rgosselin@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/
January 27, 2009
Getty ImagesJames Harrison (92) is congratulated by LaMarr Woodley during the Pittsburgh Steelers' game with San Diego on Nov. 16.
TAMPA, Fla. – It's been 38 years since an outside linebacker has affected the Super Bowl the way Chuck Howley did in 1971. That year, he intercepted two Baltimore passes for the Cowboys and won game MVP honors.
In 2001, Ray Lewis became the second linebacker to capture Super Bowl MVP honors. But he played in the middle.
Jack Ham, Ted Hendricks, Lawrence Taylor, Andre Tippett and Derrick Brooks all played outside linebacker on Super Sundays, but none could match Howley's feat.
Howley may finally get some company in 2009 with James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley.
The Pittsburgh Steelers bring the NFL's No. 1 defense and arguably the best set of bookend linebackers to a Super Bowl since 1987, when the New York Giants lined up against the Denver Broncos with Taylor and Carl Banks in their primes.
Taylor, then 27, led the NFL in sacks with a franchise-record 20 ½ and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Banks, then 24, had 6 ½ sacks as a strongside linebacker. He joined Taylor at the Pro Bowl the following season and also joined Taylor on the NFL's all-decade team for the 1980s.
Harrison, 30, won NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors for the Steelers this season, when he had a franchise-record 16 sacks. Woodley, 24, had a superb season at strongside linebacker, finishing ninth in the NFL with 11 ½ sacks.
But like Banks in the 1986 season, Woodley was overshadowed by a teammate and passed over in the Pro Bowl voting.
The Steelers win with defense, and their defense has always won with outside linebackers: Ham and Andy Russell in the 1970s, Robin Cole and Mike Merriweather in the 1980s, Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd in the 1990s, Joey Porter and Jason Gildon in the 2000s and now Harrison and Woodley.
Harrison finished second on the team with 101 tackles and led the league with seven forced fumbles. He also intercepted a pass, and one of his sacks resulted in a safety against San Diego's Philip Rivers in November.
Woodley shared the league lead with four fumble recoveries. He returned one by Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco 7 yards for a touchdown in a December game. Woodley also intercepted a pass and forced two fumbles.
When Harrison and Woodley play well, the Steelers play well.
Harrison posted sacks in 10 of the 15 games he played, and the Steelers won eight of them. He was particularly effective against Houston, posting three sacks and two forced fumbles, and against New England, posting two sacks and two forced fumbles.
Woodley played his best football in January. He collected two sacks apiece in playoff victories over San Diego and Baltimore.
Harrison and Woodley combined for 29 ½ sacks in Pittsburgh's 14 victories but just three sacks in the four losses. The Steelers will need their pass rush Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
When they met in the 2007 regular season, the Steelers managed two sacks in 35 pass attempts, and the Cardinals won, 21-14. One of the sacks was made by Clark Haggans, who now plays for the Cardinals.
Kurt Warner doesn't always respond well to pressure. Against the New York Jets in September, Warner was sacked five times, losing three fumbles, and threw three interceptions in an Arizona loss.
Minnesota sacked him four times in December, harassing him into an interception and 16 incompletions in another loss.
Warner was sacked 26 times this season, but those sacks produced 11 fumbles, including seven recovered by the defense. Fifteen of his sacks came in Arizona losses.
The Steelers have two excellent candidates to join Howley in a very select fraternity. If a second outside linebacker becomes Super Bowl MVP on Sunday, Pittsburgh will have a record sixth Lombardi Trophy.
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