It's almost 1 pm and I think we're into hour 14 of the Super Bowl Pregame Show, which lasts so long that they might as well have Jerry Lewis host it. The game supposedly starts at 6, but the kickoff probably won't be until next Thursday so they can squeeze in a few more bad commercials and human interest stories about the backup weak safety for one of the teams whose third cousin was traumatized by the death of a pet hamster, giving him a "unique perspective" on the importance of the game after his harrowing brush with death.
So after all this nonsense, and for all four sports fans who read my blog, let's hear everyone's predictions for the game. Personally, I'm going with the rest of the pundits who seem to think that Pittsburg's defensive intensity will be too much for the Seahawks. What say ye?
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You wrote So after all this nonsense, and for all four sports fans who read my blog .
Ah, Ed, you make the same [annoying]assumption that people who couldn't care less who wins today [like me] must not be sports fans. Does being a sports fan mean you have to follow, and enjoy, all sports? Watch much arena football or MLS action, do you, Ed? Or is it that if I was a rabid NFL fan, and watched nothing else, I would be a sports fan? What exactly are the membership requirements of sports fandom?
Sad to see you [who usually uses language more carefully] signing on to the assumption commonly made by nearly all NFL fans I know that someone who is not an NFL fan must therefor "not like sports." Nonsense. I watch college football, minor league baseball [until the Brooklyn Dodgers emerge from the BMT and return to their people when I will return to watching MLB], college and professional ice hockey, and international soccer. But, absent NFL fandom, I'm somehow, not a "sports fan"?
Balderdash.
Oh, it's SuperBowl today? That's American Football, isn't it? Naw, I am not inteerested. There are much cooler sports out there - mostly those that do not utilize spherical (or not-really-spherical) objects. Martial Arts, Cycling, Equestrian Sports anyone?
flatlander wrote:
Actually, I don't make any assumption like that. In fact, it never entered my mind at all that some people might like other sports and not football. It was just a joking reference to the fact that many of my readers have said they just don't understand the appeal of sports. It's hardly worth being sad about. It's a freaking joke.
By the way, I'm not really a big NFL fan myself. I enjoy football, but rarely do I sit down and watch a whole game. I doubt I'll watch all of the Super Bowl today, unless it's a really good game. The only sport I'm really crazy about is college basketball, where I confess to being almost obsessive (I can tell you the names of all the top recruits for the top teams in the country, what position they play, where they're ranked, etc).
flatlander, I think you've read a certain attitude in to Ed's post that is invisible to me at least. I don't see anything remotely resembling your conclusion, 'absent NFL fandom' you're not a sports fan.
I'm kinda rooting for the Steelers, but I think the Seahawks will win. In Detroit, the Steelers have been treated a lot like a home team because of Bettis, and for some reason I think that might work against them; it makes me wonder if the Seahawks haven't been more focused on the game itself this week. I also thought the Seahawks manhandled the Panthers at least as much as the Steelers did Denver a couple weeks ago. I'm just hoping that it's a good game and not a blow-out either way.
Not ranting at Ed. Just get rubbed the wrong way by NFL fan's assuming that, and Ed's post reminded me of it since he used the term, in the same way. And ribbing back a bit, since Ed often [and rightly] takes others to task for loose assumptions.
Besides, no way I was going to pass up a chance to write "Balderdash!" on a blog.
The Seahawks' defense has been pretty damn stingy, too, especially when it comes to the red zone. And Holmgren has a magical way of grooming winning quarterbacks. Hawks take it, 21-17.
Before the Conference Championship games, my gut was to go with Pittsburgh. I usually pick the team that's the hottest going into the postseason, regardless of records and whatnot. It's not who played the best all year, it's who's playing best in a short 3-6 game stretch. Since Pittsburgh has one three tough road playoff games in a row this year, they would indeed seem to be the trendy pick.
That's why I'm going with Seattle.
No one (including me) has believed in this team all year. Holmgren was almost fired, Hasslebeck's a never-was, and Alexander has been dissed every week on his way to an MVP season. I think they're pissed off, I think they've got a chip on their shoulder that the sixth seed is being picked over them, and I think they're going to come out and play like men posessed to prove everyone wrong.
On the other side of the ball, I think Cowher's going to revert to his past playoff form and tighten up. He's not going to give his QB the freedom to wing it that's gotten them their early leads -- it's going to be pound pound pound until finally they find themselves in a hole.
So, my prediction is Seattle 24, Pittsburgh 10.
I can't believe I said "since Pittsburgh has one three tough road playoff games...". Naturally that should be "won" instead of "one".
I blame the excessive pre-game coverage for my lapse, enough of that is bound to kill some brain cells responsible for sounding intelligent.
Seahawks offense versus Steelers defense. One will be a clear winner.
Seahawks 37-20.
Luck will play a big role. These teams have vastly different personalities.
If Seattle gets on the scoreboard early and their offense appears to be working well, they could steam away with a lop-sided win.
If Pittsburgh can hold Seattle down in the first two quarters, Pittsburgh could win on being able to take better advantage of the other team's miscues.
If Pittsburgh gets lucky and gets more than two touchdowns ahead early, I look for Seattle to fold.
Myself, I hope it's about 30 points on each side and decided in overtime.
You don't have to like American Football to be a sports fan, flatlander, but you do have to hate Ice Hockey!
My prediction is that tomorrow morning (presuming the game has finished by then) everyone will be talking about which commercial they liked best.
Key to the game is the Pittsburg defense. If they shut down Seattle's run (as I expect they will) and if they rattle Hasslebeck when he tries to throw (as I expect they will), then Rothlisberger & Co. can just put up nice, workmanlike numbers on offense and win. Pittsburg, 21-13. And no, Ed, I'm not willing to bet on it. :-)
I don't really watch the NFL for the simple fact that the games are entirely too long. 3 & 1/2 or 4 hours for a sporting event is too much.
Ohh and I'm picking the Seahawks because there doesn't seem to be any human interest stories over there. And because i hate the city of Pittsburg.
Whichever team God favors. ;-)
Wow, I'm watching the game and I smell conspiracy. The "push off" in the end-zone against Seattle was questionable at best, and I'm not sold on that Big Ben touchdown either. Does Seattle not have enough star quality or "good stories"?
When you are bored with the game, as the Steelers grind out the rest of it, this story in the NYTimes is interesting for what it doesn't say about what it means?
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/04/national/04halliburton.html?_r=1&oref…
Could it be that these "new programs" represent how dissent will be handled in this country when the US starts bombing Iran???
I don't see how I could have been more wrong about that game. It's a good thing I don't make a living predicting sporting events.
I was close on the score at least ... of course I had the teams backwards. Sigh.
To be fair, that game really could have gone either way. It was much closer than the score indicates and a couple of calls going the other way could well have meant a different result. The Roethlisburger touchdown was extremely close and it looked like the ref was going to call it short, but then Ben pulled the ball up over the line as he got closer. Without that, they have to kick a field goal instead of a touchdown. And the holding call that brought back the Seahawks play down to the one yard line was pretty suspect; if there was a hold, it sure wasn't much of one. Change two very close calls and instead of being 21-10 midway through the fourth quarter, it's 17-17. On top of that, the pushoff on Jackson in the end zone was pretty cheap; he didn't gain an advantage on the play at all. I'm not saying the Seahawks were robbed, but there were several very close calls that could well have changed the game had they gone the other way. None of them were obviously wrong calls, though, they just weren't obviously right calls either. Still, I think it's good to see Bettis get a championship in his hometown.
I predicted it will be boring...you americans should learn to watch the only true sport: Soccer :P