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The Pats look for revenge

By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer

Super Bowl Week. This is that

wonderful time where every
possible storyline is flogged to
death amid a maelstrom of rabid
reporters, hyped-up athletes,
over-zealous fans, and of course,
scantily-clad cheerleaders. The
matchup this time around? The
New England Patriots taking on the
New York Giants.

If you're feeling a little déja vu
right now, don’t be surprised. Super
Bow! XLII was also the Patriots
against the Giants. It was the setting
for that miracle scramble by Eli
Manning, that catch by David Tyree,
and the unbelievable upset by the
Giants of the Pats’ perfect season.
But this is not 2008, and Tyree no
longer plays for the Giants. The
Pats are not undefeated, and, roster-
wise at least, bear little resemblance
to their past Super Bowl team. A
mere seven players remain from
their 53-man roster, a testament to
the ability of coach Bill Belichick.
The Giants, on the other hand, still
have 17 players who played in that
championship game. With such a
high turnover from the Pats last
AFC Championship-winning roster,
the only real personnel rematch
here is between Tom Brady and Eli
Manning.

20

iE that time of year again.

‘a

Brady, the classic underdog
story. The sixth-rounder who
decided he could play above
his station. The consistently
outstanding quarterback. The
three-time Super Bowl champion.
The sure-fire future Hall of Famer.
And in the other corner? Peyton’s
little brother. The quiet one.

The man seemingly doomed to
forever bask in the shadow of his

The Pats’ offense this year has
been incredible... and it has had
to be. With no real wide receivers
making contributions other than
Wes Welker (1,569 yards) and a
modest contribution from Deion
Branch (702 yards), Brady had
to find another way. And he did.
Tight ends Rob Gronkowski and
Aaron Hernandez combined for
2,237 yards and 24 touchdowns,

“With two top offenses facing off against two of the worst defences, this
game has all the makings of a shootout.”

superstar brother. But now the
young Manning has an opportunity
to finally pass his brother in
something: Super Bowl rings.

That last point leads nicely into
another point of interest. The game
is being played in Peyton’s house,
Indianapolis. With the outstanding
season that he has had to date,
there would be nothing sweeter for
Eli than to finish off his year with
a victory on his brother’s turf. Of
course, with both Manning brothers
tied into this game in some way,
fully expect dad (Archie) to find a
way to get himself into the centre of
things as well.

With the fluff out of the way,
it’s time to look at the game itself.

with Gronkowski setting a tight
end record with 17 on the season.
Sprinkle in a running game led by
“The Firm,” BenJarvus Green-Ellis,
and it suddenly becomes clear why
the Boston-based franchise is back
in the Super Bowl.

The Giants have also enjoyed
surprising success on offense.
Eli Manning finally put forth a
remarkable season aided by the
breakout of Victor Cruz (who?)
with 1,536 yards receiving. On the
ground, the tandem of Ahmad
Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs
combined for over 1,000 yards to
balance out the attack. I’ve never
been a fan of Eli, but, with results
like this, you have to respect the

 

1

guy.

Moving to the other side of
the ball, it’s a mess for both teams.
With the Patriots ‘boasting’ the
31st ranked passing defence and
the Giants possessing the 29th, it’s
safe to say that neither secondary
is anything to write home about.
The run-defence is only moderately
better, with the teams both hovering
around the 20th spot... and they say
defence wins championships.

With two top offenses facing off
against two of the worst defences,
this game has all the makings of
a shootout. Expect to see both
secondaries get shredded in this
one, and a total score ranging in
the 60-range or higher. I’ve got to
say that I’m very relieved that it’s
not the 49ers and the Ravens in
the final. Outside of the fact that
the Harbaugh brothers would be
facing off as coaches, the game
would have been a snore-fest since
it would be the exact opposite of
this game!

Taking a desperate stab at the
final score, and possible Vegas
stardom, my predicted final score is
35-32 for the Patriots. Now go buy
some chips!