SML Bowl VII - Preview by Sir Scoop McLeak

ITS THE BIG ONE!!!!

The Philadelphia Eagles versus the Cleveland Browns. Has a nice ring to it, not a single Texan, Bear or Viking in sight which can only mean one thing readers, a new name will be etched on the Scoop McLeak Trophy this season (Lombardi sounds like a girls drink!).

Will the Brza led NFC Birds move sublimely into position for silverware with Shady McCoy, DJax and Nnamdi Asomugha forcing a rename to the Philly Regals, or will the GB Dawg inspired AFC musclemen with Trent Richardson at the helm be wearing Cleveland Crowns and singing "Ohio, Ohio, its off to the Whitehouse we go?"

Never mind the game, Superbowl week is an event in itself - and as we all huddle around our PS3's (somewhat enviously) at 11am Sunday morning to get the result, most of you will have no idea of the weeks dramatics leading up to the big one! My Superbowl diary reads like this:-

MONDAY: Received my Knighthood.

TUESDAY: Met with SuperCoaches GB Dawg and Brza for pre-match niceties consisting of drinks and discussion about their respective journeys to the dance. Suffice to say, Brza had too much coffee and rambled inanely about balance, then fell off his chair when the bill arrived and Dawg out-reversed himself with his famous reverse psychology trait by proclaiming "the Browns are crap" just before being presented with the AFC Championship trophy!

WEDNESDAY: The 'Trent Richardson weight' saga gathers momentum. His claims of being just 224 lbs lose credibility as the 6'2", 240 plus pound Bills MLB Kelvin Sheppard leaves hospital in a wheelchair.

THURSDAY: Michael Vick's lawyers are on high alert after a mis-interpreted comment about a dog pound. Vick was released later the same day thanks to bail being posted by a mysterious bearded woman wearing a 'I heart Shady' tee-shirt.

FRIDAY: Browns fans spread terror in a downtown bar after a mass argument with bar staff. Fortunately i was in the bar at the time (how lucky was that) and recorded the incident, it went like this,

Browns fan to bartender: Is there such a thing as a flightless bird, because there's going to be 11 on Sunday (much laughter from his pals).
Bartender (Eagles fan): Yes sir, the dodo, but its extinct.
Browns fan: What, its still extinct?
Bartender: Yes sir, it doesn't exist any more.
Browns fan: Well, any thoughts on when its coming back?
Bartender: I dont think thats possible sir.
Browns fan: Why not?
Bartender: Because its extinct.
Browns fan: Still?
Bartender: Yes sir.

A melee ensued.

SATURDAY: Chatted to some of the players before the lower end of the media got in and asked a few revealing questions. Djax replied to the question of why the Eagles have performed so well this season "its the boss, he treats us like men and lets us wear earrings". Trent Cole chipped in "he really game plans so well, he's as smart as Norman Einstein".
Trent Richardson walked through the door, and after removing the splinters proclaimed "i want to rush for 100 or 150 yards, whichever comes first". Browns DE Rico Olaniyan spent 10 minutes explaining how he has managed to control his temper whilst under the wing of Coach Dawg "i never intentionally try and hurt anyone on a football field unless its really important ... like a practise match".

Which brings us to the big one tomorrow. I dont think it takes a genius to predict a fairly low scoring affair, with 2 of the best defenses in the league squaring up with the biggest prize in football at stake. I've said all season that there's something different about this years Eagles and have not disappointed. However, the Browns are a throwback to their glorious former years (ok, maybe glorious is a tad strong) and have been carried to the Sb on T-Rich's considerable shoulders but the real success story here is the defense. Ranked 3rd, they just don't give up points. Sure, they may not be the highest scorers but that is by design as they grind out victories by eating the clock as well as opposing offenses. The Browns D will need to be at their best as their offense will struggle if forced into a passing situation chasing a deficit because QB Brandon Weeden will find very few holes in the Eagles secondary. This will be a fascinating part of the game because both teams know what the other likes to do and at some stage there will have to be risks taken. The Browns know the Eagles will be double teaming T-Rich all day, and the Eagles know LeSean McCoy will be getting the same treatment by the excellent, not to be under-rated Cleveland backers Johnson, Gocong and Jackson.

The Eagles have also cemented their success by the clinical use of suffocation. But another major aspect of this game will be the use of Vick, DeSean Jackson and Jordy Nelson. McCoy will get his carries but i think the result boils down to how well the Browns can deal with the Eagles pass attack. I doubt the RB's will win this game, it will be all about field position and defensive decision making. Cleveland will not want to get into an open, offensive shootout which Philly will no doubt try and force.

Finally, a question for my multitude of readers. What would you do if you made it to the Superbowl? Would you take risks and be bold, or would you be patient and stick to what got you there? You may want to delay your answer until about 11am Sunday and see how the SML's 2 best teams handle the pressure. On this note, i'd just like to point out Eagles kicker Alex Henery missed FOUR FG's in the NFC Conference clash with Detroit - he may just get a chance to write his name in history this Sunday and not be remembered as the SML's record setting mis-kicker!

The Browns best chance is how those LB's play, not so much against the run - as they will deal with that at the same high level as they did against Buffalo, but their pass defence against 2 WR sets. They go into the game as slight under-dogs (pun intended) but just one more big performance immortalises this well drilled group. Will Josh Gordon be a factor, i feel he will need to be the X-factor with those Eagle corners lurking at every turn in the route tree.

As always, i stick my neck out and back the Eagles to win 21-14. But these defenses only need one hero to step up and go the extra yard and Cleveland could very easily be top dogs! Or a confidence crushed kicker just may make the headlines .....

ROFL.............................

Great stuff once again Scoop!

I hadn't been feeling any pressure. But having read this, I'm feeling the pressure big time and my scrubs and I might just be too scared to turn up.

Good job we play in brown.

LOL great read.

I think the real battle is seeing how, after such a one dimensional but effective win, the Browns adjust their offense. Can they run it up the middle or throw other pass routes than curls, corners and streaks?

The other key battle is definitely the Eagles kicker vs the wind. Even if its a dome stadium with barely any wind, I think he will have to really work on it.

Good luck to both teams and I'm excited for the offseason!

trulyinfemous wrote:LOL great read.

I think the real battle is seeing how, after such a one dimensional but effective win, the Browns adjust their offense. Can they run it up the middle or throw other pass routes than curls, corners and streaks?

The other key battle is definitely the Eagles kicker vs the wind. Even if its a dome stadium with barely any wind, I think he will have to really work on it.

Good luck to both teams and I'm excited for the offseason!

Do you know how pathetic you sound? You are such a sore loser. Run up the score against the cpu and then call out others when you lose.

What I am excited about is that I will NEVER play a game against you again, irrespective of how important it might be.

Good luck to both teams? Yeah right. Get over it.

GBDawg1 wrote:

trulyinfemous wrote:LOL great read.

I think the real battle is seeing how, after such a one dimensional but effective win, the Browns adjust their offense. Can they run it up the middle or throw other pass routes than curls, corners and streaks?

The other key battle is definitely the Eagles kicker vs the wind. Even if its a dome stadium with barely any wind, I think he will have to really work on it.

Good luck to both teams and I'm excited for the offseason!

Do you know how pathetic you sound? You are such a sore loser. Run up the score against the cpu and then call out others when you lose.

What I am excited about is that I will NEVER play a game against you again, irrespective of how important it might be.

Good luck to both teams? Yeah right. Get over it.

Lol why won't you play against me again? Did I cheese vs you? Did I do anything in that game that you would deem questionable? Or are you worried that knowing your three playcalls will give me an advantage in the future?

You have a surprising tendency to be very defensive, to the point you send me a PSN message way after our game accusing me of excessively blitzing safeties to legitimise your constant bouncing of runs outside and use of motion on 3rd and short, which, we both know is complete and utter BS.

I am not a sore loser and have congratulated you and have wished you luck. Choosing to reject that is more a reflection of yourself. Just because I'm calling you out for being one dimensional and for being quite discourteous during our game (saying 'stop it then' when I messaged you about mixing up your playcalls) does not mean I don't wish you luck.

I in fact look forward to our next game, as an opportunity to see if you will have changed tactics or if you can adjust in game instead of resorting to the aforementioned tactics.

LMAO I JUST READ YOUR PSN MESSAGE.

Homie you need to put down the drink and take it easy!

"You are just a saore loser matey. Frankly I didn't want to play you because we all know how you wank off over beating up on the cpu. I couldn't give a fuck whether I am in the league or not. I won't be playing you again though. I ran lenty of plays that should have gone up the middle but I guess you thought I should just run into your defenders? You're pathetic. I hear you omplain a lot when the game is going against you"

I'm not even gonna dignify that with a response but I hope you don't mind your message being posted on the site.

Guys this is the wrong Way to discuss it.

Trulyinfemous:

You congratulated me on one hand and on the other sent off a complaint to the commish. You are a two-faced worm and I have better things to do in my life than deal with weasels like you. I deplore exchanges like this, but wrongly thought that after you had thought about things you would have realised that you just lost. But no. You persist with the notion that somehow you were cheated, I cheated or whatever.

I don't believe anyone takes you seriously but you simply get on my nerves. Feel free to have the last word on this if you wish because I really don't care.

For the record, I have never made it to a super bowl in any league at any time at any level before. It's obvious you thought you were going to win the game: you didn't like the fact that you couldn't handle T-Rich so complained about me "mixing up playcalls". When it emerged that run/pass ratio was fairly balanced you then tried to invent something else. If people rush defenders up the middle then I will try to run outside, irrespective of what I might have called. If they run outside then I will try to go up the middle. I also note that originally you were claiming I had run 4 plays all game but this has been downgraded to 3.

What a shame that my first (and probably last) trip to a super bowl has been tainted by a bitter, twisted, sore loser.

OK I have to agree with LT here this is not the place to do this and I will also add that texting or messaging during the game should not be permitted.....If you feel someone was cheating or playing unfair then take it to the commissionaire, I dont think we should be criticizing how people play either to be honest we all play to our strengths good or bad and unless its unfair then we dont need to air that out here ...............Dont let this spoil your big day Browns and good luck to you and brza

This issue is over. Anyone have a problem with it then take it to me.

Thanks for the well played sim game GBDawg.

Congratulations to you brza on your win. A total mismatch and I got a good ass-whipping.

Congratulations brza and hard luck GBDawg1