Be honest. Even if the Eagles weren’t the team playing the Patriots, wouldn’t you root for the other team anyway? Aren’t you sick of seeing Bill Belichick trying to smile after winning the big game, but looking like he’s already thinking about the opening game of the following season? “Enjoy the moment” just doesn’t seem to be in his psyche.
Of course, Tom Brady is the best quarterback to play the game. But this is his eighth Super Bowl. When you see him holding the trophy over his head after another win, are you sure the media is not using an old photograph? They all look the same. And most of us are really tired of that picture.
So, can we agree that we all want the Eagles to win? The real question is, “Can they?”
I do not think anyone would have thought Tom Brady would be taking on Nick Foles for the ultimate NFL prize. But, this game is not necessarily about who is the better quarterback. That’s Brady, for sure. Football is a team game and the Eagles have played with a team mentality all year.
Brady is providing almost all of the New England offense. He threw 91 passes in the last two games – 91!! New England cannot run the football. I expect Brady to throw on almost every down (@50 for the game). Brady is the master of the quick pass so it is imperative that the Eagles win the battle up front. And, it appears that Rob Gronkowski will be back after the two-week layoff (good for Gronk; bad for Eagles).
The Eagles have a much more balanced offensive attack with their stable of running backs and good receivers and the Eagles’ defense stops the run better than any team, which means they can concentrate on stopping Brady. The magic defensive potion this year has been the depth of their line. They are always fresh and, because of that, they can continuously get after the quarterback.
Don’t disregard the underdog status and the fan support. The Philadelphia Eagles have never won a Super Bowl. This team lost valuable player after valuable player as the year progressed (Sproles, Peters, Hicks, Wentz, Sturgis) and still overcame those obstacles. These fans have never experienced the euphoria of this victory and have inspired the Eagles onto greatness, for sure.
The Eagles are 4 ½ point underdogs. That’s good. They were underdogs against Atlanta and they were underdogs against Minnesota.
Two years ago, after more than a hundred years, the Chicago Cubs finally won a World Series. Why not the Eagles? Why not the Eagles?
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
- Just for musing purposes, in the last few weeks, there were rumblings about Bill Belichick going to the Giants (obviously, that won’t happen) and Brady continuing to play. Brady has never played for any other NFL coach. It begs the question: Who is more valuable to the Patriots – Brady or Belichick? Argue about that at your Super Bowl party before the game.
- Six NFL coaches were fired and one retired. One could make the case that seven more could have been let go. If you take this job, you have a one in five chance of keeping it until you decide to leave.
- Minnesota fans have not forgotten the way some Eagles’ fans treated them last weekend. It turns out the Eagles’ players are having difficulty getting dinner reservations once they identify themselves. Throwing beer cans, picking fights, pushing, cursing, and booing the Viking fans in Philadelphia has not been forgotten, I guess.
- The Eagles and the Patriots met in the 2005 Super Bowl (XXXIX), and the Pats won 24-21. That was the game where Donovan McNabb vomited on the field and the Eagles suffered from poor clock management. Please don’t let New England forge another comeback and win by three or less. In their five wins, New England has won by an average of 3.8 points. A late comeback win by New England may cause upset stomachs in all of us.
- Believe it or not, there are only three more regular season games in the EPC and the Colonial League. RCN-TV has Freedom at Liberty and Bethlehem Catholic at Easton on Friday. Next Monday, it’s Allen at Parkland and Emmaus at Nazareth. Teams are fighting to qualify for their conference and district spots. Watch it all unfold on RCN-TV.
Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (LAST WEEK – 2-0; OVERALL – 171-94 – 65%)
SUPER BOWL CHAMPION
E-A-G-L-E-S!! Eagles, Eagles, Eagles!
