Casey Hampton and Larry Foote said they were hoping the Carolina Panthers would be their Super Bowl XLIII opponent, not the Arizona Cardinals. It's not because they were rooting against their former coaches, Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm. Rather, they wanted to play the Panthers or even the New York Giants in the Super Bowl because they were teams with the top rushing offenses in the league.

Against the Cardinals, who have the second-rated pass offense in the league, Hampton and Foote are likely to spend more time on the sideline than the playing field. That's because each of them -- Hampton, a four-time Pro Bowl nose tackle, and Foote, a starting inside linebacker -- do not play in the Steelers' nickel or dime defensive packages. Those are packages the Steelers will likely use often in an attempt to help control a Cardinals offense that features three 1,000-yard receivers, including playoff giant Larry Fitzgerald.

"That's why we wanted Carolina," Hampton said. "We'd get the PT."

"PT" is short for playing time, and Hampton and Foote each get reduced amounts of that against pass-oriented teams. Hampton gets replaced by an extra cornerback, Deshea Townsend, and Foote gets replaced by linebacker Lawrence Timmons when defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau uses his substitution packages.

But don't think of Hampton and Foote as spectators yet. The Cardinals might have a secret weapon in mind for the Steelers, a player they pulled from the closet and dusted off for the postseason. His name is Edgerrin James, and all he has done is lead all playoff rushers with 203 yards on 52 carries.

When quarterback Kurt Warner was asked earlier this week to name a player who could be a hidden factor in the game, the player he selected was James, who is no stranger to the Steelers defense. He is one of just four running backs in the past five seasons who have rushed for more than 100 yards in a game against the Steelers. James did it in a Nov. 28, 2005, game in Indianapolis, rushing for 124 yards on 29 carries. But, as Foote recalled, that was in a game in which the Steelers used a lot of their nickel defense to stop the Colts' passing game with Peyton Manning.

The Steelers have allowed two 100-yard rushers since -- Thomas Jones of the New York Jets and Jacksonville's Fred Taylor, each of whom accomplished the feat in the 2007 season. Jones ended a streak of 34 consecutive games, including playoffs, without a 100-yard rusher. Since Taylor had 147 yards Dec. 16, 2007, the Steelers have gone 21 games without allowing a 100-yard rusher.

"We know that in January and February, it is attrition football, and you definitely have to have a running game and be well-balanced throughout the playoffs," said Pro Bowl linebacker James Farrior, the team's leading regular-season tackler. "When you have a one-dimensional team, you can do a lot of different things if you know what they are going to be doing. We are definitely going to have to be aware of the running game, and that will be our first key."

Gerry Dulactakes a daily look at a matchup that looms important to Sunday's game at Raymond James Stadium: