So the Super Bowl is now set. Don't forget, the Giants and the Patriots just met a few weeks ago, in a game I wrote about here. Beyond anything else, I'm most excited that we get to see Eli Manning give his best Troy from High School Musical impersonation during Super Bowl Week. Just watch Manning during Super Bowl week and tell me he doesn't look like he's totally uncomfortable with the media. It looks like he wants to say, "Look, I'm not my brother. Just leave me alone!" By the way, this analogy does not make me gay. It just makes me a Dad of a 6-year old girl.




Other thoughts:

• I hate it when one studio analyst picks the underdog, just so someone will do it. Really Bill Cowher? You feel good about the Chargers, on the road, with their three best offensive players hurt?


• Rivers limping around on that big knee brace reminded me of Dan Marino late in the year. I can't believe the Patriots didn't pressure him more. Every time they did, he went down or made a bad pass.


• How do you think Peyton Manning felt when he turned on the TV and saw his "end of the year" commercial. That one had to hurt.


• No sweatshirt for Belichick? His coat reminded me of the one George had on Seinfeld.


• Memo to the Chargers. When the Pats send Kevin Faulk out to wide receiver, you might want to cover him.


• Apparently Phil Simms starts every game with a potential theme and then sticks with it. Last week, he mentioned "youth is overrated" several times. This week his theme was "the Chargers told us they were going to force some turnovers".


• What genius decided to design the Patriots' stadium with one section of the End Zone open? They just effectively killed any home field advantage. It seemed so quiet on the field, but if you looked in the stands the fans were going crazy.


• Obviously, the Patriots still look like a team that can do what they need to win, no matter what the situation is. Watching the game, you just knew they would eventually win.


• Why do the announcers have to announce in game conditions? Would it really matter if Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were in a sealed off booth? Couldn't they pipe in some crowd noise from one of the on field guys?


• Fox seemed to be missing the important replays all night. The personal foul call on Madison. The "pass interference" on Driver that was not called.


• On the fumble late in the game by McWaters on the punt return, if you looked closely the punter was buried deep in the pile fighting for the ball. Impressive.


• Manning seemed to be much more comfortable in the cold than Favre did. The shot of Favre using some sort of rag to keep his face warm in between plays said it all.


• As I have talked about after each round of playoff games, line play has been the key to each game. The Giants defensive line is on a roll right now. It should be fun to watch them go up against the Patriots offensive line.


• The Patriots don't look unbeatable at this point, however, they just have an air of confidence about them. In the first half of the games, Tom Brady almost looks like he's bored and he's ready for the real competition to begin