The most motivated two people on the planet for Sunday afternoon's Pittsburgh Steelers-Arizona Cardinals game likely will be on the Arizona sideline.
As new coach Mike Tomlin tries to lead the Steelers to their first 4-0 start in 28 years, Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt and assistant head coach Russ Grimm will be looking to prove they should have gotten the top job in the Steel City.
Tomlin was hired as coach of the Steelers on Jan. 22, with many on the team thinking the job should have gone to Whisenhunt, who was Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator from 2004-06. Also a candidate for the Steelers head coaching position was Grimm, a Pittsburgh assistant under Bill Cowher. In fact, one media report had Grimm getting the job before it went to Tomlin the next day.
"It is really a non-story for me, to be honest with you," Tomlin said. "It is a big football game because it is the next game. I am here. I want to be here. I am glad to be here. If it is a story at all, it is their story, not ours."
However, a bigger storyline may be shaping up for the 1-2 Cardinals.
For one series in the second quarter in last week's loss to Baltimore, QB Matt Leinart, the 24-year-old face of the franchise, went to the bench when a preplanned, no-huddle offense run by Kurt Warner, his 36-year-old backup, caught the Ravens off guard.
With Leinart struggling for the second time in three games, however, Whisenhunt returned to the no-huddle offense and Warner in the second half, and Warner erased a 23-6 deficit before Arizona came up short.
So is there a QB controversy in the desert?Whisenhunt, said it's "not maybe the perfect scenario," but that Leinart is the starter and Warner will see some playing time. And Warner said this is still Leinart's team.
However, the former Heisman Trophy winner from USC brings only a 62.6 rating into this game.
"When he's been challenged," Whisenhunt said, "he's responded. Adversity reveals character, and he's shown that."
Either Leinart or Warner won't likely be throwing to Anquan Boldin, one of the league's top receivers. Boldin is doubtful with a hip injury, which means the Steelers can focus on Larry Fitzgerald and running back Edgerrin James a little more closely.
Pittsburgh will be without its best receiver as Hines Ward (knee injury) won't play. Ward, second on the team with nine receptions, has at least one catch in 136 consecutive games.
Ward's injury is about the only bad news thus far for the Steelers, who outscored their first three opponents - Cleveland, Buffalo and San Francisco ? by a combined 97-26. Pittsburgh is third in the NFL in scoring (32.3), first in rushing yards (595) and points allowed (8.6) and second in sacks (12).
Willie Parker has been the offense's main catalyst with a league-best 368 rushing yards. He had his third100-yard game of the season in Sunday's 37-16 home victory over San Francisco, reaching the 100-yard mark for the sixth time in his last seven contests.
The lowdown: Pittsburgh is 13-1 in its past 14 games against the NFC, but I like the Cardinals here to possibly win outright, but definitely cover the 6-point spread on WagerWeb.com. It seems like a typical trap game, and I expect Leinart to bounce back with last week's semi-benching as motivation. Plus, losing Ward is a big blow for Pittsburgh.
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