Super Bowl XLII: Game of Champions

So far, the New York "Football" Giants have surprised even the best critics in the league by winning at Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Green Bay.

I, myself, happened to pick Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Green Bay, respectively, in each of these past three games. Obviously, I lost.

In the past three weeks the Giants have had a very surprising offense that has delivered when relied upon, the recent maturity and emergence of the new Eli "The Punk" Manning, and the nice breakout season from Brandon Jacobs.

The best thing about this Giants football team has probably been their defense, most notably their front seven. With two great defensive ends in Umenyiora and Strahan, the Giants have dominated many an offensive line. Plugging up the middle will be the two defensive tackles, Justin Tuck and Fred Robbins. Antonio Pierce leads the linebacking core which has had its share of tackles too.

The Patriots, however, are a completely different story. They did not come out of the blue. On the contrary, they came out as favorites to at least go to the league championships if not go all the way after they took Randy Moss from the Raiders for a fourth round draft pick.

Tom Brady has been one of the premiere quarterbacks in the league for the last few years, and like normal, he raised the bar so high that the other premiere quarterbacks of today could not even catch up. Breaking the touchdown record previously held by Peyton Manning, Brady can now be considered one of the best quarterbacks of this era, if not of all time.

He is surrounded by a plethora of receivers, all of who would probably be number one receivers on other teams. The Patriots defense has also exceeded expectations in being in the top 10 in almost every defensive category. The addition of Adalius Thomas has helped the linebacking core to become the best in the league.

This Patriot team might seem like the surefire choice to win the SuperBowl, but have your doubts because the Giants are coming hard...and with the punk.

Offense

Patriots. The Patriots get this because they have led the league, and continue to lead the league in points scored per game, overall yards per game, and passing yards per game. Many people see this Patriot team as a two or three man team, with Brady throwing the ball to either Moss or Wes Welker. This is not so.

Remember, we must give credit to the offensive line, which has only allowed 18 sacks during the regular season. That's pretty good when you play in the post-Lawrence Taylor era, where every defensive end is nimble, fast, and fat, all at the same time.

Much praise goes to the left tackle of the Patriots—none other than Mr. Matt Light. He is responsible for protecting Brady's blind side, and he does his job exceptionally well, seeing as Brady has not had a Theismann type of injury yet.

The wide receiving core, again, is the best in the league. Take any one of the three top receivers on their depth chart, and he could probably be the number one receiver on another team.

However, the biggest challenge for the Patriots will not be their ability to catch the ball, or to run the ball. It will be the ability to protect their supposedly hurt quarterback. As long as the blind side is protected by Light, Brady, who has excellent vision, should be able to step up and make enough throws to result in a Patriot win.

On the Giant side of the ball, we have Eli "the Punk" Manning. In the last game of the regular season against the Patriots Eli decided to show some spunk and tried to make the Patriots undefeated season go down the drain. While he did not succeed in doing that, his play in that game gave himself and his team some added momentum, as they cruised through their next three games. Their final challenge yet again, comes from the Patriots, and they are seeking revenge.

With Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress at wideout, the Giants are solid at the position. The key for the Giants will be their ability to run the ball against the Patriots very solid front seven. Should they be able to run the ball, they will have a very good chance to win this game.

Defense

Patriots. The Giants have the defensive line that can stand up the Patriot offensive line, but the Patriots have the linebacking core and the secondary that can shut down the run and the pass completely.

Starting with the Patriot secondary, we have Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs at the corner positions. These two men are probably in the top 10 as cornerbacks. However, seeing from last week's game against Green Bay, Burress made a killing off of Al Harris, even though Harris decided to play the physical game against him. This would probably be the most effective way to shut him down, but Samuel is going to have a tough time doing it, seeing as he is not that physical of a player. Hobbs might be a bit short for his position, but he is one of the best in the game, and can probably hold Amani Toomer to short catches in long yard situations.

And for the Patriot linebacker core. Must I say more?

I have a feeling that Eli might be on his bottom quite a bit come Super Bowl Sunday if Adalius Thomas can bring the late blitz up the middle.

The Giants defensive line is the best in the game. No question about it. They have played, for the most part, solid all year long, and it would not surprise me if they gave the Patriot offensive line the fight of their lives.

My uncertainty is with the Giant secondary. With Corey Webster at corner along with Aaron Ross and Sam Madison, the Giants are good. Not great, but good enough to hold down at least one receiver. The linebacking core of the Giants is decent with Antonio Pierce leading the way. I can see Lawrence Maroney getting stuffed by this front seven of the Giants, taking the game to an all out air raid.

Special Teams

Patriots. Jason Gostkowski is one of the best young kickers I know, and Lawrence Tynes is totally unpredictable. While Gostkowski may not be Vinaeteri caliber yet, he's definitely getting there.

On punt and kick returns, we must also give this to the Patriots. If you have not seen Wes Welker return a kick for a touchdown, you are missing out on something magical. The coverage also goes to the Patriots seeing as they have the most depth out of any team in the NFL.

Coaching

Bill Belichick or Tom Coughlin? No question about it. Belichick has Super Bowl rings in all sorts of colors and sizes. Coughlin, on the other hand, has none. Belichik's playbook is also more extensive and he uses it very well to expose the other team's weakness.

Wild Card

There are quite a few things that can determine the result of this game:

1. Tom Brady. If Brady is seriously hurt, the Patriots are in trouble. Matt Cassell is not prepared to handle a game of this intensity in the case that Brady is either ineffective or cannot play due to injury.

2. Eli Manning. Which Eli will we see? The "Punk" who fumbles the ball every other play? Or will we see the Peyton-esque one, efficient in finding receivers through small windows?

3. Giants Secondary. Can they step up and shut down Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Donte Stallworth?

4. Giants Secondary. Will they be caught by surprise at Kevin Faulk's clutch catches coming out of the backfield?

5. Jason Gostkowski. Is he ready to make a game-winning field goal?

6. Lawrence Tynes. Is he ready to make any type of field goal?

My Call

In this rematch of the end of the regular season, I will have to go with the Patriots by seven.