Four years after what many consider the best finish in Super Bowl history, the Giants and the Patriots are facing off once more for the NFL championship. While there are no perfect records on the line this time, this matchup could be equally enticing.
It certainly looks that way heading into Sunday’s big game. In 2008, with New England undefeated and having beaten New York in the regular-season finale, the Patriots were 12-point favorites. The spread is now three and the Giants beat them during the season.
Both teams are on quite a roll, too. The Patriots (15-3) have won 10 straight — it was 18 in a row in 2008 — and the Giants (12-7) have five consecutive victories.
All of which matters not a bit, said Bill Belichick, who will tie a record for head coaches with his fifth Super Bowl appearance.
“I’ve been asked about that game for several days now. All of the games in the past really don’t mean that much at this point,” said Belichick, 3-1 in NFL title games. “This game is about this team, this year. There aren’t really a lot of us coaches and players who were involved in that game, and very few players, in relative terms, between both teams. We are where we are now and we’re different than where we were earlier in the season. The Giants are where they are now and I think they’re different than where they were at different points of the season. To take it back years and years before that, I don’t think it has too much bearing on anything.”
The loss still reverberates for former Patriots linebacker Rosevelt Colvin.
“It was like getting punched in the stomach,” he said. “I still can’t watch the highlights from that game because of the opportunity we missed out on was so grand.”
Having come this far before is immeasurably helpful, said Justin Tuck, the leader of the Giants’ defense whose return to health and form has keyed New York’s resurgence. He says the experience of four years ago in the Arizona desert will benefit everyone.
“The only thing that I tell the younger guys is make football football,” Tuck said. “Don’t make this game bigger than it has to be. Everybody around you is going to make it bigger, but we have to concentrate on why we’re going out there. There’s going to be a lot of parties. There’s going to be a lot of people pulling at your coattail. Listen, if you go out there, and you handle your business and you win this game, you can party all you want to after that. For me, personally, the first time I went to a Super Bowl I approached it as such — as a once in a lifetime thing.”
For Tuck, it was not, and while the defense he leads to Indianapolis is not quite as overwhelming as the unit that made life miserable for Tom Brady in 2008, it has been reinvigorated as the Giants surged to the NFC championship. It is also just as deep as the group that sacked Brady five times and hit him nine more — Osi Umenyiora claimed he had that many hits alone — and unnerved the usually unflappable star.
Today, it’s Tuck, Umenyiora, All-Pro Jason Pierre-Paul, Dave Tollefson and linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, who compare favorably with Umenyiora, Tuck, Michael Strahan, Jay Alford and linebacker Antonio Pierce in 2008.
Other than head coaches Belichick and New York’s Tom Coughlin, that is the most common element between the two Super Bowls.
“It’s been a strength of their team for as long as I can remember,” Brady said. “Michael Strahan, as great a player as he was, I think we played them in 2003 and they were still harassing the quarterback. It seems like they always have guys who can rush the quarterback. Justin Tuck is as good as they come. Osi week in and week out, he’s a player who can ruin a game for an offense. You look at the group they have now and they have a ton of depth at the defensive line position.”
Controversial receivers Randy Moss and Plaxico Burress have been replaced by skilled playmakers like tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in New England, wideouts Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz in New York. Eli Manning is no longer a question as Giants quarterback and he has carried the offense much the way running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw did in the past.
Lawrence Tynes kicked the Giants into the Super Bowl in overtime in 2008 and — incredibly — this year, too. Wes Welker led the Patriots with 112 catches that season and he had 122 this one.
Sixteen Giants remain from the 17-14 Super Bowl victory and only seven Patriots are still around.
Similarities and differences, all juicy elements for Giants-Patriots II.
Here we go again.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about £2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from