If you haven't heard, Eli Manning and the New York Giants are in the Super Bowl. The New York Giants website apparently does not think much of the New England Patriots and has already declared the G-men as Super Bowl Champions. There isn't much else I can add to this story that hasn't already crossed your mind. Yes, I find this ridiculous as well. The Giants eventually removed it. Another thing to add to the list of arrogant actions/remarks from the Giants this week. (

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports

It has finally arrived. It is Super Bowl Sunday and the countdown is on until kickoff. All this week we broke down both teams from every angle and gave out the advantages. Now, all there is left to do is make our predictions!

Monday: Defensive Line/Linebackers
Wednesday: Special Teams
Wednesday: Defensive Backs
Thursday: Running Backs/ Offensive Line
Yesterday: Quarterbacks
Yesterday: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Today: Game Predictions

Dolan: Going through the position-by-position breakdown this week it is clear that there are many categories in which these teams are so even that it could go either way. As an Eagles fan and going to school in Philadelphia, I see a lot more of the Giants and hear a lot more about them on campus (unfortunately). The Giants are a hot team right now and did just enough at the end of the season to get into the playoffs. In the past, there have been teams weren’t the most talented or best teams in football but got hot at the right time (last year’s Packers or this year’s St. Louis Cardinals). The Giants fit that profile and I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that the Giants are going to win this game- it is nauseating.

However, the numbers lean towards the Patriots and I know there is more to the game than the numbers. But I also don’t like how people are dismissing Tom Brady as quickly as many of the analysts are. I feel like they are waking a sleeping giant (no pun intended) and Tom Brady has shown, on multiple occasions, just how clutch he is in the Super Bowl. Brady and the Patriots’ three Super Bowl victories have all been by 3 points. Just some food for thought.

Even though my gut tells me to pick the Giants. My head tells me that Brady is a sure ballot Hall of Famer and how do you pick against that? So, because I refuse to pick New York and I think the Patriots are an exceptional football team, I am picking New England.

New England Patriots:  27
New York Giants: 23

Tristan:  As a Philadelphia Eagles fan, watching both of these teams in the Super Bowl for the second time in 4 years is quite frustrating.  The match up that I would have like to see on championship sunday was the Ravens and the 49ers for the novelty of seeing different teams, and one with a storied franchise that has not been there in over a decade.  Although once again, the Giants and Patriots will play in Super Bowl XLVI, with the same quarterbacks, in a newer retractable domed stadium wearing the exact same jerseys as they did 4 years ago. 

When it comes down to it, the Giants and the Patriots have had tremendous second halves of their seasons and both come into this game very hot.  The saga of Rob Gronkowski still continues and it is to be seen if he will have a definite impact with that injured ankle.  It's going to be a close game, not a ton of scoring, and will probably once again be decided again in the final two minutes.  Like Steve said, my gut tells me that the Giants will once again win the Super Bowl because apparently the football gods hate me.  So in saying that Im going to predict that the New England Patriots will win Super Bowl XLVI on a final drive touchdown pass to Gronkowski.

New England Patriots: 20
New York Giants: 16

Welcome to Super Bowl week. This week we will breakdown the positions for each team to give you the full report all the way up until we make our predictions on Sunday.

Monday: Defensive Line/Linebackers Advantage: Giants
Wednesday: Special Teams Advantage: Patriots
Wednesday: Defensive Backs Advantage: Push
Thursday: Running Backs/ Offensive Line RB Advantage: Giants; O-Line Advantage: Patriots
Today: Quarterbacks Advantage:Patriots
Today: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends WR Advantage: Giants; TE Advantage: Patriots, Overall TE/WR Advantage: Patriots
Sunday: Game Predictions

Well, outside of the quarterback position, these positions have been the talk of Indianapolis the past week and a half. The Giants wide receivers and the Patriots tight ends are some of the best in football at what they do. Today we are going to break down the tight ends (as receivers, not blockers) and the wide receivers.

First, we will look at the New York Giants. The Giants come in sporting the best wide receiver tandem in the league with Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham. They are also bolstered by rookie tight end Jake Ballard. Nicks and Cruz stand out as Manning’s go to targets. Cruz set the franchise record for receiving yards this season 1,536. He is certainly a big play receiver who can break one lose at any time. Nicks is a physical 6’1’’ 208 lbs receiver who has a pair of the largest hands on the east coast. These two are going to give the Patriots secondary fits. If the Patriots spend too much time focused on Cruz and Nicks, Manningham could break lose for a big game. Ballard is also capable of contributing on the offensive side as he reeled in 38 balls for 604 yards and 4 touchdowns. Eli Manning has some weapons here.

As for the Patriots, they are using the two tight end set almost exclusively. Why wouldn’t you when you have arguably the two best tight ends in football? Rob Gronkowski, Brady’s red zone target, pulled in 90 balls for 1,327 yards and a tight end single season record 17 touchdowns. “Gronk” suffered a high ankle sprain in the conference championship win over the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game. He was in a walking boot earlier this week but has been practicing and, according to Bill Belichick, has not suffered any setbacks. Translation: He is playing on Sunday. Analysts are talking about how the Giants are going to try and jam Gronk at the line of scrimmage but other analysts think that will open up space for Aaron Hernandez. The Giants also cannot forget how lethal Aaron Hernandez can be as he reeled in 79 balls for 910 yards and 7 touchdowns this year. Both can pick apart a defense. They both open the field up for Wes Welker who, surprisingly, had more catches and yards than Victor Cruz and the same amount of touchdowns. Welker is not getting half the press that Cruz is and I think that is ok with the Patriots. Lining up opposite of Welker is former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch who caught 51 balls and 5 touchdowns this year.

When it comes down to it, you need to pick your poison. Gronk is not healthy and the Giants receivers are healthy. However, Gronk will play and he could have an impact on the game. Regardless of whether he is going to be as agile as he normally is, the Giants defense must prepare for him and that will open up Welker and Hernandez. The tight ends of the Patriots are incredibly versatile and Belichick constantly changes looks. That, combined with their skill set, I give the edge to the Patriots.

Wide Receiver Advantage: Giants
Tight End Advantage: Patriots
Overall TE/WR Advantage: Patriots

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
Email: Dolan@WhizWitSports.com

Super Bowl week rolls along with another match-up breakdown between the Patriots and the Giants.  Today we will be looking at the battle between Eli Manning and Tom Brady

The quarterback position is defined by victories on the biggest stage. Dan Marino is never mentioned among the greatest of all time because he never won a Super Bowl. Brady and Manning have both won titles before, so nerves should not be a factor. Both are used to the strains of playing in the big game--media week, the pregame festivities, the elongated halftime, etc. So here is a break down between the two signal callers.

Eli Manning

Manning threw for 4,933 yards and 29 touchdowns in the regular season, while throwing 16 interceptions. One of his best regular seasons was matched with a fantastic post season. In 3 playoff games, Manning has thrown for 8 touchdowns and only 1 int. In the NFC Championship game, however, he only averaged 5.4 yards per attempt while getting absolutely hammered by the 49er defense. For the Patriots to have any type of success against Manning they are going to have to get after him. Eli has displayed an elusiveness in the playoffs where he has been even better while on the move. Eli gets himself into trouble when he is forced into throws by pressure. Certainly not a mobile quarterback, the Patriots have to bring Eli down once they get hands on him (think Super Bowl 42)

Eli's ability to limit turnovers especially late in the season has been key to the Giants success. If the Giants Offensive line can give Manning time his improved decision making should take over and he could be incredibly dangerous. In the playoffs this year, Eli has a quarterback rating of 103.1. Manning has looked like a completely different player than the one who beat the Patriots in 2008.


Tom Brady

Tom Brady had one of the greatest regular seasons in NFL history. He threw for over 5,200 yards and 36 touchdowns, compared to only 12 interceptions. He was one of three quarterbacks to throw for over 5,000 and lead the Patriots to the number 1 seed in the AFC despite struggles on the defensive side. In the playoffs his numbers are not as impressive as Manning's. He has thrown for 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions (granted in only 2 games). Against the Ravens in the AFC Championship, Brady struggled. He threw 2 INTs while not throwing for any TDs. He still threw for 239 yards and completed 61% of his passes. 

For Brady to have success his offensive line is going to have to slow down the Giants pass rush. Given time, Brady is arguably the best at picking apart defenses and making good decisions (Eli's older brother being the other--when healthy). Despite his numbers in the AFC Championship game Brady's QB rating in the playoffs is 105.8.


The Spin

I give the edge to the Patriots. I think Brady will bounce back from his performance against the Ravens and have another fantastic game on the worlds biggest stage. Additionally, Brady has more weapons to throw to than Manning. The Giants have seen the emergence of Victor Cruz as a deep threat, but Brady has two of the best tight ends in the game along with one of the best slot receivers. With his almost unlimited weapons and superior decision making Brady could alone be the difference in the game.


Advantage: Patriots

-Mike McCabe

Super Bowl week rolls along with another match-up breakdown between the Patriots and the Giants.  Today we will be looking more closely at the running games and offensive lines of both teams.

Monday: Defensive Line/Linebackers
Tuesday: Special Teams
Wednesday: Defensive Backs
TODAY: Running Backs/ Offensive Line
Friday: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Saturday: Quarterbacks
Sunday: Game Predictions

This 2011 season, without a doubt was the year of the Quarterback.  Passing records were shattered across the board this year as more teams looked to the air to get their points. Also, with quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Eli Manning, why would you not lean on the passing game more heavily?

New York Giants:
RB's: Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs, Henry Hynoski (FB)

This year, the Giants had the worst, yep, the worst rushing attack in the entire league.  In total, the Giants rushed for 1,427 yards.  that comes out to 89.2 yds/game.  This unusually low total can mostly be attributed to the injury to Ahmad Bradshaw, which caused him to miss the entire month of November.  Brandon Jacobs was asked to carry the load to which he put up relatively weak numbers, such as a 21 yard performance in a loss to the Eagles on 11/20. Having the 32nd worst rushing attack in the NFL is a deceiving statistic though.  The Giants have 17 rushing touchdowns, which is 6th in the league.  Proving that when in close to the goal line, the Giants aren't afraid to push their way into the endzone. This offseason, the Giants have the most rushing yards(352), and the most rushing attempts (84).  These numbers can be attributed to having played in 3 games this postseason already, but averaging over 100 yards a game (117.3) is a feat teams strive to accomplish in the post season.  Look for the Giants to try and move the ball on the ground and establish a running game early.  Like the Atlanta game, when the Giants' running backs get rolling, they are a very difficult bunch to stop.  The unsung hero of the Giants backfield is rookie full back, Henry Hynoski (Pitt).  Despite not registering a single rushing attempt this year, he has been used in I-formation sets to provide excellent blocking for Eli Manning as well as catch a few passes as the drop off receiver out of the backfield. 

The Offensive line has had its fair share of struggles this year, yet it still allowed Manning to throw for nearly 5000 yards, while getting sacked 28 times.  Most of those sacks can also be attributed to Manning's lack of mobility, but when it comes down to it, the Giants offensive line has not been very good.  Coach Kevin Gilbride was quoted on NBC's Pro Football talk as saying:

“It’s been a . . . process,” Gilbride said, searching for the right words. “It’s been a transitional process. We lost two our two starters that were kind of the heart and sou of our team in Richie Seubert and Shaun O’Hara. We lost William Beatty, our starting left tackle. We’ve been shuffling guys around, trying to get (center) David Bass up to speed.  We haven’t been together as long.  Baas has been a missed a bunch of games.  It’s been a growth process, there’s no question.”

The Giants line has a tough test Sunday when going up against the front seven of the Patriots.  The Giants offensive line has been getting little attention due to the incredible season by Eli Manning, and being overshadowed by their stellar defensive line.

New England Patriots
RB's: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead, Stevan Ridley

The Patriots enter Sunday's game with a considerably better rushing attack (statistically).  The Pats racked up 1764 rushing yards this season which translates to 110.3 yards a game.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis has been a consistent work horse yet again this year.  The "Law Firm" has never been one for putting up highlight reel runs, breaking the 100 yard mark only once this season, 136 yards against the Jets week 5.   Look for Green-Ellis to get the majority of his touches after the Pats have made their way into the red zone.  Also getting touches is Danny Woodhead.  The 5'8" 195lbs running back is a nice compliment to the hard nose running of Green Ellis.  Woodhead has tremendous speed and agility and is always a player defenses notice when he enters the backfield.  The Patriots accumulated 18 rushing touchdowns this season, 11 of them coming from Green-Ellis. The Patriots have the better rushing game on paper, but with a healthy Ahmad Bradshaw with doses of the bruiser back Brandon Jacobs, the Giants have the upper hand when it comes down to it.

The Patriots' Offensive Line are a bunch that pride themselves in their work.  Tom Brady had another phenomenal year, throwing for over 5000 yards with the league's 2nd best passing attack.  They do have their holes, in the first meeting's loss with the Giants in week 9, the Patriots' last loss this season, Brady was sacked twice and knocked down three times. The week before against the Steelers, Brady was sacked 3 times and knocked down 4 and had arguably the worst game of the season.  Against good defenses, the O Line has showed their vulnerability.  Showing up on Sunday is going to be key.  The Patriots line is certainly up to a huge task when going up against the likes of Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyora, and new star, Jason Pierre-Paul.  In Super Bowl XLII, Tom Brady was sacked 5 times and was constantly under pressure.  If the Patriots want to win this time around, controlling the pass rush of the Giants is going to be of the utmost importance for this core of gutsy veterans light Matt Light, Logan Mankins, and Dan Connolly. 

Advantage
Running Backs- Giants
Offensive Line- Patriots

-Tristan Tschoepe
Follow Tristan on Twitter @tshope122
Follow Whiz Wit Sports on Twitter @WhizWitSports

Welcome to Super Bowl week. This week we will breakdown the positions for each team to give you the full report all the way up until we make our predictions on Sunday.

Monday: Defensive Line/Linebackers
Today: Special Teams
Today: Defensive Backs
Thursday: Running Backs/ Offensive Line
Friday: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Saturday: Quarterbacks
Sunday: Game Predictions 

This year's Super Bowl features two of the best quarter backs in the game; Tom Brady and Eli Manning. Brady threw for 5235 yards while Manning threw for 4933 yards. Both teams are pass oriented - which can be seen when their top rushers have under 700 yards. This pattern seems to have no end as the Giants and the Patriots feature two of the NFL's worst secondaries. My prediction: this game will have plenty of passing, and plenty of completions. Who knows? We might have a high scoring Super Bowl.

The Giants have had their share of problems this year, but you can't overlook their secondary especially against a quarterback like Tom Brady. The Giants defensive backs ranked 29th in the NFL in opponent's passing yards per game at 255.2. Brady threw for 327 yards per game in 2011-2012. Stopping him consistently will be a problem throughout the game for the Giants secondary. They will have to rely heavily on their front four to get pressure, much like they have been throughout the playoffs. As a defense, the Giants had 20 INTs, and no returns for touchdowns. The core also had 82 passes defended this year, and will look to increase that number in the Super Bowl. The Giants have been an inconsistent team this year, but in order to have an edge on the Patriots offense the secondary needs to attempt to shut down Brady and his weapons. For CBs AAron Ross (left), CB Corey Webster, SS Kenny Phillips, and FS Antrel Rolle this will not be an easy task. 

The Patriots secondary is, if you couldn't guess, worse than the Giants'. With their high profile coach and quarterback, it can be easy to miss the flaws of the Patriots. However, their defense as a whole has not been good this season, and their secondary is ranked 31st in the NFL in opponent's passing yards per game at 293.9. It does not get any easier. Manning, who threw for just over 300 yards per game this year, will look to exploit the Patriots defense, especially down field. The Patriots as a whole forced 23 INTs and returned 3 of those for touchdowns. They also recorded 56 passes defended. The Patriots starters CB Dexter McCourty (right #32), FS Patrick Chung (right #25), SS James Ihedigbo, and CB Kyle Arrington will play a large part in the Patriots avenging their loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl a few years ago. (Photo: Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

When trying to compare the two secondaries, you can see that they are not much different. Both have had (much) less than perfect seasons, and will have to tighten up against two of the top QBs in the NFL. If these secondaries don't game plan well and shut down the receivers, Brady and Manning could be in for a duel. 

Advantage: Push

- Mike Higgins
Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeHiggzPSU
Follow WhizWit on Twitter: @WhizWitSports

Welcome to Super Bowl week. This week we will breakdown the positions for each team to give you the full report all the way up until we make our predictions on Sunday.

Monday: Defensive Line/Linebackers
Today: Special Teams
Today: Defensive Backs
Thursday: Running Backs/ Offensive Line
Friday: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Saturday: Quarterbacks
Sunday: Game Predictions

Many times when people are analyzing and predicting the outcome of games, specials teams is overlooked. Both the NFC and AFC Conference Championship games came down to special teams miscues. The Patriots held a three point lead when Ravens kicked Billy Cundiff missed a 32 yard field goal that would have tied the game and, in all likelihood, forced overtime. Instead, it sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl. In the NFC game, Kyle Williams fumbled the ball deep in their own territory in overtime to give the Giants great field position which set up a Lawrence Tynes 31 yard field goal to win the game and punch their ticket to Indianapolis.

Looking at the Patriots special teams, they are pretty solid. Starting with their punter, Zoltan Mesko, the Patriots help themselves out in the field position battle. Mesko had 24 of his 57 punts (42.1%) this year end up inside the 20 yard line. Only 5% of his punts ended up as touchbacks and his average punt distance was 46.5 yards. In the playoffs, 2 of his 4 punts ended up inside the 20 and he is averaging 43.8 yards per punt with a net of 37.8 yards. Not too bad. When the Patriots and Giants met earlier this year, Mesko had no touchbacks on 5 punts. He averaged 45 yards per punt and only one of the five was returned, which ended up in no gain. As for place kicking, the Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski was 28-for-33 (84.8%) in the regular season and 4-for-4 in the postseason field goal attempts. His longest kick this season was 50 yards and his career long is 53 yards.

The Giants punter, Steve Weatherford, punted 82 times in the regular season.  Only 25 of his 82 punts (30.5%) this year ended up inside the 20 yard line. 7.3% of Weatherford’s punts ended up as touchbacks and the average distance was 45.7 yards per punt. In the playoffs, 3 of his 18 punts ended up inside the 20 and he is averaging 46.4 yards per punt with a net of 40.6 yards. In the Giants win over New England in November, Weatherford punted the ball 8 times, five of which ended up inside the 20 yard line. He didn’t have any touchbacks and five of his 8 punts were returned for a total of 17 yards. He averaged 43.1 yards per punt in the November victory. Gaints place kicker Lawrence Tynes had the weight of the world on his shoulders when he sent the 49ers home for the season. Tynes went 19-for-24 (79.2%) in the regular season field goal attempts and 6-for-8 (75%) in the postseason. His longest kick this season was 50 yards and his career long is 53 yards.

The return game is big. For the Patriots, Danny Woodhead primarily carries the load on the kick returns and Julian Edelman returns punts. Woodhead has returned 20 kicks for a total of 437 yards (21.85 yards per attempt) with his longest return registering 37 of those yards. Edelman has returned 12 kickoffs this year for 284 yards (23.67 yard per attempt) and his long also is 37 yards. Edelman also returns punts for New England. He has 28 returns for 300 yards (10.71 yards per attempt) and one touchdown. His longest punt return was 72 yards.

For the Giants, cornerback Will Blackmon handles both kick and punt returning duties. Blackmon returned 2 kickoffs for 43 yards (21.5 yards per kickoff return) with his longest return being a 32 yarder. He also returned 6 punts for 25 yards (4.17 yards per attempt). His longest punt return was for 16 yards.

This one is not as close as the defensive line/linebacker battle was. Although Weatherford and Mesko are both good, Mesko appears have had the upper hand all year and their playoff numbers are really close as well so the nod goes to Mesko. As for Gostkowski and Tynes, Gostkowski has been perfect in the playoffs and also had better regular season numbers than Tynes. Both can kick in the clutch and come through when you need them. Due to Gostkowski’s better numbers in the regular season and postseason, he gets the nod. As for the returners, it isn’t even close Woodhead and Edelman have the advantage over Will Blackmon. Look at their numbers and it becomes abundantly clear. Due to the fact that the Patriots have shown that they are better in all four categories (punter, place kicker, kick return, and punt return) they have the special teams advantage.

Advantage: Patriots

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
Email: Dolan@WhizWitSports.com

Welcome to Super Bowl week. This week we will breakdown the positions for each team to give you the full report all the way up until we make our predictions on Sunday.

Today: Defensive Line/Linebackers
Tomorrow: Defensive Backs
Wednesday: Special Teams
Thursday: Running Backs/ Offensive Line
Friday: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Saturday: Quarterbacks
Sunday: Game Predictions