The New England Patriots have a clear advantage in the upcoming Super Bowl game. The Patriots are peaking at the right time both offensively and defensively. If there is one thing that puts the Patriots ahead of the Giants, it is the fact that the Patriots are out for revenge for their loss in 2007 to the Giants.
Tom Brady is one of the most demonized athletes in the past decade, but you cannot argue with his success (both on and off the field). Brady had a great year with 39 passing touchdowns, quietly collected over 5,000 passing yards and put together one of the greatest playoff games against Denver this postseason.
Brady will walk into the hall of fame someday. What makes Brady such an amazing player is his ability to make the other players better. Without Tom Brady, players like Deion Branch, Troy Brown, David Givens, Daniel Graham and other previous Patriot wide receivers would not exist in Patriot lore.
However, this year Brady walks with a more talented team than those he won his previous Super Bowls with in 2001, 2003 and 2004. The only exception is the 2007 Patriots, who had Randy Moss and was the best team to ever lose a Super Bowl.
Unlike previous Super Bowl teams though, the Patriots have one advantage that they will play up the entire game, and that is Rob Gronkowski.
Gronkowski is only in his second year in the NFL, but ever since he has entered the league, he has been nothing but extraordinary. He owns the NFL record for total touchdowns by a tight end in a single season with 18 touchdowns.
Gronkowski is a matchup nightmare for every team, being an athletic freak at 6 foot 6, 265 lbs. He will be covered by Michael Boley, Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips, who all will have problems with him. He will play in the game this weekend. The injury that he has sustained is not as severe as the Patriots are making it seem. They did the same thing with Brady in the 2007 Super Bowl when he had a walking boot. Gronkowski will be on the field, which will only increase the Patriots defense.
Gronkowski playing will open up the field for his fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez has played great in the past two playoff games, even with so much attention on Gronkowski.
Hernandez was the leading rusher in the Denver game for the Patriots and has been utilized as a running back when Gronkowski is on the field. Hernandez will be a key contributor with or without Gronkowski in the lineup for the Patriots.
Some commentators are worried about the Patriots defense, but that is not a problem for the Patriots going into the Super Bowl.
The Patriots did allow the second-most yards in the regular season, but this is the postseason. In the postseason, teams have only averaged 278 total yards against the Patriots, and many of the Patriots defensive starters like Patrick Chung, Brandon Spikes, Jerod Mayo, Devin McCourty and Andre Carter, were hurt.
Chung and Spikes missed seven games and only returned in the postseason where the Patriots have made their run to the Super Bowl.
The Patriots were not a complete defensive unit until the playoffs. Now, they are peaking at the right time and will be not be the glaring problem that they were in the regular season.
Finally, the Patriots are out for revenge. Publicly, the Patriots will never admit that it is not “The Patriot Way.” However, outside the media’s eye, Bill Belicheck is probably telling his remaining players from the 2007 roster that this is their moment to defeat the team that ruined their chance at an undefeated season.Belicheck claims he has never seen the game film, but he probably will use it to motive his team this week.
This revenge factor will motive a lot of the Patriots, including Tom Brady, who wants to join Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana as the only quarterbacks to have won four Super Bowls. Brady has cemented his place in history, but winning another Super Bowl would put him in another class among the football greats.
Belicheck also does not want to lose again to Tom Coughlin, which could damage his legacy. The Patriots are peaking at the right time, and there is no way the Giants can stop them as they win their fifth Super Bowl under Brady and Belicheck.
