomach ache.

You and me both!

I expected this to be close, but I never saw this coming... but this marks Ben's 19th game-winning drive in the fourth quarter! This is how he has defined his career. Santonio Holmes wins the MVP, and deservedly so - his four clutch catches more or less comprised that final drive - but Ben was deserving, too. Amazing win for an amazing franchise, and I've never been prouder to be a Pittsburgh Steelers fan!

:D :D :D :D :D

[Jedi Master Carr]

Great game, Arizona has nothing to be ashamed of.

[Dragon]

I agree entirely, and I would have cheered for Kurt Warner, Fitz, and Whiz if it had been against anybody other than the Steelers. There was talk in the pregame about whether Kurt Warner needed to win this game to earn a spot in Canton. I'm not absolutely sure whether he deserves the Hall of Fame, but I hope this loss doesn't end up being the determining factor, because he turned in a winning performance. In the end, the Cardinals defense was just too gassed to stop Ben and Santonio.

[Dragon]

OKAY, time for the final tally of the season!

Picked the Steelers:
Aurelias Kazaar
Dragon
Figrin D'an
Lilaena De'Ville
Miranda Tarkin
Park Kraken
Rutabaga
Ryan Pode
Yog

Picked the Cards:
Jedi Master Carr
Liam Jinn
Nathanial K'cansce

Was all wishy-washy:
Lykaios ;)


Bringing the final tally in the 2008-2009 Sw-Fans NFL Pick 'em Contest to:

1. Dragon 177-90 (176)

2. Yog 172-95 (171)

3. Miranda Tarkin 168-98 (167)

4. Lilaena De'Ville 167-100 (166)

5. Rutabaga 166-101 (165)

6. Aurelias Kazaar 165-102 (164)

7. Nathanial K'cansce: 164-102 (164)

8. jjwr: 163-103 (163)
8. Liam Jinn 163-103 (163)

10. Ryan Pode 160-107 (159)

11. Jedi Master Carr 155-111 (155)

12. Park Kraken 149-118 (148)


Thanks for playing, everyone! :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Although this game wasn't classic. I wouldn't rank it in the top 10 SB's I have seen. Mainly because the first 3 qts had some lousy football, all those penalties didn't help. I am sure we are going to get the best SB team arguments but I still say the niners are the best SB team going 5/5 and being the only perfect team who has been in more than one SB is pretty special.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

All the females are in the top 5! I think that's something to be proud of.

[Rutabaga]

All the females are in the top 5! I think that's something to be proud of.

GRRRL POWER! :dance

[Miranda Tarkin]

wooo! :dance

[Jedieb]

We're living in the golden age of the Superbowl. One of the reasons I keep expecting blowouts every other year is that that's the way I was raised. Superbowls were blowouts that rarely lived up to the hype. Here's an excerpt from a great article on SI.


• There were just two lead-changing scores in the final three minutes of the first 31 Super Bowls.

• There have been 11 lead-changing scores in the final three minutes of the last 10 Super Bowls.

• There have been 12 lead-changing scores in the final three minutes of the last 12 Super Bowls.

It is, by every measure imaginable, the greatest period of heroics in Super Bowl history, and stands in sharp contrast to the one-sided futility that defined the first three decades of Super Bowl play.

Here's an overview of every tying and lead-changing score in the final three minutes of Super Bowl play. You'll notice a sharp uptick in recent years, here in the Super Bowl's Golden Era. Soak it all in, folks. You don't know when we'll see this kind of entertainment again.

Super Bowl V (Jan. 1971) -- Baltimore 16, Dallas 13

Jim O'Brien kicks a field goal with five seconds left to lift the Colts to a 16-13 win over Dallas.

Super Bowl XXIII (Jan. 1989) -- San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16

Joe Montana throws a 10-yard pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds to play to give San Francisco a 20-16 victory over the Bengals.

Super Bowl XXXII (Jan. 1998) -- Denver 31, Green Bay 24

Terrell Davis caps a 51-yard drive by scoring from 1 yard out with 1:45 on the clock.

Super Bowl XXXIV (Jan. 2000) -- St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16

The first of the great Super Bowl shootouts that would define the new millennium. Tennessee ties the game 16-16 on an Al Del Greco field goal with 2:12 on the clock. Kurt Warner connects with Isaac Bruce for a 73-yard game-winner with 1:54 to play. The game wasn't over yet: Tennessee's final desperation drive falls inches short of the goal line.

Super Bowl XXXVI (Feb. 2002) -- New England 20, St. Louis 17

St. Louis ties New England 17-17 with 1:30 to play on a 26-yard pass from Warner to Ricky Proehl. Patriots drive from their own 17 with no timeouts and kicker Adam Vinatieri boots a 48-yard game-winner with no time on the clock.

Super Bowl XXXVIII (Feb. 2004) -- New England 32, Carolina 29

The Patriots take a 29-22 lead with 2:51 to play on a 1 yard pass from Tom Brady to Mike Vrabel. Carolina's Jake Delhomme ties the game at 29-29 with a 12-yard pass to Proehl with 1:08 on the clock. Vinatieri boots the 41-yard game-winner with 4 ticks left.

Super Bowl XLII (Feb. 2008) -- N.Y. Giants 17, New England 14

The Patriots take a 14-10 lead with 2:42 to play on a 6-yard pass from Brady to Randy Moss. Giants drive 83 yards and Eli Manning throws the 13-yard game winner to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left in the game.

Super Bowl XLIII (Feb. 2009) -- Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23

The Cardinals notch a safety with 2:58 to play and then jump out to a 23-20 lead 11 seconds later thanks to a 64-yard TD from Warner to Larry Fitzgerald. The Steelers respond with an 88-yard drive and Ben Roethlisberger throws to Santonio Holmes for a 6-yard TD with 42 seconds on the clock.

We're getting spoiled!

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think it is parity. There are few great teams. You won't see the dominant teams like the Niners of the 80 and the Cowboys of the 90's anymore.

[CMJ]

There were a few great SuperBowls when I was a kid(and before I was born), even some that weren't listed like the old Dallas/Pittsburgh games for instance, but it really is crazy how many have gone to the wire lately.

[CMJ]

I think it is parity. There are few great teams. You won't see the dominant teams like the Niners of the 80 and the Cowboys of the 90's anymore.


Patriots did win 3 in 4 years.

[Yog]

The end of that 4th quarter was crazy.

Also, congrats to Dragon as pickem champion. I will get you next year.. ;)

[Dragon]

Thanks! :D I think part of my success is probably that I picked the Steelers to win every week, and they had a good year.

And I also remember that there was the temporary server failure that lost you two or three wins. But I still feel vindicated because I beat you by five. ;)

Next up: the NFL Draft! The Detroit Lions are on the clock... (http://www.afc-north.com/standings/draftrace.html)

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think it is parity. There are few great teams. You won't see the dominant teams like the Niners of the 80 and the Cowboys of the 90's anymore.


Patriots did win 3 in 4 years.
True but they didn't beat anybody up in those SBs like the Niners and Cowboys did.

[CMJ]

Steelers in the 70's didn't really lay waste to anyone, except maybe the Vikings though. And they're often considered the greatest dynasty of all of them.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Steelers in the 70's didn't really lay waste to anyone, except maybe the Vikings though. And they're often considered the greatest dynasty of all of them.
I consider the 49ers the best myself. I think Montana and that 88-90 team could beat the best of the steelers.

[CMJ]

I consider the 49ers the best myself. I think Montana and that 88-90 team could beat the best of the steelers.

Give me a dominating defense over a great offense 9 times out of ten.

;)

[Jedi Master Carr]

I consider the 49ers the best myself. I think Montana and that 88-90 team could beat the best of the steelers.

Give me a dominating defense over a great offense 9 times out of ten.

;)

The 49ers had a great defense too, they had one of the best defensive players of all time in Ronny Lott. There defense gets ignored most of the time. They had a really balanced team.

[CMJ]

Maybe like that Steelers offense gets ignored? Think of all the HOF's they had.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well I would give the advantage to the Niners because of Montana. He was the best big game QB ever. He was extremely cool under pressure and played even better in the big games.

[Kale]

Might depend on whose rules you played under. During the Steelers' first two Super Bowls, things like illegal contact and defensive holding were rarely called. The Steel Curtain could brutalize opposing receivers because they were so much more physical than everybody else. Then, when other teams copied their strategy and offenses started sputtering around the league, the NFL changed the emphasis in favor of the offense, as they have done so often.

And that's when Lynn Swann and John Stallworth started torching everybody.

[CMJ]

Well I would give the advantage to the Niners because of Montana. He was the best big game QB ever. He was extremely cool under pressure and played even better in the big games.


I never said he wasn't.

My point...two great dynasties. Give me the one with the better defense.

You made the argument that SF had a great D too...I just remarked that the Steelers weren't sloches on offense. Which brings me back to the Steelers D.

Pittsburgh, mark it down. Even NFL Films ranked them as the greatest dynasty. ;)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well I would give the advantage to the Niners because of Montana. He was the best big game QB ever. He was extremely cool under pressure and played even better in the big games.


I never said he wasn't.

My point...two great dynasties. Give me the one with the better defense.

You made the argument that SF had a great D too...I just remarked that the Steelers weren't sloches on offense. Which brings me back to the Steelers D.

Pittsburgh, mark it down. Even NFL Films ranked them as the greatest dynasty. ;)

Heh well I am biased Montana was my idol as a kid after all. I do remember something ESPN did for one anniversaries and they used computers to figure out who would win in such a matchup I think the Niners won in like 6/10 or something like that.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Chiefs name Haley as their head coach.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3888387
I like the move, it gives their first young coach in a long time. It also puts them back as more of an offensive team.