Let’s get Gronk – Key Player Breakdown for Superbowl 2015

So if you read the last post, you know a little about the coaches for this weeks game, but they’re not really the ones you’ll be watching on Sunday, and certainly not the ones bound to amuse us during this weeks coming media parade.  So let’s talk players.

Quarterbacks – Old Guard Vs. New Guard

Tom Brady is quarterback royalty. When you ask someone who doesn’t know football for the one name they know, they’ll give you his. But it wasn’t always so easy for him. Tom was the youngest child of 4, with three older sisters, and those hair pulling sessions must have been more merciless than any line of scrimmage he’s seen since! But quite seriously, at college he was hugely undervalued, and when the draft came he was chosen a disappointing 199^th overall in the 6^th round. Analysts have since said that he was the greatest draft pick of all time.

He struggled, and worked his way into a starter position, eventually becoming the better half of the Brady/Belichick dynasty that has dominated football for the last decade. Brady has played his entire professional career with the Patriots, and is in every sense of the word ‘a franchise player’.  He embodies the values that the franchise holds, and is unflinchingly loyal. Thank goodness he looks good in Navy and Red – but honestly he’d probably look good in any colour. On top of his many football related achievements, he has beaten out a bunch of other, very attractive men to become Glam Mags ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ for the second year in a row. On top of that, he has three kids. A son from his beautiful ex-girlfriend, and a son and daughter from his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen,  who by the way, nearly broke twitter with all her excited emojies after the AFC win.

But Brady has been on top a long time. He’s hosted SNL, voiced himself on The Simpsons and Family Guy, and most recently done this just laughable photo shoot. To me, that dog collar says – I’m here and that Dobermans not taking me anywhere! But the next two weeks will be tough for him. The Pats were just accused of deflating their footballs below regulation in the AFC championship game. They’re being investigated over the next few weeks and unfortunately, this is one scandal he’ll have a hard time passing off on his evil looking coach. Brady has admitted to preferring footballs with less air, and it’s hard to believe that one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time wouldn’t notice that his football didn’t feel quite right, or that someone else would mess with them.

But what about Russell Wilson? This is Russell’s third year in the league, so his resume couldn’t possibly measure up to Brady’s. It’s impressive, but he’s not considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time…yet. Wilson was slighted in the draft, like Brady, (he was picked in the third round) and just like Brady, he was not immediately made starter for the Seahawks. He competed against two other prospects in training camp, and just barely came out on top. Pete Carroll took a huge chance with him. Other teams were afraid to even look at him because of his size. The average height for a quarterback in the NFL is 6’3 (Brady is 6’4).  Russell is 5’11.

But over the past three years he has proven himself both on and off the field. He took his team to their first Superbowl ever last year and won against Brady’s biggest rival. His charity work seems to take up as much time as football. He runs his own foundation, helping youth in communities in need. Russell Investments donates $3000 every time he throws a touchdown. This year he started a campaign to talk about domestic abuse when the NFL was in desperate need to have that conversation AND he runs a passing academy in the off season, donating all the proceeds to a charity for Diabetes in honour of his father. Russell has a big heart and two very adorable great danes.

I also just want to quickly address the possibility that Russell Wilson might be psychic. Firstly he claims that when he was 14, Jesus appeared to him in a dream. But visions can happen to anyone. What about this quote he gave on the Thursday before a game, predicting the way the game went. “It’s gonna come down to the fourth quarter. It may go to overtime. I’m expecting something great to happen, some amazing play to win the game, or amazing drive, or a back-and-forth two-minute drill.” Then when they were down, he told his offensive coordinator how they would win the game “”I told Darrell Bevell I was going to get the look I wanted, make the check we’d practiced and hit Jermaine [Kearse] for the winning touchdown.” AND THEN HE DID. All I’m saying is that we should consider this as a possibility.

Now, while Brady and Russell share a similar history, their public personas are very different. Brady is a team man, he says what he’s supposed to say, when he’s supposed to say it, and always appears in stoic control. He never does anything unexpected. Russell is a little different. He’s still mild mannered, but his emotions tend to be a bit grander than Brady’s. He was weeping after the NFC championship game…..weeping! They’re both deserving of this cup, it’s a battle of the new kid cementing himself amongst the greats, and the King trying to stay on top – And I think the dog collar thing is just a bit too much so I’m going with the oracle that is Russell Wilson.

But let’s talk defence 

Richard Sherman is a great man, and the leader of Seattle’s incredible defence – The Legion of Boom, known for their hard hits. Richard in particular is known for this trash talk and is the self proclaimed ‘best corner in the game’. The last time the Pats and Hawks played, he intercepted a throw from Brady and shouted “U mad bro??” repeatedly in the QB’s direction. Later he posted a picture where he is seen taunting Brady with the same caption – It went viral. Brady was noticeably ruffled, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him try something similar at the Superbowl. For all his talk it must be said that Richard puts the game first. He’s a passionate player and a powerhouse on the field. In the NFC championship game he hurt his elbow but stayed on the field, cradling his injured arm and rallying his team. He claims the injury is minor and he’ll be back on the field Feb. 1^st.

But he’s not my favourite defensive player for the Hawks. That title belongs to Michael Bennett. If you watched the highlights or saw much of anything from the NFC game, you most likely saw a weeping Russell Wilson, and large bearded man riding a bike around the stadium. Michael Bennett, overcome with excitement after the win, saw a police bike and promptly took it.  He has since said it was the best bike ride of his life “like the first time you make love…really good”. He defended his lap by saying that he was giving the people what they want – he was right. He’s undoubtedly one of the most amusing men in football. Journalists love talking to him because he always says something great. During the playoffs, when asked how he was dealing with the stress, he answered “Doing the exact same thing we always do: not having sex on Wednesday’s, watching Homeland, just chilling.”

And whatever you do,  make sure you’re ready for his notorious sack dance. He recently said that his was the most important sack dance in history because it caused a baby boom in Seattle, so don’t be caught unawares: it’s that sexy. I’ll attach a link below, but for those too fertile to watch it, I can tell you that he recently described it as “two angels dancing while chocolate is coming from the heavens.”

Lastly for the Seahawks defence (although there are plenty more where that came from) I want to talk about Derrick Coleman. You may know him from a Duracell commercial that aired leading up to last years Superbowl. It’s arguably the greatest ad ever made, and called attention to the largely unknown fact that Derrick Coleman is deaf. Quite honestly when I watch it I feel the need to immediately go out and buy Duracell batteries, and I’m not the only one.

After seeing the ad a 9 year old hearing impaired girl wrote a letter to Coleman saying that he inspired her. He wrote back and the whole thing became the cutest thing to happen in football, maybe ever. Riley Kovalcik, her twin sister and the whole family ended up getting VIP tickets to the Superbowl last year and hung out with Coleman for an hour on game day. Since, he has become an icon for kids everywhere with hearing impairments.

But the Patriots have a few players worth mentioning too!

Derelle Revis is also considered to be the greatest cornerback in football. Two years ago, he and Richard Sherman had a lengthy twitter battle regarding who the best really was, but don’t expect him to be bated this year. Bill Belichick likes his players to be reserved and tight lipped off the field. When he was recently asked about Sherman, he changed the subject right away. This is Revis’s first year with Patriots and his 8^th year in the NFL but he’s never been to the Superbowl before, so this is a big deal for him. His spot on the field is nicknamed Revis Island which can be defined by urban dictionary as ‘a place where NFL wide receivers frequently get lost’ and Urban Dictionary is no joke. He also has his own shoes – The Nike Zoom Revis and they’re pretty cool.

And then there’s Brandon Browner who played for Seattle last year – this is his first time facing off against his former team. It’s also  his first Superbowl. He was suspended last year for violating the NFL’s performance enhancing drugs rules, although from what I can tell, it was a claim from his time with the CFL. In an interview with The News Tribune he said “Those guys are like my brothers over there – they’re my best friends. But on the day, I’m trying to win. I’m headhunting.” He has been the only Patriot player (other than Brady) to come forward with his thoughts on Deflate Gate, coining the new and influential, trending hashtag – #inflatethis

So who’s got heart on Deffence – Seahawks

Offence

The Hawks certainly have some players worth noting. The first is Marshawn Lynch and his infamous Beast Mode. You’ll hear a lot about him on press day because he’s a fan favourite, everyone will want to talk to him, and he will try and skirt them all. In 2013 he was fined $50,000 by the NFL for failing to speak to the press. Seahawk fans raised that amount to pay the fine for him, and forced the NFL to back down. In the end the NFL said that he had to donate the fan money and gave him a firm warning. This year, when he failed to comply again, he was fined $100,000. He was also fined twice this year for unsportsmanlike conduct after grabbing his crotch post touchdown, and another $10,000 for wearing ‘Skittles’ cleats on the field. Lynch has been eating Skittles during games since high school. For a while Seattle Fans threw Skittles on the field when he would score. This year an official deal was announced, and during the Superbowl, Skittles will donate $10 000 to Lynch’s charity every time he scores a touchdown. But he isn’t all rosy. During his time with the NFL he’s been suspended for carrying a weapon, received a DUI and pled guilty to a hit and run.

He did however get this Seahawk Grill made, and it should be noted that while he doesn’t like talking to the press he’s the heart of the Seahawks offence and is idolized by his team mates.

Luke Willson is the Seahawks Canadian Sensation. He’s in his second year but has only begun starting consistently this season. He’s young but he has made some incredible plays this season – including a mind boggling catch in the NFC championship last Sunday when they needed it most. Sports writer Zito Mado said that “Luke Willson was the Luke Skywalker missile that destroyed the death star” and he also has great hair. Pete Carroll sees a lot of chemistry between Luke and Russell Wilson with Russell noting “It’s always nice to pass to another Wilson.”

And then there’s Doug Baldwin who gives Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett a run for the Hawks Mr. Congeniality. Doug Baldwin can come off a little angry. He’s best known for his rants, which usually all boil down to a common ‘Haters gonna Hate’ philosophy. He usually apologizes after he’s cooled down and had a popsicle. A few days after his most recent, angry rant after the NFC win, he spoke to the News Tribune saying “All the frustrations I had in the entire course of that game, and the entire course of the season came out…I don’t know, man. I’m just a fiery, passionate guy. I don’t try to ruffle feathers on purpose. Sometimes it just happens that way because of the mentality I have.” Baldwin also hosts a Youtube Channel called Fresh Files that is 50% confusing, 40% funny, 10% boring and certainly worth a look if you don’t have much else to do.

And the Patriots…

If you’ve never heard of Gronk, then you are missing out. The Gronk is a frat boy, offensive beast for the Patriots and if you haven’t heard of him, you may have heard of his trademark touchdown ritual, Gronking. This is where he throws the ball down as hard as he can, and gets a little crazy eyed. (links attached)  It’s very charming – the ladies just swoon. Earlier this week he actually claimed responsibility for the Patriots deflated footballs, saying that his sheer Gronking force had led to the deflation. It was very a noble admission and the ladies swooned once more.

Gronk, also known as Rob Gronkowski will be a big player in the Superbowl and you’ll here his name thrown around a lot. Here are some things you might not know about him. He has his own cereal called ‘Gronk Flakes’, a sponsorship deal with Dunken Donuts, and his very own party bus. He was on a reality TV show called the’ The Choice’ where he tried to find love AND he has a charity; the ‘Gronk Nation Youth Foundation’ – just try and say that three times fast. In conclusion – Gronk is great.

And then there’s Julian Edelman – the Patriot nice guy. He posted a video this week titled ‘Growing Pats’ in which heartwarming photos of Patriot players before they were great are played alongside the Growing Pains theme. It’s cute alright. He has a great chemistry with Tom Brady – not quite Gronk level, but still pretty good. Both he and Brady were overlooked in college and in the draft. Besides, Gronk just can’t express his feelings like Edelman can – this week our boy Julian told reporters about Brady, “I truly love that man.” 

Over all, The Patriots have a killer offence but I’ll only talk about one more. In November a young, likable player named Jonas Grey played the game of his life. I won’t get into details (he rushed 200 yards in one game) but suffice it to say that Jonas Grey, who had been relatively unknown the week earlier, landed himself on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Two days after that his phone died during the night, his alarm didn’t go off and he did the one thing that a Patriot can never do. He missed practice. Bill Belichick has some pretty strict rules about lateness and just showing up in general, so to make a point, Bill benched his new star running back. Since then Jonas has played minimally in 4 games, and not played at all in 3. And that very same week the Patriots re-signed the much less likable LaGarrette Blount, who has mostly replaced Jonas. Jonas Grey being a smart fellow knows he’s a story this week and is doing his very best to avoid the media and keep his coach happy, but it will be interesting to see if he’s given a chance on Sunday.

Who’s got heart on offence – I’m going for Pats. There’s just something about Gronk.

LINKS – Seattle

Marshawn Lynch Opens up in a Skittles Interview http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/1/26/7919385/marshawn-lynch-happily-answers-questions-in-skittles-ad

A really great and serious Marshawn Lynch article http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/12232435/the-misunderstood-marshawn-lynch-why-seattle-seahawks-running-back-trust-media

The Onion pokes fun at Beast Mode http://www.theonion.com/articles/panicking-marshawn-lynch-unable-to-deactivate-beas,35147/

Richard Sherman meets a fan with a custom prosthetic leg http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/1/27/7920939/richard-sherman-fan-prosthetic-leg-seahawks

Michael Bennetts Sack dance  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l7729sPB_k

Derrick Coleman’s Duracell commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzQFA2hxyRQ

LINKS – Patriots

Edelman’s Growing Pats Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY9BBjLOwQM

Derrell revis shoes http://www.nicekicks.com/tag/darrelle-revis-shoes/

Gronking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETJykq-JTLc

Gronk/cat photo explanation http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24881285/bill-belichick-shows-rob-gronkowski-cat-photos-to-entire-team

Gronk party bus http://fansided.com/2015/01/18/patriots-rob-gronkowski-given-party-bus/

 

 

 

Who’s it gonna be? – Offensively

Let us begin with a runningback named Marshawn Lynch, sometimes better knows as ‘Beast Mode’ and who I like to call ‘The Skittle King’. Now, Marshawn is a fairly private guy but much loved by Seahawk fans. In fact, this year he was fined $50,000 for refusing to speak to the media. Seahawk fans, for no reason I can make sense of, decided to raise that money so that he (a professional athlete worth millions) wouldn’t have to pay. The NFL had no choice but to revoke his fine, donate the fan money to charity and give him a firm slap on the wrist.

In 2011, during a playoff game with the Saints he made history by running a 67 yard touchdown, during which he broke 9 tackles and took down a cornerback with one arm. The crowd went wild, as Seahawk fans are prone to do. It was the first time that the 12^th man registered on a seismic scale. The run is known as ‘The Beast Quake.’

Shortly afterwards, he was spotted eating Skittles on the sidelines after a big play, The fans jumped on this bandwagon and now, adorably, they throw skittles onto the field whenever Lynch does anything impressive, which is fairly often. Because of this inclination towards the colourful candies, Mars offered Marshawn a 2 year supply of skittles as well as a custom dispenser for his locker but he took the endorsement one step too far and was fined $10,000 for wearing skittle cleats on the field.

My favourite thing about Marshawn is his love of grills. He has many a grill, even one in celebration of his nickname shown here. He has had some legal trouble however with a DUI and guilty plea on a misdemeanour weapons charge but I try not to think about that.

Onwards! If you haven’t seen the Derrick Coleman’s Duracell commercial, perhaps you should follow this link before reading on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2HD57z4F8E

That’s right. Derrick Coleman is the first deaf offensive player in NFL history and that sad image of his mom watching TV, is of Derrick NOT being drafted. No one wanted him, but he never gave up. He went to training camps and was eventually drafted by the Vikings and a few months later – the Seahawks. I feel like I am a walking Duracell advertisement but his really is an inspiring story.

This week something happened to make his story just a little cuter. There are a pair of rather adorable twin girls in New Jersey. When their dad told them about Derrick Coleman and all of his success, the two girls became his #1 fans, because they too are hearing impaired. After the big AFC game, one of the girls wanted to write him a letter and when her father read it, he posted it to twitter to show Derrick Coleman just how much he had inspired them. The letter is attached, along with his response and I don’t know what on earth could convince me to root for anyone else ever again!

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/derrick-coleman-inspires-hearing-impaired-jersey-girl-article-1.1587483

Also on Seahawks offence is an incredibly talented player named Golden Tate; the wide receiver with the best name in the NFL.

My last Seahawk of the day is a guy named Luke Willson. Sadly of no relation to Owen or other Luke. I want to point him out because he is a rookie and has done really well this season with both Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson coming forward in strong support and praise. He’s also quite good looking and Canadian! Here is a picture of him working at a Starbucks for charity.

Now to the Bronco’s

I really must begin with Wes Welker. He is a wide receiver and return specialist in the Bronco offence and he is quite a guy. He went originally un-drafted but has now been in the NFL for 10 years and played with Patriots for 6. During this time we didn’t get a very clear picture of Wes’s personality due to Bill Belichick’s ban on personality in favour of franchise uniformity/professionalism. In fact the only time we got a real glimpse of it was when rumours began circulating that New York Jets Head Coach had a foot fetish. Wes was benched during a play off game for dropping 11 foot references during a press conference in a matter of minutes.

He is one of the few players who has been to the Superbowl but does not have a ring, he wasn’t with the Patriots for any of their winning seasons. I imagine he wants it pretty bad. This is his first year with the Bronco’s after contract disputes with the Patriots and I like to think that Wes Welker has made his great

escape and now that he’s free we should have many more juvenile and entertaining press conferences coming our way. Here is Wes Welker’s boyish face.

Wes is married to ‘Miss Hooters International 2005’.

While the Bronco’s don’t have a player with hearing impairment they do have the shortest player in the NFL which is not at all the same thing but Trindon Holliday has had to overcome his fair share of adversity too. His mother kept him out of football until grade 7 due to concerns with his size and when college recruits came around, many passed him up. He ended up at an LSU training camp and during a running drill the coaches argued with one another about his time, claiming that their stop watches must be broken. In fact Trindon Holliday is the shortest player in the NFL and also one of the fastest. He’s really, really fast. He’s also a bit of a fumbler so if a big catch goes to him during the Superbowl be afraid, and supportive and try not to breathe.

Now, no team in NFL history has ever had a perfect season, meaning they have never gone undefeated in the regular season, post season and have gone on to win the Superbowl. But Trindon Holliday just might do it. You see, Trindon was traded from the Texans this season. At the time of his trade the Texans were 5-0 and the Broncos were 13-3 but haven’t lost a game since the trade. Which means that if the Bronco’s win the Superbowl, Trindon will have a perfect season and be the first NFL player in history to do it! It’s pretty great.

On to Erik Decker and Demaryius Thomas, wide receivers who were described by their offensive coordinator as ‘two little kids in a candy store’ when Peyton Manning was traded to the Bronco’s. They were both drafted in 2010 and seem to really come as a pair. Since then, their relationship with Peyton has grown from starry-eyed to pretty close. Decker and Manning joke often about their Bro-mance, saying that they car pool to games while Demaryius Thomas caught Peytons 500^th touchdown and his 55^th in 2013 (the most touchdowns thrown by a quarterback in a single season). They’ll both be worth watching on Sunday.

Obviously there are some real characters on both teams, which should only be proven further by the defensive post coming soon. I’ve decided that maybe, you don’t have to choose an offence to win you over. But now you have the details, probably more than you’d like, certainly more than I would like on some big players this Sunday.

Here is Marshawn looking great

And this is another one of his grills

Here is Derrick Coleman

And Golden Tate…who is also quite attractive

This is Wes Welker with ‘Miss Hooters International 2005’ better known as Anna Burns, on Christmas wearing matching PJ’s

Erik Decker and Damaryius Thomas doing a super cool handshake

And Lastly, here is Trindon Holliday

Who’s it Gonna Be? – The Quarterback Showdown

Sooo….At 25 years old and in his second season, Russel Wilson is a young, exciting and up and coming quarterback. After a successful college career in both baseball and football he opted to go to the MLB for a few years before leaving baseball and entering the 2012 NFL draft. There was some concern over his height but Seattle picked him in the third round, 75^th over all. At this point the Seahawks had three quarterbacks and no clear direction on who they wanted to lead their team. The three men spent training camp competing for the job of starter with Russell eventually coming out on top. This is important because unlike Peyton Manning, Russell was never the obvious choice. He didn’t enter the NFL in the 1^st round, his dad isn’t a famous quarterback and he surpassed everyones expectations in getting the job and then surpassed them again when he was so excellent at it.

His rookie season was a success and curiously enough he ended up tying the record for most touchdowns thrown by a rookie….with none other than Peyton Manning.

Russell is a devout christian. He claims that Jesus came to him in a dream when he was 14 and his twitter is filled with biblical verses,

however he doesn’t just tweet his values. He goes weekly to the Seattle Children’s hospital and he has a charity called ‘The Power of the Mind’ that gives opportunities to low income youth. In 2010 he lost his father to complications with Diabetes and since has become an advocate for those suffering with the disease. He holds a youth passing academy in the off season with all proceeds going to the Charles Ray III Diabetes Association. For the 2013 season he made an agreement with Russel Investments where they donate $2000 to his charity for every touchdown he throws in the regular and post season.

In 2012 he married his college sweetheart, the lovely Ashton Meem and the two are maybe the cutest couple in football. I have attached a few links to hit this home but this is their reaction to Russell being drafted. AND I will also tell you that when he proposed, he had one of their three adorable dogs help him out, AND If you care about that sort of thing, there are links.

To sum him up, Russell Wilson seems like the lovleliest, most all american boy you could hope to lead your team. It’s not hard to root for his serious look, youthful talent and curly locks.

Now, on to Peyton Manning. I already spoke about him in my post for the NFC championship so I won’t go into tremendous detail but what is important to know about Peyton is that this has been an extraordinary season for him. He has beat numerous records, and if he wins the this game, for a lot of reasons I don’t fully comprehend, he will have had the greatest single season of any quarterback in the history of the NFL.

Now, does this incredible athlete really need another accolade to add to his already impressive list? Probably not, but consider this – This amazing season he’s had, this is happening after some serious surgeries onhis neck. Surgeries that caused the team that he built and led for 14 years to replace him. Peyton Manning was the starting QB with the Indiana Colts for 14 years. After he was dropped, hewasn’t sure if he should tryto continue playing with his arm not recovering like he wanted it to. His rather lovely wife Ashley pushed him into a few training camps where his arm slowlystarted returning. He was picked up by the Bronco’s last year and has been blowing everyones mind with his comeback ever since.

His is a story of redemption. And not only that, but you can’t help but admit that he has a certain charm to him. I can’t say for sure that I think he is particularly funny but it is clear that he has a sense of humour and appreciates comedy. He hosted SNL and didn’t screw it up, in fact, this United Way PSA was really quite good. He did a promo spot with Will Farrell for Anchor Man 2 this year and let’s not forget about hismany classic MasterCard commercials over the years. With his big dumb face and his big dumb smile it’s hard not to like him.

And don’t think he doesn’t do his fair share of charity work either. One of my favourite Peyton-ism’s is his foundation which is aptly named ‘The Peyback Foundation’

Peyton is known for calling out plays to trick the other team. His most recent buzzword is ‘Omaha’ and he seems to shout it out beforenearly every play lately. The city of Omaha is thrilled, they publicly thanked Manning on their twitter feed, hoping that all these mentions on national television are bound to cause some tourism. You can even bet on how many times Peyton will scream Omaha at the super bowl, naturally the links are attached.

So, quarterback wise you have two options – the young, serious, sweet and talented Russell Wilson and his dogs OR the lovable goon thatis Peyton Manning who could prove to the world (and the Colts) that is he still the very best.

On this one, although I love the Seahawks and Russell Wilson, I think I’m going Peyton. I mean, look at this face

Links

Here is the betting information on Omaha

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-23/peyton-manning-s-omaha-audibles-become-super-bowl-prop-bet.html

To add to my argument of the cutest couple in football

Here is Russell Wilson’s proposal details….which I understand is not a very sporty link

http://www.timesdispatch.com/entertainment-life/weddings-celebrations/i-do-i-do-ashton-meem-russell-wilson/article_169dd71c-d7b9-5781-aba4-2db570e5550b.html

And in case you missed it this time, here is Peyton’s United Way commercial

http://ilovefootballseason.com/funny-peyton-manning-united-way-snl-digital-short/

Who’s it gonna be? – Team overviews

It’s Superbowl time!

The most wonderful, testosterone filled day of the year is upon us, but who you might be wondering to root for?

Both teams have a lot going for them and I’ll do my best to cover every little bit of non statistical information so that you can make an emotionally informed decision. Today I’ll be posting a team overview but each day for the rest of the week I’ll be comparing QB’s, coaches,  some big offensive and defensive players and of course, the always overlooked kickers.

So away we go…

The Seattle Seahawks have never won a Superbowl. The one time before now that they made it to the big game, they lost to the Steelers. To make them even more wide eyed and lovable, not a single member of the Seahawks active roster have ever played in a Superbowl. This is an incredible and exciting opportunity for them. Led by my very favourite silver fox: Pete Carroll (see previous post), they are in good hands and their defence could certainly make it happen for them.

To help them out, Seattle has some of the most incredible fans in football. They are called ‘The 12^th Man’ and are so loud, disruptive and unruly that they cause an awesome amount of false starts in the opposing teams. And the Seahawks are grateful. When their new uniforms were released in 2012 they were designed with 12 feathers down their legs and around their neckline in dedication to their fans. In 1984 the team retired the #12 in honour of the 12^th man so no Seahawk has worn the #12 in 30 years. At the beginning of each and every home game a team VIP raises a massive #12 flag in the end zone and the stadium goes wild. In fact, this year the 12^th man broke a Guinness Record for Loudest Stadium. In 2011, their sound registered on a nearby seismic scale. They made the earth move!!!

And if that wasn’t enough, they have Taima. Taima the Hawk is the Seahawk mascot. She has been with the team since 2007 and leads the team out of their tunnel at the start of every home game. They are bringing her to New Jersey for the big game so she can do her thing. 

On the business side of things, the Seahawks are owned by a man named Paul Allen who is a co-founder of Microsoft. He is your typical hyper rich, philanthropist who donates millions of dollars and does good. 

He’s like a nerdy Bruce Wayne with no alter ego. Unlike most millionaire do-gooders our guy Paul has never been married but it’s not out of the question for him. He is actively looking for love, saying in 2011, in a 60 minutes interview that he is still optimistic he’ll meet someone and frankly it shouldn’t be too difficult for him. He is worth $15.8 billion and just released his first rock album. There links attached.

 

On the celebrity front, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are huge Seahawks fans. Macklemore performed at the NFC Championship and was with hung out with the team before and after the game. When asked to sign a fans 49er’s jersey, he did so, but not without putting the word ‘sucks’ after the team name. Sarah and Todd Palin and Drew Carey are also fans.

In short, the Seahawks are on an upswing. This really feels like it could be their time. They have an incredible team put together and a lot of people really pulling for them. They are certainly who I’m going to rooting for but….

The orange and navy Denver Bronco’s are pretty great too. I mean look at that guy’s smile.  They have not won a Superbowl in 15 years. Not since they were led by Bronco legendary QB John Elway. Elway was originally drafted in 1983 in the first round by the Colts, but he threatened to leave football for the MLB unless he was traded to a select list of teams. He didn’t give the Colts much choice and Denver was happy to take him on. Prior to Elway, the team had been through 24 different starting QB’s in 23 seasons. He played with the team for 16 years and now works as their General Manager. This man spent his entire professional career and most of his adult life with the Bronco’s and is still considered one of the greatest QB’s of all time. It would be wonderful for him to take his team to victory again, this time as their manager.

And while Bronco fans may not make quite as much noise as the 12^th man, they are still some of the loudest fans in the NFL. They shout ‘IN-COM-PLETE’ after any incompletion and take stadium attendance very seriously, loudly ‘boo-ing’ any no shows at home games.

Their team mascot is a beautiful 900 pound horse named Thunder who is ridden down the length of the field after a home game touchdown. He and his beautiful, blonde and buxom trainer will be making the long and difficult journey to the Superbowl this year so Taima will not be the only live mascot to be shipped across the country.

The Bronco’s are owned by Pat Bowlen who is much cooler looking than Paul Allen. His family made their money in the Canadian oil business and while he bankrolls the team, he is not very active in its decision making. He did however save the team from near bankruptcy when he bought it and like Paul Allen, he fought to keep the team in its home town. This is his 30^th year with the team. He is married to a lovely, if not somewhat plastic lady named Joan Annabelle Bowlen who interestingly enough, happens to be related to the late Princes Diana. But as far as I could tell neither of them have ever released a rock album.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park fame are huge fans and frequently reference the Bronco’s on their show. Curiously, the Bronco’s won the Superbowl the year that the show went on the air, which they do not consider curious at all. Other fans include Tim Allen and Kyle Busch.

Now, for some similarities. Both teams had a regular season record of 13-3 and as it turns out both mascots are named Thunder..sort of. Turns out that Taima is a Native American name and although there is some disagreement about its language of origin, it appears to mean Thunder.

For pure team spirit I’m going Seahawks, but if you still can’t decide, tomorrow i’ll be pitting Peyton Manning against Russell Wilson and it will be enthralling!

Links –

http://theweek.com/article/index/247909/microsoft-co-founder-paul-allen-released-a-rock-album-and-its-not-terrible

Listen to a Paul Allen Song Sample

http://www.kplu.org/post/experience-his-music-project-paul-allen-releases-star-studded-cd