Super Bowl 2012: 5 Bold Predictions for the New England Patriots

Unlike in 2007, the New York Giants have inundated the New England Patriots with a flurry of taunts and trash talk over the last two weeks.

Sticking to the Patriot way, New England has managed to say the equivalent of nothing in response.

They have spent the last two weeks with their noses in their playbooks, planning to answer the Giants boldly on the field tomorrow.

And in that spirit, with the Super Bowl less than 24 hours away, it's time to start making bold forecasts about what will go down in Lucas Oil Stadium tomorrow.

Here are five audacious predictions about what will happen for the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

Tom Brady Will Throw for over 400 Yards

Hot, cold, hot, cold. This is the story of Tom Brady in 2011.

The first two games of the season portrayed a ravenous No. 12. He threw for over 500 yards in the season opener and put up over 400 passing yards the following week.

Then came the dark days of New England's season, with Tom throwing for 198 yards in a loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Patriots went on to lose twice in a row—only the third time since the 2003 season that they dropped back-to-back games.

Pats fans worried which Tom Brady would show up to play each Sunday.

But as the pattern went, Tom responded to his cold streaks with outstanding encore performances.

So it's in New England's favor that their veteran quarterback threw for just 239 yards against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game—and even more in their favor that No. 12 gave himself a dose of self-criticism after the loss.

Expect Tom to mitigate his poor AFC showing tomorrow. Expect his motivation to translate to success. Expect him to put up 400+ yards in the air.

Edelman Will Get a Pick

Mario Manningham must not know much about Julian Edelman.

The Giants' wide receiver antagonized the third-year Patriot, saying, "I hope he's out there when we play them. I don't want to sound like that, but you know what I mean. To our advantage, I hope he's out there."

Questioning Edelman tends to incite him.

Around Halloween, Julian was in the middle of a lackluster season and had pending assault charges for allegedly groping a woman at a Boston nightclub (those charges were dropped in December 2011).

The city of Boston started to question the receiver, who at one time had been dubbed by New England, "Wes 2.0," referring to the fact that he exhibited a play style similar to Wes Welker.

Edelman responded boldly over the next few weeks, returning a punt for a touchdown and stepping up to fill in at slot corner on defense.

The ability to adapt is Edelman's secret weapon.

Julian played quarterback at Kent State University and has since played wide receiver, special teams and slot corner for the New England Patriots.

He's an athletic guy. That's why he'll take the field opposite Mario Manningham and company.

And now he's angry. Expect a big play out of the little guy.

I'm going ahead and saying he'll come up with a big catch tomorrow. On defense.

Gronkowski Will Sit out Almost Half the Game

Rob Gronkowski can only spout his "day-to-day" status until the day. As in Super Bowl Sunday. As in tomorrow.

The media have had a field day over the past two weeks dissecting the tight end's status.

We know all the tidbits to date: He didn't practice, the boot came off, he was limited in practice, he completed the walkthrough without limping.

But tomorrow, the jig is up for Gronkowski. It's do-or-die for the NFL's best tight end.

Having brushed up on the severity of high ankle sprains and closely followed the "breaking" (read: vague) news on the player, I highly suspect that Gronkowski will sit out almost half the game.

Despite the special shoe and the pain killers and Gronk's lionhearted determination, 30 minutes of play will wear down No. 87.

Expect Gronk to fight through the pain until the second half, when he'll inevitably have to watch from the sidelines.

Ochocinco Will Get a Huge Touchdown Reception

New England fans have a love/hate relationship with Chad Ochocinco, whose production on offense hasn't lived up to expectations.

But the fact that No. 85 has remained on the roster means that Bill Belichick must see something special in the wide receiver. Belichick does not get attached to big names, cutting Albert Haynesworth earlier this season.

Given Rob Gronkowski's status, Ochocinco has an opportunity for an outstanding performance in tomorrow's Super Bowl.

And he has every reason to be motivated to come up big.

The six-time Pro Bowler will make his first-ever Super Bowl appearance in the twilight of his career.

After his final season with the Cincinnati Bengals, the receiver was at a crossroads.

Despite his stardom and elite play style, Ochocinco's antics made him a difficult player to manage.

You can almost see where No. 85 might be have wound up through the lens of friend and former teammate Terrell Owens, who, despite free agency, went unsigned after recovering from an ACL injury this October.

The pair, who co-starred in The T.Ocho Show, a reality series about their lives, were often egotistical to the point of distracting their teammates and shifting focus from football.

But to the extent that is realistically possible in the time frame of a single season, Ochocinco has adopted the Patriot way, reining in his antics for Belichick.

Shockingly, he's come off as almost humble in the prelude to Super Bowl XLVI.

Disciplined Ochocinco is dangerous Ochocinco, and a perfect storm is brewing for him to make a big play tomorrow.

Expect a 30+-yard touchdown reception from this fantasy sleeper.

Shaun Ellis Will Get a Sack

This year has been emotionally exhausting for Patriots defensive end Shaun Ellis.

Prior to the season, Ellis suffered the loss of his best friend, and after his departure from the Jets, Rex Ryan refused to wish him well.

Ellis has struggled all year, disappearing from the field toward the middle of the season due to sub-par performances.

But he made his presence known in the Divisional Championship game against the Denver Broncos, sacking Tim Tebow.

Players with a chip on their shoulder tend to perform well, which is why I'm predicting a sack from Shaun Ellis in Super Bowl XLVI.