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Thanks...Lets get back to America's past time....GO CUBS!!!!
Tonight's banner should go something like this
[Suppressed Sound Link]
Nothing like underdogs for the ages
by Steve Politi/Star-Ledger Columnist
Sunday February 03, 2008, 3:01 AM
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- They were willing to puff out their chests and predict the final score, insisting that nothing less than the Lombardi Trophy would make this trip a success. But when you asked the NY Giants Giants to view this opportunity tonight in Super Bowl XLII in a broader context, they came up empty.
"I'm not thinking about that at all," receiver Amani Toomer said.
"We're not worried about history," running back Brandon Jacobs said.
"Man, I just want the ring," defensive end Michael Strahan said.
No, the Patriots were the team constantly talking about history, how a victory would secure their place in the sports pantheon and establish them as the greatest team we've ever seen.
They're right, of course. A victory in Super Bowl XLII would cap the 19-0 season and put the Patriots in their own stratosphere. Linebacker Junior Seau put it this way last week: "There's good, there's great, and there's ever. We have a chance to be part of that category -- ever."
But the Giants have a chance to become an "ever team," too -- and, in many ways, what they would accomplish with a victory would be just as lasting. They can become one of the most beloved underdogs in sports history, joining a short list of teams whose accomplishments only grow with time.
You know the list. USA Hockey in 1980, the team of college kids that upset the Russians and then won gold in Lake Placid. Villanova basketball in 1985, the undersized squad that shocked big, bad Georgetown for the national championship. The Jets in 1969, with Joe Namath running toward that stadium tunnel at Super Bowl III, waving his finger for eternity.
Most teams win championships and are quickly forgotten in history. Not these teams. We love them, make books and movies about them, because of the improbability of their victories. We are a nation infatuated with the Cinderella story in sports, and while it's hard to imagine a team from New York with the nickname the Giants fitting into that mold, they do.
A victory over the Patriots will cap the most improbable Super Bowl run in history, turning the players who pull it off into legends. No sports fan will ever forget what they accomplished, just like nobody will forget the boxer who put Mike Tyson on the canvas in 1990.
"I remember they did the fight overseas, and usually you wake up in the morning and Mike Tyson knocked somebody out in the first round," Strahan said. "When you saw that Buster Douglas knocked him out, you're just in amazement. If we win, it's a big, big upset."
New England can achieve a much different kind of history. Perfection is something people will respect and admire, but it's nothing they'll embrace. The Patriots won, then they won again, then they won some more. Their story is impressive, but it lacks drama or charm. Think about it: Would anyone want to watch a movie about this Patriots team?
The Giants' season, meanwhile, unfolded as if it were entitled "Friday Night Lights: The Pros."
They have the embattled head coach, the struggling franchise quarterback and the aging defensive end who passed on retirement for another go around. They have the 0-2 start and the midseason hiccups, the injuries and the setbacks and new characters stepping up.
They won three straight road playoff games, including one in the second-coldest game in NFL history, and can cap their run against an undefeated team that has already beaten them once. If the Giants win the Super Bowl tonight, their last three victories will have come against teams with a combined record of 45-6. No team has ever had a more daunting road to the Lombardi Trophy.
"If the Giants win, no question, it would have to be one of the biggest upsets ever," said Jim Kiick, the running back for the '72 Dolphins. "People will always go back and look at that victory. It will stand in history."
It will also stand as one of this market's most revered teams. The '94 Rangers ended the 54-year Stanley Cup drought with that thrilling spring. The Miracle Mets captured the city during that magical fall in 1969.
Now, the Giants have a chance tonight to steal bragging rights back from Boston and script the most unlikely championship of them all. "I can't even imagine how big it would be in the city of New York for us to win this game," Strahan said. "I can't imagine."
If they pull off the upset tonight, Strahan and his teammates will spend the rest of their lives finding out just how big. One more victory, and they will earn a spot with Villanova and the '69 Jets, with USA Hockey and Buster Douglas. One more victory, and they will become one of the most celebrated underdogs in history.
gonna be a hell of a game 
Big Blue 29 - N Eng 25 GO BIG BLUE - - - -
BIG BLUE
good joke 
Patriots will dominate 
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Super Bowl XLII, the 42nd annual edition of the Super Bowl in American football, will determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) following the 2007 regular season. The game is scheduled to be played on February 3, 2008, 6:18 EST [1] at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This will be the second time that the Phoenix area will host a Super Bowl game; Super Bowl XXX in January 1996 was played in Tempe's Sun Devil Stadium, on the campus of Arizona State University.
The game will be contested by the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots. New England will attempt to become the first unbeaten NFL team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and the first one since the league expanded to a 16-game regular season in 1978. This game will also be a rematch of the teams' regular season-ending game on December 29, 2007, in which the Patriots won, 38-35, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Background
Host selection process
The league contemplated the idea of holding Super Bowl XLII in either New York City or Washington, D.C. as a symbol of the recovery from the September 11, 2001 attacks.[7] However, New York City was not even considered as a finalist, because the proposed renovations to Giants Stadium were still being disputed among its stadium representatives, and the city and the New York Jets at the time still had not finalized a plan to build the new West Side Stadium; ultimately, that deal fell through.[8] When NFL owners awarded Super Bowl XLII to Glendale during their October 2003 meeting in Chicago, Illinois, they rejected Washington because they preferred a warmer and drier climate.[9]
Venue
This will be the first time a Super Bowl is played on a retractable natural-grass field surface, as the University of Phoenix Stadium removable surface is unique for American sports venues.[10]
This will also be the second Super Bowl played in a retractable-roof stadium (designed by Peter Eisenman and HOK Sport). During the regular season, the home team decides 90 minutes before kickoff if the roof would be open or closed, and an open roof must remain open unless weather conditions get worse. However, as a neutral site, the NFL controls the option to open or close without any restrictions. The first time this was employed was in Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium; the roof was open for pregame and halftime shows and closed during the game.[11]
During a February 6, 2007 ceremony with Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, the NFL and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee unveiled the slogan "Who Wants It More?" along with its mascot "Spike the Super Ball" (an anthropomorphized football with sunglasses and sneakers) and a large "Super Bowl XLII Countdown Clock" at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.[12] The Super Bowl XLII logo was also unveiled, featuring the shape of the state of Arizona in red. The two horizontal white stripes in the middle represent the vertical lines on the University of Phoenix Stadium. The turquoise Roman Numerals represent the Native American culture of Arizona. The red star represents the AFC and the blue star represents the NFC. [12]
Teams
New England Patriots
For more details on this topic, see 2007 New England Patriots season.
The Patriots, competing in their fourth Super Bowl since the 2001 season, were already billed as one of the greatest teams in NFL history. They compiled a perfect 16-0 record (the first team to go undefeated since the NFL expanded the regular season to 16 games in 1978), and set NFL records with 589 points scored (an average of 36.8 points per game), and a net differential of +315 points (they gave up 274 points, fourth best in the league).
The team was once again led by quarterback Tom Brady who won his first NFL MVP award, throwing for a career high 4,806 yards and an NFL record 50 touchdowns, and just 8 interceptions. His passer rating of 117.2 was the second-highest season rating in NFL history. The majority of those yards and touchdowns went to two receivers acquired by the Patriots in off-season trades. The Patriots acquired Randy Moss, a nine-year veteran, after two below-average years with the Oakland Raiders for a fourth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, and gave the Miami Dolphins second- and seventh-round picks for Wes Welker. As a result, the Oakland Raiders traded him to New England for a fourth round draft pick. Moss set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches out of 98 receptions for 1,493 yards, and was selected a first-team All Pro. Welker tied for the league lead in receptions and was named a second-team All Pro; both receivers earned votes for Offensive Player of the Year. Other major contributors to the Patriots' passing game included Donté Stallworth, who added 697 yards, and tight end Benjamin Watson, whose 36 receptions totaled 389 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Running back Laurence Maroney was the Patriots' top rusher, with 835 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Sammy Morris added 385 yards and Kevin Faulk had 265. (Morris ended up on injured reserve midway through the season, and thus could not play in the Super Bowl.) Faulk was also a reliable receiver out of the back field, catching 47 passes for 383 yards. The Patriots also a had a superb offensive line that featured 3 pro bowl selections: guard Logan Mankins, tackle Matt Light, and center Dan Koppen.
New England's defensive line was led by nose tackle Vince Wilfork, selected to his first Pro Bowl. The Patriots also had a superb set of veteran linebackers who shared a combined total of 16 Pro Bowl selections. Outside linebacker Mike Vrabel had his best NFL season yet, leading the team with a career high 12.5 sacks and earning the first Pro Bowl selection of his career. Adalius Thomas, an offseason pickup from the Baltimore Ravens, recorded 6 sacks. Junior Seau, a 12-time Pro Bowler, returned for his 18th season and a chance at his first Super Bowl ring, while Tedy Bruschi contributed 92 tackles. New England's secondary featured Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel, who led the team with 6 interceptions.
New York Giants
For more details on this topic, see 2007 New York Giants season.
Unlike New England, New York didn't begin the season with many high expectations. Ever since Eli Manning, the younger brother of Super Bowl XLI MVP Peyton Manning, was selected with the first pick in the 2004 NFL draft he had struggled to find consistency. In his three seasons as a starter he had completed less then 54% of his passes with a career passer rating of 73.4. While generally regarded as a solid quarterback, he had been unable to achieve the same level of success as of fellow 2004 draftees Phillip Rivers (for whom he was traded) and Ben Roethlisberger. By the 2007 season, many sports writers were starting to question whether or not Eli would ever live up to the expectations of someone selected with the first overall pick in a draft [2].
The criticism of Manning intensified as the Giants lost the first two games of the regular season, but then they recovered with 6 consecutive wins and and finished the year with a 10-6 record, despite the loss of some key offensive players to injury, such as running back Derrick Ward (the team's second leading rusher) and 4-time pro bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey. Then Manning silenced some of his critics by leading the Giants to three playoff wins on the road without throwing a single interception. Their three playoff wins gave them an NFL record of 10 consecutive wins on the road
Manning finished the 2007 season with 3,336 yards and 23 touchdowns, with 20 interceptions. his top target was Plaxico Burress, who caught 70 passes for 1,050 yards and 12 touchdowns. Receiver Amani Toomer, the Giants all-time leading receiver and one of the few players remaining from their last Championship appearance in Super Bowl XXXV, was also a reliable target with 59 receptions for 760 yards. The Giants ground game was led by running back Brandon Jacobs. At 6'4 and 264 pounds, Jacobs was one of the largest starting halfbacks in the NFL, but he still enough speed to play the position exceptionally well, finishing the season with 1,009 yards and an average of 5 yards per carry, while also catching 23 passes.
The Giants defense had an outstanding defensive line, led by Defensive tackles Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan, along with defensive end Justin Tuck. Umenyiora was the Giants only pro bowl selection, leading the defense with 13 sacks and 5 forced fumbles. Strahan, another veteran of the Giants last Super Bowl season in 2000, finished his 15th NFL season with 9 sacks, giving him a career total of 141.5 and breaking the franchise record held by Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, while Tuck added 10 sacks and 48 solo tackles. Cornerback Sam Madison and safety Gibril Wilson led the secondary with 4 interceptions each, along with defensive back R. W. McQuarters. Although McQuarters had not intercepted any passes during the season, he had been exceptionally effective in the playoffs, recording an interception in all three of their post-season games.
Broadcasting
United States
The game will be televised in the United States on FOX in high definition: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will call the game, while Pam Oliver and Chris Myers will be sideline reporters.[4] The pre-game will be handled by the FOX NFL Sunday pregame show team led by Curt Menefee, joined by Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Jimmy Johnson. Official pre-game coverage will start at 2 PM US EST, with preliminary events, including NFL Films' Road to the Super Bowl highlight show starting at noon. Fox News will pair their preview of the Super Tuesday Presidential primaries with Fox Sports' Super Bowl coverage, airing Fox Super Sunday from 9 AM to noon EST. Actual game broadcast will begin at 6:00 EST, with an newly unaired episode of House scheduled to follow.
North America (Outside USA)
In Canada, CTV has acquired the rights to the game, ending Global's longtime coverage. The game will be followed by the Season 5 premiere of Nip/Tuck.[13] Televisa and TV Azteca will broadcast the game to Mexico, including their first HD telecast.
International
Outside North America, the BBC has acquired the rights in the United Kingdom to show the game live on BBC Two which will have the NFL international feed,[14][15][16] ending ITV Sport's coverage which began in 2005. Sky Sports will once again broadcast the game in Hi-Def using FOX's feed and announcers.
In Brazil, BandSports will broadcast the game, TV3+ will broadcast the game in Denmark, and France 2 will broadcast the game in France. In Poland, Canal+ will broadcast Super Bowl XLII, while SBS will broadcast the game live on free-to-air TV in Australia.
Radio
On radio, Westwood One has the broadcast rights in the United States and Canada; Marv Albert and Boomer Esiason will serve as the announcing team for that network. The game will be carried on BBC Radio 5 Live in the United Kingdom.
Entertainment
According to the entertainment publication Variety, the NFL developed a wish list for the halftime performer(s). Among those on the wish list of potential entertainers were Bruce Springsteen, Norah Jones and The Eagles.[17] On December 2, 2007, it was officially announced that Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers would be the halftime entertainment with Bridgestone as the show sponsor.[18]
On Willie Nelson's official website it states that he will be performing for a pre-game tailgate party, part of which will be telecast on FOX's pre-game.[19]
This year's Super Bowl entertainment will have many connections to Fox's hit series American Idol. On August 16, both the NFL and FOX confirmed that American Idol host Ryan Seacrest will serve as emcee for the pre-game and halftime shows, and Season Six winner and native Phoenician Jordin Sparks will sing the National Anthem.[20] In addition, judge Paula Abdul will debut her first music video in over a decade which she made with fellow judge Randy Jackson as part of FOX's pregame coverage to kickoff her official comeback.[21] On January 16, 2008, TMZ confirmed that Abdul has started rehearsals for a performance of her new song, and also stated that Soulja Boy will also be present.
Officials
Mike Carey has been chosen to be the head referee for this game; this marks the first time that an African-American has been chosen to be the lead official in a Super Bowl.[3] Carey also refereed the last game between the Giants and Patriots.
Commercials
The scheduled date for Super Bowl XLII is Sunday, February 3; this is two days before Super Tuesday, the date in which 24 states are holding their presidential primaries. As such, some presidential hopefuls have considered purchasing Super Bowl ads. An advisor to Republican presidential candidate John McCain (who incidentally is a United States Senator from Arizona), said that the football audience is "a very ripe and timely target."[22] However, Fox Television nixed the prospect of any political ads, citing equal time regulations and the fact that the ad space had already sold out before any candidates had asked for it.[23] So as a result, many canidates are buying local slots in the states where primaries will be held.
One of fifty-eight 30-second spots will cost an estimated $2.7 million,[5] up from $2.6 million in 2006. However, advertisers are usually offered discounted rates below the official one. Cars.com, which had yet to buy a Super Bowl Ad, made an early announcement that it will purchase two spots.[24] Following up on its Super Bowl XLI ad, which was one of several fan-created ads that year, the Doritos brand will use its spot to air a brief performance by an unsigned artist that wins an online contest.[25] Through December 7, all but two ad slots were sold.[26] Fans were asked on the superbowl.com web pages to pick the NFL's official Super Bowl ad from several players. Also scheduled are ads for Under Armour's new "Prototype" cross-training shoe, Gatorade's new "G2" low-cal sports drink, Victoria's Secret, and Salesgenie.com, with all but the G2 ad done "in-house". They will join "usual suspects" Pepsi-Cola and Anheuser-Busch among others.
Hardest American Football Tackles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJnF1g4Adp8&feature=related
Hardest American Football Tackles #2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td1cTHeYkpg
SUPERBOWL XLII PREDICTIONS:
Patriots to Win:
Likwit - Giants 17 / Patriots 41
I Sell Homes - Giants 21 / Patriots 35
500_and_Long - Giants 10 / Patriots 31
stockdawg44 - Giants 20 / Patriots 38
Live42Day - Giants 10 / Patriots 41
Argonath - Giants 20 / Patriots 42
esmagnus - Giants 17 / Patriots 28
EBAYaim - Giants 23 / Patriots 30
AngelHillCorp - Giants 20 / Patriots 31
kuaizhi - Giants 14 / Patriots 24
scupscup - Giants 17 / Patriots 34
THE MATADOR - Giants 17 / Patriots 28
Giants to Win:
surfcast - Giants 27 / Patriots 24
REDFISHER - Giants 31 / Patriots 24
bobs23 - Giants 24 / Patriots 21
Ogclip - Giants 28 / Patriots 24
Eliscoming - Giants 31 / Patriots 21
chico392 - Giants 17 / Patriots 13 ***
swanlinbar - Giants 29 / Patriots 25
BullNBear52 - Giants 23 / Patriots 17
