Super Bowl LIII Preview: A Rematch, Young vs. Old, Two Lucky Teams and Gambling!

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin) and Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

It's Super Bowl week, and we have some thoughts...

I.

This year's Super Bowl will be 17 years to the day since the Patriots at Rams first met in the Super Bowl - the first Brady/Belichick championship, when the Patriots put themselves on the map with what was, and still is, the biggest upset in the history of the Super Bowl.

This game can't quite be considered a rematch, given that the only holdovers from that game are Brady, Belichick, and New England offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia. That's not exactly surprising, considering back in 2002, the No. 1 movie in the US Box Office was a movie starring a man that hasn't been the governor of California for eight years. It's been a while.

Furthermore, one of the teams has moved cities after spending the overwhelming majority of the last decade and a half as one of the cellar dwellers of its conference, while the other team went from the plucky underdog that happened to almost accidentally win a Super Bowl, to a team that everyone south and west of 42N73W openly despises. Like I said, it's been a while.

All that being said, it is the Rams against the Patriots, and you're going to see about 76 hours of coverage about the fact that these two franchises played against each other 17 years ago. At the very least, this game could serve as a bookend to the start of this Patriots' dynasty. Yes, Tom Brady said in an interview that there's zero chance that this will be his last game, but can't you imagine a scenario where the Patriots win this game 40-17 and Tom Brady rides off into the sunset? At the very least, it's possible.

The Semi-Official, Overly-Exhaustive, Probably-Incorrect NFL Preview

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin) and Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

[Extremely Andy Williams Voice]

It's beginning to look a lot like football.

We made it, folks. It only took us seven months, yet another Cavs-Dubs NBA Finals, a total solar eclipse, the death of Chuck Berry, The Oscars almost screwing up the Best Picture winner, O.J. Simpson's release from prison, and a devastating hurricane in east Texas, but we made it.

Football season is finally here.

In this space you'll find some bold predictions, some predictions less bold, some picks, some extensive thoughts, and some thoughts not extensive enough. Let's just start here...

Some Predictions That Probably Could Be Bolder, But We Want To Ease Our Way Into It

The Patriots' Comeback Wasn't (Quite) As Unexpected As You Think It Was

This is Tom Brady. Tom Brady is good at football. Look at Tom be good at football.

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin)

I'll be up front - I'm still not totally prepared to talk about this game rationally. There's a 40% chance that I died on Sunday night and this is just the afterlife that I've chosen for myself (and it just happens to be remarkably similar to the life I was living previously - right down to the ongoing recovery from a recent surgery).

That being said, I feel like everything I've heard and read about the Super Bowl over the last day-plus has been expressing abject incredulity that the Patriots were able to mount a comeback. I'm here to present a few loose, scattered thoughts that hopefully apply some degree of logic to how and why it happened.

The Fine Line Between a Legendary Comeback and an Epic Collapse

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Whether you're a New England fanatic or a Patriot hater likely determined your mood this morning.

Those cheering on Brady and the boys will likely spend the entire day re-living the Pats' epic comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51 last night. Down 28-3, New England scored 31 unanswered points from the 2-minute mark of the third quarter on to capture a 34-28 overtime victory.

The game was historic for a number of reasons, most notably that Tom Brady both broke the single-game Super Bowl passing record, and captured a record-setting fifth Super Bowl title and fourth Super Bowl MVP. It was also the first overtime game in Super Bowl history.

In the process, Brady bounced back from an opening three quarters of getting beaten and bruised (and let's be honest, looking frazzled while missing some WIDE OPEN receivers), to find his usual flawless form, and deliver pinpoint passes on the final five drives of the game.

But the moments Pats fans are likely re-living the most are Julian Edelman's ABSURD catch in traffic, and James White's game-winning touchdown run. Both plays will no doubt become a part of Super Bowl lore, next to recent moments like Tyree's helmet catch, Holmes' end zone snag and Butler's goal line interception.

OH MY GOD, JULIAN EDELMAN! #SB51 #Patriots https://t.co/YtvHwsaCbT

— NFL (@NFL) February 6, 2017

Of course, the other side of that coin is the collapse of the Atlanta Falcons.

Your Last-Minute Super Bowl Betting Guide

Many of our prop bets revolve around these two happy fellas.

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin) and Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Holy cow, it's Super Bowl Sunday! Man, that really snuck up on us.

You see, after doing diligent and detailed previews of every NFL week during the regular season, and breaking down all the playoff games, we're way behind this week. Yeah, I know we even had a whole week off, but Jeremy recently had surgery (he's good, though a little tired, thanks for asking), and Joe's brain was drained from National Signing Day Wednesday.

You can check out all his coverage of NSD here, by the way.

So, we're not going to be able to break this game down every which way like we have, but since we both aspire to be degenerate gamblers, we're going to give you our picks for some of the most interesting bets you can make tonight.

All of our exotics prop bet odds are provided by OddsShark.

Let's get this going.

Bob Lobel: Brady and Belichick's Last Rodeo?

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

This is not our first rodeo, not by a long shot. 

"Not the first rodeo" has become a popular phrase to calm people down around here, but remember this: Sunday is a lot closer to being the last rodeo than the first for our coach and quarterback. We know it and feel it, yet we totally deny it. 

What's left to accrue after this seventh Super Bowl appearance? What's left if they get a ring to put on all fingers, as opposed to having just four? 

Is Cleveland Finally Getting Its Due? The Numbers Say Not Yet

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Cleveland went 52 years without a major sports championship, but is now on the cusp of, perhaps, winning two titles in the same year. With the Indians capturing the ALCS last night, they will open the World Series the same night the Cavaliers will raise their championship banner, next Tuesday.

Cleveland's past futility was on full display in the ESPN 30 for 30 "Believeland," which debuted just before the Cavs won the 2016 NBA Finals. The film not only listed the town's numerous on-field heartbreaks (of which there are many), but also the off-field issues that have shaped the psyche of Cleveland fandom. The Browns skipping town and "The Decision" were chief among them, obviously.

But now that Cleveland may be ready to win two titles in one year, a feat that only rival Pittsburgh has achieved in the last decade, is the math finally catching up? Well, sort of, but as you'll see, Cleveland will need far more success just to reach the average performance of a major sports market over the past 50+ years.

Listed below are the 19 other American markets with three or more professional sports teams, and all of their titles since 1964 (the last Cleveland championship before this year). We've then broken it down and listed an "average titles per team" figure for each market over that time span, and averaged out what a given market could have expected to win since 1964.

All this to give you an idea of how far below the mean Cleveland was/is.

Bob Lobel: A Mediocre Bowl

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Peyton Manning's last pass went for two points. 

Maybe he didn’t play like a Hall of Famer, but he didn’t play like a college freshman either. Did they do the "going to Disneyland" thing with MVP Von Miller? I might have missed it. 

People are actually whining about Peyton's poorly disguised plugs for Budweiser and Papa John's. So what? Maybe he had a going away list. 

He should have thanked the chemists and medical folks who procured the HGH, or whatever got him back on the field after neck surgery.

Is "Defense Wins Championships" Back?

Von Miller and Denver's top-ranked defense made life miserable for newly crowned NFL MVP Cam Newton in Super Bowl 50.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Behind the strength of a remarkable pass rush, Denver again pulled off a stunning upset, this time knocking off the favored Panthers in Super Bowl 50 by a final score of 24-10.

Pass rusher Von Miller was named the game's MVP after collecting 2.5 sacks and forcing a pair of fumbles, one of which was recovered by Malik Jackson for a touchdown. Denver sacked NFL MVP Cam Newton an astonishing seven times, with 13 quarterback hits, and held Newton without a passing or rushing touchdown after the Panthers star combined for 50 in the previous 18 games this year.

Much like Tom Brady two weeks prior, Newton was constantly under fire, and never got comfortable against Denver's top-ranked defense, turning the ball over three times after a year where he averaged less than one giveaway per game.

It got a lot of people thinking, in this era of exploding offensive numbers, is the "defense wins championships" mantra back?

Well, even before the game you probably could have said that. After all, despite the quarterback riddled story lines of Super Bowl 50, both the Broncos and Panthers were anchored by fantastic defenses. And, lest we forget, the historically good Seahawks defense won the championship in 2013, and was a crazy goal line interception away from winning another in 2014.

Your 10 Favorite Super Bowl Moments

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Every few years, my birthday falls on Super Bowl Sunday.

Now, you would think the universe would reward me for this arbitrary fact by putting my beloved Steelers in the big game on those years, but we all know life isn't fair and that bad things happen to good people all the time.

But I digress.

Still, since I'm a good dude, and because it's the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl, I've compiled my list of YOUR 10 favorite big game moments. Sure, I have my favorite memories, but this is about you, the reader.

So, without further ado, here are those 10 moments you'll never forget.

Your Super Bowl 50 Primer

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin) and Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

We're finally here.

We have reached the last weekend of the NFL season, and what a long, strange trip it's been. Both of these teams got off to a hot start and never really looked back; they clinched the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences and then took care of business at home in the playoffs. Now we head to San(ta Clara) Francisco for all the marbles.

There are a ton of fun story lines for this Super Bowl, but we won't waste any time talking about them here, especially when we already spent way too much time earlier this week talking about them on our podcast. Here, we'll just worry about the x's and o's.

In our "By The Numbers" sections for these playoffs, we've been posting records (both straight up and against the spread) for how each team performs at home or on the road (depending on where the game is being played). Here, we've designated both teams as being "home." Historically speaking, teams playing on neutral fields perform closer to how they do at home than how they do on the road. I'm not sure why that is, but that's what I read somewhere. So there.

Denver vs. Carolina (6:30 p.m. Sunday, CBS)

Opening Line: Panthers by 4.5
Current Line: Panthers by 5.5

By The Numbers:

Denver: 
Record: 12-4 Overall; 6-2 Home; 8-6-2 Against The Spread; 3-5 Home
Average Score: 22.2 (19th) - 18.5 (4th)
Average Scoring Margin: +3.7 (10th); 9.7 "Expected" Wins
DVOA: -8.8% Offense (25th); -25.8% Defense (1st); +0.7% Special Teams (14th); +17.7% Overall (8th)

Carolina:
Record: 15-1 Overall; 8-0 Home; 11-5 Against The Spread; 6-2 Home
Average Score: 31.2 (1st) - 19.2 (6th)
Average Scoring Margin: +12.0 (1st); 12.1 "Expected" Wins
DVOA: +9.9% Offense (8th); -18.4% Defense (2nd); -2.4% Special Teams (23rd); +25.9% Overall (4th)

The Over Thought Podcast: Over Thinking the Super Bowl

On this week's episode of The Over Thought Podcast, the gang tackles the Super Bowl and football at large.

How has Super Sunday become an unofficial holiday in the United States, and what are some cultural implications of both the game and NFL? Plus, some obligatory comparisons to religion and politics, along with putting Cam Newton and Peyton Manning into boxes days before their show down in Super Bowl 50.

Check out our latest episode below, and give us a "like" on Facebook for the latest content.

Bob Lobel: Sunday Seems Less than Super

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Admit it, the spark isn’t there for Sunday. 

It's number 50, but it seems less than super. Maybe  we could increase interest if Donald Trump bought an ad, with his own money of course, to be live on the field for 60 seconds. That’s all the time he needs to make his point. 

He has lots of friends that are athletes, by the way, simply because he  gives them free golf. Nothing wrong with that.

Remember, he hired Flutie top be his quarterback in some league that nobody can remember existed. He loves Brady, and Manning too.

As for the game itself, why are people even picking Denver? That’s crazy. 

Why Your Team is Totally Going to the Super Bowl Next Year

The Jaguars in the Super Bowl next season... It could happen.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe) and Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin)

Super Bowl week is in full effect, and for fans of the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos, life couldn't be much better.

But, for the fans of the other 30 NFL teams, from hapless Tennessee to "oh so close" New England, not so much. Many of those teams' die-hards are already thinking of the NFL Draft and upcoming free agency, along with constructing elaborate scenarios for how their group will make it to Super Bowl 51.

That is, after they finish hate-rooting against Peyton Manning or Cam Newton.

Either way, here are all the reasons why your favorite team is TOTALLY going to the Super Bowl next season.

Obligatory Peyton Manning-Tom Brady "Legacy" Blog

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

The Denver Broncos' relentless pass rush and play making secondary propelled them to Super Bowl 50 yesterday in an upset win over the visiting New England Patriots.

Or, as every other sports headline tells it: Peyton Manning defeated Tom Brady in the 17th meeting between two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

Manning will move onto his fourth Super Bowl, and will be the oldest quarterback to ever start on Super Sunday. Furthermore, he improved his record against Brady to 6-11, and has gone an even 5-5 against Tom Terrific in their last 10 meetings, including three postseason wins in a row against his nemesis.

Despite the overall record, Manning actually now leads the all-time postseason series 3-2, and hasn't lost to Brady in the playoffs since the 2004 season.

Who cares that this game was about far more than these two guys, as both defenses played lights out, let the quarterback debate rage on!

On one side, you have Tom Brady, with his four Super Bowl wins, two league MVPs and what I would call the greatest quarterback career résumé in NFL history.

On the other side, Peyton Manning and his league-record five MVPs, to go with numerous all-time passing records, now a winning postseason record against Brady and his one Super Bowl (hey, he might get another one).

The 10 Best Games of 2015

Malcom Butler's interception sealed one of the most memorable Super Bowls in history for the Patriots, but would that be our game of the year?.... Probably.

By Andy Dougherty (@AndyDougherty10)

Ed. Note- We at SuiteSports would like to wish everyone a happy 2016, and we can't think of a better way to prepare for another awesome year than to look back at the best games of a thrilling 2015. Luckily, correspondent Andy Dougherty was willing to put together this list, complete with highlights and whatnot. As you'll see below, it was a heck of a year for fantastic football finishes.

Happy new year!

The Greatest Sports Day Ever?

Chris Paul's game winner against the defending champion Spurs in Game 7 was just one of Saturday's many great sports moments.

By Andy Dougherty (@AndyDougherty10)

Saturday, May 2, 2015 was an eventful day in the sports world. CBS and TIME called it the biggest day of the year in sports, and CBS even posed the question, “Will May 2 be the greatest single day in sports history?” It might seem like a ridiculous question, but Saturday’s lineup was pretty impressive.

The headliner was Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao in the “Fight of the Century.” While it didn’t exactly live up to the hype, Mayweather collected $180 million after the win by unanimous decision, while Pacquiao left with a modest $120 million.

The day also included the Kentucky Derby, which set an all-time attendance record at 170,513. In the NBA, an injured Chris Paul hit a clutch series-winning shot with 1 second remaining in Game 7 to lift the Clippers over the defending-champion Spurs. In hockey, the Rangers won Game 2 over the Capitals 3-2, despite this insane goal by Alex Ovechkin.

The Yankees beat the Red Sox in a 1-run game. The final four rounds of the NFL Draft took place. The world’s top-ranked golfer, Rory McIlroy, won in a playoff to reach the semifinals of the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship. Saturday also featured a 3-set win by Roger Federer (en route to his 85th career title), some late-season Premier League soccer, and the European Rugby Champions Cup Final.

No matter what kind of sports fan you are, there was something to pique your interest on Saturday.

Bob Lobel: Brady's White House Snub

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

I hear Tom Brady didn't  make it to the White House. One out of four isn’t too bad. 

Tim Thomas didn’t either, from what I remember. One out of one, for the guy who almost single-handedly brought  the Stanley Cup to Boston. Some people don’t care, others care a lot. I care that they got the invitation. 

The reality is that the President and Brady could play golf, or basketball or whatever any time they want. We don’t know why either Thomas or Brady passed on the opportunity to steal some silverware. Since he has already won three other Super Bowls, he probably already has a matching set. Time to start on the China. 

You know, I didn’t see Peyton Manning there either.

Lobel's Question of the Week: The Best Owner in Boston Sports

Every week, legendary sportscaster Bob Lobel wants to hear your opinion on a sports question he's been thinking about.

You could make a case that, since the turn of the millennium, Boston has been blessed with the two best owners in major American professional sports.

Since purchasing the New England Patriots in 1994, Robert Kraft has seen his team appear in seven Super Bowls, winning four. Things have been especially great since Tom Brady and Bill Belichick teamed up, as the Pats have the league's highest winning percentage since 2001 (Brady's first year as a starter), a league-high 12 division titles, league-high four Super Bowl wins and league-high six conference championships.

Yes, the last 14 years have been very kind to Kraft and his club.

The Greatest Quarterback Careers in NFL History

Clockwise from top left: Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Johnny Unitas and "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

The day after New England snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in Super Bowl 49, I proclaimed to my dozen or so Twitter followers that Tom Brady now had the best résumé of any quarterback in NFL history.

Note that I didn't say he was the best quarterback the league had ever seen, that debate is far too subjective and there have been so many great ones, but it seemed logical that Brady had now checked off every box on his career checklist.

Absurd regular season numbers and MVP awards? Check. Every relevant postseason passing record and a record-tying four Super Bowl wins in a record six appearances? Check. A record-tying three Super Bowl MVP awards? Check. Arguably the greatest quarterback season ever in 2007 (not to mention an absurd 2010)? Check. Winning record against the "other" great QB of his era, Peyton Manning? Check.

While you could make a case that a number of other quarterbacks are "better" (however you define that), it's hard to make the case that any of them had a better career than Brady.


Or did they?