Chip On The Shoulder

Aaron Rodgers had to deal with a chip on his shoulder but this only made him stronger

It is Super Bowl season again. More than a week from now, the Green Bay Packers will be facing the Pittsburgh Steelers. These two teams prevailed after this year’s wild playoffs. The top-notched New England Patriots, after demolishing their opponents at the end of the regular season, lost unexpectedly to the team they obliterated with a 45-3 win – the New York Jets (I know, it still hurts). Their other first placed counterpart, the Atlanta Falcons, were dominated by the sixth placed Green Bay Packers. And of course, the Seattle Seahawks pulled off a huge upset against the defending champs. Crazy, right? But even if there were several weird scenarios, we have two of the best teams battling it out.

Green Bay may have been the gamblers’ favorite road team the past few weeks but we have to note that they took the backseat when other NFC teams were making waves prior to the playoffs. Michael Vick was headed towards full redemption as he led the Philadelphia Eagles’ explosive offense. Remember the huge comeback win against the New York Giants? What about Michael Vick’s amazing statistical display that had fantasy football experts raving? The Atlanta Falcons were dominating. Matt Ryan’s corps rarely lost at home. The Atlanta Falcons belonged in the Top 2 of the NFL Power Rankings for majority of the season. Lastly, the New Orleans Saints were peaking at the right time as they defeated the NFC-leading Falcons in the road.

What about the Green Bay Packers? It was highly improbable for them to reach the playoffs after they lost to the New England Patriots. Thanks to Vick’s Eagles, they prevented the Giants to take the easy road to the playoffs. Philadelphia’s major comeback against New York in the regular season gave some glimmer of hope for the slumping Packers. They may have been the preseason favorites but they barely reached the playoffs. They started the postseason with that chip on their shoulder.

My Objective (and Biased) Year-Ender Top 5 Lists

Rolling Stones is right. Best show on TV. | Credit: Rolling Stones

I know that this is quite late already to write on a year ender list because 2010 is already over but this is just the time that I got the opportunity to finish a full write-up in the past two weeks. I was in Cebu for a family trip since last Sunday so I did not have the time to gather up my thoughts and write this one (that and I do not blog well outside the comforts of my bedroom).

Just as most bloggers do, I write about the best stuff of the year when it is about to end (and in this case, it has already ended). 2010 has been a remarkable year for me. I think it was the best year in Sports for me. I rarely experience multiple championships of my favorite teams in a calendar year. All my teams except for the Boston Red Sox reached the playoffs. Early on the year, I discovered how hot female curlers are. The Ateneo Lady Eagles – which boasts of the most hotties in UAAP Women’s Volleyball – reached the Final Four. By June, I was treated to a Boston-LA NBA Finals which went the full route. When NBA ended, the Atlanta Braves were slugging it out in Major League Baseball. I may have been used to seeing the Braves enter the playoffs before but because of the recent “drought,” their run to reach the playoffs was extra special. Furthermore, it was the last year of Bobby Cox – the only Atlanta Brave manager that I knew. Then, Ateneo achieved its three-peat. It might be the first time that I was unable to watch the championship game live in Araneta but it was still extra special as the Blue Eagles proved that they are for real despite notable subtractions of key players. Then, it was NFL craze in the final two months of 2010. It was fulfilling because I stuck with New England despite their early season woes. The Patriots traded Randy Moss and I was ready for a rocky season. However, the opposite happened as the Pats dominated. They are now possessing the league’s best record. Brady is enjoying an MVP year as he has achieved the longest no-interception streak. As for the Packers, they ended the year with a bang by beating the New York Giants to have the inside track of the playoffs. Things are just awesome last year.

What about LeBron’s “The Decision” and his stinker in the Boston series? Uhhmmm… did that happen in 2010?! I already forgot about it. I choose to still forget about it. 2010 is my best sports year ever.