Super Sunday Ready for Super Sequel

With the NFL season reaching it's climatic finish in Indianapolis, legacies are on the line in the rematch we've all been dying to see.

New York Giants v. New England Patriots:
It was more than four year ago the New York Giants stormed into Glendale, Arizona as 12-point underdogs only to defeat the New England Patriots in arguably the greatest upset in Super Bowl history, 17-14.

Sunday they are hoping for much of the same. But the road to get here was anything, but easy.

The Giants' pass rush will hold the key to
stop Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLVI.

The Giants finished the regular season 9-7, capturing their eighth NFC East Division title. They played back-to-back must-win games in weeks 16 and 17 against the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys to even get into the postseason after a 6-2 start.

They are only the third 9-win team to get to the Super Bowl. The previous two both lost, the Los Angeles Rams (1979) and the Arizona Cardinals (2008).

Since that time, New York has reeled off three consecutive postseason wins, beating the Atlanta Falcons in the Big Apple and upsetting the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers away from home, furthering their reputation as road warriors.

Commanding that ship, just like in 2007, is quarterback Eli Manning.

The 31-year-old signal caller was asked at the start of the season if he was in fact an elite quarterback. But even when the doubters questioned his yes response, he did his best to prove them wrong and has his team one win away from football's ultimate prize.

Just like in Super Bowl XLII, Manning threw a record 15 fourth quarter touchdown passes during the year and led multiple game-winning drives and comebacks.

As for his coach, Tom Coughlin now has seven postseason road wins, tying him for the most all-time. His team is 6-1 in their last seven games and have continued to live by his "humble enough to prepare, confident enough to perform" modo throughout. He has helped the franchise improve to 5-0 in conference championship games with the hope of adding their fourth Super Bowl.

Coughin, 65, could become the oldest winning Super Bowl head coach in history with a win Sunday.

On the other side, New England may be favored in Vegas, but it seems they are back to the underdog role -- a role that saw them win the franchise's only three Super Bowls in a four-year span at the turn of the century.

The Patriots are 3-3 in their six previous Super Bowl appearances with the last one a forever haunting nightmare.

Brady is now 16-5 in 21 career postseason games, tying Hall of Famer and his boyhood idol, Joe Montana, for the most wins all-time. This is Brady's fifth Super Bowl appearance, tying another Hall of Famer, John Elway, for the most ever.

If Brady is able to win his fourth career Lombardi Trophy, he join Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to do so. Montana holds the record for most Super Bowl Most Valuable Player awards with three, and passing touchdowns with 11. Comparing those to Brady's two Super Bowl MVPs and seven passing touchdowns, the record books could be rewritten Sunday night in Indy.

He is also just 155 yards from breaking Kurt Warner's career record (1,156) for the most passing yards in the Super Bowl. Warner holds the records for the first (414), second (377) and third (365) most passing yards in a single Super Bowl.

It will be the fifth time Brady and head coach Bill Belichick have appeared in a Super Bowl together which is the most of a quarterback-head coaching duo.

With a win Sunday, Belichick will tie the legendary Chuck Noll for the most Super Bowl wins as a head coach. And history is one his side.

When Belichick, who spent most of his career as a defensive assistant or coordinator prior to becoming a head coach, has had an extra week to prepare for an opponent whether it's in the regular season or postseason, more times than not he comes out on top. His offense averages 25.3 points per game without the extra rest compared to 26.0 PPG with it.

But it has been his defense that truly has excelled.

Belichick's defense has surrendered 20.4 PPG on a week-to-week basis, but with his ability to scheme another week, the defense becomes stingy, allowing just 14.8 PPG.

His .739 winning percentage in the postseason is second to only Vince Lombardi's .900 and it's been his unique style of coaching and willingness to take on players that nobody else wanted that has made him one of the greatest to ever don the sidelines.

This season alone Belichick has 18 undrafted free agents on this AFC champion team, 11 of them coming on defense. A defense that has seen them rank last in numerous major categories and have 16 different players take snaps in their secondary.

Unlike the AFC Championship game,
Chad Ochocinco looks to be active
for the biggest game of his life.

These two teams have met 10 lifetimes meetings with record all even at five wins apiece. However, each of the last two times they have met, the Giants have come out on top, including their improbable Super Bowl XLII victory and most recently in Week 9 of this season.

New York went into Foxborough and Manning rallied them to one of the team's many fourth quarter comebacks this season, 24-20. Tight end Jake Ballard caught the game's go-ahead touchdown and could play a major role once again. The Giants were without wideout Hakeem Nicks and running back Ahmad Bradshaw in that win, both whom have played a major role in the team's recent postseason success.

That was the last time the Patriots lost this season, reeling off 10 straight victories since. But the loss ended New England's 20-game home winning streak and Brady's 31-game home streak -- streaks the Giants are now notorious for breaking.

Most notably breaking New England's 18-game winning streak in the Super Bowl, spoiling their bid a perfection. They are now posed with the task of breaking yet another Patriots' winning streak.

For the quarterbacks, Brady and Manning will meet in the Super Bowl the second time, a feat that has only been accomplished two other times. Bradshaw and Roger Staubach met in Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XIII, both won by Bradshaw's Pittsburgh Steelers.

The only other Super Bowl quarterback rematch also contained another Hall of Fame Cowboy quarterback, but this time he was on the other side of the fence. Troy Aikman led Dallas to two consecutive Super Bowl victories over the Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly as a part of Buffalo's four straight Super Bowl losses.

History is on Manning's side.

Prior to their Super Bowl XLII matchup, the Giants lost to the Patriots in Week 17. The loss catapulted New York's season capped by their third championship. But with New England's Week 9 loss to the Giants this season could be a sign of role reversal.

There's 15 players remaining on the Giants' roster that played in their previous Super Bowl meeting, and only seven on the Patriots, so it's safe to say revenge is not a factor.

Or is it?

NYG X-Factor: Giants' Pass Rush


NE X-Factor: Chad Ochocinco


Super Bowl XLVI MVP: Wes Welker


New England, 31-27

Hometown Hero

Brown could impact the Bolts
greatly in 2011.

The San Diego Chargers had five picks in the first three rounds of this year's NFL draft and have taken a chance on a wide receiver out of San Diego State University with one of them.

Vincent Brown was selected with 82nd overall pick in the third-round Friday night. The news comes as excitement to Brown being a California native himself.

Brown attended Rancho Cucamonga High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California from 2003-07.

He was an immediate success on the gridiron for the Cougars playing varsity football three of his four years. During those three seasons Brown accumulated 88 receptions, 1327 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

His junior season saw him catch a career-high five touchdowns in one season.

Even though Brown did not find the end zone as much his senior season, it was his best season statistically catching 36 passes for 557 yards in seven games, averaging 15.47 yards per catch.

Brown also showed he could rush the ball during his tenure at Rancho Cucamonga carrying the rock 11 times for 50 yards and a score.

Brown was heavily recruited by the Aztecs during his senior season and eventually decided to officially become a member of the Mountain West Conference.

The 22-year-old has an extremely productive career in San Diego, gathering 209 receptions for 3,110 yards and 23 touchdowns. Unlike most college athletes in the NCAA today, Brown chose to stay at school and receive his degree before declaring for the NFL Draft. Brown made his senior season worth while by posting career-highs in almost every major offensive category, including receptions (69), yards (1,352), touchdowns (10), average yards per catch (19.6) and longest reception (90 yards).

The knock on Brown heading into the draft was his size and lack of explosive ability.

Brown is an undersized wide receiver compared to his soon-to-be piers in the NFL. Brown stands at  5-foot-11 and 184 pounds which could pose a problem for him being able to come over the top of NFL secondaries, but Brown's ability to make space between himself and the defender is what sets him apart from most.

He is an excellent and efficient route runner, something Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers looks for.

Brown possesses the same typer of skills as New England Patriot wide receiver Wes Welker. Like Brown, Welker is significantly undersized for the NFL at 5-foot-9, but has found enormous success at the next level.

Welker has more receptions than any other receiver in the NFL the last four seasons with 432. Welker's 123 receptions in 2009 is a Patriot franchise record and might have been more if not for tearing his ACL the final game of the regular season.

Brown will be most successful underneath in the NFL, something Welker has made famous in recent years.

The Chargers saw many injuries to their team in 2010, none more than at the wide receiver position, with that also came the the hold out of star receiver, Vincent Jackson. Brown will add depth to Norv Turner's offense next season and provide a vital option for Rivers throughout the year.

Whatever the future may hold for Brown, you can be sure he will continue to work hard and excel at the next level like he has everywhere else. I am sure I speak for a lot of when I say, we are proud of you, Go get 'em V.J.