Posted on 24 Jan 2012 at 13:50 PM by
Big Man with Football
After all the discussion about offense and defense, it turned out to be the special teams players that made the difference last Sunday. The 2012 Conference Finals won't be remembered fondly by either Kyle Williams or Billy Cundiff, as they will forever have to live with the disappointment of making crucial plays that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. But what else did we learn? Here are five key facts that will need to be borne in mind in advance of the Super Bowl, both in terms of analysing the game, and of course putting our betting strategy together in advance of the big occasion
(1) The Giants pass rush will test New England immensely
Now that they're all healthy and working together, the New York Giants are an utterly devastating force when it comes to rushing the passer. Jason Pierre Paul, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck have all put up great numbers this year and while the New England offensive line has been one of the best in the league this year, doing a wonderful job of protecting Tom Brady, they face a huge challenge in Indianapolis against the most in-form unit in the league.
(2) New England have a running game if they need it
Ben Jarvis Green Ellis might have the kind of name that has inspired the moniker "Law Firm" but he also protects the football extremely well and found some good holes in a solid Baltimore rush defense. New England need to get the Giants to commit men to the run and if BJGE is getting five yards per carry in the early stages of the game, he'll create some great opportunities for the receiving unit down the stretch.
(3) Eli is a tough, elite quarterback now
Perhaps due to the intense scrutiny of the New York media, or perhaps due to growing up in the shadow of a famous father and an incredibly talented older brother, Eli Manning never really got the credit for his achievements on the field until he secured his Super Bowl ring against the Patriots. Even then the jury remained out on the Big Blue signal caller until this year when he took a lot of punishment from opposing pass rushers and still managed to turn what looked like a very mediocre offense into one of the most feared passing units in the league, all while managing a fiercely tough schedule. He took six sacks and twelve hits against the 49ers and still got his job done - that's worthy of respect and if the Patriots do have an advantage at quarterback in this game, it's not a big one.
(4) Gronk will be fit
Patriots fans will have had palpitations when they saw big Tight End Rob Gronkowski go down with an ankle injury. Still, Gronk was able to get back up and play a part in the rest of the game, while the extra week of rest and recuperation will be a huge advantage. Expect New England's main offensive weapon to be fully fit for this encounter, and after Vernon Davis took the Giants' defense to the cleaners, the Gronk will be hopeful of doing the same.
(5) New England secondary very vulnerable
Okay, so Sterling Moore was the unlikely hero with two huge plays at the end of the game to knock the ball out of Lee Evans' hands, and to deny the completion to Dennis Pitta on the following play. That doesn't change the fact that Joe Flacco was able to pick apart the New England secondary, largely by targetting Julian Edelman, and if he can do it, you can bet that Eli Manning will be looking at filling his boots. New York won't want Eli taking 59 passing attempts again as he did against San Francisco, but if he does, would you really fancy New England's chances of keeping him to under 350 yards?