STEEL CURTAIN STANDS BETWEEN QB AND DESTINY

By Steve Serby
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com
January 26, 2009

TAMPA, Fla. - When you cut away the fat, and tune out all the noise offered by the experts and the charlatans who pose as experts, the barebones of Super Bowl XLIII is whether Kurt Warner will have the time to light up the scoreboard at Raymond James Stadium.

In other words, as the Cardinals and Steelers arrive today, the overriding theme that arrives with them is Kurt vs. Curtain.

The Steelers' blueprint will be a duplicate of the one the Giants employed a year ago against Tom Brady: Harass, hound and hit the venerable Cardinals quarterback when they aren't trying to control the clock to keep him off the field.

If Warner can get rid of the ball quickly, if he can get the ball out to his wondrous three amigo receivers, he can win his second Super Bowl MVP award.

If the Steel Curtain, No. 1 in overall defense and pass defense, gets in his face, the Cardinals won't even cover the 7-point spread.

The pomp and circumstance begins today when six players from each team, including Warner and Ben Roethlisberger, as well as head coaches Mike Tomlin and Ken Whisenhunt, meet the media at separate press conferences shortly after arriving here.

Here is a look at the six central figures in the Kurt vs. Curtain drama, any one of whom could walk away with the MVP award:

Cardinals QB Kurt Warner: A great story and an even better guy. It isn't American to root against him. From stock boy to the Arena Football League to the top of the football mountain. Then the fall - dumped by Tom Coughlin for the express purpose of beginning the Eli ManningEli Manning Era . . . designated mentor for Matt Leinart. But Warner never stopped believing, and here he is, with eight TD passes and just two interceptions in the playoffs.

Steelers OLB James Harrison: The NFL Defensive Player of the Year will be steaming around the edge, 250 pounds of rolling-butcher-knives-mayhem on a search-and-disrupt mission. Harrison (16 sacks) has a favorable matchup against LT Mike Gandy. "The pass rushers, they've been our best friends all year," Steelers CB Bryant McFadden told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "They're going to elevate from being best friends to family members. These guys are going to be the key for us being successful."

Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald: He's playing at a level that maybe only Jerry Rice could comprehend (five TDs this postseason). CB Ike Taylor draws the unenviable assignment, but expect Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to double this freakish gamebreaker. He's more of a Lethal Weapon for Warner than Isaac Bruce ever was in St. Louis. "We are working on a short stepladder for Ike to carry around with him so he can get higher in the air," LeBeau said.

Steelers S Troy Polamalu: He saved the AFC Championship Game against Ravens QB Joe Flacco. Warner is less prone to having his eyes read, but if he makes a mistake, this is the guy who will make him pay for it. He's a ball- hawking vulture with rare speed and range. A heat- seeking missile with flowing black hair. Remember that old YankeesNew York Yankees slogan? "At any moment, a great moment." That's Polamalu.

Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin: Now that his hamstring is close to 100 percent, watch out for Q. With Fitzgerald drawing all the double teams, Boldin is a sure bet to exploit single coverage and dominate CB DeShea Townsend or McFadden. Look for Warner to throw short and quick to Boldin, who is a yards-after-the-catch menace. As for his sideline tiff in the NFC Championship Game with fiery offensive coordinator Todd Haley, Boldin said: "I think any competitor would have had the same reaction." He was angry because he was taken out of the game in a critical situation. He won't be taken out of this game.

Steelers OLB LaMarr Woodley: Harrison's sec ond- year bookend is the first player in NFL history to record three consecutive multi-sack games in the postseason (two this year, one in 2007). RT Levi Brown will have his hands full. "You think of some of the great linebackers they've had here, names like Kevin Greene, Levon Kirkland, Jack Ham, Jason Gildon, Joey Porter, and you want to be a part of that group," Woodley said. "You want people talking about you like that when you're done playing football."

It's a business trip. The Cardinals get no respect. No curfew until Wednesday. We'll hear all that today. We'll hear Kurt vs. Cur tain all week, all the way to Sun day night.

steve.serby@nypost.com