10. The Steelers will be wearing their white jerseys.
Okay, I admit this one is a bit of a reach, but in Super Bowls XL and XLIII the Steelers wore their road white jerseys, and both times they won. I don't know what it is about these NFC stadiums the Steelers love so much, but if it works, it works. Just putting it out there.
9. Skinny coach vs. fat coach.
Skinny coaches win Super Bowls. It wasn't always this way, but in recent years the slimmer coach has held the Lombardi Trophy in the end. I don't know if it's America's new found interest in fitness and health, but these skinny guys just keep on winning. Check it out:
SB XLIV: Sean Payton over Jim Caldwell
SB XLIII: Mike Tomlin over Ken Whisenhunt
SB XLII: Tom Coughlin over Bill Belichick
SB XLI: Tony Dungy over Lovie Smith
SB XL: Bill Cowher over Mike Holmgren
SB XXXIX: Belichick over Andy Reid
Hey don't blame me, it's just good science.
(Side note: Yes, I realize Mike Tomlin and Ken Whisenhunt are about the same size, but regardless, neither is fat, so it still proves my point.)
8. Former Cowboys are back for revenge.
I realize Erik Walden was drafted by Dallas in 2008, but he didn't make the team and he was never even on our practice squad, so he doesn't count. The guys I'm talking about now suit up in black and yellow. That's right, Flozell Adams and Shaun Suisham.
Flozell Adams was a Cowboy for 12 seasons, got cut in the offseason, and karma has brought him back to Dallas with a new team for a chance to win a Super Bowl. As deep as Adams' roots are with Dallas, Shaun Suisham may have an even bigger chip on his shoulder when it comes to the Cowboys. Dallas didn't let him go once, they didn't let him twice, they let him go 3 separate times! Now he also has a chance to come back and haunt Cowboys Stadium. It would only make sense if they made it this far and won.
7. People tried to make a big deal out of Ben Roethlisberger taking his linemen to a piano bar.
I guess with all the in-house controversies the Packers heaped on themselves since the NFC Championship game someone thought they could turn this into a distraction for the Steelers. Unfortunately, the people who attempted to blow this out of proportion didn't have much to work with. Ben was at a piano bar, not a night club or strip club (and even if he was, last time I checked, that wasn't illegal). He took his linemen with him, he wasn't out partying and
That story was like an anti-distraction. Score another one for the Steel Town.
6. It took the Packers 2 days to realize all their players should be in the team photo.
When I first heard that the Packers weren't going to let their players on injured reserve be in their Super Bowl picture, I knew they were going to lose. It's really not about the picture, it's about not being able to handle the moment.
This is how the conversation should have gone:
Packers exec 1: Should we let the IR guys in the Super Bowl team photo?
Packers exec 2: Of course, why wouldn't we? After all they are apart of the team.
The end.
Sadly that didn't happen, and this served as a pointless distraction that could've easily been avoided with common sense.
5. Aaron Rodgers questioned the rehab choices of guys on IR.
I like Aaron Rodgers and all, but why would he do this to his team? You're about to play in the Super Bowl and you're calling out your own teammates in the media over something that doesn't have anything to do with the big game? Really, that's your approach?
Rodgers supposedly patched it up with his guys, but it's the pointless distractions like this that make or break a team. This made me almost positive it would break the Pack.
4. The Packers are the favorites in Vegas.
The spread opened at -2.5 points in favor of the Packers almost immediately after the Steelers beat the Jets in the AFC Championship game, and hasn't changed since (OK, it did go to -3 at some point, but it's back at -2.5, so you get what I'm saying). But based on what? The Packers barely hung on against Caleb Hanie just hours earlier, and now they're 2.5 point favorites over the #1 defense in the NFL? Alright then.
3. Steelers have all the Super Bowl experience.
While the majority of the Steelers' team has Super Bowl experience, including 14 players who were around for both recent Steelers Super Bowl wins, only 3 Packers can say the same. Charles Woodson played for the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, Ryan Pickett played for the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, and John Kuhn (the only Packers player with a Super Bowl ring) was on the Steelers practice squad when they won Super Bowl XL.
Of course, none of this stopped the inexperienced Giants from beating the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Then again, the Steelers are the underdogs here despite all of their big game experience, unlike the 2007 Pats.
2. Ben wins.
You can say whatever you want about Ben Roethlisberger's private life, but the fact that he's a winner is undeniable. Even when Ben struggled mightily in Super Bowl XL, the refs made sure he won. Like I said, Ben wins. The guy is 10-2 in the playoffs, and half of those losses came in his rookie season in 2004 when the Steelers loss to the eventual Super Bowl winning Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
1. Everyone thinks Packers gonna win.
I tried not to watch too much Super Bowl coverage these past 2 weeks, but from everything I did see, everybody and their momma thinks the Packers are going to win. From what I've seen and heard, I'd say the public is about 80-20 in favor of the Pack. That's never a good thing, especially when you factor in the 9 other reasons I gave above.
Just in these playoffs alone, every heavy favorite in the public has loss (See: Seahawks over Saints, Jets over Colts, and Jets over Pats). The last thing the Pack should've hoped for is overwhelming public support, and that's just what they got.
Bonus Reason: Lil Wayne made Green & Yellow.
After giving it some thought, I've decided to add Lil Wayne's Green & Yellow as a reason Green Bay won't win Super Bowl XLV. At the end of the day, it will prove to be too wack and corny to overcome.
