Personally I am hoping for some good commercials, However if I have to pick a team I think I would go with the Pats. If I had to pick a team with hopes they win I would take the Giants, I am still bummed about my Packers losing to them, But really am tired of all the Perfect Team, Perfect Season hype/talk about the Patriots and wish it to end on Sunday.
I hope it is a good game either way, would hate to see a blow out or a low scoring, low action event.
They ran a simulation in on of the big universities (forget which one) one million times taking into account all the things that could happen in the game, and the Pats won 85% of those games.... So I would have to say the odds are in their favor.
Why do so many people say they are "tired of the perfect season" hype etc etc? It's not as if the PATRIOTS are responsible for all that bullshit, because they are not. They've kept their mouths shut and their noses to the grindstone, and respected every single opponent they've played all season long. Now, here we are privileged to watch a nice bit of history-in-the-making and all you folks (you know who you are) are hating on the Pats because they're juts damned GOOD and doing something totally unprecedented.
I don't understand it. If Tiger wont he first 3 majors of the year and was leading going into the 4th round of the final major, would you be rooting AGAINST him to take the slam? Do y'all just hate winners? What?
I'm right there with you Robert, I really don't get it either. There's a hatred towards them that goes far beyond a team rivalry thing. Granted, the videotaping early on this season didn't earn them any brownie points, but it goes much farther back than that. Seems like people find anything to not like them. The points driving arguments were just silly, like Yanko said in the other thread "mercy rules are for Pop Warner." And they've always (as far as I've seen) been respectful to other teams in press confs, no matter how badly they clobbered them. In the end though, there's no denying what a machine the Patriots are this year. Go Pats!
The pats were caught cheating in the begining of the season the same season they go almost go undefeated until their loss in the super bowl to the GIANTs.
I'm a UK/soccer person (proper football) but I'll be rooting for the Patriots on Sunday. As a neutral I'd like to see them set the unbeaten record to include the superbowl. Whatever happens it should be an amazing game. Anyone got pitchside seats with a super huge lens?
OK, just a bit of time over lunch, but here's my game breakdown:
Quarterback Even though Eli has played very well down the stretch, with Tom Brady on the other side, it's a nobrainer. Advantage Pats.
Running game This is a tough call. The Pats running game isn't a statistical match to the Giants simply because they have not needed to run the ball. They're a pass oriented attack from top to bottom. I think the Giants may have a slight advantage because of the size and power of Brandon Jacobs and the shifty speed of the new guy Bradshaw. But Maroney and Falk on the other side are plenty powerful too and have delivered every time the Pats have needed them. Advantage? Even.
Receivers Plax and Toomer on the one side and Moss/Welker/Stallworth/Gaffney on the other? As good as the Giants' receivers are, the edge has to go to the Pats.
Defense I could have broken this down to line, linebackers and secondary, but I'm too lazy. On balance, I like the Giants in this category. With Umenyiora and Strahan coming off the edges, they have a solid four man rush so they can keep 7 watching out for downfield action and passes out of the backfield. Can they get pressure on Brady? You bet they'll have a scheme. The Pat's defense is certainly awesome, filled with probowlers and future HOF candidates, but I give the edge in this game to the Giants.
Special Teams Many, many superbowls have come down to special teams play. From field goals to field position, sometimes this makes the difference. Tynes vs Gostkowski, punters, return game, etc. It's hard to discern a clear advantage here. Call it even.
Coaching Like with the quarterback category, kudos to Coughlin for what he's done, but the edge clearly goes to Bellichick and the Pats.
Intangibles I hate to put such importance on something so nebulous as the intangibles, but it feels very important. On the one side, the Pats are flirting with history. Having one 3 titles in the last six years, it might seem as though they're due for a letdown, the "nothing left to play for" syndrome. But this team has everything to play for. I doubt that any Patriot would admit it, but I think they believe if they lose the Superbowl, they will have lost everything. This season will only have meaning if they go 19-0. There is no consolation. The lure of a perfect season is important to them, as we heard them all admit after narrowly beating the Giants in week 17. No, the Pats will definitely be up for this game, well coached, well prepared, and ready to play. The Giants are flirting with their own version of this legend, though on the other side of the coin. The team many expect to lose. They can win and they know they can win. They just have to be ready and I believe Coughlin will have them ready. They can be the ones to spoil the perfect season, and have the '72 Dolphins hoisting champagne yet again. So who has the edge? I have to give it to New York. They nearly spoiled the perfect season once. They fell just short and lost by 3. It's rare to have a second chance so soon. I give the intangible edge to the Giants.
The tally:
I count three "edges" to the Pats, two to the Giants, and two even. That gives the Pats a 5-4 advantage the way I break down the game. It's going to be a lot closer than most people think. I'm going to predict the Pats by just 3 points, call it 34-31. I expect Kevin Faulk to come up really big. Watch for him out of the backfield. Remember what Dominic Rhodes did to the Bears in last year's superbowl? I also predict that Eli will have a good game, but in the end, the edge will be Brady's consistency and tenacity down the stretch. The difference might be an Eli mistake or miscue in the 4th quarter that allows the Pats to squeak by.
OK, just a bit of time over lunch, but here's my game breakdown...
Nice breakdown. I also think it will be close but the Giants have to be really careful here. If they go in saying Moss isn't going to beat us today then they will lose big. While he does need a lot of attention they can't let Welker and Faulk have a field day. If that happens they lose their defense in the second half and put more pressure on Manning since he'll have less possessions to work with. Plain and simple, the Giants need to dominate time of possession in order to win.
Didja ever notice how, if you squint your eyes, the number 42 in roman numerals spells KILL. So, in this picture it reads "Giants KILL Patriots"? Could this be an omen?
All I know is I simply want to see a bang-up game, my hot chili-cheese dip go cold from not paying it any attention due to the super game on the tube, my lady friend getting all hot from all of the testosterone in the room and ... when the game is over, I want to let out a sigh because I have been overwhelmed by the greatest football game...British, American, Australian, Canadian or whatever... of all "f"ing time!!!!!!!!!
Who cares if the Pats or Giants win.... I want the fans to win!!!!
Why do so many people say they are "tired of the perfect season" hype etc etc? It's not as if the PATRIOTS are responsible for all that bullshit, because they are not.
I'm tired of the perfect season talk, best team of all time, Brady is the greatest of all time... I agree it's not the pats fault (damn media), but I'd still like to see them lose, mostly so I don't have to hear about it all off season :)
No way around it, the Patriots are a heck of a team, I'll be rooting for the Giants though just because I tend to root for the underdog, and I like the manning family and am always glad to see them succeed.
Didja ever notice how, if you squint your eyes, the number 42 in roman numerals spells KILL. So, in this picture it reads "Giants KILL Patriots"? Could this be an omen?
Why do so many people say they are "tired of the perfect season" hype etc etc? It's not as if the PATRIOTS are responsible for all that bullshit, because they are not.
I'm tired of the perfect season talk, best team of all time, Brady is the greatest of all time... I agree it's not the pats fault (damn media), but I'd still like to see them lose, mostly so I don't have to hear about it all off season :)
Go Giants!!!
I'm tired of Boston period. The Red Sox won, Patriots probably will win and the Celtics are looking like the best thing in basketball this year. Even the Revolution reached the championship game in the MLS this season. All the more reason to cheer for the Giants! :)
Since I have absolutely no emotional investment at all in either team, I've been wondering which way to go with this game. Seven years ago, with the Dominant Rams playing the Underdog Patriots, I was largely impartial too, and generally went with the pack and expected the Rams to clobber the Pats, and started by cheering them on. As the game developed, I, along with millions of others, realized that the Patriots were something special, and that Brady might be the real thing. I still remember the final drive as Brady drove them down the field even as Madden was saying they should play conservatively for overtime.
Tonight the roles are reversed and the Pats are more dominant than the Rams ever dreamed of being, and the Giants are two TD dogs. Who to cheer for? How to approach this game?
I've decided, again, to take the favorite. The Pats quest for a perfect season and immortality is just too much to resist. Spygate be damned, I'm a New England fan tonight!
