On Sunday, the New England Patriots will face off against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona. In the wake up the Seahawks’ 43-8 blowout victory over the Denver Broncos in last year’s Super Bowl, one can only hope that this year’s contest will provide more excitement. The Patriots have one of the NFL’s best offenses while the Seahawks have one of the best defenses, so there is reason to expect a close game.
“I think this is one of the best matchups that has happened in a very long time,” said Becca Heller ’16, a lifelong Patriots fan.
Heller, who grew up in Acton, Massachusetts, predicts that the Patriots will win by a close margin, and thinks that the game will come down to the Patriots’ defense holding their own and forcing turnovers for Tom Brady and the offense. She lists Tom Brady, wide receiver Julian Edelman and LeGarrette Blount as potential Super Bowl MVPs.
Narren Brown, Director of Intercultural Strategic Analysis and Engagement, was born in raised in Oakland, California. Instead of becoming a Raiders fan, however, Brown was drawn to the San Francisco 49ers, a rival of the Seahawks. And yet he will root for the Seahawks on Sunday. The reason for this is because of running back Marshawn Lynch, an Oakland native who Brown admires for his work done off the field with children.
“I respect the way the guy plays,” Brown said. “I think he gets a bad rep in the press and I am not going to root against him. As a matter of fact, this summer I will be taking my kids to his camp, which is held in Oakland.”
Acknowledging his bias, Brown still thinks the Seahawks are going to beat the Patriots easily. He describes the Seahawks as a “big and fast” team and the Patriots as a “small and fast” team. Put these two teams on the field, he says, and there won’t be much competition.
“I like the Patriots. I think Tom Brady is an awesome quarterback. I think what [Patriots Head Coach] Bill Belichick does out there is just phenomenal, but I think they are going to just get knocked in the face,” Brown said.
The Dining Hall will screen the entirety of the Super Bowl on a big screen projector while serving football-themed options, such as football-shaped hamburgers and footlong hot dogs. Dining Hall Supervisor Billy Gilbreaith became a Seahawks fan from following the career of Seneca Wallace, who played for Iowa State before becoming the quarterback for the Seahawks. He predicts that the Seahawks will win by a score of 31-17, but that the Patriots cannot be ruled out.
“There are going to be so many people upset with the Patriots and I think they are going to play really well. Tom Brady is really good and that’s what is scary,” Gilbreaith said.
In the two-week period leading up to the Super Bowl, there has been much controversy surrounding rumors that the Patriots deflated their footballs in violation of NFL rules. Each team supplies their own footballs, and it is argued that deflation would give a team an offensive advantage, as it changes the way the ball is gripped by a player and the way it travels through the air.
Many Grinnellians are critical of the so-called “deflate-gate” scandal. Heller feels that it distracts from larger issues the NFL faces.
“There are so many more problems in the NFL, like sexual assault, abuse and steroids,” Heller said. “Aaron Hernandez [Patriots tight end] is on trial for three murders right now so I think all that is distracting from the game itself.”
“I think this it is so bogus,” Brown said. “The referees touch the football every play. So if the referee didn’t notice something wrong with the football then [there] is nothing wrong with the football. I think ‘deflate-gate’ is a media hoax designed to draw attention and drive ratings.”
Patrick Inglis, Sociology, also finds the controversy trivial. Hailing from Vancouver, Inglis has been a lifelong Seahawks fan but has not spent much time thinking about the scandal. Instead, he is focusing on what he believes will be an excellent game. Even though he hopes and predicts that the Seahawks will win, he says that being a fan of a losing sports team is a lasting experience.
“It’s more interesting being a fan of a team that loses than being a fan of a team that wins,” Inglis said. “That being said, I hope that [the] Seahawks win.”
Despite being invited to Super Bowl parties around town, Inglis may watch the game by himself due to nerves.
“I’m not religious, spiritual or anything but I am superstitious about this. I think anything I do when I wake up on Sunday morning will matter in the game,” Inglis said.
