Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, the time of year has come for the entire American population to go out and buy a brand new flat screen TV and enjoy one of the most watched sporting occasions on the planet. Last year, Fox network recorded a total of 97,563,000 viewers – no wonder there’s such a premium for an advert in the commercial break!

Super Bowl XLIII is only a day away and in this article I will look at both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals and their chances of winning the most coveted prize in an NFL player’s career, the Super Bowl ring.

The Arizona Cardinals go into the game in Tampa Bay having come through as the NFC Wildcard. As a result, they faced a tricky post season which started against the Atlanta Falcons but they ran out 30-24 victors. This victory set them up nicely for the tricky away tie in the NFC Divisional against the 14 and 4 Carolina Panthers. With confidence high in the team after their victory against the Falcons, the Cardinals dominated the game from start to finish and came away with a rather impressive 33-13 win.  The result left the Cardinals one game away from the ultimate prize, the Super Bowl. Standing in their way and also hoping to reach the Super Bowl was the Philadelphia Eagles, who went into the game on the back of a great win in New York against the Giants. The Cardinals completely dominated the first half and went into halftime with the score at 24-6 in their favour. And, despite a resilient fight in the second half by the Eagles, the game was sealed by a short passing play from Warner to Hightower late in the final quarter, which gave the Cardinals a deserved 32-25 victory and put the franchise into its first ever Super Bowl.


The Steelers however had a different route into the playoffs, finishing top in the highly competitive AFC North division with an impressive 12 and 4 record. This set them up nicely for the post-season and in the AFC Divisional Playoffs they met the inconsistent San Diego Chargers, holding a record of 8 and 8 in the regular season. Unfortunately for the Steelers, the Chargers were having a hot day and dominated many facets of the game. Each quarter was evenly matched, but thanks to the sub zero temperatures in Pittsburgh (and 7 unanswered points in the third quarter) the Chargers were frozen out and Pittsburgh was victorious, winning 35-24. The Baltimore Ravens, who had comfortably seen off the Miami Dolphins and less convincingly the Tennessee Titans (winning by just 3 points), were the team that stood in the path of the Steelers and another Super Bowl appearance. With both teams famous for their defensive qualities, it was a very hard fought game with both offences struggling against the defensive strength. With just 2 points separating the teams in the final quarter, it was the Steelers instantly recognisable strong Troy Polamalu who intercepted a wayward Flacco pass for a return touchdown. This was the nail in the coffin for the Ravens and the Steelers secured their place in the Tampa Bay showdown. 

So with the gladiators decided and the colloseum in place it is with great excitement that we can look at the key players for the final battle.

The Quarter Back (QB) plays an integral role in a football team and both Super Bowl finalists have QB’s who obviously have much to offer, but similar weaknesses too.


Arizona Cardinals

Standing at 6ft 2in, Kurt Warner is the smaller of the two QB’s. However his stats for 2008 are more imposing than those of his opposite number. This season Warner has thrown for a total of 30 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and an impressive total of 4,583 yards, giving him an imposing overall rating of 96.9. These statistics have led to the unexpected success of the Cardinals this season and it is felt that if Warner can fire on all cylinders this Sunday evening, Arizona could produce a massive shock, and win their first Super Bowl and a lot of new fans.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The powerhouse that is Ben Roethlisberger stands at an impressive 6ft 5in and is 11 years the junior of Warner. This season Roethlisberger has thrown for 17 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and in comparison to Warner, a mere 3,301 yards, with a rating of 80.1. These statistics highlight that Pittsburgh rely a lot on their running game through Willie Parker and also their defensive operators who shut down opposition and have also gained a lot of touchdowns themselves.

For me, this Sunday is going to be a very testing encounter for both teams. With the Cardinals being the underdogs, they go into the game with nothing to lose and a lot to gain; a huge advantage with no pressure. Their first Super Bowl appearance is one that they should embrace and enjoy (maybe even catch a bit of Bruce Springsteen at half time). However, the opposite is true for the Steelers who go into the game expected to win having been there before. This may have a positive or negative effect on the team and it will be interesting to see if the ‘in-form’ team of the season can go all the way and secure another Super Bowl trophy.

Overall, I feel that the Steelers defence will shut down the passing game of the Cardinals and we’ll see a repeat their 2006 victory. However, if the Cardinals can effectively mix both their running and passing game then they have the chance to cause a massive upset and win their first ever Super Bowl.

 My Prediction...the Steelers to win by 10 clear points. They'll have too much for the Cardinals and the experience of playing on the big stage will prove crucial.

 
 

As you may guess after reading, this is my first attempt at writing a sports article so if you have any comments, please use the link provided. 

I thought with the 6 nations almost upon us, and with the competition at the forefront of many minds, that this would be a good place to start my journalistic adventure.

In this article I'll mainly discuss the Welsh squad, whether it has the potential to achieve another Grand Slam, and will also look at the other contenders for the RBS Six Nations Championship.

So here it is, the team that will have us Welsh fans on the edge of our seat, screaming with joy and frustration, ‘ooh-ing’ and ‘aahh-ing’ and generally keeping us glued to our screens for the few weeks.

And so it begins.....

Is this Welsh team capable of reaching the heights of 2008 and securing another Grand Slam for Wales?

For me, the announcement of the team included a couple of shocks. The main examples being the initial introduction of Cooper over Peel and the exclusion of Richard Hibbard. Will this have an effect on our success in the competition or should we trust the powers that be to again bring about the results so desired by the Welsh public. 

One heated debate that arose from the original selection was the fact that Gatland had looked past Dwayne Peel and opted for Gloucester’s Gareth Cooper. While this shock is tempered by the news of his last-minute inclusion (Cooper is injured), it shows how Gatland is a man of his word having said his players need game-time.

For me, Phillips is the first choice scrum half by a long way and he'll undoubtedly be essential to the success of the Welsh squad over the following month. Gatland however, likes to change both half backs at some point during the second half.

With the introduction of Peel, you get pace, life and excitement to the game. He constantly keeps the defence guessing and runs already tired opposition ragged. This is something Gareth Cooper lacks. Cooper tends to take an extra step back from the base of the ruck when passing the ball out. This slows down the initial momentum and gives the defence that split second head start. This isn't something that fits in well with the style of play that has now become part and parcel of Welsh rugby – fast, free flowing running rugby.

Don’t get me wrong, Cooper is a good player and would walk in as first choice scrum half to most of the other teams in the 6 Nations. I just don’t feel that he is the right choice for the way we play. And, when the Lions squad is named later this year I believe that Mike Philips and Dwayne Peel will both be on the plane to South Africa, leaving Gareth Cooper at home.

This wasn’t the only surprise in the selection however. Richard Hibbard, who has made the Ospreys number 2 jersey his own during the injury of Huw Bennett, has been left out of the squad. After a good couple of run outs in the autumn internationals and a very good showing for the regional team I felt he deserved another chance to prove himself in the Welsh jersey during the competition.

The lineout has long been a problem area for Wales and something that must have been addressed in the training camps. Matthew Rees is not the greatest hooker in the world and to be honest hasn’t impressed me much at regional level either. For me, Hibbard was the clear choice for hooker in the XV, so to leave him out of the squad entirely was a strange decision for me.

This leads on to another question... Who will get the number 8 jersey?

Ryan Jones, who has been named captain for the competition has not been firing on all cylinders this season it has to be said. However he's still a safe player who leads the boys well and always gives 100% for the team.

Then on the other hand we have Andy Powell. A player who had a great autumn test series and has continued to develop and grow as a player for the Cardiff Blues. Powell has the power to run through players and also make some crunching tackles, however he lacks that split second in his head that Jones has and his hands unlike Jones' aren't the greatest either.

After seeing Wales during the autumn I feel that Gatland will go with Powell at 8 and Jones at 6. This keeps both players in the team and it's a great compliment to the Welsh national team that we have so many world class players all fighting for a place in the team. It really is encouraging to see.

It is also interesting as a side note that Wales have not lost a game where Gavin Henson and Tom Shanklin have started together in the centre. Not a bad statistic, and one that I hope continues to be true.?

Key player – Martyn Williams

And so on to the teams standing in our way of success.

England 

Since the arrival of Martin Johnson, England have failed to impress. I don’t believe they have had enough time, or have enough quality players to be the force they have been in recent years. They'll struggle

Key player – Harry Ellis

Ireland  

Ireland are always a force, especially at home. Ireland are either extremely good or average. They have the players to do well; they just don’t seem to fire enough during the Six Nations to win the title.

Key player – Brian O’Driscoll

Scotland

Scotland are now taken a lot more seriously than they used to be. Their defence has improved no end in recent games and Scotland could be a surprise package this year especially at odds as long as 25/1.

Key Player – Nathan Hines

France  

France are always the team to watch for me. Again though, like Ireland, they are either one of the greatest teams in the world, or struggling to make the top 10. Can play great attractive rugby at times but can’t seem to grind out wins in nitty-gritty games.

Key Player – Cedric Heymans

Italy

Every year Italy get better. They give their all and never give up. They have the capability to cause upsets in this year’s competition as they did in 2007, beating Scotland and Wales.

Key player – Martin Castrogiovanni

My table predictions for this year’s competition:

1.       Wales

2.       France

3.       Ireland

4.       Scotland

5.       England

6.       Italy

That’s right. My optimism prevails again. I can see Wales successfully defending their title this year but without winning the Grand Slam as I feel they will trip up in the late night France game.

 

Well that’s the end of my first article. I hope you have found it both informative and enjoyable. If you have any comments about this article or anything else please leave them as all comments are appreciated and taken into consideration. Thank you.