A ramble about Super Bowl LII

A great battle is upon us. In a far off land called Minnesota, two armies prepare to fight for a prize that, for them, is worth dying over. One represents the National Football Conference, the other the American Football Conference. The Vince Lombardi Trophy is there for the taking, and holds a power over these men as if it were the Ring of Power forged from the fires of Mount Doom. Tactics have been drawn up, armour is in great supply and countless caskets of Gatorade are full to the brim. It's Sunday, February 4th 2018, and Super Bowl LII (52) is here. The perfect example of American cultural imperialism is about to return to our screens.

One legion hails from Philadelphia, who have never got their hands on that coveted title. For years, they have been mocked for their failures, and are determined to break this curse of defeat. Their eagle sigil flutters in the breeze, majestic and defiant. Standing in their way are the current holders of the mythical Vince Lombardi Trophy, the powerful horde who call New England home. Known as 'Patriots', their over zealous patriotic attitude have seen them become a formidable foe, and they appear unstoppable. These two opponents have gone through many trials and tribulations, and they now stand ready to brawl for ultimate victory.

Hot damn

Goodness me, what a dramatic opening. That's two weeks in a row now where my imagination has got the better of me, but the scene is set. For the American football world, this is the biggest game of the year. The USA comes to a halt, and nerves are put to the test as the two teams take the field. For the first time in years, I shall be one of those fans with pride and sanity on the line as the Eagles take the field. The Philadelphia Eagles certainly have their backs against the wall, but we all love an underdog story.

Literal underdogs

Before we dive into some stats and some predictions from yours truly, one blaring question remains for many out there; what is an 'American football'? That is an excellent question, and I shall explain it in a simple but slightly patronising way. So here goes! Basically, there are two teams, one that lines up as the offence and the other is the defence. The offence, who have the ball (which is like a rugby ball but all brown and leathery), have four chances (called downs) to move the ball forward ten yards. They can throw it via a quarterback, run it or kick it when they have run out of downs. The defence, as the name suggests, has to stop them.

Eventually, if a successful chain of plays are carried out, they reach the end zone and score a touchdown. They can either kick it for an extra point or do another play to get two points. That's the basic level of explanation, since there are loads of penalties and the added excitement of the defence trying to steal the ball and get their own score. Very, very basic, but don't worry since the only thing that matters at the end of the day is the final score. Also, I don't want to go on about the debate about whether rugby or American football is a tougher sport- both hit hard. There, OK, let's move on.

Courtney Lawes, you thug

The Patriots are certainly the favoured team. With 10 AFC Championship titles and 5 Super Bowl victories to their name, all of which have come in the 21st century, they are certainly the most successful franchise in recent years. 5/9 (their tenth shall be the 2018 Super Bowl) successful attempts at claiming ultimate victory means that their record in the Super Bowl is definitely an impressive one. Looking to add a sixth title, which would actually be their third in a row, they will feel that history is on their side. Indeed, they finished the regular season 13-3, tied for the best record with the Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings. They ain't no joke.

This team are stacked with stars, including the apparent G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) Tom Brady at quarterback and tight end Ron Gronkowski. Masterminding the Patriots is Bill Belichick, who has run the team since 2000. This was a pivotal year for the Patriots, as it did not only see the beginning of the Belichick era but also the arrival of Tom Brady via the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady was the 199th (that's pretty low) overall pick, and has certainly blossomed into a super star. Belichick is a hard task master, and has made this team disciplined and run on military-like efficiency. No wonder he doesn't smile very much.

Come on, just one little smile

Let's not organise the New England victory parade just yet, because those guys from Philly have something to say. Their Super Bowl stats are not as impressive as the Patriots, with two defeats from two, the last coming in 2005 at the hands of the Patriots. Having made the playoffs 25 times, only three have brought with it an NFC Conference championship. Although the Eagles won the NFL Championship three times before it merged with the American Football League in 1970, there has been no Super Bowl glory for the Eagles.

One hell of a ring- before the Super Bowl era though :(

As mentioned before, the Eagles finished the season 13-3, tied for best record, and nobody expected that. Honestly, if Philadelphia had finished 10-6, then I would be over the moon, especially if it meant a sneaky playoff appearance via a wild card place. But there they are, top of the NFC- how lovely! Carson Wentz (QB) was a star this season, yet injury meant Nick Foles had to take his place, and has certainly been up to the task. With other players such as British born Jay Ajayi (running back), the team has become the very definition of an underdog. Led by coach Doug Pederson since 2016, is it possible for the almighty Belichick to be stopped by this pretender to the throne?

My heart says Eagles, and head says the Patriots. Brits love a good underdog story, and to see fellow countryman Ajayi representing both Britain and the Eagles gives the boys from Philly an edge in terms of fan support. But these are the bloody Patriots! Last year, they were down 21-3 at halftime to the Atlanta Falcons, and ended up winning 34-28 after overtime. Absolute scenes, even though I would have rather seen the Falcons triumph, especially as that would have been their first ever Super Bowl triumph. Brady and his band of Patriots will take no prisoners, and will play to not just make even more history, but to put the Eagles back in their place.

Fired up

It would be fair to mention that not many people outside of the north east of the USA (and Dallas, because the Cowboys hate the Eagles) will want to see New England win. The Belichick era has seen numerous scandals, such as 'Spygate' and 'Deflategate', and a few dodgy calls from the referees. In 2007, the Patriots got into trouble over filming signals gave by the New York Jets' defensive coaches, earning Bill a $500,000 fine, the Pats a $250,000 fine and their first round draft pick for the 2008 season was taken away. 2015 saw accusations over deflated balls during New England's AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts, with 11 out of 12 Patriot supplied balls below legal limits; helps with grip, apparently. Brady, as he had some prior knowledge to the crafty deed, was banned for four games and New England got a $1 million fine and lost two draft picks. Cheating is bad, kids.

No mercy

Essentially, the domination of the Patriots and their antics has made them the team to beat. Imagine them to be a bit like Manchester United in the Premier League. For so long, Sir Alex Ferguson and his unstoppable Reds dominated the league, always reclaiming their title even when teams like Arsenal and Chelsea threatened to take their spot as masters of English football. 'Fergie Time' was a popular expression back in the day, as it seemed United could always get a result when 90 minutes, plus any additional time, had elapsed. No wonder the whole world went mental when Sergio Aguero scored that goal in the last minute of the 2011/2012 season. My God, absolute scenes.

What a day

The more knowledgeable and professional pundits can bombard the public with player stats and predictions in regards to the question of who will win the Super Bowl. I do love my stats, but this is nowhere near being a professional sporting blog. If you look through the BBC, ESPN and all the other major networks, they have their pundits and statisticians giving their opinions and trying to formulate an accurate prediction of what will unfold in Minnesota. You're more than welcome to look for stats such as average weight of the defence, successful throws by the quarterbacks and the record number of hot dogs each team can eat (it's there somewhere... probably) to make your own prediction. But if you're lazy, I shall leave some stats here so you can impress your friends:

• On average across the playoffs, the Eagles offence have made 395 yards per game (YPG), 4 more than the Patriots
• In the playoffs, Nick Foles has the best pass completion for a QB (77.8%) with Tom Brady third (67%) 
• Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola makes an average of 10.9 yards (196 yards from 18 catches) every time he catches the ball, with Alshon Jeffery averaging 16.2 yards (146 yards from 9 attempts)

Also, here are some other stats about the Super Bowl in general that will really show how smart you are about the game of burly men wearing helmets and pads running into each other:

• The Vince Lomardi trophy (named after Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi, who won the first two Super Bowls before dying in 1970) costs $25,000 to make every year. The trophy is made by Tiffany and Co.
• No team has ever won the Super Bowl three times in a row, which would mean that a Patriots victory would certainly be an historic one
• Super Bowl LI (51) was the very first game to go to overtime. This was last years game, where the Patriots came back and ruined the Falcons' day

Matt Ryan looks on, taking in the fact that they bottled it

Now it's very likely that the late night kickoff will put people off, but I certainly do urge those who have any mild interest in the result of this titanic clash to watch the highlights or some fan made compilation of the epic moments of Super Bowl LII. Recent Super Bowls have been exciting to watch, with Super Bowl XLII (42) in 2008 seeing the New York Giants beating the undefeated Patriots 17-14. Not only is it regarded as one of the biggest upsets in history, but the Giants were the first NFC wild card team to win the Super Bowl. Wild card means that a team didn't win their division, but had the next best record. So the best losers won the Super Bowl, basically.

Hell, even the first Super Bowl I watched at uni (XLVIII- 48, back in 2014) saw the Seattle Seahawks destroy the Denver Broncos 43-8 to win their first Super Bowl. In the very first play of the game, Denver fucked about on the ball and conceded a safety (the ball carrier is tackled in his own end zone-worth two points), which was pretty funny. Even though my Broncos supporting friends were disappointed by the result, it was an awesome evening. Also, the SU were doing Six Nations drink deals at the time so I managed to snag myself a two pinter of Guinness for a discounted price.

That's one happy chap

Right, I'm well into rambling now, so I'm actually going to back slightly on what I said before and have a cheeky guess on what will happen in the Super Bowl. It's been a difficult year for the NFL, as fears of concussion continue to blight the game and, earlier on in the season, we had the protests by teams during the national anthem. I wrote about it a while back, so click here to get yourself up to speed. For such a turbulent season, it would be worth for it to end with the downfall of the Patriots. I shall be going with my heart, and proudly declare an Eagles victory by a whole 5 points. I don't care how these points are scored, I just want to see Philadelphia come out on top! Go on then you crazy bird people!

Ben G 😁 xo

P.S. Aubameyang looks great in red, doesn't he? His goal was slightly offisde but hey, we won't hold it against him. 

What a fella

P.P.S. Just remembered a meme I saw in the aftermath of the Seahawks-Broncos game, so I will just leave it here. It's a football based one so you might not get it, but it was so perfect for what was happening with Manchester United in the Premier League that it has a special place in my heart.

I love you David Moyes