In 2 days time I will become a supporting of either the Detroit Lions or the Philadelphia Eagles. For some weeks now, I've known how I was going to decide the Final elimination, so I can now reveal that my Team For Life will be decided by.....
Detroit Lions v Philadelphia Eagles....in a computer v computer game of Madden....07.....on an X Box.
I'm no computer game fan, both the Xbox and game are secondhand. The game cost me a whopping £0.01 (plus p&p) from Amazon, so you can see I've invested a lot of money into ensuring I make the right decision! Why have I chosen this method for the Final? I'll give you 3 good reasons:
1. It's fair. OK, some Madden fans may know that one team is superior to the other in this version of the game but I have no idea. Besides, even if one teams stats do outweigh their opponents then it doesn't guarantee them victory. Of course, a lot of the "players" on show will be at different teams now or retired, but I think that makes it more fun in a way. Who wants Stafford v Vick when you can have McNabb v Kitna!
2. I like the style of elimination. Throughout my process there have been 3 broad ways I've got rid of teams - stats based, opinion based and randomly. My quarter final was stats based, my semi final was an opinion, so it makes sense for the Final to be a random head to head encounter.
3. I'm a big fan of the "in play" commentary style that a lot of news websites adopt. Be it "over by over", "play by play" or "minute by minute", these articles help me starve off boredom at work and often offer a different perspective of the game. This is my chance to have a go at this, and I'll be providing a running text commentary on the "match". I may even publish a few updates during the match!
The game will consist of 5 minute quarters and I will have no influence on it at all. It will start at approximately 7pm on Thursday evening. I've just tossed a coin and can confirm that the Eagles will have home advantage.
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I've been really pleased with the response to the blog. When I started at the turn of the year, I had no idea how many people would take the time to read it. I wasn't even sure whether I'd reach the end of the process as a) I doubted I'd be able to come up with enough methods and b) if nobody was reading then I may have got disillusioned. I've just hit 4000 hits so I must be doing something right I guess!
So a big thank you to everyone who's commented on the blog, tweeted it and especially to secondcityfanatics.com and 1amsports.com who have published additional articles by me.
Just to clear up a few issues....
* Yes, I know it's a silly, convoluted and illogical process. I know some of the methods are unfair, but that's part of the game. I'm trying to invest a lot of time and effort into this so when I do find my team in 2 days time, I will invest the same effort into supporting them.
* The whole ethos of this blog has been that there loads of ways to find a team to support and they are all equally valid. This is just my approach.
* If I had decided to just pick a team to support then I would have gone for the Rams, based on the recent trade deal and the fact they are playing in London for the next 3 seasons. But, that's another method of picking a team!
* Hopefully, this hasn't just been an NFL heavy blog and I've tried to not be overly technical about the sport. It's meant to be more of a look at why we support teams and various aspects of sport. As such, I'm going to carry on in a similar vein after the Final. I'll be looking at various aspects of supporting a team - history, venues, players, fans etc, but in a broad way rather than just being Eagles/Lions specific. I'll also be looking at timely moments in the off season such as Free Agency, the Draft, Training Camp etc. All building up to Week One when I can finally watch my team in action!
* Lastly, as we've eliminated 30 teams, it stands to reason that I've learnt 30 things during my search...
1. I really don't like the Steelers
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3. The Colts had a terrible 2011
4. At least they didn't have Blaine Gabbert
5. Kansas isn't the place to go for touchdowns
6. The Bucs are rubbish at Wembley
7. The Patriots had it too easy at Wembley
8. New Orleans were great at Wembley, but not enough to win me over
9. The Chargers were almost as great at Wembley, but didn't win me over either
10. Beating the Bucs, isn't enough to win me over. Sorry Bears
11. Oakland commit far too many fouls.
12. Don't turn on the TV if you want to watch the Cardinals
13. The Dolphins need continuity14. Purple isn't a great look in Baltimore
15. The Browns logo is stupid
16. I'm not a glory hunter
17. Dallas are terrible tossers
18. Don't bet your house on Graham Gano making a field goal
19. Sourdough Sam is a disgrace of a mascot
20. Moving to Seattle hasn't gone well for Zach Miller
21. Don't put Broncos in your Fantasy team
22. There's something about Green Bay I don't like.
23. The Bengals need a better back up QB
24. It's a bloody long way to Tennessee
25. My girlfriend doesn't fancy a trip to Carolina
26. NFl360 reckons I should be a Falcon
27. The Bills are rubbish at home (and away actually!)
28. Houston can't get it down on 4th down
29. The Vikings are a weak team
30. Kevin Cadle dislikes the Jets!
All of which means that this Thursdays it's a showdown between the Eagle and the Lions....
or
I have really enjoyed these blogs and I am really looking forward to seeing who emerges victorious
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