SUPERBOWL XLII - STANDING IN THE WAY OF PERFECTION

Posted by bigD | February 2, 2008 .

The Big D is back…SORT OF. After a long hiatus and an ongoing job up north (without a dam laptop or internet access), this site has been brought back. Although articles may still be scarce for awhile, that doesn’t mean I won’t still be committed so don’t you worry. THE BIG D LIVES ON…

Sunday, February 3rd is the date for Superbowl XLII. Every Superbowl has its own unique memories, storylines and players that make it special each and every year. This season will be no different as the 42nd chapter of the ongoing Super Sunday hits us on the 3rd with the underdog New York Giants vs. the heavily favored New England Patriots. This is my take on what’s going to happen. Here for your reading enjoyment is The BIG D’S BIG SUPERBOWL BREAKDOWN!!! …

AT FIRST GLANCE
It’s just plain incredible to have a perfect season in the NFL. Just saying those words alone amazes the hell out of me. That’s what the Patriots are dealing with on Sunday. Coming off a Spygate scandal and accusations of recording other team’s signals and other forms of cheating, it was pretty clear what this Patriot team wanted to do this season. Their goals were pretty obvious from the beginning – PROVE TO THE NFL THAT THEY DON’T NEED TO CHEAT TO WIN. I never once had that feeling to be honest. Why? It’s simple. The Patriots really are THAT DAM GOOD and there’s one game left for them in their attempt to achieve THE PERFECT SEASON. Patriot QB, Tom Brady (FROM…MICHIGAN) has made it clear and has basically echoed the attitudes of the entire Patriot team in saying if the Pats don’t win this one final game, the other 18 mean absolutely nothing. He couldn’t be more right and if the Patriots are to win on Sunday, they absolutely must keep that win or else attitude no matter how talented they are and no matter how great their overall record is.

The Giants come into this game as a team that got better every single late season game and it seemed that with every playoff game came a new challenge that they were more then ready for. Its how they got here that is truly remarkable and says a lot about their heart though. With 3 road playoff wins and an amazing 10 game road winning streak, the Giants proved to the NFC that they indeed belong in the Superbowl. And right at the head of it all, in the center of the Giants spotlight is the #1 X-factor and most improved player of any Giant – QB, Eli Manning. Make no mistake about it, Eli is still very much in older brother, Peyton’s shadow. Well, Eli has never had a better chance then this at ending that thought as he has a chance to capture his first Superbowl in hopes of repeating what his brother did a season ago and put many doubters to rest. That being said he’s got a tall task at hand. Not only does Eli have to lead New York in the biggest game of the year, but he also has to deal with beating perfection. New York Head Coach, Tom Coughlin will have his team ready to go but is Eli talented enough to take the next step in his young career and defeat the best NFL team of all time? The Giants have done well so far but now comes the test of tests – The New England Patriots. Again football fans, the question of questions must be asked…CAN IT BE DONE?

NEW YORK GIANTS
Being as much of this game will be decided with the ability of New York to keep Brady and Co. off the field, much of the weight will be on the shoulders of 260 pound RB, Brandon Jacobs. Simply put, Jacobs is an absolute beast who will run through you with both speed and power. The Giants will also bring in smaller RB, Ahmad Bradshaw for more variety. Similar to the old thunder and lightning days with Ron Dayne and Tiki Barber, this is a nice 1-2 punch when they’re at their best and getting good blocking up front. Jacobs and Bradshaw might get a lot of work in this game in an obvious Giants attempt to keep Brady on the bench.

The Giants’ passing game is clicking at just the right time with Manning at the helm. He isn’t always consistent but experts say he’s noticeably getting better and he’s really grown up in the last 4 weeks as both a leader and performer. The always talented Plaxico Burress (MSU) is the #1 receiving option with the loss of TE, Jeremy Shockey (broken leg). Burress is slightly hobbled going into this game and has been for a long time but he’s expected to be fine for the game. That being said, Burress has been mouthing off all week long about the Patriots WR’s and team. This was not a smart move and it won’t sit well for a Patriot team that doesn’t take very kindly to negative comments and as a result, may attempt to shut down Burress and center him out all game long due to his words. This will be interesting to watch as the game plays out. Amani Toomer (FROM… MICHIGAN) is an excellent counter WR to Burress despite his age and might need to come up huge in this game should the Pats attempt to take Burress out of the equation. This also puts a greater emphasis on Shockey’s backup TE, Kevin Boss who has looked decent at times. Boss over the middle may play a bigger role in this game then expected and this may be a very quiet yet important key to this game for the Giants.

Defensively, the Giants live and die with their pass rush, particularly their defensive ends. Pro Bowler, Osi Umenyiora (13 sacks) and Michael Strahan (9 sacks, 57 tackles and 45 of them were solo) lead the way. I guess both the Giants and Strahan are happy he didn’t retire now huh? That’s not all up front though. Perhaps the best back-up defensive end in football, Justin Tuck (7 sacks) is there when one of these 2 needs a breather but that certainly doesn’t mean it gives opposing QB’s a breather. These guys up front are perhaps the biggest single key of the game for the Giants. For any hope in hell, they must disrupt Tom Brady or the Giants will be picked apart. Although kicker, Lawrence Tynes was very good in the regular season, he has been shaky in the playoffs and is worth mentioning here because the Giants may need to depend on his leg in the game and he hasn’t been as consistent as they’d like.

The way the Giants are playing, they certainly have the talent to win it all. The problem is, the Patriots have more talent and are basically what their record says they are… unbeatable. That’s not to say the Giants don’t have the talent to make this a game if they play hard with a lot of heart (something that has carried them in these playoffs). Beating New England is a tall task but face it, no one thought the Giants would be here in the first place.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
The Patriots have easily one of the best head coaches of all time and without a doubt it all starts with Bill Belichick. The fact that this Pats team is 18-0 is truly amazing and certainly isn’t a fluke. That’s not to say it’s come as easy as it has often looked this season though. The fact is, Belichick has this team well prepared every single time it takes the field (OVERPREPARED in fact)! New England has a very talented veteran team with a veteran coach who is, quite frankly, a mastermind and he doesn’t let up on you at all. So what if he was accused of cheating. The simple fact of the matter is, if you aren’t cheating…you aren’t trying and quite frankly, if I knew I could do that and get away with it…you’re dam right…I’D DO IT TOO! The Patriots believe in themselves, the system they play, the players on the team, and above all, their head coach, Bill Belichick and their #1 leader, Tom Brady to win and keep on winning. Face it, it’s a formula that has worked thus far and likely will continue to work on Superbowl Sunday.

In my opinion, Tom Brady is the best QB that ever lived and is probably in the top 5 for best player who ever lived simply because of his playoff record, his unbelievable 3 Superbowls so early in his career and the fact that he just plain gets the job done. His pocket presence is phenomenal and he never ever panics. You can’t rattle him either. His #1 WR is Randy Moss who had perhaps the greatest season for a WR in NFL history. In the playoffs, teams have elected to attempt to take Moss out of the equation. I agree with that logic at times, as that is perhaps the most effective way to HOPE you can beat the Pats but Brady has proven if he gets protection up front he can absolutely burn you with the rest of his core. Wideout, Wes Welker (16 playoff catches) over the middle has been killing teams. Don’t forget about TE’s, Kyle Brady and Ben Watson either. Watson had a great start to the season then died out but is more then capable over the middle. Gaffney and Stallworth complete the core with speed and big play capability but it all depends on what the Giants decide to do with Moss in the first place. Another player to watch is backup RB – Kevin Faulk (13 playoff catches). He’s been absolutely destroying teams with little dump off passes in the flat and end sweeps that teams haven’t had an answer for.

When the Pats do decide to run the ball they have a legit RB in Lawrence Maroney who finally showed signs this season of being a dependable back. Maroney has had 122 rushing yards in each playoff game. The aforementioned Faulk will also get some carries when he’s not in a receiving role but the Patriots mostly depend on Maroney for their ground attack. Talk about effective. Everyone talks so much about the Pats and their pass but on the ground they’ve averaged 4.9 yards per carry in the playoffs. That speaks volumes.

New England can be beaten on defense but that being said, their D is full of big playmakers. Cornerback, Assante Samuel (6 INT’s and 1 in the playoffs) is a ball-hawker and he may have the biggest single match-up of the entire Superbowl on Sunday as they expect him to be man to man with 6 foot 5, Plaxico Burress. Samuel gives up considerable height to Burress but not necessarily ability. Either way, this match-up will be much of the focus for tomorrow’s game not only because of the talent involved, but again because of Burress and his mouthy ways. As mentioned, the Patriots D is not always consistent but as their 47 regular season sacks and just 2 in the playoffs suggests, they hurt you when they have to the most and big plays cause turnovers (something that would absolutely kill the Giants).

This is obviously a Pats team that has been there before. They know what it takes and they are hungry for perfection. It’s a testament to Belichick for constantly having this team ready week after week knowing in many cases that they had nothing to play for…the record means that much to this team that they wont rest until they are 100% absolutely perfect.

THE 5 BIGGEST KEYS OF THE BIGGEST GAME
1. The Patriots Offensive Line vs. The Giants Defensive Line – The Pats up front must protect Tom Brady at all costs. The more time Brady has, the more the Giants are likely to just plain get beat. Strahan and Osi MUST TAKE DOWN BRADY.

2. The Giants Must Keep The Pats Offense Off The Field – The best defense is your offense winning the time of possession battle (something the Pats usually win) but more importantly the G-Men must control the tempo of this game offensively and win the turnover battle against a team with all the smarts in the world. Why put the emphasis on the Giants pass rush if they don’t have to be on the field in the first place?

3. What Eli Manning Will We See? – Will it be the 4 TD and 1 INT playoff Manning or how about the 23 TD and 20 INT’s regular season Manning? Eli had a 118.6 passer rating the last time these 2 teams hooked up and everyone figured that was his growing pains game where he took the next step. Again, it’s truly time Eli proved himself and what better time to do that then on the grandest stage in sports? That being said, good luck Eli. You’re gonna need it!

4. Pressure – All of the pressure is on New England because of what’s at stake for them. To lose this game and end up 18-1 instead of 19-0 would be such a letdown for them that they’d consider the season a waste. That’s interesting when you consider all of the success they’ve had in it. That being said, you can also turn the tables here and say that the Pats have been here before and what kind of game will the Giants play knowing the spotlight is on them and there is always the possibility that their nerves will be shot and that they could be intimidated by the biggest game that many of them have ever played in. Experience vs. Pressure! WHO WINS???

5. Brady’s Game – The Superbowl and Tom Brady are an amazing combination. This is THE game for Brady. It’s what his career is based on and why he plays football in the first place. You simply cannot doubt this man in the biggest games. He never loses his cool and it’s his game…it’s HIS stage. The Giants have a tall order in beating this man in a game that is meant for him. He’s the golden boy of the NFL and again…it’s his game.

FINAL COMMENTS AND PREDICTIONS
The average ticket for Superbowl XLII is reportedly $900. That’s a far cry from Superbowl I’s $12 admission fee. Is any game worth that really? I know it’s not the Stanley Cup but it costs $25,000 to make each Vince Lombardi Trophy (given to the winner of the game). Are these costs too high? Maybe but for the biggest sporting event on planet Earth I guess I can understand it. A 30 second commercial during the Superbowl will cost over 3 million this year. Give me a break. Good thing I’ll be at a party watching it from the best view going…a chair and a big screen. To those who actually get to go, enjoy it. For 900 smackaroonies, I really hope you do.

There is an obvious choice here. It’s a no brainer to sit here and simply say that the Pats will win this football game. The most interesting thing that stands in their way is their own pursuit of perfection…something that up until this point I felt wasn’t possible to ever do again (credit the Miami Dolphins). Two final questions will determine the winner of Superbowl XLII…

1. CAN TOM BRADY, RANDY MOSS AND THE GREATEST OFFENSE THAT EVER LIVED BE SHUT DOWN OR MUST YOU SIMPLY LOOK TO CONTAIN THEM?

2. CAN THEY EVEN BE CONTAINED?

The Pats have way more to lose in this game. With that being said, and with my answer to those 2 questions being, I don’t think you can stop the Pats or even contain them when they are on their game, I simply must take the Patriots despite the fact that it would be much more ballsy to take New York. You simply can’t bet against Tom Brady until it’s proven that he can and will be beaten. Yes indeed folks, Tom Brady – THE MICHIGAN KID will raise the Lombardi Trophy yet again.

BIG D’S PREDICTION – NEW ENGLAND – 36 / NEW YORK - 24

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SUPERBOWL XLII - STANDING IN THE WAY OF PERFECTION

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