Super Bowl XLV preview

Super Bowl XLV preview

Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers (14-4) vs. Green Bay Packers (13-6).

When: Sunday, Feb. 6, 5:30 p.m.

Where: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas.

Home team: Packers (green uniforms). Away team: Steelers (white uniforms).

Broadcast: TV - Fox with Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analyst), Pam Oliver (sidelines) and Chris Myers (sidelines). Radio - AM-620 with Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and Larry McCarren (analyst) will be available in the Green Bay and Milwaukee markets; Westwood One with Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Boomer Esiason (analyst), James Lofton (sidelines) and Mark Malone (sidelines) will air the game across the country.

Entertainment: Pregame show - Keith Urban, Maroon 5, Blue Man Group. National anthem - Christina Aguilera. Halftime show - The Black Eyed Peas.

Practice venues: Packers, Southern Methodist University; Steelers, Texas Christian University.
Super Bowl week schedule:

Monday - Teams arrive at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (Steelers approximately 11:30 a.m.; Packers approx. 3:30 p.m.).

Tuesday - Media Day at Cowboys Stadium (Packers, 10 to 11 a.m.; Steelers, noon to 1 p.m.)

Wednesday - Packers media availability, 8 to 9:15 a.m.; Steelers media availability, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; NFL Charities Celebrity Bowling Classic, 300 Dallas in Addison, Texas.

Thursday - Packers media availability, 8 to 9:15 a.m.; Steelers media availability, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; NFL Charities Celebrity Bowling Classic, Main Event in Fort Worth, Texas; Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Friday - Mike McCarthy news conference, 8:30 a.m.; Mike Tomlin news conference, 9:30 a.m.; NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's news conference, 11:30 a.m.

Saturday - Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2011 announcement, 6 p.m.; NFL Charities Celebrity Golf Classic, Stonebriar Country Club, Frisco, Texas.
Playing indoors:

• The retractable roof at Cowboys Stadium will be closed for the Super Bowl.

• An estimated 105,000 spectators will attend the game - about 95,000 fans will be in the seats and suites, along with about 5,000 media members and staff, and about 5,000 people paid $200 apiece to be in an area outside the stadium watching on big-screen TVs.

• The record attendance of 103,985 was set in the 1980 Super Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Los Angeles Rams.

• This will be the sixth time in history that the Packers have played indoors in the postseason (3-2). It will be the second time they have played indoors in a Super Bowl, the first coming in their 35-21 victory over New England in Super Bowl XXXI at the Superdome in New Orleans on Jan. 26, 1997.

• Aaron Rodgers' 111.5 passer rating indoors (including playoffs) since 2008 ranks No. 1 in the NFL.

• Cowboys Stadium tours run daily through Feb. 10; for more information, visit http://stadium.dallascowboys.com/tours/tourInfo_SuperBowlXLVTours.cfm

Your Super Bowl Guide: Tickets; what to do; traffic alerts; more

Your Super Bowl Guide: Tickets; what to do; traffic alerts; more

Tickets

There are no tickets available to the general public. They can still be purchased on the secondary market through local brokers or national sites like Stub Hub or Ticket Exchange. But those tickets don't come cheap. A recent check of Stub Hub showed tickets ranging from $2,200 to $39,000. Don't expect to buy a ticket from a scalper outside of Cowboys Stadium . Ticket scalping is illegal in Arlington around the stadium — and you also run the risk of buying a counterfeit ticket.

Big events

Besides the Super Bowl, there will be hundreds of events held throughout North Texas during the week. Here are some of the biggest:

•The NFL Experience at the Dallas Convention Center expects to host 300,000 fans during its run at the Dallas Convention Center. It's closed today but reopens Tuesday. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under. For information or to purchase tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com , www.superbowl.com or call 1-866-849-4635.

•In Grand Prairie at the Verizon Theatre, Kid Rock headlines the kickoff of the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam Concert Series at 7 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $45 and $60 through www.ticketmaster.com. VH1 will broadcast part of the show live. The series continues at 7 p.m. Friday with the NFL Pepsi Musica Super Bowl Fiesta. Tickets are $45 through TicketMaster.

•On Saturday in Fort Worth, the Taste of the NFL will be held at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Country singer Martina McBride is the entertainment for the charity gourmet food event with 32 chefs representing each NFL city. Tickets are $500 and $600. Visit www.tasteofthenfl.com.

Crashing the big party

Crashing the big party

Super Bowl XLV is a dream matchup for Steelers and Packers fans. For Jerry Jones and his Cowboys, it's become a nightmare

Jeff Kowalski got a taste of what Super Bowl week will be like when he went shopping in the north Dallas suburb of McKinney.

"There was a guy in there wearing a Cheesehead and a Packers jersey," Kowalski said. "I was like, 'Are you kidding me? It's already started.' This matchup is killing me."

For Kowalski and other Dallas Cowboys fans, Super Bowl XLV is a tough sell. Not only does it feature teams that have dealt the Cowboys plenty of misery, but it can be argued the presence of the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers on the NFL's biggest stage, with $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium as the backdrop, casts Jerry Jones and his franchise in a bad light.

"It's a matchup that certainly illustrates what the Cowboys aren't doing well lately," said John Eisenberg, a former Dallas sportswriter and the author of the book Cotton Bowl Days: Growing up with Dallas and the Cowboys in the 1960s.

Winners of three Super Bowls in a four-year span in the 1990s, the Cowboys lag far behind the Steelers and Packers when it comes to consistent, winning football.

Polamalu, McFadden return to practice for Steelers

Polamalu, McFadden return to practice for Steelers

PITTSBURGH -- Cornerback Bryant McFadden, safety Troy Polamalu and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders returned to practice Friday for the first time since the Steelers' AFC championship victory.

McFadden strained his abdomen during a win over Baltimore in the divisional round but played Sunday in a diminished role. Sanders, a rookie, has an injured foot. Polamalu has been bothered by an Achilles' tendon injury, but it is not unusual for the All-Pro to sit out midweek practices.

All three -- as well as left tackle Jonathan Scott (ribs) who has not practiced this week -- are listed as probable for the Super Bowl Feb. 6 against Green Bay in Arlington, Texas.

Defensive end Aaron Smith (torn triceps) was limited in practice, as has been the case the past two weeks. Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) and special teamer Will Allen (knee) did not participate in any of the three practices this week.

All three are questionable for the Super Bowl, but there are serious doubts if any will be able to play.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

Packers LB Zombo back at practice while Walden rests ankle

Packers LB Zombo back at practice while Walden rests ankle

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers have some questions about their depth at outside linebacker as they get ready for the Super Bowl.

Frank Zombo is back at practice, but Erik Walden sat out Friday and might not return to the practice field until next week, leaving his status in doubt for the Feb. 6 matchup with Pittsburgh.

Zombo is an undrafted free agent who became a starter in the wake of injuries. He has missed the Packers' last six games because of a right knee injury but says he had no pain Friday.

Walden was signed in midseason and has played well. He hurt his ankle in the NFC championship game victory at Chicago on Sunday.

The Packers practice in Green Bay this weekend before traveling to Texas on Monday.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

Green Bay Packers & Pittsburgh Steelers into Super Bowl

Green Bay Packers & Pittsburgh Steelers into Super Bowl

Green Bay hung on to beat Chicago and Pittsburgh overcame the New York Jets to set up a meeting in Super Bowl XLV in Texas on 6 February.

Watch Super Bowl XLV live online!

Watch Super Bowl XLV live online!

Watch Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers go at it in the biggest game of them all! But what if you are at the office or someplace where you cannot watch the game on TV?

What are you going to do? There is a solution. You can watch the super bowl online, live as it happens.

Did you know that the day after the Super Bowl is often the most missed day of work because of people calling in and taking the day off.

People party big time when the SuperBowl comes around. You do not want to miss the party.

Super Bowl week will test recently strengthened Dallas panhandling ordinance

Super Bowl week will test recently strengthened Dallas panhandling ordinance

The potency of a newly strengthened Dallas ordinance prohibiting panhandling will be tested in the coming days as police beef up patrols before Super Bowl XLV.

Police Chief David Brown said there hasn’t been any specific push to combat panhandling leading up to the big game.

“Dallas has not increased any kind of efforts in that area,” he said. “We are doing an all-hazards approach. We are trying to treat our neighborhoods as a priority during the Super Bowl events, along with all the Super Bowl venues.”

But it’s not unusual for cities to strengthen panhandling laws ahead of major events. And with hundreds of Super Bowl activities being held in newly created “solicitation-free” zones, city officials said tougher enforcement of the policy could result from an increased police presence in those areas.

The City Council voted last month to expand the ordinance against panhandling by outlawing begging in four tourist-heavy spots: the downtown business district, Deep Ellum, Uptown and Victory Park. The measure, which went into effect Jan. 1, also added a fine of up to $500 for violations.

“Everybody is focusing on making as good of an impression as we can during the Super Bowl,” said Mayor Tom Leppert. “But the panhandling ordinance, it didn’t come in because of the Super Bowl. It came in because this is a long-term strategy of trying to make the downtown a better place to work and live.”

The panhandling crackdown is one of several efforts under way to clean up Dallas’ tourist hot spots.

On Wednesday morning, police relocated a homeless man from near the Dallas Convention Center, where the 19th annual NFL Experience will be held starting today.

Gary McClung, safety manager for The Bridge, said the man would probably return to the city’s homeless assistance center, where he had signed an agreement to permanently live.

Patrol officers said the area was the first of 10 locations they and a sanitation crew were dispatched to clean up. The sweep also targeted eyesores, such as trash and graffiti.

Homeless advocates, like Neil Donovan of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said such measures unfairly single out an already at-risk group and jeopardize the livelihood of many struggling to get by.

And while often effective in driving away panhandlers from specific locations, the policies also create an incomplete profile of the area, he said.

“Dallas has a lot to be proud of, but no one believes it’s perfect,” Donovan said. “Including people that are unhoused gives a truer picture of the community.”

City leaders dispute the notion that the ordinance is merely to impress tourists, and they have played down the connection to the Super Bowl.

But Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway readily acknowledged the benefit of having the stiffer policy in place as tens of thousands descend on Dallas.

“The message we are putting out is that panhandling in Dallas is prohibited,” said Caraway, chairman of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee.

“What better time for us to get that message across than on a national stage?”

source: dallasnews.com

News release on Dallas-area lodging website

News release on Dallas-area lodging website

New Website Allows Super Bowl Travelers to Rent Local Pads in Dallas

iStopOver.com offers sports travelers a cost-effective alternative to hotel price gouging and sell outs; Allows homeowners to generate income through short-term rentals of rooms in their homes or entire homes

DALLAS - January 24, 2011 - The impending shortage and inevitable price gouging of hotel rooms in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area during Super Bowl weekend have created a travel nightmare for football fans. A new website, iStopOver.com, provides a simple and hassle-free solution.

Dallas Cabbies Play Political Football With City Leaders

Dallas Cabbies Play Political Football With City Leaders

DALLAS—The Steelers and the Packers fought to get to the Super Bowl. Now, taxi drivers here could make it hard for fans just to get from the airport to the stadium.

The drivers, outraged by a city initiative that sends natural-gas-powered cabs to the front of the queue at Dallas's Love Field airport, are organizing a boycott that would make it more difficult for visitors to get around North Texas for the big game a week from Sunday. The Association of Taxicab Operators USA, with 700 members in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is threatening to park their cars starting Thursday if the policy isn't dropped.

Drivers say they sit for hours at the back of the line. They say the promotion of cabs powered by compressed natural gas isn't just about clean air, but an effort to boost Texas's natural-gas industry. Otherwise, they ask, why didn't it include hybrid vehicles?

"We're not going to stop unless we have something in writing," said Al-Fatih Ameen, chairman of the cabbies group. Mr. Ameen said the boycott could extend through events surrounding Super Bowl XLV and even the game itself, in which Pittsburgh and Green Bay will clash at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

Super Bowl Betting to be Super

Super Bowl Betting to be Super

Given a narrow pointspread in a game that most sports betting fans grudgingly acknowledge could be won by either of two storied franchises, the Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh Steelers, betting on Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, Feb. 6, could, indeed, be super this year.

Although it doesn't approach the amount of money wagered on the World Cup of Soccer, the Super Bowl is North America's No. 1 betting attraction, a game that can translate into vast profits or horrific losses for sportsbooks.

Both the Packers and Steelers have been friendly to football betting devotees throughout the gridiron campaign, but even more so in the post-season. Green Bay, the last NFC team to qualify for the post-season, is 13-6 straight up (SU) overall and 12-7 against the spread (ATS) for the entire season, plus 3-0 SU and ATS in the playoffs, beating both Philadelphia and Atlanta as a small underdog before covering as a road favorite versus Chicago.

Pittsburgh, which gained a bye in the opening round of the AFC Playoffs, is 14-4 SU and 12-6 ATS overall, including covers as a favorite against both Baltimore and the New York Jets in its two post-season games.

Also, by way of comparison, the Packers were 8-6 ATS in the role of favorite this season while the Steelers are 3-1 ATS when listed as an underdog.

The line for the game opened with Green Bay favored by 1 1/2 but quickly was bet up to 2 1/2, a number that seemed to be holding early in the week. At least one book already has moved the Packers to -3 offering +110 (bet $100 to win $110) if you're brave enough to give away a field goal. That means you take +3 on Pittsburgh but you have to lay -130 (bet $130 to win $100), a departure from the traditional 10/11 odds (bet $110 to win $100) that is the mainstay of football betting. Three is a key number in pointspread protocol so, barring a major development, don't expect the line to go any higher than that. If sportsbooks get to three, they won't move off it, fearful of being middled or sided on the game.

Those who prefer betting on the money line (no points) can lay -140 that Green Bay wins the game or take +120 that Pittsburgh wins its seventh Super Bowl in eight tries.

The total for Super Bowl XLV opened at 44 1/2 but like the pointspread, has moved higher, to as much as 46 1/2 at some books.

Although upwards of 80 percent of the more than $2 billion wagered on Super Bowl XLV will be on the side and total, historically, sportsbooks have extended the betting menu to include hundreds of other ways to become involved in the Super Bowl betting cavalcade.

Already, prices are up for whether more points are scored in the first half of the game (+ 1/2 point, -130) or the second half (- 1/2 point, even money).

Sports betting aficionados also can bet on which quarter will have the most points scored:

First quarter: +280

Second quarter: +165

Third quarter: +300

Fourth quarter: +220

If this year is anything like seasons past—and there's no reason to believe it won't be--the onslaught of propositions that follow will be impressive both in their volume and creativity.

You can expect props on oddities such as a safety, a missed extra point, a successful two-point conversion, a blocked punt and whether at least one of the Super Bowl's four quarters will be scoreless. Gamblers also will be able to pick their own pointspread, with accompanying odds, of course, and bet whether either team will score three unanswered times in the game.

There'll be odds on a defensive or special teams score, which coach is the first to challenge a call and whether or not he'll be successful, and if the initial first down of the game is via run, pass or penalty.

And surely, some enterprising bet taker will look at the calendar, realize that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be playing the Washington Capitals on Super Sunday, and devise some prop involving the points scored by the Pens' Sidney Crosby against how many turnovers the Steelers have.

With a quality matchup, a close line and sportsbooks more than willing to display their innovation, Super Bowl betting should be super this year.

source: cappersmall.com