I’m not a big fan of the Seattle Seahawks, but they not only deserve to go to Super Bowl XLIX, but I also believe that they will be the World Champs. (Forgive the NFL for calling their Champions as World Champs, even if the league is the only one of its kind). If there is any consolation for Pinoy NFL fans and those rooting for the Green Bay Packers, its the Fil-Am in the Hawks roster, Doug Baldwin. Baldwin’s grandma is from Tacloban and in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, he came out of their dugout with a Philippine flag, to show support for his people. I admire that.
After a very poor 55 minutes (0f 60), the Hawks came alive in the last 5 minutes, then took the lead with just under 2 minutes. The Packers tied the score and the championship of the NFC went into overtime. In OT, one of the rules (the NFL has plenty of questionable rules) states that the team that scores first wins the game. Well, with the momentum on Seattle’s side, they scored a touchdown that sent them to SB XLIX.
The problem with there Packers was that they played timidly. During the first quarter, they settled for a field goal (3pts) instead of TD’s (6pts+1pt fg) when they were at least a yard from the line. The problem with the NFL is that the regular season is only 4 months and if you loose the way the Packs did, you’d have about 8 months grate your teeth about what ifs.
In the American Football Conference, the New England Patriots knocked the Indianapolis Colts silly, by a score of 45-7. It was a classic grizzled vet and a young upstart. Tom Brady vs. Andrew Luck.
However, instead of a celebration and then preparation for the big game, it became a scandal for the Pats when it was revealed that 11 of the 12 game balls that they got from the game officials were deflated by 2 psi’s! Footballs are inflated between 12.5-13.5psi.
So what? Well, a softer ball would make catching easier. And for a team that just blew out the Colts, well…Of course, the Pats denied it- from Coach Bill Belicheck to Brady. But they have a history of cheating. A few years ago, they were fined .5M$ and draft picks for filming opposing teams in practice.
But does the pressure of a football really that important? Its not about the ball. If you haven’t noticed, American culture simply abhors lying to a higher degree than we do. Remember the career of Bill Clinton when he said, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman”? Or remember Gary Hart? Or Lance?
An NFL game is treated as the next thing to warfare, where people purposely injure other people without fear of being sued. That’s what the fans are getting today and more. I think Super Bowl XLIX would be exciting join and off the court. Game is on February 1, morning, our time.
Despite is warts, its these rules and controversies and all that makes the game so compelling to watch. Not to insult basketball fans, the NFL makes the NBA like sandlot play.