America’s Super Bowl favorite? Atlanta!

Bill Belichick rarely smiles and that is not a new development.

“That’s a good question”. I don’t know what he plans on doing. He wasn’t embarrassed, he just said, I can play way better than this.

“It’s just amusing to me”, Holt said, reacting to the notion of Brady as a system quarterback. The Patriots are seasoned with experience, have Tom Brady and should be considered the favorites. I didn’t grow up watching or playing sports, so when I began playing football my freshman year of high school, I had to learn somehow. Whether that’s April or whether that’s early February, his attitude is the same.

They can more than hold their own against Coleman and Freeman, who do represent the best tandem backfield in the league, but the Patriots can implement their backs in the passing game as well to neutralize a pass rush.

“You’re a great quarterback but your political instincts suck”, he added. I can be just like one of those other guys. “He certainly takes the lead and we all fall in line“.

Brady was asked Thursday who’ll retire first – him or his boss? I think they bring guys in that fit their system, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Marshall went on: “And then you have a freaking dynamic running game with that two-headed monster, they demand eight men in the box”. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to coach Tom for these years.

“When I go out in pregame and look around I kind of know where they’re going to be and I try to make some eye contact and let them know I’m looking at them”, he said. “That’s just his style”.

“He has a very high level of expectation”. “When they’re with me they don’t want to talk about too much football, other than to say, ‘Dad, the Atlanta Falcons are really good-they are a really good team“.

Shanahan’s emergence as an offensive savant will thrust him into the 49ers head coaching role after the Super Bowl, by all expectations. I think that’s a true testament to their squad.

“A lot of people (think) you have to give some super effort for the Super Bowl”. You can’t take these things for granted. “You’ve got to walk on the field, the game hasn’t started and feel what it’s all about before you understand”.

If there is any doubt left about the greatest quarterback/head coach tandem of all time, a win in this year’s game would certainly clear things up. Goodell avoided going to Foxborough, Massachusetts, for either of New England’s home playoff games last month (he attended two games in Atlanta) and was mocked by Patriots fans’ chants of “Where is Roger?” Republicans may be more likely than Democrats to be fans of the National Football League, but Republicans and Democrats both agree they’d prefer Atlanta to win. Yes, the Patriots weren’t challenged as the Falcons were and didn’t face a single quarterback ranked in the top 10 in the league. Obviously, I’ll see everybody at some point, but there’s plenty of time after Sunday to do that.

Justin Rogers provides a position-by-position breakdown of Sunday’s Falcons-Patriots Super Bowl game at NRG Stadium in Houston (6:30, Fox).