The Packers have won 12 NFL championships, most of any team. The Steelers have won six Super Bowls, most of any team. With the two franchises having such rich winning traditions, Green Bay-Pittsburgh feels like a classic matchup for Super Bowl XLV.
Forget the past, however, because this year's Packers and Steelers represent the modern NFL better than any of the league's 32 teams. In a passing league, they have the ideal offense-defense combination: a strong-armed, mobile passer and top-notch 3-4 pass rush. In other words, both teams excel at avoiding and applying pressure to make game-changing plays.
It's on to Super Bowl XLV for the Steelers and Packers. Vinnie Iyer says the two old-school franchises represent the best of today's NFL on the field.The quarterbacks in question, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger, both are great athletes blessed with strong right arms.
The defensive coordinators are known for their mastery of the zone blitz -- if Dick LeBeau is the godfather of that attack scheme, then Dom Capers, formerly Pittsburgh's play-caller, is its consigliere.
The Steelers have an elite edge rusher in James Harrison. The Packers have one in Clay Matthews.
Safety Troy Polamalu is Pittsburgh's do-everything defensive back. Green Bay similarly likes to move cornerback Charles Woodson around as an ace jack-of-all-trades. Green Bay's B.J. Raji is an up-and-coming nose tackle; Pittsburgh's Casey Hampton has set the standard at the position.
The Steelers already have won a championship with this makeup. The younger Packers have built themselves in a similar image, and are on the verge of the first of perhaps many Super Bowls with Rodgers.
Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh sounds old-school, but the two teams are part of today's elite class. And that should make for a most memorable game on Super Sunday.
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