SUPERBOWL - Tell me all about it!

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The New England Patriots will take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Jacksonville, FL, on Feb 6 at 6:00 PM EST. I believe the Patriots to have the superior team, and they are 6 point favorites.

Both teams are defensive oriented, but both can put up big points at times (Patriots scored 41 yesterday).

In the battle for rushing yards, the Patriots' Corey Dillon matches up well with the Eagles' Michael Westbrook. No clear winner there, both are powerful running backs.

In the passing game, McNabb of the Eagles is better than Tom Brady of the Pats, and if Terrell Owens come back from his ankle injury, watch for the Eagles to fly. Brady is better than people think though, he just doesn't put up flashy numbers (he's a lousy fantasy pick, for example). But he's a winner.

Another this is that not only is this a football game, but it is the pinnacle of advertising wars in the U.S. Millions will be spent on commercials airing during the game, and they will be subsquently scrutinized and voted on who won, who lost, who stunk. Apple's classic "1984" advertisment for the Macintosh ran during the 1984 Superbowl, for the first time.

Thanks CJ, that was comprehensive.

Would you like to predict a score?

I'll say 31-24, Patriots.

'nuff said(well said)...good job cj

It's also a day people revolve around having parties, drinking and eating too much, and calling sick into work the next day.

Which of the teams has previously won the Superbowl? Or have they won it multiple times?

The New England Patriots won it in 2002, then 2004, and they're back in it this year. The media is starting to consider them as one of the best teams of all time, and their coach is a genius.

They only put a couple guys every year in the Pro-Bowl(which is the league's all star game), but they usually come up with a better gameplan than their opponents and don't make a lot of mistakes.

Another good thing about them, is they're a pretty classy group of guys...they're not usually flamboyant about celebrating touchdowns, ect., and don't initiate trash talking to the media.

And going to the football games here is a lot of fun. People generally show up hours before gametime, to hang out in the parking lots drinking and grilling food.

I've heard a bit about the pre-game show and half-time show - what are they like?

The Eagles have never won. The Patriots are trying to become only the second team to win it in three out of four years (the other was the Dallas Cowboys).

For the superbowl, like cj said it's a media/advertising blitz. So they'll have a big-name musician play a couple songs during halftime. It's over-glamorized, it's not even like watching a real sports game at times.

However, other television stations will also have halftime shows, so they advertise it so you'll switch over to their station during halftime.

What part of Ireland are you in? I visited a couple years ago, and loved it. I went to Shannon, Kilarney, Kinsale, Kilkenny, and Temple Bar in Dublin. Sorry if I misspelled any of those...

I noticed there people loved soccer and dog(?) racing. We were in a bar and everyone was going nuts over the racing, and we were the only ones not yelling and cheering. That was what the bars here are like for the Superbowl.

The pregame show is a bunch of talking heads.

The halftime show is pure porno.

I seem to recall names such as Emitt Smith and Deon Sanders...I'm not sure if they were Dallas Cowboys or Kansas Chiefs, but I do remember watching a Superbowl between theses teams some years ago.

Slappy: The garden of Ireland - Wicklow. It's the best part.

CJ: half-time = porno (is that a slap for Miss Jackson?)

Slap AND tickle.

Any more predictions for the final result?

What happens at the end of extra time if the scores are still tied?

I can't be certain, but I believe a mini rest ensues and the two teams emerge to begin another period; a fifth quarter so to speak. The captains meet in the middle of the field for the coin toss with the referee.
Keep in mind that a coin of some significance is used, such as a newly minted Super Bowl Dollar.
One captain or the other(can't remember the rule ) gets to choose heads or tails while the coin is flipping through the air. Whoever wins the coin toss is declared the victor...no, that's not right. The winner of the coin toss gets to decide whether to receive the kick-off or implement the kick-off. The loser I believe gets to decide which end they will begin at. There's a proven advantage to receiving the kick-off, for whomever scores first wins the game;but don't quote me on that.

I see. Thanks, Panzade.

So it's a bit like the "Golden Goal" rule that we have in British Football (you call it soccer!). Sudden death?