Yes, the passing of the Pro Bowl officially signals the end of the NFL season; that means it’s time to turn our attention to March Madness betting or the Daytona 500 odds. But the eventful 2008 NFL betting season still isn’t finished churning out interesting news.

The latest, ahem, breaking story for online betting players: Ben Roethlisberger played Super Bowl XLIII with broken ribs. Cooool. Say what you want about him — that he’s just a game manager, that he’s overrated, that he sometimes makes questionable decisions — but Ben is starting to build a solid legacy. With two Super Bowls and just entering his prime now, he’s proving that he’s far from a stopgap in Steeltown. He’s a stalwart. And he’ll help Pittsburgh remain a steady sportsbook pick for years to come.

We’ve been talking about the Super Bowl for a while now and online sports betting handicappers are getting focused as the game approaches. Before you lay it down (i.e. bet sports), let’s take a quick look back at the history of the series.

This will be the 59th meeting between the two teams and the Steelers hold the series lead (32-23-3).

The teams played last year in Arizona, with the Cardinals winning, 21-14.If you recall, that was a big matchup because it was Ken Whisenhunt’s/Russ Grimm’s first meeting against their former team. The Cardinals got a big boost from a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown by Steve Breaston, which was the team’s first punt return for a score since 1993.

This is the two team’s first meeting in the postseason, and really, those who bet sports know that postseason meetings are more vital than regular season meetings.

I know that online sports betting handicappers always want another tidbit, so here is one: the two franchises merged their rosters all the way back in 1944 and performed as Card-Pitt, finishing with a 0-10 record.

It’s been all Super Bowl betting this week and most of it has been focused on the Steelers Super Bowl odds, or the Cardinals Super Bowl betting, but don’t forget about one of the best non-in-game aspects of the Super Bowl: the ads.

We look back to the history to predict how the games will be played and how the results will be made, so let’s take a look at how last year’s Super Bow ads played out to see if we can get a hint of what’s to come this year:

Take a break from the analysis and enjoy the clips. If you want a more serious breakdown for today, visit the Betting Edge Blog.