y now you are most likely aware that the New England Patriots will meet the Philadelphia Eagles at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on February 4th for Super Bowl LII. For the Patriots playing in the Super Bowl has become like Meryl Streep getting an Oscar nomination. It’s an anomaly when it doesn’t happen. Just standard operating procedure. The Pats have appeared in the Super Bowl EIGHT times in the Belichick/Brady era which started in 2001. No other team is even close in the history of the game.
The Patriot game plan is always the same. They let their opponent have what seems to be a free rein in the first half and even spot them the lead. At half time everybody starts questioning the Pats. Is this finally it? What’s happening to Tom and the boys? Is New England really going to lose? Then the Patriots come out in the second half and steamroll the opposition. Tom Brady becomes like Gort the Robot in “The Day the Earth Stood Still”: leveling the opposing defense with death rays from his right arm and melting their resistance with his laser stare. On the sideline, Coach Belichick is standing with his arms folded across his chest with that slightly irritated look on his face and you know the other team is toast. The Jags are still trying to figure out what happened, as are the Falcons from last year, and the Seahawks from the year before.
This was definitely the Eagles’ year in the NFC. Starting the season, everyone in the media had the Cowboys as the team to beat…..as always. But Philly’s second year quarterback Carson Wentz started playing like an MVP, the defense was kicking serious tail, and Doug Pederson was displaying “Coach of the Year” tendencies on the sidelines. After 13 games Wentz went down with a season ending injury and backup Nick Foles took charge. Foles has had an up and down career, but the team gathered around him and he responded by guiding them through the rest of the season, the playoffs, and now the big dance. Playing at the Vikes home stadium against a hostile crowd, the Eagles handed the home boys a serious beat down. The Vikings lost the opportunity to be the first team to play for the championship in their home stadium. So it is the Eagles against the Patriots.
I hate to be a lemming but I am fairly sure that Tom Brady and the gang will be hoisting the championship hardware when the game is concluded.
snicewanger@yahoo.com