On this blog, however, most of the anticipation comes from seeing a battle between two teams' offensive and defensive lines. These groups are incredibly skilled, but in different styles of play. Let's take a look at what makes these four units special, and what keys they'll be focusing on Sunday:
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| Above: Chris Snee and company will need to minimize Vince Wilfork's impact to maintain drives. |
First up, the New York Giants' front five. These guys are (and have been, for years) all about the power running game. New York has a very blue-collar attitude on the o-line, which is fitting considering the fact that their jerseys indeed have blue collars.
They're quick enough to execute pulling blocks, but big and strong enough (average weight: 308) to make their down blocks effective. This combination of strength and speed in a power scheme gives the G-men's bruising running back tandem enough room to rip off huge gains.
This unit has played exceptionally well, considering they cut tackle Shawn Andrews, guard Rich Seubert, and center Shaun O'Hara in the offseason. Will Beatty stepped up at left tackle this season after starting only two games in 2010, and New York landed a major free agent in former 49ers center David Baas.
The Giants will be looking to their o-line to chew up clock and keep the explosive Patriots' offense off the field. They also should expect blitzes from New England to overcompensate for a dreadful secondary. Give #10 enough time and he should be able to pick them apart.
The two star o-linemen for New York are guards Chris Snee and David Diehl (right and left, respectively), who will attempt to stop the Patriots' best defensive weapon:
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| Above: If the Pats make a play on defense Sunday, chances are Wilfork will have had a hand in it. |
Vince Wilfork is the Patriots' d-line. He had a monster season in 2011, with 52 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and two (two!) interceptions. However, most of his dominance lies outside the stat line.
Even on plays where he doesn't make the tackle, Wilfork can absolutely demolish an o-line's blocking scheme by driving the center and/or guard into the backfield immediately. He doesn't have an amazing overall pass rush, but when he uses his bull rush move he can be devastating to opposing offenses.
Baas will have his hands full the entire game trying to deal with Wilfork, and it's a matchup I've been anticipating. It's always interesting to see how centers try to minimize Wilfork's impact, but based on the big-time game Wilfork had in the AFC Championship, Snee and Diehl will also need to share the workload.
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| Above: They might look a bit grungy, but the Patriots o-line is exceptional at pass blocking. |
Next up, the Patriots o-line. This is one of the best pass blocking units I've ever seen, led by a virtually impenetrable left side consisting of Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins and tackle Matt Light. Mankins can legitimately do it all, as he showed in the AFC Championship Game when he pulled around to the right side and cleared out two linebackers for a Patriots touchdown. Right guard Brian Waters was also voted into the Pro Bowl this season.
This o-line runs the zone fairly well, but their primary job is to give #12 time in the pocket. This became painfully evident to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round, when their Pro Bowl pass rush tandem of Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil didn't manage a single sack. Of course, Denver's hapless Brian Dawkins-less safeties allowed New England to use their quick game passing the entire night. But even when Denver brought the house on blitzes, the Patriots o-line managed to create enough time for completions.
The matchup I have been looking forward to the most for Super Bowl XLVI is the New England o-line's pass protection against the New York Giants' d-line.
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| Above: Look for Jason Pierre-Paul to take advantage of Nate Solder's inexperience. |
New York's only Pro Bowler other than Eli Manning is second-year phenom defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. JP-P is mirrored by a productive Justin Tuck, and the two have combined for 21.5 sacks this season. Add in Linval Joseph and Chris Canty on the interior, and you've got an o-lineman's nightmare.
I expect Light to be able to manage either one of these ends, but Pats rookie right tackle Nate Solder (a first round pick, but still inexperienced) has been somewhat inconsistent this season. He notably struggled against Cameron Wake when New England played Miami early this season, and Wake's pass rushing style is similar to that of Pierre-Paul.
If Solder can't protect in the game's crucial moments, the Giants' d-line will be able to put a damper on New England's hypersonic offense (much like what they did to Green Bay in the NFC Championship). The same will occur for the Giants' offense if Snee, Baas, and Diehl cannot contain Wilfork. Either way, the o-line/d-line matchup this week is definitely one of super proportions.
