Super Bowl LI Preview, GoingFor2 Style

Everyone does Super Bowl preview articles, but no one does it like GoingFor2.com. I put together a series of questions that I gave to all my writers. I took all the best answers and compiled here. Enjoy:

Matthew Garrett

Q: Who are you looking forward to hearing from the most during media week?

“If I were a media member I’d be setting up shop at Martellus Bennett‘s table. The Bennet brothers have a history of saying whatever is on their mind and media day is another stage. You can always count on Gronk doing something outlandish but will Belichick put up with a headache that’s not even playing? I doubt it.” 

Q: Would winning this Super Bowl change the narrative for Matt Ryan‘s career?

“Perception is reality, right? I mean Eli Manning has two rings and now he’s a legend even though the numbers may suggest otherwise. Ryan has had an above average career but a Super Bowl win will start the Hall of Fame talk. The story I’m looking forward to is how Atlanta is still Michael Vick‘s town. What Vick meant to Atlanta is still felt today. If Ryan can bring the one thing Vick couldn’t then the narrative may start to change. You know what’s wild? If Atlanta wins Matt Schaub, king of the pick six, will have a Super Bowl ring while Dan Marino doesn’t.

Life comes at you fast.”   

 Q: Who wins and what is the score?

“This one is tough. In Four Down Territory I went with the Patriots because Belichick has stopped explosive offenses before (see Super Bowl XXXVI). New England has the secondary to, at the very least, slow down Julio Jones and that defense has given up the fewest points this postseason. The Falcons have a history of crumbling under big stages before and it doesn’t get bigger than this. Atlanta will also be starting four rookies on defense, that’s music to Brady’s ears. It’s going to take a Herculean effort from Ryan and company to pull this off. As much as I’d love to see someone new win it all I’m sticking to my guns and taking the Patriots 30-27. The best part is the awkwardness that will be Goodell and Brady sharing a stage on national television.” 

Eric Frosbutter

Q: Who is the most likely “unlikely” MVP?

“Taylor Gabriel; Gabriel found his spot in Atlanta’s offense this season after little success in Cleveland. The Browns parted ways with Gabriel shortly before the season began, only to be claimed by the Falcons a day later. To go from the worst team in the league to the Super Bowl has to feel surreal for the youngster. He’s earned it, however, as he has been a pivotal part of Matt Ryan’s arsenal.” 

“The only way that Gabriel could win the MVP, in all likelihood, is for the Falcons to win. However, should the MVP come on the offensive side of the ball, it is expected that either Ryan or Julio Jones would be considered the front-runners for the prestigious individual award. Other candidates likely to receive the award ahead of Gabriel would be Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, or Atlanta’s big offseason addition, Mohamed Sanu. On the off chance that the award goes to the defensive side of the ball, Vic Beasley and Keanu Neal would be the likely recipients. However, Gabriel is quite capable of having a game similar to Chris Hogan‘s in the AFC Championship game, and if he does, it would be hard-pressed to give the award to anyone else.”

Q: You’re the Falcons, which of these scenarios would you prefer;

• Under two minutes to go, you’re down four with 1 timeout and the ball
• Under one minute to go, you’re up two, Patriots ball with no timeouts?

       “Even though I am never a fan of trailing behind late in the game, I think I’d prefer to be down by four with the ball between these two scenarios. Matt Ryan has been outstanding this season, and a strong front-runner for the MVP season award. He threw for nearly 5,000 yards this season, averaging 9.26 yards per attempt. Atlanta has shown their ability to move quickly and consistently even against some of the tougher defenses. The Patriots rank #1 overall in team defense, but I still like the Falcons chances of finding success. The latter scenario gives Brady the opportunity to do what he does best. Atlanta’s defense has played well during the postseason, but I still wouldn’t like their odds against Brady. Even with just under a minute to play, Brady is one of the best at clock management, and in this scenario, would only need to lead the Patriots into field goal position to win the game.”

Q: Who wins and what is the score?

“This will, of course, depend on how well Atlanta’s defense game plans and executes against New England, but I believe that the Falcons will bring home their first Super Bowl title in team history. New England’s defense is the toughest in the league, but even they have proven vulnerable at times. I think Matt Ryan and the running game will be too much for them in the end. Atlanta’s defense has grown stronger throughout the season and will do just enough to hold off the dominant organization. If Atlanta, however, comes out playing zone against the Patriots similar to the way the Steelers did in the AFC Championship game, then I will recant my projection. I think the Falcons will make the necessary adjustments, however, and win 31-21.”

Michael Kelley

Q: Will Julio Jones break Jerry Rice‘s single-game Super Bowl record for receiving yards of 215 yards? 

“While I hope so, the short answer is no. I think he has a better shot at the record for receptions, which is 13, more than the yards at 215. I think many people will agree because they will look at the Patriots defensive team stats and they will see that they only gave up 238 yards per game for 12th best in the NFL. Which is a valid point, but if you take a close look at the Patriots schedule you will see that they did not play a single team that finished in the top 12 in passing yards. In fact, eight of their games featured teams that finished in the bottom ten in passing yards per game. That tells me that Matt Ryan and company will be throwing a lot because the Patriots have not faced a prolific passing attack like the Falcons.”

“I know what you are thinking here, “If the Falcons are going to be throwing the ball all over the field, why can’t Jones break the yards record of 215?” The reason why I don’t think he breaks it is because Matt Ryan is so comfortable in the offense that he has no concerns about throwing to the open guy regardless of who that guy is. Last year Ryan had to throw to Jones whether he was open or not, this year he finds the open guys and gets him the ball. The proof is in the numbers. This year 15 different Falcons caught a pass and 13 of them caught a touchdown, FYI that was an NFL record. Nine guys caught more than one pass per game. Even in their two playoff games, Ryan has connected with nine different receivers. The Patriots can game plan to stop Jones all they want, which I am sure they will, and Ryan will just spread the ball out. Of course, the Falcons will still feed their best player in Jones the ball, but with bracket coverage and straight double teams, it will be hard for Jones to break a long one, and he would need at least one of to sniff the yardage record.”

Q: You’re the Patriots, which of these scenarios would you prefer;

• Under two minutes to go, you’re down four with 1 timeout and the ball at the Patriots 25.
• Under one minute to go, you’re up two, Falcons ball with no timeouts at the Falcons 30.

“First I am mad that I am doing this situation as the Patriots, not cool Geoff. I might need a safe place and a hot shower after pretending I am the Patriots. Moving through the pain, though, I would want to be up by two points with a minute to go with the Falcons having the ball at their 30-yard line. There are a couple of reason why I picked option two and the first one is, I want to be winning late regardless of the situation unless it’s up by two and its first and goal of course. The second reason is with the Patriots down by four, that means a field goal won’t cut it, and I have to 75 yards and punch it in for a touchdown. While the Falcons defense was pretty friendly to opposing offenses, they did get better as the season progressed. Just look at the NFC championship game, for example, they made Aaron Rodgers move out of the pocket a lot, and I don’t think anyone would confuse Tom Brady‘s scrambling skills with Rodgers. So if the Falcons can get to Brady the same way they got to Rodgers, Brady is in for a long day.”

Q: Who wins and what is the score?

“Falcons 72 Patriots -10”
“This is assuming the NFL finally decides to really punish the Patriots for all their years of cheating and make them start with -10 points. But in case they don’t, the score will be Falcons 34 and the Patriots 23. The Patriots will be exposed for not having to face any real offensive firepower all season, and with no prospect of bad weather because of the dome, it just gets better for the Falcons.”

Tom Hardy

Q: With the expected shoot-out, if this game were to end 18-to-15 with all field goals, but comes down to a last second FG to win the game, are you disappointed?

“Not at all. Outside of the Green Bay/Dallas game (I am still tingling from Aaron Rodgers rolling left, throwing thirty-five yards downfield on a line to put the Packers in position to win the game), the rest of the playoffs have been pretty forgettable. Eight games have been decided by more than double digits. That means 80% of the games have been blowouts.”

Q: Give me one bold prediction from this game.

“Bill Belichick will do something crazy defensively. Belichick is a mastermind on that side of the ball and always has an answer for high powered offenses dating back to his defensive coordinator days with the Giants. In Super Bowl XXV against the Bills, the Giants ran a 2-5-4 alignment and dared Thurman Thomas to beat them on the ground. In Super Bowl XXXVI versus the Rams which, at the time, were called Greatest Show on Turf. The Patriots barley rushed Kurt Warner and were extremely physical with Marshall Faulk,  hitting Faulk at every opportunity to take him out of the game.”   

Q: Who wins and what is the score?

“Patriots 24-14. The Patriots are the most flexible team in the NFL. New England can line up in multiple tight end sets and run the ball fifty times or spread everyone out and throw the ball fifty times. That flexibility will be tough to defend by Falcons 27th ranked scoring defense. Defensively, the Patriots are number one in scoring defense. The past two Super Bowl winners have all been led by Defense. Last season Denver has the 4th best scoring defense, and two years ago Seattle had the number one scoring defense. Defense matters and the Patriots defense will lead them to their fifth Super Bowl ring.”

Sergio Balatan

Q: If Matt Ryan wins this Super Bowl does it put him in the HOF discussion?

“Absolutely. Super Bowl wins are elusive, just ask Dan Marino. In his first seven years, he is the number one quarterback in pass completions, beating out Peyton Manning. In passing yards for his first seven years, he is number two overall, this time Peyton Manning takes first. He has the great stats on his resume, and a Super Bowl win will put him in the Hall of Fame.”

Q: What “one player” is the key to victory for the Patriots?  

“Whoever is covering  Julio Jones on any given play.  If Julio goes off, then that will stretch the field to open up the dangerous running tandem of Devonte Freeman and Tevin Coleman. If you stop Julio, then you stop the Falcons.”

Q: Who wins and what is the score?

“The Pats. New England 34, Atlanta 17. If you give Belichick two weeks to prepare for Julio Jones, then he will be stopped by a well prepared Pats Defense.”

Michael Bussey

Q: What “one player” is the key to victory for the Falcons?

“Devonte Freeman. He came out earlier this week and said the Falcons can do whatever they want. That’s the kind of confidence your team needs to feed off of, especially in the Super Bowl. With the Patriots game-planning to stop Julio Jones, Freeman’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and run routes makes him a dangerous dual threat that can change the game.”

Q: Which matchup are you most looking forward to?  And why?

“I’m looking forward to seeing how the Patriots O-Line stacks up against the Falcons D-Line. The Falcons are fast on defense, and it will be interesting to see how much pressure they can generate. If they can knock down Tom Brady early and often, it’s going to be a long game for him. Everyone knows how much Brady doesn’t like having to scrape himself up off the turf.”

Q: Who wins and what is the score?

“Patriots win a close one, 31-28. All of their Super Bowl victories have been close, so I expect nothing different here. And with everything that has gone on with the Deflate-Gate saga over the last couple of seasons, you couldn’t write a better script. Tom Brady, suspended the first four games, comes back in Week 5 and goes on a tear for the rest of the season. Whether you love him or hate him, this is Tom Brady’s Super Bowl to lose. I wonder what will be going through Roger Goodell’s mind when he has to present the Lombardi trophy to both Robert Kraft and Tom Brady on the same stage?”

Kellie Ruttar

Q: Is Roger Goodell secretly hoping the Patriots lose this game?

“Oh, absolutely he is!  No matter what he says in whatever press conferences he holds, this is a straight up embarrassment to Roger Goodell.  The fact that the Patriots even got to the Super Bowl after Tom Brady sat out the first four games has got to be eating at him.  Ever since the deflate-gate scandal, Goodell has not set foot at a single Patriots games.  People are criticizing him for watching Atlanta play two weeks in a row and not going to see New England.  Who can blame him really?  This league created Tom Brady as the golden boy poster child of quarterbacks and Goodell tried to topple the giant that he helped create.  Inside I’m personally at war with myself between who I hate more, Goodell or Brady.  As much as I’d love to see Goodell need to swallow his pride and present the trophy to Brady, I’d hate to see the Pats take another Super Bowl victory, especially when we have a team we aren’t accustomed to seeing in the mix.  What can I say?  If my team isn’t in it, I love an underdog.”

Q: If Tom Brady wins this Super Bowl, is he the unquestioned “best QB of all-time”?

“No way.  I seem to be in the minority in my opinion, but I believe once a player is linked to a cheating scandal it automatically takes their name out of contention for greatest of all time discussions.  You can argue that Brady had nothing to do with Spy-gate, however, he most certainly benefited from it. 

You can argue that every quarterback messes with the PSI of their footballs, but Brady was caught, deemed to be a cheater, and suspended for it, that makes him forever an asterisk in the record books.  I don’t care how many big games he goes on to win, he’s a tainted hero.  Let’s also not forget that although many consider Brady clutch during the play, whenever he is hit, he screams like a little b***h for a flag even when it’s a clean play, not to mention times he’s been caught on the sidelines blowing up at his receivers, you never saw Montana or Elway whine like that when things didn’t go their way.

  People argue that Super Bowl wins are what determine great QBs but if not for the Tuck Rule incident, they would not have even gone to Brady’s first Super Bowl.  If you look at the first three of Brady’s big wins, a lot of that can be contributed to his supporting cast, they had a stellar defense and also Adam Vinatieri.  Without Vinatieri, those games would not have gone in New England’s favor.  If we’re talking about supporting cast, let’s also mention Pete Carroll, without the dumb decision not to run the ball in the red zone, Brady would not have won that one either. 

People also don’t talk much about how Brady choked in several playoff games, especially against the New York Giants, for every game where he stood up to pressure there is another where he folded and blew leads, this is not a recipe for greatness.  So sorry Brady lovers, I will not be jumping on your bandwagon now or ever.”

Q: Who wins and what is the score?

“I think this is going to be a high-flying exciting game of Tom Brady versus Matt Ryan.  As much as I hate Brady, I can admit that he’s playing great ball and has something to prove.  This is gong to be a shootout between two MVP candidates.  If you love the defensive side of the ball, you’re going to be disappointed with this game.  My final prediction is that Julio Jones and Matty Ice are going to continue the great year they’ve had and take the victory.  We’ll see Brady fold under the pressure, the game means too much to him and he’s going to crack.  Matt Ryan wins MVP after helping the Atlanta Falcons beat the New England Patriots to the tune of 37-34.”

R.L. Woodson 

Q: The Atlanta head coach was the defensive coordinator for the Seahawks when they inexplicably threw the ball from the 2-yardline instead of handing it off to their all-world running back, costing them the game. If given the same scenario, with Matt Ryan under center and Julio Jones out wide, does he pass the ball?

“I believe Quinn and his offensive coordinator wouldn’t even waste a second relating their situation (at that moment) to the Seahawks-Patriots SB ending. Typically I’d find a way to have some fun with my answer, but the straightforward answer is Falcons aren’t built around an iconic player (at least to the Seahawks and its 12th Man) that “checks the box” for a variety of different situations. Whereas in Seattle’s situation the perception was that the ball should’ve gone to Beast Mode because of the distance to the goal line; in reality, in today’s game the majority of teams pass to gain any distance two yards and greater. I don’t have any empirical data, but head coaches and their staffs like having the variety of options a pass play affords a franchise QB. A run blitz, or sellout, on an obvious (or likely) running play…

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell (and by extension Russell Wilson) dialed up the number of… WR Ricardo Lockette (just keeping it a buck, I had to look that guy’s first name up) in the biggest moment of the biggest football game. Ri-car-do Lock-ette! The Falcons last-second pass will be going to a truly dominant NFL wide receiver with a more transcendent Spanish first name – Julio. And Wood scores with some humor. Maybe.”

Q: Give me one bold prediction for this game.

“My bold prediction for the game is: A tied score 28-28 with 10 seconds to play, it’s 1st-down and goal with the ball at the 2-yard line, Falcons QB Matt Ryan will run a read option and hand the ball to DeVonta Freeman. The end result will be a touchdown and then my prediction will happen… Freeman will celebrate like a real Falcons running back. Viewers will see the first of the legendary Dirty Bird endzone dance. Shouts to Jamal Anderson. I presume you caught that I totally contradicted everything stated in my first response. Seriously, how the heck am I supposed to know what they’ll call!”

Q: Who wins and what is the score?

“The Falcons win 38-27. I presume you noticed my score is different from the bold pred… Never mind, I’m sure you disregarded my entire SB analysis. Enjoy the game!”

FantasyBeast15

Q: Which matchup are you most looking forward to? And why?

“The Patriots are known for scheming to stop opposing offenses’ top weapon. My guess is that will be Julio Jones on Super Bowl Sunday. While the matchup of the Patriots secondary against Jones will be fun to watch, my focus will be on the Patriots run defense against the Falcons running backs. The Patriots ranked 4th against the run during the regular season (defensive rankings are from Football Outsiders DVOA). In their 11 regular season wins, Falcons running backs averaged 125.3 rushing yards per game. In their five losses, they averaged just 75.8 rushing yards per game. If the Patriots run defense can bottle up Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, the Falcons may need to look to their secondary receiving options to pick up the offensive slack.”

Q: Who wins the Super Bowl MVP? Give one from each team.

“Tom Brady – Brady seems to be the obvious choice. As long as LeGarrette Blount doesn’t run for three scores, a Patriots victory should give Brady his fourth Super Bowl MVP award.

Matt Ryan – With a Falcons win, the likely NFL MVP could also take home the Super Bowl MVP. Ryan’s 2016 season was one of the most efficient seasons we’ve ever seen, and if the Falcons win, I would predict Ryan is the main reason behind the victory.”

Q: Who wins and what is the score?

“Patriots 34, Falcons 30

“I think Bill Belichick’s brain and the experience of the Patriots coaching staff give them the edge in Super Bowl LI. I’m expecting the Patriots to try to scheme Julio Jones out of the Falcons’ offensive attack. Pairing that scheme with the NFL’s 4th best run defense, the Patriots could force the Falcons to run a one-dimensional offense. Even though the Patriots ranked 23rd against the pass, they finished the regular season allowing just 15.7 points per game, first in the NFL. The Falcons ranked 23rd, allowing 24.8 points per game. The Falcons lack of a strong defensive presence is further evident as they ranked 19th against the pass and 29th against the run. Combine the Patriots ability to lead a more balanced attack with the experience of Brady and Belichick, and I’ll take the Patriots to win by four.”

Jules Rules

Q: Who are you looking forward to hearing from the most during media week?

“I’m not so much looking forward to it as I am intrigued by the King Curmudgeon himself, Bill Belichick.  You never know what he is going to say by not saying anything.  When he does say something you’re left wondering what the underlying message is.  He’ll tell the media that Tom Brady is on the injury report but does that mean he has a broken fingernail or a bad knee?  With every grunt, sigh and shoulder shrug, the media mastermind always leaves us wondering.  So let’s make Belichick more interesting by turning his pressers into a drinking game.  For every grunt, take a drink. For every evasive answer, take a shot.  If he says “Snapface”, “Tweeter” or “Instachat” pretending he doesn’t have a clue…chug it!”

Q: If Matt Ryan wins this Super Bowl does it put him in the HOF discussion?

“Not quite.  Even if Matt Ryan wins Super Bowl LI he will need to continue outperforming his opponents in years to come to be in the hall of fame discussion. His stats this year have been amazing but past years, not so much.  Prior to 2016, the Falcons have had a losing record for 3 years in a row which means either this year is a fluke or Ryan is the real deal.  A few more years like 2016 added to Ryan’s resume’ would prove he is hall of fame worthy ”

Q: Who wins and what is the score?

“We’d love for this to be a squeaker but I’m afraid the Falcons will struggle from the onset.  For Belichick & Co., the big stage is all too familiar such that playing in Super Bowl LI is no different than frolicking in back yard sprinklers on a warm summer day.  All season long Matt Ryan has looked cool as a cucumber but come the Big Game he’ll struggle to find an open target and will crumble under pressure.  With a final score of 27-17, the Patriots will yet again hold up the Lombardi trophy when the clock strikes zero. Those sons of b@#$%es!”

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