In the argument over the BCS system has always been an argument against an argument. When everyone is trying to uncover who the "best team" is, they are missing the point. The point of competition is not to find out some abstract truth of skill. The point is just to play for it. You want something? I'll play you for it! It's not about the best team, it's about who wins the game.
The New York Giants and the New England Patriots know this better than anyone. In Tom Brady's first Super Bowl, his team wasn't the "best team," and neither was Eli Manning's in his Super Bowl win (ironically, against Tom Brady). Also, neither of these teams should really be here.
The best team during the regular season was the Green Bay Packers and just because the Giants beat them, doesn't mean that isn't still true. Look at the consistency and quality of how those two teams played across a very reasonable sample size. The Packers are better. But who really cares about that now? The Giants embrace the belt-up-for-grabs style that the playoffs bring (and the Packers really weren't ready for it).
And I don't think the Patriots are the best team in the AFC either, but we'll get to that...
So how did we get here and what's going to happen?
New York Giants vs. New England Patriots
6:29 pm, Sunday
Super Bowl
The Patriots can't win this game. Let me explain...
Let's, once again, re-examine the Patriots' stroll to the Super Bowl.
We've already been over the fact that they didn't beat a good team all year, but now that's changed! They beat the Ravens. Case closed!!!
The Baltimore Ravens probably think they're big believers in what I just said about throwin' down and deciding things on the field rather than academically deciding who the "best team" is. The part the Ravens always forget about is the score. Baltimore's M.O. has always been, and continues to be until further notice, to be the team that deserves to win but loses. They did it again, and now the Emperor and Darth Vader are back in the Super Bowl with a seemingly legitimate shot at winning it. IDIOTS!!!
So again, by my count, the Ravens are now the fourth decent team the Patriots have played this season, making them 2-2 in those games. And they scored more points than they have against any decent team all year...with 23!!! I thought this was a fucking offensive Juggernaut!!
Hrmphh...
I mean, it is...but my point stated in my previous post remains: If you can match them in talent/having your shit together, you'll probably win and clearing that hurdle is not quite as hard this year as it has been.
All year, we've marvelled at how cool this offensive set that the Patriots run with two of the best three tight ends in the league on the field at the same time. It's awesome. Most teams struggle to cover any decent tight end and they throw two at your ass.
Here's the secret:
Two tight end sets like that are essentially a fucking gimmick offense. A gimmick offense run by a future Hall of Famer, but a gimmick nonetheless. They run those sets because THEY DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY OTHER TALENTED OFFENSIVE PLAYERS. The Patriots run these sets to hide their deficiencies. Average at running back and weak as hell at wide receiver. And the New England defense, while seemingly improving (against Tebow and Flacco), is still below average.
The Giants' journey was a little different.
It was the perfect season to hide how good this team is. The Giants had key injuries all year and perhaps the most difficult schedule of any team. Now that their wide receiver corps and, perhaps more importantly, their front four are healthy they are capable of anything. The Giants also beat the best offensive and the best defensive teams in the league in the playoffs, on the road...two weeks in a row. That was their path the Super Bowl.
Don't get me wrong, this Giants team is flawed. They don't run the ball especially well (or even protect the quarterback at a noticeably above average level) and they don't have a great secondary. But, with their front four firing, they can hide their secondary in two ways: 1. They don't have to blitz anybody from their secondary so they have more bodies with which to cover and 2. Corey Webster is actually good and it helps to have at least one guy back there who knows what he's doing. The ways they can hide their offensive line: 1. Eli Manning, 2. Nicks (wasn't healthy in the match up in the regular season), Cruz, Manningham, 3. The Patriots' secondary.
I think you know where I'm going with this.
Patriots fans will tell you that they want the Giants so they can have some kind of condescending revenge on the team that never "deserved" a Super Bowl, but they're forgetting one thing: The Giants are the better team this year. The records don't tell it, but watching the games does. The NFC has been stronger all year and the schedules make it ultra obvious. The Giants, when healthy, are simply better than the Patriots. Everyone thinks Brady/Belichick is going to throw something at New York that they can't handle but what, really, do the Patriots have to throw? Chad Ochocinco? If he's your secret weapon, a guy who doesn't know the fucking playbook and has never played well in a big game in his life, good luck.
The only thing that scares me is that, with Gronkowski either not playing or playing with a high ankle sprain, the Giants might think this is too easy and forget to try. But really...there's no way. The Patriots are still inexplicably favored by 3.5 and it's the Goddamn Super Bowl. Nobody is sleeping through this one.
The pick:
Giants over Patriots, 37-23
