NFL Players Give Radar Their Super Bowl Predictions!
Feb. 4 2012, Published 1:28 p.m. ET
By Debbie Emery - RadarOnline.com Reporter
Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest betting day of the year, and whether it’s a few bucks spent on a squares game or thousands of dollars with a bookie in Las Vegas, everyone has their opinion about who they think is going to win.
RadarOnline.com asked some real experts who they thought was going to take home the coveted Lombardi Trophy in Indianapolis on February 5 when the New England Patriots face off against the New York Giants, catching up with football players past and present at the NFL Players Association Pulse Awards in Los Angeles.
Former New England linebacker Willie McGinest is still loyal to his former team despite being traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2006.
“I don’t like to make predictions but I thought there was going to be a 2007 rematch, Patriots and the Giants,” McGinest told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview.
“I am going to be a homer and say the Patriots, who else am going to say?” said the lineman who played in a past Super Bowl with Tom Brady in their team’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
It’s a good job Marshall Faulk, a former running back who won a Super Bowl ring with the St. Louis Rams and quarterback Kirk Warner isn’t a betting man.
“I was hoping to see the San Francisco 49ers and the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, with the Niners winning,” he told RadarOnline.com, but unfortunately for him SF lost out on their spot in the big game to the Giants.
While Eli Manning is hoping to lead New York to a second Super Bowl ring, Faulk was more keen to chat about his big brother, Peyton, who missed out on the 2012 season with the Indianapolis Colts after he suffered a serious neck injury.
“I hope Peyton doesn’t retire, he is great for the game and is a great quarterback. I wish I had the chance to play with him. He’s a great guy and he’s really smart, I just hope he continues to play if he can,” said Marshall.
Charlie Batch, back up quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers said: “I don’t do predictions, I just want to see a good game,” then went on to say that he wished he was playing.
“If I could choose who is in it, it would be Pittsburgh! It’s different watching it on the other side, it makes it much harder because you’re so close but so far away. Especially when you’re watching New England, who we played this year, and now we’re sat at home watching them,” he told RadarOnline.com.Online.com
“You want to wish both teams the best of luck and have them go out there and have a great game and accomplish what we weren’t able to do last year, which is winning the Super Bowl,” explained Batch, referring to the Steelers 2011 Super Bowl loss against the Green Bay Packers.
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“It’s all about winning Super Bowls and if you have the opportunity then you have to cherish the moment.”
After an illustrious career with the Denver Broncos, retired running back Terrell Davis is picking New York to be victorious on Sunday.
“The Giants are probably the most complete team in the NFL right now,” he told RadarOnline.com.
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Davis went on to dish about the most talked about QB after Tom Brady, deeply-religious Tim Tebow, who leads Terrell’s former team.
“It’s been fun watching Tebow this year, it’s been the same excitement each week,” he said.
“Everyone was looking forward to those games, when you watch him one week you can’t wait until the next week. He is so unpredictable in his play, whether you were for him or against him it was impossible not to watch.”
When asked if he thought Tebow deserved the massive media attention he’s been getting, Davis replied: “I understand the hype because he’s a likeable person, if you meet him you can’t deny he is nice guy that people gravitate to. But on the flip side, as a quarterback his play wasn’t stellar at most times.
“It was inconsistent at best so we know we like him, but you have to question why he was getting so much hype,” said Davis.
After the football stars shared their predictions on the Super Bowl and their reflections on the past season, they all enjoyed the Backstage Creations Celebrity Retreat, where they were treated to BiGR Audio Designer Headphones, a Croton Timepiece watches, Wrapture cigars, Tom James Custom Shirts, Fly Society skateboard clothing, and Phiten USA sports accessories.
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