Super Bowl 2012: How Much Has Stayed the Same for Patriots vs. Giants Rematch?

Don't be surprised if you find an abundance of New England Patriots fans hitting the gym in the next two weeks.

In addition to stress relief, they're probably searching for any reason to stay away from their television sets and the constant onslaught of Super Bowl XLII replays that are about to be shoved down their throats.

The networks are wasting no time, with a replay of the entire game airing on Monday, January 23 at 8:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network.

And while there are some similarities—the Patriots' high-powered offense against the Giants' potent pass-rush, to name just a couple—there are multiple layers to the rematch storyline.

Different Rosters, Same Key Players

Tom Brady. Eli Manning. Justin Tuck. Osi Umenyiora. Matt Light. Corey Webster. Logan Mankins.Wes Welker. Kevin Faulk.

These are just the key names from that big game, but there are more than a few familiar faces getting reacquainted in this one.

Many of those faces will be face-to-face on the field; Tuck and Osi will likely see a lot of Matt Light and Logan Mankins; Corey Webster may get put in coverage on Wes Welker, as he was in Super Bowl XLII.

The Patriots return seven players from the team that lost Super Bowl XLII, while the Giants return 12. The Giants could be given the edge by many analysts for that fact, as well as the fact that the Giants beat the Patriots already once this season.

But don't look to connect too many dots between the two teams.

Different Aura Around the Patriots

During the week leading up to their contest with the Ravens, Deion Branch and Tedy Bruschi made comments about the manufacturing of the disrespect mentality. That would have been a tough sell in 2007.

This year, though, it's passable. The Patriots have one of the league's worst defenses and have been exposed in the playoffs the past few years.

And though much was made of Brady's three consecutive playoff losses before this year, remember this: Only one other quarterback has lost three straight playoff games and gone on to win the Super Bowl again in his career.

That quarterback is Joe Montana.

Same Aura Around the Giants

The parallels were being drawn even before the game against the 49ers, but this team feels an awful lot like the 2007 group that won Super Bowl XLII.

They knocked off the two top seeds to get to the big game, including an overtime thriller in the NFC Championship Game that came down to key plays in key spots.

The Giants defense was able to stifle one of the league's best offenses in the divisional round, taking out top-seeded Green Bay in a game that wasn't even as close as the 37-20 final score indicated. They held Aaron Rodgers to his lowest passer rating of the entire 2011 season and brought him down four times to keep the Packers offense out of sync.

Eli Manning Showing Up On Time to "Elite" Class

When Eli made comments about being one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks in the offseason, he caused quite a stir. He has done nothing but back himself up all season long, though.

Most importantly, he's backing himself up once again in the postseason.

In both seasons, Manning has elevated his game in the month of January (although not exponentially  this year, as he did in 2007). 

And Eli could put himself in further elite company by becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to knock off the No. 1 seed in both conferences in two Super Bowl wins.

Tom Brady and the Inevitable Joe Montana Comparisons

Brady is chasing his fourth Super Bowl ring, which would equal the number attained by his longtime idol, Joe Montana.

With a win on Super Bowl Sunday, though, Brady could surpass his idol in career postseason wins. He also has a chance to tie Montana's all-time Super Bowl wins record for a quarterback.

This storyline should sound familiar—it was one that was discussed the last time these two teams met in the Super Bowl.

Rest assured, that's not the first thing on his mind, though. And to be perfectly honest, he probably doesn't care much about his place among the legends and how this win could affect his legacy. All he cares about is getting another Super Bowl win.

He's already set so many records in his career, but now, it's time for him to make history.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter.