Cheddar Bay Super Bowl Picking Contest: Win a $40 Gift Card to Red Lobster

by Cleveland Frowns on January 25, 2012

This one is open to everybody: Your chance (everybody’s chance) to win the $40 Red Lobster gift card that was bestowed on us directly by Red Lobster itself in recognition of our efforts in the search for truth, our support for civilization generally, and what it’s all done to burnish the Red Lobster brand.

Of course there’s nothing worse than getting your Super Bowl pick wrong, so what to do with this prize is obvious and the rules are simple: Write an essay about why one team or the other is the pick to win and/or cover the spread in the Super Bowl (Patriots -3.5 over Giants) and post it here by next Monday January 30, at noon. Whoever writes the best essay among the folks who pick the winning side will get the gift card. As always your editorial board is the judge, jury and executioner as to what the best essay is, and still after so many contests we’ve run here nobody’s ever been remotely aggrieved by any of our judgments on these things, so don’t hold back. You’ll be a better person either way for the effort.

Also, if you were one of those people who was worried that the gift card was intended and should have been used solely for the direct inspiration of the editorial board, you’ll be glad to see that our sponsor knows when and how to make it rain:

Still, they don't grow on trees.

Hi Peter,

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. I saw your blog post from last week and I’m so glad you received the gift card. My team is excited about your enthusiasm and your original idea for a gift card giveaway. We’d like to offer you a second gift card to experience a remodeled Red Lobster restaurant for yourself. We’re really trying to get the word out about the refreshed atmosphere … . If you’re interested we’ll send another gift card your way for you …

Thank you!

Kristen

So look forward to a word about the refreshed atmosphere, Red Lobster fishing and employment practices, etc., here soon. But anyway, more importantly, get to work on these Super Bowl picks. As if the stakes weren’t already high enough.

  • Peter

    I havent been to the Lobster since high school. We do ridicule a friend who took his girlfiend there for Valentine’s Day. Big spender.

  • Anonymous

    Ach now you got her “team” excited?! I’m betting she offers you a personally guided tour of the “refreshed atmosphere” next.

    I seriously kind of do want to check out a Red Lobster now. Lady is working it.

    • The Cuuuuuuuuuuugs

      There must be a TON of Eric Mangini’s former staff working at Red Lobster now!

  • Anonymous

    as usual after Red Lobster related posts, its hard to re-focus at work. so i spent some time on wikipedia and have the following informative facts…

    - Red Lobster is part of the Darden Restaurants, which includes Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, and (much to my surprise) Capital Grille.

    - In 2003 an “endless snow crab leg promotion” nearly brought down the company and led to the firing of the company President (who still probably got some ridiculous bonus on the way out….hey, even great places like Red Lobster aren’t exempt from corporate greed). “The chain underestimated how many times guest would order more.” If underestimating the quality of your product isn’t reason to get fired, than nothing is.

    SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Lobster

  • Cliff_cintula

    I like to start early to give everyone a good laugh.
    Having a meal at The Red Lobster would be a big step up for me.
    I have not been there in 30 years, but I would like to go, it may be my only chance for “date night”.

    Patriots will win because:

    Tom Brady is terrific at winning the big one. He rises to the occasion (throw in model wife joke) and finds a way to win. With the exception of seasons where they need to lose at least one game to keep Mercury Morris from going postal, Brady has been amazing.

    Bill Belichick will have two weeks to prepare his team and he is the greatest coach since Mangenius, the extra week will help Belichick devise ways to win and it will help Tom Coughlin find ways to make more people angry.

    Hakeem Nicks will drop at least one important pass.

    Although the Giants Defensive Line is fantastic, Tuck sometimes gets discouraged and it shows in the way he plays. JPP is a phenomenal rookie, but the opperative word is rookie. The Patriots may use his speed against him, getting JPP to run himself out of position. Osi Umenyiora is also a terrific player with great quickness, but he lacks size and leg strength, this can be used against him as well if the Pats O-line and TE’s mix up their blocking schemes to negate his quickness.

    Who will cover the Pats Tight Ends? The Giants do not have anyone with speed and size to compete with the Pats TE’s.

    Victor Cruz has talent and he could have a big game, but I do not see him suddenly coming up with more speed or the ability to stave off being awestruck by his situation. I would rather have Welker than Cruz in this game.

    The game is in Indy. That has to work against Eli Manning. His big brother will most assuredly sneak into to the Giant’s locker room to assault his little brother with a barrage of “wet Willie’s”, the old Tiger Balm in the jock trick and he will certainly sew mating pieces of velcro at the inside top of the thigh in his football pants. You would be surprised at how well this works.

    David Tyree will not be playing in this game to make a “look what I found” catch. He is too busy being a complete whack job JACKASS.

    The Giants have played 5 elimination games in a row. They have ridden the wave of way too many Epinephrine and Nor-epinephrine rushes. They will be starting their post season rest in about the middle of the 3rd quarter.

    The cream rises to the top. I do not know what that means, I grew up in the projects, but New England will win this game handily.

    • actovegin1armstrong

      c_c is actually acto. Please see above.

  • Anonymous

    lolol “nobody’s ever been remotely aggrieved by any of our judgments on these things.”

    sunny dispositions are the best. (second best. apparently endless snow crab legs are the best.)

  • Anonymous

    Pats -3.5

    “He was the one Belichick loved the most.”

    (i am debating on adding to this essay by Monday….if not, this still should suffice to pull the victory, nonetheless, as it speaks volumes to the brilliant mind of Belichick)

  • http://twitter.com/byRiverBurns River Burns

    New York and Boston, two cities when put together in the same sentence just makes me cringe when it comes to coverage of sport. I know there was Babe Ruth and Bucky Dent long, long before the current hype that traces back to Grady Little and Aaron Boone. Remember when the Rangers could play the Bruins, the Celtics could play the Knicks, and they were just games?

    Not everything had to be about “No, No Nanette” or Pedro’s two-piece on Zimmer. Over the years, it’s that hype that’s been shoved down our throat that makes so many of us tired of Boston against New York, but I was personally fatigued with each as separate entities. With New York, it goes back to Wade Boggs on the horse, continues onward to a Braylon for Kiwanuka and a first that didn’t happen, and ultimately the three year countdown to LeBron that dominated headlines.

    With Boston, I can go back further than 2007. I can cite Celtic Pride and Fever Pitch, or the original operator of the ESPN Red Sox hype machine, Peter Gammons. I can go way back to Bob Ryan, or keep it new school with disdain for Bill Simmons. However, the 2007 ALCS is the epicenter of all rage towards Boston, and the best coping devices I had were the unlikely Giants playing the role of spoiler in Glendale, Arizona four years ago. But, how much is my anger towards both markets going to play into this pick?

    Now none of that, except for maybe Mathias Kiwanuka’s 3.5 sacks, 2 takeaways, and 62 tackles, has much of anything to do with Sunday’s outcome, even if Peter King tries to sell this as the same game that was played with similar Roman Numerals. These are different teams, this is a different Brady, and a different Eli for that matter. Could you name a Patriots Tight End from 2007? How about a Giants receiver from both games?

    I suppose that I’m not out to nit-pick, to remind you that this Patriots team lost the Bills and Dolphins this season, but it happened. In fact, the fact that Brady’s team is in the Super Bowl is really the only evidence that Brady played well enough to win against Baltimore, a game that was influenced more by Joe Flacco’s quarterback play than Brady’s. I’m convinced, by the game plans of Eric Mangini a year ago and Dick LeBeau earlier this year (yuck), that a talented defense can game plan a way to contain those Patriots on offense.

    I’m convinced that Perry Fewell has the know-how to replicate what Steve Spagnuolo did back then, with all respect due Michael Strahan, the pieces he’s working with are more talented on Tom Coughlin’s team this time around. They’ve also had some nice dress rehearsals for the attack of the Tight End, having seen Tony Gonzalez, JerMichael Finley, and Vernon Davis on the road to Indianapolis. I see their aggressive defense and balanced offense controlling field position and the clock. The Patriots need a shootout, they need to create plays on defense. I think the Giants have what it takes to keep those things from happening.

    So, it’s Giants (+3.5) for all of the butter sponges.

  • http://twitter.com/byRiverBurns River Burns

    New York and Boston, two cities when put together in the same sentence just makes me cringe when it comes to coverage of sport. I know there was Babe Ruth and Bucky Dent long, long before the current hype that traces back to Grady Little and Aaron Boone. Remember when the Rangers could play the Bruins, the Celtics could play the Knicks, and they were just games?

    Not everything had to be about “No, No Nanette” or Pedro’s two-piece on Zimmer. Over the years, it’s that hype that’s been shoved down our throat that makes so many of us tired of Boston against New York, but I was personally fatigued with each as separate entities. With New York, it goes back to Wade Boggs on the horse, continues onward to a Braylon for Kiwanuka and a first that didn’t happen, and ultimately the three year countdown to LeBron that dominated headlines.

    With Boston, I can go back further than 2007. I can cite Celtic Pride and Fever Pitch, or the original operator of the ESPN Red Sox hype machine, Peter Gammons. I can go way back to Bob Ryan, or keep it new school with disdain for Bill Simmons. However, the 2007 ALCS is the epicenter of all rage towards Boston, and the best coping devices I had were the unlikely Giants playing the role of spoiler in Glendale, Arizona four years ago. But, how much is my anger towards both markets going to play into this pick?

    Now none of that, except for maybe Mathias Kiwanuka’s 3.5 sacks, 2 takeaways, and 62 tackles, has much of anything to do with Sunday’s outcome, even if Peter King tries to sell this as the same game that was played with similar Roman Numerals. These are different teams, this is a different Brady, and a different Eli for that matter. Could you name a Patriots Tight End from 2007? How about a Giants receiver from both games?

    I suppose that I’m not out to nit-pick, to remind you that this Patriots team lost the Bills and Dolphins this season, but it happened. In fact, the fact that Brady’s team is in the Super Bowl is really the only evidence that Brady played well enough to win against Baltimore, a game that was influenced more by Joe Flacco’s quarterback play than Brady’s. I’m convinced, by the game plans of Eric Mangini a year ago and Dick LeBeau earlier this year (yuck), that a talented defense can game plan a way to contain those Patriots on offense.

    I’m convinced that Perry Fewell has the know-how to replicate what Steve Spagnuolo did back then, with all respect due Michael Strahan, the pieces he’s working with are more talented on Tom Coughlin’s team this time around. They’ve also had some nice dress rehearsals for the attack of the Tight End, having seen Tony Gonzalez, JerMichael Finley, and Vernon Davis on the road to Indianapolis. I see their aggressive defense and balanced offense controlling field position and the clock. The Patriots need a shootout, they need to create plays on defense. I think the Giants have what it takes to keep those things from happening.

    So, it’s Giants (+3.5) for all of the butter sponges.

  • Anonymous

    The “New England” Pats versus the “New York” Giants. It’s a Superbowl with all the pageantry, appeal, and metaphysical falseness of… well, the Superbowl halftime show. But while it’s a a moral choice a lot less like Sophy’s and a lot more like Hobson’s, there are two distinct personalities here. One is fraudulently self-aggrandizing, laying claim to an entire region much of which lays about as far from Boston as South Carolina. The other fraudulently self-effacing, like many of it’s residents, hiding it’s real identity under an assumed name. Personally, I prefer my fraud less egotistical. So there you go.

    There are “serious” reasons why this line is wrong as well. I saw that ankle bend, Hoodie McSuperspy isn’t fooling anyone with that. And a team that already made it through two teams better than the one they will face on Sunday is what they call in the business a pretty good bet. Points too? Yes please.

    Giants +3.5. A refreshed atmosphere awaits!

Previous post:

Next post: