Lombardi goes to…

It is finally game day!  I am torn between our Super Bowl teams this year.  The Patriots have Tom Brady leading their offense, but the Giants ended the season strong and have a nice defensive line.  Eli Manning and the Giants offense are not shabby either. 

Brady is the man, but I think that the Giants defense will be able to put some pressure on him.  I also think that their secondary will be able to stop his key targets Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. 

On the other side of the ball, I believe that New York’s trio of wide receivers will get a lot of action.  The Patriots defense will not be successful slowing down Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks or Mario Manningham.  So, I am picking the Giants to win Super Bowl XLVI.

Enjoy watching the game!

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Super Bowl XLVI: Special Teams

OK, we know the strengths and weaknesses of both the Giants’ and Patriots’ offense and defense.  Now we will review both of their special teams.  (Go back to “special men will make or break you” to review why they are so special.) 

Ironically, both teams are in Indy right now because of special teams.  The Giants made a field a goal in overtime to win the NFC Championship.  Thanks to the Ravens missing a field goal at the end of the AFC championship game, the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl. 

The last time these two teams met in a Super Bowl, the Giants won by just three points.  This game will be close.  Neither team has a great return specialist, so we probably will not see an unforgettable return that changes the game.  The difference will come from the guys kicking the ball. 

Here are the crucial players for both the Giants and Patriots on special teams. 

New York Giants

Lawrence Tynes (#9 Kicker) – No problem under a pressure.  He made an overtime kick in the NFC championship game for the trip to Super Bowl XLVI.

Steve Weatherford (#5 Punter) – Very reliable.  Averaged 45.7 yards this season.

New England Patriots

Stephen Gostkowski (#3 Kicker) - Third in the NFL in scoring and only missed five field goals this season.

Zoltan Mesko, (#14 Punter) – Averaged 46.5 yards this season. 

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Super Bowl XLVI: Patriots on offense

The only name you need to know about the Patriots offense is Tom Brady.  He is the best quarterback in the NFL right now.  He is a fierce competitor who annoys defenses with his view of the field and passing accuracy.  As a 12-year veteran, he is not showing any signs of slowing down.  He ranked 2^nd in passing yards this season. 

When the Patriots played the Giants in Super Bowl XLII, Brady had Randy Moss, one of greatest receivers ever.  With Moss’ speed and athleticism Brady could throw deep passes.  He has not had that luxury since Moss was traded to Minnesota in 2010.  For the last two seasons, Brady has put up big numbers with shorter passes to tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Potential starters and key players on the Patriot offense:

Quarterback

Tom Brady (#12) – 7-time Pro Bowler, 2-time Super Bowl MVP and Patriots all-time passing touchdown leader are a few of his accolades.  He is flawless as long as he is in the pocket. 

Center

Dan Connolly (#63) – Playing for Dan Koppen who is injured.

Guards and Tackles – Need to block and help Brady stay in the pocket.

Matt Light (#72, Left Tackle) – Has been protecting Brady his entire professional career.

Logan Mankins (#70, Left Guard) – Strong, but almost lost his job to Waters.

Brian Waters (#54, Right Guard) – Veteran playing his first season with the Patriots.

Nate Solder (#77, Right Tackle) – Rookie who has been starting because Sebastian Vollmer was injured.

Tight Ends

Rob Gronkowski (#87) – Best tight end in the league.

Aaron Hernandez (#81) – Strong blocker and receiver.  Can lineup to run.

Wide Receivers

Deion Branch (#84) – Former Super Bowl MVP.  His speed has diminished, but he can still catch.

Wes Welker (#83) – Led the league in receptions.

Chad Ochocinco (#85) – First year as a Patriot has been very quiet year.  Not the “go-to” receiver, but an experienced option.

Running Back

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (#42) – Not a breakout runner, but runs hard and does not fumble.

Up next is the Giants' defense.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Super Bowl XLVI: Patriots on defense

Defense is not the Patriots strength.  They ranked 31^st in total defense this season.   Part of the problem was injuries.  With some of their starters back for the playoffs, they improved.  They should be able to handle Ahmad Bradshaw running, but I don’t think that they are fast enough to stop the Giants’ receivers.

Here are the starters and key players on the Patriots defense.

Tackles and Ends

Vince Wilfork (#75, Defensive Tackle) – The only guy who played on defense on the Giants Super Bowl team in 2008.   

Kyle Love (#74, Defensive Tackle) - Tough, solid blocker.

Brandon Deaderick (#71, Defensive End) - Began starting when Andre Carter was injured. 

Mark Anderson (#95 Defensive End) - Veteran player and the best pass-rusher on the team

Linebackers

Jerod Mayo (#51 Outside Linebacker) – Playing well Patriots -- He quietly is having one of his best seasons as the team has used more 4-3 defense, which seems to suit him better.

Brandon Spikes (#55 Middle Linebacker) – Was out early in the season because of an injury. 

Rob Ninkovich (#55 Outside Linbacker) - Patriots -- He is a typical Patriots player: A tough, hard-nosed player who plays hard all the time.

Cornerbacks

Devin McCourty (#32 Cornerback) – Had a great rookie season last year, but has played average this year. 

Kyle Arrington (#24 Cornerback) – Had seven interceptions this season. 

Safeties

Patrick Chung (#25 Safety) – Missed some of the season with injuries.  

James Ihedigbo (#44 Safety) – Not really fast, but did get a sack in the AFC championship game.   

Ok, tomorrow we will look at their teammates on offense.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Off to the Circle City

The teams are set for Super Bowl XLVI!  Congratulations to the New England Patriots and New York Giants who are packing their bags to go to Indy and play for the Lombardi Trophy.  It will be a rematch of Super Bowl XLII.  That year, the Patriots were undefeated and suffered their only loss in the Super Bowl. 

Similar to the 2007 season, New England dominated throughout the season and led the AFC.  The Giants journey to this championship game was just the opposite.  They were only 9-7 this season and did not earn a spot in the playoffs until after the final game of the season.

Defense does it again

Defense wins championships.  It’s cliché, but phrases become cliché because they are so true.  Yesterday, the phrase got another nod from both championship games.  New England is known for their offense.  Their quarterback, Tom Brady, is one of the best at the moment.  During the regular season he had 11 games with 300 or more passing yards.  In the AFC championship game he only had 239 passing yards.  Pats fans have to be thankful that their defense stepped up.  They sacked Ravens quarterback, Joe Flacco three times and limited them to just 19 first downs.  Until the end of the game, both teams traded points.  On the last play of the game the Ravens missed a field goal to send the game to overtime.  New England won, 23 – 20.

Out west in the NFC championship game, the defense shined too.  The Giants and San Francisco 49ers game was tight.  Both defenses made some great stops, but the Giants defense put the stamp on the game.  They only allowed the 49ers to convert one third down and recovered two fumbles (one was forced) that led to points.  The second fumble recovery was in overtime and led to them scoring their final points and beating San Francisco on the road 20 – 17. 

Now we will see which defense leads their team to a championship ring.

 

Are you ready for Super Bowl XLVI?

Next week we, we will do our annual week-long special for Super Bowl.  We will write every day and break down the strengths and weaknesses of each of our Super Bowl teams, New England Patriots and New York Giants.  You will be able to compare and make your prediction for the winner of Super Bowl XLVI.  Read posts on the line of scrimmage, offense, defense, special teams, game strategies and playing time to freshen up on your knowledge.  Don’t forget the new overtime rule for playoffs that began last year. 

It’s our birthday!

Two years ago after Championship Sunday, I began writing about football to help ladies join the conversation at the office.  Since then, other ladies have joined me in the mission to level the professional playing field by education and exposing women to sports.  We added workshops, golf clinics and fun networking events like our NFL Glam Party.  We were also featured in the NFL’s women’s apparel campaign, Fit For You.  What a year!  We have even more planned for 2012, so stay connected! 

Thank you for following.  We hope that we have helped you join the conversation at the office and surprise your sweetie. ;)  We look forward to another exciting year!

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets®

Plaxico Burress is free and job hunting

Plaxico Burress is a wide receiver from Michigan State University who played in the NFL for nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2000-2004) and New York Giants (2005-2008) before serving 20 months of a two-year sentence for a gun-possession charge.  He was released today because of good behavior.  Now the Super Bowl Champion who caught the winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLII is unemployed.

Where will Plaxico get a job?

New York Giants – This is the last team that Plaxico played for.  I don’t see this happening because I believe that John Mara (Giants Co-owner) is still upset that “a player could carry a loaded gun into a nightclub, shoot himself and miss the rest of the season but get to keep his entire signing bonus.”

Chicago Bears – Mike Martz’s offense would improve greatly if Jay Cutler had an aggressive quarterback like Plaxico.

St. Louis Rams – The Rams could use a veteran wide receiver to help their young quarterback, Sam Bradford. 

New England Patriots – The Patriots have not replaced Randy Moss, so Tom Brady does not have a deep threat wide receiver.  They survived the season and made it to the playoffs without one, but lost to the New York Jets 28-21 in the divisional round of the playoffs.  A guy like Plaxico could have made the difference.  His catch in Super Bowl XLII ended the Patriots’ perfect season.

Philadelphia Eagles - Coach Any Reid gambled on Michael Vick and it was successful.  Plaxico is talented, but is not an exceptional player like Vick, so the risk may not be worth it to Reid.  However, he also grew up in the Tidewater region of Virginia like Vick.  Maybe this is Reid’s good luck region.

Plaxico is 33 and will be 34 by the time a season starts.  Even if he did a great job staying in shape, he has not played football since the end of 2008.  It will take him some time to get back to competing at a high level.  This doesn’t mean that teams should shy away from him.  I’m sure that he can still play and he can be acquired for a good deal because he has a lot to prove.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®