SportsGirl

Well, we’re less than a week away from Super Bowl XLII and I’m starting to get nervous. Really nervous. Everyone, it seems, has already etched the 2007 Patriots names onto the Lombardi Trophy. It seems to be a foregone conclusion that they will win. Most of the debate centers on whether or not the points spread, currently set at 12 points, is too high. And really, by all accounts, this does seem like the Pats should be the clear-cut winners. But that reminds me of the hype surrounding Super Bowl XXXVI, which also involved the Patriots, and that’s not a good thing.

I remember watching Super Bowl XXXVI, remember watching the pre-game analysis and remember thinking “Seriously, why has everyone decided that the Patriots don’t stand a chance?!” Every announcer had written them off before kick off even took place. I know the Rams were great that year, but all bets are off in a game like this. I just had a gut feeling that Belichick and Co. could rise to the occasion. (and before you say I’m making that up, let me state unequivocally that I actually had a feeling that the Patriots would win that game) So the fact that almost every guest I’ve listened to on Mike and Mike this week has laughed when asked who they’re predicting to win this year’s contest is quite unsettling. I’m seeing “Shades of 2001″, except this time it’s working against the Pats and that’s not a great sign. Because the Giants are a talented squad. Yes, the Patriots beat them at the end of the regular season. And true, the path to the Super Bowl in the NFC may not be quite the test that it is in the AFC. But any given Sunday…

So is this me being paranoid? Possibly. The one factor that calms my fears the most is this two-week hiatus in between the Championship game and the Super Bowl. As we know, the Giants had been trading heavily on the hot streak they had going. But that came to a halt when the seconds ticked off the clock in Green Bay. Now they have had 2 weeks to rest. We saw what that did for the Cowboys…Granted, the Patriots have had the same amount of time to rest, but they haven’t relied on being able to play the M card–momentum.

What does seem to motivate New England, however, is the “it’s us against the world” thinking. I realize they have been heavy favorites in every game they’ve played this season so they’ve some how managed to create that sense of a chip on their shoulder in spite of the odds being in their favor. But when Kurt Warner skirts the issue on Mike and Mike by saying, basically, “come on, I think we all know who is going to win…” it makes a nervous nelly. Couldn’t the Patriots pay some people to pretend that the Giants are going to knock everyone’s socks off and take the game? Or would that “tarnish the legacy” too?

I’m sticking with my prediction that the Patriots will win. I think Eli started to find a nice rhythm this post-season and it seems like he’s finally getting the other guys in the huddle to believe in him. I think next season he’ll likely keep on that path. But he lacks the experience that Brady has in big games and that will play a prominent role in Sunday’s contest. But mark my words, it will be a contest. I don’t see this as a gimmee game. What it should be is a great game to watch. The New England offensive line is finally starting to get the credit it deserves and I think the match-up against the Giants D will be a great one. And as long as the Patriots come out on top, a great game is all I want to see!!