43 Super Bowl Themes

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3845836

By: Ted Bauer

Super Bowl XLIII is upon us. Seemed a good time to list 43 themes headed into the contest. Some are obvious, some are reaches. If you think of some ones we missed, go ahead and holla at us or leave it in the comments.

1. From the completely obvious department: Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm were both previously Steeler assistants and potentially head coaching candidates when Mike Tomlin nabbed the job.

2. Also from the Department of Obviousness: if the Steelers win, it will be their record-setting sixth Super Bowl in franchise history.

3. Ben Roethlisberger could have two Super Bowl championships by age 26. How does he rate with Tom Brady in the "winners" discussion if he gets another?

4. Even though Eli Manning now has a ring of his own, would you classify the Giants as having made "a mistake" if Big Ben gets two?

5. What will Dick LeBeau come up with regarding Larry Fitzgerald?

6. If Kurt Warner were to help the Cardinals shock the world and win the Super Bowl, where does he rank on the all-time QB list? (He'd have two victories in three SB appearances.)

7. How "committed" is Anquan Boldin to the game, and does he view it as a potential audition for the G-Men?

8. Who's the most underrated player on the field: Tim Hightower, LaMarr Woodley, or Steve Breaston?

9. While all the ink before this game will go the Steelers defense, can guys like Darnell Dockett, Karlos Dansby and Chike Okeafor make a big name for themselves in this game?

10. What of Mr. Hines Ward?

11. Will Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians pull out some type of trick play like Whisenhunt did against the Seahawks, just because?

12. What is Matt Leinart's emotional state at this moment? (Sidebar: What if a drastic situation caused him to actually see the field in Tampa?)

13. Is Edgerrin James playing for his all-time legacy in this game?

14. If the Cardinals win this game, does that make Lou Piniella's life harder next season?

15. Was the initial seven-point spread an actual reference to potential closeness of the game or just to get the most action possible?

16. Which owner do you find more endearing: Bidwill or Rooney?

17. If the Cardinals offense blows up, will Todd Haley get himself a job in two-three years? (It would extend the "Parcells Tree" if he did.)

18. What about Clancy Pendergast?

19. Will the unheralded star of this game be Santonio Holmes or someone completely unexpected?

20. Know we kinda asked this above, but seriously, are they going to single-cover Fitzgerald with a CB, or what?

21. What will have a higher rating: this SB or Barack Obama's inauguration?

22. Similarly, in Bruce Springsteen's head, what's a bigger deal: playing "We Are One" or Super Bowl XLIII halftime?

23. If Troy Polamalu can grab his second career postseason pick-six (his first was in the AFC Title Game), will the Ed Reed (yes, we know they are different types of safeties) chatter end for a bit?

24. Do you think the Troy Polamalu/Carson Palmer relationship is strained at all by differences in victory output since they went pro?

25. We realize we talked about Roethlisberger's legacy above, and we believe it's going to be a good one…but remember the statistical performance he had the last time he played a NFC West team in the Super Bowl? Could Pittsburgh rise above a second egg like that?

26. What's bigger to overcome: playing three straight games with a two-week bye before the Super Bowl (Cardinals) or two weeks off, two weeks on, two weeks off (Steelers)?

27. In the next two weeks, how many times can we see this clip replayed as an example of a low point for the Cardinals? Between Sunday night and Tuesday morning after the NFC Title Game, we've seen it on TV four times.

28. How big a deal are Neil Rackers and Jeff Reed going to be in these games?

29. Legitimately, who would win in a fight: Steely McBeam or Big Red?

30. This could be the last Super Bowl called by the Al Michaels/John Madden duo. As such, where do you have them all-time as an announcing pair?

31. After years with ESPN, this will seemingly be the first Super Bowl worked sideline-wise by Andrea Kremer. Will this happen with anyone?

32. How many SAT-level words might Bob Costas (for our money, he's one of the best ever) pull out on the pre-game show?

33. How good a story is James Harrison? How cool would it be for him to win SB MVP?

34. Guess Tim Hightower, who played college football at the University of Richmond, would also be fairly inspiring.

35. Will the Pottsville Maroons become a big storyline leading into this game?

36. Does Arizona really have a much better O-Line than Pittsburgh, or is it more even after some of Big Ben's protections the last two weeks? Could that help decide the game?

37. If the Steelers are to win, do you almost want the AFC Title Game next season to a completely healthy Steelers team vs. a completely healthy Patriots team to determine "AFC Team of the 2000s" once and for all?

38. Does Willie Parker have a chance to win the game's MVP Award and if so, what would that mean for his season?

39. If the Steelers win, can we name their defense something as iconic as "The Steel Curtain?"

40. If the Cardinals win, can we name their offense something as memorable as "The Greatest Show on Turf?"

41. How good is Adrian Wilson, honestly?

42. Is the key to the entire game that Roethlisberger is more mobile when he needs to tuck and run than Warner is?

43. How funny might the episode of The Office after the trophy presentation be? (Hey, you gotta involve pop culture sometimes.)

Id love to see #37 next year.

luciano wrote:
How "committed" is Anquan Boldin to the game, and does he view it as a potential audition for the G-Men?

If you can't get up for the super bowl. Why bother playing the game. I sure hope he, after making it to the super bowl does not act like a big baby. He just needs to play the game, and put his ego aside.

luciano wrote:
Is Edgerrin James playing for his all-time legacy in this game?

I think he will go all out in this game.

luciano wrote:

Does Willie Parker have a chance to win the game's MVP Award and if so, what would that mean for his season?

If he does win MVP it would mean the Steelers won the game. It could happen. Any team in a game like this that does well with the running game has an advantage.

luciano wrote:


Is the key to the entire game that Roethlisberger is more mobile when he needs to tuck and run than Warner is?

Big Ben has the ability, to make things happen more so than Warner. He is hard to bring down. He can buy more time for himself than Warner can. So if the the pass rush was even on both sides, the Steelers would win.