Super Bowl XLVI

          It all comes down to this. In just over a week the Patriots will take on the Giants in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. Let's think back to the end of the regular season, the Giants were in a win-and-get-in game against the Cowboys and Fox analyst Jimmy Johnson had stuck the fork in the Giants. They were finished! with a lowly 8-7 record, the Giants beat the Cowboys to improve to 9-7 and sneak into the playoffs. Anyone who predicted that they would knock off the Packers and 49ers in consecutive weeks probably also thought Steven Tyler was a great choice to sing the national anthem. On the other hand the New England Patriots were likely a popular pick to come out of the AFC, even though most wouldn't have predicted that Joe Flacco would outplay Tom Brady.

          First of all let's have a moment of silence for Billy Cundiff and Kyle Williams. They both "lost" the game for their respective teams by making a bonehead move when it was crunch time and have been receiveing endless criticism ever since the games ended. On a serious note, no football game is ever important enough that someone should receive death threats because he cost his team the game, which is exactly what happened to Kyle Williams on Twitter. Calm down football fans, it's just a game.



"I don't know what happened..."



Just another shot at Tebow

         That being said, the next game is the one that matters most. The Super Bowl, every players dream game. The game that everyone imagined when they were throwing the football around in the backyard with their dad. So let's take a look at how each team won last weekend. The Patriots played very average to me. Correction, Tom Brady played very average to me. He turned the ball over and didn't throw a single TD. However their defense cranked it up a notch. One name for you, Vince Wilfork. My goodness Wilfork was unblockable for most of the game. I'd take it a step further and say he was their most valuable player on Sunday. Former quarterbacks always say that the pressure that comes from the outside is managable, but it's the pressure from the middle that they don't like. What I think they need to worry about is Edelman playing defensive back. He's doing his best, but on the final drive that could have led to the game-tying field goal, Flacco went after him almost every play and marched right down the field. Then of course Billy Cundiff proceeded to kick a 32 yard field goal very wide left with 11 seconds remaining.

          The Giants played well despite the weather. They continued to throw the ball effectively and Eli dominated on third down which ultimately was the difference in the game. Despite getting hit a whopping TWENTY times, Eli still put the team on his back and made a big play on a third and fifteen when he found Mario Manningham in the endzone for a TD. Big Blue's defense played well also, holding Alex Smith to only one completion to a wide receiver all game. Then of course Kyle Williams muffed one punt and fumble one in overtime, which lead to the easy field goal from Lawrence Tynes (take note Cundiff). Also let's pause and talk about how awesome Victor Cruz is, he caught ten passes in the rain on Sunday, that's pretty impressive.

          After looking back, now we shall take a look forward at the matchup for the Super Bowl. Tom Brady vs. Eli Manning part two. A few fun facts before we get started. First, in the "Tom Brady Era" the Patriots have only lost three straight games to two different teams, the Giants will try to become the third team with a win in the Super Bowl. Secondly, this will be the ninth time that the Super Bowl will be a rematch of a regular season matchup, with the losing team in the first game winning seven out of the eight Super Bowls. When these two team played in the regular season, the Giants came out on top. No doubt the Patriots will be looking for revenge.
          The Giants 4 defensive end scheme on defense wreaks havoc every Sunday, Eli Manning is fantastic on third down, they have a balanced running attack with Bradshaw and Jacobs, and their receiving corps is very talented with Cruz, Manningham, and the former Tarheel Hakeem Nicks. The Patriots have the two-headed monster with Gronkowski and Hernandez at tight end, Wes Welker to catch every other pass, Benjarvus "The Law Firm" Green-Ellis coming out of the backfield, and some guy named Tom Brady at quarterback. They also have a monster on defense named Vince Wilfork who eats running backs for breakfast. When these teams match up on Super Bowl Sunday there will undoubtedly be some hard hits and some big plays, but the question isn't always who makes more big plays but who will make fewer mistakes. My guess is that this time around Bill Belichick and the infamous hoodie will have his team ready to go to war, Tom Brady will play like his normal self and the Patriots will methodically work their way down the field making fewer mistakes than the Giants. I do believe this matchup will be a higher scoring affair than the last time they met in the Super Bowl, so I'll take Patriots 27 Giants 23.
          Now anyone who knows me realizes how hard it was to pick the Patriots. I don't like them. I haven't liked them since they beat the Panthers in the Super Bowl in 2003. And honestly the Giants were and still are the hottest team in football coming into the playoffs, so they certainly have a very good chance. But when I put aside my feelings I simply believe Tom Brady will win the game for his team. Who are you picking?


Eli Manning



Tom Brady