THE KEYS TO WINNING SUPER BOWL XLII : NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS EDITION

#1: DEFENSE

New England must be able to stop Eli Manning if they plan on winning. They must force Manning to throw the ball after they establish the run-block early in the game. However, their veteran linebacker core has to be careful when they blitz, especially on short 3rd down situations.

Consider this, in their Week 17 match-up the Giants were 6-10 in 3rd down situations. The Giants slot-receivers ran a lot of short passing routes in that game which enabled them to move the football downfield efficiently. Also, Giants TE Kyle Boss was driving the New England linebackers insane. In that game he caught 4 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. He has become a favorite target of Manning; the Patriots should look for him to be utilized more in this game, particularly on short-slant routes across the middle of the field.

In order to prevent these short passing routes SS Rodney Harrison will have to limit the amount he blitzes. Look for Harrison to blitz early on in the game when they are establishing the run-block, however as the game progresses look for him to drop into doube-up man coverage on a receiver, in order to prevent Manning’s short-pass tendencies of late.

Patriots CB’s Ellis Hobbs and Asante Samuel will have to do their best to prevent Giants WR Plaxico Burress from becoming a deep ball threat. When the Giants reach midfield they like to throw for the end zone for a quick touchdown, if possible. Hobbs and Samuel are both roughly 5’10”, meanwhile Burress is 6’5” and therefore maintains a significant height advantage over the Patriots top shut-down cornerbacks. If Burress can utilize his height and speed, he can expect a few touchdowns along with a Super Bowl ring. However, don't expect the Patriots to let him run by, expect them to bump him off the line in order to prevent him from running clean routes.

#2: TOM BRADY

Brady may have limited mobility in the game. Remember he is facing the NFL’s top pass-rush in the Giants (allowed a league best 97.7 rushing yards per game.) Remember the Giants have several fast players on defense, and speed tends to frustrate the Patriots offensive schemes.

However, there is also the fact that this will be Brady’s 4th Super Bowl game, thus giving him the experience edge. He also has by-far the best offensive line in the NFL and a plethora of offensive options unlike any other he had in his previous Super Bowl‘s.

If Brady is healthy and able to move around in the pocket comfortably, look for him to have a career game. If his mobility is limited and he cannot move around in the pocket as gracefully as he does, look for it to be a long night for the Patriots superstar. However, with the competitive nature that Brady so naturally embodies, and the Patriots perfect season on the line, we can expect Brady to be as effective as he has been all season.

#3: WES WELKER

Welker must be ready for everything that comes his way. With WR Randy Moss likely to be facing double and triple-coverage situations, look for Welker to get open on short passing routes, while Moss lures Giants defenders downfield.

Welker has been Brady’s go to guy all season, there is no reason to believe he won’t be Brady’s #1 target. Brady and Welker connected 116 times during the regular season, a franchise record. When Brady gets pressured in the pocket he will be looking to see if Welker is open before trying anything downfield to Moss.

In their Week 17 match-up Welker caught 11 passes for 122 yards. Welker has a super-human ability to pick up crucial yardage after contact, which makes him a vital piece to the Patriots successes this season. If the Patriots are going to win this game Welker will be the reason why. In fact, Welker is my prediction for Super Bowl XLII MVP. That is of course if the Patriots win.