Sports: Super Bowl XLVI: Patriots or Giants?
On Monday (Sunday in the US), American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots will square off with National Football Conference (NFC) titleholder New York Giants to decide the 2011 season champion of the National Football League, the 42nd edition of the modern-era NFL.
Dubbed as Super Bowl XLVI, this would be the second time that the Patriots and the Giants would meet in a National Football Conference championships after the latter upset the former last 2008 during the Super Bowl XLII held at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona via a 17-14 win.
The undefeated Patriots then were +12 favorites to win the NFL title but Giants quarterback Eli Manning led his NFC team to the surprise victory thus earning for him Most Valuable Player honors for Super Bowl XLII. The slogan for the said NFL championship was “Who Wants It More?” and the Giants aptly responded with the victory.
This time around, the Giants’ starting quarterback in Manning will be back so as with the Patriots’ Tom Brady in arranging another collision course for the bragging rights as to who’s really the best (of the best) in American football for this season. Ditto with Giants mentor Tom Coughlin as well as Bill Belichik of the Patriots, both are expected to match wits with each other for the Super Bowl title.
The 59 year-old Belichik is on his fifth Super Bowl appearance in winning three (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) and losing once (XLII) with XLVI pending while Coughlin, aside from his victory during the Super Bowl XLII against the Patriots, also won two AFC Championship Games with the Jacksonville Jaguars many years back.
On the other hand, Manning was the top overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers although he was immediately shipped to the Giants in a trade which also involved Philip Rivers, the draft’s fourth selection overall. Manning is likewise the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning.
As for Brady, the San Mateo, California-born 34 year-old starting quarterback of the Patriots won two Super Bowl MVP awards (XXXVI, XXXVIII) and holds the record for most touchdown passes in a single regular season in the NFL. He also helped New England set the record for the longest consecutive win streak in the NFL’s history: 21 straight victories over two seasons (2003-04).
In fact, Brady was picked way beyond the 2000 NFL Draft at No. 199 at that! And he was one of only three, the others being Chad Pennington and Marc Bulger, to see success in the NFL level, an amazing feat for the 2005 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (just like Peter June Simon of B-Meg).
And when the two NFL teams meet this Monday at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in Indiana, expect another bitter rivalry between the two old arch rivals with the Giants aiming for a follow up win to prove to all and sundry that their 2008 triumph was no fluke while the Patriots will try to erase the stigma of that painful defeat during Super Bowl XLII at the hands of Manning and company with a clear victory this time.
The Giants, a professional American football team since 1925 and based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area, have so far won seven NFL titles (four in the pre-Super Bow era) including Super Bowl titles in 1986, 1990 and 2007 (against the Patriots). Among the most notable Giants are Hall of Fame players Mel Hein, Frank Gifford, Charlie Conerly, Y. A. Tittle and Lawrence Taylor.
For the Patriots, the Greater Boston area professional football team has been with the NFL since 1970 after spending time with the AFC’s Eastern Division from 1960-69 and has won three Super Bowls in four years. New England has been in seven Super Bowls next only to the eight stints each of the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 1997 (Super Bowl XXXI), the Patriots also lost to the Green Bay Packers, 35-21, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana with kick returner/punt returner Desmond Howard named as Super Bowl MVP. However, New England whitewashed Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in their AFC divisional round meeting, 45-10, for the right to battle No. 2 Baltimore where the team eventually squeaked past the Ravens to advance to the Super Bowl versus the Giants.
Your Sideline Spectator, by the way, would like to congratulate newly promoted and fellow Philippine National Police officers in Police Chief Inspector Eduardo Corpuz (PNPA ’97) of La Carlota City PNP and Police Superintendent Jacob Crisostomo (PNPA ’97) of 6th RPSB for the well deserved promotion. Keep it up Sirs!*
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