Local Coaches Go Head-to-Head on Super Bowl XLV

With Super Bowl XLV on Sunday, we turned to our local middle and high school football coaches to get a reading on the big game between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Representing , and , here's what the coaches had to say:

Macomb Patch: Who is your Super Bowl pick and why?

Paul Sassin, freshman head coach, Dakota High School: Steelers because of their experience and their ability to be great in all aspects of the game. They have a great running game that opens up a great play-action passing game. Their wide receivers are so fast on the outside, which means Green Bay can't get caught looking into the backfield or they will get beat deep. Steelers defense and special teams will not make many mistakes. They have so many strengths that they can win even on a bad day. Green Bay has to play well for four quarters to beat the Steelers.

Gary Faszholz, varsity head coach, Lutheran High School North: Steelers. They have the experience edge.

Matt Hussey, eighth-grade head coach, Iroquois Middle School: I love the Steelers. I want them to win. I guess I like them because the city of Pittsburgh is a lot like Detroit in a way, hard-working, blue-collar town. They have a tremendous defense, one of the best in the league, no doubt.

Chris Cicchini, freshman offensive coordinator, Dakota High School: I believe the Steelers will win the Super Bowl. The Steelers have a very strong and fast defense. Also Roethlisberger can hurt opposing teams by running and throwing the ball.

Macomb Patch: How big of an advantage do you think Ben Roethlisberger's previous big-game experience gives the Steelers?

Sassin: Ben has tons of confidence and plays great in big games. That was proven when he won his first Super Bowl at such a young age. He is a guy that has never really been rattled.

Faszholz: I like his experience and I think he handles the Steelers' offense well.

Hussey: A huge advantage. I believe only two people on the Green Bay Packers have Super Bowl experience and 26 or something have experience in the Super Bowl on the Steelers.

Cicchini: The experience of being in this game situation before is to his advantage but anything could happen like in last year's Super Bowl between Manning and Brees.

Macomb Patch: Does the Packers sharing a division with the Lions make a difference in whether you want them to win or lose?

Sassin: No, but go Lions!

Faszholz: No. But I'd like the Packers to win.

Hussey: I would like to say no, but the truth is yes. I am a die-hard Lions fan, always have been, always will be.

Cicchini: No. I just like seeing good games and it seems like this one should be a good matchup.

Macomb Patch: Which coaching staff do you feel has the advantage in this game?

Sassin: Steelers. Dick LeBeau's defensive game plan is always great.

Faszholz: Maybe the edge goes to the Steelers, experience.

Hussey: Well, this goes back to the experience factor. Mike Tomlin has been here before and has won the game in the fourth quarter. Mike McCarthy has never been in a Super Bowl.

Cicchini: Steelers staff may have the advantage because they may have learned from their past experience on how to prepare.

Macomb Patch: Are there any similarities between the offensive and defensive
schemes your team runs and those run by the teams in the Super Bowl?

Faszholz: Yes, even at this level they miss blocks, don't pick up blitzes, read the
wrong pass coverage and basically play like high school kids on occasion,
only faster.

Hussey: Yes I believe so. For the Pittsburgh Steelers they want to pound the ball on offense and throw the ball when needed and maintain possession of the ball as well as wear down your defense. Our Iroquois team goes for the same goal. However, for the defense, the schemes are totally different.

Cicchini: The Steelers O-scheme of allowing the quarterback to make decisions on the run is very similar to our offense. It forces the D to make a decision and our quarterback can read the situation and make a big play.

Macomb Patch: Which positional matchup are you most interested in seeing in this year's game?

Faszholz: All of the Packers' receivers against the Steelers' secondary, which should get interesting.

Hussey: I am very intrigued to see how the Packers defensive line tries to contain and bring down big Ben Roethlisberger. He has been known to escape from pressure when you least expect him to escape. It will be interesting to see if they will be able to limit his mobility or will he be able to make the historic plays he has made in the past.

Cicchini: I am interested in seeing how the Green Bay linebackers handle Roethlisberger when he gets out of the pocket.

Macomb Patch: Who is your pick as a sleeper to have a big game?

Faszholz: James Starks, Packers' running back.

Hussey: Oh man, my sleeper to have a big game would have to be Antonio Brown, he's a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers and he is also a rookie this year and many people do not expect him to have a big game.

Cicchini: I think that Heath Miller (TE) and Rashard Mendenhall (RB) will have big games for Pitt because the D will be so focused on Ben running from the pocket. That will open up these two guys for the dump-off pass.  

There you have it Macomb, a clean sweep for the Steelers among these gridiron minds. Seems as though they believe experience will play a big factor in the game. We'll see come Sunday. In the meantime, share your thoughts on how Super Bowl XLV will play out in the comments below.