Super Bowl Features Several Players with Bay Area Ties
By: Rich Walcoff
Need a local angle to enhance your Super Bowl viewing pleasure? Four players from each team have Bay Area connections, led of course by Tom Brady.
The former Serra High star who grew up in San Mateo idolizing Joe Montana not only shares Super Joe's record of 16 postseason wins, but a New England victory Sunday will place Brady alongside Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks with four Super Bowl victories. Different eras, different challenges, but Brady's career stacks up with the best of them.
Head to head with Montana, Tom has a higher completion percentage (64%-63%) thrown more touchdowns (300-273) and fewer interceptions (115-139). Considering he's only 34 and plays on a Patriots team that set an NFL record, winning ten games for a ninth straight season, Brady could have rings on both hands before his career is over.
Meanwhile, all the other players with Bay Area ties are in their first Super Bowl. Patriots defensive tackle Gerard Warren who spent three seasons with the Raiders has waited 11 years to play for a championship. Giants quarterback David Carr, a 49er in 2010, has been in the league ten years. Center David Baas and tight end Bear Pascoe also left San Francisco for New York. Baas starts for the Giants alongside one-time Raiders guard Kevin Boothe.
Running back Shane Vereen, who left Cal after his junior year, has had a disappointing rookie season with New England, but former Woodside High and College of San Mateo star Julian Edelman could become the Super Bowl's first three-way player. New England converted the former quarterback to corner back, but the Pats have also used Edelman at punt returner and wide receiver. Juust think, while you master the Super Bowl couch potato slouch, Edelman may not sit for a single minute.