Can you name one sports moment that is quite vivid in your memory and you know you’ll hold onto? How about the David Tyree catch against Rodney Harrison in Super Bowl XLII. If that clip still runs goose bumps down your spine, then you might be in luck. You may have the chance to relive that experience…
As we sit just days away from Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, the Big Blue will soon get another shot at the title. They will play for their second Super Bowl championship in four years against the New England Patriots. Sound familiar? Well this was the same matchup as Super Bowl XLII where the Giants beat the ‘Pats 17-14 in arguably the best Super Bowl ever played.
This year, the Giants carry much of the same momentum as they had in 2007. Rallying behind an explosive defense and the play of an elite Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin will lead his squad to Indianapolis against Bill Belichick and his always-trustworthy quarterback Tom Brady.
The 2007 road-warrior ideology reigns strong in the locker room today for the Giants as they have already beaten top-seeded Green Bay and 13-3 San Francisco to earn their spot in the Super Bowl. The Patriots, also 13-3, are still led by Brady who will be playing in his fifth Super Bowl.
One of the major developing stories out of this matchup, before a down has even been snapped, is the feat of Tom Coughlin. At mid-season, the Giants went from a top tier NFC team to a lower rank, .500 squad. But now, Coughlin has the opportunity to earn his second Super Bowl as a head coach of the Giants and possibly a Hall of Fame bid.
Obviously, the team cannot overlook the Patriots, who have continued their legacy as one of the greatest teams of the modern era. In his fifth Super Bowl start, Tom Brady will look to earn his fourth title. Players like BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Julian Edelman will be instrumental for the Patriots on the offensive side while Jered Mayo, Brandon Spikes and Vince Wilfork will solidify the nearly-impenetrable Patriot defense.
Here at Monmouth, students hold all kinds of valuable opinions about the game. As Super Bowl Sunday is nearly a national holiday, they remain very passionate about the matchup and added respectable input. Sophomore Gregg Cambareri remarked, “considering how the Giants season has gone, it will without a doubt come down to the fourth quarter.” When asked of his prediction, Cambareri said, “the game may be won not by who played better but who gets the ball last.”
“Both teams are on such magical runs, it’s nearly impossible to pick a clear winner. The turnover battle will be crucial in determining that,” he said. A lot of opinion coincides with that, as sophomore Shawn O’Conner added, “It’s going to be a high-scoring game this time around, with the Giants winning 38-27.”
As a non-Giants fan, O’Conner said, “I don’t like the Giants, or their fans, and I don’t like the Patriots, so I feel neutral about this game but I know it will be a good matchup.”
Another sophomore, Tyler Hunt, remarked that he passionately thinks the Giants will lose but that “they have momentum, which could give them the game.” Prediction-wise, he said, “if I had to choose, I think the Patriots will win.”
Finally, MU student Matt Morchel contributed that he thinks “the Giants are going to lose in a close game because the Patriots are just too strong.” When asked about the classic coaching matchup of the game Morchel said “both coaches took techniques from Par-cells’ coaching styles (as they were both assistants under Parcells’ Giants), so you know it will be a good game.”
The campus is buzzing with hype and opinion going into Sunday, and as far as I can tell, opinion is mixed. New England fans are quickly grouping against their New York buddies and one can expect an all-out war to take place at Lucas Oil Stadium. My opinion is a 24-21 New York Giants victory, but to all you New England fans, I come in peace.
