Defense Wins Championships, Giants Do It Again! by Lauren Beasley
Once again the Super Bowl was a nail bitter, I can honestly say I believe it kept everybody on the edge of their seat. Once again Quarterback Eli Manning makes a hell of a throw to start off the winning drive and Patriots miss big opportunities at the end to win the game.
I will start with the Patriots; defensively I was not surprised at all. I mean let’s be honest the Patriots defense is horrendous and has been that way all season, they have brief moments when they play well but keep in mind I use
the word “brief.”Against the Giants we knew they would struggle, because not many teams if any can truly contain Jacobs and Bradshaw.
As for the Patriots passing coverage the Patriots were stuck, they are to slow to play man coverage they will get burned. In zone coverage your too slow and spread out, so Eli Manning just exposed the openings in the zone. As far as pass rush, there wasn’t any, they gave Eli way too much time to throw the ball and he made them pay for it.
Offensively the Patriots were irritating. In the first half they struggled to find a rhythm but finally were able to put together a great drive right before the half. Then as I predicted they came out fired up and scored and spread the score out for a minute. Now after that drive, I hate to admit I truly started to question the Patriots. The first key moment in the game was when they Tom Brady threw the under thrown ball and it was intercepted. Even after that they had a final opportunity to put the game out of a reach and they didn’t capitalize. I honestly feel the turning point were the two dropped passes by Wes Welker and Deion Branch that would have led them to a touchdown or a field goal.
Lastly I was also upset that in the Patriots final drive that they didn’t try to throw to Chad Ochocinco. Now I’m not a fan of Chad at all, I respect him as a receiver and his ability to make plays. I also know that Chad had not been consistent and was known for dropping passes in practice and games. However, I honestly feel on that last drive if you’re the Patriots you have to give Chad
his shot in single coverage which is exactly what the Giants were playing. I mean for goodness sake Aaron Hernandez and Deion Branch both dropped easy balls that could have been game changers; there is no excuse to not try to throw to Chad and give him a chance to make a play.
Moving on to the Giants, the one that saying that comes to mind is “Defense wins Championships” and once again they proved that saying to be true. Defensively they were great, especially their defensive line, they were able to contain the run and the pass rush impressive as well. They did a good job of pressuring Tom Brady and causing him to throw some bad throws. Jason Paul Peirce plays great and was uncontainable. Coverage wise they were somewhat impressive, they made some nice plays and calls but other than that nothing more to say.
Offensively it started with Running Backs Brandon Jacob and Ahmad Bradshaw, who combined for 109 rushing yards and a touchdown; they were basically unstoppable and help to lead most of the Giants big drives. Once again it may start with running backs but Eli Manning definitely finished it, last time he had help from David Tyree, this time he had help from Mario Manningham (Michigan Wolverine Alumni). That play most definitely signified the win for the Giants, no question.
I must honestly give Eli Manning all the credit he deserves, I’m not a huge fan of him but I definitely respect him as a winner and a clutch Quarterback who makes the right throw at the right time. He is a winner; he is 2 × Pro Bowl (2008, 2011), 2× Super Bowl champion (XLII, XLVI) and 2× Super Bowl MVP (XLII, XLVI).
Congratulations to the Giants, they deserve it! Congrats to the Patriots, for making it this far, unfortunately just came up short! Now it’s time to get ready for the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft. Looking forward to next season!
I will start with the Patriots; defensively I was not surprised at all. I mean let’s be honest the Patriots defense is horrendous and has been that way all season, they have brief moments when they play well but keep in mind I use
the word “brief.”Against the Giants we knew they would struggle, because not many teams if any can truly contain Jacobs and Bradshaw.
As for the Patriots passing coverage the Patriots were stuck, they are to slow to play man coverage they will get burned. In zone coverage your too slow and spread out, so Eli Manning just exposed the openings in the zone. As far as pass rush, there wasn’t any, they gave Eli way too much time to throw the ball and he made them pay for it.
Offensively the Patriots were irritating. In the first half they struggled to find a rhythm but finally were able to put together a great drive right before the half. Then as I predicted they came out fired up and scored and spread the score out for a minute. Now after that drive, I hate to admit I truly started to question the Patriots. The first key moment in the game was when they Tom Brady threw the under thrown ball and it was intercepted. Even after that they had a final opportunity to put the game out of a reach and they didn’t capitalize. I honestly feel the turning point were the two dropped passes by Wes Welker and Deion Branch that would have led them to a touchdown or a field goal.
Lastly I was also upset that in the Patriots final drive that they didn’t try to throw to Chad Ochocinco. Now I’m not a fan of Chad at all, I respect him as a receiver and his ability to make plays. I also know that Chad had not been consistent and was known for dropping passes in practice and games. However, I honestly feel on that last drive if you’re the Patriots you have to give Chad
his shot in single coverage which is exactly what the Giants were playing. I mean for goodness sake Aaron Hernandez and Deion Branch both dropped easy balls that could have been game changers; there is no excuse to not try to throw to Chad and give him a chance to make a play.
Moving on to the Giants, the one that saying that comes to mind is “Defense wins Championships” and once again they proved that saying to be true. Defensively they were great, especially their defensive line, they were able to contain the run and the pass rush impressive as well. They did a good job of pressuring Tom Brady and causing him to throw some bad throws. Jason Paul Peirce plays great and was uncontainable. Coverage wise they were somewhat impressive, they made some nice plays and calls but other than that nothing more to say.
Offensively it started with Running Backs Brandon Jacob and Ahmad Bradshaw, who combined for 109 rushing yards and a touchdown; they were basically unstoppable and help to lead most of the Giants big drives. Once again it may start with running backs but Eli Manning definitely finished it, last time he had help from David Tyree, this time he had help from Mario Manningham (Michigan Wolverine Alumni). That play most definitely signified the win for the Giants, no question.
I must honestly give Eli Manning all the credit he deserves, I’m not a huge fan of him but I definitely respect him as a winner and a clutch Quarterback who makes the right throw at the right time. He is a winner; he is 2 × Pro Bowl (2008, 2011), 2× Super Bowl champion (XLII, XLVI) and 2× Super Bowl MVP (XLII, XLVI).
Congratulations to the Giants, they deserve it! Congrats to the Patriots, for making it this far, unfortunately just came up short! Now it’s time to get ready for the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft. Looking forward to next season!