Has there ever been a more polarizing Super Bowl than what we have in front of us this year? 

On one side you have the New England Patriots, a team once again mired in controversy — whether you like it or not. Despite all the success the Patriots have had in the past 15 years during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era, their gamesmanship has been called into question more than any other team in the league. 

On the other side you have the Seattle Seahawks, a team football fans outside the Pacific Northwest believe has an ego bigger than the sun. They have also had their issues with Adderall over the years. 

Chances are if you don’t live in the Pacific Northwest or the New England states, you’re probably hoping for a tie. But since that can’t happen, I’m going to explain why you might as well be cheering for the Seahawks to become the first team since, yep, the Patriots to win consecutive Super Bowls.

Since I live in a New England state that adores its Patriots, this seems like a gigantic waste of time, but nonetheless, I should get a sticker for trying.

In a way, Super Bowl XLIX looks very similar to last year’s big game on paper. A future hall-of-fame quarterback versus the top defense in the NFL. That didn’t go so well for Peyton Manning. The Seahawks again enter with the league’s top defense, allowing 267.1 yards per game, and will again face a quarterback who does nearly all of his damage from the pocket. 

Sunday’s contest is yet another matchup between the immovable object, referring, in this case, to Seattle’s defense, and the unstoppable force, New England’s offense. When was the last time a high-octane offense was able to penetrate a stingy defense on the biggest stage? The Broncos had the league’s top offense last season and managed just eight points against Seattle’s defense. 

The Patriots know this better than most teams. Their offense broke records during the 2007-08 season when they steamrolled teams en route to an undefeated regular season. They broke the single-season points record with 589. Randy Moss caught 23 touchdowns and Brady averaged more than 300 yards per game. Yet they were limited to 14 points against the Giants in the Super Bowl because New England couldn’t stop New York’s pass rush. You can be a future hall-of-famer, throw for a million yards and a thousand touchdowns with all day to throw the ball, but you’re not going to have success if your offensive line can’t protect you. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars made it to the divisional round of the playoffs that year. Let’s all think about that for a second. 

Now, before everyone reading this calls me a “bandwagon” Seattle fan, I’ll have you know that I’m a miserable Tennessee Titans fan. That’s right, try calling me a bandwagon Titans fan, because you can’t. Maybe in 250 years when they finally win a Super Bowl you can write “bandwagon Titans fan” on my unkempt grave, because for whatever reason when a team wins their sport’s respective championship game, that team’s fans automatically get labeled bandwagoners. With that argument, Patriot fans have been bandwagoners since 2001.

Doesn’t feel so good to be called a bandwagoner, does it?

My brother is a legitimate Seahawks fan and I do have relatives that live in Seattle. The Pacific Northwest is beautiful if you haven’t been there. 

Anyway, as I was saying, as the Giants have proven in their past two Super Bowl wins over the Patriots, if you can get a pass rush on Brady, he’s more likely to take risks with the ball, which is what Seattle’s defense thrives on. The Seahawks will blitz Brady throughout the game in hopes of making him as uncomfortable in the pocket as he was during his “DeflateGate” press conference last week. 

Speaking of “DeflateGate,” this is the worst time for a football team to be distracted, especially considering their opponent. The Patriots are trying to prepare for a team that turned the ball over five times against the Green Bay Packers and yet still defended their NFC Championship title. The Patriots didn’t commit a turnover against the Packers during the regular season, but lost 26-21. 

I keep hearing all this talk about how “DeflateGate” is going to motivate New England.

Newsflash: The Patriots are playing in the Super Bowl.

If you need extra motivation before playing in the biggest game of the season, why are you even there? Of course they’re going to be motivated. You know who else is going to be motivated? The Seahawks. People everyone across the country who lives in an area where the Super Bowl doesn’t start at 3:30 p.m. want Seattle to lose. This nation hates repeat winners. Why do you think we give up on political figures as a whole so quickly after they get re-elected? 

Don’t forget that Pete Carroll coached the Patriots before being fired after the 1999 season and replaced by Belichick. Carroll’s on record saying that Sunday’s game is, “a little bit personal.” 

After reading this column back, I realize I haven’t made very many arguments to prove my point. But that’s kind of the point. I can throw you stats and examples of why Seattle wins, but nobody can predict what’s going to happen. Anybody out there think New England was going to beat Indianapolis 45-7 and deflate footballs? Did anybody think Seattle was even going to be playing for another Super Bowl with five minutes left in the NFC Championship?

I’m still trying to get over how the Jaguars were in the playoffs during the  2007-08 season.

Look, I want the Seahawks to win because I have family that likes the Seahawks. If they win? Great. If they don’t win? That’s fine. To be honest, I’m more interested in whether Marshawn Lynch will grab his groin and take the 15-yard penalty. Speaking of running backs, remember when LeGarrette Blount quit on the Steelers earlier this year? I do, because it was against the Titans. 

Now, please don’t come and ransack my apartment. I still have seven more months on my lease.

Jaguars, man. Jaguars.

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