It’s inevitable, each and every time.

The Giants just defeated the Patriots 21-17 to win Super Bowl XLVI. Eli Manning earned MVP honors behind 293 yards passing and a touchdown toss. He also led a late fourth quarter touchdown drive to win the game, the winning play coming on a six-yard rushing touchdown by Ahmad Bradshaw with just 57 seconds remaining in the game. The key pass was a perfect 38-yard strike to wide receiver Mario Manningham down the left sideline.

The Patriots got the ball back with one last chance, but a Giants’ defensive stop ended any chance of a Patriots victory, and Big Blue was crowned as champions for the second time in five seasons.

The game marked the second time the Giants defeated the Patriots in five years on a last-minute touchdown in the Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XLII, the Giants defeated the Patriots 17-14 to win Super Bowl XLII.

Eli Manning earned MVP honors behind 255 yards passing and two touchdown tosses. He led a late fourth quarter touchdown drive to win the game, the winning play coming on a 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with just 35 seconds remaining in the game. The key play in the drive was a 32-yard toss to wide receiver David Tyree, a play known as the Helmet Catch for Tyree’s incredible trap of the ball with his left hand against the side of his helmet.

The Patriots got the ball back with one last chance, but a Giants’ defensive stop ended any chance of a Patriots victory, and Big Blue was crowned as champions.

The second Super Bowl victory probably classifies Eli Manning as an ELIte quarterback, no matter how you look at it. It gives him his second Super Bowl ring, both of which have come against Tom Brady and the Patriots.

And good luck finding any two Super Bowls in NFL history that have been as similar.

Not only was this second Super Bowl run as much to do with his play as it was the rise of the defense, but he yet again won the game late in the fourth quarter.

Great players are judged by their reaction to the game’s biggest moments, and there is no one in the NFL that rises to the occasion more than Eli.

His come from behind victory in Super Bowl XLVI was his sixth of 2011-12, and seventh fourth quarter game-winning drive.

The players in the huddle trust that Eli is going to do his thing when the pressure rises. As they say, he is as cool as the other side of the pillow.

The receivers said that all Eli told them in the huddle prior to his 88 yard game winning drive was “let’s go win this thing.” That is the confidence this offense has with the younger Manning calling the shots.

And now the younger brother has two rings to Peyton’s one, and his status among the game’s elites is without question.

He joins Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, and one Tom Brady as the only players to win multiple Super Bowl MVPs.

That is the stuff of legends.

Eli Manning still has a long way to go to be considered one of the best of all time, but his second ring is the first step towards the Hall of Fame.

You can’t spell elite without “E-L-I.”

I think the Giants have too many weapons at wide receiver.  I would think it would be nice if they could at least show run a little to keep them honest.  I do think they really won’t do that though and will be looking to pass the ball for the most part.  The Giants have three wide receivers that are very dangerous in Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham.  They could also get Ahmad Bradshaw involved in the passing game and tight end Jake Ballard.  He hasn’t really done much in the postseason but remains a threat.  I think the New England secondary will have trouble covering everyone and the Giants will have some big plays available to them.

It would be hard to bet against Bill Belichek and Tom Brady.  I just don’t think the Patriots were that good this year though.  I know they won ten in a row but they beat Denver in the playoffs and then lucked out against the Ravens in the AFC championship game.  They should of lost that game.  I feel that the Giants are a better team.  The better team doesn’t always win but I believe in this case they will.  The key to the game will be the Giants not turning the ball over and their vaunted pass rush.  If the Giants get to Brady it won’t be a pretty sight as he will get frustrated and it could lead to turnovers.

I do think the Giants secondary is weak but that can be covered up with a strong pass rush.  I don’t think their secondary is as bad as the New England one though.  I think that both teams will be looking to pass the ball mainly and it could be an up and down affair.  I am going to predict the Giants to win the game by the score of 34-28.  I hope you all enjoy Super Bowl Sunday and let me know your opinions on the game.  If you are on twitter I can be followed @gmarchesej.  Please comment on here if you would like too on this article

Parcells also coached the New York Jets and New England Patriots, making an appearance in the Super Bowl with the Patriots.

Curtis Martin, who gives a lot of credit for his success to when he ran the ball for Parcell’s Jets, highlights the 2012 class.

“He has meant so much to my career, without him my career would have been 30 percent of what it was.”

Martin is insisting that Parcells attend his induction ceremony.

Parcells is most known for his time spent with the New York Giants. He turned around a franchise that had been stuck in mediocrity for 15 years before he took over in the early 80s.

He won the first two Super Bowls in franchise history and is 11th all time with 172 wins.

Tom Coughlin doesn’t see any difference in what his players are saying in what Tom Brady told a crowd of 25,000 fans at a pep rally in Gillete Stadium.

“I know there have been one or two quotes out there. But to be honest with you, I don’t know that any one of them have been any different than Tom Brady’s.”

Some have said the Giants are being borderline cocky, but the stuff they have been saying is no different than anything they were saying in the weeks leading up to their three playoff victories.

This is just a team that knows how good it is when they play their best football.

“I think it is just a matter of our team has played good football against great football teams,” Coughlin said. “We always pull for our team. Humble enough to prepare, confident enough to perform. That is the way we look at it.”

 

Weatherford wasn’t resigned by the Jets even though he tied an NFL record for most punts inside the 20 yard line.  “That wasn’t good enough for Mike Westhoff” a sarcastic Weatherford told ESPNNewYork.com at the Giants media session.  “I’m playing for a guy now(Tom Quinn) that’s got a Super Bowl ring, so that’s not a guy I care to talk about.  He does a lot of complaining, but recently he hasn’t produced much.”  Weatherford was talking about comments that Westhoff had made during the preseason and early in the season.  Westhoff had said after he signed with the Giants that he was very disappointed in certain aspects of the punters game and he wasn’t good enough.

Weatherford thinks he knows why Westhoff was popping off about him.  “He saw the punter struggles they were having with the guys they were having compete for the job,” he said “and they started hammering him.”  “It’s a waste of my breath.  Who wants to hear that?  He lets Ben Graham go, and Graham is a pro bowl alternate the next season.  If I’m the GM, I’m thinking , What’s the common denominator?”

An interesting stat is that former Jets punters have played in three of the last four Super Bowls.  Weatherford this season, Jeremy Kapinos(Steelers, 2010) and Graham(Arizona Cardinals, 2009).  I think this is a story because it is against the Jets but in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t mean that much.  Weatherford needs to just focus on the Super Bowl and winning it and then he can rip whoever he wants.  Weatherford has had a fantastic season with the Giants and they are happy to have him.

Chris Canty told fans to “get ready for a parade” yesterday, and today he did not back away from those comments.

“I said, ‘Get ready for a parade on Tuesday.’ Honestly, it’s just one of those things where we’re a confident football team. Obviously, the Patriots were confident by some of the comments some of their team members made earlier this week before arriving here in Indianapolis. They have a right to be confident. They’re a hard-working group. They’ve earned the right to play in this football game. But so have we.”

Brandon Jacobs, never one to shy away from the spotlight, said his team is confident but not cocky.

“This team is confident and not overconfident. Cocky is nowhere near the equation. We shouldn’t have gotten on the buses if we weren’t confident. If a guy isn’t confident, they should kick him off and send him back to Jersey.”

Strong words. The Giants are obviously as confident as ever heading in to their rematch with the Patriots. As long as it

The Giants do have a couple of outspoken players.  Brandon Jacobs and Antrelle Rolle are the main guys who you may be able to get something out of.  Jacobs kind of started some controversy on media day.  He stated that his friend Plaxico Burress really wanted to come back to the Giants and not go to the New York Jets.  He also mentioned a possible Burress and New York Giants reunion in 2012.  I don’t by this at all because I think that ship has sailed.  Burress isn’t the same player he was back in 2007 and also he had some harsh comments about the Giants and coach Tom Coughlin after he signed with the Jets.

Jacobs also hinted at the fact of Burress being under-utilized and him not wanting to go back to the Jets because of their much publicized turmoil in the locker room.  Burress caught 45 passes for 612 yards and eight touchdowns.  Burress had a bittersweet season as he was happy to be back on the football field following a 20 month prison sentence but wasn’t happy with how he was used and the situation he was in.  Jacobs said he talked to Burress a couple of weeks ago and he was saying look at the Giants and 49ers in the NFC Championship and those were two teams I was interested in.  Jacobs stated that Burress will be a spectator at the Super Bowl this season.

Mario Manningham did talk about exposing Julian Edelman the other day.  The media gave him a chance today to clarify the comments and he passed saying he still intends to expose him.  Rolle was confident as usual saying we will bring it home, meaning the trophy and saying he doesn’t think the Giants can stop the two Patriots tight ends, he knows it.  Eli Manning of course was asked a lot about his brother and his legacy.  Eli didn’t say much about  his brothers future and said Peyton is his biggest cheerleader, he said a second championship would be nice.  Eli also said though it isn’t about him but the team and what it would mean to guys like Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, Steve Weatherford etc, that have never won it before.

The Patriots as usual said a lot of nothing.  They take after their coach Bill Belichik who is a great coach but just doesn’t give you any information at all.  The Patriots media day was pretty uneventful.  Gronkowski their tight end remains the story as he has a bad ankle.  He was out of the walking boot today and said he will play in the game Sunday.  It remains to be seen how effective he is though, if he isn’t himself it is a big blow to the Patriots.  I am sure the Giants will try and bump him around to test that ankle.  It should be an interesting couple of more days leading up to the Big game but ultimately it is about the game and who executes the best.

Many tend to forget about the OTHER tight end who will be playing in Super Bowl XLVI—New York Giants tight end, Jake Ballard.

Gronkowski, who is currently listed as day-to-day—and the subject of media speculation—was recently spotted out of his walking boot during Super Bowl Media Day, may help the rookie out of Ohio State fly in under the proverbial radar and steal the show in Indianapolis.

Ballard, a 6’6, 275-pound tight end, has caught 38 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns, may be the x-factor in how the Giant’s dissect the Patriot’s 31st ranked defense.

Ballard would have four receptions for 67 yards and catch the game-winning touchdown in the Giant’s 24-20 win over the Patriots in Foxboro during the regular season.

In two post-season games, Ballard has caught three passes for 33 yards in wins over Atlanta and Green Bay.

Ballard would play in the Giants 20-17 NFC Championship victory over the San Francisco 49ers but have no catches and be targeted only once.

With his combination of size, strength and reliable hands and the attention that the wide receiving corps of Mario Manningham, Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, Ballard could prove to be an invaluable asset to the Giants on intermediate routes and as a enticing red zone target for Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

With all of the attention being given towards Gronkowski—and even the other tight end in New England in Aaron Hernandez—the lack of attention may be the perfect thing for both Ballard and the New York Giants Super Bowl hopes.

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