DALLAS – They'd rather be playing in the game, of course, but that doesn't mean Texans players won't be watching Super Bowl XLV on Sunday.
Of the four Texans asked about the game this week on Radio Row, three picked the NFC's Green Bay Packers to beat the AFC's Pittsburgh Steelers.
"It's going to be a good one," right tackle Eric Winston said. "I like the Packers. I think I've been riding their bandwagon since the playoffs started with my picks, and I'm staying with them. But I think it's going to be a game of a bunch of swings and whoever has the ball last probably has a good chance of winning."
Winston, who was at the Super Bowl Media Center all week serving as a co-host on SportsRadio 610 AM, sees both teams' defenses dictating the flow of the game in the early goings.
"I could definitely see that happening where you have great defensive coordinators and no one wants to make that big mistake first, but both these quarterbacks are good players," he said. "I like (Packers quarterback) Aaron Rodgers. I like what he's doing. I like the weapons around him and I feel like if they can protect and they can spread them out, then I think they can have a lot of success against them."
Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, who made a brief stop at Radio Row on Thursday, made his Packers pick during an interview with SportsRadio 610.
"It's exciting," Schaub said of the upcoming game. "It's going to be a great one. It could easily be one of those high-scoring games, but it could also be one of those 10-7 slugfests because both defenses are playing so well. But both offenses have the firepower to score points as well, whether you're playing a good defense or not. I see it playing out to be a close game, no question. I see the Packers getting it done."
Schaub, like Rodgers, is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the league. Over the past two seasons, Schaub ranks third in the NFL in completion percentage (65.8) and Rodgers ranks sixth (65.2).
"When he gets in rhythm, he can carve you up pretty good," Schaub said of Rodgers. "He's a very accurate guy. He can make some plays outside the pocket. He always knows where to go with the football against all the looks and all the coverages, and it's impressive to watch him and his unit work."
Texans wide receiver David Anderson said Friday that he likes the Packers to win as well.
"Ever since we played the Packers up in Green Bay (in 2008), I've always been a fan of that team," Anderson said. "I thought they did a good job and am a fan of their offense. I think that's who I'm going to cheer for, and I just want to see a guy like Aaron Rodgers, who deserves to win something, win."
Running back Arian Foster, the fourth player in our small and unofficial survey, did not offer up a prediction for the game.
"I don't know who's going to win, but I'm going to go for the Steelers because I have a couple of ex-teammates that I played with in college (offensive linemen Ramon Foster and Chris Scott)," he said. "So I'm rooting for them."
