ESPN asks if the Steelers’ prior experience in the Super Bowl, and the Packers’ lack of experience, will be a factor when the two teams meet today at 6:30 PM in Super Bowl XLV:
The Packers? This is essentially their first championship rodeo; only three of their players have played in the Super Bowl: Charles Woodson, Ryan Pickett and John Kuhn — and Kuhn, who was a non-playing fullback on the Steelers’ practice squad for Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, is the only one with a ring.
That’s a good thing for the Steelers, right?
“You get off the plane and you’ve got helicopters, you’ve got police and media and then this [media day],” Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said this week. “If you’re not used to it, it can be overwhelming. I think it helps a little bit to at least have some prior knowledge and experience with it.”
In the article, a number of former top players remember their experiences in the Super Bowl. There can be huge bursts of emotion in the game, and it might be to the Steelers’ advantage that they know how to deal with them. Then again, one might just as easily say that the emotions will hit the Packers harder and that they’ll therefore be more motivated. It’s very hard to say for sure what effect the experience issue will have, or if it will have an effect at all.