Super Bowl XLV - Defensive Line

Green Bay - BJ Raji, Cullen Jenkins, Ryan Pickett, CJ Wilson, Howard Green
Pittsburgh - Casey Hampton, Ziggy Hood, Brett Keisel, Chris Hoke, Nick Eason

Yesterday we looked at the offensive line for the Packers and Steelers respectively. Today we look at the other side of the trenches in the defensive line. This game could be won by whose d-line outplays the other. Especially since the offensive lines seem to be the weak link for each. Both teams pack some muscle on their defensive front. Whoever controls the line of scrimmage will dictate the flow of this game. By running a 3-4 defense, these teams expect their lineman to take on blockers and free their outstanding linebacking corps to make the majority of the tackles. BJ Raji of the Packers and Casey Hampton of the Steelers due a great job of doing this for their teams.

BJ Raji has ascended towards stardom. He has already had a very productive year. Few defensive lineman can take on blocks like he can. Last week he picked off a Caleb Hanie pass and returned it for a TD to punch Green Bay's ticket into the Super Bowl. His celebration dance is what has caught the attention of most. Now everyone wants to learn how to do the Raji. His play deserves much more attention than his dance moves though. Along side him on the line are veterans Cullen Jenkins and Ryan Pickett. Jenkins forms a nice tandem with Raji, and Pickett supplies some Super Bowl experience. The Packers d-line will need to pave the way for Clay Matthews Jr. to get some free shots on Big Ben.

The defensive line of the Steelers gets the least amount of credit of any unit on that side of the ball. This is understandable when Troy Polamalu and James Harrison are the best players on the other units. Pittsburgh's d-line can be very formidable as well. Casey Hampton is the leader of the bunch. He only had 1 sack during the regular season, but he remains a monster to block even though he appears to be on the downside of his career. Ziggy Hood has played better this year and has began to prove why the Steelers used a 1st round draft pick on him. Brett Keisel has a non-stop motor and his beard is becoming a star of its own. This defensive front is not flashy, but trust me when I say the back 7 would not receive the accolades they do without a stout front.

The defensive line is where it all starts for these teams. Winning the battle up front, allows the linebackers and secondaries to make the big plays. There is not much distinguishing one team from the other here. Ultimately, I like the Steelers line a tad bit more. I love BJ Raji and think that he is going to be a handful for the Steelers to handle, but I think Pittsburgh's depth gets the edge here. The Steelers can rotate players at a better pace and this will allow them to be more fresh for what is bound to be a close game in the end.

Advantage - Pittsburgh