By Steve O’Reilly

The Super Bowl is American tradition, one that his engrained in our history and has become quite the media mayhem. Sometimes lost in the “party” of the big game is that there is actually a game to be played. In this segment I’m going to break down the most important factors to this game as I see it. The key points for each team to win the Tiffany Trophy and bring a Championship back to their respective city.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS:

First of all throw all the stats out. Forget the “31st Ranked Defense” talk! Why? Because the Patriots, like most teams with great Quarterbacks are a Defense that is built to get the ball back in his hands. When it comes to turnovers, the Patriots are 3rd in the NFL and while they do give up a ton of yards they also get the ball back and limit points in key times.

1st Key – Get turnovers

Next up is protection! The Patriots have faced elite pass rushers thus far in the Playoffs but as many NFL players are quick to remind you, you’re only as good as the Offensive Line, and so far so good. 1 sack vs great rushers like Elvis Dumervil, Von Miller, Terrell Suggs and the rest of the Ravens Defensive front. Against New York, the Giants honestly believe they are in Brady’s head. Jason Paul Pierre said this in regards to phantom pressure … “Yeah, he was. Yeah, he was reacting to pressure that didn’t exist and he was just throwing the ball places that there wasn’t a receiver there. So imagine us just getting there even faster and we’re actually doing our jobs and getting there and getting hits on him.”

2nd Key – Keep Tom Brady off the ground

Finally is execution. New England is going to be put into situations to succeed, that is a given due to their Head Coach and the time he has to prepare this team. They will get guys open in the passing game and will use the run game to keep the Giants off balance. When the opportunities to present themselves the Patriots must capitalize. That means no dropped balls, no bad passes and no penalties when you do get a big play.

3rd Key – take advantage when opportunities present themselves

NEW YORK GIANTS:

The Giants Offense begins with their running game. As much as everyone wants to talk about Eli and his great season, with due cause, but this team’s rushing attack has heated up as the team made the Playoff push. 115 vs the Jets including the Bradshaw bulldozing TD that capped the Battle of NY. Against the Cowboys they ran it 31 times for over 100 yards again and in the Postseason the Giants aren’t slowing down. The key to deep balls and big plays for the GMen is off play action so look for them to establish their ground game early. If they do New England’s Defense will that much more pressure to defend the entire field.

1st Key – run the ball!

Next up for New York is found in their Secondary. The Safeties for the Giants give New York advantages in this game and they need to make sure they capitalize on them. With Rob Gronkowski a little banged up it’s imperative that the Giants take the Tight Ends out of the game for New England. If Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle can cover the Tight Ends with little or limited help the Giants will be in a great spot to frustrate Tom Brady. However if the Giants can’t come up with a combination to slow down the Tight Ends then all the other Pats weapons become that much harder to stop.

2nd Key – Safeties need to limit the Tight End attack

Finally for the Giants is a key that is the first key for the Patriots, turnovers. The Giants have allowed 9 sacks this postseason but some of that is Eli realizing that sack won’t kill you but a Interception will. New York can not afford to give the ball back to New England, possessions are sacrosanct right now and it’s vital to make the most of every one. The GMen will look to run the clock down (so look for 03, 02, 01 on almost every snap) and will look to dictate the pace of the game. If they turn the ball over, that could be enough for Brady and Co’ to escape Indy with a win.

3rd Key – don’t give Tom Brady any more chances then he’s entitled too

In the end this should be a fantastic game. Styles make fights in the NFL and these two teams styles should mean a fantastic game. We’ve seen these Coaches face off before and the game within the game has begun to see who can hoist that Tiffany Trophy and bring to the parade next week!

The NFL settled with a Louisiana recording company over a legal dispute for the famed Saints chant “Who Dat?” The lawsuit stemmed over who owned the merchandising rights, and the company, which recorded a song in 1983 with the popular cheer, claimed that the NFL was violating its trademark of the phrase.

The company had registered Who Dat! and Who Dat? as trademarks with the Louisiana secretary of state in the 1980s. In 1983, owner Steve Monistere, his brother Sal, and Carlo Nuccio recorded a version of “The Saints Go Marching In” that employed the “who dat” chant, which had become popular at Saints games. Saints players and singer Aaron Neville also were part of the recording.

The Skinny Post Crew breaks down the Championship Round of the NFL Playoffs and much more!!

By Ben Heck

For years Peyton Manning’s little brother Eli has been battling doubters and critics alike. Is he an elite quarterback? Can he lead his team to a Super Bowl victory? Does he have the intangibles to consistently put up Peyton-like numbers year-in and year-out?

Those were the questions being asked, even after he won three consecutive road playoff games and upset the undefeated New England Patriots for a Super Bowl title in the 2007-08 season.

Instead of holding him to his own standard, NFL fans, followers and experts have held Eli to his older brother’s standards. If he does not throw 4,000 yards, 40 TDs and lead the Giants to a 13-3 regular season we call him a failure and keep him out of the “elite” status.

Eli is one win away from another Super Bowl appearance!

Before this season started he was asked whether or not he should be seen as among the elite quarterbacks such as his brother, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. Initially he declined and said he does not belong on that list. Later however this article was posted in Pro Football Talk by Mike Florio in August of 2011.

Asked by ESPN 1050′s Michael Kay whether Eli puts himself in the same class as Tom Brady, Eli said this: “I consider myself in that class and Tom Brady is a great quarterback, he’s a great player and what you’ve seen with him is he’s gotten better every year and he started off winning championships and I think he’s a better quarterback now than what he was, in all honesty, when he was winning those championships. It’s funny, you say well he won championships, but the team, but I think know he’s grown up and gotten better every year and that’s what I’m trying to do. I kind of hope these next seven years of my quarterback days are my best.”

Fast forward to this past weekend and I think it’s safe to say Eli is well on his way to joining those quarterbacks after de-throning the defending Super Bowl Champions, who were 15-1 in the regular season, and doing so on the road at the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.

This was, of course, not the only time he has sent the Pack home packing in the NFC playoffs at Lambeau. The same event occurred in the 2007 playoffs when he battled below-0 wind chill and knocked off the Brett Favre-led Packers in the NFC Championship game. In the previous matchup Eli got additional help from New York’s defense and the right leg of kicker Lawrence Tynes in overtime.

This time around? Eli seemingly put the team on his back and carried the G-Men to a 37-point romp of the MVP favorite Rodgers.

Linebacker Michael Boley and Defensive End Osi Umenyiora did provide some insurance with a total of four sacks of Green Bay’s Rodgers, but in the end it was Eli who took over the show by out-passing fellow Super Bowl MVP by 66 yards. Manning threw for three touchdowns and sacked just once.

With the run game averaging just 3.5 yards/carry on 27 attempts, Manning was forced to take the game over with his arm and he did not disappoint head coach Tom Coughlin, who is now 10-7 in the postseason as head coach.

Eli put up one of his best regular seasons, in terms of numbers, this past season on his way to his second career Pro Bowl selection. Although he has led the league in interceptions twice in his eight-year career, there’s no doubt his play has elevated once he hits the postseason. In fact, he has thrown just eight INTs with 14 TDs in nine career postseason starts, and three of those interceptions came in his playoff debut as a second-year pro in 2004 (NYG lost 23-0 to Carolina).

On the road in the playoffs, Eli has put up a 5-1 record with his lone loss coming against Philadelphia in 2006 with a 23-20 defeat at the hands of Jeff Garcia and Brian Westbrook. This postseason Eli has been near-perfect, throwing for 607 yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT (44 for 65) and outscoring opponents 61-22.

Depending on how the rest of this postseason plays out, Eli could further distance himself with the average NFL quarterbacks and elevate into successful playoff quarterback status, and possibly even get himself a second Super Bowl MVP award at the young age of 31.

By Barry Bach

South Florida. January 3, 2011.

Jim Harbaugh had just coached his Stanford Cardinal to an impressive victory of the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Discovery Orange Bowl. Wait, impressive? Dominant is the better word. A 28 point victory of a Virginia Tech team with a highly touted defense. His Cardinal team would have a great chance at becoming National Champions the following season but it would never matriculate.

Harbaugh had begun building a winning tradition in Palo Alto with a tough as nails, take on all comers, smash-mouth, style. He had it all, a great offensive line, a running game that could beat you up and down the field, and a lights out defense. The only questioned that remained was what of his superstar quarterback? What of Andrew Luck? The quarterback on a collision course with being the top pick of the NFL draft. Would he come back? Andrew Luck did in fact announce that he would be returning to Stanford. It’s what Harbaugh did later that afternoon that was a bit of a head scratcher, he walked away from the Cardinal.

Jim Harbaugh was named the 18th head coach in San Francisco 49ers history on January 7, 2011. The 49ers, a once proud franchise, with 5 Lombardi’s to boast in their trophy case, had just come off of their 8th consecutive season of missing the playoffs. The Mike Nolan era was a disaster, the Mike Singletary era an even bigger disaster. The team was in complete disarray. You can search youtube for videos such as ‘Troy Smith and Mike Singletary heated argument on sidelines’ or ‘Vernon Davis fight’ to get an idea at how dysfunctional San Francisco had become. And atop of all this disfunction was quarterback Alex Smith. In 2005 the 49ers selected Alex Smith with the top pick of the NFL draft, electing to pass on hometown favorite, Aaron Rodgers from Cal. Alex Smith came to San Francisco with high expectations in 2005, it was believed that he would be the next in line to the 49ers quarterback legacy of Joe Montana and Steve Young. There may have been a mass exodus from the Alex Smith bandwagon after his rookie year when he threw just 1 touchdown pass in comparison with 11 interceptions. He continued through 4 more seasons (He missed the entire 2008 season) with abysmal numbers and even less wins.

Harbaugh has brought fire and a winning mentality to San Francisco!

The culmination of the disfunction came on a sunday night game when the 49ers hosted the Philadelphia Eagles. Trailing 24-10 early in the 4th quarter Alex Smith threw a screen pass into the ground in the direction of Frank Gore, this brought a roar of boos from the stands along with a chant of “We want Carr! We want Carr!”. The hometown 49ers crowd cheering for former number one overall pick of the Houston Texans history, David Carr, to take the field. There was such desperation from the fan base that they were calling for a guy with a career completion percentage of less than 60 and more interceptions than touchdown passes to be their starter.

Then there is this “Cannot play with ‘em, cannot win with ‘em, cannot coach with ‘em.” said former head coach Mike Singletary of Vernon Davis in 2008. The 49ers had gone from the team of the 80′s, to the hall of fame run of Steve Young in the 90′s, winning 5 Super Bowls over 2 decades, to missing the playoffs for almost a decade. The 49ers reign as a dynasty was over.

When Harbaugh started in San Francisco this year, there was a comedic belief among some that suggested they’ll be bad enough that Harbaugh can reconnect with his superstar quarterback from Stanford, Andrew Luck, with the #1 overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. But something magical happened along the way, the 49ers started winning.

Not only did they start winning, but they started dominating, winning 9 of their first 10 games. They pulled an early season upset over the Philadelphia Eagles, which was part of an unprecedented three trips from west to east in a four week span in which the 49ers won all three games. As the 49ers piled up the wins, I began to wonder. Is Jim Harbaugh the greatest first year head coach in NFL history?

The legendary Bill Walsh went 2-14 in his first season in San Francisco, of course three seasons later he won his first Super Bowl and then going onto win 2 more before retiring and giving George Seifert the keys in 1989. Seifert won a Super Bowl during his first season with arguably one of the greatest teams in NFL history. Barry Switzer with the Dallas Cowboys went 12-4 during his first season and won a Super Bowl during his 2nd. Once again, another coach who benefitted from coaching a team that was already established as a champion.

Chuck Noll only won 12 games in his first three seasons (14 game seasons) with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Noll would go onto win 4 Super Bowls. Tom Landry didn’t win a single game in his first season as Dallas Cowboys head coach, and didn’t have a winning season until the 7th year of his career.
Tony Dungy did the impossible by turning the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into a contender. However, Tony benefitted from the 1995 draft class in which Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks were selected by Sam Wyche and co. John Lynch was also a Buccaneer prior to Dungy’s arrival. Dungy’s boys went 6-10 during his first season in Tampa Bay. Mike Shanahan (Although he coached the Raiders for 2 seasons in the late 80′s) took over a struggling Denver Broncos franchise and went 8-8 his first season despite having drafted Terrell Davis and had John Elway at his disposal.
Marvin Lewis also resurrected the struggling Cincinnati Bengals franchise and has put together impressive wins and has even made playoff runs, yet is without a post season victory in Cincinnati. Possibly the greatest head coach of the modern era, Bill Belichick, went 6-10 his first season with Cleveland, and 5-11 during his first season in New England, before winning a Super Bowl with Tom Brady during his second year.

So what does it take for a coach to be successful in his first year with a franchise? Does he need the team to already be well established where the work was already completed before he arrived? Does he need to benefit from someone else’s draft? Does he need to already have a legendary quarterback in place? What does a coach need to be successful his first season with a team?

Jim Harbaugh didn’t have any of these things. Harbaugh didn’t have one of the greatest drafts in the history of the game, he didn’t make any major splashes in acquiring free agents, he worked with what he had. And what he had he made better. He has the 49ers 1 win away from going back to the franchises first Super Bowl 18 years and he used a quarterback who the 49ers fan base booed out of the stadium a year ago, and a tight end who’s former coach claimed he couldn’t win with. One year ago the 49ers were dead in the water and hopes to return to glory seemed far away in the distance. In one 16 game season, Jim Harbaugh has the 49ers a win away from going to the NFL’s pinnacle game, the Super Bowl. I grew up hating the 49ers, but you can bet that when I sit down to watch the game on sunday, I will be cheering for Alex Smith, Vernon Davis, and the unique head coach who turned them into champions.

This year’s cream of the crop has been announced. This is quiet an honor and is held in higher regards to some than Pro Bowls.

Note worthy – 16 players from the NFC and 12 from the AFC were named.

2011 Associated Press ALL PRO Team

QB – Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers

RB – Maurice Jones-Drew - Jacksonville Jaguars

RB – LeSean McCoy – Philadelphia Eagles

FB – Vonta Leach – Baltimore Ravens