Giants-Patriots: The Bottom Five
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick watches from the sidelines in the second quarter of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010. Credit: AP
By the time the Giants face the Patriots on Sunday, 1,372 days will have passed since they last played a meaningful game against each other. Or, as they say in Super Bowl numerals, MCCCLXXII days. Most players spent the whole week dismissing any impact that game in Glendale will have on the upcoming contest, but it was certainly one of the big storylines of the buildup.
There are also lots of other angles to keep an eye on in this game, from the Antrel Rolle-Wes Welker duel to how the Giants’ offense will play with Hakeem Nicks and Ahmad Bradshaw not at full strength in the best-case scenario and not playing at all in the worst. I’m sure there are plenty of websites and blogs that will list the primary keys and plots. But around here we know that such a list does not have a neat, finite number that can fit into a punchy format. So whether they tell you about the three, five, or even 10 things to look for, there is always something beyond. That’s where we come in.
Every week we present the Bottom Five Things to Look For. And this week, well, it was hard to resist posting a Bottom Five each day. Fortunately we withstood that pressure and patiently waited for Friday. So without any further ado, here are the Bottom Five Things to Look For in Sunday’s Giants-Patriots game:
5. John Mara and Steve Tisch are flagged for excessive celebration and taunting after they spike a copy of the latest Forbes magazine in the face of Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Forbes recently listed Giants ownership as No. 1 in the NFL, giving Kraft the No. 2 spot. Still, Kraft believes that he is in Mara’s class and a top 5 owner.
4. Ramses Barden’s optimism is put to the test when he catches the game-winning touchdown pass on a 99-yarder from Eli Manning. He thought he would catch two of them in this game.
3. It’s Brandon Jacobs’ turn to drive the carpool to the game, but in his new fast-ass car the Giants get to Gillette Stadium so early they lose focus and will be trailing 24-0 at halftime. The good news? They’re home from New England in time to watch the start of the Steelers and Ravens on SNF.
2. After mulling it over, Tom Coughlin decides that he was wrong to play his starters in the Dec. 2007 game against the Patriots when he had already clinched a playoff spot. To make up for it he rests them in this game … all except Bradshaw and Nicks who he says “could use some work.”
1. Bill Belichick is upset about losing his title as “NFL Head Coach Who Looks Most Like A Homeless Person On The Sideline” to the Chiefs’ Todd Haley. He makes a push to regain the throne, though, by keeping his red challenge flag in a crumpled up brown paper bag and holding an empty Styrofoam coffee cup throughout the game.
