COVER STORY
SUPER BOWL
A Super Bowl rematch with history on the line THE QUARTERBACKS Passing: Special to Sports Page Dallas New York Giants (9-7) vs. New England Patriots (13-3) Sunday, February 6, 2012 Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, Indiana 5:20pm, NBC, Channel 5
Eli Manning - 359-589 (13th), 4933 yards (4th), 29 touchdowns (6th) Tom Brady - 401-611(4th), 5235 yards (2nd), 39 touchdowns (4th)
Brees and Tom Brady, and Eli Manning came close, and was as good as anyone in the NFL in the fourth quarter. Brady and Manning met four years ago in the Super Bowl, with Manning connecting with David Tyree and Plaxico Burress on a game-winning touchdown drive. After two dramatic and close championship games, we can only hope for more of the same.
Line: New England -3, 55 All-time series: RS - New York 5-3; PS New York 1-0
FAMILIAR FOES There are only eight Patriots on today's active roster from that 2007 squad: QB Tom Brady, K Stephen Gostkowski, RB Kevin Faulk, OL Dan Connolly (practice squad that year), LG Logan Mankins, LT Matt Light, DT Vince Wilfork, and WR Wes Welker and C Dan Koppen and DL Mike Wright who were on injured reserve. This has been one of the most intriguing seasons at the quarterback position in recent memory, it's only fitting that we get to watch two of the very finest playing in the final game of the season....and that's the way it should be. The main story related to the quarterback position in the 2011 season is that three quarterbacks reached the 5,000 passing yard benchmark. In fact, Dan Marino’s all-time record for yards passing in a season was surpassed by 2 QB's: Drew
10 January 27-February 2, 2012 | The Sports Page | sportspagedfw.com
For the New York Giants, it was a great performance by Manning, who set franchise marks for completions (32) and attempts (58) in a playoff game and more late game heroics ...not to mention a little good fortune as well. After punt returner Kyle Williams' first miscue, Manning converted the turnover into a touchdown. Then Williams muffed another punt in overtime which put the Giants in field-goal range which led to the ultimate game winning field goal by Lawrence Tynes (for the second time by the way). So here we are, the Patriots vs. the Giants in the Super Bowl. Again. What's interesting to point out is how these two teams got to this point. The Patriots were a team on a mission all season. They came out clicking like a well oiled machine in Week 1, and never stopped. Remember the Monday Night game against Miami and the 99-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Wes Welker....and throwing for 517 yards? New England gave up 24 points to a sub par team that night but this was a bend-don't-break defense and the template for New England's season was established right from the start. In the divisional round playoff game Tim Tebow and the Broncos were blown out of Gillette Stadium by the end of the first quarter. Followed by the Patriots holding off Baltimore in the AFC Championship Game by the skin of their rabbits foot.
For most Patriots fans, the last four years since that unpredicted loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII, which ruined New England's perfect season, is a memory that has been hard to let go. The Patriots now have a chance to wash away that dreadful memory when they face the Giants again on February 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis home of Super Bowl XLVI.
However, the Giants still have many of the same personnel, like head coach Tom Coughlin, QB Eli Manning, RB Brandon Jacobs, DL Justin Tuck, K Lawrence Tynes, not to mention 11 other players. There is a very familiar feel to this game already, especially considering how the Giants got there again, winning in overtime by a field goal.
on the cusp of more history together. All the talk about the last two years of first-round playoff exits has been forgotten.
HOW THEY GOT HERE In the AFC Championship game last weekend, Brady wasn't quite Brady, and the Pats had to have some good fortune go their way to secure the win. After Ravens receiver Lee Evans couldn't hold onto a touchdown pass in the final minute and Billy Cundiff missed a field-goal attempt he normally makes, the Patriots secured their seventh Super Bowl appearance. Brady and coach Belichick are
The Giants, on the other hand, took a more streaky and winding route to the postseason. They opened the season with a loss to the a bad Redskins team. After week 9 and a victory over the Patriots, they stood at 6-2. But the team started to struggle and the questions about Tom Coughlin's job security emerged yet again as in years past after such performance. New York entered the beefy
Brady photo: JimRome.com, Justin Tuck: Insidehype.com
by DANNY CURRY SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR