.....with hard sinking action.: Super Bowl breakdown......yawn

Friday, January 30, 2009

Super Bowl breakdown......yawn

As many of you know the Super Bowl is this Sunday. Normally, I have some excitement level for this game (i.e., last year with my beloved, and still defending for 2 more days Super Bowl champs Giants), but I can only rely on gambling to get me through this one.

My picks........

A lot more people that I thought are on the Cardinals winning outright, but I cannot jump on that bandwagon. The Steelers are giving 7, and I think they win by 10. Here's why.........

Fast Willie Parker could wind up being the MVP. The Steeler offense will control the ball, run Parker for those 3-4-5 yard runs and do as the Giants did with OJ Anderson in SB XXV vs. the Bills, when the call was "move the chains OJ." This SB will be, "move the chains Willie".
The Pittsburgh defense. This defense is ill, and probably the best D to take the field in a Super Bowl since the Ravens in 2000 (no offense Belicheck). I'm not buying into the "Wisenhunt (Card head coach) and Grimm (Cards O-line coach) intimately know the Steelers since they were coaches for this team only a few years ago" argument. Kurt Warner can be a turnover machine, and the Steelers will force 2-3 TO's as the Steelers have way too many play makers on the defensive side of the ball. They will contain Fitzgerald and shut down the Cardinals running game. If the cards get down two scores, and allow the Steelers to tee up on the passing game, consider the game over.
Cardinals have had way too much luck in one playoff run, and it cannot continue. They played a good game and beat the Falcons in the first round, good for them. The second game vs. the Panthers, Jake Delhomme should have been wearing a Arizona uniform as he threw 5 INT's and a fumble. The Panthers had a top running attack and marched down the field on thier first drive by running the ball, and then decided not to run the rest of the game, absurd. Finally, the NFC championship game against the Eagles, it took a horrific first half by Eagles QB McNabb to win that game. McNabb missed on 4-5 passes in the first half, where all could have been huge gains, if not TD passes. At the end of the game, McNabb did throw for 300 yards and got the Eagles back into the game, including a lead in the 2nd half. I do not think this wildly overrated Arizona defense can have this kind of luck three games in a row. Not vs. this Pittsburgh team. The coaching staff is too good to get out of their game plan, plus while they aren't world beaters running or throwing, they are good enough to keep the Arizona D from honing in on one.

The over/under for this game is 46.5, and I will take the under. Pitt wins 23-14, covering the 7 point spread.

Here's a list of prop bets, and a few that I like.