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New England Patriots News

Replacement player
February 4
Boston Globe
 
"The statistics show that Stephen Gostkowski has been a better kicker than Adam Vinatieri over the last six years. He has made a higher percentage of field goals in his career and missed only one extra point. Since Vinatieri left the Patriots for the Colts as a free agent following the 2005 season, Gostkowski has made 84.4 percent of his field goals and Vinatieri 82.9 percent. The trend holds in the postseason. Gostkowski has made close to 87 percent of his field goals and Vinatieri a little more than 83 percent. The differences are slight, but enough to lend credence to the idea that the Patriots did not take a step back when they replaced the popular and dependable Vinatieri with a rookie"
Happy returns? Not always
February 4
Boston Globe
 columnist Bob Ryan
"The Horror! The Horror! Every punt returner in the league felt for Kyle Williams. The young 49er started the NFC Championship game minding his own business and finished it as the perpetrator of a two-pronged returners' faux pas. 1. Stay away from the bouncing ball. 2. Once you get the ball, hold onto the damn thing. "It's tough,'' says Will Blackmon, who was on the other side of the field, wearing a Giants uniform, when Williams's double nightmare occurred. "He's a good player, and he was having an awesome game.'' But no one will ever recall the good things Williams did in that contest. The world will only remember that he allowed one bouncing ball on a punt to graze his uniform, creating"
Rob Ninkovich always in position
February 4
Boston Herald
 
"Rob Ninkovich has been described as a hard-hat, lunch-pail type of football player. Given his background, it shouldn't come as a surprise. Ninkovich spent some time in construction alongside his father, Mike. The grueling work made a lasting impression on the Patriots linebacker. "It was awesome. My dad's been doing iron working like that for 30 years now," Ninkovich said. "It just kind of gave me a really good view on how he's been working his whole life. It's tough. It's not an easy life. It taught me a good lesson to make sure I continue my education and do something not as everyday-grind and tough on your body for the rest of your life." That toughness was put to the test early in his"
Stephen Gostkowski's in it just for kicks
February 4
Boston Herald
 
"Going into tomorrow's Super Bowl there has been a lot of focus on Rob Gronkowski's ankle, Tom Brady, and how well the Patriots secondary will defend the pass. But if history has taught us anything, the game could very well come down to the right foot of Stephen Gostkowski. In two of the Patriots' three Super Bowl victories, Adam Vinatieri was called upon in the final seconds to make game-winning kicks. He kicked a 48-yard field goal in Super Bowl XXXVI to lift the Patriots over the Rams, 20-17, and then a 41-yarder in Super Bowl XXXVIII to vault the Pats past the Panthers, 32-29. And, of course, there was the famous "Snow Bowl" game against the Raiders, in which Vinatieri made the tying"
3rd-and-don't go there
February 4
Boston Herald
 
"Considering the strengths of the New York Giants defense it is natural to think for the Patriots to win tomorrow they must convert on third down. Actually, it may be far more important they do it on first or second down. According to KC Joyner, known as the Football Scientist and available at thefootballscientist.com, the Patriots success, despite the clear weakness of their defense, has been a product not only of quarterback Tom Brady but of Brady's ability to avoid the need for third-down conversions. Statistically, the Pats offense was fifth in that category this season, converting 45.9 percent of the time, while its defense allowed third-down conversions 43.1 percent of the time, 28th"
Patriots pull a fast one
February 4
Boston Herald
 
"The Patriots do have a pass-rusher or two who can affect a quarterback like Giants menaces Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck. Mark Anderson, for example, had 10 regular-season sacks. Before his injury, Andre Carter was similarly effective. But their best and most disruptive players are busy preparing for the Giants offensive line, not toiling on the scout team to imitate their defensive counterparts. That's why, as the Pats geared up for Super Bowl XLVI, they took a creative approach to readying Pro Bowl guards Logan Mankins and Brian Waters, tackle Matt Light and the rest of the offensive line. Instead of using defensive linemen as rushers in practice, coach Bill Belichick had much"
Tom Coughlin has no problem with Super Bowl XLVI trash talk between NY Giants and New England Patriots
February 4
New York Daily News
 
"Tom Coughlin has heard plenty of big talk from his players during the run-up to Super Bowl XLVI. He also hasn't forgotten that Tom Brady kicked the week off by doing some talking, too. Though the Giants downplayed it all week, Coughlin clearly took notice of what Brady said at a pep rally back in Foxborough last Sunday when he told the crowd of 25,000, "Hopefully we have a lot more people at our party next weekend." It was trash talk in its mildest form. And Coughlin said the constant chatter coming from his players all week long wasn't any worse. "I know that there are one or two quotes out there, but to be honest with you, I don't know that either one of them is any different than Tom"
NFL expands Thursday schedule
February 4
New York Post
 
"Are you ready for a lot more prime-time football? NFL commissioner Roger Goodell used his annual Super Bowl news conference yesterday to reveal the league is dramatically expanding the Thursday night package on its own network starting this fall. In what appeared to be a way to up the pressure in its long-running dispute with Time Warner Cable and Cablevision over New York-area carriage of the NFL Network, the league said that channel will now show Thursday games from Week 2 through Week 15. The NFL Network previously broadcast Thursday games the final eight weeks of the season, but Goodell said the expansion resulted from a desire to guarantee every team in the league at least one"
No setbacks as Rob Gronkowski hits field again
February 4
Boston Herald
 
"Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski had no apparent setbacks following his limited participation in Thursday's practice, his first since suffering a high ankle sprain in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 22. That allowed Gronkowski to take the field again yesterday with his teammates. But there was little more to be gained from that appearance. According to the pool report, the practice was an hourlong walkthrough that "never saw players run faster than a trot." Pool reporter Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com described Gronkowski as "dressed in gray sweatpants, gray sneakers and a dark blue T-shirt bearing the popular 'Yo Soy Fiesta' phrase he recently coined." Marvez"
Bill Belichick, team rested & ready
February 4
Boston Herald
 
"The week of physical work is done, and the Patriots will mostly rest today. They began putting in the game plan for the Giants last week, and coach Bill Belichick sounds like his team is raring to go. "I feel like our team has had a good week," Belichick said at his final news conference before Super Bowl XLVI against the Giants. "I feel like we'll be ready to go, and we're looking forward to it." It won't be easy, and considering the Giants beat the Patriots in Week 9, the players will need no convincing. Yet Belichick expected to sleep well last night. Just another reason to think he believes his team is properly geared up. "Have slept like a baby," Belichick said. "When it gets to the"
Belichick: No setbacks for Pats' Gronkowski
February 3
ESPN.com
 
"New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Friday morning that injured tight end Rob Gronkowski responded well to his first practice since suffering a left high ankle sprain in the AFC Championship Game. "I think he's OK this morning. I think he's OK. I don't think we had any setbacks," he said. Belichick added that Gronkowski, who was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, has gotten better on a daily basis. Multiple sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that Gronkowski would play in Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants barring any setbacks. "I think he's coming along. We'll have to see where he gets to, but it's certainly moving in the right direction," Belichick"
New England Patriots' tight ends creating matchup headaches
February 3
Miami Herald
 columnist David J. Neal
"Heat fans might call it blasphemous for Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez to refer to Rob Gronkowski as "LeBron" and Gronkowski say Hernandez fits the Dwyane Wade role. Others might call it the modern NFL reality. A tight end tree with roots in John Mackey, and a trunk of former basketball player Tony Gonzalez now extends to big branches like Gronkowski and Hernandez that threatens to change strategies on both sides of the ball."
Brady apologizes for Wednesday comments about Buffalo hotels
February 3
Buffalo News
 
"News Senior Sports Columnist Jerry Sullivan caught up with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady this morning, one day after Brady had said of the Buffalo's hotels: "They're not the nicest places in the world." Sullivan asked, "Tom, are you aware that the most elite hotel invited you to stay the night?" (In reference to the Mansion on Delaware's offer to the Pats QB.) "I appreciate that," Brady responded with a laugh, then said, "I apologize for saying that." Sullivan responded, "Well, there is some truth to it." "I know. Buffalo was tough on us this year -- at Buffalo," Brady said, referencing the BIlls' Week Three victory in which he was intercepted four times."
Bears had first crack at Welker
February 3
Chicago Tribune
 
"They ignored Wes Welker on draft day. They won't ignore him on Super Bowl Sunday. Welker, the player nobody wanted, led the league in catches this season and has had more receptions than any player in the league since 2007. He has had four 1,000-yard receiving seasons and has been named to the last four Pro Bowls. You might say the little guy has arrived. He might have arrived as a Bear instead of a Patriot if fate had been kinder to Jerry Angelo."
Stop all the Tom foolery
February 3
Boston Herald
 
"Tom Brady had better be ready: The New York Giants' vaunted front four is coming for him Sunday night, and the rest of America is coming with them. Maybe they are not as mean or as threatening as Osi or JPP or Justin Tuck, but they are just as tired of Tom Brady's face and just as determined to see him bloodied and beaten by 10:30 Sunday night. If the Giants can put him on the ground, there will be about 100 million people waiting to kick him in the head while he's down."
Moore or less same
February 3
Boston Herald
 columnist Ian R. Rapoport
"Sterling Moore's life hasn't changed that much. He's still mostly anonymous. In fact, even after making the game-saving deflection late in the AFC Championship Game to send the Patriots into Super Bowl XLVI, Moore has been recognized in the public eye only one time. He signed an autograph for a child at Best Buy, where he happened to work in junior college. "Besides that and a jump in Twitter followers, nothing has changed," said Moore, the Patriots rookie defensive back from SMU. "Still walk around not being recognized, and that's cool with me.""
Joe Montana lauds Brady's accomplishments
February 3
Boston Herald
 
"The way Joe Montana sees it, his records aren't what made him. He never established benchmarks in high school in Monongahela, Pa., or in college at Notre Dame. It was only when he emerged as an icon with the 49ers that the quarterback began to pencil his name into the history books. He valued team goals more, anyway. But now that the NFL may want to use an eraser, Montana isn't sentimental. "Eventually, everything will be broken," Montana said yesterday on radio row in the media center for Super Bowl XLVI. "Who would've thought anybody would've broken Danny (Marino's yardage) record that lasted for 30 years? They're all there for a reason.""
Another Giant obstacle
February 3
Boston Herald
 
"The Giants look a lot like Kryptonite to me. The way they match up on both sides of the ball show they have the necessary ingredients to neutralize the Patriots. They have the type of defensive front four to hassle Tom Brady and make it difficult to move the ball and pile up points. Already this season, they held him to a season-low passer rating (75.4) during their 24-20 regular-season victory over the Pats in Week 9."
Dedication sets LB Jerod Mayo apart
February 3
Boston Herald
 
"There isn't much that's surprised Bill Belichick about Jerod Mayo. The way he patrols the field with the Patriots, Belichick said, is what he saw when he was in college at Tennessee. The 25-year-old linebacker is active, makes a lot of tackles, has good range, is fast and diagnoses and recognizes plays quickly. But Mayo's importance runs much deeper than the plays he makes every Sunday. And it's what Belichick couldn't see when Mayo was in college that has not only surprised him, but gives him a bigger impact on this Super Bowl team."
Hold the phone, Wes Welker
February 3
Boston Herald
 
"In the run-up to Super Bowl XLVI, it has been a week of whirlwind, nonstop press conferences and photo sessions for the Patriots and Giants. You'd think that all the football stuff we need to know about these guys . . . we'd know. And then Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker comes along and admits he might have had a career with the Chicago Bears if only he had the good sense to turn off his cell phone."
Fears factors in Patriots running game
February 3
Boston Herald
 columnist Dan Ventura
"Looking at it from a numbers standpoint, the Patriots' running game can be considered middle of the road. It ranked 17th in rushing attempts (438), 20th in rushing yardage (1,764) and tied for 21st in rushing average (4.0). You would have to scroll down 27 places to find the Patriots top rusher, BenJarvus Green-Ellis (667 yards). Just don't try to dish those numbers off to running backs coach Ivan Fears without an immediate rebuttal. He insists the passing game is so successful because the team does have the ability to run the ball if needed."
Drafting of Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez redefined Pats offense
February 3
Boston Herald
 columnist Dan Ventura
"Rob Gronkowski was deemed a medical risk because of a back injury. Aaron Hernandez had the proverbial character issues draped around his neck like an albatross. Well aware of all of this, the Patriots still drafted the tight ends two rounds apart in 2010, and the results speak for themselves. Gronkowski established records for touchdown receptions by a tight end (17) as well as receiving yardage (1,327). Hernandez turned in a highly productive season as well, catching 79 balls for 910 yards and seven TDs."
Madonna shows her true Blue colors by picking Eli Manning over Tom Brady
February 3
New York Daily News
 columnist Filip Bondy
"When you stop to think about it, Madonna is a lot like the Giants. She lives in New York. She is constantly turning over her roster (of tunes) to reinvent herself. She pays no attention to the carping of critics, who find her a 7-and-7 sort of singer. She also wears weird costumes with odd padding that spectators generally accept as fitting for her vocation. So when the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer performs four songs on Sunday during the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show — thereby producing more minutes of real action than the football game — she really will become little more than an extension of Tom Coughlin's canny playbook."
G-Men ready to let history repeat itself
February 3
New York Post
 columnist Mike Vaccaro
"Surely, you remember The Helmet Catch. Surely, in fact, you remember both ends of The Helmet Catch, The Escape and The Catch, capital letters all around, Eli Manning looking like Francis Tarkenton right down to the red "10" on his jersey on the front side, David Tyree's hardhat clinging to the football as if both were made of Velcro on the back end. Surely, you remember the game-winning play, a quick toss from Manning to Plaxico Burress on a slant-and-go. In memory and in myth, Burress looks 8 feet tall, plucking the ball out of the air 5 yards deep in the end zone over Ellis Hobbs who, in memory and in myth seems about 4 feet tall."
Patriots' luck about to run out
February 3
New York Post
 
"The beneficiaries of Packers rust and 49ers youth, Big Blue rope-a-doped their schedule while playing the nasty injury hand they were dealt. Once healthy, they proceeded to run off five straight. Cat deems it less than ideal that multiple recent Super winners to simply turn on the jets for six weeks in order to rake in the chips. But look at 'em now. The Patriots were fortunate their first postseason foe off the bye was the Broncos, a team with minuscule ability to rally from significant deficits. Given Tom Brady's zero touchdown passes, New England was fortunate to escape their Ravens playoff engagement alive, as bad-luck Billy Cundiff opened the door for the Pats' first victory over a"
Patriots in no mood to discuss Spygate controversy
February 3
New York Post
 
"This week has been filled with tons of talk about the genius of Bill Belichick and the mastery of Tom Brady and just what another Super Bowl victory would mean to their legacies. One chapter of the story seems to have been erased from the book on the Patriots dynasty, though. Anyone remember Spygate? The Patriots have not won a championship since then-Jets coach Eric Mangini exposed the Patriots' illegal taping of opponents in 2007. The fallout resulted in fines of $500,000 for Belichick, $250,000 for the organization, and the Patriots had to forfeit a first-round draft choice."
Goodell: If NFL expands, it'll add two more teams
February 3
CBSSports.com
 
"It's no secret the NFL wants to expand to Los Angeles. And while so much of the attention has been focused on which franchise would relocate to L.A. -- whether it's the Chargers, Vikings, Jaguars or Rams -- we haven't discussed much the possibility of the NFL expanding. Apparently, that's an option. Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday on Costas Live on the NBC Sports Network that if the league places a team in L.A., the NFL probably would add two more franchises to make it an even 34. Goodell said the league "doesn't want to move any of our teams" and "we probably don't want to go to 33" if the NFL decides expansion is a good choice."
Rob Gronkowski takes the field
February 3
Boston Herald
 
"Rob Gronkowski claimed getting into a practice session this week wouldn't be the determining factor on whether he plays in the Super Bowl on Sunday. Ultimately, he'll have the final say. Still, it was a positive sign having the Patriots tight end return to practice yesterday for the first time since the AFC Championship Game, doing so on a limited basis. "He did some things. He didn't do everything," Patriots coach Bill Belichick told a pool reporter following the workout. "We'll see how he is tomorrow. I think that will be the big key, how he responds to this today.""
Pats' Gronkowski practices for first time during Super Bowl week
February 2
NFL.com
 
"New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was limited Thursday in practice, according to the team's participation report. Gronkowski, who is recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered in the AFC Championship Game, hadn't practiced all week in preparation for Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants."
Jason Pierre-Paul: D-Line in Tom Brady's head
February 2
Boston Herald
 
"The Giants only sacked Tom Brady twice in their 24-20 win over the Patriots in Week 9. Still, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul believes Brady was thrown off by the pass rush. Brady went 28-for-49 for 342 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions and had his lowest quarterback rating of the season (75.4). Pierre-Paul believes it all comes down to pressure. "I think it will have much impact on his performance because if you look at Week 9, when we played them, it's like he felt us," Pierre-Paul said. "When we looked back on the film, we watched the film, and we didn't really rush like we can rush as a defense. He was throwing balls on the ground and stuff, but like I said,"
Rob Gronkowski has final say
February 2
ESPN.com
 
"New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski said Thursday that the final decision on whether he plays in Super Bowl XLVI will come as a result of collaboration between him and the team's athletic training staff. "It's my body and I know how I feel the best," Gronkowski said. "I just communicate with the trainers on how I feel, what they think, and we just put all our knowledge together so we can get the best possible situation." Gronkowski added that he wouldn't play if he felt it wasn't the right thing to do. "I will make the final call. I listen to the trainer's advice, but it's how I feel," he said. "I'm just trying to get better. The trainer has helped me to get to a place where I"
Rob Gronkowski's NFL brothers revel in Patriot's super season
February 2
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
"When Patriots go-to tight end Rob Gronkowski pulled up lame with what proved to be a high ankle sprain in the AFC Championship Game, his brother Dan, a tight end for the Browns, wasn't overly concerned. "That was nothing compared to the charley horses we used to give him as a kid," said Dan, who signed a two-year contract with the Browns with two games left in the season when tight end Alex Smith was placed on injured reserve. When Rob trotted back out onto the field a short time later, his big brother wasn't surprised. "That's totally him," said Dan. "He's a tough guy and if he can play [Sunday], he'll play." Dan and his younger brother, Chris, a fullback/tight end for the Colts, are in"
To Collinsworth, stakes are painfully clear
February 2
Cincinnati Enquirer
 
"Cris Collinsworth has been a part of many Super Bowls as a broadcaster, but he still thinks about the two as a player with the Bengals that they lost to San Francisco. "It's like someone takes a bucket of ice water and pours it over your head and you never get warmed up. I'm 53 years old, and I still think about it every day," he said. "I wouldn't trade playing in it for anything, but the pain of losing those two was twice as bad. Joe Gibbs has won three Super Bowls, but he said the one he spends the most time thinking about is the one he lost." The former Bengals receiver and Northern Kentucky resident will be an analyst for NBC's telecast of Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday when the New England"
Belichick & Brady — the best?
February 2
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 columnist Bernie Miklasz
"It began as a violent but routine NFL hit, with New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis breaking free to slam New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe to the ground. Little did anyone realize the true magnitude of the blow. Lewis not only rearranged Bledsoe's shoulder, but he dramatically changed the course of NFL history. The date was Sept. 30, 2001. When the injured Bledsoe checked out, an obscure second-year quarterback named Tom Brady entered in relief, and the Patriots lost a 10-3 yawner. The Patriots slumped to 0-2 on the season. Head coach Bill Belichick, already fired in Cleveland, was struggling early in his second season at New England. At that point Belichick's NFL career head-coaching"
McCourty twins run side by side in NFL
February 2
Tennessean
 
"Patriots owner Robert Kraft knew which player his team would pick in the first round of the 2010 draft. So did Coach Bill Belichick. So in the minutes leading up to the 27th overall selection, Kraft dialed Devin McCourty's cell number. "Hello, Devin. Congratulations — we're going to be picking you with the next pick," Kraft told McCourty. "You're going to be a nice addition. "You're going to be a great Patriot." The only problem: Kraft wasn't talking to Devin McCourty. The voice on the other end of the phone belonged to Devin's identical twin brother, Jason McCourty, who'd just finished his first season with the Titans."
Unnecessary bluntness by Brady
February 2
Buffalo News
 columnist Jerry Sullivan
"Silly me. By Wednesday, with the Media Day circus over, I figured it would be safe to talk some actual football. The original plan was to ask the Giants about defending Tom Brady. I never expected to be defending Buffalo against him. It's not as if Bills fans need more reasons to despise Brady. Since taking over as the Patriots' quarterback, he has gone 18-2 against Buffalo. The Pats have won those games by an average score of about 30-10. Brady is a pretty boy with a supermodel wife. This is his fifth Super Bowl since the last time the Bills made the playoffs. Brady is the kid you hated in school, the one with the looks and the advantages, a reminder of your own pathetic irrelevance. But"
Another title sure to spark best-ever duo debate
February 2
Boston Herald
 
"History is written by the victors, and never was that more cruelly illustrated than in 2007. The perfect season, the Patriots' chance at immortality, slipped away in the same instant that ball stuck to the Velcro fingers — and helmet — of Giants receiver David Tyree. The Patriots exited Super Bowl XLII heartbroken and unfulfilled, a team of great players unable to touch the greatness they felt belonged to them. Their story never was printed, while the Giants received the fairy-tale treatment. No wonder guard Logan Mankins shakes his head and says, "That game'll be with that team forever.""
Brandon Spikes proves hometown not a dead end
February 2
Boston Herald
 
"When Brandon Spikes makes a tackle, an outpouring of emotion follows. His arms and legs are unleashed in a flurry, and one can't help but be drawn to his celebrations. It's OK. The fiery Patriots linebacker wants everyone to watch, particularly those from his hometown of Shelby, N.C. Just understand what it took for him to make one NFL tackle, let alone 62 this season and a key playoff interception. "My story is for the people where I come from," the second-year player said. "I want them to know. 'Look at me. I made it out. Just because you're facing all these odds, don't mean you can't make it out.' For a long time, that's what it was. Athletes getting into trouble, getting pulled in the"
Combine couldn't measure all of Tom Brady
February 2
Boston Herald
 
"If scouts at the NFL combine were able to test a player's confidence level, Tom Brady would have been viewed differently. Instead, in 2000 he was just skinny, lacked mobility and didn't have enough arm strength. Had scouts been able to statistically measure leadership ability or heart, Brady wouldn't have been passed over 198 times in the draft, including six by Bill Belichick, until he was picked by the Patriots in the sixth round."
Patriots O-line knows it's key to game
February 2
Boston Herald
 
"Some people mistakenly seem to think football is science. It is not, unless you consider hand-to-hand combat science. In its most genteel form football is a wrestling match, but most of the time it's a cage match. This is particularly true where Sunday's Super Bowl will be decided — along the line of scrimmage. For all the talk of scheming, game planning and putting people in position to make plays (talk that makes the sport sound like chess), Giants defensive lineman Jason Tuck explained last week the essence of what Super Bowl XLVI will be about. "The way to kill the snake is to take off his head," Tuck theorized when asked what the Giants must do to defeat the Patriots. He didn't sound"
Place in history secure, but Tom Brady always after more
February 2
Boston Herald
 
"Tom Brady has already shaped a legacy every quarterback dreams about. Another Super Bowl victory elevates his legend to a place only the rarest of athletes tread. If Brady and the Patriots take down the Giants on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, it would be hard to argue against the 34-year-old being the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, even greater than childhood idol Joe Montana. Each would have four Super Bowl victories, as does former Pittsburgh Steeler Terry Bradshaw. Many coaches and analysts, as well as Brady's peers, suggest Brady's greatness isn't about math, but the substance behind the numbers."
For those who've moved on, defeat still lingers
February 2
Boston Herald
 
"There are no do-overs or mulligans after the clock runs out. The final score is what it is. For the seven members of the Patriots who remain from the team that lost Super Bowl XLII to the Giants, today is a chance to gain some measure of revenge. For those Patriots that won't be on the field, however, all they can do is live vicariously through the 2011 team. After falling just short of perfection, they have no other form of redemption."
Giants hoping for a Super Groundhog Sunday vs. Patriots
February 2
New York Post
 columnist Steve Serby
"Eli Manning wakes up Sunday morning and it's the Super Bowl, against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Tom Coughlin wakes up Sunday morning and it's the Super Bowl, against Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Brady wakes up Sunday morning and starts worrying about Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora. Today is Groundhog Day. For the Giants, Sunday is Super Groundhog Day."
Giants/Patriots: Matchup to watch
February 2
New York Post
 
"QB Eli Manning vs. FS Patrick Chung Bill Belichick loves to mix up his coverage assignments, so unless you are the Patriots coach or one of his assistants, it's impossible to know who will be covering each of the Giants' dangerous receivers Sunday. The one certainty for Manning is the athletic, hard-hitting Chung will have to be accounted for on every pass play. It's no coincidence New England's secondary improved dramatically after Chung returned in the regular-season finale following seven missed games with a foot injury. Chung appears to have regained a lot of his quickness in three games since coming back, making him a capable center fielder, but Manning is a savvy passer who is on"
Matt Light brightens up with return
February 2
Boston Herald
 
"Matt Light sniffled as he gripped a green coffee mug. He answered questions from the media in surprisingly good spirits despite being under the weather. The reason why? After being held out of practice this week with a stomach illness, the longtime Patriots offensive tackle returned to the field yesterday. "I'm excited about practicing today. We have a good game plan here," Light said. "I'm feeling better. I was a little under the weather. We are ready to rock-and-roll for Sunday.""
Pats explore specialized cleat for Gronkowski
February 1
ESPN.com
 
"New England Patriots Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski held court with the media Wednesday. He echoed head coach Bill Belichick's comments that he was unsure if he would practice Wednesday but had a couple interesting nuggets about his injured left ankle. For starters, Gronkowski said the team will look into the possibility of a specialized cleat for his left foot. Sometimes teams are able to make a shoe that protects the ankle in the event of swelling during the game."
Life's a fiesta for Pats' Gronkowski, day by day
February 1
Buffalo News
 columnist Jerry Sullivan
"The first thing you noticed, as Rob Gronkowski walked across the field toward his personal media station, was that his cap was on backwards. Then, as his lower body came into view, you saw that he no longer had a walking boot on his lower left leg. You could sense the optimism rising in the hearts of New England fans as Gronkowski settled into his seat in Lucas Oil Field for his first Super Bowl media day. Gronk was walking without the boot! Maybe he really is a fast healer and will be ready for Sunday's game with the Giants. How are you feeling, he was asked? "Good," Gronkowski said. "How are you feeling? I'm good. I'm just going day by day. Working with my training staff and improving"
Light, Vollmer miss Media Day as stomach illness hits Patriots
February 1
NFL.com
 
"An apparent stomach bug has affected the New England Patriots this week, as starting left tackle Matt Light missed practice Monday and was kept out of Media Day on Tuesday because he is ill, according to a team official. Two other players are also under the weather. Right tackle Sebastian Vollmer also skipped Media Day with illnesses, according to head coach Bill Belichick, while linebacker Jerod Mayo attended but said he has a cold. Other team personnel have also fallen sick, according to the team official."
Bears spared Giants, Pats by picking Phil Emery as GM
February 1
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"A day after the Bears introduced Phil Emery as their general manager, executives from the two Super Bowl teams were relieved two of their staff members aren't headed to Halas Hall. New York Giants owner John Mara said Tuesday he had a ''long conversation'' with Bears president Ted Phillips about the GM search. Mara also chatted with Bears chairman George McCaskey. ''I had mixed feelings about that,'' Mara told the Sun-Times of the Bears' decision not to hire Giants college-scouting director Marc Ross. ''Marc deserves to be a general manager, as do [director of pro personnel] Dave Gettleman and [assistant GM] Kevin Abrams. But I was happy we were able to keep [Ross].''"