As a born and bred Bostonian, it comes as no surprise where my allegiances will lie this Sunday.
But for you football fans out there not so fortunate as to have your favorite squad in the granddaddy of them all, let me convince you as to why the (morally) right call is to root for New England in Super Bowl XVLI.
As an American, its borderline sacrilegious not to pull for the Patriots. I mean, they’re the Patriots. Patriots won us our freedom, taking down the “giant” and tyrant King George III and Great Britain (pun obviously intended).
If that had you convinced, great, but to be completely honest I hope such nationalistic lingo doesn’t persuade you all the time, or else I’m fearful of your decision-making ability come the election in the fall.
But moving on, from Welker, Gronk, the Hoodie, and the Golden Boy, the Patriots are just an all around more awesome crew of gentlemen than the pompous Daddy’s boy-led (that’s a thing, right?) New York “Football” Giants.
The argument really begins and ends with the tale of the two quarterbacks. If there were one person in the world I’d ever want to switch lives with, it would be Tom Brady. From a supermodel wife to three Super Bowl rings, the man just has it all.
But once upon a time, he didn’t. He wasn’t handed the keys to the Ferrari like counterpart Eli Manning was, and, in fact, he wasn’t even the full time starter in college at the University of Michigan. The 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, however, took advantage of his only opportunity to prove himself after franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe went down in week two of the 2001 season. The rest, as they say, is history. Although he hasn’t won the title for the better part of a decade, Brady has a shot to cement himself as the greatest player ever to play the position with a win on Sunday.
Eli Manning, however, has always had every resource he’s wanted to put him in the position to succeed. To his credit, he has proved his naysayers wrong with his win in the “game-that-never-happened” in 2007, but that still doesn’t mean he’s not a jerk.
While many people would kill just for the chance to play in the NFL, Manning refused to play for the team that picked him (San Diego Chargers) with the first overall pick in the 2004 draft and forced a draft day trade to New York. He has always listened to his father, harkening back to his decision to follow his dad to quarterback Ole Miss (his brother Peyton chose his own route to the University of Tennessee). Just looking at him, I can’t help but think that even I could take him in a fight.
Manning also cannot be more different in personality than Peyton. It’s hard to find someone out there who would say they like Eli more or argue that Eli is the better player than his brother, but with a second Super Bowl victory he can surpass Peyton and stick it to big brother. It’s almost rotten that Eli will be the only Manning to play in Peyton’s home city of Indianapolis this season, and it would be cruel for him to win there while his brother cannot help but watch from the stands. For all of our sakes, Eli just cannot win.
I imagine most of the other Giants players are not nearly as disdainful as their quarterback, but compared to Brady’s charismatic supporting cast, they just cannot compete as a bunch to root for.
The Patriots’ locker room is seemingly stocked with overachievers, with scrappy little guys like receiver Wes Welker (once undrafted, cut, but now the NFL’s leading receiver) to running backs Danny Woodhead (college Division III standout, undrafted, cut by rival New York Jets) and “The Lawfirm” BenJarvus Green-Ellis (undrafted, now back-to-back 10+ touchdown seasons). It even includes Swiss Army knives like Julian Edelman (college quarterback, drafted to play receiver, now returns kicks and even plays defense) and Matthew Slater (former receiver turned defensive back and Pro Bowl special teams player).
Then there’s Gronk. In his second year, Rob Gronkowski is not just known for breaking single-season NFL records for tight ends (17 touchdowns and 1,327 yards receiving), but also his emphatic spikes of the ball after scores and a crazy off-the-field personality. He’s a downright party animal.
And, of course, what about one of the games’ most well-known personalities? Although Chad Ochocinco has been an afterthought this season (to say the least), the potential Hall of Famer has always been known to be a talker, and, unlike his VH1 counterpart Terrell Owens, it’s hard to find someone who really dislikes him, as evidenced by his 3+ million Twitter followers.
Ultimately, the New England Patriots behind the polarizing “hoodie” – Head Coach Bill Belichick – and Brady have a shot to correct a wrong from four years earlier. They’ve proven to be one of the most consistent teams in the game over the last decade, and its time for fans to appreciate their greatness. After playing villain in 2007, it’s New England’s turn to have the backing of America in avenging defeat and tackling Manning and the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.