Welcome back, sportz freaks to a super edition of Z Money's Sportz Talk. It seems like forever ago we watched New England survive against Baltimore and the Giants capitalize on a key turnover to down the 49ers. But finally, after two long weeks (with a horrendous Pro Bowl tossed in the middle), we have arrived at the greatest day in the sports calendar: Super Bowl Sunday. The above image informs us that this year's showdown will be taking place between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants...again. While some are thrilled about the rematch, others complain that they want new teams to be in. Regardless of which stance you take on the issue, the fact is that the Pats and the G Men are squaring off for the seocnd time in four years. Last time out it was the Giants who stunned the world when they knocked off previously 18-0 New England, giving the younger Manning brother his first championship. This year, the Giants seem even stronger than that '07 team, and Eli has been fantastic. On the other side, Tom Brady has been his usual great self and seems focused and determined. You know that the Pats will be out for a huge dose of revenge stew once kickoff takes place. Will we see a repeat of Super Bowl XLII, or will New England notch its fourth championship in the last decade? I'm here to give you my take on who will walk away as Super Bowl Champions on Sunday night. Let's get started!
SUPER BOWL XLVI: 6:30PM EST @ Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN
NFC #4 New York Giants (12-7) vs. AFC #1 New England Patriots (15-3)
You know the drill, I'm going to break this thing down position by position and as always, we start under center with the quarterbacks. There is no doubt that we are watching one of the all-time greats whenever we see Tom Brady step out onto the field. The guy just has it and you can almost always trust him to be great when you need him. He's certainly been great for New England this year, and seems to have sort of a chip on his shoulder as he enters this huge rematch. On the flip side, Eli Manning, cast into the shadow of elder brother Peyton early in his career, suddenly has a chance to pass big bro in terms of titles. This is perhaps Eli's greatest season to date, and he looks even better than he did four years ago with the championship club. He's led the G-Men valiantly through three tough games thus far and is ready for one more upset of the Pats. I'm giving this one a draw, as both Manning and Brady are extremely reliable, and both can be trusted to lead a game-winning drive at game's end if needed.
The rushing debate isn't really much of one at all, as the Giants wil send out a two-headed machine in Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. These two have been spectacular thus far in the post-season and could prove to be a major problem for a less-than-stellar New England defense. The Pats will send out Benjarvus Green-Ellis, who has had himself a decent playoffs thus far, but the question that always arises is just how many touches will he get? If he is fed the ball early, he has the potential to have a productive outing. However, the possibility always exists that Brady airs it out forty times and he sees about ten touches. I'll give New York the nod here on this one.
As far as wide receivers go, the Giants bring a seemingly unstoppable force in Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, as well as an occasional TD toss to Mario Manningham. They also have a hefty tight end in Jake Ballard who could create a match up nightmare in the New England secondary. The Pats will trot out this year's top receiver in Wes Welker, as well as the leading scorer among tight ends in NFL history, Rob Gronkowski. 'Gronk' has been phenomenal all season, but he's a bit banged up and may not be at 100%. Nevertheless, the big man will be on the field for the big game, and if the O-line protects Brady he could be a huge threat. It's a close one here, but combine Welker and Gronkowski with Aaron Hernandez and former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch, and the Pats' weapons look just a bit more appealing.
Defensively, this just seems to be no contest. The Giants' defensive unit has been a force to be reckoned with over the past month and a half, and will be looking to get after Brady early and often. Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umeniyora present a tremendous challenge for the Pats' O-line and if Brady is not protected, this will be a long night. The New England defense has been ridiculed all season, although they have looked a tad bit better as of late. The key for them will be covering the Giants' dynamic receivers, as well as being able to stop the run. Keeping Jacobs and Bradshaw's numbers down will be essential if a New England victory is to occur. This match up undoubtedly belongs to the Giants, however.
The two coaches are equal in my opinion here, with Belichick just a notch ahead of Coughlin. However, the Giants' coach has that one deciding victory over his foe this Sunday already this season, as well as that lingering defeat suffered by New England four years ago. Look for both these coaches to play some mind games early in this one.
What this all comes down to is a battle of who wants it more. The G-men look like a team of destiny once again, scratching and clawing their ways from 7-7 to 9-7 and then three impressive playoff victories, including road wins over the #1 and #2 seeds in the NFC, respectively. The Pats have seemingly cruised all season, and easily ousted the #4 seeded Broncos before squeaking out a win over Baltimore two weeks ago. New England was able to score in that game against a tough defensive unit, and could produce similar numbers on Sunday. The Giants (and their fans) are convinced that this is Deja-Blue for New York and that we will see a repeat of four years ago. Tom Brady and company seem to have different plans, and are undoubtedly tired of hearing that they cannot beat the G-men. I'm not sure this game will live up to the hype created by its 2007 counterpart, but it should be a dandy nonetheless. When push comes to shove, I think Tom Brady will prove once and for all that he is the greatest quarterback of this era and get the Giant monkey off his back. I'll take New England in a revenge game as the G-men had four years ago.
Prediction: Brady finally shakes Eli, Giants. Pats win Super Bowl XLVI 27-21.
