Today is the big day, as the Seattle Seahawks face off against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona.
Can the Seahawks repeat as champions, defeating quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady two years in a row? Or will it be the Pats who come out on top, as the duo of Bill Belichick and Brady claim their fourth ring together?
This game has a lot of similarities to past teams, even to some from other leagues. This Seattle team has a lot of similar traits to the early-decade Patriots teams that won Super Bowls in 2001, 2003 and 2004.
They were led by a young quarterback (Russell Wilson and Brady), a superior defense and a stellar head coach (Pete Carroll and Belichick). But the Seahawks are a bit more different.
For one, their offense wasn't as game-managedesque as the Pats were. You look at Brady during the Pats' first three Super Bowls, he isn't even close to the quarterback you have seen since 2007. But I'll go into detail about that later.
I personally think young Wilson is a lot better than young Brady. Wilson had an additional unique skill Brady never had: scrambling. And Wilson has put that to good use this season.
He's playing like what Michael Vick should've been: a guy who scares you with his arm and feet. Vick only mainly only do it with his feet, since his arm — while very strong — was not the most accurate passer for his NFL career.
And, of course, the Patriots never had a Beast Mode on their team. Running back Marshawn Lynch is the true heart and soul of this offense.
He's the reason the Seahawks are in the Super Bowl in the first place, thanks to Lynch's huge touchdowns in the final minutes of regulation versus the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game.
Lynch is about that action, and I don't see anyone that can stop him on the Patriots defense.
There's also the Seahawks' "Legion of Boom," featuring the likes of Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. This team can prove to be one of the best, if not the best, secondary ever if they can overcome both Manning and Brady in back-to-back NFL title games.
The Legion of Boom is not the only thing that keeps the swagger high of this Seahawks defense.
You can't forget the underrated linebacking corps — so underrated that one of their LBs, Bobby Wagner, received an actual MVP vote. And that defensive line is not to be reckoned with either (Michael Bennett, anyone?).
So that's the Seahawks. How about New England?
Well, it starts with Belichick and Brady. It always does, and it always has. But the Patriots have a running back monster of their own. Yes, they have LeGarrette Blount, but who can't forget the likes Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley and, perhaps, Jonas Gray?
I expect New England to use all four against Seattle, who have shown to be a bit vulnerable against the run. This can help the Pats' passing attack, because Brady is one of the best at the play-action.
New England has been relying on the short passing attack all season, with dink and dunking to guys like Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell. And, of course, there is perhaps the most unstoppable receiving target in the NFL, Rob Gronkowski.
The defense is one of the best the Patriots have seen in years. They are probably the best we've seen since the 2007 squad. It's led by Darrelle Revis at cornerback, but other pieces are there.
We got Vince Wilfork clogging up the middle. Then there's Brandon Browner facing his old squad. Jamie Collins is a freak, and a dark-horse Super Bowl MVP candidate.
No matter what guy New England has, they find ways to get it done. And that's all on Belichick. The man is one of the best coaches in the league today, and one of the greatest ever.
This Pats team was not destined to go this far after a disappointing, worrisome 2-2 start on the season. But they are here. Brady is in his sixth Super Bowl, and has a chance to get his fourth ring, tying with the likes of Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.
The story looks like a good one. This Patriots team relates a lot to the San Antonio Spurs. Brady and Belichick are a lot like Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan. And they will be facing a young, new school squad in the championship, much like the Spurs did with the Miami Heat.
But it ends right there. Which Spurs team will the Patriots be? Will they be the 2014 squad that dismantled Miami, or the 2013 one that lost in a heartbreaking fashion?
Sorry Patriots fans, but I'm going to have to go with the Seahawks.
Like I said, this Seattle team kind of reminds me of the Miami Heat. They have that swagger. They have one of the best fanbases. They are champions. They are young, and have a "us against the world" attitude. And they get things done.
After winning their first championship, Seattle dealt with a lot of demons this season, much like Miami did in their quest to repeat. But then the Seahawks peaked.
They went on a huge run to end the season, dominating opponents. It kind of rings a bell — barely, if that, though — to the Heat's 27-game winning streak.
In their quest to repeat, Miami was then in a close battle with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning in seven games to go to the championship. Seattle did the same versus the Packers, not winning until the final minutes in dramatic fashion.
And now they're here.
But enough with the narratives. Let's just get down to the business already. Let's see the history.
Here we are at another matchup where two No. 1 seeds face other in the Super Bowl. The NFC has won every time, and by a significant margin. None of the games were closer than 14 points, and I expect this Seattle-New England one to be the closest out of them all (still a double-digit margin, though).
In addition, you have the "defense wins championships" scenario. Seattle's defense is obviously better than New England's, but the Patriots have the better offenses. The defense always beats the best offense. Ask the 2013 Denver Broncos.
While I don't see the Pats suffering a similar 43-8 fate, I expect Seattle to shut down what the Patriots have planned. If they can't get their run game going, they are screwed.
We saw how Denver rolled with their short passing attack. Yeah ... that didn't go so well in the Super Bowl. New England is doing that short passing attack, but times 1000. And I don't see them doing much of anything against this Seattle defense with that.
A matchup I look forward to seeing is Kam Chancellor versus Rob Gronkowski. Both will be close, and I think Gronk will have some of his ways with Bam Kam. In the end, though, I think Chancellor prevails.
But what about Brady? Can he deliver? Personally, I don't think this should all go on him if the Patriots lose ... unless Tom Terrific performs bad. Losing will put Brady 3-3 in Super Bowls, but it shouldn't define him.
People should definitely read this article about Brady and his Super Bowl "legacy." I mean, really, ask yourself this: do you really think the Brady from 2001-04 was better than the 2007-2011 Brady? Come on, son.
So NFL experts shouldn't go all over that, but we all know they will. Brady and Belichick reaching six Super Bowl alone is quite a feat.
But this sixth Super Bowl, in my opinion, won't be where the Pats prevail. I just can't see it. This Seahawks team is too good.
The only way it can happen is if the offense is on all cylinders. It can happen, because some of the Seahawks' best players are a bit banged up for tonight's game (Chancellor and Sherman). Their defense can also force Russell Wilson into mistakes.
All in all, though, I think Wilson will play mistake-free. Marshawn Lynch will be on a roll throughout the game, garnering his away into a Super Bowl MVP award.
The game will be close at halftime. I think the Patriots will find some ways with their dink-and-dunk attack, but Seattle will adjust. I see them running away with it in the second half. Brady will throw at least one pick.
Give me Seattle. And if they lose, the Pats will prove me wrong once again like they have so many times this season.
This game will be good.
