SuperBowl XLVI (46)
Yuck.
I hate this Superbowl.
As a lifelong Indianapolis Colts fan, this is literally my worst scenario for a championship game ever. Not only is Peyton’s little brother playing for his second Super Bowl ring, and not only are the super-annoying Patriots playing for their 4th ring with Tom Brady, but all of this crap is going on in Indianapolis, in Lucas Oil stadium. Talk about awful situation.
However, my personal biases aside, I think this is going to be a really good game. I am sure that people will make comparisons to the last Super Bowl that these two teams played in, where Brady was massacred by the superior defensive line of the Giants, and Eli Manning had to get the David Tyree “Miracle Catch” to pull off the upset and topple the previously undefeated Patriots. I would not be past making some of those comparisons myself. However, 4 years is a long time, and these two teams are very different than they were. Lets just take a look at the individual positions, and we will see which team (In my humble opinion) has the better edge.
QB: I wish I could say that Tom Brady absolutely blows Eli Manning out of the water in this category. I am sure that Patriot fans would say that he does, and I would agree with them if we were looking at entire careers worth of statistics. However, Eli Manning is the hottest QB in the league right now, as he has brought his team to this point almost entirely through his own will. Still, Tom Brady is one of the best passers that the NFL has ever seen, he is cool in the clutch (although so is Eli), and he knows how to win big games. Edge: Patriots
RB: Yes, the law firm of Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis scores a lot of 1 yard touchdowns and had a decent week against the Ravens, but I think that the Giants have more potential in their running game. Bradshaw and Jacobs can be very effective on the ground, especially if Eli can get the passing game moving effectively early in the game. Edge: Giants
WR: This comparison isn’t even close. The only effective WR on the Patriots this season was Wes Welker. Dion Branch will catch a pass from time to time, but he is not a game-changing type of wideout. On the other hand, the Giants have one of the more effective groups of wide receivers in the NFL. Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz have had great seasons, and Mario Manningham had a huge TD catch against the 49’ers last week. Huge mismatch. Edge: Giants
TE: As lopsided as the WR’s were for the Giants, the TE match is even more heavily weighted the Patriots direction. Gronkowski and Hernandez are the 1st pair of TE’s to catch as many passes for as many yards and as many TD’s in one season EVER. I think that tips the scales in their favor, especially when I don’t even know the names of the Giant TE’s. Edge: Patriots
O-line: The Patriots Offensive line has been together for years, and has widely been hailed as one of the best in the league. The Giants offensive line let Eli Manning be sacked 6 times, knocked down 10 other times, and generally made him scramble all over the world against the 49’ers. Edge: Patriots
D-line: The Giants defensive line features a bunch of physical freaks. Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and Matthias Kiwanuka may be the only entire defensive line with very well known names. They pressure the quarterback, and do a decent job against the run game. The Patriots defensive line, on the other hand, has some mammoths. They don’t rush the passer as well as the Giants, but they are more consistently in position to make plays against the run. Vince Wilfork may have played the best game of his career against the Ravens, and this line has been hot for the past 3 weeks. Edge: Even
Linebackers: Both of these units are relative unknowns, especially when compared against other parts of the defense, but both units are solid. Jerod Mayo is a solid general for the Patriots defense, and the Giants linebackers, especially Michael Boley, are an improving group. Edge: Patriots
Secondary: Really, both of these units are going to get lit up on Super Bowl Sunday. With the effectiveness of these two teams passing attacks, there are going to be a lot of tackles in the secondary, but lots of yards given up as well. The depth of the Patriots secondary is a little suspect, as kick returner and WR Julian Edelman plays cornerback in nickel and dime situations. The Giants have better safeties, with Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips shoring up the deep parts of the field. (To be honest, I think both units are sub-par, however we do have to have a verdict so…) Edge: Giants
Coaching: Should we even do this? Tom Coughlin is annualy on the hot seat, and Bill Belichick is one of the top 5 best coaches ever. Edge: Patriots
Prediction: Going back to my feelings for this game, I really hope that both teams somehow find a way to lose, and I really really hope this game isn’t decided on a last second field goal. Those make me so mad. My pick is the Patriots in a close game, winning by a score of 27-24. But I still kinda hope I’m wrong.
Who is your pick?
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