Super Bowl: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals

The biggest sports betting event of the year takes place on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals meet on the grid-iron to determine the winner of the 2008-2009 Super Bowl.

The Cardinals are the surprise team after garnering a 9 and 7 straight-up record during the regular season. The Pittsburgh Steelers, my pre-season pick to win the Super Bowl at the BetUS online sportsbook betting odds of 20 to 1 in the pre-season, quickly solidified themselves as a contender after the first month of the season.

Both teams fought hard to get here but only one team will be crowned the best in the NFL.

Let’s take an in depth look at the against the spread line in this game as well as analyze each team’s particular strengths and weaknesses.


BetUS online betting odds:

Pittsburgh Steelers -6 ½, -115 vs. Arizona Cardinals +6 ½, -105.


Steelers’ offense vs. Cardinals’ defense: The Steelers are a terrific offensive team with Big Ben Roethlisberger, who already has a Super Bowl victory under his belt, having a plethora of weapons to throw to. Hines Ward might be too hurt to be effective in this game but it shouldn’t hurt Big Ben who can toss the pig skin to Santonio Holmes, tight-end Heath Miller, Nate Washington or Limas Sweed. Ben can also hand the ball off to Mewelde Moore and the brilliant Willie Parker. With so many weapons the Cardinals defense is going to have to really get to Ben in order to slow that Steelers’ offense down. There’s no chance of that, though, because Pittsburgh’s offensive line is absolutely fantastic.

The Cardinals’ D is good but not great. Pitt has already shown the ability to beat-up a great defense. They beat the Ravens three times this season. The Cardinals D has no chance.

Edge: Steelers


Cardinals’ offense vs. Steelers’ defense: The Cardinals’ offense is exceptional with future hall-of-famer Kurt Warner playing in his third Super Bowl. Warner rarely makes a mistake and can do some fantastic things against the blitz. He’s a mind reader out there and always, always makes the right throw. Both Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald are masters at the wide receiver position and Fitzgerald is arguably the best wide receiver in the league. Tim Hightower has become a very, very good running back.

But as good as the Cardinals’ offense is, the Steelers’ D is better. With James Harrison coming off the edge or up the middle on blitzes, and Troy Polamalu roaming the middle of the field, Warner is facing the toughest defense he has faced all season. The Cardinals did play the Steelers tough early on during the regular season but this Steelers’ D has gotten better. The Steelers’ defense is playing at too high of a level for the Cardinals to overcome.

Edge: Steelers


Special Teams: The Steelers have a huge, make that a massive, advantage in this department with Santonio Holmes returning punts. How massive? Holmes could easily turn this game around, hell, bury the Cardinals with one or two good run backs. Because Holmes is so adept at returning punts that NFL betting fans might as well give up on the idea of the Cardinals winning the field position battle. This is another category where the Steelers’ have an edge.

Edge: Steelers


Coach: Mike Tomlin has to be congratulated for taking his team to a Super Bowl at the age of 37. The man is very good at allowing his coordinators to do their jobs. He’s an excellent manager who delegates and uses his people skills to get his players to work at an optimum level every time they step onto the field. Ken Wisenhunt for the Cardinals worked as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator and pretty much created Ben Roethlisberger. Wisenhunt knows what Ben does on the offensive side of the ball. That gives the Cardinals a slight edge in this category, but it might not be enough.

Edge: Cardinals


Final Analysis: That sound you hear coming through your computer screen? That’s me running, not jogging, running to the BetUS online sportsbook betting window to throw a bunch of money down on the Pittsburgh Steelers!

The ½ point swing that just occurred this morning, the Steelers were at -7 just yesterday, makes me giddy. It’s a huge ½ point in this game. I just don’t see how the Cardinals don’t lose by at least a touchdown in this game.

Defenses win Super Bowls. The Pittsburgh Steelers have that.

Furthermore, the Cardinals meltdown in the second half of the NFC Championship game, they gave up 19 straight points to the Philadelphia Eagles, tells me that Big Ben and the Steelers’ offense could rack up tons of points.

The Steelers have been impressive all season long while the Cardinals got hot in the playoffs. Arizona has had two weeks to ponder how good the Steelers are while Pittsburgh knows they are good.

I’m going with the confident, experienced, better team in this game. That’s Pittsburgh.

Pick: Pittsburgh at -6 ½ in the BetUS online sportsbook.


Good Luck!

Santa Anita Park: Grade II San Marcos

The Grade II San Marcos is the highlight race of MLK Day at Santa Anita Park. It's cloudy out here in SoCal, but the clouds might not last and it might not rain.

That means that the San Marcos, run 1 1/4 miles over the lawn, shouldn't have to switch to the Pro-Ride surface.

If the San Marcos stays on the lawn, then the obvious play to me is the 8 top 1 morning line Marsh Side.

Out of the Neil Drysdale barn, Marsh Side was last seen upsetting Dr. Dino in the Grade I Canadien International. He looked brilliant in that race. Now, he comes into this off of a lay-off. Can he continue to improve? I think so.

I also like Spring House to bounce back after two sup-bar efforts at those 5 to 1 morning line odds and Stream Cat, at 4 to 1, and Artiste Royale, at 3 to 1, to make their presence felt.

Good Luck!

NFL: Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Even though the Steelers are 5 1/2 favorites at home to beat the Ravens for the third time this season, there's no doubt that the bird, the bird, the bird is the word in this game!

Baltimore is easily one of the best defensive teams that has ever stepped onto the football field and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco is becoming a master at throwing the long ball to Mark Clayton.

This is a good team and for the Steelers to beat them, with an injured Troy Polamalu, a lot has to go the Steelers' way.

I love Pittsburgh. I picked them to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season, but there is definitely something special about this Ravens team.

I'm going with the Ravens to not only beat the 5 1/2 point spread but to beat the Steelers straight-up at + 200.

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals host the Eagles for the right to go to the Super Bowl. This is a huge surprise since all of the talk at the beginning of the year regarding the NFC was about the Cowboys and Giants.

The Eagles needed everything to break their way in the last game of the regular season and it did.

The Cardinals needed to get off of a terrible losing streak and beat the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers to get here and they did.

Who has the upper-hand in this game? Actually, it's Arizona. Nobody on the Eagles' defense can cover top wide receiver Larry Fitzgerals and 'Zona's D has been playing better than any unit in the playoffs.

The Eagles have options on offense but on defense Jimmi Johnson blitz schemes will be put to the test by Kurt Warner who can read the blitz better than anybody.

I have to go with the home underdog in this one.

I'm betting the Arizona Cardinals to win the game straight-up at around + 160 on the money line.

NFL: San Diego Chargers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers played a classic during the regular season with the Steelers pulling out an 11 to 10 victory.

Why are the Steelers 6 point favorites in this game when that game was so close? First, LaDanian Tomlinson is hurt. Second, as good as his back-up, Darren Sproles, is, the Steel-Men have enough speed on defense to keep Sproles in check.

To me, that will be the key. The Chargers' D is going to have to really fight to get to quarterback "Big" Ben Roethelisberger and Pittsburgh has a much better running game than the Colts, whom the Chargers beat last Sunday.

I like the Steelers to cover in this one. I'm partial to the Chargers because they were really screwed by the NFL schedulers this season, but I can't take them. I have to go with the Steelers.

The Steelers should win by between 7 to 10 points in this game.

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants

Did we just witness the end of Jake Delhomme's career? I'm not sure a human being can bounce back from the thrashing he took at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals last night. Seriously! That was an ass-whipping! Congratulations to the Cardinals who definitely proved me wrong.

The New York Giants will be trying to end Donovan McNabb's career in their game against the Philadelphia Eagles this morning. I don't believe McNabb is necessarily as good or better of a quarterback than Delhomme. He has, though, been through the fire once before and knows how to win.

But he doesn't know how to win the way the entire Giants' organization does. That's the key to me. The G-Men are just the most professional team in the NFL from top to botoom. Their fourth string players play as hard as their first stringers.

The New York Giants lost a game to Philly already this season. They won't lose again.

I like the G-Men to cover the 4 point spread in this game.

Santa Anita Pick of the Day: Race 8 - - Grade II San Pasqual Handicap

Well Armed returns to the races after bombing as the chalk in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He never got into the race in that one.

Can he bounce back in this? I'm not sure that he can. Regular rider Aaron Gryder believes so and so does trainer Eoin Harty.

But I'm not convinced at all. I believe that there's too much speed in the San Pasqual this year and to me that means that taking a flyer on a horse at overlaid odds is the way to go.

Who is that horse? It has to be Marchfield from Mark Casse's barn. Casse usually trains up at Woodbine. He brought a few horses down to Santa Anita and he's been doing pretty good lately. The key is that Patrick Husbands, Marchfield's regular rider, takes the call.

Husbands is an underrated guy. The morning line isn't bad either at 8 to 1.

I'm going to play Marchfield with Past the Point and the Tood Pletcher trained Cowboy Cal in this race.