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By now, anyone not living a rock or playing the Joker in the upcoming Batman movie is looking forward to Volume 19 of America vs the Patriots. America's latest team of choice, the New York Giants, have essentially shocked the football populous en route to their second Super Bowl appearance of the decade. The G-Men started out the season predicted by many to be overshadowed, outplayed, and just plain beaten up by the teams in their division. A fourth place finish seemed to be in the cards.

Can you blame the analysts? Tiki Barber was bashing his teammates openly and allegedly sharing secrets about their schemes with his brother Ronde. They had a fresh faced quarterback who still looked like he had some puberting to do. On top of all that, Tom Coughlin was basically a walking corpse of a coach, somehow avoiding the axe (and the bullet, and the cyanide, and the dagger, and...) from the previous season's meltdown. Nevertheless, the boys in blue find themselves, for the second time this season, the object of America's affection and competition to history.

Last time out, 16-0 meant nothing to the Giants. The #5 spot was locked down. There was really nothing to play for. But watching that game, you'd never have known. Coughlin threw his men into the fire, testing their resilience, fight, and their ability against the league's resident freak of nature. They lost, just like their 15 predecessors had, but the meaningless game took meaning for these Giants. They knew they could hang with the best. They knew with a little extra oomph, they could put a scare into a team that knew no fear. In December, the Patriots stormed New York like the monster from Cloverfield with thousands of minions by their side. It felt like the Super Bowl. Nerves were so high that indulgent Patriots and Giants fans drank all the alcohol in Giants Stadium that night, much to the chagrin of freezing cold and stone cold sober Jets fans who had to watch Kellen Clemens and Brodie Croyle play for draft picks the next day. The atmosphere was electric that Saturday night and, maybe, it seemed destined that these two teams would meet again.

Since Scotland's greatest American football expert Lawrence Tynes kicked the Giants to Arizona (and saved his job in the process) Giants fans nation-wide have come out from the woodwork, talking up a storm only New York fans could. The New York post called Tom Brady a "girlie man" and opening the flood of questions regarding Bootgate. Tom Brady has since been absent from practice twice. The Boston Herald put his picture on a milk carton on their front page and The Boston Globe put his locker on the front page of their sports section. Has Tom Brady abandons his Patriots in their most important game in franchise history? Is Tom Brady sitting on an island sipping tea with Dave Chappelle, Amelia Eirhart, and Dr. Livingston? Is his leg even attached anymore?

Please. If there's one thing the immortal Tom knows, its gritting through the pain and going out for the W. These days there isn't a single quarterback who can hold a candle to Tom Brady's accomplishments. Not Joe Montana. Not Brett Favre. Nobody. The three rings on Tom Brady's hand, two Super Bowl MVPs, and regular season MVP awards are all priceless accolades, though I'm sure you could figure out the monetary value if you crunched numbers and consulted an accountant, but we'll save the math work for tax time. Basically, all accolades and numbers aside, the name "Tom Brady" in Latin means "I just like to win all the time" and that's exactly what he does. Sure, with a couple pro-bowl caliber receiver he can torture secondaries with Jack Bauer-like ruthlessness, but it's so much more than that. Winning is a part of his DNA structure. In the future, if John Hammond decided to construct an island where the DNA of football players was reanimated as a tourist attraction, whoever is coaching would pick Tom Brady under center above all others. Why? Have you seen the resume? It speaks for itself.

Eli Manning, on the other hand, has bigger shoes to fill. In addition to being branded with that dreaded label "shows flashes of brilliance", he was on the fast track out of New York (along with Coughlin) as early as two months ago. He was a bust, he was finished. Then, those Manning genes kicked in. After a disappointing performance, throwing 2 picks against Buffalo the week before, Eli registered a season high in passer rating (118.6) and tied his best in passing touchdowns (4) against these very Patriots. Since then, the boy who threw 20 interceptions this season grew into a remarkably stable man, going 53/85, for 499 yards, 4 TDs, and 0 INTs, in three playoff road games, one of which his hand was freezing to the ball. You grow up pretty fast in those conditions.

So what does the quarterback match-up mean? Not a lot. Tom Brady is a game changer regardless of his supporting cast while, traditionally, Eli Manning's success doesn't have a lot to do in the outcome of the game (his quarterback rating is .5 points better in Giants' wins). New York has learned to take what they can get from Eli, but their strength comes on the defensive line. Michael Strahan's return gave bite back to the line. It helps that the line remained healthy this year. The last few weeks, the Giants have played with a mission. Many will be quick to point out that they barely edged by some teams in the postseason, but, nevertheless, Eli's Giants remained strong in the face of adversity (I know, I can't believe it either). Is confidence enough to dethrone the king?

If there's one thing we've learned, it's that the underdog is dead...perhaps killed by that awful Underdog movie. When the Patriots booked their plane tickets to New Orleans back in 2001, there was not a single prognosticator, not a single public figure on the planet willing to predict a Patriots victory. It's too bad. If someone had, they'd be billed as a guide to the spiritual world, truly in touch with members of the great beyond, and still probably utterly insane for making such a prediction. These days, ESPN runs the same half hour show with the same information, regurgitated, reprocessed, repackaged, and repeated that discuss every solitary detail of the sports universe. No potential upset goes unannounced. This upcoming week, the casual sports fan is likely to hear prognostications from at least a few dozens sources. Who's to say which of those 36 Super Bowl predictions will be right? Nevertheless, they're all experts. Many of said experts will go against the grain in an effort to gain credibility for not making the safe pick. Thus, the underdog becomes trendy, even wanted. I'm not saying the Patriots changed all that, I'm not even saying ESPN changed all that, it just happened that way. There will never again be an underdog that doesn't have a reasonable chance to win, even if they don't have a reasonable chance to win.

Of course, the Giants are the latest incarnation of the popular underdog. ESPN's latest Sportsnation poll has about 59.5% of the world picking the Patriots. More shocking is the fact that 39.5% of people favor an NFC team beating an 18-0 team that has obliterated nearly every significant offensive record on the charts and proved its running prowess last week. Eli Manning, at his best, isn't Brady or Peyton and won't be a game changer.

Yet, these last few nights, on consecutive nights, I dreamt the Patriots would lose. But, one was a dream where they lost to the Chargers in the AFC Championship and last night's dream featured the Pats losing to the Eagles in the Super Bowl with a dejected Jake Duhaime on the sidelines. What does it all mean? One, my dreams are highly inaccurate and, two, in the real world, the Patriots are far better than any fan could have dreamt.

My prediction, one of thousands you'll see this weekend, is Patriots over the Giants, 45-17. We know they like to embarrass teams and we know that the Giants used to be in the business of being embarrassed. It seems only a logical conclusion to me that the Patriots stomp all over the Giants (and America) to round the best season in NFL history. But then again, in a season where a team went undefeated, how can anybody have any idea what will happen to round out a zany season? Getcha popcorn ready.

My thoughts about last weekend's divisional match-ups and a look ahead to championship weekend...

Some may laugh and it will certainly become a staple sound bite on talk radio for years to come, but T.O.'s tearful defense of Tony Romo really spoke volumes to me. This is a guy who once called Jeff Garcia, as best as I can tell, a duck and ruined Donovan McNabb's career (13-13 since his departure and a groin made of styrofoam). Not only has T.O. seemingly...temporarily...POSSIBLY matured, but he refused to throw Romo under the bus and, instead, stood up for the underachieving slinger. Can you imagine what he would say about Donovan or Jeff in this situation? Terrell might as well walk up to the podium with a gas canister in hand with all the bridges he'd burn. And instead, we see a loyal, emotional T.O. reminiscent of Rod Tidwell speaking volumes of "his teammate". Touching. For once, I side with Owens. For all the rotten things he's done in his career - all the driveway sit-ups, popcorn references, and excessive endzone celebrations - he finally gets it. Maybe.
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Wade Phillips post-season record? 0-4. Looks like that relaxed technique is really working out. At least Tony Sparano (not Soprano) and Jason Garrett are coming back...oh yeah...ouch.
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If, for some strange reason, the Pats weren't allowed to compete in the playoffs, I'm fairly certain Jack Del Rio's Jaguars would win the Super Bowl. They had all the tools, an energetic physical D, a great running game, a smart quarterback, and a no non-sense head coach. Perhaps in another dimension, Jackie-boy.
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Brett Favre coming back from a 14-0 deficit and scoring 42 points with the sky falling at Lambeau Field ranks among one of the best quarterback performances of the decade. The man's 38 years old going on 28. Amazing to think that people were clamoring for his retirement for the last 4 seasons, this guy could go into his mid-40's at this rate and if you doubt that, check his iron-man streak. We're not just watching a legend at work, we're watching a freak of nature.
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With Mike Holmgren and Tony Dungy talking retirement, it seems like a very real possibility that two of the more familiar faces among the NFL coaching ranks in my lifetime are headed for the golf course. I remember being a Packers fan in the mid-90's under Holmgren's watch and the tremendous work he did with that team. Unfortunately, I also remember his awful clock management in Super Bowl XL. He's been around the league for about as long as I've been alive, so it will be weird to see him gone. Tony Dungy has always been a gentleman and a scholar. He took getting punted from Tampa Bay with the greatest of professionalism and his Super Bowl win in Indy was a true win for football as a sport. You'd be hard pressed to find a guy as well-liked and well-respected as Dungy. Two tremendous coaches and four giant shoes to fill.
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You can bet the Chargers haven't forgot the Patriots "classless" celebration at Qualcomm last year. But you can also bet that the Pats haven't forgot LT's earlier wise cracks about cheating. What do I look for this Sunday. Physicality, speed, and neither team giving a single inch. LT was hurt in last week's match-up, but as long as his leg is attached, he'll be on that field trying to excercise his past Patriots demons. Whether it's Billy Volek or Phil Rivers really doesn't matter, their job will be to limit mistakes, pray to God that Antonio Gates is good to play, and stick that ball in between LT's fifth and sixth rib snuck and secure.

My prediction? I still maintain that the Chargers would have lost to a healthy Titans squad (they still almost lost as it was) and they gave up an NFL record 296 rushing yards to a rookie playing in his 8th NFL game. The Patriots destroyed the Chargers back in week 2 (trust me, I was there) and I see no reason why it won't happen again. San Diego may have taken down a Colts team that apparently had no desire to repeat as champs, but disinterest won't be an issue on either sideline this week. Pats win, 31-24.
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Raise your hand if you thought Eli Manning would be playing in the NFC Championship game. Yeah, exactly. I've trashed Eli all year long, calling him a 12 year old and hoping that Tom Coughlin would get the axe so that Eli would be next on the old chopping block, but, this just in, the kid can play! The kid who once put up a stink about playing in sunny San Diego, under the radar, with LT in his backfield, and under the direction of offensive wizards Cam Cameron and Marty Schottenheimer (oops, oops, oops, and oops) to play under the spotlight in New York where he'd receive every millimeter of blame the adoring public could possibly dish out. The Giants, under the watch of a coach brought back from the dead and a 12 year old, have overcome several big injuries to get where they are now and I give them a ton of credit for knocking off an extremely talented Cowboys team.

Unfortunately, the fun stops here. Favre's been a pro since Eli was 10 years old watching Power Rangers (it's ok Eli, I did too). Favre and the Pack's loaded D takes down the Giants 17-14.
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So that leaves a rematch of Super Bowl XXXI where the late Reggie White terrorized the statue wearing a #11 Pats jersey, Desmond Howard put the nail in the coffin with a 99 yard kickoff in the Pats less-than-glorious Tuna days. We'll see if this scenario shakes down, but if it does, here's to a throwback for the ages!

Stuck at the Boston Globe answering phones during the Pats/Jags, I decided to keep a running log of my various thoughts throughout the course of the game. Here they are, for your viewing pleasure.

8:10 PM - Here's the only stats Bill Belichick probably preached to his team this week. The Jags enter the match-up 1-0 and the Pats enter 0-0 in 2008.

8:14 - Ever notice how infuriating those few minutes before kick-off can be? Those are only heightened here in the post-season.

8:15 - As the kick is in the air, I get my first "analyst call" - someone asking me a question directly pertaining to the game (I guess Phil Simms' expansive knowledge can't cover everything). Somebody asks how old "Ted" Bruschi is. I resist the urge to say I don't know the man and instead answer with a solemn "34", which is about as old in football years as it is in dog years.

8:19 - After a quick Jacksonville strike into Pats territory, James Sanders (12th man of the year) makes the stop on 3rd down.

8:21 - In a Belichickian move, Del Rio goes for in on 4th and Garrard completes a long strike downfield to Mercedes Lewis. 1st and goal Jags.

8:24 - David Garrard (who's knee was DOWN) completes a pass (with his knee on the ground!) to Matt Jones to put 6 on the board. Petrie, the newest Emerson co-op, let's out a "What a play!" in that hushed, newsroom kind of voice. Petrie's a Jets fan, so all he has to root for is Patriots infamy. Bill fails to throw the hankey out in time and the Jags have an early lead.

8:33 - Old Depressed Guy (ODG, we'll call him) calls up to ask for the NFL's address. This inquiry lasts pretty much the entire Patriots' drive. Two things you can count on working at the Globe Saturday nights, Speck will shoot his plastic gun once or twice and ODG will be calling. Usually, I just hope to dodge that bullet.

8:34 - I can only wonder what kind of monotony the NFL Headquarters is in for. If some wacko walks in there and blows himself up, I'm deleting this post and refusing to acknowledge I ever gave someone such an address.

8:36 - Pats cap a 10 play, 74 yard drive with a Brady-Watson connection in the back of the endzone. More a sigh-of-relief touchdown than anything. Nobody wanted Jags to have the ball already up 7...well, except Petrie.

8:39 - Another "analyst call". Someone wants to know the line for today's game and the largest spread ever in post-season history. I get the feeling 90% of our callers gamble on sports. Oh well, it's not as bad as the guy who wanted to know the Westwood One affiliate for Atlanta.

8:41 - Coaches are watching the game too. They wait until commercials to call in scores. Convenient for them, not so much fun for me.

8:42 - Pats recover a fumble in Jags territory. Behind me, I hear requests for Speck to fire his gun. See? Saturdays are predictable.

8:45 - The Eagle has landed, albeit 15 minutes late, which means the pizza is here. One of the best parts about this job, every Saturday, we get pizza. So, literally, I get to work with sports, eat pizza, and watch (most) of the Patriots game. I love this job. By the way, when Matt Ryan gets drafted, I plan on yelling "the Eagle has landed!". I also plan on nobody getting the joke.

8:51 - I get back with the pizza just in time to see Maroney punch in the Pats second score.

8:57 - Jacksonville having no problem moving the ball downfield. Pats pin the Jags deep, they run it down our throats. Not a good sign.

9:00 - In between these numerous annoying phone calls, I glance around at the televisions in the sports department and I'm hard pressed to find one that was born AFTER me. They all have the same negative information though. 1st and goal from the 2 yard line. With this Jags running game, there's no way they won't score...unless CBS jinxs them with a graphic (please, please!)

9:02 - A false start pushes Jacksonville back 5 yards. Meanwhile, every boys hockey coach in the world waited to report their scores til DURING the Patriots game. Come on guys...I'm revoking all your man cards.

9:03 - Garrard squeezes a pass in to Ernest Wilford to tie up the game. How does he complete these impossible passes? If he had a Pats or Colts logo on his helmet, this guy might just be breaking records too.

9:13 - A Pats fan calls me up to ask if the post-season is "practically over" if the Pats win tonight. Gotta love Boston sports fans! In a tied AFC divisional match-up, somebody's asking me if the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl are not even worth playing if the Pats win tonight. Well, let's see, the 13-3 defending champs are waiting for us and an ageless Brett Favre just scored 42 points in the snow...yeah, I'd say if we win we're a lock.

9:18 - You'd be amazed at the popularity of Curry College. Seems like every week someone is looking for a score. This week, both the men's and women's teams lost. I feel your pain, buddy. Same happened to my Emerson Lions. Hey, at least the men are relevant this year. They've been getting votes on d3hoops.com!

9:21 - http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/. I didn't expect you to believe me, but it's true.

9:24 - I finally sit down with some pizza. It's an unwritten rule that the Hawks have to wait for the grizzled vets to get some pizza before we can. My pizza's cold. Oh well, still no complaints...unless we're talking about the game, that is.

9:28 - Ok, so I'm TRYING to watch Steven Gostkowski miss his field goal in peace and eat my pizza, but, of course, New Hampton didn't report their hockey scores yet! Good thing they called so soon! Oh yeah...Gostkowski missed it...thanks for ruining the moment, New Hampton!

9:31 - It's tied at halftime. Looks like Jack Del Rio might just have something going here. Right now, he reminds me of that alternate costume video game character, you know, when you hit "x" instead of "square". He's the alternate costume Bill Belichick...and that concerns me.

9:33 - Halftime's here. That means I'm putting on my thinking cap cause we're sure to get some dumb questions from saused and distraught fans. I'm expecting to be asked if Mike Piazza is gay about a dozen times...and yes, I'm serious.

9:36 - Oh yeah, the Celtics are up by 2, not that you'd be able to tell. It's not on a single one of the dozen or so TVs within my range of sight. Good thing the Bruins were on at 1 PM today or they'd get zero watchers. I'm serious, zero. Jack Edwards could do all his strange references and nobody would hear him. As it was, hockey fans were treated to a pretty good game in what's becoming a good rivalry. Well, I think I've reached my hockey quota...any more hockey talk and I'll lose you, so I promise, I'm done.

9:40 - Ok, one more tidbit. Tim Thomas (the league leader in save percentage) should be an all-star...way to screw it up, NHL. Ok, that's it...maybe.

9:44 - Second half underway. The kick return game isn't getting anything done today. Petrie suggests that the Jags onside-kick it to begin the quarter. I can't say that's a bad idea right now. Everything seems to be pointing towards Jacksonville right now. Let's hope Tom Terrific turns this around.

9:47 - At this point in the game, Garrard is 12/14 (and one incompletion was a drop) for 149 yards and Brady is 14/14 for 131 yards. I don't even remember any Manning/Brady match-ups where you had such efficient quarterback play. What is this, Madden 08?

9:51 - A Madden-esque spin move puts Gaffney at the 7 yard line. Seriously, I think we're watching a video game simulation.

9:52 - Touchdown, Brady to Welker! In case anybody forgot, the Pats acquired Welker and Moss for a 2nd, 4th, and 7th round pick. Have any two receivers EVER been stolen so easily? In case you were wondering, Samson Satele (2nd - Dolphins), John Bowie (4th - Raiders), and Abraham Wright (7th - Dolphins) were the draft picks. No tradebacks! Even if each of those players (2 DBs and a center) go on to be pro-bowlers, these trades still favor the Pats. Even Kevin McHale thinks this was a little one-sided.

9:58 - Detroit hung on to beat Charlotte in OT, 103-100. The Bobcats are scaring some teams lately. Meanwhile, the Celts are in dire straits, enough that Crowe just called for a 4-point play. Good luck.

10:00 - I wonder what Byron Leftwich is up to. Probably eating cold pizza like me.

10:03 - The Celts are doing their best to make a mole-hill out of a mountain. At least it's entertaining, but this game's over.

10:08 - Something prompted the copy editors to Google "Barney Frank's gay lover". Apparently it got a lot of hits and a lot of laughs. I guess the sports section isn't exactly the bastion of professionalism some people might think.

10:10 - Celts have now lost 2 of their last 3. Strange. Last year, those kind of results would have made Celts' fans happy.

10:14 - Somehow, we've shifted our discussion to baseball. Talking about abolishing/making the DH universal, Bill Hall's greatest moments, and the disgrace that is the St. Louis Cardinals. We need warm weather, now!

10:16 - Brady to Watson again for 6! Watson - 2 TDs. Moss - 1 catch, 14 yards. Ouch...I guess the Randy-ratio is not in effect tonight.

10:24 - In case you were wondering how tall Jason Giambi is (and don't know how to look up such a mindlessly easy fact), he's 6'3". Ok, drunk guy?

10:27 - So, with the game seemingly in hand, I find myself watching highlights from the Bruins win earlier. Such a sweet victory.

10:30 - Darren Bragg was a topic of conversation on Crowe's latest phone call and I was just asked how long Kevin Faulk has been a member of the Patriots, because there was a bet involved on such a fact. Only at the Globe sportsline!

10:33 - In case you were curious, here are his career numbers. We traded Jamie Moyer for this guy??

10:35 - ...and Tom Brady is 6'4". Yes, these are actual inquiries. Unreal.

10:37 - 78 yard bomb to Donte Stallworth for a big first down. Phil Simms says this "could be the difference in the game". Yeah, Phil, the four touchdowns help too. Apparently points are overrated these days.

10:40 - Some of that old Dolphins training comes in handy and Welker drops a sure first down pass. The Pats settle for a field goal...yeah, they actually made it. The "curse of the graphic" can take the blame for that one. Tom had just broken Simms' completion percentage in a postseason game record.

10:45 - Two more Bruins thoughts (we all know I wasn't done talking about hockey). 1. I miss Alex Auld's maroon Coyotes pads. 2. How much did this team need Aaron Ward? Answer: A fucking lot.

10:49 - 31-20, Jags trying to battle back. As I'm watching this desperate attempt to climb back (almost as desperate as that skinny Asian guy trying to get past Justice on the pyramid on American Gladiators), I remember all the nervous Pats fans heading into this game. We were 16-0, doesn't that buy a little peace of mind??

10:51 - And yet, the Pats have dropped two easy interceptions. If we lose, those will look big. But we're not gonna lose, so whatever.

10:51 and a half - Just as I type we're not gonna lose. Rodney Harrison intercepts Garrard. Game over. Call me back when your last name is 'Manning'.

10:58 - This game is SO over that I'm going to give my final thoughts. Despite all the praise and hype surrounding Jacksonville, all their best wasn't enough to beat down the Pats. They played physical, they played tough, they even neutralized Randy Moss. However, they were burned by Lawrence Maroney (22 carries, 122 yards) which left numerous opportunities for Brady (26/28, 262 yards, 3 TDs). Considering the Pats only scored 31 points under those circumstances, they let Jacksonville off a little easy. In the end, the Jags early running game just didn't last. David Garrard proved himself as, perhaps, one of the 5 best QBs in the game, even if he faded down the stretch. Overall, pretty much what I expected. A valiant effort for the overmatched Jags, but, in the end, the Pats just have way too much firepower.

It's on to the AFC Championship for the Pats, who will host either San Diego (minus Antonio Gates) or Indy (plus Marvin Harrison). Two tough opponents...good thing tonight's win secures a Super Bowl victory.

The Bruins have just acquired hard-hitting defenseman Shane Hnidy from the Anaheim Ducks for Brandon Bochenski. I'm sad to see Bochenski have such a rough year after things were so promising last season. Maybe a change of scenery will do him well.

By the way, do the Bruins only make trades with the Ducks these days? Since the last season, a host of players have changed places. Few are memorable faces or names, but the likelihood that Brian Burke and Pete Chiarelli are in each other's speed dial are certainly pretty high. Take a look...

Today - Acquired defenseman Shane Hnidy and a sixth round draft choice in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Brandon Bochenski.

9/25/2007 - Acquired defensemen Brett Skinner and Nathan Saunders from the Anaheim Ducks for center Mark Mowers and assigned them to Providence of the American Hockey League.

7/2/2007 - Signed right wing Shawn Thornton, who had been with the Anaheim Ducks, to a multi-year contract.

11/13/2006 - Anaheim Ducks traded Stanislav Chistov to the Boston Bruins for a 2008 third-round draft pick.

Again, few memorable names or trades, but you get the idea.

One of the other interesting aspects to this trade is Hnidy's place in Boston history. Need I recall Stock/Hnidy rounds 1 & 2? Well, Youtube remembers...

The Bruins could certainly use another quality D-lineman and this gives the team another bruiser (and gets Bobby Allen off the ice). The only drawbacks to this trade are A. it gives the team one less scorer and B. It means less ice-time for the Marks brothers (Stuart and Lashoff). But I'm pretty pleased with the trade overall and we'll see what happens. The B's battle the Caps tomorrow night.