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Show WWIW.HERALDEXTRA.COM ‘ : Doily¥Herald Livin O Today | 4:25 p.m. | ABC ~ SeattleandPittsburghfight for the right to celebrate today in Super Bowl XL David Haugh | Chicago Tribune t was da Renaissance man Benjamin Franklin andnot da coach, Mike Ditka, whosaid that,in life, “at 20 years of age, the will reigns; at 30 the wit; at 40 the judgment.” The Super Bowl turns-40 today in Detroit. And in Super Bowls, as in life, 39 years’ experience suggests a combination ofall three qualities — will, wit and judgment — improvesthe chance at success. As the grand old gamehits middle age at Super BowlXL, an examinationofits existence mightbe instructive for fans of the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers wondering how their teams can go homewinners. Youdon't have to be a mathematician, a football expert or four-time Super Bow] runner-up coach Marv Levy,a 40-year-old coachat the College of William & Mary when the first Super Bow!kicked off in 1967,to detect certain trends, Howto win a Super Bowl? History has taught us it comes down to five steps. net Jackson's in Super Bow] XXXVIII but Thurman Thomas’ was the most damaging, and it came in Super Bowl XXVIII when he missed the first few plays because a teammate grabbed his helmet accidentally on the Buffalo Bills’ sidelines. Bad luck or bad focus? Thomas is the only player who cost his team by losing his helmet beforelosing the big game,but oth1. Avoid mental lapses ers havelost their heads. The most famous wardrobe malStanley Wilson's crack cocaine function of the Super Bowl was Ja- © binge before Super Bow! XXIII have been cited for impersonating an NFL defensive back the next dayas the Denver Broncos torched the Atlanta Falcons’distracted secondary. Starting center Barret Robbins’ bipolar-linked disappearance the night before Super Bowl XXXVII team toscorefirst has won 26 of 39 Super Bowls, according to NFL. com. Teams aheadat halftime have won 30 of 37times, and the nine teams that didn't allowtheir oppo- nents to scorein the first half never havelost That mattersin this Super Bow! 2. Take anearly lead morethan others becauseof the It's not a perfect science, because the ‘85 Bears trailed the New England Patriots 3-0 after their opening drive andtheystill are celebrating that comeback victory. But the ahawks hope to strike early to force the ground-oriented Steelers into throwing more often than their styles of the two teams. The Se- See SUPER XL, E6 ] The teacher Get ready for Super Bowl ads This year, advertisers are doing more to leverage the impact of a splashy ad on the Super Bowlby fashioning Mostpeople only know Pittsburgh coach Bill online campaigns and promotionsin hopesof keeping Cowher for his intensity and big chin. But to his players, Cowheris much more. In early December, || Holmgren when he was || || Packersin the 1990s, leading them to || Buccaneers routed them 48-21. So if the Steelers and Seahawks team hotels are harderto enter and exit than anairport terminal Saturday, they can blame those guys. Mr. Nice Guy for former BYU coach Mike | Eugene Robinson wasticketed forsoliciting a prostitute on the eve of Super Bow! XXXII] and could gave the Oakland Raidersa built-in excuse even before the Tampa Bay Authoritative. Fiery. Perfectionist. It all worked || I still has somefans in Cincinnati wondering how muchthe Bengals missed their fullback in the fourpointloss to San Francisco: coaching the Green Bay consecutive Super Bowls. Butin Seattle,it was a different story. So, at age 57, Holmgren started over, His new calm demeanor has beenjust what the Seahawks up interestin the ads. Below, Jessica Simpson appears in a Super Bowl ad for Pizza Hut. Story, E7. with the Steelers Struggling at 7-5, Cowher Sat his team down for a (slightly inaccurate) telling of the Christopher Columbusstory. Something aboutthe tale inspired, neededto help Seattle the team, spurring the Steelers to seven straight | achieve its potential. wins heading into today’s | Story, E2. big game.Story, E4. | |