Much is being made of how the battle in the trenches will impact the outcome of Super Bowl XLVI. Most of it, however, is concerned with how New England’s pass protectors will handle the rejuvenated front seven from New York.
But talk to Giants guard David Diehl and his line mates and they’ll quickly point out that the Patriots’ defensive unit is one that should not be overlooked.
“Not with the film that I’ve been watching and the way that they’ve played,” Diehl said during Super Bowl Media Day on Tuesday. “You’re talking about a team that’s won 10 straight games. On the defensive side of the ball, I think this is the best year Vince (Wilfork) has had on their defensive line. They’re a huge group and it’s not just stopping up the running game. They can apply pressure, they can collapse the pocket, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
The New England defense was uneven at best during the regular season, finishing 31st in total defense, allowing 411.1 yards and 21.4 points per game. They’ve improved drastically in the postseason, lopping those averages to 325 and 15.
The Giants have taken notice.
“You look at statistics and, of course, they’re ranked lower – who cares?” reasoned center David Baas. “It’s based on execution and I feel like that’s the biggest part about this game. If we can execute better than them depending on what their defensive fronts are, then we’ll win.”
Wilfork has been particularly devastating for the Pats, racking up 2.5 sacks in the team’s postseason victories over Denver and Baltimore. Getting key defensive contributors like Patrick Chung and Jerod Mayo back to full strength also hasn’t hurt.
“We know what they’re capable of doing,” added sixth-year guard Kevin Boothe. “They’ve been playing their best football over the last half of the year. They have a tremendous amount of athletes – big guys that can really move around, and they cause a lot of problems.”
For New York to be successful, it’s likely that the team’s tight end triumvirate – Jake Ballard, Travis Beckum and Bear Pascoe – will have to help the line keep Eli Manning upright.
“They’re great and they’re experienced,” said Beckum, a third-year pro from the University of Wisconsin. “They have veterans on that team. Obviously, they’re going to look to put pressure on Eli but we have to stop that.”
Diehl believes the Giants are up to the challenge.
“I think we’ve worked extremely hard. I think we’ve got a good game plan going into this one and I think come Sunday, we’re going to be extremely ready.”
