Idle thoughts - the match up begins

[NYCPatsFan]

Ken,

Fully agree on your view of Eli. I was shocked to see him throw passes even when he was going down with a severe hit and has two guys on him; passes that I thought were erratic but thrown precisely at places where his WRs/RBs have a good chance of catching it.

Highly impressed to see his toughness and his ability to throw in the circumstances.

His facial distortions when taking the hit and his weird throws make me always think that it is such a bad throw about to be intercepted.

Here's hoping that our D comes away with more INT than the other teams that he had played.

 

[everlong]

1. The 2007 game is completely irrelevant. All we need to know is that the Giants are are better offensively, and the Pats offense while just as good but vastly different that the one that played that fateful day. There are 46 Patriots who don't really care what happened then.

I hope Light and Mankins remember what happened and play like they have been.

5. On the Pats side we lost BOTH Chung and Barrett during the game, and I think this was one of the games Connolly missed

Didn't Spikes get injured in this one as well? I could be wrong but thought he D-I-D.

 

[Uncle Rico]

...
Didn't Spikes get injured in this one as well? I could be wrong but thought he D-I-D.

Yes, that's the game when he got injured. As the article in the link says, he was a presence while out there. I was at the game and that hit on Ballard was a loud one.

 

[NEP4Life]

I can see the Giants playing a lot of man coverage underneath and waiting for Brady to make a mistake and force a throw.

To me, this game will be simple: the QB who throws the fewest picks wins.

 

[grandpajim]

Another difference between this game and the first - Hernandez and Woodhead were not full speed, and are now. Hernandez at full strength is a huge difference as he gives us the legit #3 option and Woodhead is a considerable difference.

However another potential negative change could be Gronk's ankle, which might not be QUITE as severe as AH since Gronk doesn't rely as much on lateral quickness.

I don't see Brady losing a 3rd straight game to Eli, and I don't see him playing a 2nd straight subpar game. This is his and BB's best shot at redemption for the spygate/18-1 heartbreaks, IMO they can't afford to not convert.

I'm glad TB "Sucked" in Sundays game.
This guy is under immense pressure, far more than normal for a Super Bowl bound NFL QB.

His early success and recent playoff failure.
Chasing the ghost of his idol, Montana.
Smelling the window of opportunity closing.
Being an international superstar.
Making chump change in comparison to his "A" personality type wife.

Hearing ad nauseum "This team can't win unless Brady has a GREAT game"

The win hopefully will help Tommy to relax & have merely a "good" game. If the rest of the team plays as it has in the last two games (I believe Solder will improve on the inside pass rush), we win.

I literally couldn't stomach seeing Eli lift the Lombardi again. I'd move to Brazil.

 

[Mainefan]

What is going to win--or lose--this game is the attitude, conscious and unconscious, that the players take onto the field. While most of the players on both sides weren't there in 2007, those who were will remember, just as we do. Who can forget the helmet catch, when the game seemed won. I am fairly confident that Tom Brady will remember it and that it will feed his fire. Wilfork as well. And we know what these two can do when they have fires in their belly.

 

[Dragda]

Ken,

Fully agree on your view of Eli. I was shocked to see him throw passes even when he was going down with a severe hit and has two guys on him; passes that I thought were erratic but thrown precisely at places where his WRs/RBs have a good chance of catching it.

Highly impressed to see his toughness and his ability to throw in the circumstances.

His facial distortions when taking the hit and his weird throws make me always think that it is such a bad throw about to be intercepted.

Here's hoping that our D comes away with more INT than the other teams that he had played.

Eli, despite his downs syndrome appearance is one of the smartest players to ever play in the NFL. He's never rattled and is clutch. He's beaten us the last two times we've played. Our defense is particularly vulnerable to his style of play. I hope our DBs keep an eye out for him winging it out there while under pressure.

 

[NEP4Life]

Looking at the numbers, I believe Eli has passed Brady in terms of ball security in the playoffs.

Brady hasn't had a 0-interception playoff game in almost five years. Eli has thrown 0 interceptions in 2 of his last 3 playoff games.

Brady is under enormous pressure to run a high-scoring offense, and as a result, I believe he has forced throws and made poor decisions to the point where ball security is being compromised. I have no reason to believe this trend will stop.

The numbers tell me the quarterback more likely to throw a game-changing pick is named Brady, not Manning.

Let's hope Brady and the coaches can solve this problem!

 

[NEP4Life]

Continuing with comments on the regular season meeting, on Brady's second pick, the Giants played a 4-2 cover-1 nickel look, with Boley and Kiwanuka at LB, Deion Grant man on Gronk, Kenny Phillips the deep safety, with Rolle, Webster, Ross the other DB's.

At the snap, the outside corners bailed, but Grant bumped and stayed with Gronk. Grant was well-positioned and the throw to Gronk seemed to be a poor decision, resulting in a pick for Grant.

First play of the Pats' next possession, the Giants come back 4-3, cover-1, 10 players within about 6 yards of the line. Brady was pressured and he almost threw another pick to Deion Grant.

And on 3rd an 10 on the same possession, the Giants lined up with a 3-3 look, blitzed, and hit Brady, causing a fumble. Every Giants defender was within 10 yards of the line. It seems clear they have no fear of the deep ball.

Added: The Giants' defensive gameplan seems clear -- crowd the line, 10 men within 7 yards, tight coverage with some bails, stay patient and wait for Brady to force something. The Pats have no real deep threat and the Giants defensively took (and will take) full advantage.