Super Bowl XLII thread (with poll!)

[Burak Gazan]

YES !!

G-Men !



Can you imagine what Chris Berman is going to be like during the after-action reports?

[Fleet Admiral JD]

Gah. Sloppy play on the Pats quite a bit, though the Giants had some too.

Fuck.

[CaptJodan]

For the Giants, but certainly never expected them to have a snowballs chance in hell of winning. That was a damn good game to see.

[Glocksman]

FUCKING HELL!
I'm no Pats fan, but I so wanted to see the 72 Dolphins and She-li Manning cry like little girls.

Now that's out of the way, the Giants won it fair and square.
Congrats on a hard fought game.

[Steve]

A healthy dose of karma just got delivered to Belichek, Brady, and co.

[Mlenk]

MUHAHAHAHA!!!! I just won big tonight by betting on the Giants!!!! WOOHOOO!!!!

[Flagg]

Awwwe, poor Billy couldn't take the loss so he storms off the field before Eli could take a knee like the whiny little cunt he is.

I now only strongly despise the Giants, as opposed to totally fucking hating them.

[Chardok]

A healthy dose of karma just got delivered to Belichek, Brady, and co.

AND IT WAS DELICIOUS! OM NOM NOM NOM

[SpacedTeddyBear]

The Giants defense did a hell of a job. I don't think I've seen Brady get pasted as many times as he did today.

[Darth Fanboy]

Can you imagine what Chris Berman is going to be like during the after-action reports?

I expect a huge portion of ESPN's staff to committ hari-kiri.

That has got to be the most uphill climb in NFL Playoff history. Daaaaaamn.



PEYTON! LOOK AT ME PEYTON!

[Surlethe]

FUCKING HELL!
I'm no Pats fan, but I so wanted to see the 72 Dolphins and She-li Manning cry like little girls.

That's the thing. Since the Pats cheated, there could be no honest comparison between the '72 Dolphins and the Patriots, could there?

[Redleader34]

The New York Giants are the ultimate combo breaker

[Flagg]

FUCKING HELL!
I'm no Pats fan, but I so wanted to see the 72 Dolphins and She-li Manning cry like little girls.

That's the thing. Since the Pats cheated, there could be no honest comparison between the '72 Dolphins and the Patriots, could there?

Exactly. They're the Barry Bonds of the NFL.

[Master of Ossus]

11:31 AM | People have had too much time since the conference championship games to think about the Super Bowl and have deluded themselves into thinking the Giants are going to win today. Everywhere you go on the streets of Phoenix you hear Giants fans talking about how they're going to get to Tom Brady and pull off the biggest upset since Namath beat the Colts. But Eli is no Broadway Joe and I can't see the Patriots losing. Even if Manning plays well, New York can't stop New England's offense. Bill Belichick's strength as a coach is his ability to neutralize the opponent's top weapon. Teams can't do that against the Pats because their offense has too many options. Brady will pick the Giants' defense apart just as easily as he did in Week 17 and throw at least four touchdowns in a New England win. I'm going to be blogging all day from Glendale, so let me know if you agree with my prediction and what you think of the most recent Spygate allegations and the Patriots' legacy. | Andrew Perloff

06:18 PM | The Patriots ran out to a huge roar and from up here it looked like Tom Brady's hair was shorter than when I last saw him Friday. They look pretty serious. The Patriots have seemed like the more focused team this week. I really don't expect a let-down. | Andrew Perloff

06:40 PM | The first drive looks nice, but as I recall, the Bears were winning early last year. | Andrew Perloff

06:47 PM | The Patriots have to feel OK about holding the Giants to a field goal. To win, New York has to convert almost every time in New England territory. | Andrew Perloff

07:05 PM | Usually, a 7-3 deficit in the second quarter is nothing to worry about. But not when you're going against the best offense in NFL history. The Giants need to strike right back at the Pats. | Andrew Perloff

07:25 PM | I haven't seen the camera angle where Ahmad Bradshaw picked up that fumble. Looked a lot like Patriots ball from here. The Giants look sloppy. A matter of time before the Patriots take advantage. | Andrew Perloff

07:29 PM | The Giants pass-rushers are flying at Tom Brady. This game looks a bit like the Ravens and Eagles games for New England. Let's see how the Pats' offense adjusts. I'm not sure running the ball will be the answer for New England. | Andrew Perloff

This is when Brady shines
07:42 PM | Tom Brady has made his mark in the two-minute offense and the Patriots often get some momentum by scoring just before half. But the Pats are not the same Pats we've seen all year right now. Maybe they get out of their funk right now. They better be careful, because the Giants' pass rush is no joke tonight. | Andrew Perloff

Pats will go to the bubble screen
08:05 PM | The Patriots aren't going to be able to protect Brady long enough to pass the ball downfield. Look for them to run a lot of plays like the Donte Stallworth first down just before the half. Quick strikes and receivers running after the catch. The Patriots decimated the blitz-heavy Steelers with that strategy during the season. | Andrew Perloff

08:39 PM | What an amazing play to keep the Patriots' drive alive. Chase Blackburn even made a dramatic leap off the field, but not in time. That is one of the strangest replays I've seen and it could have a big impact on the game. | Andrew Perloff

08:58 PM | We've seen this before. The Patriots look out of sync and Tom Brady gets on a roll with Wes Welker. And there's nothing defenses can do about it. | Andrew Perloff

Rodney Harrison with the hit
09:27 PM | The veteran makes a huge hit on third down. He may not be fast, but he has a knack for making crucial plays. The Pats defense looks like it is barely hanging on, and that could have been a huge play to Plaxico Burress. But the bottom line is they stopped the Giants. | Andrew Perloff

09:29 PM | Everything is set up for one of the most dramatic finishes in Super Bowl history. Either the perfect season or the biggest upset since Namath's Jets. Which way is everyone leaning? I'll pick the Pats just out of loyalty to my original prediction ... which is looking more foolish by the minute. | Andrew Perloff

How does Welker get so open?
09:31 PM | Hey Giants, you might want to get a man on Welker. If the Pats win, Wes looks like a favorite for MVP. | Andrew Perloff

09:42 PM | It's fitting the potential game-winner went to Moss. Aside from the perfect record, the Brady-to-Moss connection will be the biggest story of this NFL season. Of course, the Pats were double-teaming Welker, who has to be the MVP if New England wins. But it's not over. Let's see what Eli's got. | Andrew Perloff

10:04 PM | There is a palbable feeling of disbelief in the stadium, even as people mob the field. The Giants are the Super Bowl champions. The Giants are the Super Bowl champions. Incredible. Even the people who picked the Giants are surprised. What a game by the Giants. | Andrew Perloff

[Burak Gazan]

Holy shit, Eli is the MPV

Payton looks pretty pleased too up in the skybox

[Flagg]

The guy that pulled off that impossible catch using his fucking helmet should be the MVP.

And Billy should be the Biggest Cunt In NFL History. Officially. For being a cunting little bitch.

[Vaporous]

The sweetest part? The Patriots were too humiliated to get back on the field at the end.

Mmmm, suck it down.

[Surlethe]

Bill Belichick's strength as a coach is his ability to neutralize the opponent's top weapon.

... and just how does he do it?

[Medic]

The guy that pulled off that impossible catch using his fucking helmet should be the MVP.

And Billy should be the Biggest Cunt In NFL History. Officially. For being a cunting little bitch.

Jeez, give Eli some credit, he avoided a sure sack, kept his eyes downfield the entire time and THREW the pass to that guy.

If you could give the MVP to a unit, it would deservedly go to that defense, but as is, Eli's play is the only game that stands out above every other player's on the team, he had the biggest impact when it counted most.

[Qwerty 42]

Some obervations on the game:

1. New England got screwed by the officiating. I didn't care who won, but it was fairly blatant.
2. There is no love for the gadget play.
3. Tom Petty can still play.

[Flagg]

Bill Belichick's strength as a coach is his ability to neutralize the opponent's top weapon.

... and just how does he do it?

I dunno. Let's ask the guy from Cloverfield.

[Vaporous]

Some obervations on the game:

1. New England got screwed by the officiating. I didn't care who won, but it was fairly blatant.
2. There is no love for the gadget play.
3. Tom Petty can still play.

Based on what? Your desire to make excuses?

[Darth Fanboy]

Some obervations on the game:

1. New England got screwed by the officiating. I didn't care who won, but it was fairly blatant.

You're fucking kidding me right? The Pats have lived and died by the officials all year, they finally lose a game where they had every opportunity and just FAILED and you're going to bring this one up?

2. There is no love for the gadget play.

Not from these two teams, I don't think there has been a good gadget team since Antwaan Randle El left Pittsburgh.

3. Tom Petty can still play.

This is true, but he didn't need a few thousand staged fans running around him on the field to prove that.

[Qwerty 42]

Getting away with blow to the head comes to mind. Again, I really didn't care who won.

[aerius]

3. Tom Petty can still play.

The only parts of the Super Bowl I watched was the opening with Alicia Keys, the last few minutes of the 1st half, and the halftime show with Tom Petty.

Man, Tom Petty looked like a hobo in a suit, but he's still got his mojo. He sounded a bit flat on "American Girl", but after that he found his groove and played a sweet set of songs.