1:49 p.m.
In the banquet room, I sit next to Kam Chancellor, my teammate and close friend. I load up on carbs (pasta) while exchanging defensive and offensive game plans with him. He assures me that our defense knows Peyton Mannings offense well enough to stop it. I assure him our wide receivers cant be covered. He tells me their goals on defense. I tell him our goal as receivers is to make Marshawn Lynch the MVP. I remind him that if Marshawn wins it, everything has worked out like we planned it. Then something catches our attention. The TV sitting adjacent to us is airing ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown, and the analysts are making their Super Bowl predictions. Ray Lewis is the only one of the four picking us to win it. Suzy Kolber, Steve Young and Trent Dilfer all picked against us. Kam and I look at each other, and without saying a word, we take our phones and capture that moment. The fire that was already intensely burning inside is now being stoked. I have to contain it. When I look at my brother Kams face, I see anger exuding from his pores. Im sure he can see the same from mine. I head back to my room.