Super Bowl XLII: Working Your Way Up

Today is the day that we split it up.

On day three of the "Super Bowl Stories You May Not Have Thought Of" Mini-Series (I probably change the name every day) we get equal coverage between the Patriots and Giants.

Thursday will then concentrate on the Giants, and Friday is another split article—as there's a little surprise coming up for everyone.

To achieve anything worthwhile, you have to persevere.

I'm not sure if that's an actual quote or I just made it up, but it pretty well embodies what it takes to win a championship in professional sports, doesn't it?

Some players have to persevere their entire careers, and once they achieve the ultimate goal of winning the "ultimate prize," they call it quits.

For some, success comes early, and they get stuck trying to convince their on-lookers that their winning ways, much like the truth, is more than fleeting.

But some players just have to go through hell and back again before they even get to smell the "biggest game of the year".

For the New England Patriots, we're giving the linebackers a rest; that's not to say that no one else on this Patriots team hasn't longed for a championship, but there's two very interesting stories in the receiving corps that might motivate this team even more come Sunday.

Wes Welker and Randy Moss are at very different ends of the spectrum.

Randy Moss is 6'4", while Wes Welker is 5'9".

Randy Moss was drafted in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and despite having a troubled reputation in High School, was pursued by Florida State.

Welker was a mere afterthought on NFL Draft boards and College signing days alike; becoming a last-minute signing in the college ranks, and an undrafted free agent following his time at Texas Tech.

Randy Moss set an NFL rookie record of 17 touch down catches.

Wes Welker was cut by the San Diego Chargers in 2004, and didn't catch his first NFL touchdown until 2006.

Randy Moss has had a few rough patches throughout his career: His comments about the Marshall plane crash, leaving the field early, bumping a traffic officer with his car, mooning the crowd at Lambeau Field during the playoffs, and an accusation of dating violence.

The only rough patch Wes Welker has hit, is the one under his chin.

From there however, the differences seem to end.

Even though Moss has played in the playoffs before, he has never reached the big game. Being this is Welker's first trip to the post-season, it's also his first trip to Media-week and the hilarity that ensues. 

In addition, neither player has a record over .500 in the past three years, as Moss played for Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders teams that went a combined 14-34, while Welker's Dolphins went 19-29 from 2004 to 2006. 

Whether it's for Welker's lack of size, or Moss' lack of effort each player has hit their share of snags over their careers, but together they've elevated the Patriots offense, and have put them into position to win the first Super Bowl titles of their careers.

Down in New York, players have come from across the country, and across the pond.

You may know Lawrence Tynes. He was the kicker who missed two go-ahead kicks in the dying minutes of the NFC Championship game at Lambeau, but then became the first player to kick a field goal over 40 yards, in the playoffs, on the Frozen Tundra. 

Now he's in position to kick down the Patriots' door this coming Sunday.

Despite only playing in the NFL for a total of three years prior to 2007 (all of those years with the Chiefs), Tynes has made his mark in football all over the world.

Go back to NFL Europe; Tynes split time kicking on the 2002 Scottish Claymores-a team that ended up going 5-5 on the season. 

One year later, Tynes set the CFL record for field goals made in a game (6) and field goals made in a season (51) for the 7-11 Ottawa Renegades (who are now defunct).

Now Tynes has the chance to make an Adam Vinatieri-sized boot print in Super Bowl history.

Tynes isn't the only Giant that could be classified as a "journey-man" however, but one of the biggest names in that class could be Reuben Droughns.

Since entering the league in 2000, Droughns hasn't had an easy go of it. One week into Droughn's first-ever preseason, his entire season ended due to a separated shoulder-landing him on injured-reserve.

The following season he bounced between Detroit and Miami, and was then traded that off-season to Denver. His stay in Denver lasted three years, but it may have well been one.

His combined rushing yardage for 2002 and 2003 was 25 yards on 14 carries, but in 2004 his stats erupted. Droughns rushed for 1,240 yards on 275 carries that season, and immediately turned himself into a trade-able commodity as Droughns spent the 2005 season in Cleveland and posted nearly identical numbers.

Since 2005 however, Droughns has become less and less of a factor on the field, and more of a factor off it. Halfway through that 2005 season, Droughns was arrested for a D.U.I. and three days later was charged with third degree assault and harassment. 

The Cleveland Browns eventually learned that they would survive without him, dealing him to New York in the 2006 off-season.

It didn't take the Giants that long to realize that he wasn't even their second-best back. Whether he comes back to New York next year remains to be seen.

Even though each of these players approach their game differently, are at different stages of their careers, and have each experienced different things, they each share one thing this weekend: They've arrived at the Holy Grail of Football.

Now it's up to them to duke it out to determine who'll lay their hands on the grail, and who will fall back to the depths below.