Dynasty?
Well, we're finally there, at the doorstep to a dynasty. Arguably it doesn't matter if the Pats win or not, making the Super Bowl this year was enough to mark them as dynastic after winning it all 2 of the last 3 years, but if they win, then there is no question. Hopefully the players are sincere when they say they aren't thinking about it, that they're just concentrating on the game. Onto what I think will happen.
I believe the Patriots are favored over the Eagles by 7, though that number could be a little off. Let's consider the three matchups, our offense vs. their defense, vice versa, and special teams. Philly's defense is excellent, one of the best in the league, and has been for a few years, so you know it's legit. The Patriots offense this year went from above average, maybe pretty good, to being really good, as trading for Corey Dillon added a new dimension. They scored 41 points on the top-ranked defense in the AFC Championship game. That's impressive. I'm calling this a slight edge for Philly.
I could write exactly what I wrote for the Eagles' defense for the Pats'. One of the best in the league, has been for a while, definitely legit. Holding the explosive Colts' offense to three points was kind of amazing, though the snow did help. The Eagles' offense is harder to pin down, mostly because of Terrell Owens. With him, they were great, practically unstoppable. If he hadn't hurt himself, I'd put the Pats' advantage here slight, so that we might call the game a tossup so far. If he definitely weren't playing, the Eagles offense would figure to be decent, as McNabb is really good, as is Westbrook, and the rest are respectable, so the Pats would have a huge advantage. I'm guessing Owens will play, he won't be his old self, but he will help, so the Pats' advantage is only significant, not huge, but he is a big wild card. I know, no one is saying this, but that's what you come here for, unconventional analysis like that....
Anyway, moving to special teams, Philly is better at most aspects. Better at kicking off, punting, returning kickoffs, returning punts. However, three of those are small advantages, with only punt returns by the Pats of significance. Field goal kicking is pretty much a wash, as both are great, except that I'd take Adam Ice in a big game over Akers, always. Advantage Eagles, but this is definitely the least important of the three areas of game play.
Coaching and intangibles definitely favor the Patriots. Andy Reid is very good coach, but he's no Belichick. Practically all of the Patriots starters have been in this sort of situation before, some of them have been to multiple Super Bowls, whereas the Eagles are mostly newbies at dealing with Super Bowl stuff. They definitely have a just-happy-to-be-here sense about them, which generally doesn't bode well. The Freddie Mitchell situation actually concerns me a little. Whether he meant to or not, he may give the Eagles a chance to put up some points because of what he said. If the Pats put too much attention on shutting him down and less attention on other, better, players, it could hurt them. Or they might go out of their way to not do that, and he has a big day from lack of attention. D'oh. Still, I definitely give the edge to New England in both areas.
So, looking at the total picture, and not knowing what's going on with Owens, I give the Patriots the edge. It probably won't go down to a final kick to end the game like their last two Super Bowls, but it will be close, with the end in doubt until close to the end. Patriots 23, Eagles 17.
I believe the Patriots are favored over the Eagles by 7, though that number could be a little off. Let's consider the three matchups, our offense vs. their defense, vice versa, and special teams. Philly's defense is excellent, one of the best in the league, and has been for a few years, so you know it's legit. The Patriots offense this year went from above average, maybe pretty good, to being really good, as trading for Corey Dillon added a new dimension. They scored 41 points on the top-ranked defense in the AFC Championship game. That's impressive. I'm calling this a slight edge for Philly.
I could write exactly what I wrote for the Eagles' defense for the Pats'. One of the best in the league, has been for a while, definitely legit. Holding the explosive Colts' offense to three points was kind of amazing, though the snow did help. The Eagles' offense is harder to pin down, mostly because of Terrell Owens. With him, they were great, practically unstoppable. If he hadn't hurt himself, I'd put the Pats' advantage here slight, so that we might call the game a tossup so far. If he definitely weren't playing, the Eagles offense would figure to be decent, as McNabb is really good, as is Westbrook, and the rest are respectable, so the Pats would have a huge advantage. I'm guessing Owens will play, he won't be his old self, but he will help, so the Pats' advantage is only significant, not huge, but he is a big wild card. I know, no one is saying this, but that's what you come here for, unconventional analysis like that....
Anyway, moving to special teams, Philly is better at most aspects. Better at kicking off, punting, returning kickoffs, returning punts. However, three of those are small advantages, with only punt returns by the Pats of significance. Field goal kicking is pretty much a wash, as both are great, except that I'd take Adam Ice in a big game over Akers, always. Advantage Eagles, but this is definitely the least important of the three areas of game play.
Coaching and intangibles definitely favor the Patriots. Andy Reid is very good coach, but he's no Belichick. Practically all of the Patriots starters have been in this sort of situation before, some of them have been to multiple Super Bowls, whereas the Eagles are mostly newbies at dealing with Super Bowl stuff. They definitely have a just-happy-to-be-here sense about them, which generally doesn't bode well. The Freddie Mitchell situation actually concerns me a little. Whether he meant to or not, he may give the Eagles a chance to put up some points because of what he said. If the Pats put too much attention on shutting him down and less attention on other, better, players, it could hurt them. Or they might go out of their way to not do that, and he has a big day from lack of attention. D'oh. Still, I definitely give the edge to New England in both areas.
So, looking at the total picture, and not knowing what's going on with Owens, I give the Patriots the edge. It probably won't go down to a final kick to end the game like their last two Super Bowls, but it will be close, with the end in doubt until close to the end. Patriots 23, Eagles 17.
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