With the Giants and Patriots renewing acquaintances on February 5th for all the marbles, Mike Lupica of the Daily News writes that the Giants road to Super Bowl fame and fortune begins and ends with the defense. Paul Schwartz of the Post goes even more specific and cites the resurgence of Justin Tuck as the reason. The Giants will have their hands full with the TE duo that the Pats have but as Ohm Yungmisuk writes the Giants feel they match up pretty nicely with them. Dan Graziano writes that despite the knowledge they have in defeating Tom Brady before, they use that respect to continue to be diligent in finding new ways to win.
Look, am I happy that the Giants are facing off against the Patriots? No. There’s a sick feeling in my stomach because that’s Brady and Belichiek on the other end. No matter what talk of psychological advantage is coming out, I dont want to hear it. Its nice to hear the respect come pouring out for a guy who’s going to his fifth Super Bowl. Brady has an aura about him that has transcended his own ability which means he’s an all time great. He’s the kind of guy that you have to give credit to and honor everytime you play against him. The Giants know what Brady is capable of and despite recent success, there isn’t much to point at and be overconfident if you are a Giant supporter.
Because that’s still TOM BRADY! While there may be a recipe for disaster and the Giants being the perfect cooks to serve it up come Super Bowl time, the fact is, the Giants know not to lay back on their laurels. Their healthy respect for Brady is prevalent watching him. Yes, Brady will come in motivated having lost the Super Bowl when they were on their way to immortality in Glendale. They lost their first home game to an NFC opponent since 2006 to the Giants this year as well. The pass rush is something Brady sees in his nightmares. All these things are true. However, its STILL Tom Brady. A sentiment that leads one to believe that Brady holds magical powers beyond the norm of a human. We may find out how extra-terrestrial he is come Super Bowl Sunday. His legacy will not be complete if every sentence about his greatness is abruptly cut short by the news that he could never beat Eli Manning and the Giants in a game that actually mattered.
The great ones can draw inspiration from even the tiniest of slights and yet I doubt that the Giants can say anything over the next two weeks that could motivate Brady anymore than their last two meetings have already. Brady admitted Monday that he can’t re-watch Super Bowl 42. I’m sure tape of this season’s contest won’t bring back fond memories for Brady but you can see that he’s taking every single step to correct any flaws. He phoned his quarterbacking guru in California to help fix whatever needs fixing after an awful performance in Baltimore. He’s not chuckling this time if Giant players call out a low scoring game for him and his offense. This Tom Brady is scary because he’s got a chip on his shoulder. A chip on the shoulder of a sixth round draft pick. A guy you may as well have assumed came via the heaven opening up and dropping him into Foxboro and onto Bill Belichiek’s lap. His divine presence has meant a dynasty for New Englanders, a term hardly mentioned in those parts given the former state of the Boston Red Sawx and the curse. Brady’s emergence and Belichiek’s ability to get his defense to play up to par have given the Patriots the kind of team that most would be jealous of.
But if there is a mental advantage to be had by the Giants its this: they know not to expect a hesitant Tom Brady on February 5th. They know not to expect a giddy Tom Brady who overlooks the Giants. They know to expect an angry Brady playing behind a no name defense on a ho-hum team that has a few offensive weapons. A team that draws its strength from its tight ends while merely glossing over the fact that they also possess the league’s best slot weapon. The Giants know that in order to defeat Tom Brady they can not allow him space or time to operate his offense. The Giants have this knowledge and at this moment are playing the kind of football that would have you believe that they will be prepared. If not, it will be Brady’s crowning achievement and the final jewel in his amazing crown of accomplishments. THIS will be Brady’s BEST win ever. Only the Giants stand in his way.
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The Lazy Eye of Sports 