Articles

by Spiro Kasabian @nyspawtsguy_spi

Patriots Give Giants Blueprint to Success

The New England Patriots have done it again folks.  They have won their 6th Super Bowl in dominating fashion.  Analysts stated all year long that throwing the football was the best way to win in today’s NFL.  Well, the Patriots zigged when the rest of the NFL zagged. Belichick and Co. won their 6th Lombardi Trophy largely on the backs of their running game and defense.

New England used a balanced running attack to soak up time of possession in every game against three of the top six scoring teams in the NFL this year.  Of course, Tom Brady played a factor in each game, but he was not the reason behind much of their success (316 YPG 2 TDs and 3 INTs; 67 QBR).  At the age of 41, Brady was no longer expected to carry this offense.

Brady made the big throws when he needed to and was helped by a dominant run game led by first-round pick Sony Michel.  Michel ran for 336 yards in 3 games (112 YPG) and 6 Touchdowns.  The Patriots also received contributions from Rex Burkhead (96 yards rushing yards and 3 TDs) and James White (20 catches for 150 yards receiving).  The Patriots offensive line (for my money, the MVPs of this year’s Super Bowl run) plowed the way for the dominant running attack and only allowed ONE sack the entire postseason (125 passing attempts).  Julian Edelman was a major factor in the passing game and helped churn out big catches to keep the chains moving.

This allowed the Patriots to kept the opposing high-scoring offenses off the field.  The Patriots averaged 9 more minutes of possession time in the postseason than the Rams, allowing the Patriot defense to rest.  The Patriots pass rush came through with 10 sacks this postseason, which was a major factor in shutting down the high-flying offensive attacks of the Chargers, Chiefs and Rams.  Something the Giants can only marvel at since they have zero pass rush.

This was not Belichick’s most talented defense, but they still proved the adage that defense can still win Championships.   This is the blueprint the Giants MUST aspire to.  This should be the case no matter who the Quarterback is for the next few years.  Be it Eli Manning or a young, newly drafted QB, this should be the formula to success.

The Giants must figure out the right side of their offensive line to allow them to employ a dominant running attack with Saquon Barkley, Wayne Gallman, and hopefully a third pass-catching back.  With the addition of a solid right tackle, the Giants can have a lethal offense that can match the likes of the Patriots.  They have a star Wide Receiver in Odell Beckham that will keep the offense moving and allow for big plays through the air.

The rest of the team’s resources should be poured into the defensive side of the ball.  The Patriots were able to succeed on defense by getting after opposing Quarterbacks with Kyle Van Noy, Trey Flowers and Donte Hightower.  The secondary was solid.  The Giants need a massive influx of talent on the offensive and defensive line and Secondary.  They can start by selecting a game changer at #6 in the 2019 NFL Draft.