by Justin Goodrum
Daily Lobo
I know what you're thinking.
You're thinking this will be a typical column previewing the Super Bowl, such as how Jerome Bettis is returning to his home town to play in his first Super Bowl or the Seahawks making their first Super Bowl appearance.
But the bottom line is while those stories may look interesting to the common fan, come kickoff they won't mean a thing.
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Super Bowl XL will feature two teams looking for redemption and respect. Both teams have been overlooked and underestimated over the past season and will look to win the ultimate form of respect - a Super Bowl title.
Last year's Steelers went undefeated under Ben Roethlisberger and seemed to be the best team in the AFC. Roethlisberger, a rookie at the time, seemed to be in a position to manage games instead of win them and it showed in his loss in the AFC Championship. Roethlisberger has matured into a complete quarterback in his two seasons in the league. Willie Parker and Bettis combined for 1,394 yards rushing, and yet the difference has been Roethlisberger. It cannot be stressed enough how amazing this is for a second-year quarterback to have this many credentials on his rÇsumÇ, yet receive so little credit.
Seattle achieved a 14-2 record, but they've always been on a search for respect. They're not respected because of their lack of star power. Another reason is the fact that the Seahawks have choked away playoff victories and have failed to come up big in the clutch. I was the first to say Seattle was overrated over the course of the season until I saw how Matt Hasselbeck managed his two playoff victories. NFL Most Valuable Player Shaun Alexander no doubt is the best player on the Seahawks, but Hasselbeck is the most valuable, being that he is the quarterback.
Just because these teams don't have sexy names doesn't mean this game is going to suck. I'll go on record saying this might have the potential to be one of the most entertaining Super Bowls ever. The Steelers and Seahawks match up well, but the Steelers have the X factors to change momentum at any time because of Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu. Defense will be the key and will give the Steel City the victory.
