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The Patriots beat the Ravens and the Giants beat the 49ers which mean we have a Super Bowl rematch. Four years ago the Giants beat the Patriots thanks to a last-second pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress and they'll have a chance to do it again on February 5 (well, without Plaxico this time).
Early thoughts on the game? The year of the rematch, huh?
0 recs | 89 comments
Angry Brady seeking almighty vengeance for ruining the perfect season and beating his childhood team
Brady knows he sucked today (even said it in the postgame) and will be spending the next two weeks prepping like a maniac for his chance at redemption.
Sudden - January 22, 2012
The G-men are gonna have to play better
than they id tonight, if they w2ant to beat the Cheatriots
Bleedingredandgold - January 22, 2012
Patriots open as 3 1/2-point favorites over Giants in Super Bowl
Tarkus - January 22, 2012
beat me to it lol
Not sure how this one is going to go. Revenge is great angle, but these darn Giants are pretty good. And beat the Pats in Foxborough before they learned how to play again.
I don’t like him but Tom Coughlin wins big games. Bottom line.
Steve_in_RI - January 22, 2012
I would take the Giants +3.5.
If it goes under 3, I’d probably take the Pats. I think they win a close game.
Tarkus - January 22, 2012
My thoughts exactly.
I think 3.5 is a great spread to take NYG on.
Sudden - January 22, 2012
Special teams were pretty hard to watch in the games today
I think defense makes the difference in the Superbowl. I’m taking the Giants. But no matter what happens in that game don’t believe the crazy people that say that Eli is the better Manning.
Streetcleaner - January 22, 2012
We ain't asking you to believe.
He. just. is.
More physical confidence, capable of taking hits in the pocket without getting rattled, better in pressure situations. Eli is just better.
Sudden - January 22, 2012
I agree
Some guys have it when the season is on the line, and Eli is one of those guys. Peyton has shown time and again that he is rarely that guy.
HazyNirvana - January 22, 2012 via mobile
Y'know what it is with Eli? He's too stupid to shrink in big moments.
He strikes me as so flippin oblivious. Like he doesn’t recognize that it’s a huge moment, like he doesn’t have enough synapses firing in his head to actually feel the pain of two 350 lb behemoths smashing him. Yet he has an amazing football IQ for reading defenses and making good throws.
Sudden - January 22, 2012
Yeah
Sometimes I wonder how he makes some of these plays, a shovel pass to Bradshaw mid game comes to mind.
But I agree, the dude looks the same regardless of the situation, keeps positive body language and such. Peyton is the opposite. His body language is horrible when he gets hit a couple times. And I believe, his teammates feed off of it both ways.
HazyNirvana - January 22, 2012 via mobile
Can we finally say
That Eli is an elite QB(top 5) We all agree on that …right?
saints_chiefsfan1979 - January 22, 2012
Give Peyton
the Giants D and he would have won 3 SBs.
AZDiamond75 - January 23, 2012
Give Eli
Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Edgerrin James and I could say the same thing
saints_chiefsfan1979 - January 23, 2012
Cuz
Nicks, Cruz, Manningham, Ballard, Jacobs, Bradshaw are garbage…not to mention a better OL. The Giants D is much better compared to the Colts weapons….plus Manning made stars out of players like Collie and Garcon.
Eli has always had a dominant D and offensive weapons.
AZDiamond75 - January 23, 2012
Not as good as what Peyton had on offense
saints_chiefsfan1979 - January 23, 2012
So you
are saying if you put Peyton and the Giants, he wouldn’t have done better then Eli?
AZDiamond75 - January 23, 2012
I'm saying it goes both ways
Bradshaw and Jacobs are no where near the running back James was
Manningham isn’t even close to the player Brandon Stokley was
Nicks is a good player but compared to Reggie Wayne hah no way
Cruz is an emerging star but Harrison is a hall of famer
Eli doesn’t have anything close to Dallas Clark at tight end
Most of Eli’s weapons he’s only had a few years. Peyton had those guys 5-6 -7 years That aren’t as far apart as you think
saints_chiefsfan1979 - January 23, 2012
Ok I agree with a lot of that but
Manningham is a better player….and I would call Cruz’s year more then a emerging star…he was a difference maker all year. The Defenses, however, aren’t even close. The Giants are so much better on Defense. If you switch Mannings…Peyton wins 3 in NY and Eli doesn’t win 1. Eli needs that dominant defense.
AZDiamond75 - January 23, 2012
and peyton needs that dome he plays in
Eli plays in a lot tougher conditions
chiefnation - January 23, 2012 via mobile
Hmmm...indoors vs. outdoors.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/4256/splits?year=career
AZDiamond75 - January 23, 2012
Peyton had a dominant defense
From 2002-2007, the Colts defense in yards per game allowed: 8, 3, 7, 2, 7, 2. One championship in that stretch. I’d still take Peyton over Eli, but he did have a D like Eli has had.
BeauJackson - January 23, 2012
How were they ranked in points given up
The yardage thing is bogus….I’ll take a team worse in yards but better in the red zone…giving up FGs vs. TDs….I will love it when people start saying Eli is better then Peyton.
AZDiamond75 - January 23, 2012
You do realize that he averaged 5.4 ypa tonight and was sacked 6 times at a completion rate of 55% He also threw what should have been 2 ints but there were too many defenders in position to make the catch. When Cassel put up these kind of games, people were calling for the towel boy to be qb. Eli is a good QB, but some of this talk is ridiculous and now elevated to a new level because he is now in the Super Bowl again. All people see is the shiny “300 yard game!”, it took him 58 passes! So many circumstances are out of QB’s control, but people want to only use the result of those circumstances to grade players. Eli doesn’t win tonight without lots of help, Joe Flacco has the best game of any QB today and wins if Evans just holds on. But all everyone will say is “Eli is a winner, and Flacco can’t take his team to the big game”. Eli is the better quarterback, don’t get me wrong, but elite? Better than Peyton? Some of this talk is a little far fetched.
Artimus Clyde - January 23, 2012
wow......
Eli is on his 2nd SB in 4 years. He has beaten the best teams the NFC can throw at him. He also took down the undefeated Patriots. This guy is much more than just a flash in the pan. He made several throws Cassel couldn’t even make in practice . That TD where he freazes the safety , then he throws a dart to the wr for a td. Or than 1 where he gets blasted but throws a perfect pass to Bradshaw at the sideline. Eli is a top 5 QB there is no doubt about it
saints_chiefsfan1979 - January 23, 2012
The dude is a legitimate QB
I’d love to have him on the Chiefs.
TRSChief - January 23, 2012
Meh!
I wasn’t a fan of the BCS championship game and this one isn’t much more interesting.
Dagda - January 22, 2012
At least these teams earned their way in.
Tarkus - January 22, 2012
Bama was good
But they had no business getting another shot like that.
HazyNirvana - January 22, 2012 via mobile
Why?
OK state lost to IA state for crying out loud
saints_chiefsfan1979 - January 22, 2012
Giants lost to the Redskins.
Tarkus - January 22, 2012
At least they can win their conference
And that used to mean something.
HazyNirvana - January 22, 2012 via mobile
Every time the SEC goes up against the Big 12 the big 12 gets pounded
The 2 best teams played no doubt about it
saints_chiefsfan1979 - January 23, 2012
I never said Nama wasn't the best
I just don’t think they deserved another shot when they couldn’t seal the deal at home in November. They got a mulligan, and I feel that diminishes the regular season that college football claims matters so much.
Bu do I think Osu or Stanford would beat either of those teams? Nope, but at the least, Osu deserved the chance to try.
HazyNirvana - January 23, 2012 via mobile
*bama
HazyNirvana - January 23, 2012 via mobile
So wait
In the Bowl system people were mad cuz the 2 best teams rarely got to decide it on the field….now people want the game that will be the most entertaining or cuz they just deserve a shot???? Oregon couldn’t beat USC…not to mention they lost to LSU…but it would have been ok for that rematch?
Stanford, OSU, Oregon, Boise all had chances to seal the deal, and all of them lost. I don’t remember this much bithcing when OU was destroyed by KSU in the Big 12 Champ game…but still got to play USC.
AZDiamond75 - January 23, 2012
The BCS has the job to put the 2 best teams in the BCS game
You had 3 teams to choose from Bama, OSU and Stanford. Stanford got killed by Oregon and OSU lost to IA state. Bama’s only loss came against LSU, in which Bama’s kicker missed 3 FG’s that would have otherwise won the game. I think they got it right
saints_chiefsfan1979 - January 23, 2012
Agreed
People are just mad cuz both teams were from the same conference.
AZDiamond75 - January 23, 2012
I'm not mad
Feel free to disagree, I just think it was a raw deal for all involved. I don’t even much care for college football, because the old system and the bcs system just seem illegitimate to me. But I do think winning a conference, while beating more ranked opponents (I might be wrong about the last part, but I remember reading it somewhere) than Alabama was more deserving.
But like I said, you don’t have to agree with it.
HazyNirvana - January 23, 2012 via mobile
I think you are correct in the ranked teams.
It came down to Bama losing to LSU and OSU losing to ISU…plus Bama pretty much domianted every game…even the first LSU game. OSU squeaked by some games…the KSU one in particular.
AZDiamond75 - January 23, 2012
Yeah I remember that ksu game
It was slightly ridiculous, and I knew then their defense wasn’t up to par. It would have helped also if ou hadnt folded, but they got murdered with injuries. But Alabama definitely rolled for the most part.
HazyNirvana - January 23, 2012 via mobile
I'm not mad
Feel free to disagree, I just think it was a raw deal for all involved. I don’t even much care for college football, because the old system and the bcs system just seem illegitimate to me. But I do think winning a conference, while beating more ranked opponents (I might be wrong about the last part, but I remember reading it somewhere) than Alabama was more deserving.
But like I said, you don’t have to agree with it.
HazyNirvana - January 23, 2012 via mobile
Alabama didn't win their conference
They didn’t even win their division.
And yet they win the National Championship.
Clearly, on any given day, any good team can beat another, but if you don’t win your division or your conference, what business do you have being in the national championship? OSU was the winner of the Big 12. Sure, they lost to a not-much-better-than-mediocre team, but at least they won their conference. If playing for a conference title is meaningless, than do away with conferences.
Dagda - January 23, 2012
because of a VERY questionable called missed FG
and playing on the day that 2 of the Basketball coaches had died. Stillwater is a small college town and tight knit community theres no doubt that played a major roll in the loss as well
slackator - January 23, 2012
I hate talking about this cuz it makes me feel
horrible…but….The death did not happen until the day before. They practiced all week without distraction…it wasn’t their coach or somebody on the team. The one thing that dismisses this excuse is that they were up 24 – 7 midway through the 3rd quarter….so they blew a 17 point lead in a quarter in a half. If they would have gotten blown out from the start, I might think it had an affect…but they didn’t. They played bad in the 4th….a second thing…and one people forget.
One of Arkansas’ own players died the Sunday before the Bama game. It affected them all week during practice and were blown out against Bama. Nobody offered that up as an excuse and it was their own teammate.
AZDiamond75 - January 23, 2012
I'm just happy that Jim Harbaugh will not sniff a Super Bowl.
Since 1996, I’ve hated him. As a Cal fan and since he’s a former Stanford coach, I hate him.
Sudden - January 22, 2012
I can understand this.
Mully - January 22, 2012
plus, he does seem like a giant d-bag
The whole lions handshake thing, and I think him and his brother get a lot more credit than they deserve. Both guys inherited some insanely good defensively personnel.
Sudden - January 22, 2012
oh boy. We're getting ready to pass a 500 team off
as a legit champion. Only in New York/the NFL
sm7600 - January 22, 2012
A .500 team
That has showed up big in the playoffs once again. Like Taurus said so aptly, at least they earned it.
HazyNirvana - January 22, 2012 via mobile
Haha
“Taurus”. That’s awesome.
Mully - January 22, 2012
I'm a Leo actually.
Tarkus - January 22, 2012
Dude, no way.
You’re lion.
TRSChief - January 22, 2012
I can decide
whether to flag or rec both of you for that.
Mully - January 22, 2012
I cat decide either.
Tarkus - January 22, 2012
Urgh
>:(
Mully - January 22, 2012
Not sure.
TRSChief - January 22, 2012
I hate auto correct
Damnit haha.
HazyNirvana - January 22, 2012 via mobile
it was huge how they got the SF punt returner
to fumble the game away
sm7600 - January 22, 2012
Yeah, special teams really decided the games today.
HazyNirvana - January 23, 2012 via mobile
12-7 is 500?
crazy how math changes all the time.
BeauJackson - January 22, 2012
That's the new math.
Kids.
Tarkus - January 22, 2012
No football fan left behind.
TRSChief - January 22, 2012
lol
LadyChief - January 22, 2012
9-7 in the regular season
is close enough for me. Especially when an all powerful New York team in the almighty NFC Least is concerned
sm7600 - January 22, 2012
well if it is close enough
things that are false must be true.
BeauJackson - January 22, 2012
well then
the Niners and Ravens only lost by 3 points, thats close enough so I guess they can be considered winners today
banshee_01 - January 22, 2012
too many people with connections to the Chiefs or Missouri on both teams
for them to be considered winners
sm7600 - January 22, 2012
Kind of like the Cubs curse?
Tarkus - January 22, 2012
The Packers went 10 - 6 last year
Is that one game that big of a difference in your math?
AZDiamond75 - January 23, 2012
Oh how Chiefs fans know the pain of crappy special teams play.
bossmanham - January 22, 2012
Giants Beat
Smith/Davis
Rodgers/Jennings?
Brady has Gronk and Hernandez
Patriots Win
Steve_Chiefs - January 22, 2012
Are you
sure Gronk will play….that looked like a bad ankle sprain….and he wasn’t on the field much after the injury….maybe as a decoy…but no catches.
AZDiamond75 - January 23, 2012
Giants Win
More Balanced team and a great pass rush! The pats got outplayed today by the Ravens. They luckily escaped.Ravens are built like the Giants but the Gmen have an ELIte qb! The pats D folds in the end 34-31Gmen!
CHEEFN58 - January 22, 2012 via mobile
33 weeks until Opening Day
I’m willing to be the Niners weren’t thinking this at this time last year. Forget both of these teams. Here’s to a monster offseason and getting ourselves to the big one. (or at least a game in late January)
Steve_in_RI - January 22, 2012
I pick the Giants
Better pass rush, Better RB’s , Better Receiving core, Special teams about equal, Coaching about equal. Brady is the better QB , but Manning is an elite QB as well. Giants 35 Pats 24
saints_chiefsfan1979 - January 22, 2012
Yeah I think that the Giants' pass rush is going to be the difference maker.
TRSChief - January 22, 2012
Somehow
our wonderful KC media found a way to bash the Chiefs when their commercial aired.
FU Fescoe.
bossmanham - January 22, 2012
2 pretty good games today
Sad day, kind of feels like the last week of football. Superbowl doesn’t really feel like a real football weekend because its such a spectacle and I’ll be drunk by halftime trying to take a waitress into the bathroom
I guess I like the Giants in this one, both have great offenses, but as sketch as the Giants secondary is, at least they don’t have WRs lining up back there. Which begs the question, is a good secondary overrated? Giants 3 best DBs are on IR and Patriots have WRs back there, but both defenses have the playmakers up front. I don’t know if I really believe it, just thinking out loud.
craig in calgary - January 22, 2012 via mobile
Ask the Packers.
bossmanham - January 22, 2012
I think a really good pass rush can cover up a weak secondary
And luckily for the New York Football Giants – they have a really good pass rush.
TRSChief - January 22, 2012
Yeah the Superbowl kinda sucks
1) Tickets are so expensive that they’re pretty much all corporate giveaways which means the real fans of the teams are there in relatively small numbers.
2) Your wife/girlfriend will want to host a superbowl party, or worse, you’ll get dragged to a party with her friends and she’ll think you’re being rude for not talking to people
3) Game is too long thanks to all the commercials (which really aren’t that funny anymore)
4) Speaking of commercials, there is always some organization that puts some total killjoy commercial in the middle of the superbowl (anyone remember the one from 2001 of the guy on his deathbed dying of lung cancer?)
5) You think we’re gonna get through the superbowl without seeing Tim Tebow at least 7 times? Probably not
6) The halftime show is generally whack as hell
7) Wives/girlfriends will talk through the whole damn game, but you’re a total dick if you talk during commercials
8) It’s too pretty, always in a perfect weather environment/dome. Will be glad to see the one in New York in a couple years.
Streetcleaner - January 23, 2012
I think the Pats take it
Giants are vulnerable in some areas on D. The Pats are too good
RamX21 - January 22, 2012
ill take the Giants and the points.
“NFC Least” LOL i Love IT! Atlanta, Dallas, SF, and The Mighty Packers all dropped to this team. The fact that the PAtriots are favored by 3.5 points despite the fact they have NO Defense and the Giants Offense will probably light them up like a christmas tree. WHo in that New england Secondary are covering Nicks, Cruz, and Manningham.. I have more faith in the Ginats Defense slowing down the PAtriots than i do in the Patriots defense slowing down the Giants… it is simple as that.. Eli will eat the Pats blitz alive, and Brady will have to deal with the Giants 4 man rush and them dropping 7 into coverage.. GOOD LUCK NEW ENGLAND.
Kimbrkitty - January 23, 2012
YAY!!!slackator - January 23, 2012
I'm digging through AP, re-reading the "Elite QB isn't necessary for a championship" articles for a laugh.
Brady and Manning again in the Superbowl.
Chief Farmer - January 23, 2012
Of course, it was nearly Alex Smith v/s Tom Brady....
And it wasn’t even Smith’s fault that it isn’t.
Does Alex Smith qualify as elite? After this season, I legitimately wonder.
go_saleaumua - January 23, 2012
And it was almost...
Joe Flacco vs. Eli Manning.
Really, these were great games that could have gone either way. And taking these two games or these four teams alone doesn’t explain how to get a championship.
And even though it is Brady vs. Manning again, only a few franchises are consistently in the big game— so to me it is a matter of ownership more than of quarterbacks. But if you don’t have the right ownership, you need an elite quarterback!
I live half-way between Boston and New York and I’m turning off sports radio, tv and newspapers for two weeks.
Chief Farmer - January 23, 2012
Brady better hope his line is better than it was in 2008
or this game could look very similar.
Chiefs4Life - January 23, 2012
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