Random Musings: The Giants' Chances, Tom Brady's Ankle, and More

Welcome to the NFL Super Bowl, err—Big Game bye week. 

Normally, it’s just practice for the off season.  No NFL games, reduced to watching the NBA (on TNT), NHL (on OLN), college basketball (on ESPN and ESPN2), or professional curling (on ESPN 12)—it’s a nightmare to prepare us for the nightmarishly long NFL offseason.

But it’s so much worse when your favorite team is in the big game.

If you’re like me, you’re reduced to writing fake Tom Brady interviews. (Look, I’m sorry about the shameless self promotion, but I really, really need a new Patriot jersey with my name on the back.)

I also began writing the longest mock draft in the history of the Internet.   So far, the Dolphins-2008_NFL_Mock_Draft_Miami_Dolphins-230108">Dolphins and Rams-2008_NFL_Mock_Draft_St_Louis_Rams-250108">Rams have made their selections (Glenn Dorsey and Jake Long respectively). 

I’ll probably get the next two picks up sometime this week.

Tom Brady’s Famous Ankle

Tom Brady’s ankle hasn’t had this much press coverage since the 2001 Super Bowl. 

A high ankle sprain didn’t keep him out of the Super Bowl in 2001 (and we all know how that worked out). Does anyone really think the same injury will keep him out of the 2007 Super Bowl?

That said, the ankle injury clearly affected his performance in the AFC championship game. His mechanics were off, he missed open guys, and played his worst game of the season. 

If he has the same type of performance in the Super Bowl, the Giants definitely have a chance.

Speaking of the Giants and Their Chances

I like how people are pointing to the week 17 “close” game between the Patriots and Giants and using that as cause to believe the Super Bowl is going to be a close game. 

Well, allow me to retort…

1. The Patriots played eight minutes of good offensive football in that game, yet they still scored 38 points.

2. Yes, the game ended up being a three-point game, but that was after a garbage touchdown late in the fourth quarter after the Patriots’ defense called off the dogs. It was really a ten point game.

3. The Patriots were on the road, in Giants Stadium, and still managed to beat the Giants.

4. The Giants are playing on some serious momentum—momentum which is likely to be impacted by the two week layoff. The Giants would have preferred to play this Sunday instead of next, no doubt about that.

5. Let’s not forget, their momentous run through the NFC playoffs began with a LOSS to the New England Patriots. The revisionists among us are treating that game as if the Giants won.

I’m not making an official prediction until Thursday, but if anyone can give me a reason to expect the Giants to keep the game close, please feel free to post it in the comments section below. 

I’m looking for reasons to believe this will be a good Super Bowl—I just can’t seem to find any particularly convincing ones.

Other Random Tidbits

1. I know this isn’t at all sports related, but of everything that came out of the whole Heath Ledger thing, I can’t seem to get past the fact that the Brokeback Mountain guy was dating the little girl from Full House.

2. The latest evidence that Al Davis is completely insane: his asking Lane Kiffin to resign this week. Kiffin did a decent job with an awful team. He turned around the attitude there, which is a miracle in and of itself.

Now Davis wants to bring in Denny Green, who he very easily could have brought in last season.

If I’m Kiffin, I walk away. Everyone respects the job he did down there. There will be other coaching opportunities at teams not run by a completely insane, maniacal, Monty Burns-like old man.

3. I’ve gotten a few emails asking why I’m so hard on Jessica Simpson. It’s a long story, but it starts and ends with having a wife that thoroughly enjoyed her reality show.

That’s a half hour per week for two years of my life that I’ll never have back. If anything, I've been too easy on her.

4. Our favorite professional sports team owner, Hank Steinbrenner, checked in with a passionate defense of his Yankee’s late-90s dynasty. 

Believe it or not, I agree with him. 

The Yankee Way is to win at all costs. When you’re outspending everyone by $100,000,000 every season, you would expect your players to do whatever it takes to win. 

Heck, you’d be ticked off if they WEREN’T on steroids.

For that kind of money, you expect the best players money can buy and science can build.

5. I know you’re all eagerly anticipating my official endorsement, but I’m still not sure who I’m going to throw my considerable influence behind in the Presidential race. I’m waiting on the poll numbers to figure out if my endorsement helps or hurts. 

If it hurts, I’ll throw my support behind Hillary.

6. Did I mention my Tom Brady interview yet?

In Closing

Unlike the Johan Santana trade, I’m ending this thing before it gets all drawn out and boring (or more so than it’s already become). 

If you’re bored this week, check out Casey’s Clipboard & Wally’s World for some good reads (including a great article on the AFL). 

Or you could just check out my Tom Brady interview (shameless).

I’m SeanMC.

SeanMC is a Columnist at Bleacher Report.  If you’d like to read more of his wonderful columns, you can do so here.  You can keep up with everything SeanMC writes (including articles he’s written for other web sites) at his blog.