With the big game right around the corner, it’s time we collegiettes brush up on our football knowledge. The Super Bowl is one of the largest sporting events of the year with millions of people watching, and it’s expected to be an intense, hard played game from both sides. With these quick and easy pointers, you’re sure to impress any guy.
Let’s begin. This year’s showdown is between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants at the Lucan Oil Field in Indianapolis, Indiana. For those of us in Boston, that means avoid all things New York for a couple of hours. Now this can get confusing, because both teams share similar colors. The Patriots will be the home team, sporting blue jerseys, and the Giants will be wearing white. Football is that weird sport where the teams wear the opposite colors of what every other sport wears for home and away games, so if you can remember this, that’s half the battle.
These teams have a lot of history. In 2oo8 the New York Giants beat the previously undefeated Patriots in one of the biggest football upsets of all time. This year, the Patriots are going into the game with 13 wins and 3 losses, while the Giants have a record of 9 wins and 7 losses. This is the fifth time the Patriots have been to the Super Bowl in the last ten years and they are favored to win by 3 points. It would be another huge let down if they lost, but don’t lose hope Giants fans—could once again pull off the win.
Here are the basics: When your team is on offense, the goal is to score a touch down. A touch down is six points. Each team has 4 chances at a first down, which is 10 yards. If they don’t make it 10 yards, the other team gets the ball. If they do score a touch down, they then have the option of kicking a field goal for 1 extra point or running another play for 2 extra points. Defense is pretty easy—stop the other team from scoring.
Some important people to look out for are Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski of the Patriots, and Eli Manning and Victor Cruz of the Giants. Tom Brady and Eli Manning are each team’s respective quarterbacks. The quarterback leads the offensive team and calls the plays. Brady is married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen, which pretty much makes them the most gorgeous couple ever. Brady is ranked as the #1 player in the NFL right now and is expected to be at the top of his performance. He will be wearing the blue jersey with the number 12.
Rob Gronkowski is the tight end for the Patriots. He’ll be wearing number 87. Gronkowski walked off the plane in Indianapolis with a sprained ankle and now fans are left wondering whether or not he will play in the big game on Sunday. And if he does play, his performance is questionable.
Eli Manning, the quarterback for the Giants, has had a record-breaking season with fourth quarter comebacks and the third highest quarterback passer rating in the NFL.
While he may not be as steamy as Brady, he’s more than impressive to watch on the football field. He’ll be wearing number 10.
Victor Cruz is the Giants wide receiver. He’ll be wearing number 80. He’s an up-and-coming star and basically you just have to remember that he’s really, really fast.
If you truly want show your boyfriend you’re into the game, avoid asking when the half-time show is going to be on and try not to seem more excited about the Coca Cola commercial than his team’s big touch down. And if all else fails, food is the key to any man’s heart (See Erin’s quick and easy Super Bowl recipes here).