January 22, 2012

Before any of you Niners fans decide you want to kill Kyle Williams for destroying your Super Bowl aspirations, remember the good things he did in that game. True, he had three fumbles (a dropped toss, a muffed punt, and a fumble on a punt return), but he also performed quite well as a kick/ punt returner. After the muffed punt, he managed to break a long kick return. Over the course of the game, he also had quite a few decent punt returns. Had Kyle Williams not played as well as he had, the Niners might not even have forced overtime. In fact, looking at post game statistics, how did they force an extra quarter. 1- 13 on 3rd down is downright pathetic, and only 1 catch by a wide receiver the entire game is terrible. True, they had great success running the ball, but how they played that well will always be a mystery to me. Then again, what do I care, I'm a Giants fan.

It is now official, great defense and just enough offense does not win championships. Exhibit A, the San Francisco 49ers. The entire season, the 9ers had one of the best defenses in the league, especially versus the run. In doing so, they managed to compile 13 wins. Yet, they lost a playoff game to a team who spent the entire season with the opposite: great offense and just enough (or just as often not enough) defense. When they played the Giants, they managed to clamp down and force punts. The 49ers had little success on offense except for a handful of big plays. They managed to stay close and force overtime, but in overtime, they couldn't move the football at all. They still managed to halt the Giants, but the Giant offense wasn't completely static. When the 9ers special team coughed it up, the Giants managed to capitalize and win. The 9ers played great defense all game, but it wasn't enough to get them to the Super Bowl. Know the Giants, a team that got by with their offense will play another team with a similar philosophy. Maybe if the 49ers and Ravens won defense would prevail once more, but that is not the case. Offense has now become more important than defense.

Speaking of the Super Bowl, I think its going to be a great game. I predict a shootout and a game similar to Super Bowl XXXVIII; a back and forth battle with lots of big plays. I'm going to go as far as to say it will become the highest scoring game in Super Bowl history, even more than that memorable one between the Patriots and Panthers. Of course, as a Giants fan, I believe Eli will pull out a victory in the end like he always seems to do against Brady and the Giants will prevent the Hoodie from getting redemption.