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The Final Drive: Super Bowl XLVI posted on 02/05/2012

The 2012 Super Bowl is in the books and I’m finally finished writing. Took me long enough. (I was distracted by Puppy Bowl VIII.) So without further ado, here’s the season’s last edition of The Final Drive!

This game started with almost as much drama as it finished with. The New England Patriots came out with strong defensive pressure, sacking Eli Manning twice on New York’s first drive and forcing a punt to give Brady the ball. Tom took that opening possession, dropped back to throw from his own endzone, and let a deep ball fly to absolutely no one while the Giants closed in for the hit. That correctly drew an intentional grounding flag, which from the endzone is grounds for a safety. So the Giants jumped to an early 2-0 lead and we were all flabbergasted.

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The Opening Drive: Super Bowl XLVI posted on 02/05/2012

It’s finally here. After a drawn-out lockout, a last minute deal, rushed training camps, an eventful regular season and a thrilling postseason, Super Bowl XLVI is upon us. On Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis the NFL’s elite will be decided. After breaking down the Patriots and Giants individually (as well as the Prop Bets), it’s time to actually analyze how this game is going to play out.

Starting with Brady and that offense, it’s clear they’re going to try and avoid testing their protection against that defensive line early when the adrenaline is high. Quick passes to Hernandez, Welker and possibly a still-injured Gronkowski will be the best options, followed by handing it off to Green-Ellis and Woodhead out of the backfield. Belichick’s plan should be to wear down the front four with a barrage of running plays and perhaps a mix of no-huddle possession passing. This way he can wear down the Giant defense for the second half and take control. The key will be how healthy Gronk really is and how many drives Brady and company can end with seven. If they’re settling for field goals the Giants will be happy. Perry Fewell’s defense just wants to keep it close going into the fourth so JPP, Tuck and Umenyiora can begin to furiously throw themselves at Brady. If it stays an even game going into the fourth I feel like it favors the Giants. Eli just has that maddening magic about him.

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Breaking Down the Bowl: The Prop Bets of XLVI posted on 02/04/2012

After over 3000 words were spent on the Patriot and Giant previews, I needed to take a small break from the in-depth analysis for my favorite blog of the year: the Super Bowl Prop Bets. For those of you not in the betting zone, prop bets are side wagers on anything aside from the game’s final score or what team wins. There are some boring standards like first touchdown reception or most rushing yards, but there are plenty of non-sports related wagers in which to take part.

For beginners, there are a few different ways these bets are placed/measured. The first is simply the odds (2/1, 9/4). There could also be a money line (+150, -200). So if you see a +150 that means if you bet $100 you’ll win $150. If you see -200 it means if you bet $100 you win $50. (I’m still not sure why I only see money lines when odds could be used as well, but whatever.) The third is simply an over/under followed by a number. This just means you’re betting on whether you think this event/action will occur more than the corresponding number.

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Breaking Down the Bowl: New York Giants posted on 02/03/2012

Following a dreadful loss to the lowly Washington Redskins to fall to 7-7 with only two games left, everyone had counted out the New York Giants.  That is, everyone except the Giants themselves, who kept their quiet confidence as they rolled off two victories to end the season and squeak into the fourth seed in the NFC. Then they mustered up two dominant performances as their defense shut out the Atlanta Falcons and stymied the 15-1 Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers. Now they find themselves in a familiar setting: in the biggest game of the year against the New England Patriots, whom I covered yesterday. Now the Giants are up in the rotation!

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Breaking Down the Bowl: New England Patriots posted on 02/02/2012

Shockingly enough, the supposedly ring-bearing Patriots haven’t won a Super Bowl since the 2004 season. As great as they have seemed in recent years, they’ve flopped when it comes to the postseason. This year has been different. They’re currently on a ten game win streak where they’ve avenged their horrible 2009 loss to the Ravens on their way to a rematch with the Giant team that stole their chance at immortality. In the first of my articles previewing Super Bowl XLVI, I’m breaking down the New England Patriots.

As well all know, the New England offense starts and ends with Tom Brady. The man is a machine. And this year the machine looks pissed off. We saw it in their first playoff game against Denver, when Brady exploited a crappy defense for six passing touchdowns. We certainly saw it during the regular season, where Brady racked up over 5200 yards and 39 TD’s as he led the Pats to the AFC’s number one seed. Against the Ravens he wasn’t as stellar, but still ran two QB sneaks at the goal line, resulting in two scores. After promising his owner he’d play better at the Super Bowl, you can bet he’ll be at his best.

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