Super Bowl XLVI: New York Giants Prove That NFL Is Still A Running League

I find it humorous when I hear younger football fans and even grown analysts proudly proclaim that the NFL is a passing league now, as though the league just started throwing the ball a few years ago.

In fact, the game we call football today was essentially born from English rugby but with the introduction of the forward pass. Along with down and distance and the line of scrimmage, football has been a “passing” league since – well, since it was conceived.

Having said that, I get that the NFL has been progressively amending the rules to favor as much passing as possible in recent years. Today you have all kinds of quarterbacks breaking all kinds of records that were once held by the likes of Dan Marino, John Elway and a few others.

Super Bowl XLVI offered a textbook example of what the game of football actually is.

The New York Giants arrived in Indianapolis believing they would win this game while the New England Patriots showed up just hoping to. In the end, the former was correct, and I am on record predicting as much, along with many, many others.

No, this was not the same setting as what we saw in January of 2008 when these two teams first met in a Super Bowl. In that meeting, the Patriots had set all kinds of offensive records en route to an undefeated regular season. The Giants were a mere wild card arrival that should have been just happy to be there.

New York’s 17-14 upset ended New England’s quest for “perfection” in the same season that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was busted for spying out opposing signals.

Was it bad karma that kicked New England in the butt?

No, but a lack of a running game did.

On Sunday night the very same thing happened.

Winning football is based on out rushing your opponent and obviously having a better defense, period. There can be exceptions, especially when factoring in penalties, turnovers and injuries because these are individual issues that can affect the outcome of any game.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning was far better in XLVI than he was in XLII. Manning completed 30-of-40 attempts for 296 yards and one touchdown.

Running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined for 109 yards on the ground on 26 carries which helped the Giants dominate time of possession 37:05 to just 22:55 for that awesome New England passing attack.

Once your offense passes the 20 mark in carries, the chances for victory go way up. At 25 carries you should be winning better than 90 percent of your games. A yardage total of 100 on the ground gives you a good shot at victory. Reach 125 yards, or better, and you're in total control of a football game most of the time.

The Patriots coughed up just 83 yards on the ground, still a step up from the paltry 45 yards rushing in 2008. New England's 19 carries fell one short of that 20 mark mentioned above. Also, keep in mind that two of those carries were by wide receiver Wes Welker.

New England’s first offensive play offered an ominous glimpse of what was to come. It also showed why the NFL is a running league, as it always has been.   

After forcing a New York punt on the first possession, the Patriots ended up pinned on their own 6-yard line. On first down, quarterback Tom Brady went play action before dropping back deep into the end zone obviously looking for a deep target to throw to. A 10-year-old playing Madden 2012 would not have bought run at all, and neither did Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. The pressure arrived and Brady tossed the ball some 45 yards up field to nobody while still in the pocket. The ensuing intentional grounding penalty resulted in a safety and an odd 2-0 lead for New York.

But that’s OK. It’s a passing league, right?

Patriots fans will forever point to Welker’s untimely dropped pass at the Giants 20-yard line that would have extended a critical Patriots drive in the fourth quarter. It also may have lead to points that might have reversed the outcome of the game.

But let’s not compare that drop with that of Dallas Cowboys tight end Jackie Harris in Super Bowl XIII against Pittsburgh as the biggest dropped pass in Super Bowl history. Harris was in the end zone while Welker was only at the 20-yard line.

There is no evidence to suggest that New England would have scored the necessary touchdown to ensure its fourth Lombardi Trophy.

But that’s OK. It’s a passing league, right?

It’s fair to counter with great plays in the air like David Tyree’s 32-yard helmet grab during the winning touchdown drive Super Bowl XVII. Same can be said for Mario Manningham’s 38-yard sideline tap dance reception during Sunday night’s winning touchdown drive.

But the odds clearly state that you will get plays like this much more often when your offense is multidimensional. Football has always been this way.

If passing alone was the gateway to championships then where is New Orleans, Green Bay, and Detroit right now? Why does Dan Marino not own a jewelry store, and why didn't John Elway win his two Super Bowls until Terrell Davis arrived?

The NFL becomes a “passing league” when running the ball is no longer allowed and not a moment sooner.

But stay tuned. If a team that finished a game above the .500 mark can win Super Bowls, then I suppose anything is possible.