Arizona vs Pittsburgh
- Thread starter Hurricane Hank
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Bet Arizona all day +6.5 (wait a bit for a second bet & line line will go up by .5 - 1 point) then bet again after the public shoot the line up even more. Everyone and there mother will bet the Steelers. Wrong!!!
Tough call on points but I'd have to say the over.
Tough call on points but I'd have to say the over.
Id like to see ARizona win for many reasons.hammertm said:Love Arizona plus the points. I think they actually have a great chance of winning out right and would like to see them do so.
1. Bertrand Berry and Adrian Wilson - talk about guys that have been through some lean lean years. It would be amazing to see them get a championship. It will always feel more special to guys like that who have had to suffer for many years on bad teams.
2. I just dislike the Steelers. More accurately, I know a few bandwagon Steelers fans and for that reason alone Id like to see them lose.
3. As a Falcons fan, if the Cards can win the SB then the pain of losing that first round game to them wont be as much. My Falcons lost to them so I would hope that the team my team lost to wins the Championship.
I actually had a bad feeling about the Cards/Falcons game going into that game, I just was scared of the Cards, especially when they play at home. Now , I will say that what they did in Carolina surprised me and full credit to them for that. But Dick Lebeau is just gonna cause chaos and the Steelers are really good at disguising their blitzes and Polamalu is just so damn good at showing blitz and then backing off into coverage so fast, his speed is just crazy and even though I like Ed Reed more than POlamalu, I think Polamalu is the better tackler of the two and is better in the run-game than Reed is.
If the Cards Mike Gandy and Levi Brown can block Harrison and Woodley then the Cards have a chance in this game. I think two of the keys to beating the Steelers is excellent special teams play and minimizing penalties. Yardage is tough to come by against the Steelers so you cant give up yardage with penalties and you have to play well on STs so you can pick up that hidden yardage and get short fields. If you look at both TDs scored by the Ravens in the AFC Championship game, both were set up by STs plays and some Steeler penalties.
The Steelers tackle very well though and that will be a key against the Cards because quite often their receivers will get a lot of yards after the catch.
I think this game will be closer than most people expect, especially if the Cards defense can continue to play as well as they have this postseason. The Cards Defense is the key to this game. The offense will have a hard time scoring points so the Cards Defense needs to ensure that the Steelers dont score a lot either. Clancy Pendergast has done an excellent job with this defense in Arizona. Troy Aikman was mentioning during the NFC Championship game that Pendergast would often watch a lot of Eagles games and study Jim Johnson's blitz packages. Not a bad guy to study, Jim Johnson.
I am expecting Raymond James Stadium in Tampa to be mostly a pro-Steelers crowd. Steelers fans travel as well as any fans in football. I recall the SB in Detroit a few years ago, the Steelers fans far outnumbered the Seahawks fans. I would expect a few more Cards fans but I still think the majority will be Steelers fans.
The Cards got lucky in the postseason in that they didnt have to play on the road in any really cold North East cities like New York or Philly, etc.
I dont know if others will agree with me on this but I think Larry Fitzgerald is the best receiver in the league right now. I am not just saying that cause he scored 3 TDs today, I have been singing his praises all post season long. Sure Boldin is a better YAC receiver but Fitzgerald has the better hands and is better in jump ball situations. I have also noticed in the Cards games Ive watched this season that Fitzgerald's ability to get yards after the catch is very good too, especially in the redzone, he has a nose for the goal line.
Right now Id have to say the two best receivers in the league are Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Smith. Andre Johnson is in my top 5 as well for sure, he is just a beast.
If the Cards Mike Gandy and Levi Brown can block Harrison and Woodley then the Cards have a chance in this game. I think two of the keys to beating the Steelers is excellent special teams play and minimizing penalties. Yardage is tough to come by against the Steelers so you cant give up yardage with penalties and you have to play well on STs so you can pick up that hidden yardage and get short fields. If you look at both TDs scored by the Ravens in the AFC Championship game, both were set up by STs plays and some Steeler penalties.
The Steelers tackle very well though and that will be a key against the Cards because quite often their receivers will get a lot of yards after the catch.
I think this game will be closer than most people expect, especially if the Cards defense can continue to play as well as they have this postseason. The Cards Defense is the key to this game. The offense will have a hard time scoring points so the Cards Defense needs to ensure that the Steelers dont score a lot either. Clancy Pendergast has done an excellent job with this defense in Arizona. Troy Aikman was mentioning during the NFC Championship game that Pendergast would often watch a lot of Eagles games and study Jim Johnson's blitz packages. Not a bad guy to study, Jim Johnson.
I am expecting Raymond James Stadium in Tampa to be mostly a pro-Steelers crowd. Steelers fans travel as well as any fans in football. I recall the SB in Detroit a few years ago, the Steelers fans far outnumbered the Seahawks fans. I would expect a few more Cards fans but I still think the majority will be Steelers fans.
The Cards got lucky in the postseason in that they didnt have to play on the road in any really cold North East cities like New York or Philly, etc.
I dont know if others will agree with me on this but I think Larry Fitzgerald is the best receiver in the league right now. I am not just saying that cause he scored 3 TDs today, I have been singing his praises all post season long. Sure Boldin is a better YAC receiver but Fitzgerald has the better hands and is better in jump ball situations. I have also noticed in the Cards games Ive watched this season that Fitzgerald's ability to get yards after the catch is very good too, especially in the redzone, he has a nose for the goal line.
Right now Id have to say the two best receivers in the league are Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Smith. Andre Johnson is in my top 5 as well for sure, he is just a beast.
I like the Cards as well. But that may be heart talkin instead of the head. You know the adage bout defense winning championships and all. There is also the stat that in the Super Bowl the team that is favoured and wins usually covers. But even with that I think the Cards have good chance to upset here. Gimme the points and the over.
Gooo Cards!!!
Oh and the interview with Wilson after the game him tears streaming down his face was a great moment. You could really feel for the guy finally making it against all odds a truly genuine moment.
Gooo Cards!!!
Oh and the interview with Wilson after the game him tears streaming down his face was a great moment. You could really feel for the guy finally making it against all odds a truly genuine moment.
Larry Fitz. is the man
Watch out for big things from future stars @ WR - Roddey White & Brandon Marshall - they will inflict some damage next year on opposing Def's in the NFL. Especially Marshall in the weak AFC West.
Larry Fitz is a beast that will can not be stopped. He has the skills, heart and head to succeed at will. If Troy Paulo. and the Steelers "D" try to shut him down and pay too much respect to him it will open up so many other big plays all over the field for the rest of the Zona offense including the running game. Their best bet is to let Larry catch the ball but minimize the big play. If they don't this one will get out of hand in a hurry. BTW - love your pic of Andre Johnson for 2nd best reciever. I like Steve Smith but he's missing something.....he never seems to win the important games?ckupets04 said:
Watch out for big things from future stars @ WR - Roddey White & Brandon Marshall - they will inflict some damage next year on opposing Def's in the NFL. Especially Marshall in the weak AFC West.
And as a Falcons fan I love your pick of Roddy White. Ive watch every Falcons game so I have seen this guy develop from being labelled a bust a couple years ago to now being a legit #1 receiver on his team and he is well deserving of his trip to the Pro-Bowl this year. A lot of people used to say (and I will admit, I was one of them) that the reason Vick wasnt a great passer was because he didnt have any big time receivers, other than his tight end back then Alge Crumpler. But if you look at Roddy White when hes played with Vick and when he's played with QBs not named Vick, there is a quantum leap difference in his play. I really like Roddy's play this year, and his maturity as well, I kind of wish he had a little more size to his frame but I guess I cant have everything. Brandon Marshall had an amazing start to the 08 season, whenever Cutler was putting the ball anywhere in his vicinity he was catching it. Ironically though, for a guy who I think has great hands he did have some drops in the 2nd half of the season. I watched a lot of Denver games this season and I saw some balls that I expected him to catch and he dropped. As a fan of all around play, one of the reasons I like Andre Johnson as well is because he is a physical receiver and can block as well. Though I would argue the two best blocking receivers in the league are Hines Ward and Muhsin Muhammed.Bounce said:
Sp Pic
If WARNER-FITZGERALD are on their game I think the Cards will win. Although I think the Steelers DC will have already mapped out a plan to shut them or at least slow them down.
If WARNER-FITZGERALD are on their game I think the Cards will win. Although I think the Steelers DC will have already mapped out a plan to shut them or at least slow them down.
I just hope that Arizona is on their game so that it will be a competitive contest. I have a feeling though that Pittsburgh is going to totally roll but would like nothing better than Arizona to come out on top. The Cards are truly a Cinderella team but I think midnight has passed ...
I think no one should forget when they were in Pittsburgh Whisenhunt and Grimm saw Lebeau's D every day. Of course Lebeau saw their O daily too. Should be a great game because of that familiarity. Steelers to win, and cover, but late, like yesterday. Polamalu may not be MVP, but he will be the difference.insidevoice said:
The one thing that Arizona does have that Baltimore didnt is the ability to produce more explosive plays. There is no way in hell any team can drive 70 or 80 yards on PITT just dinking and dunking their way down the field, there are just too many negative things that can happen against that defense driving that way (a holding call, a false start, a sack, an INT, a fumble, etc). You gotta have explosive plays to change field position in one play. Arizona does have that ability. The key of course is pass-pro cause without the protection there is no time for the routes to develop and if Warner has to get rid of the ball earlier than he wants to then that will be trouble for Arizona. They absolutely have to block Harrison & Woodley otherwise those guys dont just go for the sack they go for the strip as well and try to create fumbles and Warner , at least in the past has shown a propensity to fumble the football. Also, it will be interesting to see who picks up Polamalu on blitzes. Can the Zona backs hold up in pass-protection? If the Steelers get pressure early in this game then the Cards may have to go to max-protection and that will mean less options for Warner in the passing game which will make things easier on the Steelers secondary.
Excellent point. Another thing I am looking for in this game is some trickeration (i.e gadget plays) from Zona. Ken Whisenhunt was known for pulling out some gadget plays when he was the OC with the Steelers and I am sure he will do the same in this game. But like you said Dick Lebeau will be ready for it. Lebeau is in my opinion the best Defensive coordinator in the league. He should be in the hall of fame for his contributions to the game, most importantly the advent of the zone-blitz.bigdik said:
With the coaches who are involved here, this game, IMHO, will come down to no more than 5 big plays. The team that makes 3 of them wins. Steelers have more playmakers, but if they can't at least manage Fitzgerald.............ckupets04 said:
I don't think you can shut him down, you need to go to the source. Warner. If he has time, watch out.
Agreed 100%. The kryptonite for the Cards passing game is not coverage but a pass-rush. You can have the best secondary in the world but if if there is no pass rush a good receiver will still get open in the secondary. It all starts with the the defensive front. Bill Walsh once said that LT is the most important position on the football field and for the Cards that could defeinitely be the case in Superbowl 43. Mike Gandy will have his hands full with James Harrison and I am sure Lebeau will probably have Harrison line up on both sides just to mix things up and try and get a favorable matchup. Woodley is also a guy that the Cards will have to block as well. Warner versus Polamalu is gonna be a key matchup too, Flacco didnt do a good job of looking him off and Polamalu was able to read Flacco's eyes , the pick-6 was just a read and react. Warner is a veteran QB though and I am sure he will look off Polamalu the way Ben did to Ed Reed in the Championship game. Other than the first series Ed Reed was nowhere near the football in that game and Ben deserves a lot of the credit for that for manipulating Reed's positioning with his eyes.bigdik said:
I agree Warner is tougher to fool, but remember, Polamalu has lined up at every possible position, and is an excellent pass rusher. So are Clark, Townshend, Taylor, and even William Gay. If the Cards can protect they have a good chance, but Lebeau is going to bring a lot of different looks. This should be fun to watch.ckupets04 said:
Polamalu can do absolutely everything, remember that play he made in the Championship game yesterday when he just leaped over the pile and made the stop on 4th and 1 and then he had another pass defense and also had the pick-6. He is just all over the place on the field and can line up either in his usual safety spot or in the box. I do expect some corner blitzes from Lebeau for sure. He will bring pressure from all angles. The Steeler defensive line is a very underrated unit too. The Star power is in the linebacking corps and the secondary but guys like Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel are very good players too.bigdik said:
STs too will be absolutely critical. I mean if the Cards can maybe block a punt or something like they did in the Dallas game and/or get a KR or PR for a TD, that could make a difference in a game like this. Anyway to score points or change field position on special teams will be huge cause it will be tough sledding against the Steelers Defense. The crowd could be a factor too, if this is a pro Steelers crowd like I expect it to be then crowd noise could be a factor so the Cards O-line will have to remain discipline they also need to make sure they dont flinch when the Steelers show blitz, cause that can often induce some false start penalties and you just cant afford to take penalties and get the offense out of schedule against this Steelers defense.
bigdik said:
Agreed, for them to have a chance, they must protect Warner or else turnover city.
Leaning towards Zona and the points
