Former Ducks to appear in the 46th Super Bowl

Now that the Pro Bowl is over and done with (thank God), we can slide right into the main event, this Sunday’s Super Bowl. It will be the New England Patriots (13-3) vs. the New York Giants (9-7). Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning’s little brother Eli.

But as a Ducks fan, I would like to think of this year’s Super Bowl as Patrick Chung vs. Spencer Paysinger. It’s history in the making, baby, at least for Duck fans worldwide.

If winning the Rose Bowl wasn’t enough for those crazed Duck fans, we get a second opportunity to watch former Ducks battle it out on the gridiron in the biggest game of all.

On the Patriots side, we have the 5-11, 212-pound starting safety Patrick Chung. He finished the regular season with 62 tackles, one interception and one sack. Not bad for the third-year man in the secondary.

Then we have rookie linebacker and 6-2, 236-pound Spencer Paysinger representing the Giants. He finished the season with 12 tackles, mainly on special teams duties. The sky is the limit for this kid’s future.

The pick for a winner should be a no-brainer. Right? But it isn’t that easy. Hopefully fans haven’t forgotten about Super Bowl XLII when the Giants pulled off the impossible and beat the undefeated Patriots 17-14 in Glendale, Ariz.
I believe it will be another close game where defenses rise to the occasion. As much as I would like to see a shootout on offense, I just don’t see that being the case— at least not the kind of monster shootout that Ducks fans are used to. However, I do think Mr. Brady or Mr. Manning will have to play great games and carry their offenses.

I have one recommendation for the Giants defense: Watch and cover 6-6, 265-pound tight end Rob Gronkowski. The big fella tore up defenses all season.

He finished with 1,327 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns, and NFL record for a tight end. I believe him to be key if the Patriots offense wants to get going. And never sleep on the ability of the little fella, 5-9, 185-pounder Wes Welker, who finished the season second in the NFL with 1,569 yards receiving and nine touchdowns.

On the other side, the Patriots secondary need to be on high-alert (which I’m sure they’ve already been informed). Manning has a handful of weapons at the receiver position. They have big-time playmaker 6-0, 204-pounder Victor Cruz. He finished the season with 1,536 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. Then you have 6-1, 208-pounder Hakeem Nicks, who finished the season with 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns. Finally, there’s 6-0, 185-pounder Mario Manningham, who had less impressive numbers but finished the season with 523 yards receiving and four touchdowns.

I’m going with my gut feeling. I have the Giants winning 35-27.

Advocate Staff