TAMPA -- Just thinking out loud, and wondering why this Super Bowl Week seems to grow quieter by the day -- maybe because of the feeling that Pittsburgh is going to crush Arizona so cruelly that it won't be a Super Bowl at all.

Or maybe all the people who were here so early in the week just began to realize they can't afford the $800 face value for a ticket, not to mention scalping prices going up past $3,000, but not very fast.

My usually pretty ignorant guess: Steelers 35, Arizona 17.

Pittsburgh is going to chase Kurt Warner out into the wide-open spaces, where this noble but tangle-footed old warrior doesn't want to be. But Ben Roethlisberger will hang in that treasured pocket, and that will make the biggest difference.

Still, I can't get over the notion that Larry Fitzgerald will be the best player out there. For that matter,

I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't the greatest pure pass-catcher in league history. And, yes, that would include Don Hutson.

Prediction-wise, I haven't felt this strongly about one of these shebangs since before the 1973 Dolphins slaughtered the Vikings 24-7 in the eighth Super Bowl. And even as much bigger and stronger as today's players are, I think those old Dolphins would have a chance in one of these modern games.

Love all those Manning boys, but it's sort of nice to see somebody else get a shot at a Super Bowl MVP.

You guys have no hogging rights on that TV today. More women watched last year's Super Bowl (37.7 million) than all the people combined who tuned in on the 2008 Academy Awards (32 million). So you fetch the beer, bub.

That isn't as surprising as this -- the NFC (38.4 million) and AFC (40.7 million) championship games outdrew any Academy, Golden Globe, Grammy or Emmy awards show -- ever.

Happiest guy about the weather must be Steelers placekicker Jeff Reed. The Jeffster got an e-mail from pals back in Pittsburgh pointing out that it was 10 degrees with seven inches of snow.

Words to remember, from Cardinals running back Maurice Carthon: ``The Steelers are the No. 1 defense in the National Football League for a reason. [Steelers defensive coordinator] Dick Lebeau has a history and everybody knows what it is, and he's going to blitz and bring them from everywhere.''

Incidentally, Carthon adds that Dan Henning, now the Dolphins' offensive coordinator, taught him more about offense than anybody.

Words to forget, from Cardinal receiver Anquan Boldin: ``For me, it'll be the same as any other game.''

I don't believe this, either: ''These are days that define us as Americans: Independence Day, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving Day and, of course, Super Bowl Sunday'' -- from the otherwise rather sensible Washington Post.

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