Not a good look
Sartorial slander via NFL Network host Rich Eisen:
Just saw my first Aaron Hernandez jersey worn by a fan. It's autographed. I've now seen it all.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) February 1, 2015
Food prices not so bad
@JM_Magick checks in on the Super Bowl food prices:
@BryanAGraham re: food prices: except for the $12 beer, that is all comparable to Wembley if not a bit cheaper.
— JM (@JM_Magick) February 1, 2015
The tabloid view
The back pages of today’s New York tabs. Think we can guess who Gothamites are rooting for.
The back page of today's @nypost: pic.twitter.com/aKrU4jwYoz
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) February 1, 2015
No outlet has mocked/gone-in on the Patriots over Deflate-gate more than @NYDailyNews: pic.twitter.com/Qs2Fs8u7vI
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) February 1, 2015
The view from Glendale
Check out our gallery of shots from the ground at Super Bowl XLIX, where Seahawks running back Marshawn Lunch is doing his best Bane impression.
Hope you ate beforehand
Nothing should surprise us after the $20 hot chocolate at last year’s Super Bowl, but the concession prices at University of Phoenix Stadium aren’t much better.
The Super Bowl concession menu is probably not @moneylynch-approved. #NoSkittles?? pic.twitter.com/YbkNd24ml8
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) February 1, 2015
Six bucks for a bottle of water?
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Our man on the ground checks in
Paolo Bandini – read his pre-game analysis and prediction here – checks in from outside the stadium:
Hard to imagine a much more gorgeous setting for a February football game than the University of Phoenix Stadium. The sun is shining and the grass lawns outside are packed with picnicking fans. Beside the usual games and concessions, there are few hipster food trucks selling veggie tacos with feta and avocado. The stadium itself is still pretty empty, but outside I’d say the 12s are definitely in the ascendant – although the head count is complicated slightly by the fact Brady wears that same number ...
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Obama addresses Deflategate
President Barack Obama gave his take on Deflategate in a live interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie from the White House kitchen.
Obama said New England would have beaten Indianapolis in the AFC Championship game regardless of which footballs were used, but suggested the Patriots should not escape punishment if they’re found to have used illegally deflated balls.
“If you break the rules then you break the rules,” he said.
Obama also spoke about his State of the Union address and showed off his home-brewed ale, made with honey from the first lady’s garden.
Barack Obama with his home-brewed beer: http://t.co/s1XrUa3lU2 pic.twitter.com/v8qw2QQzp4
— SB Nation (@SBNation) February 1, 2015
Guthrie also conducted a taped interview with Obama that will air Monday during the Today show.
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Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime, here is Paolo Bandini’s pre-game prediction:
This is an intensely difficult game to call, and I have flip-flopped more than once in the writing of this article. But in the end, the statistic I keep coming back to is that one regarding Seattle’s poor record in higher-scoring games. Will they really keep the Patriots to fewer than 20 points? Only two teams have since Kansas City, and one of those was Buffalo in the end-of-season dead rubber.
And so I will go with the Patriots in a nail-biter, Brady sealing his place alongside Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the third quarterback ever to win four Super Bowls. And Belichick to almost crack a smile afterwards, only to resume scowling when the first journalist at his post-game press conference raises the subject of deflated balls.
Patriots 24-22 Seahawks (Yes, I’m predicting a Seattle safety. Or possibly 11 of them.)
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