For 18 games this season, the New England Patriots looked like a team of destiny. They seemed poised to shove the 1972 Dolphins aside and claim the title as the best undefeated team of all time.
Until Sunday.
Sunday, the Patriots lost their first game of the season, just minutes away from becoming 19-0.
Actually, I take that back. New England didn?t lose Sunday; they were beaten. The New York Giants flat out beat them. And deservedly so.
Although Eli Manning won Sunday?s MVP honors, he was not the most valuable player of Super Bowl XLII. Neither was David Tyree or even Plaxico Burress. Super Bowl XLII was won in the trenches, and the tougher team came out on top.
In baseball, monster home runs and 11-9 slugfests sell tickets. But real fans who understand and appreciate the game would much rather see a 2-1 pitchers’ duel. The same can be said for football. Fans love the Chad Johnsons and Randy Mosses of the world because they?re flashy and fun to watch. But football fans who really study the game will tell you that nine times out of 10, the team that wins the line-of-scrimmage battle walks away victorious.
That?s what happened Sunday night.
For 18 games the Patriots? offensive line ? one made up of three 2008 Pro Bowlers ? gave regular season MVP Tom Brady all the time in the world. All season, Brady sat in the pocket, surveyed the field, and delivered a strike to one of many talented receivers donned in red, white, and blue.
Not Sunday.
Sunday, the Giants? front four gave the Pats? offensive line all they could handle. And then some.
The G-Men sacked Brady five times, but it seemed like 15, as Brady was swarmed by white jerseys all night long, looking like Badger quarterback Tyler Donovan in last month?s Outback Bowl.
The Giants? defensive line, led by current Pro Bowler Osi Umenyiora, former Pro Bowler Michael Strahan and future Pro Bowler Michael Tuck, made Brady look like, well, Eli Manning ? the sideline pouting, elementary schoolgirl-faced Manning that former Giants running back Tiki Barber (boy, he must feel like a chump) threw under the bus, of course. Not the Manning who miraculously transformed into Super Bowl MVP once the 2008 playoffs began.
As dominating as New York?s defensive line was Sunday night, its offensive line was just as impressive. With big brother Peyton watching enviously (though he?ll deny it until the day he dies) from his luxury box, Eli dropped back unscathed time after time, looking Brady and Peyton-esque.
So what does this all mean?
It means that come April, teams need to reconsider their respective draft boards. Do linemen deserve more love come draft time?
I believe so.
In 2006, everyone (including myself) thought Charlie Casserly, general manager of the Houston Texans, was a moron for selecting North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams over USC running back Reggie Bush. He said he was trying to emulate the Patriots in believing Williams could become the next Richard Seymour. After Williams finished fourth in the league with 14 sacks in 2007 and Bush has become nothing more than a marketable face at this point, Casserly doesn?t look like such an idiot after all, does he?
It?s easy for GMs to make the sexy Reggie Bush-like pick in NFL Drafts. That?s what fans want. Jets fans booed their management in ?06 when New York failed to trade up to get Bush and settled for Virginia left tackle D?Brickashaw Ferguson at No. 4.
Insert feet in mouths.
The Cleveland Browns made the same decision last year, drafting Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas instead of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn (even though they ended up with Quinn later in the first round). Cleveland fans were upset at the time. Now Thomas is a rookie Pro Bowler; passing up on him would have been criminal.
Still upset?
In my mind, the range among the NFL?s top quarterbacks and running backs is smaller than that among offensive and defensive linemen. A great offensive line can make any NFL running back Pro Bowl-worthy. Just look at the Denver Broncos. I?m pretty sure I could rush for 1,000 yards behind that line.
Granted, there are gems that come around every once in a while, like Vikings running back Adrian Peterson or the Chargers? LaDainian Tomlinson. But remember, Bush and Michael Vick were supposed to revolutionize their respective positions, too. How did that work out?
More often than not, offensive line is a ?what you see is what you get? position. Skill players are more risky and, in my mind, less valuable overall.
Bill Parcells? Dolphins have the first pick in the upcoming draft. He should ? and I think he will ? select LSU?s mammoth defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. With Dorsey, Miami defensive end Jason Taylor will have a career year, and the Fins once-stingy defense can start to get back on track.
Dorsey is a game changer. He?ll never actually touch the football, but then again, the real difference makers typically never do.
Derek is a sophomore majoring in economics. If you think linemen are overrated in the NFL, or you just want to wish Derek a happy birthday, you can e-mail him at [email protected].
