Super Bowl XLIX: Local fans watch thrilling finish

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 2, 2015 1:49 PM

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Ernest Johnson sat back in his chair, confident as ever, eyes peeled on the 60-plus inch projection screen on the top floor at Heroes Bar & Grill.

He had no doubt that with two minutes remaining and the Seahawks trailing by four, that third-year quarterback Russell Wilson would pull off the same heroics like he did a week earlier and lead his team to the game-winning touchdown.

"Even where there seems like there's no way it'll happen, Russell Wilson makes a way for it to happen," Johnson said.

Johnson's mindset was supplanted after Wilson threw a deep bomb down the field and fans saw Jermaine Kearse make a catch for the ages, rolling on the ground and bobbling the ball until he secured it, giving the Seahawks the ball inside the 10-yard-line.

Most of the fans at Heroes were cheering on the Seahawks for much of the evening, and after Kearse's magical grab they were at an all-time high. Eddie Harrow was hitting his patented dance move in front of the projection screen, and everyone knew Marshawn Lynch was going to punch the ball into the end zone.

And then he didn't.

Cam Update: 1 play later: MALCOM BUTLER IS THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME On second and goal, Pete Carroll decides that he doesn't care about the outcome of the game whatsoever and opts to throw the ball with a timeout and the best short-yardage running back in the NFL at his disposal.

Whatever.

Malcom Butler jumped the route, intercepted Rusell Wilson's pass and made the play of the game. I've run the gauntlet of emotions already, so I'm not really even sure what to feel or say. I manage a guttural yell and a couple pounds on the bar and now I'm pretty sure everyone around me regrets ever being my friend. The Pats have the ball on their own 2, however, and have about 20 seconds to go. They line up as if they're going to intentionally take the safety (what?!!? In a four-point game?!?) but draw a Seattle defender offsides and that's that.

Game over. T

here's some fighting that goes on but honestly who cares because the Patriots just won a game out of nowhere and that game happened to be Super Bowl 49. I proudly strut around the bar in my Patriots sweatshirt but no one acknowledges it because, let's be real, I live in North Carolina and I was probably the only one with a vested interest in this game.

Just like that, after three quarters of mostly people cheering fervently for the Seahawks, the air was sucked out of the bar with one play.

*

Before the game started, a group of mostly Heroes regulars filed in slowly, some to catch the game and some for the free gear that would be given away later.

Cam update: With the Patriots in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2011, I found myself at Heroes amidst a packed bar full of some people who wanted the Seahawks to win but mainly people who wanted the Patriots to lose. Last time I watched a Patriots Super Bowl in public, I got caught in the moment and yelled in the face of a close family friend who I have yet to speak to since. Being back in public was not only a good test of my maturity level, but also incredibly taxing on my blood pressure and finger nails.

Aside from a Jurassic Park commercial that caught Cam's eye, the first quarter offered little in the way of excitement. Heroes bartender Savannah Kosik knew the fans would start to get a little noisier as the game progressed, though.

"We really rely on our regular customers for business and we knew they were going to be here tonight," Kosik said. "We usually have a big turn out for events like this."

Despite a lack of excitement, one person in the bar is feeling the nerves.

Cam update: I've begun stress chewing on my nails and my pen and anything I can get my hands on.

*

The second quarter doesn't take long to offer some excitement for both Patriots fans and Seahawks fans.

Cam update: Pats on the board! An 11-yard TD pass from Brady to LaFell and it's 7-0 New England. With the way that Seattle's defensive line has gotten around the edge and rushed Brady, I love the play calling that they've countered with. Seattle's secondary is big and physical, but Brady hitting his receivers in the flat and with quick slants helps neutralize that. Because the Patriots love to make me feel sick to my stomach whenever they can, their defense lets Seattle march down the field and punch it in. But then Gronk responds with a touchdown of his own. Putting a linebacker on Gronkowski in the red zone is trouble, not to mention a great matchup for the Patriots. Come to think of it, putting anyone on Gronkowski anywhere on the field is also trouble and also a good matchup for the Patriots.

Excitement for Pats fans is short-lived, as Wilson marches his team down the field in the final minute to score a touchdown and tie the game at the half. Johnson and Harrow get a crowd of fie or six people huddling in front of the projection, and the fans begin to get increasingly excited.

Harrow said he's rooting for the Seahawks because "they have a black quarterback," in Wilson. Johnson, however, saw the Seahawks dominate his favorite team, the Denver Broncos, in the Super Bowl last season, and decided he wasn't going to bet against them again.

"Their defense, man," Johnson said. "It's tough and physical. That's what I like. I love how they play."

Cam update: New England dominated that entire half and the game is tied, so it's safe to say I am having a personal crisis.

*

Chris Matthews, who in high school was at a friend's house who lived next door to Pete Carroll and decided to take a highlight DVD to Carroll in hopes of getting recruited, is having the game of his life.

Harrow is dancing and doing pushups in front of the projector, and the Seahawks fans are counting their eggs as the Super Bowl 48 champs hold a 24-14 lead.

Harrow is sporting an Eagles T-shirt, and after a set of pushups belts out that as long as the Super Bowl title stays in the NFC he doesn't care if his team wins.

Cam update: A lot of times I tell myself that games are over before they are in the hopes that I can reverse-jinx the team into winning, but this isn't the case here. The Pats are going to lose.

*

Cam update: The reverse jinx totally worked exactly how I had planned it the entire game. New England's defense has stepped up in the fourth, and the Pats have gotten back to the game plan that worked so well in the first quarter. How about Danny Amendola catching a touchdown in the Super Bowl? The guy doesn't do anything all year but come playoff time and suddenly he's catching key touchdowns left and right.

Suddenly, both Patriots fans and Seahawks fans are confident. The Patriots' offense is clicking on all cylinders, and after the NFC championship miracle Wilson and the Seahawks pulled off two weeks ago, Johnson and his cohorts have no reason to feel any doubt.

"He's going to make something happen," Johnson reiterates.

Only, he doesn't.

Wilson neglects his running back Lynch and throws the fateful interception to Butler on the two-yard-line and the Patriots kneel the clock out to win the Super Bowl. The bar will stay open until 2 a.m., but the fans have filed out, knowing there's no more reason to stay.

Cam update: New England Patriots Super Bowl Count: 4. Times I might have dry-heaved: 3. Number of fist fulls of hair I pulled out during the course of the game: 5. Nails I have left: none. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat.