ON the EDGE S Troy Polamalu Arnold Palmer | GOLFING LEGEND 29 Chidi Iwuoma CB 5-8 184 2-19-78 5 California Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander Vs
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
E8 ∑ THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2006 ∑ E9 Telecast: 6 p.m. | Kickoff: 6:25 p.m. Ford Field, CELEBRITY PREDICTIONS STEELERS GAME DAY TV: WSYX (Channel 6) Detroit ∑ Web site: www.steelers.com ABC | Announcers: Al Michaels (play-by-play), John Madden (analysis), ∑ Capacity: 67,500 Jamie Foxx | ACTOR/SINGER Regular season Michelle Tafoya (sideline), Suzy Kolber (sideline) Pittsburgh. If you look at Pittsburgh’s history, the way they ∑ Surface: FieldTurf play football. Defense wins championships. ∑ 11-5 (second in AFC North Division; home 5-3, road 6-2) Radio: WBNS-AM (1460) ∑ Opened: 2004 ∑ Wild-card playoff berth CBS/Westwood One | Announcers: Marv Albert (play-by-play), Boomer Sen. John Kerry | D-MASS. Road to Super Bowl XL Esiason (analysis), John Dockery (sideline), Bonnie Bernstein (sideline) Pittsburgh. It’s going to be a high-scoring game. 31-28. ∑ Wild-card round: def. Cincinnati 31-17 (road) Pregame TV Favorite Why? Five words: Pittsburgh’s own Teresa Heinz Kerry. ∑ Divisional round: def. Indianapolis 21-18 (road) ESPN: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | ABC: 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. (Ch. 6) ∑ AFC championship: def. Denver 34-17 (road) Condoleezza Rice | SECRETARY OF STATE NFL Network: noon to 5:30 p.m. I picked Pittsburgh to beat Cincinnati. I have picked Playoff record: 28-18 (.609) | Super Bowl record: 4-1 (.800) against them every game since. I’m not picking against Entertainment them again. Roster 4Ä National anthem: Aaron Neville, Aretha Franklin, Dr. John Web sites Coach: Bill Cowher (14th season: 141-82-1, .632; playoffs, 11-9) PITTSBURGH STEELERS (14-5) VS. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (15-3) Over/under: 47 LeBron James | CLEVELAND CAVALIERS ALL-STAR Offensive coordinator: Ken Whisenhunt | Defensive coordinator: Dick LeBeau Halftime: Rolling Stones www.superbowl.com | www.nfl.com Pittsburgh by 17, because they are the best road team in NOPLAYER POS HT WT DOB YR COLLEGE the NFL right now. 3 Jeff Reed K 5-11 232 4-9-79 4 North Carolina 7 Ben Roethlisberger QB 6-5 241 3-2-82 2 Miami, Ohio Dennis Farina | ACTOR, LAW AND ORDER 8 Tommy Maddox QB 6-4 219 9-2-71 9 UCLA Pittsburgh, 31-17. Their defense is a little better than 16 Charlie Batch QB 6-2 216 12-5-74 6 Eastern Michigan 17 Chris Gardocki P 6-1 192 2-7-70 15 Clemson everybody else’s. 20 Bryant McFadden CB 5-11 190 11-21-81 R Florida State 21 Ricardo Colclough CB 5-11 186 4-18-82 2 Tusculum Bob Weir | GRATEFUL DEAD GUITARIST 22 Duce Staley RB 5-11 242 2-27-75 9 South Carolina MATCHUPS TO WATCH VS I’m reluctantly picking Pittsburgh because brutal, blue-collar 23 Tyrone Carter FS 5-8 190 3-31-76 6 Minnesota football almost always trumps high-end, sophisticated 24 Ike Taylor CB 6-1 191 5-5-80 3 La.-Lafayette 26 Deshea Townsend CB 5-10 190 9-8-75 8 Alabama football. The 49ers were the great exception. 24-21. 27 Willie Williams CB 5-9 194 12-26-70 13 Western Carolina 28 Chris Hope FS 5-11 206 9-29-80 4 Florida State ON THE EDGE S Troy Polamalu Arnold Palmer | GOLFING LEGEND 29 Chidi Iwuoma CB 5-8 184 2-19-78 5 California Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander vs. Steelers run defense Pittsburgh, 35-20. The Steelers have more depth, a great 31 Mike Logan FS 6-1 211 9-15-74 8 West Virginia When Steelers run As Alexander goes, so go the Seahawks: they’re 29-5 in games in which he rushes for quarterback and the Bus. 34 Verron Haynes RB 5-9 222 2-17-79 4 Georgia 100 yards or more, and he went for 132 and two TDs against a tough Carolina defense 35 Dan Kreider FB 5-11 255 3-11-77 6 New Hampshire The Seahawks have yet to face the Steelers’ 36 Jerome Bettis RB 5-11 255 2-16-72 13 Notre Dame EDGE 1 in the NFC championship game. If the Steelers can hold Alexander in check, Troy Polamalu, Haley Joel Osment | ACTOR type of smash-mouth offense. Pittsburgh also Joey Porter and Co. will be free to wreak havoc with blitzes. 39 Willie Parker RB 5-10 209 11-11-80 2 North Carolina has an inspired Jerome Bettis, who likely will (Osment has picked the past six Super Bowl winners) 43 Troy Polamalu SS 5-10 212 4-19-81 3 Southern California Pittsburgh, 31-21. 50 Larry Foote ILB 6-0 239 6-12-80 4 Michigan play his final game today in his hometown. Seahawks OL vs. Steelers blitz 51 James Farrior ILB 6-2 243 1-6-75 9 Virginia Bettis and Willie Parker will be trouble. 53 Clark Haggans OLB 6-4 243 1-10-77 6 Colorado State Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau’s scheme effectively neutralized Colts QB Peyton Phyllis Diller | COMEDIENNE 54 Rian Wallace ILB 6-2 243 5-24-82 R Temple When Steelers pass Manning in a divisional playoff, then harassed the Broncos’ Jake Plummer into four turnovers Pittsburgh is going to win by 8. I’m sure of myself. They’re 55 Joey Porter OLB 6-3 250 3-22-77 7 Colorado State 2 in the AFC championship game. C Robbie Tobeck and his offensive line mates must keep the hot and I got a hunch. 56 Chukky Okobi C 6-1 318 11-18-78 4 Purdue EDGE Ben Roethlisberger has proved he can win heat off QB Matt Hasselbeck and open running lanes for Alexander if the Seahawks are to 57 Clint Kriewaldt ILB 6-1 248 3-17-76 7 Wis.-Stevens Point playoff games with his arm. Pass-first so far in move the ball. C Robbie Tobeck 60 Greg Warren LS 6-3 252 10-18-81 R North Carolina postseason, the Steelers might go back to the Mamie van Doren | LEGENDARY SEX SYMBOL 64 Jeff Hartings C 6-3 299 9-7-72 10 Penn State run for this game. Seattle has an opportunistic My fearless forecast is Pittsburgh 42-17, because they are 66 Alan Faneca G 6-5 307 12-7-76 8 Louisiana State Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger vs. Super Bowl pressure defense, but Roethlisberger has the hot hand. blue-collar bad ---es. 67 Kimo von Oelhoffen DE 6-4 299 1-30-71 12 Boise State After hitting the wall in the playoffs as a rookie last season, he has proved a capable leader in 68 Chris Kemoeatu G 6-3 344 1-4-83 R Utah this postseason. He has completed 75 percent of his passes with seven TDs and one interception 72 Barrett Brooks T 6-4 325 5-5-72 10 Kansas State When Seahawks run Barry Williams | GREG BRADY OF THE BRADY BUNCH 3 in winning three road games. On football’s grandest stage, though, the pressure is ramped up Steelers, 42-38. They are used to the cold. 73 Kendall Simmons G 6-3 319 3-11-79 3 Auburn 76 Chris Hoke NT 6-3 296 4-6-76 2 Brigham Young EDGE If there is any team that can run against even more and even the smallest mistakes are amplified. Roethlisberger must capably move the Pittsburgh, it’s the Seahawks. They have 77 Marvel Smith T 6-5 310 8-6-78 6 Arizona State team, keep turnovers to a minimum then turn to his defense to bring it home. Regis Philbin | TALK SHOW HOST 78 Max Starks T 6-7 337 1-10-82 2 Florida a talented offensive line and NFL MVP Shaun Seattle surprised me against Carolina. Their defense is 79 Trai Essex T 6-4 324 12-5-82 R Northwestern Alexander. Seattle needs 100 yards from Steelers running game vs. Seahawks defense better than I thought and so is Hasselbeck, but I think 80 Cedrick Wilson WR 5-10 183 12-17-78 5 Tennessee Alexander to win, but it won’t come easy. 81 Sean Morey WR 5-11 200 2-26-76 3 Brown One way for the Steelers to keep the pressure off Roethlisberger is to run the ball effectively, Pittsburgh is destined to win the Super Bowl. 82 Antwaan Randle El WR 5-10 192 8-17-79 4 Indiana both to pick up yardage and control the tempo. Speed back Willie Parker, who had 1,202 yards RB Willie Parker 83 Heath Miller TE 6-5 256 10-22-82 R Virginia When Seahawks pass 4 in the regular season, is averaging just 2.8 yards per carry in the postseason, but Jerome Bettis | BASKETBALL HALL OF FAMER Bob Cousy 84 Jerame Tuman TE 6-4 253 3-24-76 7 Michigan has responded with 137 yards and three TDs. The Steelers could find the going tough, however 85 Nate Washington WR 6-1 185 8-28-83 R Tiffin EDGE Pittsburgh’s Achilles’ heel is the deep pass, Pittsburgh has raised it to the next level. Seattle isn’t 86 Hines Ward WR 6-0 215 3-8-76 8 Georgia but Seattle’s West Coast offense keeps things — Seattle quietly put together the NFL’s No. 5 defense against the run. tournament-tested, as they say. 17-10. 89 Lee Mays WR 6-2 192 9-18-78 4 Texas-El Paso short. Matt Hasselbeck can move the chains, 90 Travis Kirschke DE 6-3 288 9-6-74 8 UCLA but if he doesn’t beat the Steelers deep, their Seahawks execution vs.