Super Bowl XLV: What players you should watch

Nicknamed “Red Zone” Redman by the Pittsburgh media, this former Bowie State standout is a remarkably tough runner, especially for short yardage.

Shaun Suisham, kicker

As the replacement for longtime Steeler Jeff Reed, released this season after a string of misses, Suisham has been reliable and accurate. He missed two biggies for Dallas, though, in a playoff loss to Minnesota last season.

William Gay, cornerback

When Bryant McFadden was hurt, Gay played left cornerback. With McFadden back, Gay moves inside over the slot receiver. He’s a vital cog in a defense concerned with a deep and talented group of receivers.

During his suspension, Roethlisberger worked on a new pre-throwing motion, and he now holds the ball higher, at upper-chest level. That helps with a quicker release, which he will need against the hard-charging Packers.

LaMarr Woodley, linebacker

Woodley, the bookend to fellow outside linebacker James Harrison, will be going against first-year right tackle Bryan Bulaga. That’s a very tough matchup for the rookie, as Woodley already has the NFL record with 10 sacks in six postseason games.

Troy Polamalu, safety

The NFL’s defensive player of the year always seems to come through with a rub-your-eyes play that few players, if any, could make. This game could hinge on a turnover ? and he’s just the guy to force one.

This is likely to be a field-position game, and Masthay is coming off a masterful performance. He punted eight times in the NFC title game win against the Chicago Bears and limited them to 38 yards in returns.

Andrew Quarless, tight end

The Packers lost rising star Jermichael Finley to injury, leaving them with a bunch of blocking tight ends. Quarless, a rookie, is starting to emerge as a pretty good receiver too.

Sam Shields, cornerback

Shields is Green Bay’s fastest cornerback, which means he’s going to see a lot of Pittsburgh burner Mike Wallace. Shields played great against Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson and Chicago’s Johnny Knox.

Rodgers has been spectacular in the playoffs and especially good when playing inside. In 12 career starts indoors, he has thrown 26 touchdowns with only five interceptions.

B.J. Raji, defensive tackle

Stuffing the run will be vital for the Packers, who can’t let the Steelers control the ball with Rashard Mendenhall. That means Raji needs to take on two blockers and let Green Bay linebackers do their job.

Tramon Williams, cornerback

Sure, fellow cornerback Charles Woodson is the marquee player in that secondary and has Super Bowl experience. But Williams is a playmaker too, and he will get his chances against the Steelers.