Was anyone really surprised with tonight’s outcome?

Eli Manning. Ball in Hand. Down two points. Four minutes to go. How many times have seen it before?

Eli to Manningham(3x). Eli to Nicks a few times. Highlighted by a Bradshaw TD run with one minute to go. G-Men up, 21-17.

I don’t care what any NFL analyst or talking head has to say. Belichick allowing the Giants to score and take the lead was one of the dumbest plays I’ve ever seen. He only had one time out, no healthy, big end zone targets capable of catching a jump ball. A team that has a bunch of slot, possession receivers, less their biggest and best target isn’t capable of taking it 80 yards on the G-Men defense in less than a minute. I get the notion of giving your offense another shot, but so many bad things can happen on a field goal try. (Just ask Tony Romo or Billy Cundiff).

Eli Was Eli.

Belichick apparently ducked the post-game interview and there’s no doubt that his legacy takes a hit. Same with Brady. Arguably the most dominant franchise in football over the last decade was beaten TWICE by Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning. They go right into the conversation now.

That’s all for today. Everyone is probably too full from eating snacks and passed out on their couches. The G-Men are officially Super Bowl champs for the fourth time. Now a two-time Super Bowl MVP, Eli is Eli.

Blue Jays’ third baseman, Brett Lawrie and Yankee catcher Mariner catcher, Jesus Montero are two of the game’s best young hitters. In just 150 at-bats last season, Lawrie mashed nine home runs and posted an impressive .293/.373/.580 line as an August call-up. In an even smaller sample size of 61 at-bats, Montero hit four home runs and posted an impressive .328/.406/.590 line as a September call-up. As the Mariners were searching for a bat, they called the Blue Jays and asked if they were interested in dealing Lawrie for Michael Pineda. Sources say that the Jay scoffed at the offered and simply moved on while the Yankees ended up dealing Montero. However, did the Blue Jays make a mistake by hanging onto Lawrie and passing up on Pineda?

Lawrie Being Lawrie--AP Photo

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Huh?

While he is not listed on the active roster and has never made a tackle for the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick is the ultimate chess player for the Patriots. Belichick, the owner of three Super Bowl titles, a 15-6 playoff record, and countless AFC East titles, needs this Super Bowl to cement his legacy as an all-time great coach. Given his success in the last decade with the Pats, detractors will argue that Bill has done enough to be mentioned in the same breath as Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, and Vince Lombardi. However, I completely disagree. Belichick, known for his defensive brilliance, coached the 31st ranked defense this season. That same defense is playing its best football to date, but its two AFC playoff opponents did not have lethal downfield passing attacks that have roasted that same defense. The Giants do and are playing their best football to date.

Bill knows that his offense has carried the load for the entire season. Namely, the Brady-Gronkowski hookup has been damn near impossible to stop. Now that Gronkowski is suffering from a high ankle injury, that Patriot offense must feature Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez more prominently. Ultimately, Brady will lead the offense and work out any kinks that may occurs. However, the onus is on Belichick to do something that six teams in a row have failed to do–stop Eli Manning and the Giants downfield passing attack. The Patriots have been burnt many, many times on deep passes and Bill must find a way to limit the damage.

This game has many, many storylines, but Belichick’s change at becoming an ‘immortal’ coach goes up in smoke if he loses to the same team twice in the Super Bowl.

Let’s face it: The majority of us grew up listening to the brash voice of Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo and the pompous, arrogant tone of Mike ‘Diet Coke’ Francesa. When this legendary duo split in 2008, the New York airwaves were a little less noisy and a little less interesting. Luckily for Mike & The Mad Dog fans like myself, Mike and Chris each did a spot yesterday on the other’s program. For just twenty minutes, NY sports fans were taken back to time where the annoying Russo laughs were plentiful and Francesa was a little more humble. Mike and Chris discussed the Super Bowl, ‘Radio Row’, Penn State, Jose Reyes, Brian Cashman, Kimberly Jones, and the Tuck Rule in a little less than five minutes before moving onto movies, music, entertainment, and their families.

As an avid Francesa listener (and supporter), Mike’s tone actually seemed happy for a change. Fans could tell that Mike & Dog are a match made in Heaven.

Dawg & Zaun

For those wondering about a possible reunion, Russo (now 52 years old), is signed on with Sirius XM through September 2013. Francesa (who will turn 58 next month), is signed on with WFAN through February 2014. Francesa does have three very young children and that could complicate a future contract for Mr. Diet Coke. But until the time comes, it was great seeing my favorite sports radio duo, do a spot together. Now, let’s get back to their individual, boring radio shows!!

Yesterday, I profiled why Chad Ocho Cinco is flying under the radar and the Pats’ inefficiency without Rob Gronkowski. While I do stand behind my initial article that Gronkowski will not have a true impact on the Super Bowl, one player kept the Gronkster in check during the regular season. Sure, Gronkowski brutualized the Giants for eight catches, 101 yards, and a touchdown, but when Mr. Deon Grant covered Gronkowski, he did not record a reception.

Deon Being Deon--AP Photo

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For the first time in his career, Chad Ocho Cinco is not a focal point. Ocho Cinco, who has dealt with a number of issues this season, has only registered 15 catches for 276 yards and 1 TD this season. Ocho Cinco has not caught a pass since Christmas Eve and was not active for the AFC Championship Game. Ocho Cinco, the owner of seven 1,000 yard seasons, has been waiting for his opportunity to play in the Super Bowl. As a Giants fan, the thought of Ocho Cinco suiting up on Sunday does worry me and here’s why—

AP Photo

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Can anyone think of a more unorthodox offense than the 2011 New England Patriots?

Tom Brady threw for 5,325 yards, but no traditional receiver accumulated more than 702 yards. Instead, Brady fed a slot receiver and two tight ends 3,800 yards and 34 TDs. At the forefront of this offense was a 6’6″, 265 behemoth known as ‘The Gronk’, who hauled in 1,327 yards and 17 TDs during the regular season. Rob Gronkowski routinely opened up the middle of the field by running seam routes and preying upon undersized linebackers and safeties. In turn, Gronkowski presence opened up the underneath routes for slot receiver Wes Welker and fellow tight end, Aaron Hernandez, giving the speedy duo one-on-one opportunities. 

Unfortunately for Gronk, he suffered an extremely vicious high ankle sprain late in the third quarter of the AFC Championship and was not a factor for the rest of the game. On the surface, the injury doesn’t seem like a huge deal, given that the Patriots won the game, but after Gronk left the game, the data indicates that the Patriots may have huge issues on Sunday night.

Will Gronk's Injury Cost The Pats?--AP Photo

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The Yankees have had their share of bad contracts. We can start at the very top (AJ Burnett) and go back to the days of Kyle Farnsworth, Jason Giambi, and Roger Clemens (half-season edition). Despite the bad contracts, the Yankees have always had a stable core of veteran leaders and most sizeable free agent moves plugged an obvious hole on the team. After watching the Detroit Tigers give $214 million to Prince Fielder, I’m really having a tough time understanding their reasoning. For me, Fielder-to-Detroit is only good for one party–the Prince himself. This move clearly spells doom to the long-term future of the team, which isn’t so bad for Yankee fans. Here are three reasons why I hate this move for the Tigers..

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After Eli Manning led the Giants past the San Francisco 49ers, the Eli admiration was at an all-time high. During his five ‘must-win’ games, Eli went 5-0, throwing 12 TD passes to only one interception. Manning was so good in the fourth quarter this season, leading six game winning drives. Eli’s fourth quarter passer rating was also the highest in the league. If Eli is able to defeat Tom Brady, he’ll collect his second Super Bowl, tied for the second most among active quarterbacks. In a league where great QB play is imperative to a team’s success, where does Eli rank in terms of his counterpats?

AP PHOTO

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