As a football fan, it’s impossible not to salivate when thinking about Super Bowl XLV.
 
This game will pit two of the most storied franchises in the history of the NFL against each other. The team with the most Super Bowl trophies against the team that won the first two.
 
It will showcase Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger trying to put himself back in the good graces of Steeler Nation with his third Super Bowl ring against Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers who could finally emerge from the specter of Brett Favre for good.
 
Which defender with amazing hair will hoist the Lombardi trophy above their flowing mane, the incomparable Troy Polamalu or the relentless Clay Matthews Jr.?
 
The matchup between Steeler receiver Hines Ward and Packer cornerback Charles Woodson, two veterans who have been called “wiley” on more than one occasion, should be epic.
 
And perhaps most refreshingly, there are no Daniel Snyders or creepy Al
Davises involved with these franchises. Both have been built meticulously through the draft, almost completely ignoring the Al Haynesworths of the world.
 
The game has all the potential to be one of the better Super Bowls in recent memory if the teams can duplicate their 2009 late-season matchup, which Pittsburgh won, 37-36.
 
The game was a back-and-forth affair, where the two quarterbacks combined to throw for 886 yards and six touchdowns, and Roethlisberger hit Mike Wallace in the endzone as time expired to win the game.
 
Having said that, I am leaving objectivity at the curb. I grew up in Wisconsin, and I can honestly tell you I will be title-belting my TV after every solid play. Win or lose.
 
Doing my best Nostradamus impression, here’s a preview of what’s to come.
 
At the Pittsburgh 5-yard line, Rodgers looks left, looks right and takes the snap. I lean on the edge of my couch.
 
Greg Jennings — the man with the team on his back — is locked up by a cornerback who is anxiously awaiting the rocket from the cannon that sits squarely on the quarterback’s shoulder, but it’s not coming. I wring my Packers hat in my hands.
 
With no other options, the nimble quarterback from Chico, Calif., takes off for paydirt, easily beating some schmuck defensive end who knew he never had a chance. I shoot from the edge of my couch, spilling some frosty beverage all over my living room.
 
Then the chosen one unleashes it — the title belt. In turn I follow suit — over and over again.
 
Come try to take it, Blitzburgh.
 
The vaunted Steelers defense might succeed once or twice in knocking A-Rod on his back.
 
Falcons defensive end John Abraham got to Rodgers and mockingly put on his own title belt, though I’d grade his effort a C at best.
 
Bears defensive end Julius Peppers even gave him a bloody lip.
But in the end, Mr. Rodgers and his gang will be pairing their title belts with some shiny new hardware.
 
They’ll parade the Lombardi trophy along Lombardi Ave., in Green Bay, Wis., and they’ll show off those fancy Super Bowl Champion rings to the faithful. And all will be right with the world.
 
Expect Rodgers to step up on sport’s highest stage and deliver a performance that will solidify his standing among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. Packers 27, Steelers 17.
 
Returning the Lombardi trophy and the title belt to Titletown.
 
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Contact Luke Johnson at
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