Bet on Super Bowl point spreads: Giants vs. Patriots

by Bodog Sportsbook | Jan 28 2008

The bye week is over and the fun is about to begin. So what’s been going on this week?

First off, Brady decided to show off his new pair of shoes while trekking around town. And by shoes we mean one big shoe that resembles a cast. At first glimpse, people let out a chuckle thinking it was nothing because they figured if the injury was bad enough, he’d be with his coach and trainers being treated instead of meandering around Manhattan. Maybe Brady had a really minor injury but just to be safe it needed to be babied before the big game – and plus, slapping on a cast would set off firecrackers of hope in the Giants and their fans thinking Brady’s injury was worse than perceived.

As it turns out, this minor injury that people speculated about but barely winced at might be a little worse than expected. Coach Belichick has been pretty tight-lipped on the matter and Brady’s been allowed to skip out on practice in order to let the supposedly sprained ankle heal. If he’s not practicing because the injury’s so bad, then why is he transporting flowers around Manhattan instead of being with his team getting treated? MVP and special treatment teamed up for this play. This being said, Brady is important and without him the Patriots will have big problems so it’s understandable that he may not be playing now so as to not make the injury worse. He hasn’t shown up to practices but is supposedly going to play in the game, of course – how could he not. It wouldn’t be the first time a key player jumped on to the field with an injury because of the need and passion to win.

The next hot topic of the week comes in two words: Peyton Manning. Quite the debate has occurred about whether he’ll be at his little brother’s game or not. On Nov. 25 when the Giants played the Vikings, Eli Manning had four interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. The Vikings won, Peyton was condemned to being a bad luck token and he decided not to show his face at another one of his brother’s games. The discussion has snowballed into something along the lines of people thinking Peyton should stay home because it’s Eli’s time to shine and Peyton needs to let him have it. It’s not a question of sibling rivalry or Peyton wanting to steal Eli’s thunder. Peyton’s been a big support for his brother and when it comes down to it, the Giants are in the playoffs against the Patriots, not the Colts. Maybe Eli gets nervous around his big brother. Or maybe Eli will keep up the momentum his team’s been working on since losing to the Patriots in Week 17. It seems like there was a rebirth for the Giants after that game.

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The latter being said, it’s important to note the difference between the teams from a perspective of overall growth. The Patriots have been lighting bolts all season. Scratch lighting bolts; they were more powerful than that. They were Zeus. Sure they had some slipups and some just-barely wins, but they still won and they still broke records. The Giants on the other hand were, technically, placed more comfortably with less stress than the Patriots and because of that they were able to expect the worse but hope for the best. The Patriots were and are undefeated. Every game for them created a bundle of butterflies in each player’s stomach because they knew they had to win to keep up their record. If the Giants lost in Week 17 against the Patriots, for example, it wasn’t the worst of their worries because regardless of the outcome, they were still scheduled to play a wild-card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nothing would change that.

There has also been a lot of talk about the coaches this year. Tom Coughlin was almost cut loose from the Giants after last year’s season but he’s turned things around. Between him and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants have shaped up real good. Spagnuolo has gained respect from his players because he listens to their opinions and suggestions. Sometimes it helps taking advice from the people who are actually playing the game instead of those just watching. So between their coach and coordinator, the Giants have picked up a great running game and a controlled defense to make up for their opening games where they gave up 80 points, something that hadn’t happened to the Giants in 34 years. They powered up and beat the No. 3 Cowboys offense and the No. 2 Packers offense and are now ready to finish off the countdown to No. 1 and are hoping for a blastoff.

The Patriots’ coach on the other hand, Bill Belichick, seems to be a mastermind, maybe even a wizard. He may have even memorized Sun Tzu’s Art of War. He’s been known to be a touchy coach and really push his players but when it comes down to it, someone has to call the shots. The “spygate” scandal has tainted him but regardless, he’s still a great coach and merits the Coach of the Year honors bestowed upon him by the Associated Press.

So will the Patriots be the first team in NFL history to go 19-0 or will Archie Manning get to see both his sons with Super Bowl titles for the first time, one year apart? Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said that it all “comes down to what you believe,” and the Giants believe they can play anybody. No matter who wins, at least both teams can say that they made it to the Super Bowl and they won their divisional championships.

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