Ten guys to watch at Super Bowl XLIX

SUPER Bowl XLIX is a match-up of the two top teams in their respective conferences — this year, underdogs and interlopers need not apply.

AT some point, the focus on those asked to throw, catch, carry and tackle will overshadow the air pressure of the actual football.

Super Bowl XLIX is a match-up of the two top teams in their respective conferences — this year, underdogs and interlopers need not apply.

With that, we give you the 10 most fascinating individuals set to play a role on Monday, February 1 (AEDT) in Glendale, Arizona when the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks.

TOM BRADY

Patriots Quarterback

Can Tom Brady put Deflategate behind him?

This will be his record sixth Super Bowl start at quarterback — he was tied with John Elway with five starts — but in many ways this is all new to Brady. He never has arrived at the Super Bowl city after such a tumultuous week, with his integrity in question, actually being called a cheater for his role, real or imagined in Deflategate.

He is a cool customer, but the heat is on him, big time, and just wait for all those close-ups of him touching the football, squeezing the football, gripping the football. He has been run through the media ringer all week leading up to the most highly-scrutinised game of his prolific career.

BILL BELICHICK

Patriots Coach

New England head coach Bill Belichick.

This will … mumble, mumble … be quite the gauntlet for Mr. Bill, having to get up in front of the masses five consecutive days of … mumble, mumble … denials and claims of his lack of knowledge in the proper inflation level of footballs … mumble, mumble. If a light bulb goes out in the Seahawks’ hotel, Belichick will be blamed.

If a Seahawks’ bus stops at a red light, Belichick will be accused of pulling a Gov. Christie traffic blockade. Oh, and by the way, the guy hasn’t won a Super Bowl in 10 years. At least he should be comforted that Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning and that ferocious Giants pass rush can’t be the Bogeymen this time around in Arizona.

DARRELLE REVIS

Patriots Cornerback

Darrelle Revis celebrates after an interception.

At 29 years old, in his eighth year in the NFL, the top cover corner in the league gets to his first Super Bowl, at long last. As a free agent (again), this could be his last game in a Patriots uniform, and a dominating performance will provide the perfect impetus if he hits the open market.

There’s no one menacing Seahawks receiver for him to stop — figure Jermaine Kearse gets most of the isolation on Revis Island.

Following knee surgery, he doesn’t seem quite as unyielding as he did with the Jets, does he? Oh, there also is the incentive to outplay that other cornerbacker (Richard Sherman) on the opposing side who fancies himself as the NFL’s top corner.

RICHARD SHERMAN

Seahawks Cornerback

Richard Sherman loves to talk.

If you missed it, this guy can cause quite a ruckus with the things he says and how he says them, but he is far from all talk. Aaron Rodgers tested him early last week, and that did not go very well (interception in the end zone).

He banged up his left elbow vs. the Packers but he should be fine. Thank goodness his vocal cords are intact for the upcoming week of media availabilities.

Oh, there also is the incentive to outplay the other cornerback (Darrelle Revis) on the opposing side, who is fancied by the majority of the league as the NFL’s No. 1 corner.

KAM CHANCELLOR

Seahawks Strong Safety

Kam Chancellor puts the “strong” in strong safety.

This might be the most intimidating player in the NFL. At 6-foot-3 and 105kg, he would be a good-sized linebacker, but he plays strong safety — with an accent on the strong. It is no coincidence the Seattle defence lost some of its bite when he missed time early in the season with a strained groin.

He took an interception 90 yards in a playoff victory over the Panthers, and when he makes a hit, the target stays hit. His match-up with Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will be the duel no one wants to miss.

MARSHAWN LYNCH

Seahawks Running Back

Marshawn Lynch on the charge for Seattle.

You actually can make a bet if Lynch will grab his crotch after scoring a touchdown in the Super Bowl (odds are 4:1, according to Bovada Sports Book). How charming.

The guy is a bad dude with the media and wanted to wear gold-plated cleats in the NFC title game, but his Beast Mode persona is the real deal on the field.

There are moments in a game when he simply refuses to get tackled, and you know the Patriots will have a defensive game-plan based on ganging up on him. That’s easier said than done. As he goes, so go the Seahawks — just as long as he keeps his hands off his private parts.

RUSSELL WILSON

Seahawks Quarterback

Russell Wilson holds up the George S. Halas trophy after the Seahawks’ 28-22 overtime victory against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game.

Has any quarterback ever played worse for so long then recovered to play so spectacularly down the stretch to spark a comeback for the ages? This is a guy who looked incompetent in the first half vs. the Packers, then in the fourth quarter and overtime made every play.

He has got to shed the tentativeness he showed in that game and run with his usual abandon in order to keep the Patriots defence off-balance.

If he wins back-to-back Super Bowls, he vaults near the top of the QB chart and, dare we say it, sets a pretty solid foundation in building a Hall-of-Fame resume and puts himself in line toward stamping himself as the best under-6-foot quarterback ever.

ROB GRONKOWSKI

Patriots Tight End

The Gronk.

The last time he played in a Super Bowl, Gronk was not Gronk — hobbled with a high ankle sprain and thus able to be contained by the Giants. That might have made all the difference.

The big guy is healthy this time, and Brady would like nothing better than to see one of those monster Gronkowski spikes take some air out of the football. He had 82 catches for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns this season and is such a physical presence that he can take over a game when he gets rolling.

PETE CARROLL

Seahawks Coach

Seattle head coach Pete Carroll.

No, he doesn’t go by Anti-Bill, but in so many ways the head coach of the Seahawks is the antithesis of Darth Belichick. Carroll is boyish where Belichick is boorish.

Carroll is fun-loving where Belichick is glum-loving. For goodness sakes, there’s a basketball hoop right there in the team meeting room out at the Seattle facility.

It’s a short list of head coaches who have won back-to-back Super Bowls (Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Jimmy Johnson, Mike Shanahan and Belichick) and if Carroll gets this one he joins some mighty elite company. His West Coast vibe is not for everyone, but is sure resonates out in the Pacific Northwest.

BILL VINOVICH

Referee

Super Bowl referee Bill Vinovich.

An accountant by trade, this is the first Super Bowl for Vinovich, who will be the referee of an all-star crew of sorts, featuring some of the league’s top-rated officials from the 2014 season.

The Patriots are 4-1 in games with Vinovich as the referee, while the Seahawks are 7-1 (and 5-0 since 2012). Vinovich most recently was the referee for the Patriots’ 35-31 playoff victory, where the Ravens were upset about New England’s unusual substitutions and formations.

What should please the ultra-aggressive Seahawks defence is that Vinovich’s crew during the regular season called the fifth fewest penalties of 17 crews, an average of 14 per game.

Originally published as Ten guys to watch at Super Bowl XLIX