The Philadelphia Eagles are bad. That is a fact.
In Super Bowl XXXVIII, the Carolina Panthers are matched against the New England Patriots.
The winner of this game will be the team that can bore the other team into submission.
Both teams are coached by former defensive coordinators that once worked for Bill Parcells. Bill Bilichick, the Patriots coach, is regarded as a “Genius.” Jon Fox, a good game-strategist, manages to get a delay-of-game penalty, which pushed his field goal team back, and then decides to kick from the 45-yard line on first down. And they had at least two plays to get the ball closer to the goal post.
Both coaches resurrected their franchises by installing character, hard work and determination. That is as far as the storylines go.
Carolina, who plays in one of the most despicable sports cities in the nation (Charlotte), has no football history. They got into the NFC championship game once, but then-quarterback Kerry Collins threw a bunch of interceptions.
The city only supports its teams when they win. The Charlotte Hornets were an expansion franchise that the city couldn’t support for seven years. After this, the city wants another team.
I am not going to bash Patriot fans, for they have suffered enough.
The two teams took very different paths to get to the Super Bowl.
The Panthers beat a poor Dallas team at home. They beat a decent Rams team on the road on account of Mike Martz, and finally, they beat the Eagles on the road. They looked impressive in all of their victories, and Jake Delhomme didn’t make any mistakes.
Bill Simmons, who writes for ESPN’s Page 2, said that this team is very similar to the Chris Chandler/Jamal Anderson Falcons of 1999, and I agree.
The Patriots out-gritted a tough Titan team in zero-degree weather for their first win. For their second win, they shut down a red-hot Peyton Manning, forcing him to throw four interceptions.
I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that the competition the Patriots faced was far superior to what the Panthers faced.
Position by position, the Patriots have a distinct edge in everything except running back and right end.
Quarterback Tom Brady’s 85.9 rating and 3,620 yards are better than Delhomme’s 80.6 rating and 3,219 yards.
Brady also has a reputation for being clutch, as he showed when he captured the 2001 Super Bowl MVP by leading his team on a game-winning drive against the Rams.
Delhomme, a career backup won the 1999 World Bowl. Although Delhomme is still a good player, Brady has an edge in talent and experience.
Carolina’s halfback, Stephen Davis, is a big 230-pound, bruising back, who, although has only average speed, makes up for it in quickness. He has been dubbed the “savior of Carolina’s offense,” Then again, being better than Skip Hicks isn’t very hard.) Still, he is the heart of Carolina’s offense and will run people over. If he gets hurt, Deshaun Foster, a combination of Travis Henry and Tiki Barber, is ready to step in.
New England has a slower, worse version of Davis in 232-pound Antowain Smith. He was mediocre in the regular season, averaging 3.5 yards per carry, but he has improved in the post season, averaging 4.5 a carry.
If New England gets a lead, he can sort of be trusted to keep it in tact. New England has a large edge in wide receiver play. Although Carolina has Steve Smith, they do not have the depth to spread the field like the Patriots.
Their third and fourth leading receivers are Rickey Proel and Kris Magnum, slow white guys. New England has a plethora of weapons: Troy Brown, Deon Branch, Bethel Johnson and Daniel Graham.
Defensively, the Patriots average 14.6 points allowed per game. The Panthers allow 19. The Panthers have a better defensive line but not by much. Ty Law should be able to shut down the Panther’s primary down field weapon, Smith, allowing the rest of the defense to concentrate on the run. Considering the Patriots have allowed only one 100-yard rusher all season, that shouldn’t be too hard.
I predict the New England Patriots will win a slow, boring, hard-hitting Super Bowl. This game will feature many punts and field goals. In the end, the New England Patriots will win a close (I’ll say 26-16) game because both teams refuse to die or put opponents away.
