Super Bowl XLV

Super Bowl XLV is finally here. The Green Bay Packers are a 3 point favorite going in. I have spent some time this morning reading up on stuff from around the 2005 NFL Draft which saw Aaron Rodgers slip all the way to 24th pick. My San Francisco 49ers had the first overall pick in the draft that year and Rodgers was a California kid who was a lifelong 49ers fan. I'll admit that I wasn't sold on Rodgers as being a perfect fit for the 49ers but I was against Alex Smith. Long before a NFL team made the mistake of wasting a first round pick on Tim Tebow, the 49ers wasted the #1 overall pick on another Urban Meyer coached QB in Alex Smith. Rodgers was actually the 3rd QB taken (yes, that is a slight reach as Matt Jones wasn't actually drafted as a QB).

People were worried about Rodgers attitude. Looking back at his NFL career that seems almost silly but that Aaron Rodgers deserves a lot of credit for that. Earlier today ESPN played a clip from a Sportscenter interview in 2005 where they were discussing the negative perception about him and people comparing him to Akili Smith and Joey Harrington. Rodgers replied "I am better then those guys." During his interview with ESPN today he said that was a mistake and that was not him. He went on to add that the 2005 draft was the best thing that happened to him because it humbled him. Todd McShay at the time correctly predicted that going to the Packers would be good for Aaron Rodgers.

Unlike No.1 pick Alex Smith at San Francisco, Rodgers will not be under pressure to produce right away. The Packers will not be pressured to get him on the field early. It looks like a good fit for both. 

If you haven't been watching the day long pregame shows make sure you take a few moments to watch this piece on "The Fridge."

One of the four men from the VISA commercials who had been to every Super Bowl will be missing the game. To make matters worse he is a Packers fan. 

President Obama had said that he would be at the game if the Chicago Bears had made it to the Super Bowl, but he'll have to settle for a Super Bowl Party at the White House instead. President Obama will give Bill O'Reilly a live interview at 4:45 PM Eastern as part of Fox's pregame coverage.

Kurt Warner seems to agree with me that Ben Roethlisberger is overrated.

"I'm just waiting to see Ben as the guy that carries his team at some point in time. The fortunate thing for him is he hasn't had to do that. He carries them in the last two minutes. He makes some key plays. (He's) phenomenal out of the pocket and ad-libbing. But for me, if you go to the Hall of Fame, you have to be a guy who can carry your team week in and week out as a quarterback. That's my opinion."

ESPN is asking if the Steelers are a dynasty. If they do win this game it'd be hard not to label them as one having won three Super Bowls in six years. I seem to be in the minority in labeling the San Antonio Spurs championship teams a dynasty. 

ESPN.com has a story about Vince Lombardi's old house in Green Bay and the shrine it has become for football fans.

For my fellow 49ers fans, ESPN asks "What happened to the 49ers?"

Prices at the concession stands aren't as bad as I thought they would be.

Credit to ESPN for that picture

The organizers in Dallas forgot to build some temporary seats that they sold for this game. Oops! Some will be moved elsewhere in the stadium while others will get a refund for 3X the face value. 

Last Week:

Swarheit: 2-0

Imran: 2-0

rovitz: 2-0

Me: 1-1

Spudsfan: 1-1

rkref: 1-1

natthedem: 1-1

Faraz: 1-1

Overall Standings:

Me: 7-3
spudsfan: 6-4
swarheit: 6-4
Rovitz: 6-4
rkref: 5-5
Faraz: 5-5
natthedem: 5-5
Imran: 5-5

Really looking forward to this game. Two of the most stories franchises in the NFL. We all know that the Steelers are chasing a 7th Super Bowl title but if you go back to the pre Super Bowl era the Packers are going for the 12th championship. I am expecting a low scoring affair but the Packers will pull it out 20-13.

Other picks:
Imran - Steelers
Faraz - Packers
natthedem - Packers
Swarheit - Steelers
Spudsfan - Packers
As always you can leave a comment here, reach me by e-mail or .