While we're all excited to for start of the Six Nations, we shouldn't forget another important game this upcoming weekend: the 51st Super Bowl.
This perennial showdown of between the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference champion Atlanta Falcons looks, on paper, to be one for the ages.
So if you are a novice American football fan or you just won your fantasy league, or you're simply even trying to impress your friends amidst all of the fanfare, here are a few simple tips to remember (so you don't end up like these 'gobshites').
Super Bowl LI is taking place in Houston
No, not Houston, Scotland as pro Footballer Marshawn Lynch showed us, but at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX - Home of the Houston Texans.
Study up on the lingo
First down... Pass interference... Touchdown! These words and many more will become your savior (intentionally spelled without a 'u') throughout the game. Check out the full dictionary of American football lingo from Lootmeister to brush up on it.
You might spot a little bit of rugby on display
Yes, the tackling and contact will be extremely evident, but the traditional playbooks have been shaken up over the last few years, and more and more trick plays have been installed.
'Lateraling', which has been implemented with more frequency recently, might fool you into thinking you're still watching Scotland and Ireland - particularly with a few cans of Budweiser in you. Also, in recent years, the rugby-style kick from hand has became a tactical option for punters trying to angle the ball in a different direction.
Just today, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn explained to reporters how rugby has influenced his roster and its approach to defence (pronounced 'DEE-fence').
A kick could win it?
You can’t call it football without using your foot at some point, right? The American football field goal kicker, an archetype in his own right, can make or break the game. Channelling their inner-European football mastery, one rushed free kick-esque attempt can achieve history, agony and ecstasy - sometimes all at once. Two of the New England Patriots’ last four championship wins arrived via last-second field goals.
The Commercials (Ads)
Sadly, we won't be able to see the 30-second five million USD (according to Time Magazine) commercials during the game. But alas, some of the them have recently been leaked according to CBS Sports. Make sure to catch up on the buzz so you can still be ahead of the game. Of course, if you want to see the commercials live, there's always a First Row seat available somewhere on the darker side of the internet...
Brady vs Ryan: All-Irish Super Bowl?
Sure isn't Tom one of the Timahoe Bradys?
