The weeks of hype are almost over. It’s Super Bowl time.
Millions of Americans will host parties to sit around their television screens, eat stale potato chips and watch the commercials they complain about all year long. The commercials will be radical, bold and a little crazy — much like what’ll be happening in the actual game.
Between those lovable commercials, two of the biggest villainous brands in the NFL today will be battling it out. It’ll be like a Freddy vs. Jason movie, but hopefully Sunday’s game will have more action.
First from the AFC, the air pressure-reducing, signal-stealing, diabolical geniuses, the New England Patriots.
The Patriots come into this game in peak villainous form, fresh off a cheating scandal in their most recent game. I’m sure you’ve heard about the lack of air pressure in footballs that helped Tom Brady grip them better and subsequently devour the Colts, 45-7.
The controversy will undoubtedly put the officials on high alert so the Patriots won’t get too used their secret weapon in the Super Bowl.
But they will still have their best kept secret — their defense.
Most casual NFL fans know Darrelle Revis, but New England also has former Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner, defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, and emerging star linebacker Jamie Collins to go along with a host of other strong role players.
The offense will be as strong as always thanks to Tom Brady, running back LeGarrette Blount and Bogie’s own Rob
Gronkowski.
The bad news for the Patriots’ offense is that its roster is filled with sorry receivers, and we know what happens to sorry receivers when they face the Seahawks. Cornerback Richard Sherman took “a sorry receiver like [San Francisco’s Michael] Crabtree” to the woodshed in last season’s NFC Championship Game and subsequently let sideline reporter Erin Andrews know about it.
Sherman is the leader of
Seattle’s ‘Legion of Boom’ secondary. Its hard-hitting, trash-talking attitude makes the Seahawks the more likable of the two villains to me.
Seattle’s roster is like the island of misfit toys. It’s littered with NFL rejects exiled from other teams for not fitting the mold.
Quarterback Russell Wilson was too short. Running back Marshawn Lynch didn’t have the upside that C.J. Spiller had. Sherman didn’t have the work ethic. Even LSU’s own Tharold Simon is playing an important role for the Seahawks.
Last year, the Seahawks came into the Super Bowl as the villains trying to take down American icon Peyton Manning. They not only beat him and the Broncos but ran them out of New Jersey to the tune of a 43-8 win.
This time, the Seahawks are flying under the radar thanks to the Patriots’ newest scandal of the month. The defending champions flying under the radar sounds ridiculous, but it’s true.
Give the Seahawks a reason to feel like they don’t belong, and they’ll show they actually do, which will be the case on Sunday. Seattle will grind it out with Lynch, get a few plays from Wilson and the defense will make the big play to win it.
This will be a fun Super Bowl, but in this battle of villain vs. villain, I’m going brawn over brains.
Brian Pellerin is a 20-year-old mass communication
junior from Kenner, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter
@Pellerin_TDR.