2012 Super Bowl: How Giants Displayed Perfect Blueprint for Success in NFL

The New York Giants have found the recipe for success in today's NFL. It isn't a complicated blueprint, but they have it wired, and their execution has been flawless. 

The foundation for the success starts with two key principles. The first is the tried and true idea that defense wins championships. 

The second has to do with the fact that the NFL becomes more and more a passing league each season. If a team is going to succeed, they are going to have to be effective on both sides of the ball in the passing game. 

Let's look at the main principle that addresses both of these two key areas. 

Dominant Defensive Line

The heart of the Giants is their defensive line. This allows them to mask any deficiencies behind them and seize control of the game as that game goes on. 

This is not the typical defensive line either. Realizing that stopping the passing game is key to success in today's game, they load up on pass-rushers. 

In their 2007 Super Bowl season, they had Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck. Strahan retired following that season, and despite still having two elite pass-rushers, they made a point of getting a raw and amazing pass-rushing prospect in Jason Pierre-Paul. 

This allows the Giants a tremendous amount of versatility—especially on 3rd-and-long. In those situations, they can slide Tuck over to defensive tackle and have all three elite pass-rushers on the field at once. 

Over the course of a game, they are bound to make opposing QBs uncomfortable. This keeps those offenses from ever settling into a rhythm, and it pays off big time for the Giants. 

Passing Game Excellence 

The other side of this ball is the Giants own ability to move the ball through the air. A huge chunk of this success belongs to Eli Manning, and having a great QB is not a surprising ingredient for success to anyone. 

However, the Giants don't stop there. They make sure he has weapons to throw to. Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham are a deadly threesome. It is almost impossible to defend, and it allowed the Giants to succeed despite having a less-than-elite offensive line or a dominant running game.