The questions are running through every football junkie’s mind as we speak. Who will win, will they cover, blah, blah, blah! I already have my answer as to who is going to cover the spread, but the outcome will be decided by two questions.
1. Which Arizona team will show up?
Will it be the Arizona Cardinals team who not only knows how to torch the field offensively, but has a formidable defense as well? I call this the “Playoff Cardinals.”
Or will we see the Arizona team who knew how to score, but gave up points with the same ease? These are the “Regular Season Cardinals.”
Not that it is possible to match the weather, with the game in sunny Tampa, but could we see the “Cold Weather Cardinals?” You know exactly what I am talking about, I can feel your brains thinking back to week 16. That’s right, the 47-7 beat down the “Cold Weather Cardinals” were fed by the New England Patriots. This team would not stand a chance in Super Bowl 43.
2. Will the Pittsburgh Steelers Secondary be exposed or exonerated?
For as long as I can remember, the Steelers’ front 7 have always been monsters, and had a dominating run defense. Their secondary on the other hand, had been exactly opposite. When career backup Kelly Holcomb can saute their secondary for 400 plus yards in a playoff game, that tells you all you needed to know about the Steelers secondary. The Steelers have always carried a question mark in regards to their secondary and ability to defend the pass, until this year. Although the Steelers’ secondary unit has looked fantastic all year long, they have not seen or had to defend an offense of this caliber.
I hear the Steelers fans yelling already, what about the Colts? Well, you lost, and they were nowhere near the Colts offense that we are accustomed to seeing. What about the Cowboys? What about ‘em? Tony Romo played like garbage and the Cowboys offense was never the same after the Brad Johnson era began and ended due to Romo’s injury.
There is no other argument you can make for a pass heavy offense that the Steelers had to face. So this will be an enormous test. Can they defend Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston all while stopping a highly motivated Edgerrin James (which is another story in itself)?
These two questions will decide the outcome of Super Bowl 43. I have my prediction set already, but the sub-factors have not washed out yet. I will not make a prediction this far away from the game itself due to the intangibles that are associated with the NFL.
What intangibles you ask?
The off the field intangibles that can greatly affect a teams focus. Who is going to shoot themselves this week, or, who is going to get picked off by the cops for a DUI? Will Santonio Holmes roll around with more blunts in his car? Those intangibles.
As soon as the dust clears, look for my prediction article.
Kurt Fraschetti
fraschetti[at]midwestsportsfans.com
