Super Bowl - Part 1

Okay, so I decided to re-write my first "official" post because I wasn't completely happy with it and I thought of something better to write about. I know this is late, but I just started writing this blog this week, so there! I'm going to take a look at the teams that made the playoffs and the best possible matchups that the NFL would have wanted. I'm sorry for Tampa Bay, Seattle, Jacksonville & Tennesse but no one really cares about you and there wouldn't have been a good story line to go with them making the SB. Plus, except for Jacksonville, they all sucked. So, that leaves from the AFC - The Pats, Colts, Steelers, & Chargers. For the NFC - The Cowboys, Packers, G-men, and Redskins. So here it goes, from best story line/match up the NFL wanted to see most to least.

1. Patriots-Packers - This is the match up everyone was talking about and I think most people thought would happen. Brady leading the undefeated Pats against the agless wonder Favre leading the upstart Pack for one last shot at a SB title! The hype machine would have exploded if that had happened. Too bad Favre thought Cory Webster played for the pack. Maybe next year, 'cause we all know Favre's coming back and Aaron Rodgers is going to hang himself.

2. Colts-Giants - This is a very, very, very close second. Talk about the hype machine exploding! You're telling me that the NFL execs wouldn't have a wet spot in their pants if this had happened? Eli-Peyton in the SB!! Of course, this would have led to wayyyyy too many Manning bros. commercials. Do you think they would eventually come up with a Manning Bros. video game just like the Mario bros? Also, I think this game would have been really good. Much more likely to happen than #1.

3. Pats-Giants - Yup, this is the SB that happened and it turned out to be a really good SB. Still, the hype and the storylines for this game were pretty good. Brady vs. Eli. Gmen's D-Line vs. Pats O-Line. Pats Offense vs. Gmens Defense and vice versa. The perfect season on the line. Would spygate get in the way? And lastly, Boston vs. New York.

4. Pats-Cowboys - This would have been a good matchup because of what had happened during the regular season and the Cowboys saying they were going to make the SB and were wondering if the Pats would make it. Hmmm... someone ended up wrong on that one! It would be interesting to see a Brady-Romo SB battle and a battle to see who's girlfriend would make a bigger distraction(my money would be on Romo). Also it would be a pretty cool showdown between Moss & TO to see who would come up bigger. You would also have a battle between two of the leagues most popular & hated teams. Who would the average fan root for? Tough to say.

5. Chargers-Gmen - Now this would be one interesting SB to see who came out better in the blockbuster 2004 trade of Eli Manning and Phil Rivers. As we know now it's the Gmen, but if they were to meet in the SB I think it'd be close. As I said before you'd have the Eli-Phil showdown, but you'd also get a LT vs. Gmen defense showdown, a LT-Brandon Jacobs showdown(two really good RB's) and the Gmen D-Line vs. Chargers D-Line because of the fact that the Chargers wanted the Gmen to add in Osi into the trade. Thank god they didn't!

6. Colts-Packers - Are you telling me the Gods of Football wouldn't have loved a Peyton-Favre battle especially if the Pack had beaten the Gmen in the conference finals? Both qb's would be going for their second SB win, Peyton trying to win back to back SB's, like Favre had tried. Also, Peyton trying to avenge Eli's earlier loss. It makes me wonder if this had happened and the Pack had won, would this be a parallel for Peyton's career? Very interesting question. You'd also have a battle of two good defenses going against two really good running backs.

7. Steelers-Cowboys - This gets rated higher not because both teams were amazing(I thought the Steelers were just average and couldn't really see them making it to the SB, but seeing as this is a blog about best possible showdowns not most likely, it gets ranked higher) but because of the historical context. How many times have these teams met in the SB? Three-Four times? The fans don't like each other and that would make for a pretty interesting game. Plus, it wouldn't be bad to see a Ben-Romo SB showdown. Not exactly Bradshaw-Staubach but whatever.

8. Steelers-Giants - Not as big of a matchup as Chargers-Gmen, but don't forget that Big Ben was the other QB in the 2004 draft. He did win a SB in his second season, but also didn't play that well. Eli hadn't played well in the playoffs until this season so both QB's would be looking to change their reps and play big in the biggest game possible. Plus, it's also two of the biggest fan bases around with a lot of tradition. It would have been a nice SB match up, but I think the Gmen would have run away with this game because of the streak they would have been on(errr... were on? I guess).

9. Patriots-Redskins - Okay, this is the last one because the really only good matchup/story line would have been if the Redskins had played the Patriots. You would have two very interesting story lines with this one. On one hand you would have the Pats being 18-0 and going for perfection. On the other hand you have the Redskins playing for Sean Taylor who was killed earlier in the season and the Redskins were left for dead(remember, they were 5-7 at one point). Now, people were saying that the Gmen were on a role, but don't forget the Redskins had won their last 4 games of the year against the Bears, Gmen, Vikings, & Cowboys where if they lose any of those games they're done. The Vikings had looked hot and a playoff team until the Redskins beat them in Minnesota! They also started the 4 game winning streak with Todd Collins at the helm(Tiki theory anyone?). I think if they had won that first game against Seattle they could have rolled on into the SB. Now, who would have more to play for, the team trying to stay perfect or the team playing for a dead teammate? You tell me.