Boley, not Manning, Brady or Gronk, could be the most important player in this year's Super Bowl. |
Patriots LT, Matt Light
Light is aging, that is the truth, but his ability to protect Brady's blindside is not. But his matchup with the overwhelmingly athletic Jason Pierre-Paul will be a key to the Patriots' success. If he can at least contain JPP(because he probably can't stop him) then Brady should be alright. However if JPP runs wild, then expect this game to mirror the one in 2007. Light is certainly not quick enough to keep up with Pierre-Paul, however his smarts and savvy, combined with good play calling will be the ultimate answer to this potential blind side problem.
Giants OLB, Michael Boley
Boley is probably the most underrated player on the Giants' defense. He's extremely athletic and has impressive coverage skills for a linebacker. I expect his match ups in a zone or man-to-man against Gronk or Hernandez to be the most important in terms of the Pats' offense vs. the Giants' defense. Welker's underneath routes will undoubtedly trouble him, but if he can at least shut down the Pats' solid tight end core then he could seriously hinder the explosive New England offense. Let the receivers run wild over the middle and this game could turn ugly.
Patriots RB, BenJarvus Green-Ellis
The New York Giants finished 19th in rush defense, which isn't horrendous, but still remains an important stat. Green-Ellis had a solid game against the Ravens, averaging 4.5 yards a carry and scoring a TD against the immovable Baltimore defense. The Patriots can really throw a wrench in the Giants defense if they use Green-Ellis properly, like they did against the Ravens. I'm not saying go out there and run it 40 times, but give this guy a chance to make a play, he is wildly underrated thanks to Belichick's Madden offense.
Giants WR, Mario Manningham
Manningham has fallen FAR from the hype that came with his 3rd round selection in '08 thanks mostly to Victor Cruz. Everyone is overly concerned with Cruz and Nicks and while I agree they should be, Manningham is still dangerous enough to make a game changing catch. He made a phenomenal play in the 49ers game and really reasserted himself in the Giants offense. Despite his lack of success so far in his career he still posses breakaway skills. I'm expecting him to make a catch we will remember forever.
Patriots WR, Julian Edelman
Stop letting him play CB in big situations. I understand that Belichick likes to turn his NFL athletes into high school two-way players but if he decides to put Edelman in, watch out, you know Eli will call an audible to abuse him.
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