Okay, because I'm one of the few people in America weighing in on who I think will win Super Bowl XLV. I mean, 200 million people is nothing in China!
I usually don't struggle with who I'm picking nor who I'm rooting for. This year, I know I'm rooting for the Green Bay Packers. But that may not be who I'm picking.
I'm rooting for the Packers because ... well, I'm not sure. I'm a Redskins fan so I like the NFC to win the Super Bowl in most years. I'm also a fan of Aaron Rodgers, who I totally respect what he's done during and after the whole Brett Favre mess. The Decision On Favre (which I agreed with at the time) factors in as well since I did say that Green Bay was doing the right thing.
But my football intelligence says the Steelers will win. They were the better team all year long, they've won two Super Bowls already and I think that Ben Roethlisberger has that "it" gene that allows him to make big plays in big moments ... even if he's looked bad all game long. While I like Rodgers, I'm not so sure about that yet.
So who do I pick? Instead of looking at the teams, I'm going to look at my own history.
I became a Redskins fan on a January morning in 1983. I was 7 years old and the Redskins were playing the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII. Everyone in my family said that Miami was going to win. I picked Washington. The Redskins would win a thrilling game and I became a die-hard fan. As a 12-year old, I sat in a restaurant/bar watching Doug Williams rip the Broncos in 1988. In 1992, I sat in my parents' living room ... alone ... and watched the Skins beat the Bills.
But lately, I've not done so well with my Super Bowl picks. Let me go back a spell.
COLTS (XLIV): I picked Indy to beat the Saints last year. I figured Indy had the experience and the fact they had Peyton Manning put me over the edge. I was wrong. By the way, my "rooting" was for the Colts as well.
STEELERS (XLIII): I was right, but barely. Truth be told, I was rooting for the Cardinals in that game.
PATRIOTS (XLII): I was one of the 95% of America that picked the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. Despite my Redskins fandom, I did find myself rooting for the Giants during the game because I wanted the Pats to be knocked down the ultimate peg. Still, I picked wrong.
COLTS (XLI): I thought the Bears were just plain lucky to get to the Super Bowl. They were a team that created turnovers and big special teams plays to win games and that Manning wasn't going to allow that. I hate the Bears, too, so I got this one right.
SEAHAWKS (XL): This was the classic "talked-myself-into-that-pick". I started with the Steelers. They had looked so good and the Seahawks just didn't thrill me. But as the week rolled on, I found reasons to swing over to Seattle. Eventually, I made my pick on AOL's Sports Bloggers Live internet radio show that Seattle would win. While they may have played well enough to win that game ... they didn't.
PATRIOTS (XXXIX): I hate the Eagles, so this was a tough Super Bowl. I'm not really a big fan of the Patriots (or anything New England), either, but I was smart enough to pick the team that had won 2 of the last 3 Super Bowls against Donovan McNabb.
PATRIOTS (XXXVIII): I picked the Pats ... but my heart and rooting interest was obvious with the Panthers. I grew up in Charlotte and to see your hometown team in the Super Bowl was just plain surreal.
RAIDERS (XXXVII): Remember that back in 2003, it was just unfathomable to think that the Buccaneers could win a Super Bowl. Oakland was filled with very cagey veterans and Rich Gannon was coming off an unreal season. But Tampa spanked them.
RAMS (XXXVI): I know I said I don't like the Patriots, well in this Super Bowl I did. Just like this year, I'm rooting for the team that hadn't done it before. It was the PATRIOTS in the first Super Bowl post-9/11 who was led by a quarterback that came out of nowhere to lead them there. My pick was wrong, but I was blown away with the upset I saw.
RAVENS (XXXV): I can't pick a team with Kerry Collins as the QB. Especially playing against that kind of defense. I could care less which team won, actually.
RAMS (XXXIV): I really could care less about either the Rams or Titans and found it weird that those teams were even in this game. I picked the Rams because they were just a juggernaut all year long. My heart was with the Titans, as I was born in Nashville way back in 1975.
So, as you can see, it was a hit-and-miss with my picks. So I go with my other backup.
My wife.
My wife, for some odd reason, has been able to pick the Super Bowl champion in nearly every year of our 11-year marriage. She picked the Saints last year. She picked the Bucs. She picked all three Patriots wins and both of the Steelers. The only one I can every remember her losing was the Patriots over the Giants. Which, you can't fault her since everyone picked New England in that game.
So ... upon trading in my man-card ... I'm going with her. I'm picking the Pittsburgh Steelers to win Super Bowl XLV. The score? I'm thinking 30-24.
I think that the Steelers are just too physical for the Packers. They'll be able to wear that Packers' defense out late in the game.
My heart will be with Green Bay. My money will be with Pittsburgh.
Either way, it should be a great game!
I usually don't struggle with who I'm picking nor who I'm rooting for. This year, I know I'm rooting for the Green Bay Packers. But that may not be who I'm picking.
I'm rooting for the Packers because ... well, I'm not sure. I'm a Redskins fan so I like the NFC to win the Super Bowl in most years. I'm also a fan of Aaron Rodgers, who I totally respect what he's done during and after the whole Brett Favre mess. The Decision On Favre (which I agreed with at the time) factors in as well since I did say that Green Bay was doing the right thing.
But my football intelligence says the Steelers will win. They were the better team all year long, they've won two Super Bowls already and I think that Ben Roethlisberger has that "it" gene that allows him to make big plays in big moments ... even if he's looked bad all game long. While I like Rodgers, I'm not so sure about that yet.
So who do I pick? Instead of looking at the teams, I'm going to look at my own history.
I became a Redskins fan on a January morning in 1983. I was 7 years old and the Redskins were playing the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII. Everyone in my family said that Miami was going to win. I picked Washington. The Redskins would win a thrilling game and I became a die-hard fan. As a 12-year old, I sat in a restaurant/bar watching Doug Williams rip the Broncos in 1988. In 1992, I sat in my parents' living room ... alone ... and watched the Skins beat the Bills.
But lately, I've not done so well with my Super Bowl picks. Let me go back a spell.
COLTS (XLIV): I picked Indy to beat the Saints last year. I figured Indy had the experience and the fact they had Peyton Manning put me over the edge. I was wrong. By the way, my "rooting" was for the Colts as well.
STEELERS (XLIII): I was right, but barely. Truth be told, I was rooting for the Cardinals in that game.
PATRIOTS (XLII): I was one of the 95% of America that picked the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. Despite my Redskins fandom, I did find myself rooting for the Giants during the game because I wanted the Pats to be knocked down the ultimate peg. Still, I picked wrong.
COLTS (XLI): I thought the Bears were just plain lucky to get to the Super Bowl. They were a team that created turnovers and big special teams plays to win games and that Manning wasn't going to allow that. I hate the Bears, too, so I got this one right.
SEAHAWKS (XL): This was the classic "talked-myself-into-that-pick". I started with the Steelers. They had looked so good and the Seahawks just didn't thrill me. But as the week rolled on, I found reasons to swing over to Seattle. Eventually, I made my pick on AOL's Sports Bloggers Live internet radio show that Seattle would win. While they may have played well enough to win that game ... they didn't.
PATRIOTS (XXXIX): I hate the Eagles, so this was a tough Super Bowl. I'm not really a big fan of the Patriots (or anything New England), either, but I was smart enough to pick the team that had won 2 of the last 3 Super Bowls against Donovan McNabb.
PATRIOTS (XXXVIII): I picked the Pats ... but my heart and rooting interest was obvious with the Panthers. I grew up in Charlotte and to see your hometown team in the Super Bowl was just plain surreal.
RAIDERS (XXXVII): Remember that back in 2003, it was just unfathomable to think that the Buccaneers could win a Super Bowl. Oakland was filled with very cagey veterans and Rich Gannon was coming off an unreal season. But Tampa spanked them.
RAMS (XXXVI): I know I said I don't like the Patriots, well in this Super Bowl I did. Just like this year, I'm rooting for the team that hadn't done it before. It was the PATRIOTS in the first Super Bowl post-9/11 who was led by a quarterback that came out of nowhere to lead them there. My pick was wrong, but I was blown away with the upset I saw.
RAVENS (XXXV): I can't pick a team with Kerry Collins as the QB. Especially playing against that kind of defense. I could care less which team won, actually.
RAMS (XXXIV): I really could care less about either the Rams or Titans and found it weird that those teams were even in this game. I picked the Rams because they were just a juggernaut all year long. My heart was with the Titans, as I was born in Nashville way back in 1975.
So, as you can see, it was a hit-and-miss with my picks. So I go with my other backup.
My wife.
My wife, for some odd reason, has been able to pick the Super Bowl champion in nearly every year of our 11-year marriage. She picked the Saints last year. She picked the Bucs. She picked all three Patriots wins and both of the Steelers. The only one I can every remember her losing was the Patriots over the Giants. Which, you can't fault her since everyone picked New England in that game.
So ... upon trading in my man-card ... I'm going with her. I'm picking the Pittsburgh Steelers to win Super Bowl XLV. The score? I'm thinking 30-24.
I think that the Steelers are just too physical for the Packers. They'll be able to wear that Packers' defense out late in the game.
My heart will be with Green Bay. My money will be with Pittsburgh.
Either way, it should be a great game!
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