Super Bowl Sunday For Dummies

By: John Demling
Posted In: Sports

Well here we go again the greatest day of the year – Super Bowl Sunday – a showdown of the two best teams in the game this year. The Carolina Panthers face off against the New England Patriots this Sunday at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, and the winner walks away from this contest with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. This trophy is named after the former Green Bay Packers coach who won the first two Super Bowls ever. He is considered one of the premier coaches in football history. The kickoff is at 6:05 p.m. with Houston native Beyonce Knowles singing the national anthem, which is reason enough to tune in, in my opinion.

Lets first look at the New England Patriots who are coached by defensive mastermind Bill Belichick. The Patriots are heading to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. This team is entering with a 14 game winning streak, the longest one this year. They are lead onto the field by the boy wonder Tom Brady; he is the quarterback that led the team to glory two years ago and hopes to do so again.

The Pats strength is their pass game. Brady uses short passes to dissect opposing defenses. Troy Brown, Deion Branch, and David Givens, are all great targets for his short game. The Patriots are known for spreading out the field and will be most successful if they use this strategy on Sunday. The Panthers do not have a cornerback with the speed to keep up with Patriots thoroughbred Bethel Johnson, the fastest man in the NFL. Johnson will be most effective with kick returns and when Brady decides to show the deep ball this rookie could play a significant part in a victory.

The Patriots are not known for their offense but instead for a swarming defense lead by Ty Law, a Pro Bowl cornerback and cornerstone to this team. The team also has three All-Pro’s Richard Seymour, a towering defensive end; Rodney Harrison, a hard-hitting safety; and Law, who may be hands down the best cornerback in the NFL this season. This year’s Patriots defense is considered among the greatest of all time.

The Pats will counter the Panthers’ strong run game with a 6 foot 5 inch, 365-pound wall named Ted Washington. Washington’s big frame makes running up the middle of the field hard for anyone. When the Panthers pass they will be dealing with different looks from a hard-hitting blitz happy defense. Two standout linebackers, Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest, and the hard-hitting secondary, led by Rodney Harrison, makes it look like a hard day for anyone in a Panthers jersey.

The Patriots are finding themselves in a very different position. The team that is a perennial underdog is now the favorite going into the Bowl. Favorite or not, the Patriots will be prepared – this team does not win pretty they win because they are the most prepared team on the field.

The Carolina Panthers made a statement this year as the first team to clinch their division in football. They have their Pro Bowlers on their roster and depend greatly on the legs of Stephen Davis, a Pro Bowl running back. Davis was the best free agent pick up of last off-season and instantly took this team from a group of pretenders, to contenders. This one man is the definition of the Panthers offense, meaning they like to run the ball and run it hard. Undrafted and first year starter Jake Delhomme will lead the Panthers pass attack with veterans Mushin Muhammed and kick returner Steve Smith. The Panthers, much like the Patriots, have a very strong defense though they are much more balanced in their offensive and defensive games.

The Carolina defense is based on a line that likes to disrupt the opposing offense. This defensive line is one of the best in the leagues, manned by Julius Peppers and Kris Jenkins. These two men like to get to the quarterback, which usually causes turnovers. The linebackers and cornerbacks like to hit hard and often on this team. The Panthers have a less experienced group with major star rookie Ricky Manning Jr. expected to be successful on defense. This team will have to be on their best game if they hope to knock off the Patriots and their passing attack. Carolina feels if they stop the run they will stop the Patriots and only time will tell if this is true.

The biggest weakness the Patriots have hangs on the shoulders of veteran punter Ken Walters, who has shown a number of very weak and short punts this year. Walters who was cut by the Patriots earlier this season could cost the Patriots the game if he shanks a punt late. The Panthers biggest weakness lies with Delhomme, the rookie quarterback has to go up against the most difficult defense to read or anticipate in the NFL.

In my opinion I think the Patriots will squeeze out a victory in this game. Studying what I have read and watched I think this will be a low scoring defensive battle but in the end the Patriots pass game will save the day. Predicted final score: Patriots 27, Panthers 19 and the MVP will be Ty Law. If all this excitement isn’t enough for you P Diddy, Nelly, and Janet Jackson are performing a powerhouse show at the half, enjoy the game.