Super Bowl XXXIX @ Alltel Stadium - Jacksonville, FL

Another year and another splendid season have passed leading up to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is almost an afterthought of another brilliant season of different teams, players, and coaches that had their break out year. Every year I am impressed with how a new team steps up to the challenge and takes themselves one step closer to becoming a dominant force in the NFL. Some teams have already reached that plateau and are either sustaining their dominance or achieving higher ground year after year. That brings us to the match up we have for tomorrow at Jacksonville between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots.
Although both teams are deserving of their positions, this game really seems to favor the New England Patriots, as such they are seven point favorites. I thought about this game long and hard, and I have come to the conclusion that Philadelphia is a team of destiny; however, they will need help from external forces to be able to compete with the New England Patriots. Such forces include a tipped pass that gets intercepted; the right bounces on a fumble they recover, a bad or missed call from a referee. When you think back to the Eagles path to the Super Bowl, they had a fairly unchallenging season with an early season clinching division, and then they pounced on a Vikings team in the first round who should not have even qualified for the playoffs. The game against the Falcons was a well played and well coached game, but the Falcons are not as well rounded as the Patriots.
When you have a team as good as the Patriots, the only chance of beating them is getting on top early. The Patriots have not been behind much and are not used to playing catch up, putting them in unfamiliar territory. There is a reason why they do not fall behind much, because the Patriots do not underestimate anyone. Even with the addition of Terrell Owens, the Patriots have prepared a scheme to face him. I like the mentality the Patriots have coming into the game and their strict discipline on the field to not commit many penalties leaving very little room for error. The Eagles are more carefree and tend to make mental mistakes. I see the Patriots winning this game comfortably.

Patriots 27
Eagles 16

Take the Patriots -7 and under 47 1/2

Media Day

As we get set for Super Bowl XXXIX, media day proved to be full of action, at least from the Eagles side. Never have we seen such contrasting styles as the Eagles and Patriots before that the media is sure having a field day making the players aware of it. The funny thing is that the Patriots know they are a boring team to cover and the media keeps shunning that in their face. Hearing remarks made to Bruschi, Johnson, McGinest and Vrabel that you guys are so boring from the media was quite lame considering the media is the one who should spice things up and ask the Patriots players controversial questions. If they are boring, the media is not doing their job, right? Well, at least Freddie Mitchell has been running his mouth and making things a bit more interesting. The return of Terrell Owens has also been a spark on media day. He is a charismatic individual and brings his best at all times and his presence alone seems to have rubbed off on his Eagles teammates because their confidence has been growing, just ask Freddie. The real guy who I want to hear from on media day is the master himself, Bill Belichick. The unfortunate part of the whole media day thing is that the media chooses to show us the clowning around and outspoken few, whereas the game planning and strategy is left out. Come on media, we do not want you asking Givens about a prediction, rather, what he will do with the newly assembled secondary of the Eagles. Well, for what its worth, enjoy another week of nonsense as the NFL builds more hype before the biggest game day in any sporting event, Super Bowl Sunday.