It’s coming…

With the Super Bowl less than a weak away now, it’s time to really ramp up the analyses and coverage. It’s like the pregame show is already taking place with all the (duly deserved) media coverage setting their sights squarely on Tampa. Here’s some things I’ve already picked up in the media blitz that’s occured in print, on the net, on TV and wherever else is possible to print the letters XLIII.

— I think we already knew that Hines Ward won’t miss this game for the world. Even if he is banged up, he’ll be out there. He’s one of the most intense receivers there is and his down-field blocking make him valuable when the Steelers aren’t throwing.

— Apparently the pre-game hasn’t started yet; it’s “only” going to be from 1-6 p.m. After an entire two weeks of build up, is five hours entirely exclusively devoted to the Super Bowl enough? That pre-game should be starting at 6 a.m. at the latest! Why not just run a Super Bowl Network and have the pregame for XLIV start the minute after XLIII raps up in Tampa? Now that might be crossing a line.

— I’ve heard from at least one person at ESPN that the QB of the winning team will no doubt be Hall of Fame bound. Seriously? Just because every QB to have won two Super Bowls is in the Hall (excluding Jim Plunkett), that does not mean that the likes of Ben Roethlisberger deserves a ticket to Canton regardless of how he finishes his career. Kurt Warner could make a good case for the Hall with a win when you couple that with his MVPs and gaudy stat lines, but Big Ben has a long way to go before he’s surely to be enshrined.

— And really, why should I care about the teams arriving in Tampa yesterday? Do we really need the pictures of coaches Whisenhunt and Tomlin walking off their planes plastered on the front page of ESPN.com all last night? It must’ve been a really lazy night in Bristol.

— Finally, as it sits right now, I’m leaning towards taking the Steelers minus-6.5. Don’t know why but they just give me that gut feeling, even though I hate Pittsburgh.