Super Bowl XLIII

Sunday the Pittsburg Steelers take on the Arizona Cardinals in Tampa Bay for Super Bowl XLIII. The Steelers come in with a top ranked defense with stars all over the field. The offense is a different story. Reports are coming out that Ben Rothlisberger is still hurt from the shot he took against Baltimore. Some are speculating it could be torn rib cartilage or broken ribs. Hines Ward is also nursing a knee injury. This could spell trouble for Pittsburg if the Cardinals can shut down the running attack. Then Hit Big Ben and throw off his game. The Cardinals Defense has found themselves through the course of the season. Darnell Dockett, Karlos Dansby and Adrian Wilson will become household names on Sunday. I'd like to see Arizona throw in a couple of trick plays to keep the Steelers D on there toes. I also think establishing a run game is a must. They can't let Pittsburg defense get into a situation where they can blitz and get to Warner. Thats what they do best. Watch out for Steve Breaston in this game. He quietly had over 1,000 yards receiving this year but with Fitzgerald and Boldin getting all the attention most people did not hear about the nice year he had for himself. Boldin has been fully participating in the practices so his hamstring injury looks like it is recovered. Although hamstring injuries are tricky and could strike again in the big game. Larry Fitzgerald has been amazing in the post season. In my opinion he is the leagues best wide receiver. I like the Cardinals 20-17 in this one. Call me crazy but I think Warner will lead them to victory. He's done it before with the Rams and I think he can do it again.

Early draft looks

My favorite day of the year is approaching. Only four months until draft day! There are a few positions i'd like to see this team address. Runningback is one of them. This draft is chock full of them. My favorite right now is Donald Brown II. He ran for over 2,000 yards at Connecticut this year and 18 touchdowns. I'm not quite sure why he isn't getting first round attention yet. But I think in the next month after the combine he will. Everyone on the opposite side of the ball knew Brown was getting the ball and he still managed the most yards in football. Inside Linebacker is another position i'd like to see them add depth to. Rey maualula is a high energy guy who has lost is off field issues and really focused on football. He led a top USC defense to another great season. He would look great next to Mayo. Cornerback is a must. The signing of old has beens needs to stop. Guys like Duane Starks and Deltha O'neill killed the Pats. I was a huge Vontae Davis guy a year ago. But he had a real down year and was actually benched toward the end of the season. Not a good sign for Vernon's younger brother. Alphonso Smith out of Wake, Victor Harris From Va Tech and D.J. Moore from vandy are some good candidates and may be available in the second round. I think the Pats could add some O-Line depth and a possible wide receiver to replace Jabar Gafney. Check back in early March for more draft up dates.

Broncos hire McDaniels

Today the Denver Broncos announced the hiring of Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. He was the coach of the record setting offense in 2007. Tom Brady, Randy Moss and the rest of the gang were the reason for the huge numbers. But McDaniels was a good coach. I thought he was far better than Charlie Weis. Denver has the tools and the coach to be an offensive Juggernaut. They will need to retool the defensive to help out. Josh had experince with the Pats D before joing the offense. This loss could be major for the Patriots. It's never good to lose a coordinator. It takes time for players to get used to a system, plays and terminology a new coordinator brings along. Who will take over next season? How about Jeff Jagodzinski? He is in need of a job and has coordinator experience in the NFL. I liked the things he did at BC.