Super Bowl XXXIX
vs. 
Tomorrow, the New England Patriots will take on the Philadelphia Eagles at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, FL to determine the NFL championship. The Philadelphia Eagles have never won a Super Bowl. They haven't even played in the big game in well over twenty years. Actually, the city of Philadelphia hasn't seen a champion in any sport for over twenty years. In contrast, the Patriots are the defending Super Bowl champs and have won two of the last three Super Bowls.
Due to their long suffering, the sentimental favorites in the eyes of the media seem to be the Eagles. However, the Wise Men of the Desert have the Patriots favored by a touchdown. And, it's no surprise. The Patriots simply do not lose big games in the Bill Belichick era. A large part of that is due to quarterback Tom Brady. In the words of Stuart Scott, "The girls think he's hot, and the boys think he's cool." But, everyone agrees that Brady is a winner.
The 27 year-old quarterback has never lost a post season game in his pro career. He is 8-0 in NFL playoff games. He also won the MVP award in both of his previous Super Bowl appearances. Not bad for a 6th round draft pick. Brady was also 2-0 in bowl games as a starter at the University of Michigan.
Don't let my admiration of Tom Brady fool you, though. My heart is with the Eagles. I would love to see Donovan McNabb finally win a Super Bowl after coming up short in the NFC Championship game so many times. Eagles' running back Brian Westbrook is also a great hometown story since he played his college ball at Villanova.
Banshee prediction: Yeah, I'm sticking my neck out again after a dismal showing in the conference championship games.
Patriots: 28
Eagles: 24
