Sports

Detroiters Ask, Why Should I Care About the Super Bowl? and Other Important Questions

1. You mean the Lions didn't make it to the NFL's Super Bowl XLVIII?

No, yet again, the hometown boys in Honolulu blue and silver were denied an opportunity to play in the Super Bowl this season. The Lions' record was 7-9, which did not qualify them for the postseason.

2. So, why should I care about who's playing?

Despite the fact that the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks are based thousands of miles away from Detroit, there are a few players with local ties on their rosters. (Not to worry, Richard Sherman is not among them.) Kellen Davis, a 2003 Adrian High School graduate who was an All Big Ten Conference honorable mention player at Michigan State, is a backup on the Seahawks. Kevin Vickerson, a Detroit King High School graduate and fellow MSU alum, is on the Broncos' practice squad.

Lions diehards are sure to recognize some familiar names of former players, including Broncos linebacker Paris Lenon and Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril.

3. But everyone knows that the Super Bowl is about more than just the game. What else are the neighbors going to be talking about?

Well, some of the coaches patrolling the sidelines honed their craft in the Wolverine State. Denver's offensive coordinator, Adam Gase, is a Ypsilanti native and a 1999 Michigan State graduate, while Seattle's assistant offensive line coach, Pat Ruel, coached at Michigan State from 1998-99 under Nick Saban. Denver's offensive line coach, Dave Magazu, was a graduate assistant at Michigan in 1983.

For fans of commercials, St. Clair Shores native Dave Coulier will be reuniting with his "Full House" cast mates John Stamos and Bob Saget for an Oikos yogurt commercial that will be shown during the big game.

4. I don't remember a Super Bowl ever taking place in the snow. Will it really happen?

Possibly. An Accuweather website, aptly named willitsnow.com, forecasts a 30 percent chance of snow at the outdoor MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, on Feb. 2. If so, it would mark the first time that the game was played in the snow. The high is forecast at 36 degrees and the low at 24 degrees. 

Historically, the Super Bowl has been hosted by cities with warm climates, such as those in South Florida (10 times) and Southern California (seven times), or those with indoor stadiums, such as Detroit (twice).

5. Back to the Lions. Could they ever make it to the Super Bowl?

Maybe, someday. The Lions' futility (having only won one playoff game in 56 years) is sometimes chalked up to "The Curse of Bobby Layne." In 1958, the Lions traded Layne, who has since been inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, to Pittsburgh. Layne responded to the trade by supposedly saying that the Lions would "not win for 50 years."

It's been six extra years, and as Lions fans are wont to say, "there's always next year."


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