The defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks will take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. This is the 2nd consecutive season the #1 seed in the AFC will play the #1 seed in the NFC. Much of the talk around the NFL is about the "Deflate-Gate" and accusing Patriots' Bill Belichick and Tom Brady of deflating footballs on purpose for an illegal advantage. This writer is sure that everyone is sick of hearing about the scandal and just wants to talk about the big game. After all its ONLY JUST the Super Bowl! So here is who this writer believes has the advantage at each position/position group. Remember, this is who this writer would rather have on his team, not who will play better in Super Bowl XLIX.
Quarterback: Tom Brady (Patriots) vs. Russell Wilson (Seahawks)
This is a classic matchup of one of the greatest to ever play vs. the future of the league. Tom Brady will be making his NFL-record 6th Super Bowl appearance which is only less than the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, and Denver Broncos have in team history. (Patriots too if one counts them.) Brady has a career Super Bowl record of 3-2. Russell Wilson will make his 2nd consecutive Super Bowl appearance and his second in his first three seasons. Wilson's career record in Super Bowls is 1-0. Brady has been under heavy scrutiny recently for the "Deflate-Gate" scandal and it remains to be seen how it will affect his and his team's preparation. However, the advantage still goes to Brady because this writer trusts him more than Russell Wilson. Wilson was downright awful against the Packers in the NFC Championship, tossing 4 interceptions. Now, Brady may not perform the best since he is facing the best defense in the NFL, but this writer would rather have him than Wilson.
Advantage: Patriots
Running Back: LeGarrette Blount/Jonas Gray/Shane Vereen (Patriots) vs. Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks)
Marshawn Lynch wins a matchup against almost any running back in the league and he has the advantage here. One simply does not know who the feature back will be each week for the Patriots. It could be LeGarrette Blount, who ran crazy against the Colts, Jonas Gray, Shane Vereen, or a guy they pick up off the street. Any of these scenarios wouldn't surprise this writer. The advantage goes to Lynch easily.
Advantage: Seahawks (Beast Mode)
Wide Receivers: Julian Edelman/Brandon LaFell (Patriots) vs. Doug Baldwin/Jermaine Kearse (Seahawks)
Edelman is always near the top of the league when it comes to receptions and LaFell has held his own. It was a down year for the Seahawks receivers, mainly because they lost Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice. Also, the Seahawks have a run-first offense. However, Baldwin and Kearse can hold their own.
Advantage: Patriots
Tight End: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots) vs. Luke Willson (Seahawks)
Rob Gronkowski was hands-down the best tight end in the NFL this season. Luke Willson is a nice player, but he is no Gronk.
Advantage: Patriots
Offensive Line: Nate Solder/Dan Connolly/Bryan Stork/Ryan Wendell/Sebastian Vollmer (Patriots) vs. Russell Okung/James Carpenter/Lemeul Jeanpierre/JR Sweezy/Justin Britt (Seahawks)
Both offensive lines are excellent at run-blocking. According to footballoutsiders.com, the Seahawks ranked 4th and the Patriots ranked 5th in run blocking. The real difference was in pass protection. The Patriots were excellent, coming in 2nd but the Seahawks did not fare as well, coming in 24th. The Seahawks do have a rookie named Justin Britt who played well this season. However, the vast difference in pass protection gives the Patriots the advantage.
Advantage: Patriots
Defensive Line: Rob Ninkovich/Vince Wilfork/Chris Jones/Chandler Jones (Patriots) vs. Michael Bennett/Tony McDaniel/Kevin Williams/Cliff Avril (Seahawks)
The Seahawks were excellent against the run, ranking as the 5th best defensive line against the run according to footballoutsiders.com. The Patriots did not do as well, ranking at 18th. While rushing the passer, both teams were average. The Seahawks came in 14th while the Patriots came in 19th. The Patriots do have a rising star in Chandler Jones but the advantage goes to the Seahawks.
Advantage: Seahawks
Linebackers: Jamie Collins/Akeem Ayers/Dont'a Hightower (Patriots) vs. Bruce Irvin/Bobby Wagner/KJ Wright (Seahawks)
This was a close one. Jamie Collins is an outstanding player and Hightower/Ayers are above average. Bruce Irvin and Bobby Wagner played well while Wright held his own. The Patriots get a slight advantage for Collins.
Advantage: Patriots
Secondary: Darrelle Revis/Brandon Browner (Cornerbacks) Devin McCourty/Patrick Chung (Safeties) (Patriots) vs. Richard Sherman/Byron Maxwell (Cornerbacks) Earl Thomas/Kam Chancellor (Safeties) (Seahawks)
This was by far the most difficult to choose. These two secondaries may be the two best in the NFL. Sherman and Revis may be the two best corners in the NFL and Thomas and McCourty may be the two best free safeties in the NFL. Chancellor is likely the best strong safety in the NFL. Browner, the former Seahawk, is a good corner when he can stay out of trouble and Maxwell may be the best free-agent corner this offseason. It is basically a tie between Sherman/Revis, Maxwell/Browner, and Thomas/McCourty. The key is Chancellor vs. Chung. While a decent player, Chung is nowhere near the type of hard-hitting strong safety Chancellor is.
Advantage: Seahawks (Legion of Boom)
Specialists: Stephen Gostkowski (Kicker)/Ryan Allen (Punter)/Julian Edelman (Punt Returner)/Danny Amendola (Kick Returner) (Patriots) vs. Steven Hauschka (Kicker)/Jon Ryan (Punter)/Bryan Walters (Punt Returner)/Paul Richardson (Kick Returner) (Seahawks)
Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski had a great season, finishing in 2nd place in the NFL for field goal percentage. Hauschka was below average, finishing 18th. Patriots punter Ryan Allen finished 12th in the NFL for net average while Jon Ryan finished 26th. Patriots punt returner Julian Edelman finished in 5th place in the NFL for punt return yards while Seahawks' Bryan Walters finished 17th. Patriots kick returner Danny Amendola finished in 17th for kick return average while no Seahawk qualified. If Percy Harvin had not be traded from the Seahawks, this may have been closer. However, he was, so the Patriots run away with this one.
Advantage: Patriots
Total Count: Patriots 6-Seahawks 3 (However, this writer believes the Seahawks will win their 2nd consecutive Super Bowl)
Bonus Round: Who can shun the media better? Bill Belichick (Patriots) vs. Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks)
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been known for his snarky remarks to the media and his simple answers. He is supposedly a scientist now when he tried to explain how the balls were deflated naturally.Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has taken shunning the media to a whole new level, skipping his media day last year, giving a simple "I'm here so I won't get fined" and "You know why I'm here" answer to every question this year, and saying "Thanks for asking" to questions during the regular season this year. Belichick may not enjoy the media, but he does enjoy giving them awful answers. Lynch just hates them with every bone in his body. The advantage goes to the Seahawks, but this writer believes that this should be a contest on the Sunday before the Super Bowl which would cause the NFL to get rid of the joke that is the Pro Bowl.
Advantage: Seahawks (Beast Mode)
Comment who you think will win Super Bowl XLIX and who has every advantage!