This is a story. A tale told through different canvases. Ever since sport and underdogs created a lovely marriage there has never been a greater epic than this. In Super Bowl LII, it gets a remake, but the characters remain the same.
We find ourselves in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. A blue-collar city with a love and loyalty unmatched. Its people, its sports and its pride all one and the same.
You've heard the story before.
This time, however, it's not Rocky.
The Philadelphia Eagles have dealt with adversity that would fold most teams. They've lost starting offensive lineman, running backs and quarterbacks, yet here they stand on the world's biggest stage, ready to take on the defending champion.
Nick Foles is Rocky Balboa. While he does not fit the physical mold, nor the grimy workmanlike stature that has become Balboa's calling card, there's no doubt that Foles has stepped into his role as underdog and succeeded at every turn.
Much like Balboa, Foles was done. An afterthought in a sport that is always looking for the next big arm.
When Wentz went down, the city turned its ill-fated heart to Foles. The rest — as they say — was history.
The characters do not reside in one of the Rocky films, however, they stretch throughout the whole Balboa catalog.
Tom Brady is Apollo Creed. Creed in his heydey, before his untimely death (RIP), was the GOAT. Brady is the winningest quarterback in NFL history. Creed's colors were red and blue, so are Brady's.
Apollo likes to dance.
Brady likes to dance.
The Patriots are not just one man, however. The similarities between the Balboa franchise and this year's Super Bowl go a lot further.
Clubber Lang was a walking, talking, medicine ball of brute force. The Patriots also have someone who fits that description. A walking, talking, medicine ball of brute force that has pulverized offenses — mainly Cleveland — for over a decade.
Based on Harrison's history, it is not beyond the realm of possibilities for Harrison and Lang's personas to mesh in an eerily art mirrors reality twilight zone episode.
While its unclear on whether or not Harrison has spent time in the ring, but has been known to throw down — in the Super Bowl.
This is not where our story ends. The story of Nick Foles as Rocky has some twists and turns and some blurred edges. It forces us to look past Balboa and Creed eventually being friends for it to be a real-life underdog story. It also forces us to forget what happens in Rocky IV.
Tell the little ones to close their eyes, because it is not pretty. In our fourth installment, we are introduced to Ivan Drago, the Russian robot who has only one real real-life comparison.
To be honest, Rob Gronkowski is a menace. He's a physical specimen who is unmatched in his size, talent and ability. While he literally won't kill Brady, we can't rule out the possibility of Gronk not killing a drive, or ending Brady's hopes of a sixth ring. What we're trying to say is it's all up to interpretation. He also is a mortal enemy of cotton.
Like, what did pink ever do to Gronk besides make people aware of Breast cancer?
And RED. How soon we forget RED's campaign to eliminate HIV/AIDS in African countries.
SMH.
We can't predict the future. We can't tell you whether or not Foles and the Eagles will imitate art and run through their opponents like Rocky did in all 27 of his films. We can only point out the facts and shed a light on what might be the most underlying story of Super Bowl week.
While some may paint Foles in a different light, and compare him to another silver-screen hero, one should be not fooled by such false narratives.
#Eagles receiver @BryceTreggs havin some fun with Nick Foles in meeting room today. Team is keepin it loose
“Yes! Yes! Yes!”#FlyEaglesFly #SuperBowl
From @BryceTreggs IG pic.twitter.com/lrCbhiywJP— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) January 26, 2018
Come Sunday, it won't be Napoleon Dynamite who will be lining up behind center. As history and cinema has proven, Philadelphia's underdog story draws a straight line from Balboa to Foles.
Gonna Fly Now….
Eagles by a 1000.
