Super Bowl XLVI - Thoughts and Predicitons

It's that time of the year again, the finale of the NFL season and all it's glory, the Super Bowl is here. This coming Sunday the New York Giants will face off against the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch of 4 years ago that many of us remember very well. The Patriots trying to go for the perfect 18-0 season and the Giants were the underdog team that had to win every game on the road to get to the game. When it was all said and done the Giants drove down to score the winning touchdown after some amazing plays of which David Tyree ended up catching a ball on his helmet in order to get a key first down and long gain. It ended with a touchdown catch by Plaxico Burress and the Giants did the unthinkable and beat the undefeated Patriots in the biggest game of the year.

Now, the Giants and Patriots are back in the Super Bowl and under very different circumstances. The Giants were looking like they were going to implode as they came down the home stretch of the regular season and ended up winning the NFC East and battling through the playoffs including two tough road games against Green Bay and San Francisco. The Patriots experienced little competition in the AFC East and took that momentum as they took care of business against the Broncos and Ravens. However, on paper these two teams may look different than their 2007 counterparts but the mentality in both locker rooms has changed very little from the first Super Bowl match-up. The Giants offense and defense are playing lights out when it counts and they are looking unstoppable up to this point. The Patriots continue to score points and win games despite having the worst defense in the league (Giants defense was also ranked at the bottom as well this year). Yet both of these teams managed to make it to the one of the biggest stages in sports.

However, let's not forget that the Giants successfully beat the Patriots in the regular season this year and I have a feeling that this Super Bowl game will be very similar to that game during the regular season. Both teams can throw the ball successfully and there is no question about that. It's the running games of both teams that have been sluggish all year. I wouldn't be surprised if Manning and Brady throw the ball at least 50 times in this game because the running games of each of these teams is gonna get no where.

I think this rematch will hopefully be a good one as well. I see it being a high scoring yet close game as both teams will probably swap scoring drives as the game goes on. Look for the Giants D to try and pressure Brady as much as possible just as they did this season and in 2007. I think the Patriots will focus on making sure Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks are non-factor but that will open up Manning's other options in Manningham and Boos. All in all I do think the Giants will manage the win. I will say 35-31 Giants. Victor Cruz or Eli Manning are your Super Bowl MVP.

Hope everyone enjoys the game! GO GIANTS!

The Future of Plaxico Burress...Is There One?

Plaxico Burress is out of prison and has been since June 6th. It has been almost two and a half years since the night Burress shot himself in the foot in a New York City nightclub. It has been less then that since Burress was sentenced to jail in September of 2009. Huge criticisms and comments were thrown at Burress by former teammates, colleagues, friends, and media outlets alike. Even if many thought he was a "thug" before this event he was now being thrown into that category with all the current and former NFL players who committed such crimes.

Some say he didn't commit a crime. As a high-profile NFL superstar he was obviously carrying the weapon for protection, especially if he was trying to enjoy the New York City nightlife. I think they have bodyguards for that and I'm sure Plaxico had the money to afford one. As far as I know he did not employ one. Many NFL superstars hire bodyguards to watch over them when they go out in public. Maybe not all the time, but especially when going to clubs or bars where alcohol and intoxicated people are involved.

The crime that Plaxico committed was carrying a firearm unlawfully. Also simply known as not having a license to carried a concealed weapon issued and approved by the state of New York. To commit a crime like this is just ignorant and very easily avoidable if you are aware of the law. All but 2 states have laws in place regarding the carrying of firearms in public. There are 2 states (Wisconsin and Illinois) and Washington, D.C. that have a "no-issue" law in place where there is no time a person can carry a firearm in public. So unless Burress were to play for the Packers, Bears, or the Redskins it is most likely he will be on a team where he would have to have a license to carry a firearm in public. Seems simple to understand right?

Nevertheless, Plaxico has served his time and is ready to get back in the league and contribute on the field for whatever team is ready and willing. With the Michael Vick situation and countless other cases as NFL precedent, it would seem that the Plaxico situation is far less severe in degree and should be much more easily forgivable than Vick's crimes that happened quite some time ago now. However, Plax isn't getting any younger. At the ripe age of 34, his most productive years are probably slowly trailing behind him. However, if the rumors are true and he stuck to his pretty strict routine while in the slammer then it would seem he would come out still being pretty fit and at playing ability. I will never be the one to deny that Plax has always been a threat on the field. His height, speed, and ability to make plays has torched defenses even when he started off with Pittsburgh. Now the questions becomes, what's next for Plax?

With the NFL Lockout ending this past weekend and the free agency period being in full force this week it would seem that the logical thing for Plaxico to do would be to try and talk to the Giants and work something out. This seems to be what is unfolding and a meeting has been set up between Burress and head coach Tom Coughlin and other staff this Friday.

If Plaxico does return to the Giants I do believe he will be welcomed back as a leader and veteran on the field and would definitley be a valuable asset to all the young studs on the current Giants receiving core especially Hakeem Nicks. The only problems I would foresee is would Burress expect to be the #1 even though receivers like Nicks and Manningham have grown ten fold during his absence? Will he still be the opinionated and brutally honest receiver that he was 2 years ago or will his time in prison have humbled him to some degree?

These questions will be answered in time if he does indeed return to the Giants. If not, I'm sure there are many teams out there who would love to have a talented and experience veteran receiver like Plaxico in the arsenal. As a Giants fan, I would honestly love to see him back in a Giants uniform and adding yet another formidable target for Eli Manning. We'll see how this week progresses and the meeting on Friday.

-R.N.N.
@ryannnelson87
rnelson0187@gmail.com

I'm From......So I Must be a Fan of.....Does it Really Matter?

Just from the sheer fact that I was born and raised in Virginia I am expected to be a Washington Redskins fan, a UVA fan, a Nats fan, and a Caps fan according to many individuals out there in the local sports world today. Let me counter that by saying I am a Giants fan in football, a Virginia Tech Hokie, George Mason, and UNC fan for all college sports, an Atlanta Braves fan, and don't really care for the NHL (but if I had to choose a team I guess I would say the Caps). Family has a lot to do with these decisions that I made to become fans of these teams. I didn't say "Oh, well I was born in VA so I have to root for the Redskins and all other DC teams." NO! I was raised in the Virginia Beach area of the state so there was a big fan base down there of Panther and Falcons fans as well for the NFL. I also did not decide to choose to root for those teams because they were "geographically" closer than any other teams.

These assertions that where you were raised is directly related to what teams you should and should not root for is utterly ridiculous. I was raised a Giants fan because my family raised me that way. It also helps that my grandfather and family before me were raised in New Jersey. I have been to the NY/NJ area a couple times in my life-time but just because I was not born there does not mean I am not allowed to root for them. My whole dad's side of the family has always rooted for them and that's the way I was raised. When I started understanding sports I made the decision to continue to be a Giants fan and always have been since that day and always will be.

I am a Virginia Tech fan simply because my entire dad's side of the family went to school there and I pretty much grew up on that campus for a lot of the first part of my life. I was raised to be a fan. Enough said. I will always be a Hokie fan no matter how much crap they get from the critics about being over-rated and whatever.

I became a Braves fan for a number of reasons. To keep it short, one of my best-friends as a kid was a huge Braves fans and their minor-league team was stationed out of Richmond and a family member of mine had always been a Braves fan. Now, I'm not a huge fan of baseball but as a casual fan I decided that I wanted to start following the Braves (This was WAY before the Nats were even a idea). It's always stuck with me even when the Nats came to DC. First of all the Nats have always been a crappy team. They just now might start a very slow rise to a mediocre team. The Braves will always be my team when it comes to the MLB.

I really could honestly care less about Hockey. But when i do catch the occasional game or what not I must say because I do live in the DC area now the Caps are the only team that I am rooting for in the "area." With the NBA I have weirdly enough always been an Orlando Magic fan. This one is simply because I acquired it from a childhood friend and it has just always stuck with me ever since. Plus the Wizards are horrible why would I ever want to be associated with them.

Look, here's the deal. I respect people who have been born and raised in VA or the DC area and have always been a Skins fan, etc. That's awesome. My girlfriend's entire family pretty much as always been Skins fans because they had been born and raised one as well. But just like her being a Giants fan has been passed down from previous generations as well. I could have decided that I wanted to be a Skins fan because I was born in VA but I stuck with family and will continue to root for the Giants as long as I live. I respect the people who root for the Nats and other VA related teams. What I don't respect is "DC-ers" who ridicule people for not being Skins fans, etc. because they live in the DMV. Listen, the DMV is one of the most DIVERSE areas of the nation. People come from all over the world and set up residence here. Their "fandom" may lie somewhere else like Pittsburgh, Philly, New York, just to name a few. So CHILL OUT! People move around all the time and are raised different ways. Not every single person in the DMV is gonna be a Skins fan, etc. So let it go and live with that fact.

Now there is a difference between being a "true fan" and a "bandwagoner" and believe me there are some bandwagoners around the DMV who just like to root for the team that's the most popular or winning. Or there are fans who just want to root against DC teams just because they can. So those people can just suck it. I'm gonna wrap this up.

Bottom line is, people are all raised differently. People move around constantly. People have the ability to make their own decisions about who they are a fan of (wow, crazy concepts, I know). I have a right as a human being to root for whoever the hell I want to whether it's a team from the area that I live in or not. If tomorrow I decided I wanted to be a Seattle Seahawks fan (even though who would want to be, haha) I could make that decision. Even though they may be on the other side of the country, if I wanted to root for them and become a fan I could do that. So get of your high horse DC fans and realize that you aren't the only people that live in the DMV and their are gonna be people around that aren't fans of your sports. SO WHAT! DEAL WITH IT! That is all.

-R.N.N.
@ryannnelson87
rnelson0187@gmail.com

Giants D Back to 2008 Form

First of all, huge, HUGE win for the G-Men last night at home. I took away three key things from that game last night.
1. I am not buying the fact that the Bears are a legit team this year.
2. The NFC is a complete mess at the moment.
3. The Giants showed that they can become a legit team this year.

Let's take point number one. Like many other fans and NFL experts after the first 2 weeks of watching Jay Cutler and the Bears I was on the verge of jumping on the "Cutler Bandwagon." This team really looked liked the old Bears that went to the Super Bowl a few years ago, especially the defense. Cutler looked to be a perfect fit for the Mike Martz offense that was scripted to re-vitalize the Bears. However, after watching the game last night and also referencing back to their previous weeks, it seems the Bears have many issues to address. From what I saw that offensive line is very disorganized and let the Giants line take out two QBs and allowed 10 sacks and only 58 yards on the ground. I don't know if it was the Giants defense that just played really well or the complete breakdown of the Bears offense. Either way, I have several doubts in regards to this Bears team being able to beat those top-tier teams especially come crunch time when it counts. I am not buying the Bears just yet.

Number 2. After week 4 the NFC is proving to once again be a complete crap show this year. The NFC West is just god-awful (Go Rams!) along with the bottom feeders of the NFC North and South. No game is predictable any more. After watching the Super Bowl Champ Saints almost lose to the Panthers and the Falcons almost give one away to the 49ers, I just can't believe how up in the air the NFC is this year. The AFC isn't much better this year either but at least you still have some predictability there (at least for now, it's only Week 4). I will be completely surprised if have a few teams with 8-8 or 9-7 records that win the division the way things are looking right now. Overall, the NFC is just laughable right now and I don't see it getting any better as we are a quarter of the way through the season.

Finally, point number three. It seems that all the Giants need is a little drama the week before a game and they come out guns blazing and running on all cylinders. Giants safety Antrel Rolle had some discouraging words concerning the leadership on the team and aimed a lot his comments at Coach Coughlin. Former players such as Tiki Barber, Antonio Pierce and Michael Strahan also had some "words of wisdom" and were very outspoken during the week about the current problems with the Giants team. It seems the team and the defense especially took this personally and also took it out on the Bears O-line and Cutler. The running game (minus the key fumbles) looked good and is hopefully back on track if Bradshaw can stay healthy. Manning and the other offense players looked to be more in control after the debacle that was the Titans game last week. So if the G-Men can come out and play like they did last night every game then I definitley think they can still get back to a legit team in the league. Now as a Giants fan that game last night really raised my spirits ten-fold and really reminded me of the Super Bowl team of 2008 that rocked Brady and the then undefeated Pats. Maybe there is hope for this season after all.

-R.N.N.
rnelson0187@gmail.com
@ryannnelson87
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