There are few things more agonising than the wait for the day of a big game to come around.
Every waking moment is spent thinking about what will happen on the field, what it will take to win and for some what it will feel like to lift the trophy.
For the coaches though it's a very different existence. They have to spend their time coming up with plays, deciding on match-ups, devising ways to win and planning for every eventuality. It's a relentless task and there can only be one winner.
Ahead of today's Superbowl there's been a two-week break, plenty of time for the coaches to agonise over what might unfold in what is arguably the biggest game of their careers.
The Patriots are marshaled by a man that needs little introduction, Bill Belichick. He has done it all in the game, steering his team to five Superbowl wins.
The LA Rams head coach, Sean McVay, is a very different prospect. He is 33 years old and is yet to win a Superbowl.
But what he may lack in experience he makes up for with wizardry, courage and ingenuity. He will not be fazed by the task at hand.
Both coaches will have been busy over the last 14 days. As soon as the final pairings were decided, the hard work began and I would love to have been a fly on the wall for some of those decision-making sessions.
Especially when it comes to Belichick, he is fascinating. I'd go as far as to say there is no greater mind in the game. He knows how to look at a team and see who can blossom, figure out the match-ups and formulate the plays that they will need to win the game.
He is a mastermind at being able to coach up players, he sees things in lads that other coaches don't see and he is able to fit them into his system.
But the big question is will that attention to detail be enough because as every sports fan knows, the best laid plans can often go astray.
The Los Angeles Rams
The Rams will also be trying to find a way to win. They are a team built around a dynamic Rams pass rush led by all-pro Aaron Donald and lean more on their running game than their opponents today.
Running back, Todd Gurley, could be crucial. He has racked up 1,251 yards in 17 touchdowns in 14 regular-season games, however he has slowed down the last few weeks due to a suspected knee injury.
He lit up the season with his numbers and was possibly the best running back in the League this year but he seems to have ran out of legs a small bit and may not have the same level of impact that he is capable of.
They pounded him with the ball earlier in the season, that could be a factor.
Cj Anderson has backed him up since he joined the Rams in mid-December this year, they dovetail nicely.
The Rams are still finding themselves with regards quarterback Jared Goff. He is still young, and they allow him to manage the game with the play-makers at his disposal, but he can make the important throws when he needs too.
They don't need him to throw the ball 25 or 30 times, they need to run the ball 35 or 40 times in the half. They are a grinding team and when they are in the red zone they are going to try run the ball and punch it in.
The loss of wide receiver Cooper Kupp is huge for them. When you get to the end of the championship you need all your play-makers and he was one of their most consistent options.
It's extremely hard for him too, to miss his first Superbowl because of injury.
They will try make things happen through the air with Brandin Cooks but if the Patriots find a way to stop them establishing runs, the Rams could become stuck with no way out.
The New England Patriots
The Patriots are a team that are fluid. They can do so much, they are intelligent, they can start very quickly in a game and if needed, they can make the adjustments.
The day of the AFC championship, they had eight offensive plays, five of which they actually used.
The Rob Gronkowski one that Tony Romo called before it happened was key. That shows how confident quarterback Tom Brady, confident offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Belichick is with everyone in that.
Their strength is their unity, everyone playing together. How many times have we heard Belichick use the phrase. "just do your job"? That’s the team's mantra, the sum of all the parts, offence, defence and special teams.
One day it will be Julian Edelman, the next day it could be Gronkowski or James White, they just don't know how to lose. they will stay going, every inch of the way and they are able to stay going and change things around.
The Patriots are an offensive team, they are built around Tom Brady. They are built around that passing game and they have that RPO, run, play-action, run, with Sony Michel and James White, who is probably the best receiver out of the back field in the League.
He will be one of those guys who will get 100 yards in the games and who will get the touchdowns. He goes about his business so effectively you would hardly notice it.
They have the guys like Philip Dorsett who are totally under the radar, who can step up and stick their head up above the parapet every so often.
When the Patriots are mentioned, the first name that comes to mind is Brady and for good reason too. He will become the only person to collect six Super Bowl rings exclusively as a player if his side emerges victorious.
The man is 41 years old and is still winning games for his side. Going into the play-offs, it was impossible to imagine a scenario where the Boston side didn't advance.
If that was any other team, any other quarterback you would be backing the Chiefs but because of the Brady-Belichick combination, you couldn't allow yourself to back against them.
Together, they have an invincibility factor that's impossible to ignore.
What they want is the ball in Brady's hand in the fourth quarter making things happen. He is able to put the ball into play-makers of this offence and his intelligence wins them games. I'm sure Tom Brady will talk to Josh McDaniel’s more this week than he will his kids or his wife Gisele.
The Patriots won the AFC for ten years in row which is phenomenal in a league that strives on parity with the way draft pick is scheduled. To reach that level of consistency, to constantly reach the Playoffs, is special.
In Brady’s documentary, ‘Tom v Time’, the phrase that stuck with me is ‘so if you are going to compete against with me, you better be willing to give up your life, cause I am giving up mine’.
It's hard to beat that relentless pursuit of excellence. Sit back, turn up the clairvoyant himself Tony Romo, and enjoy the show. Brady and Belichick are special and for that reason I can see the Patriots winning it.
