So, nobody likes Arizona, eh?

Joe Public said:
the more i think about it the more i think Pittsburgh just smothers them

The more I think about it, the more I'm worried about that as well. We haven't had a good *ss-kicking in the SB in some time.
Click to expand...

Glad to see someone with an open mind. :cheers:
 
The only two position groups I see the Cards having an advantage is at WR (large edge) and QB (avg edge); the Steelers have edges on both lines and all 3 levels of defense. They have the superior ST's and will have a decided edge in the crowd.

I am confident in my Steelers bet @ -6 (-120).

That being stated; the Card coaches knowledge of Steeler personnel is a concern. Happened when Tampa Bay and Oakland played a few yrs back and Gruden took advantage; of course, that was against Callahan...a proven idiot. Think (hope?) Tomlin and crew will be able to minimize this edge.

Hope everyone enjoys the game.
 
I like Pitt, or lean that way. But what is Pitt's d going to do to Warner that everyone else hasn't?

Get to him with 4 guys...
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What happened with TB/Oakland a couple of years ago was the perfect storm, a coach literally one season away from his old team facing them. And then Oakland falling apart the morning of the game.

This is Wiz a couple of years removed. I do think he still benefits here, less on offense in some ways than vs. Ben on defense. I think he's going to be able to generate some plays where they bait Ben into bad passes and decisions.

I'm actually really interested in this game just from a football perspective. I hope it lives up to it.
 
According to espn.com's scouting rankings of the cornerbacks - Townsend is the 20th best corner in the league, Taylor is the 25th best and McFadden is the 49th best
 
Townsend is a seasoned veteran who isn't a superstar, but is consistent and is still playing at a rather high level. He can line up on the outside or in the slot. He is adept at playing off and reading the action or coming up and pressing his opponent. Townsend is a sure tackler who consistently gets his man on the ground, but isn't a knockout hitter or especially physical corner. Townsend's foot quickness is slowly diminishing, but he makes up for it with an excellent understanding of route combinations. His preparation and football intelligence are simply exceptional and this knowledge rubs off on his fellow defensive backs. He plays hard, is aggressive and his recognition skills keep him from biting on play-action or double moves very often. He doesn't hesitate to insert himself in the run game and is an accomplished blitzer with good toughness and timing. Townsend has good hands for the interception, but isn't particularly dangerous with the ball in his hands.
 
Taylor has a very long athletic build with long arms, big hands and very good height. He is tight-skinned and not overly bulky with long limbs. He has excellent pure speed, although he does take a little time to get going, but few wideouts can expose him from a pure speed standpoint. He re-routes well at the line of scrimmage and can out-muscle some wideouts. He gets off the ground very well and goes up and disrupts the ball at its highest point. Taylor has awful hands for the interception and drops numerous would-be turnovers every year. He breaks up a lot of passes, but leaves far too many plays on the field. With his angular build, he can struggle some in tight quarters against the shiftiest receivers in the league and is better on the outside than in the slot, without question. As a run defender, he is unafraid and will insert without hesitation. While he does drop his eyes on occasion, for the most part, he is a reliable wrap-up tackler with good strength. But, he does need to work on keeping his feet moving on contact and not lunging at his target. Few cornerbacks in the league have his combination of size, speed and athletic ability.
 
McFadden has a strong well-defined body and adequate height. He plays the run well, is physical near the line of scrimmage and doesn't back down from a physical challenge. McFadden has decent instincts, plays the ball well and is a quick learner. He sees plays develop well and shows excellent competitiveness. He is a good tackler and gets his hands on the ball quite a bit. His speed is just slightly above average and could be exposed against the faster wideouts in the league. His hip turn and change-of-direction skills are also just slightly above average, but he has very good body control and rarely takes false steps, which make up for some of his potential shortcomings. He can be overly aggressive at times going for the big play and will sometimes bite on double moves, although he has improved in this area. McFadden is effective in press or off-coverage and may be at his best playing in a Cover 2, where he can stay close to the line of scrimmage and mix it up. He also does a nice job in off-coverage and sees the play develop in front of him well. He is a valuable member of the secondary, but needs to step up all areas of his game to be considered a solid starter. He also contributes on special teams and is a young player with an ample amount of upside.
 
The problem they have at corner is this. Townsend is 5'10", Boldin, Breston, and Fitz are all over six feet. Larry Fitz is 6'3". This means that you need to get Ike Taylor at 6'2" matched up on Fitz if you can just from a height standpoint.

But straight up he's not a great corner. Horses is right, man for man the Cardinals have a decided advantage WR vs. CB.
 
Still haven't decided, but where's the biggest mismatch? Cardinals o vs Steelers D or Steelers o vs Cards D? Seems like Vegas has this right.

I do think the Steelers have seen better OL, but Warner is unflappable right now. Still lean Pitt, but it's closer then I thought.
 
The big issue will be: Can Pitt pressure Warner sending only 4 or 5? Philly had to send massive blitzes to get to Warner and he picked them apart.

If Pitt gets pressure on Kurt without having to blitz, they can double the studs outside. If they have to bring the house and single cover they will get toasted like everyone else.
 
:13_1_102v:I decided on Arizona ML, +6, OVA, Teased OVA AND Points by 6 as well!
This way I won't have a stroke watching the game, and can play "grab Ass" with the waitresses at the bar!
 
guacamole_~0325333.jpg
 
I'm not exactly doubling down, but I thought about it last night, and I can't get away from my like of Arizona here.

Realize, Kurt Warner has lost exactly two playoff games out of 10. He lost to the Cheaters in the SB and he lost in a wildcard game in New Orleans where he still led his team to 28 points.

I'm going to be very interested to see how the Cardinals do a couple of things early. One, move Fitz around to see if they can get him matched up on the significantly smaller DBs. Two, how their stunts on the D-line work or don't work against the Steelers' O-line.

Realize, the prop on Cardinals sacks over 2 is at -170 last I checked. I actually think they push that at least and Ben, like Warner, is a high risk/high reward guy when you can hit him. He'll turn that rock over.

Here's what I'm on.

AZ +7.5 (-120) - 2 units
AZ +3.5 (+140) - 1 unit
AZ over 20 (-130) - 1 unit
Both teams over 14 (-130) - 1 unit
AZ ML (+220ish) - 1 unit
Heath Miller over 3.5 receptions - 1 unit

May look at the second half over based on what we see early. Good luck this afternoon/evening all.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, Shark. It turned out to be a pretty good day and the game played out roughly like the board figured.

(And thank you, Gambling Gods.)

=)
 
Thanks, Smoke. You know what's actually even a little better than this whole thing? If the Eagles would have been in this game and Pittsburgh would have scored 27 points, I think we would have lost 27-24.

And I'm not sure I can stand another Eagles' loss in the SB.
 
YOu know whats ironic though, Joe?

Ben and the Steelers did exactly what the Eagles couldnt do in the NFC title game...get the ball back with 2+ mins left, drive down the field and score a TD

:hang:
 
By the way (not trying to turn this into another Eagles thread but...) Jeramiah Trotter is still one bitter man...

was on local TV tonight on this sports wrap up show...pretty much said the Eagles get what they deserve and the way they do business is terrible....very harsh criticisms of Joe Banner and said guys dont even wanna play for the team and that word gets around the league....said all things being equal, if they offer the same money to a FA that someone else is offering, the FA is gonna go elsewhere....

of course he still sounds bitter they cut him and is just venting, but still...he raises some valid points
 
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