How Did I Do Predicting Super Bowl XLIX?

Not well.  Shitty, in fact.

First of all, I'm not going to say that The Call was The Worst Call In The History Of Recorded Sport.  (Vikings fans know that The Worst Call In The History Of Recorded Sport can be summed up in three words: Take A Knee.)  I take Pete Carroll at face value when he said that he wanted to go spread because he saw the defense in a goal line formation.  And even though it was a yard out, and Marshawn Lynch had been running tough all game, who knows, he could have lost the ball on a fumble.  I understand the concept of zigging when the other team thinks you're zagging.  This was not a sin of playcalling; it was one of execution.  Rather, Malcolm Butler knew immediately this was a pick play, knew where the ball was going to be, and raced to that spot before Wide Receiver Ricardo Lockette could get there.  One hell of a play that was designed to pick on the backup Cornerback, but the backup Cornerback instead made one of the most memorable plays to decide a Super Bowl.

Besides, deep down, I really don't think people who are bitching about the call are bitching about the call.  What I mean by that is, if Lynch ran the ball and couldn't get in, and if somehow Seattle wasn't able to punch the ball in from a yard out with the three remaining downs they had left in the game, Seahawks fans would be complaining about that all the same.  What they are really upset about isn't that they should have run when they passed (although I would have given the ball to Beast Mode at that moment); they are upset that they didn't score and win the game.  That's what they're truly pissed about, and that's what they should be.  But in my mind, they shouldn't bitch about, "Why the hell did you pass the ball when you should've ran it?"  No one's God here; you can't predict the future, so you can't tell me for sure that Seattle was going to score on the ground.  Be honest that your rage is coming from defeat, and not the way your team was defeated, and then we can talk.  Anything other than that is you believing you can predict the future.

OK, so back to my predictions:

• Lynch will rush for at least 150 yards and a garbage time Touchdown.  One TD, but it was early, and he got only 102.  No.
• Russell Wilson will rush for close to 100 yards.  39.  No.
• Wilson will pass for less than 200 yards.  247, with 2 TDs and that pick.  No.
• Tom Brady gets sacked at least four times.  Sacked once.  No.
• Michael Bennett will sack Brady twice.  Bruce Irvin brought Brady down.  No.
• Brady throws for 300 yards and one TD, but also one Interception.  328 yards, four TDs (he accounted for all the scoring, therefore he won Super Bowl MVP), and two Interceptions.  See, even though this doesn't look bad, my prediction for Brady was supposed to illustrate how bad his night was going to be.  I forgot to include this in my predictions blog post, but according to this ESPN Insider article I read, the vast majority of Brady's passes are short, and that was where Seattle's defense was at its best.  But as you saw, Brady was able to inside slant on them all game.  Moreover, I thought that the two Patriots Offensive Guards would have a long game yielding to the Seahawks' pass rush, but that did not happen.  Shocking.  And, No.
• LeGarrette Blount is held to 50 yards rushing.  40.  Uh ... not close enough.  No.
• Seattle will dominate.  Oh, God, no.  I thought the Seahawks were going to blow past its +1 line and win by 20.  I am so glad I didn't bet real money on this.  I was able to watch with my cousin and his friend at his place and screamed "Whoa!" so loudly at Butler's pick that I think I startled my cousin's pitbull.  I couldn't imagine how I would feel if I were at Caesar's Palace watching this game.  I would've gone from elation to devastation.  I might have been put in jail for the tantrum I would've pulled after that Interception.

Oh, by the way, I'm still debating on which commercial was the best, but there was no portentous one that was making A Big Statement that blew me away, so I was wrong there.  (And that means I can't tell you if the best commercial has an animal in it.)  Finally, I missed the first part of the halftime show, so I don't know if there were any overt or covert disses Katy Perry made about Taylor Swift.

So, all in all -- yep, I was dead wrong on just about everything.  But at least my hope that we would have a good and close game came true!