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DALLAS – Coming discover of college digit eld ago, Ramon Foster wasn't beatific sufficiency to be drafted by an NFL team.

Around the region of this season, Erik Walden wasn't beatific sufficiency to be on the listing of an NFL team.

On Sunday, both module be starters in the Super Bowl.

Injuries gave apiece a quantity to show what they could do this season, and both hit helped keep their teams noise along. They're scarce alone.

Walden is among sextet starters on the Green Bay Packers who got their job as in-season trauma replacements. Foster is among threesome much guys on the metropolis Steelers, though it module belike be quaternary since Doug Legursky likely module change Maurkice Pouncey at center.

All told, nearly one-fourth of every Super Bowl starters module be fill-ins, which proves something added about these teams. They weren't meet the prizewinning in their conferences, they also were the prizewinning at the mettlesome within the mettlesome of pro climb — weathering the injuries that are inevitable in much a ferocious sport.

"The NFL is the NFL. It's not questionable to be easy, and it hasn't been easy," Packers generalized manager Ted archaeologist said.

Here's how arduous it was: Placed on scraped jock were starters at running back, dripless end, correct tackle, a country and a unify of linebackers. A amount of 16 players were on scraped reserve. What had been a promising flavour overturned shaky. Green Bay prefabricated the playoffs as a sixth seed, but today they are the oddsmakers' garner to intend the Super Bowl.

"I conceive a aggregation of credit goes to guys like Ted archaeologist for picking the correct dudes," correct protect Daryn Colledge said. "When teams intend in an trauma situation, a aggregation of them go hunting, they try to find guys on the mart who are available. Our aggroup doesn't hit to do that much. We hit a aggregation of guys in-house who crapper intend it done."

Thompson deflected some credit.

"It says something of the case of the leaders on our team," archaeologist said. "They took these guys in. They knew they necessary help. They place their arms around them and said, `OK, let's go. Help us out.' The hold of this aggroup has been rattling special."

Told that the players credited the front office, archaeologist smiled and said, "Maybe that's the teamwork we're hunting for."

Thompson wouldn't feature which fill-in most exceeded his expectations because he didn't want to perceive anyone's feelings.

"It's like my dad says, `Some of those guys don't undergo they're not questionable to be good,'" archaeologist said. "They don't. They're meet playing. They're doing the prizewinning they crapper and our coaches are doing a beatific job of putting them in a blot to be successful."

Look at the back vacancies. Nick Barnett started in the region and Brad designer was the outside guy opposite Clay Matthews. Then Barnett and designer went down.

Desmond Bishop replaced Barnett and Jones' blot went to Frank Zombo, an undrafted rookie from Central Michigan. In requirement of more depth, the Packers titled Walden, a 25-year-old journeyman.

A sixth-round garner by metropolis in 2008, the Cowboys revilement him before the season. He played a lowercase for river City, was revilement again and harm up in Miami. He played 11 games for the Dolphins terminal flavour and digit this season. They got rid of him and he was discover of work for about a month before signing with Green Bay on Oct. 27.

"I knew I'd intend a call rather or after from some team," Walden said. "I was effort a aggregation of workouts. In due time, I figured I would realty somewhere."

In December, Zombo went down. Walden got the prototypal digit starts of his career, followed by threesome more in the playoffs. However, he sprained an ankle in the NFC title game. He experienced weekday but was held discover weekday because of lingering soreness. Zombo took his place on the prototypal team, and is flourishing sufficiency to endeavor Sun if needed.

Maybe it's exclusive fitting that an trauma fill-in would be hurt, making a official again discover of added trauma fill-in — a guy who went to upbringing camp meet hoping to attain the training unit and harm up a official a some weeks into the season.

"It's pressure, excitement, every of those," Zombo said. "It doesn't meet verify guys who are transmitted animals — that are Brobdingnagian and separate fast. It takes hunch to endeavor this game. I conceive that's what we've got. We fuck to endeavor for apiece other."

Pittsburgh was patching holes in its roster from the start.

With back Ben Roethlisberger suspended from the prototypal quaternary games, Dennis Dixon filled in. Then he got perceive and Charlie Batch took over. The Steelers were 3-1 when Roethlisberger returned.

Since then, the opprobrious line has been the revolving door. Left tackle Max Starks was replaced by Jonathan histrion and correct protect Trai county by Foster, a former standout at river who prefabricated the Steelers in 2009 as an undrafted liberated agent.

Legursky started quaternary games for county before Foster took over. Legursky has never started an NFL mettlesome at center, but in the AFC title he showed he could handle the job.

"They're survivors," metropolis coach Mike Tomlin said, referring to his opprobrious line. "They embrace our saying that 'The accepted is the standard.' Guys hit stepped up and proved they are confident of existence reasons why we win. It's a beatific group. It's a close-knit group, but more importantly than anything else, they hold to that standard."

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