It’s Super Sunday.
T-minus three hours or so to kickoff.
And, I’ll be honest, I’m not watching the pregame show.
It’s testament to the prominence of the sport that Fox can justify four and a half hours of pregame content, which doesn’t even factor what airs on ESPN and NFL Network throughout the day. But by this time, I’ve heard virtually everything there is to hear about this game. I need to step away.
I mentioned this to my mother, who is back home on the couch with my father, watching college basketball. By backtracking through our Super Sundays as a family, we realized that more often than not, we’d built up to the big game with other games, rather than chatter.
Besides, I’ve wasted so much time stewing over this game and my prediction for it that I’ve ensured a long post-game night of catching up with tasks and obligations that await here at my desk.
See, when it comes to predicting this game, I always go against the distracted team. When Eugene Robinson followed a trek to Biscayne Blvd. with a sleepless night in custody nine years ago, I knew his Falcons were fried against the Broncos. When Barrett Robbins went across the border prior to Super Bowl XXXVII against Tampa Bay, the same thing.
Now, we have allegations of systemic chicanery leveled against the New England Patriots, which according to various reports, now encompass the preparations and walk-throughs prior to the XXXVIth edition of this game against the St. Louis Rams.
Is that a similar distraction?
No.
The Patriots have been dealing with similar chatter all year.
In predicting this game, I’m distancing myself from my own personal feelings about the allegations revolving around the Patriots. This is a passionless pick about what might happen:
Patriots 41, Giants 21.
But I wouldn’t mind being wrong, as I have been for every Giants playoff game this winter.
OTHER PICKS FROM THE BLOGOSPHERE:
MIKE RICE, NEWSRADIO 850 KOA: New England, 34-24.
KYLE MONTGOMERY, BRONCOTALK: Championship games often come down to the better defense and the superior running game. Both teams are great in both places. But one team has Tom Brady, and one has Eli Manning. Patriots 31, Giants 28.
JOHN BENA, MILE HIGH REPORT:: New England, 34-20. There is just no way I can close my eyes and picture Roger Goodell handing the Vince Lombardi trophy to Eli Manning instead of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. While entertaining, this game will come down to a few key third downs, a couple of red-zone plays and a huge turnover, all plays the Patriots seem to make, especially in the Super Bowl. Close throughout, but never really in question.
JONATHAN DOUGLAS, BRONCOTALK: Giants, 35-33.
Enjoy the game.
Tags: New England Patriots, New York Giants, Personal Thoughts, Playoffs, Super Bowl XLII
Patriots win 27-20
holy molly i cant believe it. can it be true? the pats missed to many big plays. so much for the pats being the best team ever made. well i guess now its denver’s turn to sneak in like the giants.
Best superbowl ever, best halftime show ever! Glad for Eli, glad for the G-men,Pats got what they deserved! MVP should have been the Giants D-line, they definately won the game, outstanding pressure kept Brady off balance and off his feet most of the game! A super Superbowl!
I cannot believe that the Media did not pick at Belichek for his classless departure… The Big Baby; I expect a lot more out of a cheating scoundrel who has been there before… That has to be the biggest “ha, ha” of 2008 so far!
That was one heck of a Superbowl… definitely not the best one ever though!!! I seem to remember another underdog team that won two SB’s in a row 10 years ago. Those were the 2 best Superbowls ever. But I don’t want to steal the Giants’ thunder so I’ll stick with talking about the Giants’ incredible win. I never really doubted them but I knew that they’d have to really give it everything they had in order to even have a chance at winning and they went beyond their potential. Throughout this whole season, I’ve heard nothing for 17+ plus weeks about “how awesome the Pats are” and “are they the greatest football team in NFL history” crap. I mean the list of things said about that team just go on and on and on and on and on and on…. and FINALLY someone shut them up!!!!!!!!!
I couldn’t be more thrilled for Eli – he deserves to win, he deserves to be MVP and now hopefully people (critics) will leave him alone. I knew he had it in him to lead his team to victory and I’m just relieved I didn’t have to hear another “story” about the Pats and whoever that QB is… I’m so lost in the excitement I forgot his name, Oops!! They had this whole season of people bragging about them and that all ended in one night, on America’s stage in front of the whole world. Congrats to Eli and the Giants team for winning and for ending the Patriots run at 18-1. I absolutely LOVE it!!!
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!
Ha! a lot of people were wrong! Eli got recognition! Eat your heart out Belichick!
Did Peyton get more air time during the game than Eli? I wish people would not always bring up Peyton when they talk about Eli. Eli is completely different and perhaps better. Eli is clutch and Peyton chokes. Last year Peyton threw 7 pics in the playoffs and only had one good half. Eli had one that was not his fault. I would rather have Eli in the playoffs than Peyton. Regular season stats don’t matter. Of course I am an Ole Miss fan and Peyton decided to go to Tennessee instead so maybe I have a bit of a grudge against Peyton.
What was the deal with the red carpet crap on fox….Fox totally blew the pregame show with what they did..Who cares about the celebs going to the game I sure don’t….
i’m sorry to blog in this giants country but all the giants did is making the pats more hungry , more angry like the colts did last year , prepare to see them back in the SB next year and then there won’t be this perfect season thing to prevent them from wining , next year and i’m afraid of more , afraid cause i’m a broncofan and i want them back in the SB but we’ll have to wait Brady and his gang get satisfaction so Cutler MVP of the SB yes but not before 2 or 3 years thanks to the giants !!
to rev79 : you’re wrong , the biggest “Ha , Ha ” this year was the Broncos defense !!!
Since I’m still sick to my stomach that a Superbowl has not featured the Broncos in 10 years I can only say to the guy above “imready” you’re a fricken idiot. Best Superbowl ever? You must be smoking crack. What were you 2 years old when Elway beat the Packers 10 years ago in the Bowl? What, were you breastfeeding when Elway ran and did the HELICOPTER CHOP 4 yards into the air?
Get off the board!
Once again LPP, I think you speak very wisely……
I kinda thought the first niners-cincy game was pretty good.
#32 was a better game than this. More scoring, evenly matched and came down to as many big plays and Elways run on 4th and 7 was the summary of his whole career, his style of play, his give it to me and he even said many times “LORD, just let us be in the game in the 4th QTR and I’ll bring it home”
The first half of the this game was a snoooooooozzzeeeer!