That’s the first step in analyzing the Super Bowl is in realizing that it is much more than just a football game. It’s a national event. Sure, the die hard football fans like you and me will all be watching, but then again we will probably also watch the Pro Bowl next week too. The real difference is made by the millions who perennially make this game the only one they catch all year. Then there’s those who are only watching because they have been invited to a Super Bowl party. Finally, there are those who have no interest in football whatsoever but who tune in to watch the commercials.

Ahhh! Those Super Bowl commercials, famous for historically being innovative, clever and funny. They are the real difference here. Everyone who is anyone will be airing a Super Bowl commercial and as a result advertisers must pay top dollar for the time slot. And with the reputation that Super Bowl commercials carry with them, you better deliver top notch quality advertising which of course means you have to shell out the bucks to get that quality. Bottom line, Super Bowl commercials are expensive, but advertisers don’t mind paying for them because they know they are getting exposure to a gigantic audience. The networks know this too and thus for them, the Super Bowl is a gold mine and therefore they want to show as many commercials as they possible can. So what does any of this have to do with football??? Well, if you want to show commercials, you have to stop the game. If the game stops, the clock stops. If the clock keeps stopping, you get a longer game. In other words, the Super Bowl has four 15-minute quarters like every other game, but the average Super Bowl is about 10-15 plays longer than an average regular season game. So what??? So if you are in the Super Bowl it usually means one of two things, your offense is the irresistible force or your defense is the immovable object. Those 10 – 15 extra plays favor the offense. How many times have you heard this phrase, “The defense has been out there a long time, they have to be getting tired. “ or “They need to get their defense off the field” or even “Its harder to pass rush than to pass block”. You never hear any broadcaster worry about how long the offense has been on the field. The point I am making is that even a Super Bowl quality defense when exposed to a Super Bowl quality offense for 10-15 extra plays risks wearing down where otherwise it would not. Not to mention that its 10 – 15 more snaps and thus 10 – 15 more chances for a big time player to make a big time play. My point is that a team with a juggernaut offense has a slight advantage in a Super Bowl, in any Super Bowl, not just this one. A team with a ground control offense and slightly weaker defense has a disadvantage. Its hard to run the clock out when they keep stopping it to show commercials. You get the point.

Also, the halftime show attracts its fair share of viewers as well. For that reason its extravagant and thus long. So?? So that means the coaching staffs have more time than usual for first half analysis and more time to make adjustments. Some staffs are really good at this. Take for example this season’s San Diego Chargers. They scored on the first possession of second half in almost all of their games. Coincidence?? No, absolutely not.

And don’t forget the weather, or rather the lack of weather. No one wants to pay a small fortune for a ticket just to sit there and freeze. Therefore the Super Bowl is always played in a nice cushy environment. The point is no team has a weather or home field advantage like, for instance, the Green Bay Packers should have enjoyed last week.
So how will all that stuff I just babbled on about affect this year’s game???? I’ll let you know mid-week. Look for my Super Bowl XLII analysis coming soon.

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