Superbowl Not an Easy Choice

I’m having a struggle regarding which team I will pull for in the Superbowl. Being an avid Dolphin fan, I’m technically supposed to hate the Patriots, and technically I’m not supposed to desire to see them tie the Dolphins undefeated season. But I don’t particularly care for the Giants that much either so I am having a hard time making peace with myself in terms who I will pull for Superbowl Sunday. So maybe writing out my thoughts will help me figure it all out…

Things I know…

The Superbowl has been very good to me the last two years, if the Dolphins can’t make it to the big game, then I like seeing other teams I root for win it and I have been happy the last two years seeing the Colts and Steelers win the Superbowl.

Participating in fantasy football has caused a tremendous paradigm shift for me in terms of the teams I like and dislike in the NFL. Before I began playing fantasy football 11 years ago, my interest in the NFL were very polar and isolated, I loved the Dolphins unconditionally and hated all the other teams in the AFC East, hated a few other teams, and other teams I loved a notch or two below the Dolphins. I had a hard time watching games where one of my favorite teams was not playing. Since involvement in Fantasy ball however, I have learned a lot more about football in general and I no longer hate any teams, and I pull for teams to win certain games now because of certain players on teams instead of the colors they wear.

Which gets me to this point, there are many players on the Patriots that are former Dolphins and I would like to see some these players win a Superbowl, particularly Wes Welker, Sammy Morris and Junior Seau. Izzo already has 3 rings. Junior played for the Dolphins and he will always be better known as a Charger than a Dolphin, but I still think the guy is a class act, and I always like seeing players like Seau win a title. I have always been more of a AFC guy anyway.

I also like seeing players whom I disliked in the past due to their off field antics and bad attitudes finally get themselves together and start playing good team ball and begin showing humility off the field . That Patriot political kool aid not only must be good but it must be toxic as it sure has worked its magic on Randy Moss this year. I have enjoyed listening to Randy during press conferences all year. I always walk away from his public comments saying “who is this guy?”

This is not the Randy Moss I have seen the last 10 years.

I’m not surprised to see college footballs best conferences well represented on the rosters. SEC has 21 players on the Pats and Giants and that is best. I think most people would be surprised to see that the ACC is the second strongest conference represented in the NFL and this stat shows up again with having 17 players on these two rosters. Patriots have 13 former SEC alumni, while the Giants have 13 ACC alumni. Top schools represented overall are Miami with 6, followed by LSU with 5 and USC with 5. Marshall has 4! Being that I am a big LSU Tiger fan and the Pats have 4 former LSU Tigers on their squad including superstar Kevin Faulk, yet another reason to root for the Pats.

I guess I have failed to understand all the big deal about Pats going undefeated and breaking the Dolphins record as the only undefeated team in NFL history. True the Dolphins are the only current team to go undefeated in the NFL, but not in professional football. This feat has been accomplished one other time. The 1948 Cleveland Browns finished the year 14-0 after beating the Buffalo Bills 49-7 in the title game. Two other occasions, the 1934 Chicago Bears 13-0, and 1942 Chicago Bears 11-0 both lost in the final championship game and ended the year with one loss.

While the Dolphins were the first NFL team to go undefeated, they were not the first team in professional football to do it. I don’t think if the Patriots go 19-0 they will be the last either. It may take another 35 years to see it again, but it will happen. Weather the Pats win or lose, the 72 Fins will always remain the first team in NFL history to go undefeated and nothing will tarnish that incredible season.

Interesting stat I heard today that the 41 winners of the past Superbowls have a +88 turnover margin. Losing teams have combined for 137 turnovers and the winners have turned the ball over only 49 times. That averages out to the losing team committing 3 turnovers to the winners one per Superbowl. I don’t know why, but I am not convinced yet that Eli Manning has turned the corner on his career just because of 3 good playoff games. I hope he has but I would not be surprised to see him throw 3 picks and fumble once or twice despite being perfect in the turnover department so far thru three postseason games.

And Finally…

Giants offensive lineman Grey Ruegammer castrated a lamb with his teeth reports USA Today. OK that did it for me; I could not possibly pull for Giants now. I’m reluctantly pulling for Wes Welker and the Patriots, so let’s hope it’s a good game. Pats win 33-21.