Super Bowl XLVI : Random Thoughts and Observations

Eli Manning is an elite quarterback

He has 2 Super Bowl rings in the past 4 seasons - that should be all that needs to be said.

He has thrown for 4,000+ yards, and completed more than 60% of his passes in the past 3 seasons.

He is 7-1 on the road and neutral sites in the playoffs. No one else has done that.

He is clutch. He has led 2 come from behind victories in Super Bowl XLII and XLVI, highlighted by 2 incredible passes to David Tyree and Mario Manningham.

He is a 2-time Super Bowl MVP. The only other players that have won multiple Super Bowl MVPs are Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, and Tom Brady.

Elite quarterbacks play in, and win, Super Bowls

The NFL has become a passing league, and if you don’t have an elite tier quarterback under center, you don’t play in the big game in February.

2011 – Eli Manning vs Tom Brady

2010 – Aaron Rodgers vs Ben Roethlisberger

2009 – Payton Manning vs Drew Brees

2008 – Kurt Warner vs Ben Roethlisberger

2007 – Eli Manning vs Tom Brady

There are teams with elite defenses that remain on the outside looking in because they are weak at quarterback.

2008-2011 – Baltimore Ravens (Joe Flacco)

2011 – San Francisco 49ers (Alex Smith)

2011 – Houston Texans (T.J. Yates/Matt Lineart) **Schaub Injury

2009-2001 – New York Jets (Mark Sanchez)

2010 – Chicago Bears (Jay Cutler)

The Patriots are 0-2 in post "spy gate" SB's

…just saying

Wes Welker should not be the goat

Welker will receive a lot of blame for his drop late in the 4^th quarter, but is not the reason the Patriots lost the game.

In Sports we typically dwell on the mistakes that happen late in the game, but forget about everything that happened in the first three quarters. One glaring mistake was a completed pass by New York that was stripped and taken away by the Patriot defense. However, the Patriots had 12 men on the field, giving the ball back to the Giants, who eventually scored a touchdown.

7 points for being disorganized and unable to count. A much bigger mistake than the Welker dropped pass.

Tom Brady’s safety was important in more ways than one

Yet another costly mistake by the Patriots was Tom Brady’s intentional grounding call in the end zone, resulting in a safety.

Because of that safety, the Giants trailed 15-17 instead of 13-17 on their last drive. Because they only trailed by 2, they could run the clock and kick a field goal to end the game. Belichick opted to let New York score a touchdown to get the ball back into Tom Brady’s hands and give his team one final shot.

If the safety never happened the Giants would have trailed by 4, eliminating the field goal try, and forcing New York to get the ball into the end zone. If the Pats defense holds, they win the game.

In a totally separate topic, the safety was huge for Jona Rechnitz. It was reported by Tom Weir of USA Today that Mr. Rechnitz placed a $1,000 bet at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas that a safety would be the first scoring play of the game. At 50/1 odds, Mr. Brady’s mistake made Jona $50,000. I wonder who his new favorite player is?

The Patriots are still a good team

Since their loss, many commentators, radio show hosts, and television anchors have raised the question – Is the Patriot dynasty over?

Absolutely not.

As long as the Patriots have Tom Brady under center, they will be a Super Bowl contender each and every year.

The Giants are a better team than the Patriots

No one has done more with less than Tom Brady. New England has no running game, Brady’s two biggest threats are tight ends, and he has virtually no threat at wide receiver. The Pats defense is terrible. They have no threat on the defensive line, and a very bad secondary. And with all that, the Pats still make the Super Bowl because of Tom Brady.

There is no question that the Giants are the better team. The front four for New York put pressure on Tom Brady all game long. Manning has several threats in Cruz, Nicks, and Manningham, and had all day to throw to them because of the lack of a pass rush from New England.

David Tyree deserves a ring solely for his presence on the sideline

…Just Sayin