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Superbowl Sunday is here and we can finally lay football season to rest until next season, which starts in two months with the NFL Draft. Hahahhaha. I'm sick.
Anyway, I'm more excited than usual for this game cuz of the prominent roles of players who are former UCLA Bruins. First of all is Ricky Manning. He was a starting corner back for the Bruins since he was a freshman. He is short, certainly by NFL standards, but he plays big, because he is tough both mentall and physically. Two weeks ago in the NFC Championship game, he had three interceptions. One looked like the proverbial right-place-at-the-right-time kind of pick. But the other two were classic Manning. He gets in the players face and hangs tough, bumping and pushing. In the Pac-10, very few quarterbacks threw to his side of the field, otherwise he would pick there passes, as he did against UW in the photo here.
Then there is the prodigal son, Deshaun Foster. Good ol' 26. In his senior year, he "borrowed" an SUV from some Hollywood type and was suspended for the last three games of his college career. With six 100+ yard games before being suspended including his 301 yard game agaist UW, he was a shoo-in as a Heisman candidate. Deshaun! What were you thinking. As a potential first round draft choice, he could a bought ten SUVs the next year. But still, the memories of his great games are still fresh in my mind. This guy was a tough dude. He would run into defenders, so the next time they come to tackle him they would think twice. Did you see his touchdown against Philly? According to ESPN's Merril Hoge, on NFL Live, that run was the Panther's signature play; people will look at that play when they remember how Carolina got to the Super Bowl. I'm not sure if I would go that far, but Foster's run was certainly reminiscent of his great runs at UCLA. The dude doesn't stop churning those legs, Of course, it was often at those times that he would cough up the ball. Of course, with Stephen Davis running at full speed now, Deshaun will play a backup role, which is too bad, cuz this guy can play.
Another player is tightend, Mike Seidman. He is big, he can block. He can also catch a pass over his shoulder a run faster than you might expect when necessary. He is the prototypical tightend for the NFL. Unfortunately, he had knee surgery after tearing a ligamanet against Philly earlier in the season.
Anyway, as you might guess, I am rooting for the Carolina Bruins, although it will be a tough game to win. New England is no push over. According to former Dallas Cowboy and 3 time Super Bowl QB, Troy Aikman:
Making a pick is very tough because these teams are so evenly matched. Neither has many holes. Both defenses are obviously tremendous and can dominate a game. (I don't see either defense giving up a lot of big plays.) Neither offense is explosive, but can get the job done and make plays when needed.
If pressed to make a pick, the only reason I give New England a slight edge would be because of Bill Belichick. That's not intended as a reflection on John Fox in any way. He's a tremendous coach who turned things around in warp speed for Carolina. There's just something scary about giving Belichick an extra week to prepare.
Well, despite the fact that Troy is a former Bruin as well, I have to go against him. Both teams play lights-out defenses, but I think Carolina's D-line is a little better, and Manning--a rookie, mind you--will play his heart out. My prediction: It'll be 16-10 Carolina in the 4th. The Patriots will score to take the lead 17-16. Deshaun Foster breaks a routine short yard play into a long gainer, maybe even a touchdown. Final score:
Carolina 23 - New England 17
Of course, like promises, predictions are made to be broken. Game starts at 6PM EST. I'm out to lunch until Monday!
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