Super Bowl XLV Player Watch

By Corine Gatti

Grab your chips and salsa, maybe the antacids if it's warranted--the biggest sporting event of the year is here-Super Bowl XLV! Here are some players from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers that will inspire you or make you simply scratch your head.

Aaron Rodgers

Brett Favre, who? Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is not only helping fans forget the Favre saga, but said he's trying to be a positive leader for his team and coaches. Rodgers told Athletes in Action in October that he tries to mirror his father and Jesus Christ. “I use that model as I relate to my friends and family, my teammates and coaches,” Rodgers told the website.

“I want them to see that I really love and care for them as individuals. I try to build relationships. I feel if you are not personally invested in the people you spend every day with, then you are missing out on building a relationship and wonderful life experiences. That is what I like about Jesus: Jesus is about relationships."

Clay Matthews

Call it what you want, but football is a family thing for the Matthews. Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, who is known for his blond locks, also comes from a long football heritage. His father Clay Matthews, Jr. was a linebacker for the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons, playing the most games in NFL history (278). Bruce Matthews (uncle) spent 19 seasons in the league playing with the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans and was inducted into the football Hall of Fame in 2007. He was also selected to the FCA's Hall of Champions. Clay Matthews, Sr., (grandfather) played in the NFL with the 49ers during the 1950s. The tradition continues in the Matthews' family today. Kevin (cousin) plays center for the Titans and Jake (offensive tackle) plays for Texas A&M. Casey Matthews, a younger brother, is a linebacker for the University of Oregon Ducks.

Troy Polamalu

Soft spoken and yes, how we love to see that gorgeous hair--Steelers' Troy Polamalu is just a guy fans enjoy watching whether on the field or performing on those silly Head & Shoulders commercials (his black hair was insured by the company to the tune of $1 million). Polamalu is certainly no friend to the opposition--the strong safety has 63 tackles and seven interceptions, winning the 2010 Defensive Player of the Year award two votes ahead of Clay Matthews. Yet the eight-year pro sets his eyes on the most important achievement of his life--following Jesus Christ.

“In Western society there are a lot of vices we face. But Mother Teresa said it beautifully when she said God called us to be faithful, not successful. That is the model I aspire to live by,” Polamalu said in an interview with Pentecostal Evangel in 2007. “Because when you strive for worldly success you are striving for vanity in the worldly sense. Instead, your motivation needs to be Christ, as explained in Colossians 3:23.”

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