SUPER BOWL XLVIII - The Bitter North! This year’s Super Bowl (to be played will February 2nd in at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ) will be the first outdoor, cold weather Super Bowl. In ferocious winds and mind numbing temperatures, mighty gladiators of the NFL will battle for the championship. Who will be there? The answer is never quite obvious but some of the WBOB staff thinks it is. Before the playoffs start our staff lends to you their "expertise". Michael Parente - Mr. Romantic - WBOB Sports Director - Call me a hypocrite, but I’m on the Patriots’ bandwagon following last week’s huge road win at Baltimore. It’s Super Bowl or bust, and I doubt I’ll be busted come Super Bowl Sunday. Yours truly, Mr. Anti-Patriot himself, is bleeding red, white and blue after watching Bill Belichick’s troops tear through the Ravens like Rick Ross at Golden Corral. Think about it – they had everything working against them that weekend (the Ravens are red hot, the Patriots can’t win on the road, etc., etc.) and not only did they win, they won by more than four touchdowns. Can you say, “Team of Destiny?” It’s not as if the AFC is stacked this year either; as good as the Broncos have been, they, too, are banged up and are one completely plausible defensive meltdown away from a second consecutive one-and-done. Who else scares you? Cincinnati? Indianapolis? Kansas City? They’d all have to come to Foxboro, where the Patriots haven’t lost all year. The numbers say otherwise, but the smart money is on the Patriots advancing to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. The odds are Seattle will be there, too, but history suggests riding with the hot hand, which is why Philadelphia will likely stand opposite New England at Super Bowl XLVIII. Speaking of destiny, the Eagles got the mother of all breaks when convicted dog-fighter Michael Vick blew out his hamstring, paving the way for Nick Foles, the NFL’s own Roy Hobbs. Foles has put up MVP numbers, throwing 25 touchdown passes with only two interceptions in 12 games. In fact, if Peyton Manning didn’t already break Brady’s single-season touchdown record this year, Foles would be the smart choice for MVP; the Eagles have won six of their last seven and, in addition to having the league’s hottest quarterback, have the best running back in football in LeSean McCoy, who leads the NFL in rushing. You’re supposed to run the ball in cold weather, right? No one does it better than McCoy or the Eagles, which bodes well for their impending playoff success.
Dave Death - The Hebrew Hero - Co host of 13 Folds Radio - Though the best suited teams for such a game would obviously be teams from the north, I believe that a few of these teams will be eliminated well before the big game. For example, I see the Packers falling to San Fran in the Wild card round. I also think, judging by the current weather, that Philly is going to put down the Saints (who have high expectations this post season). I believe the Chiefs & the Bengals will trump their opponents, eliminating Indy and the Chargers from the equation. In the divisional round, things become a bit more predictable. In the AFC, Denver has defeated KC twice this year. Though the Chief’s defense is tops in the league, Denver is still going to score points. It’s basically Jamal vs Manning and Manning has too many weapons. The other game brings Cincinnati to New England and Belichick doesn’t lose twice to the same team in one year. The NFC should pit Phily against Carolina and Seattle against San Fran (which should turn out to be the game of the year). The fact that Philly has to travel to Carolina puts Carolina in a good position to win this game. Carolina has a top notch defense but I think Nick Foles is an emerging QB who is going to stake his claim to fame this post season and carry Philly to the Conference Championship. Seattle, on the other hand, is nearly impossible to beat at home. Though SF is one of the only teams that could pull off a victory there, I predict that home-field advantage is going to carry the Seahawks through to the Superbowl. Therefore I can determine that Seattle is going to triumph over Philly in a complete blowout in Century Link Field. NE and Denver will be another great game, but unfortunately for New Englander’s it’s going to be played in Mile High. Once again, Peyton has too many weapons and Brady would kill for a tight-end. So the big game will host Seattle vs Denver, in the final battle of the season. Marshawn Lynch will be a force to be reckoned with and I can’t imagine the Denver defense being able to stop him, without sacrificing a man on Wilson. This is going to allow Seattle to put up points, either way, especially if Wilson can be effective as a passer. If weather plays a factor, Manning and his passing attack are going to suffer. Denver is going to need to score at least 27 points to win this game. In harsh conditions, against one of the league’s best defenses, I see this as the only challenge. I’m going to put my money on the Seahawks Defense and Lynch, though Knowshon Moreno will be a deciding factor in the outcome of this game before all is said and done.
Joe Ferro - Age 40 - Host of The Franchise- I was going to steer clear of being a "homer" but the hell with it. Patriots all the way. Over.... I'm going to say Philly for no other reason besides that I have a few friends who are Eagles fans and I want to see then cry. Even though, if I was a betting man, I'd never pick them. |
Support WBOB Sports
|