Steelers-Ravens Notes

Seven quick points from a game that might not have been as dull as dishwater, but given that I watched it after that deluxe turdburger, you can see why I wasn't too into it...

> The Steelers go to their 7th Super Bowl, the second-most in NFL history (Dallas, 8). They are also going to win. And I'd be picking it that way even if my Eagles had held on in the desert. Pittsburgh just has more talent, and a defense that has been too good to lose.

> The Ravens fought with honor, but the simple reality is that they needed Flacco to be Ben today, and that's just not something he could do. Maybe in a year, maybe or 2 or 3 years, but not today. And especially not with a roster where his best WR is 35 and undersized, and his second best WR is his TE. If I were Jim Harbuagh, I'd have tried Ray Rice in the slot. A long time ago.

> It would help much, of course, if Hines Ward is hale and hearty for the SB, and the fact that he was seen in the post-game interviews bodes well for that. Having the bye week will help.

> Has a team ever cut a punter in the Super Bowl bye week? Mitch Berger is horrible, and the only weak link on this Pittsburgh team. With just average punting today, I wouldn't have had to sweat out the cover late.

> Pittsburgh really didn't run the ball all that well today, and they will look at the tape from today's early game and have drool control problems with how many WRs were open against the Cardinals secondary. It is, of course, the way to get into a wide-open game, which is not the game you want to play with Warner and Fitzgerald. The key is to limit his possessions, really.

> Can we, finally, put to bed the idea that it's hard to beat a team three times in a season? Pittsburgh made it 12 of 19 today. Enough.

> With the win, Ben moves back ahead of Tom Brady in the whole Who's Going To Have The Best Career of this generation of QBs, especially since Brady's status is so up in the air right now. Ben's ability to keep a play alive today was just remarkable, and his size is also a problem. There were too many times in today's game when Raven players seemed to want to go for the ball, rather than the man... and that's not just because the ball is more valuable. They wanted no part of him, and the Cardinals aren't going to, either.