NFL 2011: Super Bowl XLVI

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Well, here we are. After a long and ridiculously weird season, it's come down to this one game in Indianapolis with all sorts of dramatic storylines:

-- Brady and Belichick in their fifth Super Bowl (more even than my beloved Bradshaw and Noll), having won three, but no win since 2005, a long seven-year drought for this NFL dynasty.

-- A repeat of the dramatic Super Bowl XLII four years ago, the famous "helmet catch" game (one of the most famous plays in NFL history, if not nearly as awesome as the winning Roethlisberger-to-Holmes pass in Super Bowl XLIII), with the Patriots out for revenge.

-- Eli Manning going for his second Super Bowl win, which would put him ahead of Peyton, his older brother and the (much?) better QB.

-- Eli going for this win in his brother's home stadium and of course the Pats going for the win in the stadium of one of their main rivals.

-- The Pats' high-flying offence up against the Giants' outstanding defensive line, along with the Giants' more balanced attack, led by Manning and an outstanding trio of WRs (Cruz, Nicks, Manningham), up against a weak but perhaps under-appreciated Pats' D (with Belichick's supposed genius behind it).

Yeah, I'm excited. As a football fan, this is great matchup, and I'm just hoping for a game that lives up to the hype.

As a Steelers fan, I'm still depressed. This should have been us, if not for all those injuries, and I take some comfort in the fact that the Giants were a weak team this year (losing both games to the 'Skins, for example), their appearance in the Super Bowl yet more proof of this year's weirdness) and that we kicked the Patriots' ass when we were more or less healthy.

Yeah, I'm excited about this game, but I'm already looking ahead to the draft, free agency, and next year -- and to the Steelers getting their act together after a rough and embarrassing January (the loss to the Broncos, the retirement-firing of offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, etc.).

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Anyway, let's look at how we're going and get to our picks.

We went pick'em for the regular season, and Richard won, but for the playoffs we're using the spread and a new scoring system:

-- Wild Card round: 2 points per game;

-- Divisional round: 3 points per game;

-- Conference Finals: 4 points per game; and

-- Super Bowl: 5 points.

Here's how we did last week (conference finals): 

MJWS: 1-1 = 4 points

RKB: 1-1 = 4 points 

The Kid: 1-1 = 4 points

We all picked the Patriots, who failed to cover, and the Giants, who pulled off the OT win in San Francisco.

Here's how we're going so far: 

MJWS: 6-4 = 16 points

RKB: 4-6 = 12 points

The Kid: 4-6 = 10 points

We also picked the Pro Bowl last week -- a more stupid game than usual. (Please, NFL, cancel this nonsense and replace it with a skills competition or something... or nothing. Who needs it?) We made it half a point. I correctly picked the AFC, while Richard and The Kid went with the NFC. So, with the Pro Bowl included: 

MJWS: 7-4 = 16.5 points
RKB: 4-7 = 12 points
The Kid: 4-7 = 10 points

Which means that Richard could pass me this week... except that we're both taking the Giants. Here's the line:

N.Y. Giants vs. New England (-3)

Stickings' Pickings

Pick: N.Y. Giants.

The hype these past two weeks has been all Giants, but I've been with the Giants all along. They have the more balanced offence and by far the better defence. Yes, Brady & Co. can put up points, but the Giants' d-line has been simply awesome this year, with Jason Pierre-Paul emerging as one of the league's true studs. And Manning has been rather impressive this year as well, airing the ball out to perhaps the best group of WRs in the league (yes, perhaps better than my beloved Wallace, Brown, Ward, Sanders, and Cotchery -- no, I'll still take my guys). With the Giants able to keep the Pats' safeties close to the line with the rushing combo of Bradshaw and Jacobs, Manning should be able to find those guys in single coverage a lot today.

And while the Pats certainly have a good enough o-line to protect Brady most of the time, Pierre-Paul, Tuck, and Umenyiora should be able to get enough pressure on him to limit his effectiveness. And, of course, their fantastic TE Gronkowski has a bad ankle. Brady still has weapons (Welker, Branch, and Hernandez, along with the hobbled Gronk), and the Pats may be able to tire the Giants' d-line by running the ball a lot early (even with a mediocre-at-best running game), but what should be a close game will see the Giants with the clear advantage. I'm a little worried that the Giants are getting too much love and that the Patriots are being underestimated -- the Giants don't seem to play well when they're the favourites, while we all know Brady is fully capable of playing at an extraordinarily high level and could prove to be the best player in this game -- but, to me, dispassionate analysis leads to this conclusion:

The New York Giants will win Super Bowl XLVI.

Just not by as much as some think. My prediction: Giants 30, Patriots 27.

And I'll be rooting for the Giants. Not because I like them (other than Pierre-Paul) but because as a Steelers fan I just can't root for one of our main rivals. Besides, it'd be fun to see these dynastic Patriots lose a second Super Bowl to the Giants.

As for food, we're doing fajitas tonight, and I'm just about to head to the fridge for another Liberty Ale from San Francisco's Anchor Brewing Co. Because nothing spells "liberty" (in an American exceptionalism sort of way) quite like the raging consumerism of Super Bowl Sunday. We all think we're free, even when we're not. False consciousness? Let's not go there. We have brands to worship and ads to manipulate us.

So are you ready?

Foooooooooootballllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Barry's Tea Leaves

Pick: N.Y. Giants

I'm going to say very little about the Super Bowl. When your team is in the big game, you don't mess around with picking winners and losers. You just hope they win. So, whether or not I actually think the Giants will win is irrelevant at this point. 

Unlike 2008, this is a very evenly matched game. Anything could happen. Brady could have a big game. The Giants D could get to Brady on a regular basis making it hard for him to get on track.

The one thing that has been consistent all year for the Giants, who had a terrible running game for most of it, is that when Bradshaw runs well everything seems to fall into place. That's what I'll be watching for. 

And, whatever the detractors might say, Eli is good when it really counts. I'm glad to have the kid on my side. 

While I know most people won't buy this, I'll be okay if the Giants lose. They barely made it to the playoffs at all and have had a great run. Of course, I'll be a lot happier if they win. 

So, in the name of Ernie Koy, Tucker Frederickson, Spider Lockhart, Joe Morrison, Homer Jones, Doug Kotar, Bob Tucker, Jack Gregory, Brad Van Pelt, and so many others who toiled for the G-Men when the pickings were slim,  I say: Go Giants!!!

(1967 New York Giants)

Comfortable Kid

Pick: N.Y. Giants.

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With some Steelers bias, some clips from Super Bowls past...

The Immaculate Reception:

The David Tyree Helmet Catch:

James Harrison's 100-yard interception return:

Roethlisberger to Holmes: