Super Sunday

Today’s super matchup may in fact be the greatest game never played. It seems that for the last two weeks the winner has already been proclaimed (in case you don’t know the Giants are a much faster, tougher, and better team) in the media, so why even play right? Well I think most of the national media may be in for a big freaking surprise, because there is a p*ssed off #12 and mastermind head coach looking to cement their names respectively in NFL history. I understand that Brady is just indeed one human being, but it is in these games where we need him to be the superhero that we know he can be. Now I’m not going to recite any Hollywood movie script, but in big-game situations Tom Brady has always risen to the occasion, so why should tonight be any different.

Something that I have been hearing a lot the last couple of weeks is “To get a victory the Giants need to knock Brady off his spot” My response to that is…Where in the world is his spot? And how come nobody has been able to knock him off in the last twelve years? In all of the games that “Tom-Terrific” has lost over the years, I can honestly say that not one of them was because Brady couldn’t throw from in the pocket. Many of you will say “uh….. how about Super Bowl XLII” and my response would be that we lost that game because of a miracle catch and a terrible, no scratch that, TRBL (take that chucky) red zone defensive adjustment. Brady is great from any area on the field, just like Eli, Peyton, Brees, etc. are great from anywhere on the field. That’s why we say their great. (That may or may not be a tony the tiger reference) I am also sick and tired of hearing the “professionals” say that you need to hit Tom Brady, because he doesn’t like to be hit.........Really, and people get paid for such intelligent commentary? Why don’t you poll the number of QB’s that actually like being hit and let me know how that conversation goes. Actually, for the sake of entertainment lets play it out right now:

“Excuse me, Mr. Theismann…How do you feel about being hit?? Well Mike, it makes me smile more than LT at a junior prom.” (I know I should have taken the high road, but it was too easy)

 The point is, no quarterback likes to get hit, end of discussion. What I am ok with hearing about is the emerging greatness of Eli Manning. Not only does he have to deal with the pressure of playing in one of biggest markets, but he the younger brother of Peyton Manning. (remember him?) Eli has transformed into an elite NFL quarterback, just hammering home his pre-season comments about how he felt like he should be in the discussion of great QB’s along with his brother, Brady, Rogers, and so on. Well Eli, with a win tonight not only will you be in the discussion you may be leading it! (Brady excluded) Unfortunately for good-ole’ Eli, I am not forecasting a Giants victory on Sunday evening.

 I am honestly petrified of this game and if I were a betting man I would not touch this game in a million years, but with that being said I pick the Patriots. Logic would dictate that a Bill Belichick team would not lose to a team three straight times, and as a man of logic I would agree. So Patriots 32, Giants 24.

Everyone be safe and enjoy the game and commercials…and until next time...GO PATS!!!

The Sports Tap

Mike Marcangelo

WIDE LEFT

For patriot fans, the title says it all…Wide Left…Those words have never sounded better than when they left the mouth of Gil Santos.

The New England Patriots are going to the Super Bowl for the 5^th time in the last eleven years, which is the most for any head coach/quarterback tandem in NFL history. For a defense that has been buried all year by anyone with a microphone or keypad, the word of the day is vindicated. Sure, they don’t have Bruschi, Vrabel, Law, Harrison, Samuel, or Seymour, but they sure played like they did.  People will say “your crazy…they let up 400yds!!” and my response to that is…”SCOREBOARD!!” (Not the most sophisticated answer, but you get my point) Patriot fans understand that their defense may let up 500yds a game, and you know what, that’s ok with us. As long as our defense can keep Tom Brady in the game, they can let up a thousand yards if their hearts desire. 

Now that I got that off my chest, lets get into the game. The Baltimore Ravens gave the New England Patriots everything they had, but whether it was luck or divine intervention, it wasn’t enough and Tom Brady and company held on for a 23-20 victory.  Brady was not the “Tom-Terrific” that we were used to as he threw two interceptions and did NOT throw for a touchdown…yes that’s correct he did NOT throw a touchdown. Brady however did have a rushing touchdown, which saw him do his best Reggie bush impersonation, leaping over the pile and being spearheaded by the murderous Ray Lewis. On the other side of the ball Joe Flacco did his best to quiet his critics and solidify himself as an elite quarterback, but it just wasn’t in the cards. Flacco went 22/36 for 306 with 2 TD’s and one interception (it should be noted that the INT didn’t really hurt him as Brady threw one right after) and played one hell of a game. Mr. Fu Manchu drove down the field with little time left and threw what many thought was the game winning touchdown pass to Lee Evans. Before we go any further, it should be noted that Lee Evans had fewer catches than Chad Ochocinco in the regular season, and they put their Super Bowl aspirations on HIS SHOULDERS?!?!Honestly I forgot Lee was even on the freaking team!!  Maybe the Ravens would have made the big game if they made the right calls, but neither of those things happened and the Patriots advance to Super Bowl XLVI.

Over in the NFC we had the #1 seed San Francisco 49ers taking on the incredibly hot New York Giants. New England fans were cheering for San Fran’ and if you hear otherwise, it’s a load of crap. We did NOT want to play the G-Men simply because they have Lord Bellichick’s number. We don’t need to bring up what happened in the toaster four years ago, but it should be noted that we have not beat the Giants since 2007. Patriot-nation needs to be worried because the Giants ousted the 49ers 20-17 in OT, and they did it on the shoulders on Eli Manning. 

People will say that the Giants won because of the inept kick returner Kyle Williams, but I don’t buy that. Nobody is denying that on that day Mr. Williams’s football IQ was flat lining, but Eli Manning spent more time on his back than Kim Kardashian in her only successful movie (not scary movie), and STILL WON. Eli has the confidence in his ability to make throws he would not have even thought of four years ago and his receivers are better. Alex Smith was no match for the best defensive line in football, period, and end of story.

I know it may seem like I did not spend as much time talking about the NFC game, but that is because it was real cut and dry to me. No matter what the 49ers could throw at them, at the end of the day Eli is the superior QB and the Giants d-line is the best in the game right now. For anyone that says, “the patriots have a better offense than 2007” you can say “Eli is 10x better than he was in 2007”. Super Bowl XLVI has the making to be the best game ever, and we are still days away.

I will hold off on my prediction for a later time and after the “big game” I will post about all Boston/national sports.

…Until next time.

Mike Marcangelo

Sports Tap

Welcome/Divisional Round

Welcome everyone to the very first installment of The Sports Tap. This will hopefully be a place where you can come to gain a different view on sports and maybe even laugh a little bit. 

Yesterday was, what is perhaps the start of the best week in all of football "Divisional Week", and the first game did not disappoint. The Saints of New Orleans headed to candlestick park to take on the surprise team of the year (in my opinion), the San Francisco 49ers, who had been out of the playoffs for nearly a decade. Despite the fact that the 49ers were the #2 seed in the NFC, all the talk was centered on the record-breaking Drew Brees and the high-powered New Orleans offense. Most media outlets did not give "San-Fran" much of a chance, but they would be silenced quickly. Think about this for a second...if I were to ask you "In a shootout who would you rather have. Drew Brees or Alex Smith?" you would all say...uh Drew-Freaking-Brees, and with good reason Ole-#9 threw for over a mile this year and looked unstoppable against the Lions last week. Yet, it would seem that Alex Smith missed the memo, and came out looking like the ghost of quarterbacks-past from the bay area. Smith, who went 24/42 for 299 and 3tds (no interceptions) earned a QB rating of 103.2 and rushed for a twenty-eight yard touchdown...yes you read that right. The games only rushing touchdown came from #11 Alex Smith. Before we talk about "the catch 2.0" I feel obligated to point out that Drew Brees did everything he possibly could to win this game, going 40/63 for 462yds, 4tds(one of which that looked to be the game winning throw with under a two minutes left) and 2 interceptions. But, in the end the lasting image will be Vernon Davis making an unbelievable catch, in traffic I might add, and vaulting his team into the championship round.

In the Prime-Time game we had all of the religious figures facing off...We had the father (Bill Belichick), the son (Tom Brady), and the holy-spirit (Tim Tebow). Amen. Brady and Bill had not won a playoff game since the 2007 post-season and were looking to silence all of the doubters. On the other side of the field we have "The Chosen-One" Tim Tebow, who was fresh off his miraculous overtime victory against Bathroom-Ben and the Steelers. Tebow, who is by far the most scrutinized player in recent memory, was looking to prove Mr. Elway wrong and cement his name in Bronco history.  Sadly, this did not happen, what did happen was a blowout of biblical proportions as the Patriots ousted the Broncos 45-10. Brady went 26/34 for 363yds 6tds (5 in the first half) one interception and tied the NFL record for the most touchdowns in a playoff game. Timmy went 9/26 for 136yds with no touchdowns or interceptions, and at one point had fewer completions than Brady had touchdowns. Although the hype was all about Brady vs. Tebow, the defense was the shinning star in my mind. Remember this is the 31st ranked defense we are talking about, and they allowed just 252 TOTAL yards and controlled the tempo of the game right from the start.

Fans should take away two things from yesterdays games: 1) Bill Belichick is the best situational coach in the game today, and maybe ever. 2) The 49ers are for real, and should be put in the same category as the Packers. As for Sundays games, look for Houston to surprise Shane Falco and the Baltimore Ravens 28-24. (Yes that was a movie reference, I am aware that Joe Flacco is the QB's name) And in the NFC look for the Packers to hold off the Giants 42-35.  I will leave you with one of my favorite images from the past week..... Peace be with you, Mike Marcangelo The Sports Tap