Hop off the High Horse, Boston

We get it - Boston has championships. They have an absurd number of championships across all professional sports. They are spoiled with riches. They've got the greatest football coach and one of the greatest quarterbacks that have been the buttresses to one of the greatest dynasties of all time.

They've got one of the most aesthetically pleasing and oldest ballparks littered with recent championship banners and retired numbers from Hall of Fame enshrined players. In their basketball and hockey arena, they've got championship banners from ancient and recent times.

Congrats.

Sure, we've hosted more championships than we've won - but that's just good ole Southern Hospitality. Our fan base wasn't born into championship expectations like yours, we've had to gentrify ourselves over years of getting screwed by an outfield fly rule, dirty shots taken at our players knees in conference finals and a quarterback getting arrested and the coaching catching the quickest flight out of town.

Sure it'd be easy to wake up in New England and attach yourself to something that's already built, but there's character in representing your city despite the lack of championship success.

There's a fine line between overlooking the opponent and disrespecting the opponent. Bostonians are flirting with the latter, which bothers me and should bother you. Belicheck and Tommy aren't going to overlook or disrespect the opponent - but their media and city are.

Atlanta is venturing into unchartered territory for the first time in a long time. It's a sports town that has faced immense frustration over the years. Boston is simply making it's rounds through territory they assume they own.

I respect Boston and it's championships, it's impossible not to. But that doesn't give them the right to hop up on their high horse and be disappointed in who they're playing. This is the friggin' Super Bowl - as much as Boston likes to think they own the event, there are chinks in the armor that will be exposed.

The Patriots have gotten to the Super Bowl on many occasions by the product of a weak division and an unimpressive conference - it's been a two man tango between Brady and Manning the last fourteen years with the exception of Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco occasionally crashing the party.

The majority of the AFC was a joke this season. Out of your conference, the Dolphins had no business being in the playoffs (they wouldn't have made it in the NFC) and the Jets and Bills were a joke this season, much like they've been in recent seasons.

Nobody on the New England schedule was a true title contender, only two teams were playoff participants. Pittsburgh was missing their starting quarterback in the first matchup (and only lost by nine points) and the Seahawks (who the Falcons thrashed in the playoffs) beat you 31-24.

New England had the weakest strength of schedule this season, while the Falcons had the toughest projected before the season and seventh toughest after the regular season concluded.

The Falcons have beaten teams twice and they've gotten revenge in rematches. They've hung 38, 42 and 41 on teams the Pats edged by with 23, 30 and 26 points behind the "greatest quarterback ever."

Atlanta has scored the eight most points in NFL history - the last time New England faced an offense that ranked in the top ten in all-time scoring: they lost to the 2013 Broncos, who's defense averaged more points allowed than Atlanta's.

Overlook us, that's fine - I expect them to. But don't disrespect the opponent and the pride in a city without realizing what you're up against: an explosive offense under the direction of an MVP quarterback and an aggressive defense that's on a mission to prove themselves, all the while the city has risen up behind them.