The battle that should gain more attention is between the Cardinals’ defensive line and the Steelers’ offensive front. Though Arizona allowed just below 27 points per game in the regular season, they were in the middle of the pack in many defensive categories, including the popular sack (31) and interception (13) tallies. In all three playoff games, Arizona has allowed just above 20 per contest; mostly by slowing the running game as Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook, Atlanta’s Michael Turner and Carolina’s DeAngelo Williams to a tune of 50 yards apiece. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s offensive line had been criticized for much of the year because of inconsistent protection for QB Ben Roethlisberger and their collection of running backs. However, as their defensive teammates, they take pride in knocking players to the dirt and creating holes for Willie Parker and Mewelde Moore.Now, for an actual prediction: whichever team scores more points than the other has a fairly strong chance of winning the game.
Perception is reality, the saying goes. Modern players can never transcend time, athletes only care about the money and the fan is never wrong. Yet, all you need to do is dig a little deeper to find the truth. As a freelance sportswriter, my job is to give the audience a story around what just happened. As a consumer, I expect that sports will always provide more than I bargained for. As a fan, my hopes are to be enlightened by more than points. Welcome to the mind of a sports scribe.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Unlikely
Since the least likely Super Bowl in recent memory (if ever) is coming up and predictions have been requested, here's except from tomorrow's article in the New York Beacon (75 cents at select NYC newsstands):
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