Super Bowl 2012: Patriots Offense Is Better Suited to Beat Giants This Time

The New England Patriots offense in 2007 was the best the NFL will ever witness, but that style of throwing the ball deep often to Randy Moss was not going to match up well against the ruthless New York Giants' pass rush in Super Bowl XLII.

The result? A loss in the Super Bowl for the Patriots and a missed opportunity to become the best football team ever with a 19-0 record.

This time around in Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants still have an amazing pass rush, but the Patriots offense is much more capable of beating them this time thanks to the emergence of two star tight ends.

One of the reasons the Patriots could not beat the Giants' pass rush in 2007 was because Brady needed too much time in the pocket to find Moss down the field. Moss needed a lot of time to get open downfield even with his great speed, and by the time he was open, the Giants were usually in Brady's face, either sacking him or hitting him hard.

Another reason the Patriots were unable to beat the Giants that season was they did not have enough receivers either willing or able to go into the middle of the field and take a big hit to make a catch. Not until the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLII did the Patriots finally realize the Giants were excelling at taking away the outside of the field, and that Moss needed to go over the middle and be tough. On the final touchdown drive for the Patriots, Moss went over the middle and made some nice plays, then scored a touchdown to give the Patriots a 14-10 lead late in the fourth quarter.

By the time New England changed their offensive approach it was too late.

This season the Patriots have several targets that can go over the middle and dominate with their strength and ability to run after the catch. Tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez have become one of the best pass-catching combos in football, and their unreal combination of size, strength, speed and route-running is revolutionizing the tight end position.

Gronkowski and Hernandez aren't afraid to go over the middle and make a big play knowing that a safety or linebacker is about to drill them with a massive hit. Both tight ends also excel in short yardage situations, meaning Brady won't have to stand in the pocket and wait more than he would like for them to get open.

In this case, the Giants' pass rush will have to get to Brady quickly, because he won't be standing in the pocket for too long. With the star tight ends able to get open quickly, plus the fact that all-pro Wes Welker is a dominating possession receiver, Brady will not spend too much time looking for the open man, thus the Giants' pass rush won't be as effective as it was four years ago.

The Patriots are 24-4 in the regular season since the Randy Moss trade during the 2010 season, and there's no secret why: their offense is more complete. They still have an outside threat in receiver Deion Branch, Welker is still an elite player and, with Gronkowski and Hernandez, the Patriots have two physical guys who add great versatility to the offense.

If the Giants get to Brady often in the Super Bowl and sack him, pressure him or hit him many times, they will win another world championship.

Doing that won't be as easy for New York as it was in 2007, because now Brady's offense is built in a way that makes it easier to beat a relentless pass rush than it was four years ago.

With a solid offensive line, versatile receivers and the best tight end in football (Gronkowski), the Patriots will not be dominated by the Giants' pass rush this year like they were in 2007. This change in offensive strategy makes the Patriots a much tougher opponent for the Giants to overcome this time around.

Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report.

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