With the Patriots and Giants set to square off in Super Bowl 46, most of the media attention has focused on “the rematch.” This was the match-up everyone wanted to see, and we knew that if New York and New England won their conferences, we were in for a long two weeks of revenge talk. In reality, the Patriots have only a handful of players left on their roster from the 2007 team. The Giants have a few more, but not even half of their current team. It is more of a rematch for the fans than the players.
In fact, Tom Brady admits he still can’t even watch footage from that devastating loss in Super Bowl 42 that cost New England a perfect season.
“I still can’t watch highlights from that game,” Brady said on WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan Show Monday morning. “I think that’s just the way it is. You get to the end and we had a great opportunity there and really squandered it, because we didn’t play our very best.”
I’m not here to tell Brady or the Patriots how to prepare for a Super Bowl, but somebody might want to pop that DVD in and take a look at some point over the next two weeks. The Giants were able to pull off the ultimate upset four years ago because they had Brady on his back the entire game. They pressured him with a pass rush that featured Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck, who still play for New York. Chances are, the Giants’ pass rush will look similar to the one the Pats saw in 2008.
Brady said the Patriots are going to look at film from their Nov. 6 loss at home to the Giants, but they’d be wise to look at both. For whatever reason, New York always seems to find ways to make Brady uncomfortable in the pocket. If the Patriots are to stand a chance in Super Bowl 46, Brady will need plenty of time to throw.
