Can the Packers’ defence contain Big Ben’s offense?
With the fears and aspirations of Super Bowl looming over, there is one question that everyone has on their minds; can the Green Bay Packers’ defence contain Ben Roethlisberger (Big Ben) and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense?
B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews are part of the Packers’ defensive line that will have their work cut out for them against the Steelers’ offense, trying to pressurize and contain Big Ben. But the secondaries are the ones that everyone has their eye on. They
are the ones that can get the job done, as they have been doing so for the past couple of weeks in the playoffs, behind the front seven.
Even a kicker would be able to play as a safety if he had cornerbacks like Tramon Williams and Sam Shields. They do a very good job as far as body position and ball handling skills are concerned. Shields has grown up right in front of the public and is going
to the Super Bowl in his first year as a professional.
Week 9 replays against the Dallas Cowboys show obvious Shield’s body position and ball handling skills, when he intercepted Miles Austin off of what would have easily been a touchdown pass. He jumped up, got right in front of Austin, and kept the ball close
to him when he came crashing back onto the field.
Another great example of great coverage comes in the NFC Championship Game against the Chicago Bears. Johnny Knox is running for a catch but once again due to Shield’s body positioning and ball skills, the Packers benefited from an interception.
In the same game, Williams came up with a great play. He saw the opportunity, got in front of the intended receiver, bringing the ball close to his body so he didn’t end up losing.
When one looks at the Packers’ secondaries, they have an excellent understanding of who will help them and how they will help. They have great body positioning and astounding ball skills, meaning that they do not drop any of their interceptions.
The key time for Green Bay will be on the third down. If the Packers can bring the Steelers to a third down with six or seven yards to go, they will be able to take them down. How? Take a look.
The Steelers will also have to worry about Raji and A.J. Hawk once they get to that point, not just Matthews. The Packs’ defence works so well together that the third down is a great one for them. The linebackers will run in and block the offensive lineman.
They take the blockers down and allow Matthews to use his speed and come around from the outside. Now it isn’t easy to take down Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Michael Vick. But the Packers, especially Matthews, were able to make to the Wild Card playoff
game. Matthews is fast and agile, a formidable combination for a linebacker of his size.
The credit doesn’t just go to the linebackers. In the championship game against the Bears, the linebackers occupy the offensive lineman while Shields runs right at quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler would have been able to complete the pass if it hadn’t been
for the blockers in the backfield. They dropped back to the receivers, blocking Cutler’s field of vision so that he was forced to hang onto the ball and be taken down by Shields.
The plan for the Packers to take down the Steelers’ offense is fairly simple; play the same way that they have been for the past few weeks. However, there is a slight speed bump for the Packs - a six foot five inches, 241 pound quarterback known as Big Ben.
For him, all they have to remember is that Roethlisberger will not throw the ball away. They have to make him hold the ball by sending one rusher at him and then get the rest of the defenders to bring Roethlisberger down.
Super Bowl XLV will start at 6:29 PM ET at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Is there a better way to bring the Steelers down? Have your say!
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