Now that I’ve had a couple weeks to cool off a bit from the Conference Championship games, I think it’s time to talk a little bit about what went down and what we can expect from our Superbowl matchup this Sunday. Let me preface this by saying that I have no allegiance to either team; far from it. In fact, if I could pick any two teams in the league that I absolutely would NOT want to see in the Championship Game, it would probably be the Giants and the Patriots (with the Cowboys/Jets coming in a close third/fourth). Alas, football is as much a game of luck and momentum as it is a game of skill (a fact that truly kills me sometimes), and someone has to win. Unfortunately, my gut is telling me that that someone will probably be our dreaded NFC East Rivals, the New York Giants.
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| Signs the Mayans were right: This guy may have two rings by this time next week. |
For those of you who don’t know, I’m a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan (2012 here we come!), and as such have had the pleasure (or maybe more appropriately, the discomfort) of following Eli Manning and the Giants over the years. As bad as I’ve seen them play, and as incompetent as they can seem at times, it’s hard not to admit that they always seem have some sort of divine force on their side that pulls them through at the most crucial of times. When the Eagles stormed back from their 1-4 start this year to threaten for the NFC East crown, Eli and company ran through the Jets and Cowboys (both on convenient downswings) like a buzzsaw, propelling themselves into the playoffs and gaining the confidence needed to make a deep run. When finally matched up with a team just as physical as them in the 49ers, Special Teams blunders and missed opportunities helped them move on. The ball just seems to bounce their way at times, simple as that, and as horrible as it is to watch a 9-7 team that I don’t personally find all that talented get a chance to compete in the Superbowl, that’s just the way this game works sometimes. You can’t get as far as they have without some amount luck on your side. If you don’t believe that, just look at the Patriots.
The Patriots season has been even more confusing for me to try to follow than the Giants. At times, they seemed dominant, and yet, at others, soft and untalented. Their division, which looked to be one of the best in football at the start of the season, ended up being a bunch of creampuffs. Looking at the journey they’ve taken to get to this point, I don’t think I can say I’ve ever seen an easier path to the Championship. The Patriots played five games against winnings teams all season and won only one of them: the AFC Championship game against the Ravens, with a little help from Billy Cundiff (who I fully expect to end up missing on the back of a milk carton any day now). The one team that seemed to have their number—the Steelers—were inexplicably defeated by the Being Formerly Known as Tim Tebow. Simply put, a lot of things went right for them to get where they are, despite a porous defense and an abundance of youth. Will that be able to continue against the Giants, who are coming in hot and with a divine grace of their own? I’m not so sure. All I know is that the thought of Julian Edlemen (a converted wide receiver playing the Nickel corner for New England) trying to cover that Salsa-dancing d-bag Victor Cruz (…sorry, inner Eagles fan came out for a moment…) scares the hell out of me. Also, Jason Pierre-Paul is a god damn freak.
Absolutely meaningless predictions:
Final Score: Giants 35 – Patriots 31 followed by:
-One emotional scene of doofy Eli raising the Lombardi Trophy
-One shot of the Giants wide receivers three-way kissing in the end zone (did you see the orgy that almost broke out against the 49ers???)
-One moronic debate over which Manning brother is the better quarterback
-One impossibly sad Nizzlebear
Enjoy the game people!
-Nate
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