After NFL Championship Weekend, San Diego Chargers fans are left with what is probably the least satisfying matchup of teams heading into the Super Bowl.
First there's Eli Manning, who was drafted by the Chargers but traded after he threatened to not sign with the team (which had gone 1-15 in the previous season). Another great game by him in the Super Bowl and Philip Rivers won't just be the only QB from the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft (not named J.P. Losman) without a Super Bowl ring, he'll be the only one (not named J.P. Losman) without two rings. Oh, and the Giants are attending their 3rd Super Bowl of the new millennium.
In the other corner is Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. This will be their 5th Super Bowl appearance since 2000. They have one of the worst defenses in the league and no real running game to speak of, and yet the Patriots are amongst the winningest teams in the league every year. They're like the anti-Chargers. The Patriots win games through wizardry and not making mistakes.
Personally, I was rooting for a Patriots-49ers Super Bowl because I thought the 49ers stood a good chance of beating the Patriots. I still think the Giants can give them a game, with their outstanding defense being one of the best challenges for the high-powered Patriots offense, but when you're the team that made the Super Bowl because you "got hot at the right time" that week off can be a killer.
We'll see. I guess. I don't know. I think I'm going to watch for the commercials. Maybe I'll root for a blackout so that Chargers fans don't have to watch the game, and the ones that want to bitch about the Chargers not being as good as those teams can't see it either.