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In the football world, there is a fraternity among quarterbacks.
And two of the best Canadian Football League QBs -- Anthony Calvillo of the Montreal Alouettes and new Toronto Argonauts pivot Ricky Ray -- are looking forward to seeing their NFL counterparts compete at Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday.
Both men were in Toronto for the 61st annual Conn Smythe Sports Celebrity Dinner & Auction and have opposing views on who they want to see raise the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
"I'm probably going to be cheering for the Giants because I think Eli Manning has been a great quarterback," Calvillo told sportsnet.ca. "It would be nice to see him go out there and do it again."
Ray, a California native, grew up cheering for the San Francisco 49ers, so needless to say he won't be cheering for the Giants (who defeated the Niners in the NFC Championship). Where Calvillo wants to see Manning win a second Super Bowl, Ray is in the corner of the New England Patriots.
"I'm a big Tom Brady fan," said Ray who, ever the diplomat, admitted he's also a fan of Eli. "Seeing him break the record for most playoff wins, just how he's played throughout his career, how consistent he's been, how many games he's won, I think it would be pretty cool to see him win again."
Calvillo admits he doesn't pay close attention to the NFL throughout the year, but tunes in during the CFL off-season to get his football fix.
"I do follow it once the playoffs come around because once our season's over the last thing I want to do is watch or talk or see anything about football," Calvillo said. "Growing up in the States everyone sits down and watched the Super Bowl, so as long as I'm not doing anything with my family I'll sit down and watch it."
Despite not being a diehard NFL fan, the 39-year-old Calvillo, as well as Ray, have played in multiple Grey Cups and know what a championship environment feels like, so they can empathize with Brady and Manning.
"My big adjustment was, it's not a normal week," Calvillo said. "There is so much stuff going on that you have different requirements and plan everything out accordingly and that was one thing. Then you had to deal with the emotions of the game itself."
Calvillo said a lot of players and teams get nervous or overcome with emotion and tighten up, resulting in mistakes. However, since Brady and Manning have played in a plethora of big games throughout their careers, including Super Bowls, Calvillo said nerves should not affect them.
"They've been there many times before, so they're going to know how to handle it and learn from (past performances in championship games)," Calvillo said. "Of course, once you step on the field it's just about playing football."
Although a lot is being made of the dynamic quarterback duel between Brady and Manning, Ray said that is overshadowing a far more significant matchup: Quarterback vs. Defence.
"You always understand that when you're playing against another good quarterback … you know that offensively they're going to be able to put up points, so you want to make sure you go out there and put up as many points as you can as well," Ray said.
"But when it really comes down to it, you're playing against their defence so you try not to get caught up too much in watching (the opposing QB) play or worrying about what they're doing. You just try and focus on your job and going out there and playing hard. But definitely in the back of your mind you've got to score some points against those guys."
Between the Brady vs. Manning matchup, Rob Gronkowski's ankle injury and Chad Ochocinco's rant, Super Bowl XLVI has not been short on storylines. The biggest and most obvious one being the fact it is a rematch of one of the most dramatic Super Bowl games of all-time.
The CFL's all-time leading passer believes the Super Bowl XLII loss may still creep into the heads of some Patriots on Sunday night, even though they are virtually a completely different team.
"I'm sure there are some guys that will probably keep it in their mind," Calvillo said.
"As a competitor you want to go out there and get revenge sometimes. You want them to feel how you felt after losing a game like that. That would cross my mind a bit, but I think overall a lot of these guys say what they want (the media) to hear, but deep down they have their own theme and their own story, whatever that may be to help them win."
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