The New England Patriots. They've been really good and won some incredible games but for the last three or fours years you just knew something wasn't right. "The homeless man" as Johnny's wife refers to the duds of Bill Belichick, or, "That jackhole who could win everywhere but Cleveland" as Johnny refers to him has been taking doll parts off of lesser dolls to patch up that really fine looking doll from 2004. Now it just kind of looks like this:
But Johnny you say, they ARE back at the Super Bowl with those parts falling off. Yes they are and they are a dangerous team. But just like the Giants weren't intimidated in 2007 they won't be today. That alone does not mean victory however...
The Giants offense is rolling along just fine thank you. Why change anything? The Patriots don't give up yards so much as they give up hectares (some science equivalency for our Canadian readers there). Just like the Packers got by with giving up a lot of yards but coming up with turnovers so too the New Englanders. The fact is the Giants just haven't been much in a giving mood this postseason so that just leaves the hectares. Belichick is no dummy. He can do a pretty good job at stopping one aspect of an opponent's offense. The Giants can win a shootout ala Green Bay, they can win a backalley fistfight ala San Francisco so again, advantage Giants. Unless Eli plays shockingly bad or the Giants fumble two or three times they should at the worst have a chance in the fourth quarter.
Tom Brady can put points up like a pinball machine, mostly because he has to. The Giants need to manage this. Killing it is near impossible but managing it is doable. Rob Gronkowski is going to play and most likely play well. The Super Bowl does that to guys not named Donovan McNabb or Fran Tarkenton. Max McGee, the MVP of Super Bowl I was incredibly hungover. Legend had it he was drinking because he was upset the Super Bowl committee had decided that afternoon all Super Bowls would have a Roman numeral after the name not the more conventional numbering convention used today. "I, nobody is gonna care about I...it should be 1 and only 1 and then 2 and then 3 and then 4 and then..." he was purported to have possibly said that night BUT the point is here the Pats offense can be managed. If the vaunted Big Blue pass rush can harass and or hassle Brady with just 4 you can plan the parade along the New Jersey Turnpike.
Special teams. The Giants special teams have been playing lights out. That doesn't mean squat. Special teams in playoff games are a game by game result. We really think of all aspects of football this one doesn't carry momentum. One fumble, one missed kick and suddenly they are bums. The kick coverage teams have been very very good. They need to be very good one more time. Lawrence Tynes needs to hit all his field goals one more time.
So, here we are, 12 hours from gametime and 11 hours of pre-game coverage to boot. You do get a cool Chelsea vs. Manchester United match from Stamford Bridge (Chelsea's home grounds) at 10:30 on FOX. All the prognosticating grows more intense, the bets get more serious, and the advertising becomes more cutthroat:
So come on back here all day and talk Giants and Patriots or Madonna at halftime or the ads or anything else Super Bowl related. Think of us as your online Super Bowl party.
One last thing...
Super Bowl Fearless Forecast:
New Jersey Giants 31
New England Patriots 30.9
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