no, it's not time to panic about dreaded v-day plans (or lack thereof), or worry about getting an invitation during new york fashion week. it's time to watch guys get hot, sweaty and more than dirty. (ahem. we digress. get that mind out of the gutter.) we're talking about SUPER BOWL XLI. (that's forty-one, for the roman numerically challenged.)
and in case you haven't been studying up on the big game, not to worry. once again, we've put together a no-fail guide with all the deets.
| WHAT: |
SUPER BOWL XLI |
| WHO: |
the indianapolis colts |
| |
vs |
| |
the chicago bears |
| WHERE: |
dolphin stadium
miami gardens, florida. |
| WHEN: |
february 4th (this sunday)
kickoff is at 6:25 EST on CBS. |
THE SEASON. (the long road to get there.)
this year, the underdog wins. (and we're not talking about a sexual position.) there were turnovers and passion galore. par example, the colts shocked the new england patriots (and the rest of us) when they not only came back from an 18 point deficit (rough start, they were down 21-3), but scored an 80-yard drive late in the fourth quarter. they hauled some serious ass to win the AFC (american football conference) championship 38-34 (rock on, this is what gets you to the super bowl (a.k.a. SB)). earlier, the bears almost made it look easy with a 39-14 win over the new orleans saints, making them NFC (national football conference) champions. the bears and the colts haven't faced off against each other since november 2004 when indy beat chicago 41-10.
THE COACHES. (crack that NFL whip.)
not only are tony dungy (the colts) and lovie smith (the bears) the first african-american coaches to ever be in the super bowl, they're also good friends. so don't expect any nasty comments or awkward moments. these guys have been buds since back in the day. love worked under dungy coaching the tampa bay bucs from 1996 to 2000.
THE PLAYERS. (who's your daddy?)
| COLTS: |
|
| • |
two words: peyton manning: #18. older bro of eli (QB of the new york giants). son of archie (former star QB of the new orleans saints). you might say football runs in this tennessee grad's blood. there's been a ton of media and questions about whether he would ever make it to the big game. but his real claim to fame? spots for gatorade (a bit ironic since gatorade came from the UF gators, and tennesee and florida are bitter rivals), reebok, mastercard, and the such. the reason behind his commercial success? he's actually a genuinely nice, likeable guy. naughty behavior: allegedly dropped his pants in front of a female athletic trainer at UT. surprise! |
| • |
joseph addai: #29. the rookie tailback who hails from LSU. scored the three-yard winning touchdown to clinch the AFC championship. given the nickname joseph 'live and let' addai by ESPN's chris berman in reference to the paul mccartney song live and let die. |
| • |
adam vinatieri: #4. kicked game-winning field goals in two super bowls when he was a kicker for the patriots. some call him as sweet as a vanilla milkshake, but his right foot? it's a lethal weapon. |
| • |
reggie "out of the batcave" wayne: #87. pro bowl wide receiver. got his nickname because of bruce wayne, better known as batman. he's returning home to miami where he played undergrad and lives in the off-season. has dedicated the season to the memory of his brother, rashad, who died in september. |
| • |
dominic rhodes: #33. he's the running back from midwestern state. has had 41 post-season carries (which is a good thing). had a rumored "domestic dispute" a few years back after allegedly hitting his g-friend. bad boy. |
| BEARS: |
|
| • |
rex "sexy rexy" grossman: #8. QB from university of florida. has had a rollercoaster season with a QB rating of over 100 in seven games (which is a good thing), and a dismal QB rating of under 40 in five games. (not muy bueno.) rex was also known as "rex glassman" and "wrecks grossman" during his injury-prone years. |
| • |
brian urlacher: #54. former university of new mexico all-american, and chicago bears all-pro linebacker. appeared on the wheel of fortune in 2002 and won over $47,000 which was donated to charity. rumored to have given paris hilton a piggy-back ride around a vegas hotel. |
| • |
thomas jones: #20. running back from the university of virginia. has run 1,210 yards and scored six touchdowns on the season (which makes him the best RB on their team). he once broke a hand reaching for a phone. weird. |
| • |
cedric benson: #32. running back from texas. he ran for 60 yards and a TD on 24 carries in the win against the saints. (a good thing.) he was also drafted by the los angeles dodgers in 2001 (a baseball team) and played for them. football what? |
| • |
muhsin muhammad: #87. wide receiver from michigan state. was born melvin campbell but his dad changed his name in the name of islam when he was four. scored five touchdowns on the season. his nickname is "moose", and his fans often wear moose antlers in support of him. |
THE SPREAD. (wanna bet?)
the colts are favored over the bears by a touchdown. (actually, 6.5 points.)
THE COMMERCIALS.
| • |
some commercials cost upwards of a record $2.6 million for a 30-second spot. |
| • |
since brit-brit (a.k.a. "the spread") wasn't given an invite to participate this year (tipsy and pantiless much?), watching k-fed work at a fast food joint in the nationwide insurance ad (pictured left) should be, well, interesting (to put it mildy). |
| • |
for the first time, doritos will run the winner of their "crash the super bowl" ad contest. after narrowing it down to five finalists, america picked the winner. will it be check-out girl (be afraid), chip lover's dream, live the flavor, mouse trap, or our personal fave, duct tape? the answer? who cares. |
| • |
want more? expect love from the daddy (go daddy that is), 10 anheuser-busch ads, and lots of nuts. (as in the camelot-meets-emerald kind, perv.) |
THE TRIVIA. (a little bit of this, a little bit of that.)
| • |
think tickets cost about the same as a pair of roger viviers? try ten pairs. this year the tix are going for between $5,000 to $10,000 per ticket on e-bay. |
| • |
long time coming? abso-freaking-lutely. the bears are back in the SB for the first time since winning SB XX in '86. and the colts? they haven't been here since beating the cowboys in super bowl V (when they were still throwing down in baltimore). |
| • |
last year, vegas did $94 million on legal bets. this year? they're predicting $100 mil. |
| • |
this marks bill polian's (colt's president), fourth trip to the SB. the buffalo bills lost all three of their trips there when polian was their general manager. |
| • |
if you're staying in and listening to the cheers from the comfort of your living room, you'll be like the other 141 million viewers in the U.S. last year. (obviously others love men in tight pants too.) |
THE OTHER PART OF THE SHOW.
| • |
this halftime will last 27 minutes (15 longer than the usual super bowl 12). no pressure here. and who will be entertaining you (hopefully fully clothed) you ask? none other than prince. (maybe he'll even be on time), and the national anthem will come from grammy-award winning billy joel, who returns to south florida to become the first performer to sing the anthem in multiple super bowls. the past 10 years have featured the rocking out of musical talents like faith hill, the rolling stones, mariah carey, luther vandross, beyonce and aretha franklin (among others). |
| • |
VH1, pepsi, and the NFL are coming together to tape a one-hour show on thursday, february 3rd (hosted by hottie, taye diggs) with performances by kanye west, ms. fergalicious herself, john legend, and, ludacris among others. it'll air on VH1 the day before the game. |
| • |
still impartial? if you still don't have any fierce loyalty towards anything resembling a horse or a grizzly, try this on for size. five easy questions and you'll be cheering. playoffs.nfl.com |
GLOSSARY OF TERMS.
| extra point: |
after a team scores a touchdown, they attempt to kick the ball through the "uprights" (worth 1 point) |
| field goal: |
when a team fails to get the ball into the end-zone, they can try to kick the football through the "uprights"
(worth 3 points) |
| first down: |
every time a team gains ten yards (by rushing or passing), they achieve a first down. each first down results in four more chances to make the next first down. (the confusing part is that each of those chances are also called "downs" - first, second, third, and fourth downs.) |
| flag: |
what the referees throw to indicate a foul (it's yellow) |
| fumble: |
when a player running with the ball drops it |
| interception: |
when the quarterback attempts to pass the ball to one of his teammates, but the other team catches it |
| kick return: |
at the beginning of each half, one team kicks the ball to the other team. the team that catches the ball runs with it until tackled. this can be very exciting when they run it all the way back for a touchdown. |
| passing: |
throwing the ball |
| punt return: |
similar to a kick return, except a punt return occurs every time the team with the ball has run out of chances to score a touchdown; they then punt the ball to the other team. |
| rushing: |
running with the ball |
| sack: |
when the quarterback is tackled before he gets a chance to pass the ball |
| safety: |
a sack that takes place in the quarterback's own end-zone (worth 2 points) |
| touchdown: |
when the football crosses the end-zone line (worth 6 points) |
| turnover: |
a fumble that is recovered by the other team, or an interception |
throw on a jersey, grab a hefeweizen, spike that chanel football, and get ready because it's game on.
www.superbowl.com
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