Josh Cadji picks the Philadelphia Eagles

The championship-starved Eagles locking heads with the spoiled mini-dynasty Patriots.

The preamble to every Super Bowl coverage show will utter some assortment of the aforementioned words for the next two weeks, making it the classic Rocky-Apollo Creed showdown.

But for those even somewhat familiar with the city of Philadelphia, the Eagles need a let-down in the Super Bowl, even to the favored Patriots, like they need a collective hole in their heads.

Philadelphia is now a poor man’s Boston, with the hopes and prayers of every blue-collar citizen, like the Red Sox faithful of last year, riding on each pass, kick and run of their beloved team.

Now that Philadelphia doesn’t have to compete with Pittsburgh for the state’s fellowship during the Super Bowl, the Eagles can bring home one single championship that has been eluding the city for decades.

The Eagles have never won a Super Bowl in their history, only making it to the classic once; they lost Super Bowl XV to the Raiders, 27-10.

The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t won a World Series since 1980; the 76ers’ championship drought dates back to 1983 and the Flyers haven’t hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup since (yikes) 1975.

So to say the pride of Philly is riding on the shoulders of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and wide receiver Terrell Owens (if healthy) would be the understatement of the new millennium.

And just like with the Red Sox, the Eagles won’t let their city down again. It’ll be tough beating a QB in Tom Brady that has never lost a playoff game in his life, with two Super Bowls under his belt.

Super Bowl victories don’t come easy, and neither do NFC conference championships, which the Eagles know all too well.

But like the good people of Philadelphia, the Eagles will work hard at a cause they believe in and pull this one out, just like the Italian Stallion.

Mitch McLaughlin picks the Philadelphia Eagles

Can the Patriots win their third Super Bowl in four years?” is what we’ll hear all the way leading up to the Super Bowl.

But I question whether they can because of the Philadelphia Eagles.

I know Tom Brady is 8-0 in postseason games and Bill Belichick is a defensive genius, but the Eagles have a toughness about them that is hard not to bet on.

Here’s why I think the Eagles will knock off the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX:

First off, Donovan McNabb is a great quarterback — and I know the Patriots defense has shut down Peyton Manning many-a-time before in addition to the great Rams offense in a Super Bowl — but McNabb has definitely come into his own as a passer and can beat anyone with his feet when he needs to.

If Terrell Owens plays (which I have a feeling he will), New England will have to pay some attention to T.O. and that can allow running back Brian Westbrook to have a big day.

Westbrook has been like Marshall Faulk in this last half of the season and he’s shown he can make big plays rushing and receiving the ball.

And don’t forget about the Eagles defense–theirs is pretty good too.

Jevon Kearse can create havoc for a passing game and their secondary, led by Brian Dawkins, knows how to create turnovers. Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson will blitz Tom Brady at will and he has shown that his schemes can make even the best quarterbacks look bad–just ask Mike Vick.

There have been upsets in Super Bowls before.

The Broncos knocked off the defending champion Packers in 1998.

The Rams were going for their second title in three years and these same Patriots knocked them off. The Eagles can do the same to New England.

Steve Nixon picks the New England Patriots

Who will win Super Bowl XXXIX?

I’ll give you a hint: it’s not the Eagles.

So that leaves the Patriots.

The same Patriots that won 21 straight games.

The same Patriots that smoked Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger in consecutive weeks.

The same Patriots who have won two of the last three Super Bowls. These are the guys that are going to take home a victory.

Don’t get me wrong; the Eagles are a great team.

Donovan McNabb has finally established himself as one of the top two or three quarterbacks and Brian Westbrook showed that it wasn’t another T.O. that they needed to finally make the championship.

But let’s be honest–while the Eagles looked great beating the Falcons Sunday, the Pats made the vaunted Steelers look like also-rans.

The Steelers, in case anyone forgot, won 15 games this season, led by a smothering defense and a running game that was darn near unstoppable.

And no matter what he may have looked like Sunday, remember that Big Ben Roethlisberger was the offensive rookie of the year.

ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons, better known as the Sports Guy, made a point in a recent column that is worth mentioning.

He talked about how the Patriots have tasted Super Bowl success and now want more. Against the Steelers, they didn’t look like they wanted a taste so much as they needed their hit or they were going to take the head off their dealer.

Do the Eagles know what success tastes like?

Sure, but so did the Buffalo Bills in the early 90s and everyone remembers what their record was.

The Eagles will be in Jacksonville on Super Bowl Sunday, but in this fight my money is on the junkie.

Brad Alexander picks the New England Patriots

Once a hot-handed rookie himself, Patriot quarter back Tom Brady showed “Big” Ben Roethlisberger how to pull through in the big games. Brady will go on to try to lead the Patriots to be the second team to win three NFL title games in four years after the ’92-’95 Cowboys.

The unstoppable Patriots did what they have been doing all season. Bill Belichick’s “meat and potatoes” style football has not failed New England, with a defense that intercepted Roethlisberger three times, returning one to the land of quick six.

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb finally got that monkey off his back and earned his way to Jacksonville by rolling over the Michael Vick’s Atlanta Falcons 27-10.

Philly hasn’t seen their team play in a Super Bowl in 24 years.

Philadelphia, the home of Rocky Balboa, is going to need more than “The Eye of the Tiger” to beat the Patriots. The defending Super Bowl champs are a projected six-point favorite over the Eagles in Jacksonville on Feb. 6.

New England’s secondary will be expected to shut down any long balls that McNabb is likely to throw, even if dominant receiver Terrell Owens does play. Patriots Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour, who missed the AFC championship game with a knee injury, is also expected to be able to play in the big game.

Running back Corey Dillon will be the icing on the cake for the Patriots. While he only went 73 yards for 24 carries in the AFC title game, Dillon is expected to break through tackles and move the chains for New England.

If Philadelphia is able to bring all the passion from the NFC title game to Jacksonville and get all their offensive components up-and-running then the Super Bowl should make out to be a very interesting game.

However, I expect the slippery McNabb to tumble and the Patriots will take the title again.

Armando Botello II picks the Philadelphia Eagles

It seems fit to mention that the last time the Philadelphia Eagles made it all the way to the Super Bowl was in 1981 versus the Raiders.

That year the Oakland Raiders became the first team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl as a Wild Card team. The Eagles were three-point favorites going into the game and had already beaten the team from Oakland that season, but still managed to lose that year’s championship game 27-10.

This year the Eagles will go in to Super Bowl XXXIX as the underdogs only to emerge as the 2005 World Champions as they upset the New England Patriots.

The Eagles will be able to claim a victory through the air if wide receiver Terrell Owens is back in uniform for the first time since injuring his leg in a regular season game against Dallas. With Owens playing, the Patriots will have to keep an eye out for wide receiver Freddie “I’d like to thank my hands” Mitchell, who showed up to last Sunday’s game sporting a corn-rowed mohawk.

Eagles running back Brian Westbrook should be able to run for more than the 96 yards he managed versus the Falcons defense.

After three straight years of losing in the NFC championship game the Eagles came out last Sunday and stopped the league’s number one rushing offense to win their first conference championship.

Expect the secondary to step up to the challenge of taking on the defending champion New England Patriots.

Led by QB Donovan McNabb this team of unsung heroes will be the next Super Bowl Champs.

Sergio Abeijon picks the New England Patriots

So Super Bowl XXXVIX is finally set — the New England Patriots will take on the Philadelphia Eagles in what is sure to be a tough defensive battle, but with both teams capable of putting up some big numbers.

It’s just as I called it, minus the Atlanta Falcons, who I had picked to upset Philly (an obvious brain cramp on my part). But the World Champion New England Patriots are going to Jacksonville. They are going to beat the Eagles in convincing fashion. Tom Brady is going to win his third Super Bowl MVP, and Bill Belichick and Co. are going to Disneyworld.

It’s really too bad, since the Eagles have such a touching story. You know, the one that began six years ago when they drafted Donovan McNabb. Then sadly continued with losses in the last three NFC Championship games.

In 2004, the savior Terrell Owens arrived, and would be the X-Factor — that is before a broken leg put him on the sideline for the season…maybe. The team banded together despite not having its go-to-man to go to, and has landed in the Super Bowl.

I’m sorry to say, however, that there will be no Hollywood ending. Owens will try to play, the Eagles will try to win, but there is just no stopping the machine that is the New England Patriots.

There’s no need to crunch the numbers or provide analysis of why the Patriots are better. All you need to know is the Patriots are going to win in Jacksonville 31-21, earning that rare title for any sports team: dynasty.