‘Pittsburgh Steelers by 10’

Today is the big day. After all of the hype, all of the speculation, all of the stats, all of the marathon editions of former pros giving their accounts of the days in leather helmets—finally the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks will decide once and for all the champion of the National Football League.

Several of you are still unable to commit to a winner before the game unfolds, and are still trying to figure out whether or not to take your friend up on his bet while you are at one of the many local hotels, restaurants, bars, or even the showroom of a Beach Road auto dealership.

There is still plenty of time to consider the possibilities and mull the stats from the regular season, so we’ll try to help you make your decision with some insight from the local sports source on Saipan.

For one of the most accurate states of the squads, it is easy to start with how the Steelers and Seahawks finished the regular season. The Steelers won four out of the final five games of the season and did so fairly consistently, while the Seahawks went a lackluster 2-3.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t too shabby, as he led the Steelers to victory in four out of the final five games completing 80-of-126 passes for 1,087 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions for a 97.6 QB rating.

While Big Ben looked solid down the stretch, back-up Tommy Maddox was better than average in clean-up duty, completing 54-of-96 passes for 667 yards, five touchdowns, and three picks for a 82.2 rating.

Roethlisberger also leads the league in postseason passing as well with seven touchdowns and 680 yards through the air for an absolutely ridiculous 124.8 QB rating.

The black and gold look to be shored up under center in case Roethlisberger goes down, but Seattle has to hope that their starter stays healthy so that they don’t have to rely on the newbie untested Seneca Wallace.

Matt Hasselbeck closed out the season completing 88-of-142 passes for 1,080 yards, five touches, and a pair of picks for a 91.3 QB rating, while Wallace was patrolling the sidelines with a clipboard.

Hasselbeck has been a stud in the playoffs too, with three touchdowns and 434 yards passing in two home games for a triple-digit passer 109.6 rating

Things could get pretty hairy for the birds if their bald eagle goes down, but they can always dish the ball off to Shaun Alexander. The monster running back didn’t average much in limited duty—gaining 226 yards on 75 carries—but he was able to add another five touchdowns to his league leading total before suffering a wrap on the head.

Maurice Morris filled in nicely for the Hawks with 86 yards on 28 carries, but Shaun and Mo-mo will have to rise to the occasion to take home today’s hardware.

If their current run is any indication, Sea-town should do just fine, as Alexander is averaging 3.5 yards per carry, racked up 141 yards, and two scores in his last two outings, while Morris pounded out 73 of the hard yards on 25 attempts.

On the flip side, the Steelers have one of the most potent and inspirational tandem in their backfield with the wily Willie Parker and The Bus, but they go much deeper than that.

From the owner to the peanut vendors; everyone in the Pittsburgh organization is working to get Jerome Bettis a Super Bowl ring.

The guy everyone loves was a champ all year for the Steelers, and he churned out 302 yard on 86 carries in the last five games to propel the Steel City to its sixth league championship appearance.

He’s hungry for that bling too, as Bettis scored three touchdowns and muscled out 137 yards on 42 carries to get to the big game. Parker also wants to hoist the Lombardi trophy, and cranked out 132 yards on 47 carries.

Before the end of the season, Parker added 132 yards off of 47 carries in three games, while the dangerous Duce Staley racked up 262 yards on 52 carries. Injuries and the rise of Parker have kept Staley on the sidelines, but he looks to be a force when Pittsburgh takes the field with a stable of able runners.

The receivers are kind of even, with the Seahawks bank on guys like Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram, and Joe Jurevicius while the Steelers will put their faith in Antwaan Randle El, Hines Ward, and Cedrick Wilson.

Jackson leads all receivers that will take the field in Detroit with 218 yards while Wilson is a close second with 196.

It looks even there, with the emotional Ward providing a slight edge to the Steelers. From there it’s all about defense, and while the Seahawks have a couple of names, Pittsburgh has the steel curtain.