Event:                   SUPER BOWL XLVI

Where:                 Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

When:                  February 5, 2012           6:30PM EST

Who:                     (AFC Champion) New England Patriots vs. New York Giants (NFC Champion)

The monumental test of wills crowning a world champion in America’s #1 sport will commence on the FieldTurf of Lucas Oil Stadium, not over a microphone.

Over the past two weeks football enthusiasts have spent much time scouring media reports attempting to gain a leg up on what to expect from the New England Patriots and New York Giants in today’s showdown of champions.  Aside from all the pregame hype, several hidden gems can be found buried within the week 9 faceoff between these same combatants less than 3 months ago in Foxboro, MA.

Through closer inspection of the first match-up, both coaching staffs will uncover aspects causing failures in execution they deem unacceptably sub-par within their team’s performance.  Improvement upon these deficiencies likely will lead to an alternate outcome in the hotly contested sequel between these padded gladiators.  Below is a look at some of the intricacies of the previous matchup that will likely influence the game plan/strategy of each team for Super Bowl XLVI: (more…)

Jan 31, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Giants tackle Tony Ugoh (70) answers questions from Pick Boy. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

While it’s great in one sense that the NFC East – a division many pundits called the weakest in the NFL this season – is represented in the big game, it has left many Cowboy fans wondering what might have been.  The Cowboys were literally one Tony Romo overthrow from eliminating the Giants in week 14.  That doesn’t necessarily mean our Cowboys would be representing the NFC in Indianapolis had Miles Austin caught that ball – the weaknesses on this team are too glaring and too numerous to believe they would have made a similar run. But, it wouldn’t have been the Giants.

So, how is it that twice in the last 5 years (2008-2012) that the Giants have appeared in a Super Bowl when it has been 16 years since the Cowboys made an appearance?  It’s a familiar refrain, but I think it relates directly back to our GM, or lack thereof.  To support that point, let’s take a look at just the last 4 drafts between the Cowboys and Giants. (more…)

Steven Mullenax, Editor & Head Writer: After 16 weeks of watching and critiquing Dallas Cowboys’ Football, I can honestly say that I have see almost nothing from this year’s team that makes be believe they can win in New York  on Sunday night.  The team has the talent to win, we all agree on that. But this year’s Cowboys lack mental toughness. Starting in Week One against  the New York Jets, Dallas has tried “not to lose” games instead of simply trying to win them. And Jason Garrett is too naive as a first time head coach to know how to handle the situation. The Cowboys refuse to show up in the fourth quarter in big games. We saw it against the Jets, the Lions, the Patriots, the Eagles and three weeks ago against these same Giants on our own home field. No mental  toughness. And that means no playoffs for our beloved team. Giants 30, Dallas 20.

View more picks and predictions, after the break: (more…)