Howdy,
I tell you it was tempting to write some sort of Super Bowl post tonight and include an outcome prediction between the established New England Patriots (established and hated by many for being established — and cheating, I suppose there’s that, too …) and the upstart Atlanta Falcons.
(But I really thought I’d write something else — even had the title typed in and a start in the body of the post. The first paragraphs were to be only an introduction for departure. But, then, I just rolled with it! Called an audible, you might say. Omaha! Omaha!)
Then I realized, I don’t believe I’ve actually seen either team play this year. I haven’t watched much of any football this season. Listen on the radio a bit when interested, like an old habit, or even just a trace of one.
For awhile, up to today, I wasn’t even sure I knew if I knew who I wanted to win. (“Oh, how could he even think about going for the Patriots?!” “Oh, how could he go against the Patriots?!”)
The Patriots are tricky to me for a different reason. I used to know a player on the team. Grow up with him and his brothers in a small town. Know the family a little bit. So, for a while, I sort of took one the Patriots as “another,” “favorite” team. Or at least certainly a team I was interesting in seeing if they were on, a team I was interested in — because they had a player — a person — I knew and rooted for.
Logan Mankins. All-Pro guard. A protector of Tom Brady, who’s turned out to be quite the quarterback. Mankins, a Fresno State Bullog, premier protector of Number One Overall Draft Pick, David Carr — Big Bro to Oakland Raiders star young QB Derek Carr. Logan Mankins, from Mariposa, and Little League All-Stars teammate of my brother Chris.
I remember playing pick up basketball with Logan on the elementary blacktop courts when he was in sixth grade. Before he was like 6’4” and 300 and something pounds; when I was older and bigger than he was. I’m still older.
The Patriots are tricky and their winning frustrating to me because was Mankins was the 32nd pick of the First Round in a year after the Patriots won a second-consecutive Super Bowl. And he was a beast for them, and they had amazing seasons with him holding down the offensive line — two of which the stinkin’ New York Giants had to go an ruin with luck Super Bowl victories over Mankins’ New England squad by a total of only seven points, including that perfect-season bursting David Tyree somehow-catch off the top of his helmet on a closed-eye-and-a-prayer pass by Eli Manning. (You can Google “david tyree helmet catch” and you’ll get this.)
Then they traded Mankins to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2014 season, only to then win the Super Bowl again, against the Seattle Seahawks — the whole “Why didn’t they run the ball with Marshawn?” thing. What was Pete Carroll thinking?!
So, I love the Patriots for picking Logan Mankins and helping him become one of the best at his position — Mariposa boy making it happen on the big stage in a big way (he even scored a touchdown in the playoffs!) — but it bummed my out big time that those darn New England Patriots Super Bowl victories bookended on the outside of Logan’s great (and profitable!) career for them.
I’ve decided that I have no more reason to root for them even a little bit.
So here’s a Super Bowl prediction from one who hasn’t watched a lick of either NFL team still playing this season …
I don’t want the Patriots to win, and I don’t think they will. Though hard to bet against the experience and mastery of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s New England, I say the Falcons are primed and going to blast expectations with a convincing win.
In honor of Logan Mankins’ jersey number 70, we’ll go with a total game score of 70 (which is high! But, hey, let’s do this!).
Pick: Falcons 41, Patriots 29.
—Billy
Reading. Writing. Living.
Word Count: 60,335 / On Pace: 61,050 / Year’s Goal: 200,000
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