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Can you trust the bookie to give you the right side when it comes to a free 2009 Super Bowl pick? Gambling911.com says "Yes" at least when it comes to the brilliant Frank Doyle of Sports Interaction and he's saying "Go With the Steelers".
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The Steelers have the class, ability, talent and tradition to become the first team to win six Super Bowls, and to cover Sports Interaction's seven point spread while they're doing it.
Pittsburgh has the best defense in the league, and defense wins Championships. Arizona was able to fillet Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia because quarterback Kurt Warner has always been quick enough, brave enough, and savvy enough to beat the blitz, and the return to form - and popularity - of Edgerrin James at running back meant that defenses were kept honest. The result of this combination of factors was humiliation for two birds and a big cat, and Arizona's Cinderella appearance in the Super Bowl.
The thing that tilts the Super Bowl in favour of Pittsburgh is that the Steeler D is that much better than the Falcons, Panthers or Eagles. The Steelers don't need to bring a full blitz to put pressure on Warner, meaning that they can still cover Larry Fitzgerald properly - which means two guys never letting him out of their sight at any time for any reason, of course.
One of the great things about blitzing is that less is more. If you blitz all the time, as Philly did, Warner can just dump it of, or else prepare for it, find Larry Fitzgerald deep and burn you badly. Pittsburgh can pressure Warner anyway, and every now and again detail Farrior, or Woodley, or Harrison, or Polamalu to get to Warner come what may. And they're the guys who can do that.
On the other side of the ball, it's been interesting - and worrying, if you're a Cardinal - to read how bitterly Ben Roethlisberger has been expressing his regret over his play at Super Bowl XL. It's easy to forget that Roethlisberger was only in his second season that year, because Pittsburgh went 15-1 in his first. It's like he's never been a rookie. But anybody that was watching the Steelers this year, especially earlier in the season when the line had trouble protecting Roethlisberger, and saw him haul himself up after another sack and go back to the huddle can tell that is one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. The absence of Hines Ward is a concern for the Steelers but Pittsburgh remains more than capable of keeping the scoreboard ticking over while the defense is holding off the Cardinals.
Hines Ward's absence is the chief worry for Steeler bettors because he's been the steeliest of the Steelers in recent years. But there are a few other concerns too, not least the fact that Arizona head coach Ken Wisenhunt and assistant head coach Russ Grimm were with the Steelers before they went to Arizona which, at the time, was a lot like going to Siberia. Do you think they want to show the Rooneys what they've been missing?
Arizona needs a good start, and for that reason Pittsburgh can't allow that to happen. If Warner gets the Cards rolling, they may prove difficult to stop, and Warner will definitely book his place at Canton. But the cold hard facts are that the Steelers have the game and the talent to win their sixth Super Bowl and cover the points. My Free 2009 Super Bowl Pick: Pittsburgh -7 with Sports Interaction - and remember to claim your free 10 percent cash bonus upon joining.
Frank Doyle, Gambling911.com
