because Tom Brady was behind the rule change in 2006 to allow visiting teams to bring their own balls, i find the Patriots suspect... i had already loathed the Patriots, BB and TB... i have no respect for Brady--after he left Bridget Moynahan while she was pregnant with his child... even so--i thought i could hold my nose and go for NE because i had animosity toward the Seahawks... and Pete Carroll... but dislike of the Seahawks is mainly based on their being my team's competition... they are a really good team, and i was not at all surprised they ended up beating the Packers... even when they were down in the final minutes, i knew they could and would likely win...
since last week, the more i learn about Lynch and Sherman, the more i like... so--i am now kind of holding my nose and hoping for a NE loss...
Yes, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning requested the change. I suspect Manning had more cred with the NFL to pull off the change. The more I see, the more it looks like the refs did this, not intentionally, but it did get those other calls off the spotlight.
Besides, Seattle is doomed. Mike Greenberg picked them. That is only slightly less of a kiss of death than Obama picking a team.