The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

and SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporters

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

IT ALL comes down to this.

One game to rule them all, one game to find them.

One game to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

If it sounds familiar, it shouldn’t. I totally made that up just now and I’ve never even heard of Lord of the Rings.

Regular Season

Renaldo: 151-104-1, .589

Sannie: 151-104-1, .589

Playoffs

Renaldo: 0-2 (6-4, .600)

Sannie: 1-1 (6-4, .600)

Super Bowl XLIX: New

England Patriots vs

Seattle Seahawks

FROM the moment Nate Solder caught that 16-yard touchdown pass in the AFC title game, I immediately got to work on my talking points. There’s only one way to approach this - like the most staunch of all bible thumping, conservative right wing Republicans. Facts be damned, you get your talking points and you go to war.

Slim Charles said it best in one of my favourite quotes from The Wire - “Don’t matter who did what to who at this point. Fact is, we went to war, and now there ain’t no going back. I mean, it’s what war is, you know? Once you in it, you in it. If it’s a lie, then we fight on that lie. But we gotta fight.

Seahawks, you’re the last line of defence against this evil…and you have to fight.

Marshawn vs. The Media

I mean, this situation has to make everyone 40 years old and under “irrationally gleeful” as my boy Taige put it. The media continues to ask questions, Marshawn keeps giving repetitive one liners time after time. First it was “yea” then “I’m thankful” now “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” The NFL planned to fine Lynch $500,000 if he refused to participate in Super Bowl media day. I wonder if they’re happy now? To further troll the fourth estate, Lynch gave a personable fake press conference with Skittles just to show he has a lighter side. I hope he rushes for six touchdowns and is named MVP. I just want to see what he says to Goodell after the game.

Is Marshawn Lynch

even the craziest running

back in this game?

For all the antics Marshawn Lynch does, do you know what he never did? He never punched out an opposing player after the game like LeGarrette Blount did back when he played for Chip Kelly at Oregon.

Richard Sherman - I get it

I understand him. Some people just feed off being the villain, and that’s fine. He came into the NFL unheralded, after two seasons called himself the best corner in the league and he’s done nothing but prove that. So he’s a bit over the top and expressive, I prefer my superstar athletes to have an air of authenticity. Not to mention that he’s not even a quarter of the “thug” he was portrayed to be by the media following the Crabtree outburst. This is a guy that grew up in a tough Compton neighbourhood to become an honours graduate at Stanford. If you’re not sold on Richard Sherman yet, go rematch his complete destruction of Skip Bayless on First Take. I’m sold on Richard Sherman.

Embrace Russell Wilson and the fact that a higher power just likes him more than most.

If you weren’t convinced by that two-yard Hail Mary to Luke Wilson….then I don’t know what will.

SEAHAWKS over Pats

SANNIE: Ok, so the Pats get the nod from me for no real reason other than it just sounds better than the Seattle Seahawks. (I’m sure you could not have expected a deep answer if you read my picks all season). I can’t say that I’m not happy this is all finally coming to an end, which means I can have my TV back and get my fill of reality TV again.

However, there were lots of reality TV worthy moments in the NFL this season, but my favourite moments were literally in the past few weeks thanks to my new favourite NFL player - Marshawn Lynch. Man, why is he so funny? From the skittles press conference to “I’m only here so I won’t get fined” and my favourite “I’m thankful,” this man has quickly grown to non-NFL watchers like me not knowing who he is/was, to being our No.1 guy.

Even though Marshawn is that funny, I still can’t choose the Seahawks…sorry. Why? Because the deflated ball controversy intrigued me more than anything else this season.

I didn’t understand, didn’t see what the problem is (in some aspects still don’t) but that didn’t stop all the news channels from talking about it  ad nauseam and the men on the FB timeline all chiming in with their opinion. Every status was about “deflated balls” or “soft balls” and with my sophomoric sense of humour I laughed every time.

I don’t care whether it was illegal or not or whether they should be disqualified, I thank the Patriots for igniting the “balls” conversation. The potential $25,000 fine was totally worth it.

PATS over Seahawks