The people have spoken. And by people I mean, of course, my Twitter followers, which when you think about it covers everyone of importance. Or so I'd like to think.
The question _ now that they have spoken _ is what to make of it. And do they simply have a death wish for NFL TV ratings?
I posted a Twitter poll this week, and after 22 hours and more than 3,300 votes, these were the results to the question of which of four possible Super Bowl matchups they prefer:
1. Jaguars-Vikings: 53 percent.
2. Patriots-Vikings: 32 percent.
3. Jaguars-Eagles: 9 percent.
4. Patriots-Eagles: 6 percent.
I wonder how many of these thousands of folks were thinking about a Jacksonville-Minnesota Super Bowl last summer. Or even a month ago.
Now I should mention as something of a disclaimer that while no voter fraud has been detected, it's fair to presume that a considerable number of my followers are Cowboys fans. So the Eagles' poor showing is probably not a reflection of national sentiment, although I think Minnesota's tale is an easy one to fall in love with, especially after the Vikings won Sunday's game in such incredible storybook fashion.
But there is not much question when it comes to fan bases and markets: New England and Philadelphia have it all over Minnesota and Jacksonville. It's not even remotely close in either case. I suspect an Eagles-Patriots game would produce the highest possible ratings on Super Bowl Sunday, although I don't discount the possibility that a sizable portion of your average fans are somewhat sick of the annual Bill Belichick-and-Tom Brady visit to the promised land.
In fairness, they have played and coached in only seven of the last 16 Super Bowls, so it only seems like a Groundhog Day-like tradition. On the other hand, Sunday's game will mark the Patriots' seventh straight AFC Championship Game appearance, a remarkable run not likely to be matched in some of our lifetimes.
What does each game have to offer? Let's consider the possibilities.
