Promotion

Momentum is the key

By Thurman Thomas

Questions or comments for Thurman? Send him a note at Thurman@nflcanada.com

Let’s first look at how each team reached the Superbowl. Giants first;

New York’s playoff run was built on momentum. Which I believe started, ironically in their last regular season game against the Patriots. The effort the Giants put forth in that game coupled with a four-touchdown performance by Eli Manning gave them the confidence they need to win in the playoffs. I guess it was a good thing Tom Coughlin kept his starters in, that was a much-debated subject towards the end of the regular season and something I wrote about in my blog.

As far as the X’s and O’s are concerned, New York won with a two pronged running attack and timely play-action passing. On defense, they have the luxury of being able to generate a pass rush with four rushers. However they do blitz. I look for the Giants to do much of the same thing in the Superbowl. In order for the Giants to be successful, they must maintain that formula and resist the temptation to abandon the run if they fall behind.

Now the Patriots;

New England’s playoff success was much different than their regular season success. Which is a testament to their versatility and their greatness. Much of the year they were a vertical passing team with a couple of running plays mixed in to keep defenses honest, but as the weather changed and teams started to take Randy Moss out of the game, the Patriots flawlessly transitioned into a running team. The bad news for the Giants is that the weather and field conditions won’t affect New England’s passing attack in the Superbowl, unless there’s a sudden surge of dust devils on Sunday. My outlook for the game is the Giants need to run the ball successfully early and stay close, if not the game will be over half way through the second quarter.

This time of the year I am constantly asked about my Superbowl experience. The two most important things I tell other players is take care of all your friends and family stuff before you get to the Superbowl and hope your coaches don’t over coach, which is more of a possibility with two weeks in between games. When players are over coached they lose some of their spontaneity on the field, which is essential, and they become robotized. I’m sure Bill Belicheck won’t do this, I not sure about Tom Coughlin. Telltale signs are players looking indecisive on defense and uninspired on offense. We’ll see. Have fun and Happy Superbowl!

Thurman Thomas

Buffalo Bills legend Thurman Thomas rushed for 1,000 yards in eight consecutive seasons, was selected to five consecutive Pro Bowls, and was named NFL MVP in 1991. Thomas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007, and is now an NFL ambassador in Canada and will be making community and charitable appearances on behalf of the league north of the border.