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Giants will stop Brady, Belichick for second time

Sam Weinberg

Sorry Pats’ fans, but Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin and Co. will slay the Greatriots for a second time to walk away with the Lombardi hardware.

Granted, I think the game will be close, but ultimately, the Pats don’t have the complete team like the Giants do.

Sure, the Patriots’ offense led by Brady and his small fleet of pass-catching tight ends was lights out in the regular season, but the Giants’ offense is no slouch either. They finished ranked eighth in the regular season, but also have posted the best numbers in the playoffs with 1,214 total yards and 81 points.

Even though he still looks — and sometimes talks — like a pre-pubescent eighth grader, Manning has come into his own and has emerged as an elite quarterback. With Hackeem Nicks and Victor Cruz catching the passes, the Giants should have no issues shredding New England’s 31st-ranked pass defense, which made Joe Flacco look like an all-star — something he’s clearly not.

New York might not have the fire power to put up big numbers like the Patriots generally do, but they won’t need to since I can’t see the Giants’ defense surrendering more than 21 points.

Simply put, New York’s D-line is a beast. Jason Pierre-Paul is as athletic and disruptive as they come for defensive ends, and Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are no slouches either.

With all the pressure coming from the New York pass-rush — and with Brady throwing against a secondary that hauled in 20 interceptions this regular season — expect the Pats’ throwing offense to be lackluster at best.

The game might be close, so I’m calling the Giants 24-17 as Couglin builds his Hall of Fame resume and Eli starts to make a legitimate case for being better than his brother.

Patriots will get revenge on New York in Indy

Cathy Hebert

The New England Patriots will win Super Bowl XLVI. How? Some guy named Tom Brady, armed with his receiving weapons of mass destruction, will be too much for the ever-powerful New York Giants defense to handle.

While Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Jason Pierre-Paul and the rest of the Giants’ defense are an extremely talented and physical bunch, the Patriots’ offense will spread the defense too thin to cover them all while simultaneously generating a pass rush.

Between Deion Branch, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker, Danny Woodhead and maybe even Chad Ochocinco — unless he’s busy tweeting — there are too many players that need to be covered on every down.

On top of that, the Patriots have a solid offensive line that will give Brady the time he needs to pick apart the Giants’ defense.

It is true that Eli Manning is just as talented as Brady — maybe even more so depending on who you talk to, but it is also true that Manning defeated the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII — a victory that was, however, in large part thanks to the acrobatic-athleticism of David Tyree.

That loss, combined with Brady’s poor performance in the Conference Championship game, will fuel him to play his best — a scary scenario.

Those picking the Giants will point a critical finger at the Patriots’ subpar defense as to why they win, and rightfully so. The Patriots’ defense was mediocre all year with the secondary being the weakest link on the team.

The Pats’ defense was able to generate three sacks in their last game, however, and what better time for their secondary to step up than in the Super Bowl? Patriots win 24-17.