3 DAYS TO KICKOFF...A PREDICTION

As the game draws near, I keep thinking about one man who was the NY GIANTS franchise - Wellington Mara. I thought the Asbury Park Press story yesterday made a good point...he would have loved this team. I got to meet and talk to the man covering the Giants during their glory years in the mid-80's and he was as down to earth as they come. I loved his boys in blue and somewhere, is smiling right now for their accomplishments. I was struck by his son following in his tradition of meeting the players in the locker room and shaking their hands after winning against the Packers. No sideline showboating for the Maras...that's a tribute to Mr. Mara.

This will come as no surprise - I think the Giants can win on Sunday...It comes down to the same things we've been saying for three weeks:
1) Eli must be mistake-free
2) Control the line of scrimmage on both sides
3) Defense must limit the big plays

On Eli - I feel about him as I did about Rex Grossman last year - can he have a good game when it counts? This is the biggest stage - I think the fact his brother played last year and he was there may help him in this respect.
The offense will have to play ball control, much like the Giants did against the Bills in '91. If they have a decided edge in time of possession, that helps the defense. They also must score touchdowns...field goals won't cut it...
The defense needs to continue to limit big plays...the Pats haven't been the same kigh scoring machine since opponents started keying on Randy Moss...they haven't been the offensive juggernaut in the last 6 weeks...and the Giants played with them for 4 quarters.

Two other points - Yes, Belicheat's won 5 Super Bowls as an assistant and head coach, but the last 4 wins have been by a field goal or less...the law of averages will catch up to you...
Number 2 - the Giants in their last two playoff games beat opponents who beat them in the regular season...three is a magic number...

In the end...Giants win 24-23. I said the last time the Giants won the big game that I never know when they will be there again, but this one was sweet. I also remember how the last trip to the Super Bowl ended up being a two hour pregame for Survivor...I hope we can enjoy this one...