Emptywheel’s Famous Football Trash Talk* Super Bowl XLII Edition

Well, Championship Sunday was a bit of a letdown. No one claimed the much prized Hubcap, the Pack packed it in, LT was MIA, and nobody noticed that the asterisk was still in the title. There sure has been a lot that has happened since, most of it having to do with the most famous foot in the world. That foot would, of course, belong to Brady, Sir Tom. Uh oh, this just in, hot off the wire (Oh my, this is really rich, heh heh):

BREAKING NEWS: HAGGIS DEMANDS SENATE INQUIRY INTO PATRIOTS SPYGATE SCANDAL; COMPARES MATTER TO TORTURE TAPES DESTRUCTION!

The ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee wants N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell to explain why the league destroyed evidence related to spying by the New England Patriots.

In a telephone interview Thursday morning, Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania and ranking member of the committee, said that Goodell would eventually be called before the committee to address two issues: the league’s antitrust exemption in relation to its television contract and the destruction of the tapes that revealed spying by the Patriots.

“That requires an explanation,” Specter said. “The N.F.L. has a very preferred status in our country with their antitrust exemption. The American people are entitled to be sure about the integrity of the game. It’s analogous to the C.I.A. destruction of tapes. Or any time you have records destroyed.”

Mr. Specter first wrote Mr. Goodell about the tapes on Nov. 15. … The league responded to Mr. Specter late Thursday afternoon.

“It’s premature to say whom we’re going to call or when. It starts with the commissioner. He had the tapes, and he made the decision as to what the punishment could be. He made the decision to destroy them.”

Mr. Specter said it had not been determined when Mr. Goodell would be called before the committee.

Jeebus, I don’t even know what to say. I kind of thought we had seen governmental actors functioning at the outer boundaries of surreality yesterday with Mukasey, but I should have known better than to count out the Scottish Haggis; and boy did he ever come through. I guess, before moving on, we should note that the Haggis is a rabid Philadelphia Iggles fan and penned his first letter right before said Iggles were to play the Asterisks Patriots.

Okay, back to your regular programming. Scottsdale/Phoenix is currently the happening party central place to be in the world right now. Hollywood and New York must be flat out empty; because every celebrity you can imagine is running around here. Every bar, restaurant, nightclub and, ahem, gentlemen’s club is standing room only with long lines outside. Unless I have lost my ability to spot them, we also apparently are having a top shelf hooker convention too (not that there is anything wrong with that). Its not just the Super Bowl either, the Phoenix Open started today. For those of you not familiar with the Phoenix Open, it is, without any question, and by a large margin, the wildest and craziest golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is also the largest, drawing over 500,000 drunken, amorous attendees every year. Not to mention Obama was here Wednesday night and Big Dog Clinton here Thursday night at ASU. It is absolutely nuts out and about. Every other car on the freaking road is a limo or town car chock full of beautiful people.

We had the Super Bowl here before, and truth be told, the actual game is almost secondary to all the hoopla going on leading up to it. Super Bowl XXX. I went to that one, and here is what I remember: My friend and I had pretty good seats, but were right behind some child TeeVee star named Joey Lawrence; I had never heard of him, but he sure did attract a lot of attention from girls too young to be of any use to my friend and I. Very annoying. Oh yeah, I think Diana Ross landed on the field in a heeliocoptah to do the halftime show, and the ‘Boys beat the Stillers, but I didn’t actually see much of that. Here’s whats up this year.

THE PATRIOTS* – The first injury report of Super Bowl week came out Wednesday, and Tom Brady was on it — for his shoulder. No mention was made of the world famous ankle sprain that set off paparazzi pandemonium when Brady was spotted in the boot. Brady practiced fully both Wednesday and Thursday, and his ankle was not heavily taped, as it supposedly had been Monday. Brady has been listed with a shoulder injury since the opener of the 2003 season, which is Coach Bill Belichick’s tweak (Really? He would do such a thing? Shocking!) at the NFL injury reporting system he abhors. Receiver Jabar Gaffney was limited in practice Wednesday, though, with what is apparently a legitimate shoulder injury. Roidney Harrison has a slight thigh twitch, but reportedly is juiced and ready. Thats about it. The 18-0 killing machine that is the New England Patriots is healthy, rested and ready to rock and roll.

THE GIANTS – I can’t tell you how bad it burns to not be talking about the Packers here (Phred knows). There has been a little Plaxico Duress caused by his – gasp – trash talking; and Michael Strahan has been a walking talking sideshow, but a darned amiable and funny one. You gotta love the guy. Jeremy Shockey is out; and as far as I know, he isn’t even here. Plaxico now has a swollen left knee in addition to the ankle injury he had that kept him out of in the conference championship game where he caught 11 passes for a gazillion yards. He’ll be fine. Cornerback Aaron Ross had some kind of undisclosed bug, but will be fine for the game.

THE BATTLEGROUND – Super Bowl XLII is being played in University of Phoenix Stadium, located in a suburb known as Glendale, on the west side of Phoenix. From the outside, the thing looks like the Jupiter 2 spaceship from Lost In Space. Seriously. Inside, it is almost exclusively granite gray and cardinal red. I am told that some local football team, semi-pro I believe, plays there. I can’t personally attest to that, but it was a fine place to see the Rolling Stones on their last tour; that I can vouch for (Keith makes Dick Cheney look healthy, but he sure hasn’t lost much of his edge). In fairness, despite the garish color scheme, it is a pretty cool joint. The link above has a lot of neat links and information about the stadium, and is worth checking out. The weather forecast is for sunshine and partly cloudy Friday and Saturday, with clouds and possible rain by Sunday night. No worries mates, the Jupiter 2 University of Phoenix Stadium has a retractable roof and is extremely well climate controlled. There will be none of those turf issues like at Heinz Field or the frozen tundra of Lambeau. You see, they have the whole field on some kind of fancy dan plate on wheels and literally roll it, in one piece, into and out of the stadium to maximize the quality and maintenance of the turf. It will be immaculate and the logos are painted and ready to go.

Well, thats it. Oh yeah, I was at a gig with Paris Hilton and Pam Anderson earlier today. Neither seemed particularly impressed that I was bmaz from Emptywheel. My wife was disappointed; she was hoping they would take me off her hands. Look for further updates either here or in the comments. This is, sadly, our last dance for the season; so don’t be like Nancy Pelosi, put it all on the table, let it all hang out, enjoy and hoop it up. Beer thirty starts now and runs until the fat lady is done singing. Show Time Baby! Crack open a cool one and start trashing up the joint!

Update from emptywheel (and thanks to bmaz for all the great trash): ESPN has asked a bunch of famous people for their picks. Most of them, being pop culture icons, are completely obscure to me.  But my favorites are:

GEN. MIKE HAYDEN
Director of the CIA Giants, 28-24. The spread favors the Pats, but careful intelligence work looks beyond the obvious. The Giants are hot now. Three playoff wins on the road (like the Steelers before Super Bowl XL). Regular season finale shows they match up well against the Pats. Besides, nobody’s perfect!

SERENA WILLIAMS
Tennis player/Venus’ little sister Giants, because of Eli Manning being the younger brother.

BILL O’REILLY
FOX TV host Giants, 31-30. Destiny.
[In case there was any doubt about which was the Republican team] 

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER
D-NY I’ve been a Giants fan since I was five years old. I can remember watching Charlie Connerly, Sam Huff, and Alex Webster. Back then, the two most important Roosevelts to me were Brown and Grier.

Update II from bmaz Saturday morning: This live report is coming in from EW’s Senior Snarlgate Correspondent, bmaz, on location near the ESPN command center at the Southbridge Waterfront in Old Town Scottsdale Arizona. Reports are flying fast and furious about illegal signal stealing by the Patriots in previous Super Bowls; most notably Super Bowl XXXVI between the Pats and Rams, and Super Bowl XXXIX between the Pats and Eagles. There now appears to be corroboration, at least as to SB-XXXVI, where the Patriot’s former video coordinator, Matt Walsh, reportedly has evidence in the form of inculpatory tapes on the Rams and is willing to testify, but wants a subpoena because he is concerned about retaliation from the Patriots and rabid fans. This matter is getting serious, is not going away, and is really starting to affect and tarnish the credibility of the Patriots and what they have accomplished according to many fans, especially fans of the New York Giants and, of course, the Philadelphia Eagles’ fans like Snarlen Spectre.

There are two scandalously hot rumors that have surfaced just this morning and are burning through the whole scene here in Old Town Scottsdale as I type this report. The first involves the Patriots using secret Russian spy/surveillance technology acquired by the team in a surreptitious deal with Vladimir Putin that was negotiated by Rupert Murdoch. The second involves a collaboration between Senators Arlen Spectre and Kitty Bond to instigate a formal investigatory commission, similar to baseball’s Mitchell commission, to investigate the exploding SnarlSpyGate controversy and that will be headed up by respected former Senator Ricky Santorum. It is unclear, at the time of this posting, how strongly these shocking and destructive rumors will take hold and spread through the sports and traditional media that the scene here is absolutely saturated with.

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350 replies
  1. nomolos says:

    Just to get it out of the way Patriots 38 Grunts 12. I have a wager with my sister for a dinner on The Game. She, although spending many years in Mass. moved to NJ and her offspring are grunt fans. Poor kids.

    We will be a perfect 19-0 by the end of the weekend and those of us that have supported the Patriots from the miserable outset will be rocking and reeling in the aisles.

    Sad to see Mike Holovak died recently.

    • BayStateLibrul says:

      Nomolos for Commish.
      Predict: Pats 38 NY Football Giants 21
      To that prick Arlen,

      “If I go to him, with my armed fist, I’ll pash him o’er the face”
      Troilus and Cressida II, iii

      Holovak was a great one.
      Remember the Boston Patriots (sans New England)playing at BU’s Nickerson
      and their first draft choice from Syracuse, Gerhard Schwedes? Schwedes
      never made it but Butch Songin and the gang did…
      Another reason for Pats to go 19-0…
      Is it too early to drink?

      • nomolos says:

        The only “home field” that I did not go to was Birmingham Alabama.

        And no, bmaz said that beer thirty was in full effect as of the posting

  2. BooRadley says:

    Awesome bmaz, thanks.

    WTF is up with Specter? He doesn’t have enough to do? Comparing the destruction of tapes of U.S. government employees torturing someone to the destruction of tapes of NFL football players, yea, sure Arlen, I see all kinds of similarities.

    Stares at feet, incredulous.

    OK, here’s some juicy NFL backbiting from this morning’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Unlike most of Bob McGinn’s articles, it’s NOT behind a firewall, so everyone should be able to access: “That defeat still hurts
    Wolf says Holmgren to blame for Packers’ failure to win Super Bowl XXXII”

    Phoenix – Even now, 10 years after the fact, the cut is deep, the memories fresh and the recrimination endless.
    Each time that Ron Wolf tries to get past the Green Bay Packers’ 31-24 upset defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII, he remembers how the course of history might have and, in his strong opinion, should have been altered.

    The retired general manager holds former coach Mike Holmgren primarily responsible for the crushing setback in San Diego, possibly the most haunting in the franchise’s 87-year existence.
    “Certain calls were to be made that weren’t made,” Wolf said during a trip to Green Bay in August. “Mike Holmgren refused those calls. There would have been an adjustment on the blocking scheme and it would have been over.[…]

  3. CasualObserver says:

    Seriously, the Giants have a way to win this game, and the formula is right out in the open: simply play Giant football.

    Defense

    1. Pressure the QB
    2. Stop the run

    Offense

    1. Run successfully (just make first downs)
    2. QB–NO MISTAKES

    Eli doesn’t HAVE to play wonderfully to win. All he has to do is not make mistakes.

    It is really that simple. And that difficult. Pound NE into a loss.

      • CasualObserver says:

        Yes please, please do that. Pats 38 grunts 12

        This is just impressionistic of course, but doesn’t the lockstep nature of the Pats media response remind you of the White House, and more generally, the GOP? Every player carefully following the company line, etc.

        One gets the sense that, if the GOP had a team, it might well be the Pats.

        • CasualObserver says:

          And let’s not even consider all this business of the Pats’ surveillance of other teams communications without a warrant.

          Hmm…

        • bmaz says:

          On the other hand, one might imagine that if we had any Democratic leaders instead of leadersheep, they might go about doing their job and protecting the Constitution with the single minded ruthless efficiency of another lifelong loyal Democrat, Bill Belichick. Instead, we have nattering nabob of nonsense Nancy Pelosi and her greased sloped table, Hanoi Harry Reid, whose Congressional shrewdness is limited to how to screw us, and on and on and on…

          • phred says:

            Amen to that.

            Bill Bellichick for Senate Majority Leader! If any can make the Dem caucus toe the line, it would be Bill Bell ; )

            • BlueStateRedHead says:

              He is a student of the chinese treatise, “the art of war.” * He knows how to keep a secret under the hoodie–like the news of how own divorce or his salary amount–and stonewall the press–like the injury report–and control the information flow. In the future Demo utopian administration where transparency will rule *g*, where will that skill package me of the greatest use.
              Of better, here with us in the blogosphere. Partner to EW, for ex.

              *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War

          • BlueStateRedHead says:

            Pats are not Democrats, they are socialists, according Rush Limbaugh, which, according to Zippy, a commenter on another site, goes to show that socialism works.

            (I posted the original Limbaugh remark a few trash talks ago, along with a record of owner Kraft’s recent contributions.)

            During the pregame introductions at their first Super Bowl a few years ago, the Patriots chose not to take to the field individually when their names were called. Instead, they ran onto the field together to showcase their solidarity and team ethic.Later, Rush Limbaugh described the Patriots entrance as “un-American” and “socialist”.

            Conclusion 1: Socialism works!

            Conclusion 2: The Bengals took Limbaugh seriously.

            http://matthewyglesias.theatla…..nd_awe.php

            • nomolos says:

              Later, Rush Limbaugh described the Patriots entrance as “un-American” and “socialist”.

              And Mass. did not vote for nixon so “FU” limpbow

        • nomolos says:

          One gets the sense that, if the GOP had a team, it might well be the Pats.

          Now that is crossing the line.

          • CasualObserver says:

            Now that is crossing the line.

            and don’t get me started on the Patriot Act.

            Surely, these factors can’t all be coincidence?

        • BayStateLibrul says:

          One gets the sense that, if the GOP had a team, it might well be the Pats.

          Perish the thought…
          On a man-o-man basis, the Pats are Dems…
          Maybe you’re thinking of Curt Schilling the “shill” for McCain?

    • redX says:

      I like how you broke it down, so I just used your hard work to put some of my analysis in there. Thank you, nice post. I also think the Giants can win, though even if the scenario comes to be the Pats would have an advantage in the last 4 minutes if the game were close. They key for the Giants is to score -touchdowns- and not -field goals- (and NY coach is in top tier as well so he will not leave 3 points on the field if the game does not warrent it as some teams have).
      ———-

      Seriously, the Giants have a way to win this game, and the formula is right out in the open: simply play Giant football.

      Defense

      1. Pressure the QB
      Brady can take pressure and pick up the blitz (w/o spy tapes), but you are correct here and it can be done by the Giants; they hurried him a good amount in Week 17 – but Pats did have some ~ 450 yards of offense.
      2. Stop the run
      The key here is that its unlikely to do both, the best idea and what most people do in a big game is pressure Brady and hope the run is not that good (and or D physical enough to punish the runners & recievers at the same time). It rarely works since the run (inc Kevin Faulk) is good and QB is excellent at play action. Pats might go 5 WO recivers, or even 3/4 TE-running back.

      Offense

      1. Run successfully (just make first downs)
      Pats will likely try to stop the run and make Manning keep up with or beat them while trying for a pick by hiding and jumping routes & hitting hard. I think the Giants have an advantage in the run (which could help with the clock), but the Pats could have a better running game (if they need it) if Faulk can come up big on 3rd down or Maroney has a great game. Having long drives will be a must for the Giants because if they get ahead they will want to be able to use up clock in case the Pats go on an Offensive roll.
      2. QB–NO MISTAKES
      I think Manning will be picked once, which would not be a bad game but not perfect. He has been excellent during the entire playoffs protecting the football (no INT) and from the analysis I hear only threw one shaky risky pass (meanwhile Brady has had multiple INT).

      Eli doesn’t HAVE to play wonderfully to win. All he has to do is not make mistakes.
      >>>> Making no mistakes is playing wonderfully (but that’s just semantics)

      It is really that simple. And that difficult. Pound NE into a loss.
      That, including jamming Moss at the line as part of the plan. Moss will be the best reciever and Giants Safety will need to be able to help on coverage effectivly. Also to outlast the other team in a physical game, including not messing up with the pre-game ritual or getting to riled up in the beginning and running low on emotion at the end.

      ———-
      Intangibles:

      1. Giants all wearing black off the plan to signify the Pats funeral.
      2. Plex score prediction.
      3. Arlen Specter opens his trap about SpyGate on Superbowl weekend.
      4. Tie: Both cities are planning their parades since you need to do it in advance (OT: it is a stupid idea to have it on the same day as voting).

      These intangibles do not play much into the game, but help in the prep & if coming out in a controlled manner for the actual game can help in the first few minutes as -both- physical teams knock people in the mouth (not to injure them, rather to hit them hard).

      • CasualObserver says:

        I remember two previous SBs that the Giants won, and although everything has changed since then, the way to win has not changed–
        1. be able to run,
        2. stop the Pats run.

        Long, pounding drives that eat plenty clock are the most direct way to win against NE. The old chestnut about the “high-powered O can’t score when on the bench” is an old chestnut because it’s true. So Eli absolutely doesn’t need to have a big game. But the 0 line must have a huge game, as must Jacobs and/or Bradshaw. Watch Bradshaw in this game. He could really bust out.

        One strange thing I’ve noted about the Giants defense down the stretch–they seem to get more intense and more focused in the second half. They have been making great adjustments at the half, and they have been able to play at a high level throughout the second half. I’m sure the D gets tired, but they haven’t played that way in the last 5 games or so. Instead, Tampa, Dallas, Green Bay offensive lines were the ones becoming exhausted and beat up. These are some of the finest O lines around. If things go the giants way, I expect NE to score in the first half, but to find it increasingly difficult to do so in 3rd and 4th quarters.

        • redX says:

          I remember two previous SBs that the Giants won, and although everything has changed since then, the way to win has not changed–
          1. be able to run,
          2. stop the Pats run.

          I disagree since the Pats can put up 400 yards in the air, run play-action getting the D to jump on the run (that they are trying to stop), and can go no-huddle so even with long runs they can still score 35. The long runs have to score TD’s, and in addition to stopping the run the Giants D would need to stop at least 40% of 3rd downs (this includes screens to Faulk, and underneath routes to Welker as Moss draws the Safety).

          I agree that being able to run (with clock management) is the key for the Giants, but the Giants coach Coughlin will likely have ways to mix it up as well. Just that the Pats don’t need to run to win (and it will be nice weather) – I do suspect the Pats might go for a run game since the backs are all healthy, but at the same time it would be odd with such a great passing O (they will likely stick to a mix of trying for 200 yards in Passing & Running).

          Its also not possible to know what wins against the Pats since this years team is undefeated.

          One strange thing I’ve noted about the Giants defense down the stretch–they seem to get more intense and more focused in the second half. They have been making great adjustments at the half, and they have been able to play at a high level throughout the second half. I’m sure the D gets tired…
          .
          I expect NE to score in the first half, but to find it increasingly difficult to do so in 3rd and 4th quarters.

          I disagree since the Pats are noted for adjustment at the halftime (as well as in game at anytime). Also the D getting tired in the 2nd half is the worst possible thing for the Giants (or the Pats) should it happen since Maroney can hit hard, Faulk has great hands, and Welker and Moss will not be tired.

          For the Giants Plex needs to be at least good enough to play decoy and block. If he plays a game like TO in the Philly then that is a huge boost.

          • CasualObserver says:

            Well damn redX, if I’d known someone would put my trash in bold, I would have written something intelligent.

            or tried to…

            Anyway, enjoy the game, and may the best team win, so long as it’s the NYFG.

            • redX says:

              Well damn redX, if I’d known someone would put my trash in bold, I would have written something intelligent.

              or tried to…

              Anyway, enjoy the game, and may the best team win, so long as it’s the NYFG.

              I think you did a good basic analysis. I also agree that may the best team win (but of course in my case hope its the Pats).

              One thing is clear -either- team can definatly win.

  4. ProfessorFoland says:

    As I read the post about Specter, I kept thinking, “Wow, bmaz should write for the Onion!” After noticing there was a link, I made the mistake of clicking through. Now I’m trying to get back to that universe I was in before. It was a much more sensible one.

    Pats over Giants 28-17.

    (And yes, the Giants could win, but likely they won’t…)

    • Leen says:

      Funny I was thinking the same thing “the onion”. Thanks for making me go back and click.

      Arlen sure has his priorities straight.

    • BlueStateRedHead says:

      ROFL I thought and then yes, there was this blue shade and WOW!. And he of the haggis called something untrue. After Muck-asey’s muck up, there is no standard of truth on the repub. side of the SJC table.

      why the shiny object now, or is the question too obvious to merit asking?

  5. phred says:

    I can’t tell you how bad it burns to not be talking about the Packers here (Phred knows)

    Truer words were never spoken….

    I gotta agree with the Professor, bmaz I thought the whole Specter thing was a joke. I was laughing out loud and thinking you had totally outdone yourself in honor of the SB Trash Talk — one has to elevate one’s game and all that. I figured when I clicked the link it would be to a cartoon saying “gotcha”. So, I click, and there it is in the NYTimes. I. Am. Speechless.

    • masaccio says:

      I not only clicked through, I went to my own login page on the NYT, I was just sure this was a spoof. I can’t believe it. Have I mentioned how much I loathe these people?

      Patriots 42, Gents 17

  6. phred says:

    Ok, now that I have recovered some words and have walled off the part of my brain that contemplates how someone like Specter can walk and chew gum, given what should be his crippling level of cognitive dissonance…

    FWIW, Mr. phred was reading over my shoulder and figures the boot/shoulder afflictions plaguing Brady are all a ruse, so he can skip the scrimmage on Sunday and prepare for the big game coming up in Hawaii.

  7. LabDancer says:

    bmaz – I expect I’m not alone in thinking this NFL Practice Tapes Scandal pap is really about the resorting the relevance of Haggis.

    Been to Scotland; ate some haggis; probably no worse, maybe better, than most commercially made pork sausages; especially deep fried. One major difference: the mess o’you-don’t-want-to-know goes into a sheep’s bladder.

    Which for some reason got me thinking about the Babe movie [The first one, the one that based its theme music on the had the second movement of Camille Saintsean’s Third Symphony for organ, the one that deserved to beat out Braveheart for the Oscar as best movie], in which we were delighted by the adventures of pig leading up to his fulfillment – not as sausage – but in beating out all the dogs in winning a contest which essentially tested their skills at overseeing sheep.

    Now, if a pig can oversee sheep, cannot a concoction held together by a sheep’s bladder oversee a game played with a pig’s bladder?

    It strikes me as Senator Specter slumps deeper into his dottage, we should find out something of his hopes and dreams. We may be that his are suffering from at least a mild case of envy – – in this case for all the attention received and status granted Senator George Mitchell for his editing of the transcripts of the tape recordings of a dozen or so baseballers [Anyone with two years in the audit department of one of the major accounting firms could have done as good a job].

    Also – I’m thinking this may suggest that Haggis isn’t looking forward to counting the body bags devastation from the coming tidal wave that will hit Gooper Nation on the first Tuesday in November.

    So it would not shock me if Senator Specter’s neuronal path of Philly Phanatic Eagle green envy for the Patriot’s decade long hegemony hooked up with his neuron path envy of Mitchell’s post-Senator beatification, and the two of them decided to get drown their senses of gloom with the current state of federal government and impending doom, and as often happens, a birth ensued: namely the notion that Senator Specter might really enjoy it if NFL management committee were to decide to bring him in to serve all their oversight needs as soon as possible before the 2008-9 season begins – in gratitude for which he just might be convinced to parlay what little remaining status and credibility he has with SJC Chair Leahy to set up a special little subcommittee this summer to hear some light-work-out no-pads testimony, issue a report that expresses regret over recent NFL failures to provide good examples for the youth of America, and expresses the only hope – stress ONLY HOPE – for restoring the lustre to our memories of Curly Lambeau and the real Pappa Bear [Halas] and Jim “Greatest Athlete in History” Thorpe and Vince Lombardi, is to have the SJC recommend the Senate pass an expression of intent to leave the NFL anti-trust exemption alone for the foreseeable future.

    So then the NFL Commish convenes a presser to express just how seriously the owners’ and leagues’ take Arlen’s “warning” and imposes closure by inviting him to fill a serious gap in its depth chart at the Appearance of Oversight position, from which I’m thinking Arlen might be able to squeeze out a little time to devote to visiting his former colleagues in DC from time to time, just to keep them current on what’s happening in pro football, pass out a few tickets, catch up on old times.

    This all seems fitting, given how the Bush-Cheney Administration and the GOOP have been able to outsource and privatize as much of the DOJ’s functions as possible while leaving a skeleton crew in charge to make sure nothing gets in or out.

    If this works out for him, what with all the work that he’ll have to attend to this year, plus planning his Gala retirement celebration, I don’t expect Arlen’s going to have much time left over to help out fellow Goopers on their campaigns, or even attend to the full range of his Senate duties, I don’t think we’ll any more of Senate Specter on other burning issues of national concern or committee work than we will of Senator McCain as the GOOP reluctantly places its money on him, and both Dem candidates as their party dukes it out to see if they’d rather be seen as racist or sexist.

    All this might prove too tricky for Arlen to pull off, but I kind of hope he does, only because I think it’s success depends on his being able to call on Leahy and a few other Dems on the SJC for cooperation – for which I would expect they would ask for some cooperation on a few of their own initiatives.

  8. Rayne says:

    Jeebus. It’s f*cking football, for chrissakes. A gawddamned game, and the Haggis is FINALLY worried about spying?

    I may have to spend some time finding words that I can safely fax to the Haggis to tell him his priorities are so freaking skewed that he needs to consider retirement.

  9. LabDancer says:

    Oops – forgot the obligatory forecast.

    I suspect I’m like every one else with a love for the game so pure that it doesn’t matter who wins, just so long as the game is well and fairly played from the heart and no one gets seriously hurt; in other words, my Vikes went down to the Skins a week before the end of the season and ever since I just don’t care.

    But FWTFIW, bearing in mind I’ve watched each and every Stupor Bowl through four decades and even back before then to when Otto Graham and Dante Lavelli et al held pretty much the same status as the Brady Pats, herewith the few things I have learned:

    [1] When in doubt, go with the superior quarterback.

    [2] As the sports pundits remind us whenever there is a big upset: This is why they have to play the game.

    [3] As Woods is to golf, Jordan is to roundball, and Gretzky is to hockey, Brady is to oblongball.

    I’m going with destiny: Pats 26 Giants 16.

    • BooRadley says:

      Since you mentioned Otto Graham, I thought I would link to this thoughtful, imo, article comparing QB’s across generations.

      Is Brady best ever? Not yet, but time is on his side

      In an ESPN.com poll of seasoned NFL talent evaluators, Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana rated highest, followed by Tom Brady.

      Tom Brady’s charge up the list of all-time great NFL quarterbacks will only accelerate if his New England Patriots prevail in Super Bowl XLII.

      Already a three-time Super Bowl champion, Brady is coming off the finest regular season an NFL quarterback has ever enjoyed, whether measured by won-lost record or overall statistics.

      The debate about which quarterback ranks No. 1 in NFL history might one day begin and end with Brady, but we’re not to that point — yet.

      While seven seasoned evaluators placed Brady solidly in the top 10, Johnny Unitas consistently ranked higher than any other quarterback. Joe Montana was second, followed by Brady, Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, John Elway, Terry Bradshaw, Brett Favre, Otto Graham and Dan Fouts.

      “To try to say who was the greatest would be an injustice to so many others,” said Marv Levy, the former Buffalo Bills coach who recently retired from his position as the team’s general manager.
      Levy, Art Rooney Jr., Ken Meyer, Zeke Bratkowski, Dick Haley, Larry Kennan and James Harris have been watching, coaching or playing quarterback at the college and pro levels for a combined 321 years heading into 2008. (See credentials here.) […]

  10. nomolos says:

    It is down to the fourth quarter on the FISA bill. It is time to fasten your chinstrap and be prepared to carry the ball for the administration. The defense must be prepared for a trick play such as a “cameragate end around” This play will probably only be used as a last resort and will not result in a touchdown. Be careful of arlen as he is a dirty player, he will stop at nothing in his quest to run up bush’s ass.

  11. Minnesotachuck says:

    Prof @ 7: I, too, thought it was a joke until I clicked the link. Has the Haggis no sense of irony?

  12. GulfCoastPirate says:

    That is the University of Phoenix? Is that the online school? How do they make enough money doing that to pay for getting their name on a stadium? Do people actually go to employers and tell them they have a degree from the UP?

    And if you go to school online how do you learn to drink beer, smoke dope, have sex, tailgate at football games and all the other great things associated with school?

    And for you college basketball fans – I saw Memphis in person Wednesday night against UH. Free throw shooting looked a little weak but otherwise, they’re a legitimate threat this year. Easy to see why they are number 1.

    • 4jkb4ia says:

      The University of Phoenix has many satellite campuses around the country. They are a for-profit school offering for-profit degrees in IT and so on.

      Thomas Frank did a great mordant piece for Harper’s on the scene at the Super Bowl between the Rams and the Patriots. (I suppose the middling performance of the Edwards and Huckabee campaigns shows that you need a message of economic populism in a different kind of mouth at least)

    • bmaz says:

      Heh heh, what, you think you can’t get porn, drugs and scalped football tickets online? Seriously, I agree that there is nothing ever in your life like the college experience; in a great many ways, really the defining time of one’s life. As to the University of Phoenix; don’t kid yourself, they are big business. I did have the pleasure of lightening their wallet just a tad in one dispute though. The founders John Sperling primarily and several others still hold most of the stock as far as I know and they are absolutely filthy rich. UP is part of the Apollo Group which is an interesting little group (ties with Carlyle) and has well over 2 billion in yearly revenue.

      • GulfCoastPirate says:

        They may be available online but WE all know who’s watching don’t we.

        The Carlyle Group – amazing. Will we ever rid ourselves of some of these people?

    • BlueStateRedHead says:

      My thought too. Then if glory is what he is after, he can surely find a way to have a Heath Ledger hearing. There were interstate phone calls made so why not try out a corrupt enterprise investigation. It could be a model for others….
      trashing haggis is never OT. and haggis is after all made with offal. trash in many people’s sense of what is edible.

  13. emptywheel says:

    Okay, as to my prediction–not ready to do that yet.

    But I will say something: Rodney Roids had better use all of his enhanced performance, because he’s going to be the make or break person at shutting down Jacobs and Bradshaw, and he had better be helping out plenty against Plaxico because Hobbs will need some serious 5′9″ help.

    It’s Rodney Roid’s job to turn Good Eli back into Bad Eli and if Rondey Roid doesn’t get it done, this game will rest on his shoulders.

  14. emptywheel says:

    BTW, bmaz, could you do us a favor and make sure the Big Dog doesn’t partake of any of thsoe exclusive hookers, please?

    He may well be our First Gentleman candidate in a week, and I know how hard it is for him to restrain himself.

    • bmaz says:

      Heh heh; well, the Clenis would do well to get on out of dodge then; because I am here to tell you, this town was never short on talent, both pro and wholesome, to start with and it is literally bursting at the seams, so to speak, right now….

  15. Minnesotachuck says:

    phred @ 35:

    He’s got Moss toeing the line (mostly) and that’s saying something. Neither Dennis Green nor Mike Tice could manage it here in Vikingland.

    • phred says:

      Yep. He gets big props from me for that. I was one of the naysayers when they brought Moss to the Pats and I have to give credit where it is due, Moss has consistently played well for the Pats. No one else has gotten Moss to do that.

  16. watercarrier4diogenes says:

    This from a big-screen HDTV Q&A in the NYT’s Circuits newsletter yesterday.

    Clearing Up Some of the Confusion Over HDTV
    By DAVID POGUE
    […]
    Q: So of all the sets here, which is the very best one to
    buy for the Super Bowl?

    A: Well, all of them will give you an absolutely great
    picture. But there’s one thing that none of these sets can
    do: they can’t make the Giants look good.

    [D.P. adds: I’m not touching that one. Happy ‘Bowling!]

    • CasualObserver says:

      they can’t make the Giants look good.

      Good one! That’s the kind of trash talk we need here.

      That said, G’ints don’t need to look good. Just win. (Harry Reid please take notice)

  17. randiego says:

    wow, so much to cover!

    1) I had to read the Haggis opening THREE TIMES before I realized it was real… searching for the inevitable snark that had to be there somewhere… for a while there was very impressed with Bmaz’s fiction abilities!

    2) Phred and Bmaz – yes I know it burns. Believe me.

    3) Scrapple. Where to start? I was introduced to it by a really hot girl from PA, and I almost yakked when she described it to me. During my 6 years in DC, I spent a lot of time at the beach during the summers, in Delaware. On the road down from DC was a town named Bridgeville, which had a HUGE billboard at the edge of town that said SCRAPPLE CAPITAL OF THE USA. (In the end, I aquired a taste for it.)

    4) The Talent level in PHX. I can vouch for it. I’ve been out a couple times to catch the Padres in spring training. I was impressed.

  18. radiofreewill says:

    Looks like Arlen, Casual Observer and I are going to have to down a few beers, jump on the bar and challenge all you Patsies to a little King of the Mountain!

    Giants 35 Cheats* 31

    * Caught Cheating in one game.

    • phred says:

      Two, they did it to the Packers first, admittedly last year, so not sure if that counts for this year’s team.

      • radiofreewill says:

        Thank you, phred…I’m making ‘nice’ in the early trash talking here by only pointing out the Jets game, for which the League *fined* Bellicheat, personally, half-a-million integrity-lashes.

        Later tonight, after I hang a few more sails on my boat, so to speak, I’ll get around to pointing out that Cheating is a Lifestyle for the Patriots, and pull-in the Packers’ game.

        As far as I’m concerned, Billy-boy and Dickie both have walk-in Man Safes filled full of things they shouldn’t have in games played by the rules.

        Every Freedom Loving, Founding Father Respecting, Constitution Honoring American has a stake in this Game: The Giants are playing for US, and the Cheats are playing for BushCo – plain and simple.

        This year’s Super Bowl is the dumb show before the Play that foretells whether BushCo and their Cheating Ways are going to get caught, or get away.

        Go Giants!

        PS – When your franchise has real historicity about it – there weren’t even any Boston Patriots when the Giants won the 1956 NFL Championship with Offensive Coach Vince Lombardi and Defensive Coach Tom Landry – then your bandwagon is Big Enough to Carry All Types, including Hayden (He might just turn out to be allright after all…), fucking O’Reilly, and even Little Naive Schu with his Cotton Candy.

        • BayStateLibrul says:

          Notice a trender for Sunday…

          Super Bowl 20 1986 Bears 46 Pats 10
          Super Bowl 31 1997 Packers 35 Pats 21
          Super Bowl 36 2002 Pats 20 Rams 17
          Super Bowl 38 2004 Pats 32 Panthers 29
          Super Bowl 39 2005 Pats 24 Eagles 21

          Drink early, drink often, and vote Democratic
          I was for Edwards, but Tuesday in Mass Primary, I’m voting for
          Hillary…. (decision just made after a few brews)

    • radiofreewill says:

      We’ll throw Arlen back to the Goopers tomorrow, but for tonight he’s up here on the bar with me and Casual Observer, and we’re pulling-up TexBetsy to join US in a singalong, can-can to the Victors!

      Champagne, everyone!

      madmommy, jayt, masaccio!, vieravisionary, wangdangdoodle come on up!

    • phred says:

      Ummm, did you intentionally single out the famous people who picked the Gents or are you trying to fire up the Pats fans in these parts to ramp up their trash talk? ; )

      • emptywheel says:

        No, I didn’t. First, note how many more Giants fans there were on the list.

        But also, these really were my favorites.

        When I talk about how Eli was (in college, according to Peyton) and may be, in the future, better than Peyton, I always talk about Serena, so I was glad she thought the same way.

        Schumer just made me laugh–how can a Dem FROM NY, where the fucking Roosevelts are like royalty, say such a thing???

        BillO, not surprising, but since everyone was accusing Pats of being Republicans…

        And frankly, I have said precisely what Hayden said, that the Giants are having a year very similar to the Steelers a few years back (though, FTR, I don’t endorse torture).

        So they really were the most intesting, at least outof the probably 10 that I recognized.

  19. randiego says:

    Bmaz, that’s a pretty stadium and all, but it says you CAN’T BRING GRILLS TO TAILGATE PARTIES.

    No Grilling? For an NFL game? Who’s the Socialists now?

    • emptywheel says:

      I dunno randiego. I moved to San Diego with Goose Gossage and Greg Nettles (I think I was the player to be named later). And as a former New Yorker, I was appalled to see Nettles get up and do a “play nice in this family stadium” announcement not long after he got there. It was so disillusioning to see an ex-Yankee say such a thing.

      • randiego says:

        Yeah, I remember those. Petco Park is worse. It’s so quiet it’s embarrassing. When the Red Sox were here last summer, it was hard to swallow, but the zillion Sox fans that came really showed how a crowd should act at a game.

        However. If you want to see true tailgating – The Murph still has one of those old-school parking lots that’s WFO for the hoi polloi before the game. Not one of these modern, ridiculously expensive, sissy-mary, parking-pass-assigned-to-a-space for CEO-types parking lots. You just know that the new stadium, once they finally get one, will have just one of those lots.

        But you probably knew that, as a graduate of SD.

    • LabDancer says:

      Sure you can pick just one – & it’s not even on that list:

      Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch.

      See this makes my point about why American republican democracy is has turned into Celebrity Dance Stars – folks just don’t seem to remember all the poop that Goopers has dropped on the world over the last 55 years.

      I blame TV: too passive. Besides a bunch of other large cultural trends, the GOOP is going down because the ‘Tubes are interactive.

    • randiego says:

      Yeah, it’s the stuff that SPAM doesn’t use, mixed into a kind of paste, then smashed flat and fried like sausage. Yum.

      EW, you were raised in PA? I had never heard of the stuff until my PA friends introduced it to me, saying it was a staple of their childhood. I was horrified at first.

  20. redX says:

    Thanks “Magic Bullet” Specter, cuz that is going to jack the Patriots up. Nothing like a little smack talking grand-stander pandering for Philly votes on Super Bowl weekend. Ba ha ha. Nice timing, and good use of time.

  21. redX says:

    Strahan has been a walking talking sideshow, but a darned amiable and funny one. You gotta love the guy. Jeremy Shockey is out; and as far as I know, he isn’t even here. Plaxico now has a swollen left knee in addition to the ankle injury he had that kept him out of in the conference championship game where he caught 11 passes for a gazillion yards. He’ll be fine.
    ——-

    Strahan is helping people like the Giants, he is their good PR man.

    Did Plex get hit with that flu? Does he talk in a nasal way or was his cold getting better over the week? Should not matter at this point since they boost them with IV type cold recovery.

    • bmaz says:

      Clemens and McNamee are coming over to shoot some B-12 in Plaxico’s butt. Barry bringing in some bay area flaxseed oil. Not gonna work though, because Belichick is surreptitiously video taping them….

      • redX says:

        Clemens and McNamee are coming over to shoot some B-12 in Plaxico’s butt. Barry bringing in some bay area flaxseed oil. Not gonna work though, because Belichick is surreptitiously video taping them….
        ——-
        LOL. That actually sums it up pretty good.

  22. redX says:

    “Magic Bullet” Specter should also get a grip since it happened in the 1st half of the first game, and it was a rule broken not a law. Not only that but the sign stealing they did was taping an essentially public (private stadium) area where the guy was giving signs. The NFL teams change their signals every week for this reason. It was a stupid episode of cheating, but these other teams do the same thing and if the Jets want to say the Pats are cheating then Mangini should come out and admit any cheating he has done (when he was the O coordinator of the Pats).

    Mercury Morris from the ‘72 Dolphins is so comical. Its like Joe Montana says its all good to everyone is going to say they would win, but he is not going to get up-tight if Brady has 4 rings like SF Joe. Mercury is going bonkers about keeping them out of the neighborhood (you may have seen this, he is from the 14-0 team).

    As a fan I think people should root for their team or the underdog, but also appreciate (watching) what great football a chance at 19-0 is. I am also very happy that the Giants are representing the NFC. They have played great and are the best team out of the NFC based on their run and their performance in the Playoffs.

  23. redX says:

    From the Boston area as well Manny is in SBowl site AZ (where he works out) – so ironically there are some sightings (and a funny interview of him sipping juice and being Manny). The funny part being that the media will be waiting for him to roll in late to spring Training Camp. One of his quotes was about how he was not so pumped about going to work and playing at Spring Training.

  24. Neil says:

    Did any US Court order the commissioner of football Goodell to keep all evidence collected in the case of the Patriots rule-breaking by means of recording their opponents defensive signal calling with a video camera. Clearly, no court was ever involved becuase it was a matter of breaknig league rules not an investigation of a criminal violation.

    Specter’s comparison of Goodell’s investigation of the desrtuction of CIA torture tapes is meritless and he, a fine lawyer, should be embarassed and disgraced (by us, I mean.)

    Of all the cocamema bullshit to pull durng the week precedding the Super Bowl. Arlem makes himself the center of attention and rakes mud on the Patriots AND THE GIANTS accomplishments by stealing the spot light from their upcoming faceoff.
    _________
    Goodell said the team’s accomplishment hasn’t been tarnished. “I think what they did this season was certainly done within the rules on a level playing field.”

    In answering 11 questions specific to the “Spygate” scandal, Goodell also defended the league’s actions in destroying the tapes, a decision that has come under scrutiny from Senator Arlen Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania.

    “I think there are very good explanations for the reason why I destroyed the tapes or had them destroyed by our staff,” Goodell said, noting he is willing to meet with Specter. “They were totally consistent with what the team told me. There was no purpose for them. I believe it was helpful in making sure my instructions were followed closely, by not only the Patriots but also by every other team. I think it was the appropriate thing to do. Our discipline sent a loud message.”

    Goodell pointed out that one of the tapes was leaked and broadcast Sept. 16, which was another reason he destroyed them.

    “It was the best way to make sure that the Patriots had followed my instructions; I wanted to make sure that bit of information did not appear again,” he said. “If it did appear, I would know they didn’t hand me all the information.

    “They certified to me, in writing, that they gave me all the information on tapes or notes, and that there was no further information relating to this incident or any other taping of games. Now I know if something arises, that I wasn’t told the truth.”

    Goodell explained the tapes showed a coach making signals, then panned to a shot of the scoreboard, which included the down and distance. He described it as “not exciting.”

    The NFL also seized notes “that had been collected, that I would imagine many teams have from when they scout a team in advance, that may have been collected by using an illegal activity, according to our rules.” Goodell was not sure if the notes were part of the illegal activity, but felt it was appropriate to take them because of the uncertainty.

    Goodell noted multiple times that attempting to decipher signals is commonplace. Where the Patriots crossed the line was the vehicle they used to do so.

    “I’m not sure there is a coach in the league that doesn’t expect that their signals are being interpreted by opposing teams. That’s why they go to great lengths,” Goodell said. “I think it was Coach [Bill] Parcells earlier this season who said, ‘Any coach that doesn’t expect his signals to be stolen is stupid.’ It’s pretty simple but teams understand that it’s a risk and they prepare for that. I don’t believe it affected the outcome of any games.”

    Goodell: tapes on six games got destroyed
    By Mike Reiss, Boston Globe, February 2, 2008

    • redX says:

      Goodell: tapes on six games got destroyed
      By Mike Reiss, Boston Globe, February 2, 2008
      ——–
      Went to school with Mike Reiss, a great reporter/analyst.

      Here is my tirade on Arlen “Magic Bullet” after his dripping face is out there on ESPN today (on Super Bowl Sunday talking about hauling Tom Brady or the President before a commision).

      ARLEN “MAGIC BULLET” SPECTER is on ESPN with a softballl interview. For example the host is using as “evidence” that a QB sneak by the Rams in the 2001 Super Bowl worked against the Pats but had not been in the walkthrough the day before…and that he had gotten in unscathed when two Pats had gotten their arms on him (as they tried to penetrate the backfield no doubt to disrupt what they thought was a handoff).

      Its the day of the damn Super Bowl and this guy is grand standing. The guy says if he wants to talk to Tom Brady he will haul him in (ummm there is a game today) and that if an investigation goes ALL THE WAY TO THE PRESIDENT you persue it….

      WHAT A JOKE.

      The Magic Bullet helped the assasins of JFK get away. That would be TREASON.

      The guy allowed Bush to commit numerous CRIMES. That would be TREASON.

      After 5 hearings on Baseball and steroids they have done NOTHING.

      Here is the situation Arlen. You don’t grandstand on the day of the Super Bowl. This stuff has been out there for months (Pats caught cheating and punished, the destruction of the tapes, allegations of other teams) and what perfect timing we have. The only change is Specter grand standing and the guy Walsh coming out at the start of the week offering “evidence” to the “highest bidder”.

      Take a look around there are about 50 cameras on the field. If they did some cheating it is going to be easy to prove (they have the audio of the coaches amoung other thing – ever see super bowl special shows that include the coaches audio?). Rather than worrying about Bush crimes, or doing the investigation early or after the season (rather than looking for Philly votes by slapping the players of the Pats in the face on Super Bowl Sunday) just shows what a country our pathetic government is creating for us.

      Thanks Magic Bullet, start your career with ruining the country by covering up an assasination of democracy (destroy the ballot with a bullet), and end it by pandering for Philly votes and air time on Super Bowl Sunday while we are in an illegal war (that you allowed), and destroyed TORTURE tapes (that were locked in a CIA safe…not an NFL safe), by a President that lied to America (that you rubber stamped), in an economy that is in free-fall, and a country that is now (thanks Magic) capturing email/cell/phone/web communications en mass (bye bye constitution).

      So short version: This sort of cheating would be bad, it will be easy enough to find out, and pandering for votes is pathetic. The Pats were caught cheating in the 1st half of the 1st game.

      ARLEN “MAGIC BULLET” SPECTER you want an investigation that goes all the way I would suggest one of these:

      1. JFK
      2. RFK
      3. MLK
      4. X
      5. 9-11
      6. Bush lies to war
      7. Bush lies to torture
      8. Bush lies to the REAL SPYGATE.
      9. Maybe throw in the Clinton impeachment assasination.

  25. Neil says:

    Take 2:

    Did any US Court order the commissioner of football Goodell to keep all evidence in the case of the Patriots rule breaking by means of recording their opponent’s defensive signals with a video camera? Clearly ‘no’, and no court was ever involved because it was a matter of breaking league rules not an investigation of a criminal violation.

    Arlen Specter’s comparison of Goodell’s investigation to the destruction of CIA torture tapes is merit less. Specter, presumably a fine lawyer, should be embarrassed and disgraced (by us, I mean.)

    Of all the cockamamie bullshit to pull during the week preceding the Super Bowl. Arlen abuses our alleged trust in him as a US Senator, and projects himself center stage by making an inflammatory and baseless comparison of Goodell’s investigation and CIA torture tapes. And this concern had to be addressed this week, right?

    Frankly, I’d rather the focus be on the football game. So my nasty-gram to Arlen will have to wait until next week. Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.

    This is game going to be GREAT, by which I mean competitive, tough, smash mouth football with wide open offense, scoring in all three phases of the game and the tension of a close game at the end. Both teams’ offenses have engineered long game-winning 4th quarter drives. Oh Yeah! I’ll spend some time later writing up my thoughts on how the game will be played/won.

    Patriots 33 Giants 23

  26. BooRadley says:

    FWIW free article from Vegas Insider: “Brady vs. G-Men’s secondary”

    Of all the important matchups for Super Bowl XLII, you can make a valid argument that Tom Brady against the Giants defense is the most pivotal. Why, you ask? Well, quite simply, because no defense has shut down New England’s passing game all season, resulting in an 18-0 record for the Patriots.

    Can New York’s defense become the first to stymie the NFL’s best quarterback, who has the league’s best set of wideouts in Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney? That’s the burning question in Gotham, where the Giants gave up a pair of long touchdown passes to Moss in the regular-season finale, when New England rallied for a 38-35 victory.[…]

    • emptywheel says:

      I dunno, a number of defenses have held Brady in check DEEP, at least. The difficulty is preventing both the big bombs and the underneath to Welker or–now that he’s healthy–Watson.

      Further, you could say the same on the other side. The Giants’ secondary is beat up. But the Pats will force the 5′9″ Ellis Hobbs to cover Plaxico, which is just an open invitation, IMO. The Pats secondary had a crummy game against the Giants in the final game of the season.

      Oh, and Rodney Roid? A burnt out thug who could well be the weak link, if he doesn’t step it up big here.

      • redX says:

        Further, you could say the same on the other side. The Giants’ secondary is beat up. But the Pats will force the 5′9″ Ellis Hobbs to cover Plaxico, which is just an open invitation, IMO. The Pats secondary had a crummy game against the Giants in the final game of the season.

        ——–

        Part of the reason for the switch, having the DE’s playing their natural side (Hobbs & Samual). If Plex is not hurt then Hobbs is going to need to be healhy and come up with a big game. Rodney at S will have to help and make hard tackles to stop Yards After Catch. Asante Samual will be looking to be all over, or poach and look for an INT as Eli tries to spread the O (if the Giants need to, especially if playing from behind and or if the Pats are effective at stopping the run).

        Giants played strong in Week 17. Who wins the early physical matchup will be imporant, as well as conditioning to go all 60 minutes. Recall the SB with Carolina it was 30 minutes of smash mouth defense followed by some of the highest scoring Quarters in the 2nd half. I think they will have learned from Philly that ran out of steam a bit at the very end of the SB.

    • Neil says:

      Boo, I think that’s right on the money. The Giants need to do four things on Defense

      1. Put Brady under pressure in the pocket – No one has done so successfully without rushing at least 5. The Giants ends are EXCELLENT. The push has to come from the tackles so Brady CANNOT step up in the pocket.

      2. Take away Randi Moss’ outside move by playing his outside shoulder tight on the line of scrimmage and forcing him to an inside move with timely support the safety (the safety has to arrive when the balls does POW,)

      3. Take away the screen play to Welker, Gaffney and Faulk by playing tight man coverage on two of the three wideouts. Jam them on the line and provide quick support from the safety and the outside linebacker.

      4. Pray the price paid for committing to these defensive priorities don’t cost a successful Maroney/Faulk ground game of 190 yards and 40 minutes of posession.

      • redX says:

        Boo, I think that’s right on the money. The Giants need to do four things on Defense

        1. Put Brady under pressure in the pocket – No one has done so successfully without rushing at least 5. The Giants ends are EXCELLENT. The push has to come from the tackles so Brady CANNOT step up in the pocket.

        2. Take away Randi Moss’ outside move by playing his outside shoulder tight on the line of scrimmage and forcing him to an inside move with timely support the safety (the safety has to arrive when the balls does POW,)

        3. Take away the screen play to Welker, Gaffney and Faulk by playing tight man coverage on two of the three wideouts. Jam them on the line and provide quick support from the safety and the outside linebacker.

        4. Pray the price paid for committing to these defensive priorities don’t cost a successful Maroney/Faulk ground game of 190 yards and 40 minutes of posession.

        ————–
        This is essentially it, but with some more emphasis on the run as has been noted here. The Pats run is to good, I don’t know if you could leave it to be the last piece to fall into place. But it is a though, to take away all the passing (except for Faulk/Screen) and hope the D crushes the running lanes at the same time. The Giants run is better, but the Pats usually are able to rely on different things that are open in the game. Forgot to mention that Hobbs will have to be able to jam Plex at the line just like the Giants will be doing to Moss.

        Niel @ 98
        Forcing the Giants to pass takes away their clear advantage in the running game. When you see Brandon Jacobs think Corey Dillon only bigger than Michael Strahan. And when you see Ahmad Bradshaw think Laurence Maroney with more quickness and flatout speed.
        ———————-
        Also note that the Pats stopped the run in the latter part of the 3rd and most of the 4th in Week 17 against the Giants.

  27. CasualObserver says:

    Good discussion. Re: the Giants secondary. I’ve misunderestimated them, as has media I believe. They did a solid job against Dallas and GB. Those are two stellar WR corps and excellent QBs. Yes, they will give up some big plays, but they can hang with NE (imo of course). I don’t think that is where the game is won or lost.

    Another thought on NYG strategy. Wouldn’t be a bit surprised if NY comes out throwing aggresively. Not that they hope to do it all night long, but to set up the run. Usually it is the opposite, but passing to loosen up the NE front would be a real viable strategy.

  28. Neil says:

    The Giants game can be lost on defense if Moss [or any Pats receiver] gets loose for two or more long balls (unless the Giants offense can match the Pats’ quick-strike long ball points, which um, well that’s a tall order… becuase the Pats (as opposed to the Giants) do not have to committ their safeties to other aspects of the defensive gameplan.)

    Forcing the Giants to pass takes away their clear advantage in the running game. When you see Brandon Jacobs think Corey Dillon only bigger than Michael Strahan. And when you see Ahmad Bradshaw think Laurence Maroney with more quickness and flatout speed.

    The Giants want to keep the score close so they can run when they want and pass when they want. They can beat the Pats defense if they can keep them off balance. If the Giants are predictible, they are f*cked. If the Giants turn to the pass to score lots of points quickly, they put it all on Eli and that’s not when he’s at his best. The Pats will have some twists to keep Eli off his game.

    • CasualObserver says:

      (unless the Giants offense can match the Pats’ quick-strike long ball points, which um, well that’s a tall order…

      Not so fast there Neil. The Giants ran up what…21 points on the Pats in first half last time. They scored well, and often.

      There’s been much talk of how the G-men secondary can’t handle Pats. What hasn’t been said as much, but I believe is also true, is that the NE secondary cannot handle the Giants receivers either…

  29. bmaz says:

    THIS JUST IN: This live report is coming in from EW’s Senior Snarlgate Correspondent, bmaz, on location near the ESPN command center at the Southbridge Waterfront in Old Town Scottsdale Arizona. Reports are flying fast and furious about illegal signal stealing by the Patriots in previous Super Bowls; most notably Super Bowl XXXVI between the Pats and Rams, and Super Bowl XXXIX between the Pats and Eagles. There now appears to be corroboration, at least as to SB-XXXVI, where the Patriot’s former video coordinator, Matt Walsh, reportedly has evidence in the form of inculpatory tapes on the Rams and is willing to testify, but wants a subpoena because he is concerned about retaliation from the Patriots and rabid fans. This matter is getting serious, is not going away, and is really starting to affect and tarnish the credibility of the Patriots and what they have accomplished according to many fans, especially fans of the New York Giants and, of course, the Philadelphia Eagles’ fans like Snarlen Spectre.

    There are two scandalously hot rumors that have surfaced just this morning and are burning through the whole scene here in Old Town Scottsdale as I type this report. The first involves the Patriots using secret Russian spy/surveillance technology acquired by the team in a surreptitious deal with Vladimir Putin that was negotiated by Rupert Murdoch. The second involves a collaboration between Senators Arlen Spectre and Kitty Bond to instigate a formal investigatory commission, similar to baseball’s Mitchell commission, to investigate the exploding SnarlSpyGate controversy and that will be headed up by respected former Senator Ricky Santorum. It is unclear, at the time of this posting, how strongly these shocking and destructive rumors will take hold and spread through the sports and traditional media that the scene here is absolutely saturated with.

    • redX says:

      Matt Walsh lawyered up.
      ———-
      Since at most NLF rules were broken I am sure he lawyered up to prevent himself from slandering the Pats and the NFL.

      The only new information is Walsh running his yap from Hawaii SB weekend (and Specter grand-standing SB weekend). If the Pats did something, or a bunch of teams did something like this I am sure the 50 cameras on the sideline and all over the stadiums will prove it and then everyone can worry about it then.

      Walsh has not worked for them since he was fired in like 2003 or something? The Pats are going to be on film planning NFL cheating? Or on Super Bowl footage showing the sign stealing relay to the one mike’ed up player? Maybe the snipers that were on the roof of the New Orleans Superdome after 2001 have some pictures, or Bono of U2 picked up some audio during the halftime show. As for the game the Rams were not smart…they DID NOT CHANGE their Offensive strategy because they were cocky.

      This is a grandstanding smear job with Arlen “Magic Bullet” Specter being a jerk just like when he was helping assasinate JFK. I hope Patrick Leahy (and Ted Kennedy) laughs in his face and wishes him a happy retierment as the do 5 hearings on this just like ‘Roids in baseball…and nothing has happened – its all grand standing by timing it at the Super Bowl. The Congress provides a monopoly for MLB and NFL and wants to haul them up there and trade a few secretes and get some autographs.
      1. Timing is pathetic.
      2. Zero law breaking.

      Good Luck:
      ==================
      Patrick J. Leahy
      CHAIRMAN, D-VERMONT

      Edward M. Kennedy
      D-MASSACHUSETTS

      Arlen Specter
      RANKING MEMBER, R-PENNSYLVANIA

      Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
      D-DELAWARE

      Orrin G. Hatch
      R-UTAH

      Herb Kohl
      D-WISCONSIN

      Charles E. Grassley
      R-IOWA

      Dianne Feinstein
      D-CALIFORNIA

      Jon Kyl
      R-ARIZONA

      Russell D. Feingold
      D-WISCONSIN

      Jeff Sessions
      R-ALABAMA

      Charles E. Schumer
      D-NEW YORK

      Lindsey Graham
      R-SOUTH CAROLINA

      Richard J. Durbin
      D-ILLINOIS

      John Cornyn
      R-TEXAS

      Benjamin L. Cardin
      D-MARYLAND

      Sam Brownback
      R-KANSAS

      Sheldon Whitehouse
      D-RHODE ISLAND

      Tom Coburn
      R-OKLAHOMA

      If there is some scandel let Mangini of the Jets just tell everyone what happend in a month or two (or 2 months ago).

  30. masaccio says:

    Steve Young was just outraged this morning on Sports Center, using the word “impactful” to describe the effect on pro football. I bet they didn’t learn him word that at BYU.

  31. CasualObserver says:

    btw, EW:

    BILL O’REILLY
    FOX TV host Giants, 31-30. Destiny.
    [In case there was any doubt about which was the Republican team]

    Let’s say some neocon bastard made a nasty fascisti comment here at EmptyWheel. Surely, we wouldn’t condemn the EW team for that evil heinous comment. So too with the Giants–just because an evil charlatan fascist son of a bitch thinks that the Giants will win, it doesn’t follow that the Giants agree with this guy politically or philosophically, or like him, or listen to his infected, puss-filled and billious show.

  32. bmaz says:

    The new rumor floating around the ESPN zone in Scottsdale is that Bill O’LoofaReally is knee deep in the illicit Murdoch/Putin/Kraft Russian spy technology scandal.

  33. Neil says:

    You’ve heard Tom Davis is going to punt?

    At a WaPo chat yesterday Tom Davis lays the blame on Democrats for Republican partisanship on the matter of voting rights for DC residents.

    Q: Rep. Davis, thank you for taking my question. Though I am a Democrat, I think you are honorable and courageous for being such a strong advocate for D.C. voting rights. The House (and the GOP) will miss your principled leadership. I was wondering if you could tell us why so many of your Republican colleagues are hostile to this issue. Are they really so cynical as to vote against D.C. voting rights just because the District is heavily Democratic? To paraphrase your famous quote, do they really try to make a straight-faced argument that the capital of the free world shouldn’t have voting representation?

    A: I agree. And I think if D.C. were a Republican city, Democrats would take a different tack. There is too much partisanship in this town after November. I can understand it before an election, but after the election, we need to act like grownups and work together.

    Right, so let’s start by blaming the Democrats for obstructing the voting rights of DC residents would it be a Republican district. What’s ironic about Davis’ answer, is that he’s worked hard, and used his influential power as a Congressman, to keep his own district from becoming more Democrat(ic) and less Reublic(an).

    What are the chances the Dems can pickup this seat? And not one of those Bush-kissing Dems either!

    For my part, I think there is too much partisanship in football and I just want to say, it wouldn’t be so if Giants fans didn’t suck (so much.)

  34. redX says:

    Oh, forogot just to be clear the accusation is (I think) that after the Pats pre-game walkthrough Walsh hid a camera and stayed in the building and during the next teams walktrough – was not challanged – and then retrieved the tape (and delivered it to the Pats?).

  35. redX says:

    Maybe “Magic Bullet” Specter has some illegal spying tapes (you could call it something like SpyGate perhaps) and has evidence on the Pats from their email, web usage, cell phones, company phones, NLF Super Bowl communications – along with all the other anti-Constitution CRIMINAL Spying.

    Good work Snarlin Arlen.

    • BayStateLibrul says:

      Hope it’s nick and tuck, but the Pats might just kick their giant arses.

      Btw, before game time, send your spy films, in a hermetically-sealed mayonaisse jar, to Arlen Spectoria

  36. BooRadley says:

    Great thirty-minute film breakdown of Pats and G-Men on ESPN with Ron Jaworski and Merril Hoge (NFL Match-up). It just started at the bottom half of the hour.

  37. BooRadley says:

    Giants cannot afford to get behind. If the G-Men can get into the fourth quarter with a 2TD lead, they have a chance. Anything less than 2TD’s, I think the Pats win.

    OT, Umenyiora, and Strahan play all three-downs, and short yardage. If the G-Men can get Brady into obvious passing situations, Justin Tuck (his nickname is “Baby Kearse”) plays DT next to Fred Robbins who has unexpectedly been playing great. That’s FOUR guys who can really rush the passer. If the G-Men try to play Tuck at DT in short yardage, I think Belichick will just try to run right at him. He’s too light to last long at DT.

    • BayStateLibrul says:

      With apologies to Basho,

      Coin toss up, then down.
      Blue sky and silver screen
      Boston, the new Titletown

  38. BooRadley says:

    What Can Brown Do For Patriots?
    Legendary Running Back Addresses Team

    PHOENIX – At the request of coach Bill Belichick, Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown addressed the players before Friday’s practice. There were no specifics about the talk.

    But in the past, Belichick has spoken to Brown about taking advantage of an opposing player who had a reputation for being emotional or volatile.

    Belichick said he had a tremendous amount of respect for Brown and praised the way he conducted himself on the field.[…]

  39. radiofreewill says:

    Looks like the Giants are using imagery from the 1980 USA Hockey Team (all amateurs) Victory over the Evil Cheating (everybody knew they were ‘pros’) Russkies.

    In that match, the US came out with a patient, but hard-hitting defense, and opportunistically converted on offense.

    As the impatient Russians pressed harder and harder, the Americans waited until the Reds over-committed, and then the break-ups turned into break-aways and the Almost Unbeatable Russians were unable to recover.

    I look for the Giants to do the same – Smart Defense with a couple of late back-breakers from Toomer.

    Go Giants!

    • bmaz says:

      EW – I do believe RFW has just called the Pats are a bunch of Commie Rooskies! Oh my; I am appalled, you can’t let him get away with that!

        • radiofreewill says:

          Oh, come on, I went to Etymology Class – The Russians and The Goopers are Two species of the same genus – Cheatus Maximus.

          Off to a “Go Giants” Party, back in a few hours…

  40. randiego says:

    Well, camping never happened, it’s raining here. No day trip to Ensenada either, so i guess I’ll just have to watch the game.

    Bmaz, raining over there??

    • bmaz says:

      Yeah, not yet; thanks a rot. Since my roof is leaking, needs three grand of fucking repair according to Joe Roofcoat dude, I am certain another flood is headed my way quickly though. Oh well, nothing a couple of pitchers of Margaritas can’t solve….. Heh heh.

  41. bmaz says:

    I have been a fan of a show known as The Sports Reporters, which airs on Sunday mornings on ESPN, for a very long time. It has been on so long now, I am not sure when it started, but must be going on two decades or so. I was drawn to the show by it’s original host, the incomparable Dick Schapp, a true Renaissance man if there ever was one. If you have never read the diverse works of Dick Schapp, take a look, he is very good. At any rate, one of Schaap’s most frequent sports writer panelists on The Sports Reporters was, and still is after Schaap’s death, his good friend Boston Globe Columnist Bob Ryan. Ryan is an irascible, tell it like it is, fun loving old school Boston newspaperman; he always has something to say, and it is usually very interesting and spot on relevant. He looks and talks like he just came out of an Irish bar a few pints for the worse, and he probably did. On January 29, the fucked up mess that is the US war machine took yet another in it’s long series of lives.

    Keith Ryan, 37, son of Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, apparently took his life by suicide, according to the U.S. State Department. Ryan was in Islamabad, Pakistan, working for the State Department as an attache to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. Ryan leaves behind a wife and eight-year-old triplets.

    My condolences go out to the Ryan family. Unfortunately, the bad news day that was January 29 didn’t end there. Another of Dick Schaap’s friends and regular panelists on the The Sports Reporters, Michael Wilbon, suffered a minor heart attack here in Scottsdale at his winter home. Wilbon, along with another fellow throwback old school sports columnist from the Washington Post, Tony Kornheiser, hosts Pardon The Interruption on ESPN (the subjects are standard issue, but the banter between Wilbon and Kornheiser is priceless, must watch stuff). Here is part of Wilbon’s own report:

    The site of Super Bowl XLII, the gigantic steel-faced stadium that looks like a spaceship plopped down in the desert, is only a 35-minute drive west around the beltway known as the 101. The center of Super Bowl activity is a 25-minute drive south to downtown Phoenix, a quick trip past a residential oasis called Paradise Valley, past Camelback Mountain.

    It’s just outside my door, really, but I can’t get there. Couldn’t get to Super Bowl media day on Tuesday. Couldn’t get to the Patriots’ and Giants’ interview sessions Wednesday or Thursday. Couldn’t mingle with former coaches and former players in the lobbies of the downtown hotels to find out what they think about the Patriots being undefeated. Can’t do any of it because I had a heart attack in the wee hours of Monday morning.

    Since then it’s been no reporting, no writing, no TV, no fighting with Kornheiser, nothing to do with football or the Super Bowl. What would have been my 21st consecutive Super Bowl assignment for The Washington Post has instead included my first ambulance ride, a trip to the emergency room, angioplasty, and a dramatic lifestyle change that now calls for heart medicine, insulin injections and daily blood-pressure checks . . . or else die early.

    Wilbon is a good guy; he is around Scottsdale and Phoenix a lot the last couple of years. You see him around, sometimes with Charles Barkley, another really good guy; always funny and always friendly. I wondered why I hadn’t seen them in Old town Scottsdale or at the Phoenix Open; this morning I discovered why. Get well soon Wilbon.

  42. Neil says:

    3 hours till kick-off, make that 4 with all the self-congratulary pre-game festivities… are you ready for some football? ok, watch this scantily clad dancer for a while and listen to out talking heads decide whether the pats are the greatest team of all times, um… isn’t that a conversation for after the game?

  43. Neil says:

    awww bmax, i thought you had a photo of Roidney in ladies lingerie, in which case, I wouldn’t mind Specter debasing the dignity of the SJC in order to investigate that.

  44. phred says:

    Not much time to spend on the tubz today, but wanted to pop in to put in my two cents for the hubcap…

    Pats 30 Gents 27

    Enjoy the game everybody! Go Packts! ; )

      • phred says:

        Seriously?!? Honestly, I had no idea, I didn’t check the thread before putting my entry in… Umm, ok, you got dibs on 30-27. How ’bout 32-27? I’ll toss in a safety (you know how I get about defense) for the Pats. Happy now? ; ) Ok, I really gotta skeedaddle… Have fun EW! Light an extra candle in your Bill Bell shrine for me ; )

  45. rosalind says:

    (gack. paula abdul giving britney spears a run for worst – lipsynch – ever. time to turn the tv off until gametime).

    • bmaz says:

      Absolutely! Hope Snarlin Arlen Spectre doesn’t work up a Senate Select Investigation into the prediction collusion going on here……

  46. vieravisionary says:

    Well, I have put my hat in ring on this one! I believe it will be NE 31 – NYG 28. I would like for the Giants would win, but it is hard to pick against the 180- team!

    Enjoy!!

    • vieravisionary says:

      Let’s try this again!!! LOL!

      Well, I have to put my hat in ring on this one! I believe it will be NE 31 – NYG 28. I would like for the Giants to win, but it is hard to pick against the 18-0 team!

      Enjoy!!

  47. Neil says:

    9:00 minutes of possession. Best defense is a good offense.

    Thie giants learned they can run on the Pats and Eli can convert 3 down passes, all except the last one in the red zone. did anyone notice how the pats defended that one? They also learned they cant run around the left end.

    Tom Brady and the Pats offense up now. Kewl.

  48. Neil says:

    In addition to ads between the scores and the kick-off, and the kick-off return and first down, maybe Fox could put ads between each down and then we wouldn’t have to listen to Joe Buck blather.

  49. Neil says:

    BIG stop by the Ginats defense. Tha Pats could not capitalize on the pick by scoring points on that possession.

  50. Neil says:

    Bad refereeing on the fumble recovery. the pats player had the ball secured under him, lying flat on the ground, when the ginats players- the back that dropped the ball- pushed him over and took the ball back.

    • bmaz says:

      TP is okay, but I sure thought the song selection for his set was pretty lame. They may well have all been big hits for him, but with the exception of the last song (Running Down Dreams), they were too slow and devoid of the energy and excitement that should be pumped into the audience in a huge stadium setting. That was a mistake that Paul McCartney and the Stones did not make the last couple of years.

  51. Neil says:

    It’s still 7 3 end of Q3.

    The Giants continue to pressuer Brady. Welker helped the Pats move from the 10 (make that 5) tot he 50. Penalties are hurting the Patriots,

    Think Fox will show another commercial instead of the punt? G*ddamn f*ucking money grubbing networks.

  52. madmommy says:

    Wow, what a play! The Giants have played a great game defensively thus far. Now if they can just score some points, please.

  53. masaccio says:

    OK, Carville is now officially a total ass. Money-grubbing fool: Coke, Democrats, what’s the diff?

  54. bmaz says:

    The Carville-Frist commercial made me puke. Glad the Gents scored, I was starting to fall asleep. What a snoozer of a game. so far, this game hasn’t done much but prove how tragic it was that the Packers are not in it. At least with Brett Favre on the field, you know there will be a bunch of scoring, because he will be heaving the ball all over the place. May be for touchdowns, may be for interceptions returned for touchdowns; but at least something is going on.

  55. jayt says:

    announcers are right – Brady has to throw fast and short – Giants’ corners ought to be jumping those routes…

  56. madmommy says:

    Giants D looks gassed. They’ve played tough all game but now it seems the Pats are running over them.

  57. madmommy says:

    Belichick’s in the tunnel but the game’s not over. Did he just leave without speaking to Coughlin?

  58. CTuttle says:

    The biggest underdogs won the biggest game… the first 10-6 team to make it to the super bowl… Against a perfect 18-0 team to boot…

  59. jayt says:

    Giants’ “D” won that game – Eli’s probably gonna be the MVP though – it really should go the entire “D” line.

  60. vieravisionary says:

    it was so special and I am a GB fan and I wanted the NYG to win and thanks goodness it happened!! What a game and I am so happy for all the
    NYG fans . . great job!!!

  61. Muzzy says:

    Congrats to the Giants. Defense wins championships, the saying goes, and the Giants’s D did it all game long.

  62. Neil says:

    If the Giants Defense didn’t keep Brady under pressure for 60 minutes, the Giants offense would not have scored more points than the Patrios. MVP should go to the Giants defense. That said, Eli played GREAT in crunch time. He engineered two game-winning drives in the 4th quarter.

    • jayt says:

      Eli played GREAT in crunch time. He engineered two game-winning drives in the 4th quarter.

      Yes, he did.

      Maybe it runs in the family after all? (with only ugly exception, the final few minutes of this year’s San Diego game), Peyton is money in the crunch…

  63. bmaz says:

    Dude who went 20 feet in the air vertically and caught that ball on his head when the game was on the line for the Giants should have been MVP.

    • masaccio says:

      Amen brother! That was spectacular. The entire NY receiving corps played beautifully. The replacement TE, Smith, Tyree, good stuff.

  64. jayt says:

    Gee, Coach Belichek (sp?) is one eloquent guy, huh?

    Maybe he’ll regain his voice when he’s in front of the SJC?…

  65. phred says:

    Congrats TexBetsy — just popping in to congratulate all the Giants fans! What a great game. ‘Course, I’m a sucker for a low scoring defensive game. I really thought the Pats would tie it up and send it into overtime. Still can’t complain with a nail biter like that : )

    Now next year when the Pack is there, we’ll see some fireworks on offense ; )

  66. emptywheel says:

    Great game, Giants and their fans. I’m really bummed about the outcome–but I’m happy that they lost to the kind of game the Giants played.

    My other, biggest, regret is that the Giant’s D Line didn’t win the MVP.

    • CasualObserver says:

      EW, you are exactly, absolutely correct. MVP absolutely to the Giants defense. They played out of this solar system.

    • phred says:

      I missed all the post-game stuff, who got the MVP? You’re absolutely right, without the defensive line, the Giants would not have won the game.

      • emptywheel says:

        Good Eli. He did deserve it with that throw to Tyree (though Tyree made his claim, too). But clearly, what won that game were the (how many?) sacks and 18 more flattenings of Tom Brady.

        • phred says:

          That was an amazing throw, but the D won the game. Brady was getting creamed out there. I’m convinced Light got those two false starts ’cause he was getting beat so much that he was trying to get a little bit of a jump. I don’t think Brady has seen that much grass all year.

          • CasualObserver says:

            A very hard loss for the Pats. But in a way, I think it will help them next year. The Pats victory over the Giants helped the Giants immensely. Could be this loss will do the same for the Pats. I expect the Pats will be right back in the SB next year.

            • emptywheel says:

              Maybe. Though most of the last Super Bowl losers crap out the following year. It’s still Belichick’s team, granted, and he’s still one of the best recruiters in history. But I hope they don’t get crabby with each other because Brady was sure taking his frustration out on the people who make him look good.

                • emptywheel says:

                  Coughlin ALWAYS does it. That’s my biggest gripe with the Giants, frankly. If Spagnuolo was the head coach, the Giants could have all my NFC votes 1) unless the Lions by some freak of fate were doing well 2) if Favre had retired.

                  • CasualObserver says:

                    I don’t like it, but it’s his style. I’ve said horrible things about Coughlin for two years–now have to take it all back. He just beat an incredible team. That simply can’t be an accident. Whatever he’s doing, it works…

  67. bmaz says:

    Bill Bell was fine as to Coughlin, he also looked to have congratulated several Giants players in the process; he should not have left the field early though…

  68. bmaz says:

    Hey, nobody has mentioned the other obvious ramification of the Giant’s win. The NFL and Roger Goodell must be breathing one huge sigh of relief, and drinking champaign with the 72 Dolphins about now. No need now to worry about asterisks and questions about legitimacy of a Patriot’s undefeated season. Probably takes some of the steam out of Spectre too…

  69. Neil says:

    I saw a super bowl week interview with Moss and Brady. Moss said “He gets on us.” The interview turned to Brady and said, “Is that so?” Brady struggled with an answer and when he paused, Moss said, “Yes.”

    I don’t think his teammates mind him doing that. The guy is the first in and the last out and he owns up to his own mistakes. Nobody outworks him and he holds himself accountable to high high standards. They see what can be accomplished and decide to go for it. He’s their field general. You want to bet he does NOT get on his offensive line about the job they did today? They know it.

  70. madmommy says:

    I’ll just enjoy a glass of bubbly from the sidelines, I’m a Johnny-come-lately to the G-men after they knocked my Pack out of the running. I have been watching Eli play since he was in high school, though, if that counts for anything.

  71. radiofreewill says:

    “…it’s like they all just stopped respecting me in the huddle? I don’t understand it…but, enough about me, honey, what are you doing?”

    “Oh, don’t mind me, darlinck, I’m just pulling a few things together over here. So, you say they were like Butlers escorting Muggers to your Lunchbox?”

    “Yeah, it was uncanny. Those guys were like a wall for me all year…hey, wait, I like that shirt!”

    “Not to worwy, I’m putting it all in one pwace. So, you say der blockers layed down on you like two dollar street-walkers?”

    “You know, come to think of it? Wait! That’s my suitcase and gym bag! Honey, what are you doing?”

    “Ludmilla Yankova was last year’s runner-up in the Super Model Sweepstakes.”

    “I’ve never heard of her!”

    “Your cab is here.”

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