New England to wear white against Eagles in Super Bowl
NEW YORK: The New England Patriots said on Tuesday they will wear their road white jerseys in Super Bowl 52 against the Philadelphia Eagles, the same as when they beat them in the 2005 NFL championship spectacle.
The defending champions Patriots had the choice of which jersey colours to wear because they are considered the home team for the Feb 4 showdown at Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Teams wearing white jerseys have won 12 of the past 13 Super Bowls, a trend that began with New England’s 24-21 triumph over the Eagles in Super Bowl 39.
Tom Brady, who seeks his record sixth Super Bowl crown, threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns in the 2005 victory while receiver Deion Branch caught 11 passes for 133 yards to earn the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award.
The Patriots improved to 3-1 in Super Bowls while wearing white jerseys in last year’s triumph over Atlanta. They are 2-2 in blue jerseys in the Super Bowl and 0-1 when wearing red ones.
The Eagles are 0-2 while wearing green in the Super Bowl, also losing to Oakland in Super Bowl 15. Philadelphia last won the NFL crown in 1960 before the Super Bowl era began.
Brady said playing Super Bowl 52 in Minnesota will be “really special,” with family in the area where he milked cows while spending summers there growing up.
Brady reflected about experiences on the dairy farm from his mother’s side of the family in Minnesota.
“My mom [Galynn] grew up in central Minnesota, a small town called Browerville,” Brady said. “My grandparents lived there, and my grandma died of multiple sclerosis quite a few years ago. She was in a nursing home and my grandpa was a farmer. He was a dairy farmer, had a lot of cows and he farmed corn.
“So every year we would go back in the summer and spend weeks. We’d go fishing in the summer, ice fishing in the winter, and milk the cows with my grandpa and just kind of tend to the farm. It was a great experience for me, born in California.”
He added: “I’ve always felt a connection to Minnesota. It will be fun because my uncles live there, my cousins. We were just back there last year when my grandpa passed away. The last time we played in Minnesota [Week 2 of the 2014 season], I had a lot of people come, a lot of family and extended family. So it will be a lot of great support there in Minnesota too.”
Meanwhile, the New York Giants has hired Pat Shurmur as head coach.
Shurmur was offensive coordinator for the Vikings who lost to the Eagles in Sunday’s NFC Championship game. He replaces Ben McAdoo, who was fired last month.
Also, the Arizona Cardinals hired Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks as their new head coach.