GIANTS WIN SUPER BOWL XLVI - HERE ARE THE FACTS
FACT: The Giants won the game.
Why all the second guessing about the team that won the game? Ahmad Bradshaw's game-winning touchdown with 57-seconds remaining is being called everything from "stupid" to "poorly coached & executed" to "a potentially disastrous decision." The Giants won the game on that touchdown, have you seen a kicker miss a chip-shot field goal at the end of the game recently? Have you seen a holder fumble a perfect snap? Have you seen a bad snap? How about a blocked kick? Yes, it was the percentage play, but when no one calls it in from the sideline & nothing is said about it in the huddle, what is Bradshaw to do? If Hakeem Nicks hadn't gone out of bounds after making the first down, this wouldn't even be an issue, but little is said about it. He thought about it after Manning said "don't score" as he handed him the ball but jeez, that's kinda late isn't it? The Pats allowed him to score, watch the highlight, they made very little effort & Vince Wilfork even signaled touchdown as Bradshaw fell over the goal line. The Giants won the game, stop second guessing them.
FACT: The Giants made the plays & New England did not, especially in the 4th quarter.
The Pats dropped passes, three in the 4th quarter. The drop by Welker seemed to be a 50/50 poorly thrown ball/dropped pass. The throw & catch from Manning to Manningham was the most important play of the 4th quarter. I said the Giants trio of Nicks, Cruz & Manningham would deal the Pats a fit. They caught 19-passes for 207-yards & a score. They handled every pass that could reasonably be caught. I also said yesterday if the Giants run for 100 or more yards, they win the game. They did, some of them weren't pretty, but they kept at it & totaled 114-total rush yards. The New England running backs could manage only 62-yards on 17-carries. What about the Hakeem Nicks fumble recovered by New England that was negated by a 12-men on the field penalty. Two other fumbles by New York were on the ground for for the taking but the Giants covered both.
FACT: Steve Weatherford was a huge factor in this game.
The Giants' punter made a major impact in this game. On four punts, three were downed inside the 10-yardline. The 4th hit at the six & took a crazy hop away from a Giants player at the one. The first punt put the Patriots at their own 4 & on the first snap Tom Brady was called for intentional grounding while in the endzone for a safety.
FACT: I'm not big on time of possession, but when Giants have the ball 15-minutes longer than New England...........
It seemed like the Patriots barely had the ball well into the second quarter even tho it was a very close game. But after such an edge in T.O.P. the Giants had worn down the Pat defenders in the 4th quarter.
FACT: Gronkowski played but he wasn't effective & lessened the Patriots' options.
The record breaking tight end couldn't cut on his high ankle sprain, it was obvious early on & the Giants used a linebacker to cover him over half the time. His inability to play at anywhere near full strength really cut down the number of options available to offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien & Tom Brady. The Giants lost two of their three tight ends during the game, Travis Beckham in the 2nd quarter & Jake Ballard in the 4th. Both suffered ACL injuries. This left them with only Bear Pascoe, primarily a blocker.
FACT: The Belichick myth blown up.
If I heard this once, I heard it 20-times, "give Bill Belichick two weeks & he'll find a way to stop the Giants' passing game." He got two weeks & I didn't see much improvement over what I'd seen out of the Patriots secondary most of the season. People discount Tom Coughlin like he's a drooling idiot. He coached on the same Bill Parcells staffs as Belichick did. They were both defensive coaches & maybe, just maybe, Coughlin will get his due after beating New England in the Super Bowl for the second time. He's a terrific coach.
FACT: The officials called a near-perfect game.
With the exception of one non-call on what I believed to be a pass interference penalty, the game officials called a perfect game.
FACT: The odds for Super Bowl 47 are out. Guess who's the favorite.
New England at 5-1, really? The Giants are 20-1. Other favorites include Green Bay & New Orleans at 6-1, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, & Philadelphia at 12-1 & Houston 15-1. The Chiefs are 50-1.
FACT: The Las Vegas sportsbooks got killed yesterday with the Giants' win.
With two-thirds of the side money on New York, much of it moneyline & so much future money at 50-1 & 20-1 placed on the Giants, there won't be enough prop money to offset it. There was record-breaking Super Bowl action in the legal sportsbooks of Nevada. The final figures won't be in for a day or two, but suffice to say, it was a bad day in the Silver State.
FACT: The commercials were a major disappointment.
I laughed out loud at the movie trailer for Sasha Baron Cohen's new flick "The Dictator," The Doritos ad with the missing cat was exceptional. I also liked the Bud Light ad for "Wego" the shelter dog. I still like the Career Builder spots with the chimps. But overall, it was a very weak group. Endless car spots & 3-4 Coke polar bear ads became tedious.
FACT: Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton & Kelly Clarkson were superb, halfime show not so much.
Clarkson's rendition of the National Anthem was top-5 all-time at the Super Bowl. Before you say "you're showing your age" understand this, I didn't care for Madonna 30-years ago when she was 23 & I was 30. I don't think she can sing a lick. She is maybe the greatest self-promoters I've ever seen in show business. But her half an octave range does nothing for me & the lip syncing is really lame. Rapper M.I.A. flipping the bird to the camera was a nice touch. Just more of the "Look at Me" generation. Bet Madonna wasn't happy with that, don't upstage her.
FACT: It's just 212-days until opening day of the 2012 NFL season.
The Giants will host either the Steelers, Packers or Saints on opening night September 6th. Until then I have the Scouting Combine back in Indy beginning February 23rd, NFL free agency, on-campus pro days, the draft the last weekend in April & the very latest on the Chiefs, Mizzou, the Big-12 & SEC. Plus we'll have the on-going Peyton Manning story to follow so even tho our 2011 football season is officially over, there's a lot to talk about in the near future, so check back daily for new updates & posts.
Tonight will be my last radio show for this season before returning in August. Hope you'll tune in to KRMS 1150AM or 97.5FM at 6:06PM. or you can catch the show by live streaming audio on the internet at the station's website krmsradio.com
Why all the second guessing about the team that won the game? Ahmad Bradshaw's game-winning touchdown with 57-seconds remaining is being called everything from "stupid" to "poorly coached & executed" to "a potentially disastrous decision." The Giants won the game on that touchdown, have you seen a kicker miss a chip-shot field goal at the end of the game recently? Have you seen a holder fumble a perfect snap? Have you seen a bad snap? How about a blocked kick? Yes, it was the percentage play, but when no one calls it in from the sideline & nothing is said about it in the huddle, what is Bradshaw to do? If Hakeem Nicks hadn't gone out of bounds after making the first down, this wouldn't even be an issue, but little is said about it. He thought about it after Manning said "don't score" as he handed him the ball but jeez, that's kinda late isn't it? The Pats allowed him to score, watch the highlight, they made very little effort & Vince Wilfork even signaled touchdown as Bradshaw fell over the goal line. The Giants won the game, stop second guessing them.
FACT: The Giants made the plays & New England did not, especially in the 4th quarter.
The Pats dropped passes, three in the 4th quarter. The drop by Welker seemed to be a 50/50 poorly thrown ball/dropped pass. The throw & catch from Manning to Manningham was the most important play of the 4th quarter. I said the Giants trio of Nicks, Cruz & Manningham would deal the Pats a fit. They caught 19-passes for 207-yards & a score. They handled every pass that could reasonably be caught. I also said yesterday if the Giants run for 100 or more yards, they win the game. They did, some of them weren't pretty, but they kept at it & totaled 114-total rush yards. The New England running backs could manage only 62-yards on 17-carries. What about the Hakeem Nicks fumble recovered by New England that was negated by a 12-men on the field penalty. Two other fumbles by New York were on the ground for for the taking but the Giants covered both.
FACT: Steve Weatherford was a huge factor in this game.
The Giants' punter made a major impact in this game. On four punts, three were downed inside the 10-yardline. The 4th hit at the six & took a crazy hop away from a Giants player at the one. The first punt put the Patriots at their own 4 & on the first snap Tom Brady was called for intentional grounding while in the endzone for a safety.
FACT: I'm not big on time of possession, but when Giants have the ball 15-minutes longer than New England...........
It seemed like the Patriots barely had the ball well into the second quarter even tho it was a very close game. But after such an edge in T.O.P. the Giants had worn down the Pat defenders in the 4th quarter.
FACT: Gronkowski played but he wasn't effective & lessened the Patriots' options.
The record breaking tight end couldn't cut on his high ankle sprain, it was obvious early on & the Giants used a linebacker to cover him over half the time. His inability to play at anywhere near full strength really cut down the number of options available to offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien & Tom Brady. The Giants lost two of their three tight ends during the game, Travis Beckham in the 2nd quarter & Jake Ballard in the 4th. Both suffered ACL injuries. This left them with only Bear Pascoe, primarily a blocker.
FACT: The Belichick myth blown up.
If I heard this once, I heard it 20-times, "give Bill Belichick two weeks & he'll find a way to stop the Giants' passing game." He got two weeks & I didn't see much improvement over what I'd seen out of the Patriots secondary most of the season. People discount Tom Coughlin like he's a drooling idiot. He coached on the same Bill Parcells staffs as Belichick did. They were both defensive coaches & maybe, just maybe, Coughlin will get his due after beating New England in the Super Bowl for the second time. He's a terrific coach.
FACT: The officials called a near-perfect game.
With the exception of one non-call on what I believed to be a pass interference penalty, the game officials called a perfect game.
FACT: The odds for Super Bowl 47 are out. Guess who's the favorite.
New England at 5-1, really? The Giants are 20-1. Other favorites include Green Bay & New Orleans at 6-1, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, & Philadelphia at 12-1 & Houston 15-1. The Chiefs are 50-1.
FACT: The Las Vegas sportsbooks got killed yesterday with the Giants' win.
With two-thirds of the side money on New York, much of it moneyline & so much future money at 50-1 & 20-1 placed on the Giants, there won't be enough prop money to offset it. There was record-breaking Super Bowl action in the legal sportsbooks of Nevada. The final figures won't be in for a day or two, but suffice to say, it was a bad day in the Silver State.
FACT: The commercials were a major disappointment.
I laughed out loud at the movie trailer for Sasha Baron Cohen's new flick "The Dictator," The Doritos ad with the missing cat was exceptional. I also liked the Bud Light ad for "Wego" the shelter dog. I still like the Career Builder spots with the chimps. But overall, it was a very weak group. Endless car spots & 3-4 Coke polar bear ads became tedious.
FACT: Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton & Kelly Clarkson were superb, halfime show not so much.
Clarkson's rendition of the National Anthem was top-5 all-time at the Super Bowl. Before you say "you're showing your age" understand this, I didn't care for Madonna 30-years ago when she was 23 & I was 30. I don't think she can sing a lick. She is maybe the greatest self-promoters I've ever seen in show business. But her half an octave range does nothing for me & the lip syncing is really lame. Rapper M.I.A. flipping the bird to the camera was a nice touch. Just more of the "Look at Me" generation. Bet Madonna wasn't happy with that, don't upstage her.
FACT: It's just 212-days until opening day of the 2012 NFL season.
The Giants will host either the Steelers, Packers or Saints on opening night September 6th. Until then I have the Scouting Combine back in Indy beginning February 23rd, NFL free agency, on-campus pro days, the draft the last weekend in April & the very latest on the Chiefs, Mizzou, the Big-12 & SEC. Plus we'll have the on-going Peyton Manning story to follow so even tho our 2011 football season is officially over, there's a lot to talk about in the near future, so check back daily for new updates & posts.
Tonight will be my last radio show for this season before returning in August. Hope you'll tune in to KRMS 1150AM or 97.5FM at 6:06PM. or you can catch the show by live streaming audio on the internet at the station's website krmsradio.com
Great column, as usual. I wondered if you had seen this write-up. It's the second of a fascinating two-part piece dismantling the aura around Tom Brady. Unlike a lot of people, I have nothing against the guy. And I thought he didn't look comfortable from the get-go in the Super Bowl. This write-up is fascinating, and it helps me understand why the Giants seem to have the Patriots' number.
http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_5322_Super_Bowl_Hangover_Pt._2:_From_Bradying_to_Welker.html
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Joy,
I wrote a piece about the AFL for CHFF a couple of years ago. The site, like many others of their ilk breaks everything down to numbers, which can tell a lot, but can also be deceiving.
Their premise that the Patriots had no one to stretch the field is a contention I've made for years, they simply haven't had a deep threat since Randy Moss departed & tho Welker is very quick, he really has a hard time getting behind the defense any more without the secondary blowing a coverage.
You are absolutely correct in your observation that Brady never looked comfortable, even on their long TD drives of 96 & 73-yards. He hasn't looked like he used to for the simple reason he has a lot of smaller windows to throw into with most of their passing game being underneath routes. CComebacks, slants, quick outs & crossing routes are the bulk of what they run. After 18-games, most people can see that & superior defensive coaches with decent personnel can slow it way down or eliminate it altogether.
Whereas the Giants have three game-breakers at wide receivers who can score from anywhere on the field & don't have to rely on a blown coverage to get someone behind the defense. In most games this season, the Giants WR's & Eli Manning had their way, against New England last Sunday, the Pats did everything in their power to take away Victor Cruz. For the most part, they accomplished that goal. But Hakeem Nicks & Mario Manningham hurt them badly. One guy can be stopped, most of the time, but three? Almost impossible.
The Brady-to-Welker incompletion was the fault of both, a better throw might have gotten the job done & Welker simply has to catch a pass he gets both hands on & is uncontested by a defender.
I've always thought Bill Belichick is sometimes his own worst enemy, he'll keep trying something different because he knows he's smarter than everyone else in football. Sometimes that works, but when it doesn't, it's fairly obvious to any & all. Two tight ends & a small quick slot receiver does not make for a passing game really good defenses fear, like the Ravens. Brady had a horrible day against that defense. With no back who can keep the safeties honest by running for 75-100 yards & no deep threat, Belichick has a problem, one he'll have to address if they are to get over the hump against the better defensive teams.
I think Brady & Welker both have years left as an outstanding duo, but they need a running back/running game & a speed receiver, both will keep the safeties honest, something we didn't see Sunday.
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What I found interesting about the statistical analysis was that it seemed to show that Brady isn't all that comfortable throwing the long ball in the first place, that most of the "long" completions in his career have been short passes with lots of YAC. He certainly seemed less comfortable in the Super Bowl when he was throwing long. I haven't paid that much attention to this through the course of his career, but it seemed strikingly obvious in the last game of the season.
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Joy,
No doubt Brady doesn't have the big arm to consistently throw deep with accuracy but he threw a bunch of deep passes that went for touchdowns with Randy Moss. He got behind the defense a lot & Brady hit him more often than not.
He really doesn't have "deep" receivers now, Welkers & the TE's are much more effective with underneath routes. Tho Gronkowski has had some success running seam routes down the hashes.
There aren't a lot of really great "deep" arms in the league right now. But some of the all-time greats didn't have deep arms. Montana was the recipient of more YAC than any QB in the Hall of Fame & you don't hear much negativity leveled at him. A lot of people on the web have issues with Brady/Belichick/New England, some of it well founded, some of it tainted by cherry picking stats that fit their needs. Stats don't tell the whole story as you know.
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