Five Super Bowl storylines to watch

(Reuters) - Five storylines to watch for Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots: - - - Seahawks look for repeat With a victory over New England, the Seattle Seahawks would become the eighth franchise to win back-to-back Super Bowls, carving out a little place in NFL history. After last year’s thrashing of the Denver Broncos, 43-8 in the championship game, a win Sunday would also mean the Seahawks defeated both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in consecutive title games, a feat that would make their championship run all the more memorable. - - - The Patriots look to cement legacy New England has plenty at stake as well, particularly regarding the resumes of quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick, who are each pursuing a fourth Super Bowl ring. Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw are the only quarterbacks with four Super Bowl wins on their resumes while the late Chuck Noll is the only coach with four Super Bowl wins. Both Brady and Belichick could reach the peak of NFL lore and make their case as the greatest ever at their respective roles. - - - Deflategate The NFL says the New England Patriots used under inflated footballs during their AFC Championship triumph against Indianapolis, a story that has dominated the run-up to Sunday’s game. While the NFL’s investigation will not reach a resolution until after the season, the controversy could have an effect on the contest. Tom Brady has been hammered with questions and had his integrity questioned while the Patriots are again facing cheating allegations, as they did in 2007 when they were punished for videotaping defensive signals in ‘Spygate.’ - - - Bad blood There is little camaraderie between the two teams vying for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Seahawks outspoken cornerback Richard Sherman, who famously mocked Tom Brady after a win over the Patriots in 2012, has taken issue with the quarterback’s clean cut image and also criticized NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s close relationship to Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Seattle cornerback Jeremy Lane called New England standout tight end Rob Gronkowski ‘not that good,’ last week. And former Seahawk-turned-Patriot Brandon Browner has said he will tell his New England teammates to target the injuries of Seahawks players. - - - Coaching connection Seahawks coach Pete Carroll coached New England from 1997-1999 before being fired and replaced by current Patriots coach Bill Belichick. The move has worked in favor of both Super Bowl-winning coaches, who have expressed mutual respect. Belichick even went so far as to say that indirectly Carroll “has made me a better coach.” (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles)