By John Sapochetti
NEFJ Contributor
As we approach Super Bowl LX, let’s take a look at some oddities that have occurred in the previous 59 “BIG GAMES.”
- Patriots quarterback, Drake Maye is the first North Carolina quarterback to start a Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Seattle quarterback, Sam Darnold is the first USC quarterback to start a Super Bowl. That one is hard to believe.
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Both Maye and Darnold were the third overall picks in their respective drafts. A quarterback drafted 3rd overall has never won a Super Bowl. Only two 3rd overall picks have started the game Steve McNair and Matt Ryan, who both lost in excruciating fashion.
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Wearing number 10 for the New England Patriots is Drake Maye. The only Super Bowl winning quarterback who wore #10 was Eli Manning, who beat the Patriots twice.
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Wearing number 14 for the Seattle Seahawks is Sam Darnold. The only Super Bowl winning quarterback to wear #14 was Brad Johnson.
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Sam Darnold’s grandfather was Richard Bernard Hammer, a.k.a. “The Marlboro Man”.
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Darnold, the Black Sheep of the famous 2018 quarterback draft is the first from that class to advance to a Super Bowl. Not Josh Allen, not Lamar Jackson, and not Baker Mayfield.
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Over the last two seasons, Darnold is 30-7 with two different teams.
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Here is a list of quarterbacks that have won Super Bowls that I believe Darnold is as good as, if not better than:
Jim Plunkett (2)
Joe Theismann
Jim McMahon
Phil Simms
Doug Williams
Jeff Hostetler
Mark Rypien
Trent Dilfer
Brad Johnson
Eli Manning (2)
Joe Flacco
Nick Foles
My point is, don’t sell Darnold short.
- May I Remind You: That The #Patriots Beat The #Texans In The Divisional Round & The #Broncos In The #AFCChampionship Game.
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Those Two Teams Had Won A Combined 24 Of Their Last 25 Games. Houston 10 In A Row, Denver 14 Of 15.
Spare Me The Notion That The Patriots Beat Nobody To Get To the Super Bowl.
- The Patriots will be appearing in their NFL record 12th Super Bowl. They have played in 10 of the last 25 Super Bowls. That’s a 40% hit rate.
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Steph Curry, generally consider the greatest shooter in NBA history, connects on 42% of his three-point attempts.
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This will mark only the second time the Patriots will be playing a Super Bowl outdoors. The only other came in Super Bowl XXXIX when they beat the Eagles 24-21 in Jacksonville.
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NBC lead football analyst Cris Collinsworth will be broadcasting his sixth Super Bowl. This will be the fifth involving the New England Patriots:
XXXIX Eagles
XXXXVI Giants
IL Seahawks
LII Eagles
LX Seahawks
- The only non- Patriots Super Bowl that Collinsworth broadcasted was Super Bowl LVI between the Bengals and Rams.
Use this column at your Super Bowl party and people will think you are an expert.