Wally Gallian
The Super Bowl Column

The following is my almost annual Super Bowl column. I say almost because most of the last twenty years I have penned a column this time of year about the big game.

Before moving to Swainsboro, I used to attempt to pick the winner and offer seemingly sound advice as to why which team would be crowned as champions.

I don't remember ever getting a prediction correct.

This year, the game has several unique points of interest. For the second time in Super Bowl history, the grass on the field will be provided by Phillip Jennings, local owner of Jennings Turf Farms. Jennings is well known around Emanuel and Treutlen counties as the "Sodfather." The product grown by Jennings is excellent and will once again this year be showcased on the "big stage" offered by a Super Bowl.

Another interesting angle to the game is the guarantee that for the first time in NFLhistory, the winning coach will be an African American. No, this is not a prediction of the outcome but rather an assurance because both coaches are African Americans.

Now, let's look at the teams with the promise that I will not attempt project who will win the game.

The Chicago Bears will represent the National Conference. The Bears or Da' Bears are coached by Lovie Smith and have led the conference all season. They have good special teams and a solid defense. The offense is somewhat erratic with the former Florida Gator quarterback Rex Grossman. The storied history of the Bears includes perhaps the greatest coach ever, George S. Halas. Their legacy also includes great ball players such as Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton and Mike Singletary among many other accomplished players. This historic franchise last won the big game in 1985.

Representing the American Conference are the Indianapolis Colts. This team has been near a Super Bowl for years but has not gotten there until now. The quarterback and team leader, Peyton Manning is the consummate NFLquarterback. He is tall, has a rocket for an arm, and is better at reading defensive schemes than anyone playing today or maybe even ever. His father Archie was a longtime NFLquarterback in New Orleans and his younger brother Eli is the starting quarterback for the New York Giants. The Colts have an even more interesting history than the Bears. This team was great in the 1950s and 1960s as the Baltimore Colts. Anyone my age or older can remember Johnny Unitas throwing the ball to Raymond Berry or handing off to Lenny Moore. Defensively, the history of the Colts is as strong as Bubba Smith or Ted Hendricks grabbing everyone in the opposing backfield and then picking which player held the ball. The knock on the Colts of today is that they are super during the regular season but flounder when playing for championships. This game is their chance to erase that stigma.

The factors detailed above make for a good Super Bowl match-up. Even to the most casual of fans, there are good reasons to tune into the game.

My prediction for the game is this: Lots and lots of commercials. Some advertisements will be touted as the best ever and others will fail miserably. The half-time entertainer, Prince, is unlikely to have any wardrobe malfunctions. As for the game, I predict a hard-fought, wellearned victory for one team.

For non-football people, it also marks the last game that actually counts until the first of September.--Wally Gallian is publisher of The Forest-Blade and can be reached at wgallian@ forest-blade.com

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