Super Bowl XLIII Preview: 'Capping the Coaches
Super Bowl XLIII Preview: 'Capping the Coaches
Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt and Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin know a lot about each other's coaching abilities and tendencies, but it's a good bet the general public knows very little about either men. When the two square off and match wits this Sunday in Super Bowl XLIII, it will be the players who have to execute and perform on the field, but the coaches calling the shots on the sidelines will be crucial to the outcome.
Doesn’t it feel like there’s a big vacuum in the NFL schedule just begging to be filled? The powers that be finally decided to do something about it last month, declaring that the 2010 Pro Bowl will be played the week after the Conference finals, in the Super Bowl host city.
This decision seems almost cosmetic for the league, but it will have ramifications for the betting market, as some handicappers will have their attention split between both the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl for seven days.
The two head coaches for the big game will probably manage the distraction just fine. The men at the top of the pro football pyramid are notoriously focused on strategy. The question is, whose strategy will work better on Super Bowl Sunday?
The players have to execute, but it’s the men on the sidelines pulling the strings. Handicappers need to know a little something about both to extend their knowledge gap over the betting public.
It would be overly dramatic to call it the main storyline of Super Bowl XLIII, but you can’t help but fixate on the coaching matchup at Raymond James Stadium. Arizona’s Ken Whisenhunt was on the Pittsburgh staff for six seasons – three with the tight ends, three as offensive co-ordinator – between 2001 and 2006. This is a man who knows a lot about the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s the kind of information that can win Super Bowls, as the Oakland Raiders found out against Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers six years ago. And don’t forget about Russ Grimm; the Cardinals offensive line coach was on those Bill Cowher teams from 2000 to 2007 before following Whisenhunt west.
Of course, the blade cuts both ways. The Steelers know a few things about Arizona’s coaches and their tendencies. Whisenhunt designed the trick plays that helped the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks (+4) 21-20 at Super Bowl XL. Arizona has resorted to trickery now and again this season as well. Fooling the Steelers will take a little more innovation.
What we don’t have on Whisenhunt is a long resume as a head coach. Here’s how Arizona did the year before his arrival, and the two years after:
The sample size doesn’t get any bigger on Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin. This is also his second year on the job, and it has to be said his job was easier than Whisenhunt’s. Tomlin was handed the keys to a recent Super Bowl winner as Coach Cowher resigned after 15 years at the wheel. The Steelers haven’t missed a beat with Tomlin in charge: 24-11 SU and 20-15 ATS, including two straight trips to the postseason, so something must be going right.
The two teams have met once with their respective new coaches on duty: Sept. 30, 2007, a Week 4 game at U. of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Whisenhunt’s Cardinals won the matchup 21-14 as 5½-point dogs. This was before it became evident that Kurt Warner was going to have an MVP-quality campaign (96.9 passer rating) and validate Whisenhunt’s choice to go with the NFL Europe veteran over former Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart (71.7 career rating).
The betting odds at press time had the Steelers as 7-point favorites on neutral ground in Tampa. That’s not much of a market adjustment. If anything, bettors are starting to sway toward Pittsburgh as the big game draws near. Many books had Arizona at +6½ earlier in the week, and some still do. The total has drifted slightly from 47 points to 46½.
Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt and Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin know a lot about each other's coaching abilities and tendencies, but it's a good bet the general public knows very little about either men. When the two square off and match wits this Sunday in Super Bowl XLIII, it will be the players who have to execute and perform on the field, but the coaches calling the shots on the sidelines will be crucial to the outcome.
Doesn’t it feel like there’s a big vacuum in the NFL schedule just begging to be filled? The powers that be finally decided to do something about it last month, declaring that the 2010 Pro Bowl will be played the week after the Conference finals, in the Super Bowl host city.
This decision seems almost cosmetic for the league, but it will have ramifications for the betting market, as some handicappers will have their attention split between both the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl for seven days.
The two head coaches for the big game will probably manage the distraction just fine. The men at the top of the pro football pyramid are notoriously focused on strategy. The question is, whose strategy will work better on Super Bowl Sunday?
The players have to execute, but it’s the men on the sidelines pulling the strings. Handicappers need to know a little something about both to extend their knowledge gap over the betting public.
It would be overly dramatic to call it the main storyline of Super Bowl XLIII, but you can’t help but fixate on the coaching matchup at Raymond James Stadium. Arizona’s Ken Whisenhunt was on the Pittsburgh staff for six seasons – three with the tight ends, three as offensive co-ordinator – between 2001 and 2006. This is a man who knows a lot about the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s the kind of information that can win Super Bowls, as the Oakland Raiders found out against Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers six years ago. And don’t forget about Russ Grimm; the Cardinals offensive line coach was on those Bill Cowher teams from 2000 to 2007 before following Whisenhunt west.
Of course, the blade cuts both ways. The Steelers know a few things about Arizona’s coaches and their tendencies. Whisenhunt designed the trick plays that helped the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks (+4) 21-20 at Super Bowl XL. Arizona has resorted to trickery now and again this season as well. Fooling the Steelers will take a little more innovation.
What we don’t have on Whisenhunt is a long resume as a head coach. Here’s how Arizona did the year before his arrival, and the two years after:
- 2006: 5-11 SU, 8-8 ATS
- 2007: 8-8 SU, 9-7 ATS
- 2008: 12-7 SU and ATS and counting
The sample size doesn’t get any bigger on Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin. This is also his second year on the job, and it has to be said his job was easier than Whisenhunt’s. Tomlin was handed the keys to a recent Super Bowl winner as Coach Cowher resigned after 15 years at the wheel. The Steelers haven’t missed a beat with Tomlin in charge: 24-11 SU and 20-15 ATS, including two straight trips to the postseason, so something must be going right.
The two teams have met once with their respective new coaches on duty: Sept. 30, 2007, a Week 4 game at U. of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Whisenhunt’s Cardinals won the matchup 21-14 as 5½-point dogs. This was before it became evident that Kurt Warner was going to have an MVP-quality campaign (96.9 passer rating) and validate Whisenhunt’s choice to go with the NFL Europe veteran over former Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart (71.7 career rating).
The betting odds at press time had the Steelers as 7-point favorites on neutral ground in Tampa. That’s not much of a market adjustment. If anything, bettors are starting to sway toward Pittsburgh as the big game draws near. Many books had Arizona at +6½ earlier in the week, and some still do. The total has drifted slightly from 47 points to 46½.