THE KEYS TO WINNING SUPER BOWL XLII : NEW YORK GIANTS EDITION

Well as promised today we are going to take a look at the keys to success for the New York Giants, as they are looking to upset the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.


#1: DEFENSE
The keys to both teams winning this game will be how well they play defensively. Personally, I believe the Giants have a lot more to worry about than the Patriots, considering the Giants offensive line is no where near as good as the Patriots.

If they plan on having a shot at this game, the Giants' defensive line must be able to penetrate the Patriots' offensive line and get to Patriots QB Tom Brady. In their Week 17 match-up they did just that and came within a field-goal of winning that game. The problem with the pass rush in that game was that the Giants defensive backs couldn't cover the Patriots dangerous receiving core, thus propelling the Patriots to a 38-35 victory in that game.

The defensive line needs to make Brady moves his feet, particularly DE's Michael Strahan and Osi Umeyiora. They need to make him hurry his throws and throw off-balance in order to deter his pinpoint accuracy. Furthermore, Giants DB's Corey Webster and Aaron Ross will have to play shutdown defense on passing plays. That means they must stop WR's Wes Welker, and Randy Moss, Brady's two favorite targets who have lit up the stat sheet all season. (Moss with his 23 receiving TD's and Welker's 116 receptions; both of which are team records.)


#2: QB - ELI MANNING
This will be Mannings first trip to the big game and it will be exciting to see how he will react to the pressure surrounding the game. If the Giants win this game expect Manning to be the main reason why. If the Giants do win expect him to join his brother Peyton as a Super Bowl MVP.

The Patriots will send a number of different blitzes at Manning in order to confuse him. He, like Brady, will also have to rely heavily on his offensive line to protect against the pass-rush. During interviews in Tuesday's annual "Super Bowl Media Day" Manning appeared to be very relaxed and almost giddy at the chance to be playing in the Super Bowl. Look for Manning to try and go over the top on Patriots defensive backs by throwing high, deep passes to his recievers. His receiving corps has a huge height advantage over the Patriots defensive backs, look for him to incorporate this strategy in his gameplan.


#3: GIANTS RUNNING BACKS
Starting RB Brandon Jacobs and spell RB Ahmad Bradshaw will have to do their best to establish the running game early. Look for the Giants to run a number of draw plays to Bradshaw in passing situations, in order to throw off the defense. Jacobs will be utilized in short yardage situations where he is at his best.

However, Jacobs has been known to blast through the line and turn what looks to be a 5-yard run into a 25-yard gain. Jacobs has a similar running style as former players Jim Brown, Roger Craig and Jerome Bettis. His strategy is to hit or be hit, he has been known to overpower linebackers and defensive lineman with his monstrous 6'4", 240 pound frame, which is exceptionally large for a RUNNING BACK. Jacobs could establish himself as one of the best power-rushers currently in the league, if they can defeat the Patriots. Remember in Week 17 Jacobs rushed for only 67 yards on 15 carries.

Bradshaw is a work in progress, he has only picked up significant playing time since the end of the season. Bradshaw is an explosive back with exceptional speed. He also has soft hands and is a good receiver in the backfield. The Giants will look to use him in short passing routes and runs to the outside. His speed will make him a key factor in the Giants' chances of winning.

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.