Super Bowl Sunday!

It's the unofficial "Fathers Day" in the good ol' US of A as the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers square off tonight in Super Bowl XLV.

I'm sure you've heard plenty about the game this week whether on ESPN, NFL Network (my favorite channel of All Time) or wherever you get your local news so I won't bore you with the details of analysis. This game means a whole lot to a whole lot of people not only in this country but wherever it's broadcast around the world. I can only imagine what it's like if you're a fan of the Steelers or Packers.

Those teams are two of the most storied franchises in the history of the NFL. The Super Bowl Trophy is named after legendary Packers coach, Vince Lombardi, after all. The Steelers have won the most Super Bowls out of any team with 6 victories, but the Packers have won the most total NFL Championships - going back to the days of Curly Lambeau - with a whopping 12.

Of all the match-ups in this game today, I'm looking forward to seeing the Packers offense versus the Steelers defense. For everything all the analysts have said about how fantastic Aaron Rodgers is, I think it's extremely important to remember that you've got to run the ball in order to win championships. Plus, as long as Troy Polamalu is on the field, each throw has a chance to be picked off, I don't care what anyone says.

You've got to remember, the Steelers are in the Super Bowl to begin with because of their defense. QB Ben Roethlisberger was out suspended for the first 4 games of the season, and the Steelers still started 3-1. That wasn't because of the play of backup quarterbacks Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon.

That being said, the Packers are very much battle tested as they beat three elite teams in Philadelphia, Atlanta and division rival Chicago in their playoff route to the Super Bowl. And as much as I am reluctant to say it myself, Aaron Rodgers has proved throughout this postseason that he is the elite quarterback al the analysts have been touting for the last couple of seasons.

So who do I think will win? Well, being in the Steelers division and knowing how well they stop the run, how well they run the ball, and Big Ben's knack for making the big play when they need it I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Steelers win this game. But this blog is called "All Cleveland All The Time" and there's no way in the world I'm picking a Pukesburgh team to win a Championship. Ever.

Go Pack Go!

Prediction: PIT 28 - GB 31.

~MAS

Start Me Up - Steelers vs. Browns

Well Browns fans, we've come a long way this season and it comes to a close today as the 11-4 Pittsburgh Steelers come into town to face our 5-10 Cleveland Browns in the regular season finale.

There is a heck of a lot riding on this game - for the Steelers. If they win, they secure the #2 seed in the AFC, which means a bye week to start the playoffs and then facing the winner of the Ravens/Colts (I'm projecting that the Colts will win their division with Peyton Manning...) in the divisional round at home. If the Steelers lose, they have to go to Kansas City next week, and if they win that game they face New England in Foxboro for the divisional round.

Now, which scenario would you prefer?

That's why this game has extreme importance, and not just because of the "rivalry." Let's be serious, before last season's 13-6 shocker the Browns had lost to the Steelers two times a year since 2003, when Tim Couch had his best game as a Brown and led us to a 33-13 victory. On the ESPN "Game Preview" page, it shows the Browns record against the Steelers since 2001 which is a horrendous 2-18.

Offensively, the Browns are going to have to take risks and be creative. Why not? We're 5-10, and boy would it be nice to give the Steelers a parting shot - especially if you're Eric Mangini and could be about to lose your job. Peyton Hillis will not be 100% in all likelihood, which means Mike Bell and even Josh Cribbs could see a lot of time in the backfield. I'm not particularly fond of those odds for our running game, but it has a chance.

Colt McCoy has a distinct advantage that no other quarterback in Eric Mangini's short tenure as the Browns head coach has had (so far) in that he will be facing the same divisional opponent twice in the same year (nope, it's 2011 now!) season. His first outing against the Steelers was his NFL debut, in which he not only wasn't eaten alive, but was 23/33 for 281 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He also managed four rushes for 22 yards. To me, McCoy rarely looks overmatched, and I think he'll have a decent showing against the defense ranked 14th in the league against the pass. (They're 1st against the run, with only 64.1 yards given up per game. Yikes.)

Defensively, the Browns are going to have their hands full with Ben Roethlisberger and company. Mike Wallace has emerged as a great primary target and big play threat, as he's caught 57 passes for 1102 yards and 9 touchdowns this season - that's an average of 20.2 yards per catch. Rashard Mendenhall has also had a great season, with 1237 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. With the Browns defense failing to stop the run effectively in the last few weeks, their ranking in that category has fallen down to 26th in the league, while their passing D has been effective enough to stay at #13. I'd expect the Steelers to try and pound it down the Browns throats and dare the team in brown and orange to stop them.

I would love to see Eric Mangini close out the 2010 campaign with a win, but I honestly don't think that's going to happen. I believe the Browns will empty the playbook, give everything they've got and leave it all on the field, but it won't be enough to get past a very motivated Steelers team on the shore of Lake Erie today.

The Prediction: PIT 28 - CLE 17

See you at the half,
~MAS