Three things to know about the New England Patriots' matchup against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona:
Revisiting their last matchup: If the Super Bowl resembles the last time these teams met, it will be a thriller. The Patriots lost to the Seahawks 24-23 on Oct. 14, 2012, in Seattle. That was quarterback Russell Wilson's rookie year and the Patriots led 23-10 early in the fourth quarter before the Seahawks roared back. One of the notable moments came as Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman taunted Tom Brady as Brady walked off the field, and later tweeted about it, asking Brady, "You mad, bro?" Something tells me we'll be revisiting that storyline quite a bit over the next two weeks.
Last two Patriots coaches square off: Another compelling storyline is Bill Belichick vs. Pete Carroll, the only two head coaches hired by Patriots owner Robert Kraft. We'll have plenty of time to dissect that aspect of the matchup and how the coaches have achieved success by going about things with contrasting styles. "I’ve hired two coaches in my career, Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick, in 20 years," Kraft said at last season's Super Bowl. "[Pete] is such a great guy, one of the nicest men. He’s a different profile than most of the coaches; he’s like an energetic, enthusiastic young man on the sideline. He has a great family. He’s a very special person."
Browner faces former team: Starting cornerback Brandon Browner won a Super Bowl ring with the Seahawks last year despite not playing in the game due to a suspension. Browner has talked about how much it would mean to him to win a Super Bowl while directly contributing to the performance, and to get that ring, now he has to beat his former team. That should make Browner a popular figure in media circles over the next two weeks as he has brought a physical presence to the Patriots' defense playing opposite Darrelle Revis.
