By Justin Sandoval |Assist. Sports Editor|
The Seattle Seahawks battle the New England Patriots for Super Bowl XLIX.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has the opportunity to make National Football League (NFL) history as he faces Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Wilson can potentially be the first quarterback to win his second Super Bowl within his first three seasons of being in the league; it took Brady four years to win his first two rings.
Brady will play in his sixth Super Bowl, with a chance to win his third Championship. According to patriots.com, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll will be the third coach in NFL history to face his successor in the Championship game, as Carroll preceded Bill Belichick as the head coach for the Patriots.
The Seahawks are making their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance, the first team to do so since the 2003-2004 Patriots.
Keys to Success
According to Forbes, Brady and Wilson started the season as the two lowest paid starting quarterbacks in the NFL.
The financial mobility for both teams has allowed their front office to grab and/or keep integral offensive and defensive players. Wilson is still fulfilling his rookie contract, allowing Carroll and the Seahawk’s front office to sign Pro-Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas over the 2013-2014 offseason.
Brady holds some of the greatest playoff records in the NFL, including the most playoff wins (20), touchdown passes (49) and yards passing (7,017).
Brady and Belichick have lost their past two Super Bowl appearances, both against the New York Giants.
On Feb. 1 Carroll, Wilson and the number one ranked defense in the league will face Tom Brady, arguably the best quarterback in postseason history for Super Bowl XLIX.
Deflategate
It was reported by ESPN in the American Football Conference Championship that the New England Patriots used footballs that were under inflated.
According to NFL reports, 11 of the 12 footballs that the Patriots used during the game were two pounds under pressure.
The game reached below freezing temperature, according to NBC sports, and the game began at 5 degrees fahrenheit.
Former NFL players have since came forth and admitted that an under-inflated football is an advantage in cold weather.
Recent events have led many to question the validity of the Brady and Belichick tandem through the years, as this is not the first controversy the team has faced during the Belichick era.
In 2002, the New England Patriots were investigated and fined for having watched illegal video tape and sound bites, giving the Patriots a competitive advantage. Former St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner, hall of fame hopeful and previous Super Bowl opponent of Brady, believes there is now a “sliver of doubt,” that they didn’t win all their games fair and square.
“I don’t want to believe that there was anything outside of his team that beat our team. That’s what I want to believe,” said Warner.
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