In a little less than two weeks, a week from next Sunday the Super Bowl will be played in Houston in the brand new NRG Stadium. You build a brand new billion dollar stadium, your city lands a Super Bowl, but I digress. It’s the Patriots vs. the Falcons, the irresistible force meets the immovable object. While I wasn’t too psyched about New England I was just a bit surprised about Atlanta. Going into the playoffs, most of the experts were picking the Cowboys to win the NFC and the Patriots would be the big dogs in the AFC. But it was the Falcons’ high scoring hard running offense that prevailed and brought them an NFC title. The Falcons took the AFC South with an 11-5 mark. Head Coach Dan Quinn got them a second seed in the playoffs. Quarterback Matt Flynn had a year that was worthy of MVP consideration and their runningback tandem of Devonta Freeman and former IU Hoosier star Tevin Coleman was hard to stop. They beat the Seahawks 36 to 20 in the second round after drawing a bye on round one. The NFC championship saw them manhandle the Packers 44-21. One of their defensive leaders is Dwight Freeman, the former Colt pass rushing star, although defensively they are just average.
For New England it’s a familiar story. After the Deflategate scandal and enduringTom Brady’s four game suspension, the team came on like a swarm of hornets. They easily won the AFC East with a league best 14-2 and were top seed in the playoffs. An easy 36-17 over the Steelers for the AFC title took the team to LI. Tom Brady had arguably his best season and the team played with its typical surgical precision.
This will be the Patriots ninth Super Bowl appearance — a Super Bowl record. This will be Brady’s seventh appearance — a record for an individual player.
The Patriots have to be considered the favorite. If they win they will be tied with the Steelers for the most wins with six. I am not a big fan of the Falcons and really…..dislike….. the Patriots but give the devils their due, they are one of the most successful franchises in American sports history.
Colts News
By this tine I’m sure most of you have heard that the Colts have parted ways with former GM Ryan Grigson. After the end of the season Jimmy Irsay announced that both Grigson and Chuck Pagano would be back for 2017 season — much to the dismay of most Horseshoe fans. Some insiders were saying that was a ruse and Irsay did not want to show his hand. Then the news that they had met with John Gruden and Peyton Manning last week to discuss possible jobs with the team came out. So it was known that Grigson and most likely Pagano’s days with the ream are numbered. Jimmy Raye III is the current “intern” GM. Raye had been VP of Football Operations since 2013. The word is that Raye will conduct the team’s draft. The team will have either the 14rh or 15th pick in the first round and they don’t wish to waste it. Grigson’s drafting and free agent signs had been called into question for their lack of success and he is the author of the Trent Richardson trade fiasco, a trade that will live in Colts’ infamy. He was also the man who put the Deflategate inquiry which won him few admirers in the football community although he was really just doing his job. Interestingly, in his first year he was named NFL Executive of the Year because of his drafting of Luck and several other rookies, but that time is long gone. He will find work, but not as an administrator.
snicewanger@yahoo.com