UMW students share their thoughts on the Super Bowl

By ABIGAIL HUNT

Staff Writer

The Super Bowl LII commences inside U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN.  For the first time since 2005 the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England patriots will duke it out for the title of the 2018 NFL Super Bowl champions. The Eagles will enter the field on Sunday at an automatic disadvantage considering they have only attended two Super Bowls in league history in which they lost both.

The Patriots on the other hand, have made an appearance in nine Super Bowl games, and have earned five super bowl tiles in 2017, 2015, 2005, 2004 and 2002. Many attribute the Patriots’ success to the chemistry between quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. Brady, a University of Michigan alumni, has lead the Patriots to eight of nine Super Bowl appearances since he was drafted in 2000. Not only is that more than any other player in history, but he is also tied with former NFL linebacker and defensive end Charles Haley for the most Super Bowl titles of any player in the NFL with 5 Super Bowl rings earned throughout the 2000’s. The game is not automatically a Patriot win, though.

Senior, Kelsey Welsh has been a Philadelphia Eagles fan for her entire life. She even lived down the road from Eagles defensive back coach Corey Undlin, who is a family friend of the Welsh’s. She spoke on behalf of the Eagles acknowledging that Philadelphia will be rolling with their backup quarterback Nick Foles, after Carson Wentz tore his ACL in Week 14, which will add an extra challenge as the team goes up against a strong Patriots team. Welsh will be attending the big game in Minneapolis this weekend with her family.

Boston native, junior Mike Stys, has confidence that the Patriots will be victorious this Sunday.

“Since Week 5, the Patriots defense has allowed the least amount of points to be scored on them per game out of all the teams in the NFL this season. On top of that, we have Tom Brady, arguably the best NFL quarterback of all time,” said Stys.

Senior, John Grace, another Boston native attributes New England’s success to their ability to adapt to any situation during the game.

“Other than having the best QB in the NFL, the preparation that the coaches do with the players each week have lead them to be successful for the past 18 years,” said Grace. “It is evident that they can fully adapt on the fly. The Patriot’s history of halftime adjustments and unpredictable comebacks only goes to shows that they are prepared for any situation. When a team is prepared, the execution will always be better.”

Grace also spoke on the Eagles performance this season.

“The Eagles are a good team, and even though he’s their back-up Nick Foles has already won two play off games. It’s all about how you produce, and I think Foles performance has surpassed people’s expectations. We have also seen in the past that the Patriots do not play their best in the Super Bowl and all five super Bowl titles they have realistically won within a touchdown. The Patriots are and have always been a dominant team in the NFL but everyone is playing their best in the Super Bowl, so it’s going to be a great game.”

Regardless of who comes out victorious this weekend, the game is likely to make NFL history. Tune in this Sunday to see for yourself what team will come out on top.