Super Bowl XLVI Preview

 

One of the most anticipated and most talked about games has finally arrived when the New England Patriots and New York Giants meet in Super Bowl XLVI to be played in the city of Indianapolis on Sunday night – Monday morning AEST.

The American League Champions (AFC) Patriots will enter the game as slight favourites over the National League Champions (NFC) Giants which will be played at the recently constructed Lucas Oil Stadium right in the heart of the host city.

This will be the first teams have returned back to the Super Bowl since that epic season decider four years where the Giants denied the Patriots a perfect season down in Arizona.

On that occasion the Giants scored a late touchdown to win 17-14 and claim their third NFL title from four appearances and this time New York will be looking to become the first ever team to win the Super Bowl having won nine games during the regular season.

New England will be riding high on the back of the 10-game winning streak as they enter what will be there seventh Super Bowl appearance, whilst the Giants in their fifth appearance in the biggest game in American sports comes into the contest having won six of seven and with the knowledge of having beaten the Patriots earlier this season.

Both teams will enter the game with confidence and question marks and Sports Force Interactive will look to dissect both teams and make an argument on who will walk out with the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

New England Patriots

Tom Brady: He has already won three Super Bowl rings but the man who is highly regarded as the best quarterback in the NFL is desperate to avenge his side’s defeat to the Giants four years ago.

Tom Brady, who is one of three men (Drew Brees and Matthew Stafford are the other two) to throw for more than 5,000 yards (5,321) this season is looking for redemption when the two teams lock horns around 6:29pm Eastern Standard time – 10:29am AEST.

“Any time you lose, it’s a tough thing,” Brady said during the week. “We’ve lost one Super Bowl. I remember waking up in Arizona the next morning after an hour of sleep thinking, that was a nightmare, that didn’t happen.”

On that occasion Brady was looking to lead his then undefeated Patriots to what would have been their fourth Super Bowl title but he will get a chance at that again on Sunday.

However one of Brady’s major weapons in tight-end Rob Gronkowski will enter the game with a suspect ankle and the former two-time Super Bowl MVP will have to rely on his other offensive weapons including wide receiver Wes Welker and fellow tight-end Aaron Hernandez to beat the Giants.

Should Brady lead the Patriots to success then he will join two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Joe Montana (San Francisco 49ers) and Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh Steelers) with four Super Bowl wins, the most for any in that position.

Bill Belichick: The man known as the ‘evil genius’ for some indiscretions he has committed in the past will look to guide the Patriots to what would be their fourth Super Bowl success in 10 years.

Bill Belichick has surprised many this week with his less rigid press conferences but his focus remains the same, on the New York Giants where he once worked as a defensive coordinator.

“We have to go out and play a good football game all the way around in all three phases of the game. The Giants are good on offense, defense and special teams. They are well-coached, disciplined and tough. We will have to match their effort and do a little bit more,” Belichick said on media day.

Belichick who like his counterpart Tom Coughlin comes from the tutelage of the legendary Bill Parcells and is a master of coming up with schemes and schematics, especially when given a fortnight to do so.

Should the Patriots avenge their defeat to the Giants four years ago and again this season then Belichick will join the legendary Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Knoll as the only head coaches to have won four Super Bowls.

Rob Gronkowski: Clearly the biggest on field story of the week has been Patriots all pro tight-end Rob Gronkowski and his injured ankle.

Second year player Gronkowski suffered a high ankle sprain to his left foot in his side’s AFC Championship Game win over the Baltimore Ravens and has been in a race against time to get fit ahead of the game on Sunday.

Gronkowski who wore a moon boot following the win over the Ravens removed it for media day on Tuesday and practised on Wednesday as he looks good to go ahead of Sunday.

“I am improving every day,” commented Gronkowski to reporters earlier this week. “When you are hurt, you want to improve every day. You are just trying to get stronger every day. Listen to the training staff and what they have to say. Trying to heal up, getting stronger and making sure I am more fluid out there and can be on it and everything. Basically, going in the right direction.”

Gronkowski who has set an NFL record for most receiving yards (1,327) and touchdowns (17) for a tight-end is vitally important to the Patriots offense which includes fellow tight-end Aaron Hernandez and the team’s and league’s leading receiver in Wes Welker.

Defense: All season long the Patriots defense has been criticised and scored upon like as if they weren’t there but that has changed during the post-season.

New England entered the playoffs with a woefully 31^st ranked defense but that has changed during the playoffs where they have recorded eight sacks.

Against the Broncos their pass rush come alive as they hounded Tim Tebow and limited Denver to 10 points.

Whilst their run defense come through big time in the AFC Championship Game as although Joe Flacco beat them through the air they restricted running back Ray Rice on the ground on their way to holding the Ravens to 20-points.

“We’re at a good place right now,” Patriots defensive end Mark Anderson said. “You should be showing up when it’s playoff time. All the stuff in the regular season doesn’t really matter to this point until you get to the next level, and that’s winning a championship.”

The Patriots defense will be coming up against Eli Manning and the explosive New York Giants offense and one of the key components will they be able to put pressure on the quarterback and somehow stop the three prong outside attack of Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham.

MHK: Sadly Myra Hiatt Kraft (MHK) won’t be there in Indianapolis as the long-time wife of Patriots owner Robert Kraft passed away six months ago.

But Myra, who is often referred to as ‘Mama’ by the Patriots players will be there in spirit as she has all season long.

A majority of the Patriots were the emblem ‘MHK’ either on their jersey’s or in Tom Brady’s case on their sweatband to keep alive her spirit and that was none more evident when running back Benjarvus Green-Ellis pointed to the emblem when he ran in the opening touchdown against the Ravens.

“She is a woman who has been smiling down on us over the course of this season,” Brady said two weeks ago after the Ravens missed a chip shot field goal which would have sent the game into overtime.

New York Giants

Eli Manning: Not one player on either side of the ball comes into the Super Bowl as hot as Eli Manning.

The New York Giant quarterback has had his best season to date (4,933 yards; 29 TD’s) but it has been this last five weeks when his team really needed him that the younger brother of Peyton has stood up.

Manning has thrown for 11 touchdowns and only one interception in his past five games and has set a league record for most fourth quarter comebacks (five) in one season.

He is also unbelievable in third down situations and lead the Giants to that incredible Super Bowl victory four years ago, where he was named MVP.

However Manning doesn’t want to hear about all that or what would a second title mean to his legacy.

He just wants to focus on the job a hand and the Patriots whom he has beaten the last two times they have meet.

“You don’t think about that as a player. You concentrate on the opponent, that’s New England – trying to get ready for them. You try to keep your mind focused on the job and what style of football it’s going to take to win this game. If you get concerned with other things, it takes your focus off what your job has to be for this coming Sunday,” Manning told reporters earlier this week when asked what a second title would mean.

“That’s the mindset of the players and the coaches – just trying to get ready and focused to go out there and play your best football.”

Tom Coughlin: Two months ago and there were growing calls for Tom Coughlin to be fired as New York Giants head coach as his team slumped to their fourth consecutive defeat.

However since that loss to the Green Bay Packers the Giants have got on a roll as they beat the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys to get into the playoffs and beat the likes of the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers on their way to the Super Bowl.

Five consecutive victories and that can be mostly put down to Coughlin and his team for once again proving their determination to win and showing resilience in America’s biggest city.

“Surround yourself with great people, people who have an outstanding work ethic, people who are business-like, who are focused and concentrated. Get everybody on the same page and have the same inspiration, same kind of drive, same kind of desire. Do the very, very best you can. Work to the best of your ability,” Coughlin said earlier this week on what it takes to be a winner.

At age 65 Coughlin will be the oldest ever head coach to win the Super Bowl should the Giants once again prevail against the Patriots.

Defense: Although the Giants defense is rated amongst the worst in the league it may be the key in what they hope will be the franchises fourth Super Bowl success.

New York enters this game on the back of a five game winning streak and no coincidence that their defense has gotten healthy at the right time of the season.

Their front four lead by Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora have been outstanding in that win streak as they have consistently pressured the opposition quarterback.

Mark Sanchez (Jets), Tony Romo (Cowboys), Matt Ryan (Falcons), Aaron Rodgers (Packers) and Alex Smith (49ers) have all felt the pressure of the Giants front four this past five weeks and next up on their list is the one and only Tom Brady.

“We know it’s going to be a tough game and physical game, and they’re going to throwing stuff at us that we might not have ever seen before,” said Pierre-Paul who lead the team with 16.5 sacks during the regular season. “But we’re going to get the job done.”

“We’re going to get to Tom Brady. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. We’re going to get there. We’re going to pressure him and we’re going to bring our A-game.”

Four years ago the Giants defensive line man handled Brady but the Patriots quarterback is determined to make amends for his performance.

That may mean the Giants secondary (ranked 29^th) will have to come up with a few plays and they have so far proven that during this post-season.

Nicks; Manningham; Cruz: Eli Manning would not be playing nearly as good if he did not have his efficient and effective three-prong wide receiver core of Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz by his side.

Un-drafted Victor Cruz, who has come out of obscurity this season has set a franchise record in receiving yards (1,536) and caught nine touchdowns, whilst both Nicks and Manningham have come up huge throughout this season.

Nicks has caught two long touchdowns and been the main target for Manning throughout the playoffs, whilst Manningham caught two touchdown passes in the Giants 20-17 (OT) victory against the 49ers.

However it has been the story of Cruz and his salsa celebrations that has captured the attention and many believe that the second year man out of the University of Massachusetts can be the game breaker and even the Super Bowl MVP.

Cruz caught nine passes for 91 yards in the Giants 24-20 win over the Patriots back in week nine and the wide receiver will look to take advantage of the poor New England pass defense.

Deja-Blue: The New York Giants run this season is reminiscent of eventual champions the Green Bay Packers last year who had to win their last two games of the regular season to make it into the post-season then win all three games on the road on their way to win the Super Bowl.

Unlike the Packers the Giants hosted their first playoff game as winners of the NFC East but that’s were the differences end and their similarities resume.

But the Giants did have to win three road games once to make the Super Bowl and that was four years ago and on that occasion they beat the Packers in the NFC Championship on the back of a Lawrence Tynes field goal in overtime.

Fast forward four years and the Giants once again claimed the NFC Championship, on the road, in overtime, and behind a Tynes field goal.

Eerily similar you say well it hasn’t ended there as just like four years ago the Giants won the game on the back of a turnover and they so in the late game.

Remarkably the Giants season looked to be shot to pieces when they lost to the Washington Redskins in week 15 of the regular season as they only scored 10 points.

Yes would you believe the same exact scenario played out four years ago before the Giants went on and won the Super Bowl.Whilst Tom Brady has this incredible record against Peyton Manning he doesn’t have the same success against Peyton’s younger brother in Eli who amazingly threw late touchdown to beat the Patriots again this season.

Prediction: Whilst the entire world seems to be singing the praises of one Eli Manning and the Giants Sports Force Interactive believes that Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots will exact revenge and take out the Super Bowl 34-20 with tight-end Aaron Hernandez the game’s MVP.