Is there any way both teams can lose?
That's what I keep hearing from Carolina Panther fans when they are talking about this season's Seattle-New England Super Bowl.
Panther fans have no love for Seattle, a team that has beaten Carolina four times in the last three seasons -- including three weeks ago in the playoffs. The Seahawks feature Marshawn Lynch, who likes to make a mockery of press conferences and, based on my own brief personal experiences with him, is an unpleasant person to be around. But that pales compared to New England, the team America loves to hate after Spygate, Deflategate and the fact that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have just won too many darn times already.
There is no lovable underdog in this one -- and no obvious favorite, either. The No.1 seeds from each conference advanced to the Super Bowl.
The upside: It should be a really good game. I will be surprised if we see another blowout anywhere close to what Seattle did to Denver last season. I just don't think the Patriots are nearly that fragile.
-- I hope you have a good place to watch the Super Bowl (kickoff, 6:30 p.m.) and some good food to eat while doing so. It's an unofficial national holiday, and it comes at exactly the right time to liven up a long winter.
And if you feel the least bit guilty about spending money on Super Bowl-related food, here's something to make you feel better. As of late this week, the cheapest Super Bowl tickets available were going for about $8,000 a seat on the most popular resale sites. You will be watching the game for free with what is undoubtedly a better view. So don't sweat a few extra bucks for the seven-layer dip.
-- OK, prediction time. I only predicted the Panthers' outcome each week this past season and ended up with a 12-5-1 record doing that after picking Carolina's final five games in a row correctly. I am going to venture out of that familiar territory to pick the Super Bowl, though.
If Seattle's stupendous secondary can rattle Tom Brady, that will do it and the Seahawks will win their second straight title. I don't think the Seahawks can do that, though. The Seahawks needed an incredible last few minutes in the NFC championship game -- and a dropped onsides kick by Green Bay -- to get to the Super Bowl. And that was against an immobile Aaron Rodgers.
Brady is used to being immobile. It's his standard operating procedure. And the Patriots' defense is better than Green Bay's. Using fully inflated balls, I think the final score will be New England 24, Seattle 20.
We're moving!
9 years ago
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9 comments:
My personal take on Deflategate is that it takes so much air to keep the egos of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady inflated, that there was simply not enough air left over to fill the balls!
The Masters of Design [NE] vs. The Masters of Surprise [SE] = Surprise by 7
Why is Mr. Lynch's choice to avoid the media a "mockery"? Why is it not more of a "joke" that the NFL requires players to listen to and answer inane and repetitive questions? Why is it not more of a "mockery" to presume and assume from your point of view that you somehow have a RIGHT to access to these players' time just because you are press? You know what happens when you "ass"ume sir...
The guy makes millions of dollars to play a game. Do the dang press conference. But, about the game, I think NE has trouble with turnovers now that they can't deflate the balls and the Seahawks win by 21.
Lynch's choice to avoid the media is a complete mockery as well as stupidly arrogant. These guys collectively bargained with the owners and part of that agreement was talking to the media. So, the players, every single one of them, agreed to this. If they don't like it, come to an agreement next time where they can avoid the media. I'm so tired of seeing Lynch victimized- he is a filthy rich athlete who does nothing more than play a child's game to earn his absurd salary, just like the rest of the players. And his unwillingness to talk to the media is really spitting in the fans' faces- the ones who make the sport so popular and pay his salary. God forbid they be interested in what he thinks about the game he plays. And the press does have a right to the players- that is not an assumption on Scott's part. It is a legal right per the CBA.
@ anonymous 9:40, the players union negotiated the press conference requirements, he should take it up with them but how can you not agree that the level of petulance shown by this over paid man child is unwarranted?
If NE has more than one turnover, don't you know the talk will be about how hard the football is with all that air in it.
Unfortunately InFlateGate provides additional incentive for the Pats, it's not like they needed it-
The deflated ball was thrown out at halftime. In the second half with the fully inflated ball the Patriots out scored the Colts 28-0. Enough said !
This is pure physics. Deflating occurs naturally due to 350 lb line men and RBs falling all over the ball plus spiking etc.
The real truth is deflation from 12 lbs to 11 lbs helps the defense intercept much easier and moreso than a QB who can throw frozen rope spirals much quicker and longer with 12 lbs of aair pressure.
NFL footballs and others have a maximum of 13 lbs that is really to Bradys advantage for a perfect spiral high velocity pass.
The minimum is 11 lbs for these balls.
NFL wants them 12 lbs but 1 lb either way is not a cause for alarm.
They are making a mountain out of a molehill and for the media fan distraction effect on Brady and trying to drudge up the Patriots coach Bilichek allegedly spying on other teams when all 32 teams worth their salt "spy" on each other.
The fact is any deflation loss of air by even one pound actually limits the velocity and distance of passes from the QB like Brady who has a gun clocked at 90 mph and can throw 100 yds with pinpoint accuracy being one of the top 5 QBs alltime in the history of the NFL.
The only advantage a QB has with a slightly deflated ball is gripping the ball and squeezing it tighter but even so the disadvantages greatly out weigh the advantages.
The real advantage goes to the defensive backfield for intercepting an 11 lb football so much easier plus a loss of speed and accuracy.
3X Super Bowl champ 12X pro bowler Brady has very large hands for gripping the ball so this would not be to his advantage at all.
Bottom line is it was an interception that created this over rated phony bogus distraction because there are so many Brady and Bilickek and the Patriot haters !!!
There is also a contingency of haters trying to remove Goodell from his position too.
The media is having a field day with this crap.
Considering Wilson had 12 yards in the first half for a zero rating against a much superior Aaron Rodgers and lucked a win in OT, Brady and the Pats should mop the floor with the Seahawks and a QB who was clearly given the game a year ago for dark unsavory reasons.
The WWE sports entertainment NFL is rigged !!! The players union got the back of dey bro QBs !!! FACT !!
TK
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