by Maria E. Leal

 

With the holiday season coming to an end, so is the long and arduous season of the NFL.  Men gather around their plasmas like a hearth with pumpkin pie in one hand and eggnog in the other (OK, more like nachos and a can of beer), as they realize the fate of their favorite teams. 

Never has man been more melodramatic (OK, we’ll go with passionate) about staring into a box for hours on end determining the next move to make for an amazing fantasy.  Sorry ladies, their favorite box will always be the television and their favorite fantasy is fantasy football. 

But, what is it about the NFL season that makes men go through the same slew of emotions that women go through each month?  That question may never be answered and the ritualistic mo-tions of chanting and screaming at the TV may never be understood, but do not fret because eve-ryone can play along. 

Ladies, for a little peek into the man’s mind come game day, here’s what you should know.

As the regular football season closes and the playoffs begin, this season will go down in history as the New England Patriots are on the brink of quite possibly becoming the best football team of all time. 

Quarterback Tom Brady plowed through a record breaking 50 touchdown passes in a single sea-son against the New York Giants last night as if it was just another stroll in the park for him, ending the Patriots’ season with a 16-0 record. 

The record for touchdown passes in a single season was previously held by the Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning, who completed 49 passes in 2004.

Though the Patriots have clinched their division and home field advantage within the AFC Con-ference and many predictions have been made in the favor of the Patriots, other teams are still out for blood and hope to come out victorious in the playoffs. 

Quarterback Peyton Manning has led the Indianapolis Colts to a respectable 9-2 AFC South Con-ference record, holding their own as they clinch their division.  Not to mention the Colts are a great rival of the Patriots, which makes for an exciting time for football fans.

The Green Bay Packers, also contenders for the championship, are led by the man’s man, quar-terback Brett Favre.  Favre, a legend in his own right, has had 17 years of experience to perfect his game and on Dec. 16th broke the record in yards passing with 61,405 yards, overtaking Dan Marino’s all-time holding of 61,361 yards according to the Associated Press. 

Effortlessly breaking records and making the hardest of plays look seamless, the talent of these players certainly speaks for itself, but they are not bad to look at either. 

Whether Favre is looking ruggedly handsome playing backyard football in a Wrangler jeans ad or Manning is dominating every other commercial ever made, it’s obvious that the more these players are shown on and off the field the better.

Young players such as Dallas Cowboy’s Tony Romo, who is currently dating singer Jessica Simpson (don’t worry ladies, the guys will be the first to tell you that), has been a key quarter-back to watch despite the recent scrutiny of his relationship getting in the way of his focus on big games.  

Because of negative plublic opinion and the media claiming that Simpson is a jinx to the Cowboy franchise the pop star has most recently been steering clear of showing up to support her beau on game day.

New York Giants’ Eli Manning is sharpening his skills on the field and is promising to watch as both teams go into the playoffs.  Manning had a particularly impressive game against the New England Patriots despite the loss. 
   
The New York Giants are entered as a wild card team in the playoffs and will be interesting to see if they can keep the
   
Though there is much more to be said about the inner workings of football and the minds of those who live, eat and breathe the sport, the game may be enjoyed by all regardless of how much you know. 

For the boys nothing comes between them and their love for the football, but knowing a little bit about this season will make it easy for any woman to watch and engage in the chanting and screaming.   

Brushing up on stats and glossing over sports websites like ESPN.com (the male’s Holy Bible) or NFL.com maybe help and who knows, the TV may not be the only thing the boys decide to pay attention to this season.