Patriot Super Bowl thoughts

Well, it is 6:28 am on February 3rd, 2008. I have been up for an hour and I really didn't get much sleep last night. I could be the decongestant I am on. It could be musical beds with the sick children. It could be the Super Bowl is finally here today. I could be that I turn 40 tomorrow.

It could be all of the above.

I have random thoughts on the game tonight and the weeks up to the game.

Tom Brady

Tom had a bad, 3 interception, game against San Diego. Though he won't admit it, anyone watching him knows he was ill. That affected judgment and timing. Tom's throws were impatient and off. Who knows about the ankle? Add a bad ankle to the mix and he is not himself but the team still won. San Diego's secondary I dare say is better than the Giant's. Tom is healthy today and very focused on the job at hand. He never has two bad games in a row.

Junior Seau

Junior entered the league in 1991 and his team made it to Super Bowl XXIX in January of 1995 with his hometown Chargers only to be shellacked by the 49ers. That means it has been 13 more seasons in which he has not seen the big dance. Last year he broke is arm with the Pats and couldn't help them get there. However as we wake up today, Junior is healthy and fired up. Fired up is putting it mildly. He had a phenomenal game against the Chargers in the AFC title game and since he is now 39 this may be the last game of his hall-of-fame career.


The Refs

If you have read my blogs you know I believe that the NFL has a man-crush on Peyton Manning. For years they have been trying to get Peyton into the Super Bowl but other teams have gotten in the way. When playing the Colts you can expect the most egregious calls against your team, especially the phantom interference call. This year even the refs couldn't help him. But Hey his little brother is in the Super Bowl! The NFL has never given that kind of treatment to Eli and his Giants. Perhaps if Bill Polian were in the Giant's organization they would but that is a topic for another day.
The Refs play a crucial role in the outcome of a game. An interference call is absolutely devastating in the NFL but when you look at the replay and there is no interference and the team got a touchdown instead of punting then it's like a dagger to the heart. It will be interesting to see if the refs start to call a bad game to the benefit of Eli so that they can market the "Super Bowl Champ Brothers". Eeeek.

Eli Manning

Eli has been the best quarterback in the playoffs this year. He hasn't had phenomenal numbers but he also hasn't made mistakes which is his biggest problem in his career. Burress is a game time decision (we think) but he has been Eli's go-to guy. Eli's last interception was against the Pats in week 17 because, I believe, he was getting nervous about the ensuing track meet with Tom Brady.

The Giants rhythm

The Giants have been on a roll. They have been in a rhythm, playing every week. The Super Bowl is different. There is two weeks of hyped up craziness. How will this affect their "rhythm"? The Patriots have been here before in recent years and know what it is all about.

Bill Belichick's focus

Bill has been here many times and he knows what mental shape his team needs to be in. On Wednesday he pulled the entire team off the field because he felt they were practicing like crap.
That team will be mentally ready.

Strahan/Umenyiora

They barely got to Brady in week 17 and the Pats had no tight ends that game. Also two of their linemen were out. Protection will be different today. Strahan will also be playing his head off today. He went to the Super Bowl in January 2001. His career is near the end and he may not be on another Giants team that peaks at the right time.

Jacobs/Bradshaw

This is the phenomenal tandem of backs that the Giants have. The Pats had a lot of trouble initially with Jacobs in week 17 until they adjusted in the second half. They have not seen Bradshaw yet but they hit or miss with backs of his style like Tomlinson and McGahee.

Maroney

He has been the best back in the playoffs. He benefits from Moss tremendously. However he still needs to run. And he has. He has been on fire and on a mission. What he has going for him the most are his fresh legs. With the out-of-this-world passing attack for the first dozen games, Maroney did not have to do much running. You can really see that now as he seems to have the freshest legs on the field in the 4th quarter. That was the difference in the AFC championship game.

Injuries

Who knows who will get hurt today and what affect it will have. It is always there.

Rodney Harrison

Stupid penalties or super plays, he is a difference maker. He thrives in the big dance.

Randy Moss

How will the legend do in his first Super Bowl of his long career? Will he be double teamed all night? Will he be nervous and fumble a ball or drop a pass? This is his chance to shine.

Bulliten Board material

First Osi Umenyiora said that Matt Light was a dirty player. The offensive line is good enough. They didn't need a rallying cry for one of their own. Then Plaxico Burress guarenteed and win and came up with a score! Who does that?!?! Didn't they see what happened the last time someone guarenteed a win against the Patriots?

Spygate redeux

Grandstanding politician, Arlen Spector, had to pick the week leading up to the Super Bowl to bring up cameragate... Now the government wants to step in and stop this unpopular team!! I can just see the absolute FOCUS in the Patriot locker room to win it for their coach. Thank you Senator.

So many questions. So many variables. So looking forward to my nap before the game.