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Giants Ready To Steal The Show

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By IRA KAUFMAN

Published: February 3, 2008

GLENDALE, Ariz. - A season that began with a petty theft has a chance to end with grand larceny.

Bill Belichick and his unbeaten New England Patriots are only 60 minutes away from stealing Don Shula's thunder.

By defeating the NFC champion Giants in tonight's Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the Patriots would become the first NFL team to win 19 games in a season and join Shula's 1972 Dolphins as the only perfect clubs in the league's 88-year history.

"If they finish up undefeated, I would be one of the first to help lift their chair up on the mountaintop," said Jim Kiick, a running back with the 17-0 Dolphins.

The 13-6 Giants are a dangerous dance partner for New England's presumed waltz into history.

Coach Tom Coughlin, who worked with Belichick as assistants on Bill Parcells' Giants staff from 1988 to 1990, has molded a confident team keyed by the league's most potent pass rush and the suddenly poised Eli Manning, who hasn't been intercepted in 85 postseason attempts.

For the Giants to topple a 12-point favorite, defensive linemen Michael Strahan, Usi Omenyiora and Justin Tuck must find a way to unnerve New England quarterback Tom Brady, the league's record-setting MVP.

"Obviously, they're very good across the board, but it's No. 12 who makes them special," said Tuck, one of three Giants with at least nine sacks.

The Patriots capped a 16-0 regular season Dec. 29 by edging the Giants 38-35 in a nationally televised prime-time thriller that provided Roger Goodell with one of his "proudest moments" as NFL commissioner.

When New England went ahead for good in the fourth quarter on a 65-yard bomb to Randy Moss, Brady broke Peyton Manning's single-season record with his 50th touchdown pass and Moss topped Jerry Rice's mark of 22 scoring receptions.

Giants Stadium also provided the backdrop for New England's opener, a 38-14 romp against the Jets characterized by the "Spygate" episode.

The NFL fined Belichick $500,000, imposed a $250,000 sanction against the Patriots and docked New England a first-round pick in the 2008 draft after finding the organization guilty of improperly using videotape to steal signals from the New York sideline.

"The Patriots have been playing all year with a chip on their shoulder," Fox analyst Tim Ryan said. "Everyone thinks they cheated. To the players, that's personal."

Following the unsavory episode, labeled by Patriots owner Robert Kraft "an embarrassing event," Shula suggested New England's accomplishments should warrant an asterisk in the record book, especially if the Patriots finish 19-0.

"Whether people like us or not is really out of our control," said Brady, who threw three interceptions in the 21-12 AFC title game triumph against San Diego. "We're all happy to be part of this organization."

Obtained in a trade on draft weekend, Moss has made a huge impact.

When he wasn't catching Brady's touchdown passes, Moss drew coverage away from another critical offseason acquisition, Wes Welker, who tied for the league lead with 112 receptions.

Laurence Maroney, who has run for at least 104 yards in four of the past five games, provides balance for the most prolific attack in league history.

"If they win tonight, mark 'em down as the greatest team ever," said Roger Staubach, the Hall of Fame quarterback who led Dallas to a pair of Super Bowl victories in the 1970s.

By playing his regulars against the Patriots in the season finale - with the Giants already locked into the NFC's No. 5 seed and guaranteed to be in Tampa for the opening playoff round - Coughlin gained new-found respect in New York's locker room. Manning threw four touchdown passes in that riveting matchup, and the Giants have found a winning formula in the postseason they intend to use tonight to spring a monumental upset.

"What was a meaningless game for the Giants turned out to be quite meaningful," Packers quarterback Brett Favre said of that Week 17 shootout.

With an effective running tandem of Brandon Jacobs and rookie Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants have the potential to keep the chains and the clock moving.

"The Patriots could be the best ever," said Strahan, the 15-year veteran who symbolizes New York's resiliency. "Who knows? An 18-0 record is amazing any way you slice it ... amazing. But we're setting our own history. We have guys hungry to win, guys who want that ring and are willing to do what it takes to get it."

Given New England's 56-game winning streak with a positive turnover ratio, ball security is paramount tonight as the Giants take the field as the designated road team. Since losing at Dallas in Week 1, the Giants have won 10 consecutive games away from home.

"I think we're a very good team that wants to get to elite status," first-year Giants general manager Jerry Reese said.

In their three-point Super Bowl victories against the Rams, Panthers and Eagles since 2002, the Patriots have registered a total of eight takeaways, compared to two giveaways.

New England's veteran defense has shown some signs of weakness and fatigue down the stretch, and New York converted six of 10 third-down opportunities in the memorable first meeting.

"If they're so good, how come the Patriots almost lost to Philly, Baltimore and the Giants?" Packers Hall of Fame guard Jerry Kramer asked.

The Patriots began the 2007 season defending themselves against charges they routinely ran up the score en route to an NFL-record 75 touchdowns.

Four months later, immortality beckons, sporting a distinctly New England accent.

"I've been in a lot of big games," Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi said, "but all of us would agree this is the biggest game of our lives."

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