After nearly two weeks of waiting, the Super Bowl is almost here. And still there’s compelling reasons to pick both teams. Here are your (slightly less than scientific) picks for the Superbowl.
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| Matchup | Vin | Teri | Ryan | Trevor |
| Steelers – Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks |
(Here are our original playoff picks before the first round.)
Ryan McGowan: Let it be known that two weeks of trying to do Super Bowl analysis has caught up to me. I am picking the Seattle Seahawks to win Super Bowl XL for no other reason than sheer homerism. If not for the Massachusetts connections of Matt Hasselbeck and Lofa Tatupu, as well as Harvard grad Isaiah Kacyzinsky, maybe I’d be pulling for the Steel Curtain to resume the… ahem… dynasty, albeit after a 26-year absence. In a playoff season which has seen the word “respect” used and misused more often than at a T.O. locker room rant, the Seahawks are the one team which seems to be truly not getting any respect. They are the #1 seed in the NFC, a team with a very good quarterback who has consistently put up 100+ passer ratings over the past nine games, a running back who is the MVP of the league and a fantasy god, and three solid wide receivers, none of whom could hold Chad Johnson’s jock, but they still get the job done. Throw in a vastly underrated, hard-hitting defense, and a coach (however overrated he may be) who has won the big one already (against the ultra-revered and overrated in his own right Bill Parcells). I’m going to take the points and go for the Seahawks to join the 49ers, Ravens, Bears, Jets, and Buccaneers as teams that have played in the Super Bowl and never lost.
Teri Berg: I ruined my own pick in the AFC title game by saying I wouldn’t be surprised if Pittsburgh beat Denver. Well, I think I’ll hold off repeating that sentiment for Super Bowl XL, however down-to-the-wire this pick has been. I’m taking Seattle, and here’s why: I don’t think Mike Holmgren and the ‘Hawks’ coaching staff are going to let Bill Cowher and his boys dictate the gameplan the way Tony Dungy and Mike Shanahan did in the Steelers’ last two wins. That said, this game should be closer than either team’s fans will feel comfortable with — which is exactly how a Super Bowl should be. I can’t wait to see how Seattle’s O line holds up against Troy Polomalu & Co., and I’m anxious to see how Ben Roethlisberger wiggles his way out of trouble against the best sacking defense in the league. And which wide receiver is going to come up biggest by the end of the day — because neither team’s run D is going to give up much yardage on the ground? My guess is, it’ll be someone from the team TMQ calls the Blue Men Group. Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram, Joe Jurevicius and the soft-spoken TE Jerramy Stevens are chomping at the bit to make some big plays — especially after two weeks of Pittsburgh’s receiver corps getting the most attention. Pittsburgh’s done a great job this season, but maybe Big Ben and his offense need one more year of seasoning to get the job done.
Vin Diec: It’s going to be a sad day when Jerome Bettis leaves Detroit without the Lombardi trophy. What? Did I say something? The best part about Joey Porter talking trash about Jerramy Stevens is that Stevens (and Miller) will probably be the most important factors in the game. With these two teams being so evenly matched, it’s going to come down to the Tight Ends being able to come up big. Remember the that Heath Miller has made some big plays this postseason and that Dallas Clark was a key factor in the Colts’ failed comeback bid. If the Seahawks can weather the initial storm and not fall behind by more than 7 at any point, they will be able to pull this one out, despite being 4 point underdogs. Hasselbeck has quietly played a great postseason and will be the MVP. It’s finally time that the good guys win the Super Bowl. The money like is at +165 and I suggest putting a bunch on Seattle. And, remember, there’s always the theory of Scrabble-tivity.
Trevor Freeman: From Tiki Bob’s to Beltown Billiards to Jillian’s, I spent six weeks in
Seattle and had an absolute blast. The Renaissance Madison Hotel bar is
still recovering from the damage I put on it. I loved this town and that
is why I am taking the Seahawks this weekend……..just kidding. I’m
taking the Hawks because I like the way they have showed up into town with
that “we are here to take care business feel” while the Steelers have all
but been crowned Super Bowl Champs by the media. Seattle wins a 27-24
thriller.
5 replies on “Super Bowl XL Picks”
Steelers too fast, too physical The Steelers defense will prove to be too fast and too physical for the Seahawks. On offense, the Steelers will continue their roll of mixing it up quite well. I think Willie Parker is going to have a big game because the Seahawks will be more geared to defend against the pass than either the Broncos or Colts. Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator, Whisenhunt, is in a play-calling zone!
That will continue as the Steelers win rather easily 31-17.
The Seattle offense is much more potent than anyone gives them credit for. While everyone was slobbering over the Colts, the Seahawks actually were better.
Hasselbeck said in an interview about how the offense was all about tempo and they get everyone to the line, runs the plays. THere’s no Peyton Manning letting the lineman stay in their stances for 30 seconds crap. They run the play and go on.
I think this will be a great game although my simulation said it’d be a 13-6 affair.
Fast, schmast… Sure, the Steelers’ D is fast — but wasn’t that the calling card of both Washington’s and Carolina’s defenses? For Holmgren and Hasselbeck, facing Dick LeBeau’s D is more about finding a way to deal with the 3-4 rather than a four-man front — which Peyton Manning couldn’t do. Fortunately for Seattle, Holmgren still holds the reins on his QB and doesn’t leave the playcalling wholly to what Hasselbeck calls at the line of scrimmage. The Steelers could come out with the win, but I doubt Seattle’s offense will lay down the way Indy’s did.
Really? Indy scored 18 points, Seattle scored 10.
However, Seattle had a much better game plan than Indy. Seattle ran short routes all game long, neutralizing the speed of the defense. But, they didn’t really get outside of the tackles running the ball, which is their strength, because of the SPEED of the Steelers defense.
Lastly, the Seahawk offense did not really do well against the Redskins or the Panthers. The moved the ball very little against Redskins, and their offense was aided by numerous turnovers against the Panthers.
Look it up, the Seahawks did not have one ‘average’ game in the playoffs. They played below their capabilities throughout. That vaunted offense never showed up in the postseason.
Two things stopped Seattle’s offense