Ben Roethlisberger is poised to become the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl. (Source: AP)

Hang on a second; let me see if I got this straight, Jerome Bettis is from Detroit?!!

Has there been a bigger deal made of a football player’s return to his hometown for a Super Bowl game? I’d cut the ‘Bettis-hometown love affair’ story some slack if Bettis was from Suva and the Super Bowl was being played in Fiji, now that would be a rarity. But all this hype about a guy who’s journeying a couple hours outside of Pittsburgh? I don’t get it.

Out of all the Bettis’ stories the one I did find interesting was when he was presented a key to the city. The reason it’s so interesting is because the last person to receive a key to Detroit was Saddam Hussein. Yes, that very same Doritos-loving dictator. Saddam was presented the key in 1980 after giving generously to Detroit-area churches. What’s next? Are we going to find out that Stalin was honoured for his work with Detroit-area Boys & Girls clubs?

I have to hand it to the Sporting News for hitting their projection of Ben Roethlisberger dead-on. In their 2004 NFL draft preview magazine they compared Roethlisberger with Eli Manning and they gave the edge to Big Ben. They projected that Manning would go higher in the draft and correctly predicted that Ben would fall to the Steelers later in the first round.  Here’s a sample of what they wrote:

Intangibles: Is a model leader and competitor. Is tough and handled the pressure of carrying his team. There are no concerns about his character. Comes from a strong family background and is a hard worker who shows enthusiasm for the game. 

Bottom line: In short, Manning might be the safer pick, but Roethlisberger is the better one.

Nearly two years after the Sporting News played the role of Nostradamus, Roethlisberger enters Sunday’s game with a 26-4 professional record and is poised to become the youngest QB to ever win a Super Bowl at 23 years of age. (Editor’s Note: You know you’ve become too dependant on spell check when you plead with it to use a little common sense. As if it doesn’t understand where I’m trying to get at by typing “Nostradomus “)

Two of the biggest impact defensive players in Sunday’s game have a lot in common. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and Seahawks rookie linebacker Lofa Tatupu both are hard hitters, both are difference makers, both are USC products, both had relatives that played in the NFL and both are of Samoan descent. Interestingly enough Polamalu and Tatupu aren’t alone in their Pacific Island descent. The Seahawks boast a lineup that includes fellow Samoans Itula Mili and Wayne Hunter. The Steelers roster meanwhile includes Kimo Von Oelhoffen (Hawaiian), Chris Kemoeatu (Tongan), and Shaun Nua (Samoan).  

More than likely the high profile spotlight of the Super Bowl and the awesome play from Polamalu and Tatupu will just continue to fuel the trend of more Pacific Islanders reaching the ultimate football level of the NFL.

With all the attention being paid to the likes of Big Ben, Bettis, Matt Hasselback and Troy Polamalu it seems like the NFL’s MVP has become an afterthought. Despite setting the all-time record for rushing touchdowns Shaun Alexander has become a secondary story entering the biggest game of the year. This is a player who has 105 touchdowns in 101 games as a Seahawk.  In fact the biggest story about Alexander is his impending free agency status rather than his exceptional 2005 season.  It seems like an obvious decision for the Seahawks to put a 6-year contract on the table worth some sort of exorbitant amount of money to retain Alexander’s services. But when you factor in that Alexander will be 29 next year and running backs tend to falter when they enter their 30’s the devil’s advocate approach to this situation doesn’t seem so ludicrous. Essentially if you sign Alexander you’re paying him market value for 2-3 solid years and heavily overpaying him for the remainder of the contract.

Much has been made of the role that the city of Windsor will play during the Super Bowl’s weeklong stay in Detroit. Canada’s border city is being called “Sin City North” and is the most likely destination for an NFL player to get into some Barrett Robbins/Eugene Robinson-type trouble. My buddy Luke who lived in Windsor for a stretch of time summed up Windsor’s attractions for Super Bowl revelers ever so eloquently: “There are fully nude dancers at the local nudies, tax free winnings at the casino, great cheap beer and lots of bars and sleazy woman. “ I think Luke’s got a possible career in city tourism!

Prediction:

The road that the Steelers have taken to the Super Bowl is truly remarkable. They’ve beat #3 Seed Cincinnati, #1 Seed Indianapolis and #2 Seed Denver – all as a road team.  The Seahawks traveled a much easier route beating the Redskins and Panthers at home although they won the right for a clear path to the Super Bowl by locking up the top seed and home-field advantage in the NFC.  Seattle just doesn’t blow me away like the Steelers do. The best thing I can say about the Seahawks is that they’re a nice team. They have a good QB, great running back and a decent defense.

When it comes to the Steelers it’s tough to bet against Big Ben. He’s been awesome in these playoffs thus far throwing 7 TD’s to only 1 Int. I also see the Steelers’ defense matching up very well with the Seahawks’ offense. I know there’s a popular opinion that the Steelers’ Blitzburgh defense will be picked apart by the running of Alexander but when you consider that the Steelers’ defense has only allowed one 100-yard rusher in the past 31 games I think that the blitzing defense will do just fine. If the Steelers get off to another lighting-quick start like they have throughout these playoffs the Seahawks will have to open up the passing game a lot sooner.

Steelers score a late touchdown to safely cover the spread.

 Pittsburgh 31 Seattle 20