IF YOU ARE UNDECIDED
Who to root for in the Super Bowl?
READ THIS
BY Eric Moneypenny / FOXSports.com
Posted: 1 day ago
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/3359326
If you're like me, there's a fair chance that you're a fan of one of the 30 other NFL teams that won't be playing on Super Bowl Sunday.
And if you've been cheering for an NFL team for the past five to 70 years that doesn't currently play home games at The Link or The Shave, I'm here to help you decide who you should be cheering for Feb. 6.
Besides, if you've been currently cheering for any NFL team for less than five years, and it isn't Houston, it's probably not too late to pledge your outright allegiance to one of these two Super Bowl teams anyway, especially if you've recently sided with any franchise that plays in Arizona, the Bay Area, or the entire states of Florida and Ohio. Unfortunately for me, I've spent the past 20 years (over 80 percent of my human existence) finding myself uttering the phrase "Go Browns" during the fall months.
But which team should we cheer for? There's a few ways to decide.
Option 1: Tradition
Tom Brady and the Pats will have the making of a dynasty with a win over the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. (Winslow Townson / AP)
If you're an NFL traditionalist, you probably want to cast your lot with the Patriots. After all, what's cooler in the long run then looking back at your NFL fan memories and identifying a true dynasty. If the Patriots win this year, when you're an old-timer, you can talk about the Patriots of the '00s with the same zeal that people talk about the Packers of the '60s, Steelers of the '70s, and 49ers of the '80s. And then we could say stuff like this ...
OLD VERSION OF YOU OR ME: "Ah, those Patriots of the Double Zeros (or however we'll say it in the future) ... now that was a football team! Tom Brady? That guy was the best quarterback of all time!" (Comment quickly followed by passionate debate at work, restaurant, bar, rest home, or with family members.)
And for traditionalists, the Patriots offer everything that you'd want in a pro football team. With a balanced offense, a clutch quarterback, and a dominant defense consisted of mainly role players, this team is more Old School than a wind-up pencil sharpener. And they're one win away from getting downright historical.
Option 2: The individuals
Over the past couple seasons, I've identified that there are two kinds of NFL fans. The kind of fan that loves T.O., and the kind that (well, "hate" is a strong word) doesn't care for his antics that much. But let's face it, even if you're not a Terrell Owens fan, he's definitely the kind of player that you "love to not care for his antics that much".
Actually, make that four kinds of NFL fans. There's also the lot that think Tom Brady is the closest thing to Joe Montana since ... ever. And then there's the ilk that think he's simply a Bart Starr-type (a solid QB, but a winner that led some dominant teams). So here are some formulas to help you out ...
If you are ...
Pro-T.O.+ Anti-Brady = You have to cheer for the Eagles.
Pro-Brady + Anti-T.O. = Patriots.
Pro-T.O. + Pro-Brady = Use Option 1 or 3.
Anti-T.O + Anti-Brady = Use Option 1 or 3.
Personally, I love T.O., and Tom Brady has a fan in me. Plus, I gave up on worrying about NFL tradition years ago. I think that happened the day that I heard someone on TV utter something to the effect of: "Today, live from Soldier Field, the Chicago Bears play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars!". So I'm going with Option 3.
Option 3: The underdog
Let's face it. It's a national pastime to cheer for the underdog, especially when you have absolutely no emotional investment in the overdog. And with a betting line that could fluctuate more in the next week than Whitney Houston's sanity, it still obviously appears to be Philadelphia, currently a seven-point underdog. (Question: Do betting lines fluctuate? I don't bet. I just wanted to make fun of Whitney Houston for no good reason after watching her sing at the beginning of the Giants-Bills Super Bowl XXV highlights.)
Unnecessary digs aside, cheering for the underdog is often the way I go. So this year, I'm casting my lot of fandom with Philly. And Patriots fans shouldn't get mad at me. I was with you guys all the way against the Bears in '86 and the Rams in '02 (but not against the Packers in '97, I was a huge Favre fan as a wannabe H.S. quarterback ... or the against the Panthers last year, SEE: "underdog").
Plus, cheering for this year's underdog Eagles team would be a lot more fun than cheering for the Falcons that one year against the Broncos. Donovan McNabb is the man, it'd be great to see Andy Reid win his first Super Bowl, and the Eagles defense plays with more energy than 11 truckers making a cross-country delivery of Red Bull.
Option 4: The good game
Whether you're cheering for options 1-3, always cheer for option 4: The good game.
After all of the hype, nothing is more depressing to an impartial sports fan than a Super Bowl that's decided before halftime. And unless you're on the winning side as an Eagles or Pats fan, nobody wants to see a game that ends 55-10 or 46-10, like the 49ers-Broncos or Bears-Patriots Super Bowls.
This year's game isn't taking place in the Superdome, so that's already a good sign.
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