The New England Patriots aren’t looking to make a statement in Super Bowl XLII – they’re looking to add an exclamation point to an unbeaten, 18-0 run and make history. But to do that they must overcome an upstart New York Giants’ team that’s been on a magical mystery tour since New York’s final regular season game, a 38-35 loss to those very same Patriots.
The Pats have perhaps the most potent offense in the National Football League, along with a credible defense and special teams. They’ll need a solid, concerted effort from all their players, but there are six in particular who will really need to step up and play a stellar game on Sunday, Feb. 3.
1. Quarterback Tom Brady
Tom Terrific needs to play an outstanding game against a tough Giants’ defense, particularly in the wake of his error-laden effort against San Diego in the AFC Championship game. Assuming his bad ankle is okay, Brady will need to concentrate, hit his receivers and resist the impulse to make hurried throws. He certainly can’t afford to replicate his trifecta interception performance against the Chargers. Brady threw but eight picks during New England’s 16 regular season contests, and he’ll need to keep his cool while under fire by New York’s monster D-linemen.
2. Offensive Lineman Matt Light
Left tackle Matt Light will have the unenviable task of stopping the Giants’ Osi Umenyiora, a defensive end with strength, size and quickness. Umenyiora posted 41 solo tackles and 13 quarterback sacks during the regular season, although his efforts in the Patriots-Giants game in December were relatively negated. The big defensive lineman may not have made his job against Light any easier by asserting that Light is a “dirty player,” an accusation he leveled just prior to Super Bowl week. But Light’s got to keep Umenyiora out of the Pats’ backfield, and away from Brady.
3. Wide Receiver Wes Welker
Assuming New York will double-cover the Patriots’ All-Pro wideout Randy Moss, it’ll be up to the other wide receivers to come up big in this contest. New England’s got a plethora of quality wideouts, including Donte Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney, along with tight end Ben Watson and Brady’s favorite targets out of the backfield, Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk. But it always seems as though it’s Welker who, more often than not, makes key plays for the Pats. Even though he’s undersized, he’s developed a real knack for getting open while running pass routes across the middle. He pulled down 112 passes for 1,175 yards during the regular season and he needs to register a career day Sunday.
4. Cornerback Asante Samuel
Even though it’s unclear whether Samuel or fellow corner Ellis Hobbs will be assigned primary coverage of the Giants’ wide receiver Plaxico Burress, Samuel must be in the right places at the right times. Hobbs got burned badly by the 6’5” Burress in New England’s regular season game against New York, and Samuel seems to have better hands than the younger, less experienced Hobbs. For the Patriots’ sake, assigning Samuel to cover Burress – who will no doubt draw double-coverage most of the game, anyway – might prove to be a key element in the big game.
5. Safety Rodney Harrison
Although Harrison, a wily veteran defensive back, must play tough against Burress, wideout Amani Toomer, and whoever else the Giants send deep against New England’s secondary, his most important plays could come against New York quarterback Eli Manning. Harrison is a blitzer par excellence, and you can bet he’ll spend a good chunk of the game trying to disrupt the Giants’ backfield, particularly Manning, in passing situations. He also needs to stand ready to help stop New York’s human bowling ball, Brandon Jacobs, who habitually runs over everyone who tries to stop him.
6. Linebacker Adalius Thomas
Thomas has been a welcome addition to the Pats’ defense this season, and has played tough against both the run and the pass. He’s got to be on his toes to stop the speedy Ahmad Bradshaw when the Giants’ shifty tailback tries to gain ground off-tackle, or around the ends. There’s little question Thomas must get some help from fellow linebackers Mike Vrabel, Junior Seau and Tedy Bruschi, but Thomas may well be the linchpin for New England’s linebacking corps.
