Super Bowl XXXIX promises to be one of the best in recent memory, featuring Patriot and Eagle teams that are experienced, well-coached, balanced and deserving.

The game will not only be a battle of hard-nosed defense against solid ground offense, but also the abilities of both secondaries to read and anticipate the moves and throws of two of the game’s most seasoned passers, Tom Brady and Donovan McNabb.

My prediction is Brady will be seriously out-played.
Not that Brady will play poorly - he almost never does - but McNabb will out-play him with his arm and feet.

In the NFC championship game against the Falcons, McNabb played better than he has in any big game to date. He completed an impressive 17 of his 26 pass attempts for 180 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions while displaying the calm collectedness in the pocket that has been absent from the Eagles in past seasons. He made all the right decisions on when to air it out, when to tuck the ball and run and when to simply throw it away.

To put it simply, and in one of sport’s most popular clichés, McNabb will be the Eagles “X-factor.”

The Eagles defense has been great in years past but has been unheralded this year as Terrell Owens devoured any and all spotlights on the team. Three of their four starters in the secondary are headed to the Pro-Bowl and the defensive end pairing of Jevon Kearse and Derrick Burgess is fast and lethal. They combined for three sacks of Michael Vick in the NFC title game and will be

a constant factor in pocket-passer Tom Brady’s throw selection. This pressure will allow the aforementioned Eagles secondary to take advantage of hurried passes and routes forced to break short.

Defensive tackles Hollis Thomas and Corey Simon are solid in the middle, and middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter is as nasty as they come. This, combined with the blazing speed of the defensive ends, will prove worthy of stopping the Patriots bruising, turf-chewing ground game.

On the ground, Corey Dillon and the Patriots will have a slight edge on Brian Westbrook and the Eagles and will out-gain them in yards. But Westbrook’s ability to come out of the backfield or split out as a slot receiver give the Eagles an advantage at the running back position overall.

And, oh, the T.O. thing. I expect him to play. Someone who thrives on attention, albeit mostly deserved for a receiver of his magnitude, couldn’t possibly pass up on the biggest media circus in the world of sports. He may play only a few downs, we’ll have to wait and see, but even at that could prove a valuable decoy to open up any of the Eagles other offensive weapons.

The contest is well-met and the teams well-matched but this is the year of the Eagle. Final Score? Eagles win by a touchdown, 24-17.