Gotta love it: Super matchup for Super Bowl

DETROIT – The more I study Super Bowl XL – and in the past 10 days, I’ve done little else – the more I love this matchup.

I’m a throwback guy and the Steelers and the Seahawks bring out the best of the grind-it-out violence of the way the game was meant to be played and mix it with a smattering of today’s airborne fireworks. Given a choice, the teams would love to run the ball all day: Seattle with its MVP tailback in Shaun Alexander and Pittsburgh with its combination of Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis.

That the game is in cold-weather, blue-collar Detroit is only fitting.

Both teams pass to set up the run. Both teams have superb, destructive offensive and defensive lines. They are two of the more offensively balanced teams in the NFL.

So let’s look at the matchups.

Seahawks run offense vs. Steelers run defense: Seattle coach Mike Holmgren says left tackle Walter Jones and left guard Steve Hutchinson make up the best one side of a line he’s ever had. Both will cause problems for defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen and outside linebacker Joey Porter. Look in the middle, where center Robbie Tobeck faces nose tackle Casey Hampton, who dominated Pro Bowl players Jeff Saturday and Tom Nalen the past two playoff games. Alexander will be challenged as he never has been challenged all season, even on his favored left side of the line.

Seahawks pass offense vs. Steelers pass defense: Much of this depends on Alexander’s success. If the Steelers fail to take away the run, they won’t be able to unleash their great number of blitzes because Seattle will have avoided obvious passing downs – third and long, second and long. Seattle receivers are adept at getting open, but none is a game-breaker. The Steelers secondary already has faced Denver, Cincinnati and Indianapolis in the playoffs. They have little worry that Seahawks receivers will beat them deep. They should, however, worry plenty about tight end Jerramy Stevens, an average blocker but a superb receiver. He and safety Troy Polamalu should have some memorable collisions.

Steelers run offense vs. Seahawks run defense: Going into the NFC Championship, the Seahawks hadn’t allowed more than 81 rushing yards since Week 12, a number that dropped to 62.3 a game in the next six games. They yield just 3.6 yards a pop and rank fifth in the NFL in run defense. The Steelers will give that a stern test with flashy Willie Parker and bulldozer Jerome Bettis. The Steelers are more imposing up front than are the Seahawks, and that may have an impact on how well rookie linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill get to the ball carrier. The Seahawks gave up 151 yards to Tiki Barber. They won’t win if they repeat that with Parker and Bettis.

Steelers pass offense vs. Seahawks pass defense: As with the Seahawks, this is predicated on how well the Steelers run. And if they get a lead, the Steelers will run all day. Coach Bill Cowher and offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt won’t whine if Ben Roethlisberger throws fewer than 20 times. But if the Seahawks take an early lead and force Roethlisberger to throw, they have the No. 1 sack unit in the NFL. They gave a fearsome beating to Kurt Warner in a 37-12 victory Sept. 25 against the Cardinals and have the quickness to beat the Steelers’ protection. If the front four, led by end Bryce Fisher and Grant Wistrom, get pressure on Roethlisberger by themselves, it will take pressure off corners Marcus Trufant, Andre Dyson and, on nickel packages, Kelly Herndon. Otherwise, watch for receivers Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El to have big days, along with tight end Heath Miller.

Special teams: Give the nod to the Steelers, if only that Randle El can cause the Seahawk punt return team problems. Fumbles punts forced Holmgren to insert Peter Warrick as a returner. While he has sure hands, he’s not nearly as dangerous as Randle El. Since the game is in a dome, neither place-kicker should have trouble. The edge also goes to the Steelers coverage teams, which give up few yards, but force turnovers galore.