I haven’t been able to get all that excited about the Super Bowl this year. Last year, it was SO awesome to have the Bears in the Super Bowl, until it all went downhill after the Devin Hester kickoff return touchdown. This year, we have a cheaty-pants team that wins too much and a team from New York. The good thing is that, as much as I hate to cheer for a New York team, the Cinderella-like Giants just don’t grate like, say, the Yankees and the Knicks.
Eli is like the anti-Brady, a dorky li’l brother whose mom probably doesn’t expect him to be as successful as Peyton. Plaxico Burress, well, where do I start? This guy just kicks ass. I love him. All season, the fragile and often-questionable Burress seemed only minutes away from being a has-been. He came through at the end, though, scoring two touchdowns in that awesome game against the Pats to end the season.
I love a shit-talker, too. When Burress said that the Giants will beat the Pats 23-17, I thought that was awesome. For one, I usually won’t hate on someone for getting his mojo by shit talking before a big game. Also, it’s just fun. Some people think this kind of talk is stupid, especially against the Patriots. But here’s the thing — if Plaxico talks shit and the Patriots get pissed off about it and decide to double cover him and effectively take him out of the game (if he plays), that just leaves room for other guys to step up and score some TDs. If he doesn’t play, there’s no good target for Patriots hate on the field, and maybe that will take a little off their edge.
I’m no swami, and I have no idea who will win this game. That said, I think there are two keys to a Giants victory — the pass rush and the running game. The Giants need to pass rush like they’ve never pass rushed before. They have the guys to do this, and they need to go after Brady — I’m not saying that they should play dirty or anything, but they need to flatten him and his pretend ankle injury. I’ll admit that this is way out there, but what if the “ankle injury” is just a distraction for a real injury Brady has, intended to make the defense focus on his ankle instead of whatever really is hurt? Tell me that wouldn’t be within the realm of Belichickean possibility.
The Giants’ running game needs to be on point. I’ve been a fan of their RBs all year, and have had all of them (except Bradshaw, who is a pleasant surprise) on my fantasy football team at some point. Plaxico, whether injured or squashed by the defense, will be a nonfactor. He’s had some good moments, but I don’t necessarily trust Amani Toomer to come through (although he should be good for some nice yardage if Eli can find the holes in the Pats’ defense). But the running game is where the Giants have the chance to put some good numbers on the board. Brandon Jacobs is a monster and should be able to knock through defenders like a bowling ball through pins, and the speedy Bradshaw brings the often-mentioned change of pace.
If the last Giants/Pats game is any indication, this should be a good game, as long as the Giants don’t get too far behind and have to throw too much. I hope the Giants win and there are at least a few good commercials (I’m not their target audience, so I’m not expecting much). Happy Super Bowl, everyone!
