The Rematch "Everyone" Wanted

For a rematch that so many people allegedly wanted why does it seem like nobody wants it?

Externally is there a more nauseating match-up for football fans outside of the Northeast and NY-metro area? It's going to be force feeding 29 cities a non-stop two week binge fest of two perfectly loathable franchises with a pretty-boy, a silver spoon legacy with a mug only a mother can love, a coach everyone thinks is a cheater, and more historical retrospectives than you can shake a stick at. Small market fans beware.

And that's just the annoyances to outside observers...

Patriots fans were full of bravado last week, talking a lot of junk about redemption and atoning for 2007... Was it because they really thought San Francisco was going to win and it wouldn't come to this? Because that would be the real ideal scenario. We talk a lot of trash about wanting New York. They lose. Then it's their fault that we couldn't avenge our loss. "Dammit! I really wanted to beat the Giants, oh well, I guess we'll have to stop...Crabtree? Smith?" (Put it on the board... Chammmpionship!)

Let me tell you NOBODY actually wanted the Giants. It was a such a bunch of New England tough-guy bullshit. Every guy in the bar is the hardest guy south of New Hampshire if you listen to him talk but if you want to believe him to be an honest fella you better look away when trouble starts.

You want to know what Patriots fans want? We want to win the Super Bowl again. We absolutely do not care whatsoever about going through the toughest road to get there. If we're so hell-bent on redemption and atonement why didn't we want the Steelers to beat Denver? Why did we cheer when the Jets imploded and didn't even make the playoffs? It's a bunch of preparatory justifying that created an uncomfortable bed that we now have to sleep in. Maybe a few said it because they thought the Giants were going to win and it was going to come to this no matter what, maybe others are just dumb Somerville townies.

Regardless, now we have to fake it. We have to pretend like this is a real opportunity when in fact it's a nightmare.

... Or is it?

You're going to hear a lot of comparisons to 2007 this week, and in a lot of ways THESE SIMILARITIES really are interesting (start about 1/3 of the way down next to the post-season grades insert). But they are factual in their eeriness and really are less odd than they appear. Since when has statistical anomalies and scheduling actually struck a voodoo cord?

There are only three other divisions in the NFC, their opponent had to come from one of them so there was a 33% chance that it would be the South. As a wild card you're obviously going to play the first or second seed in the second round and chances are if you win that game you're going to play the other. And of course both of those games are going to be on the road. It's really not that amazing. Now winning those games is impressive of course, but it's not this stunning never-before-seen freak show that only happens when the stars align perfectly so that the Patriots can play the Giants.

Also, the similarities flip a bit when you look at yesterday's game. In 2007 Patriots Nation was hoping and praying that the Giants would win the NFC championship so we could avoid the Packers and Brett-Swan-Song-Favre. (Think these two weeks of media are going to be bad, imagine what that would have been like.) How'd that work out?

Yesterday, as much as the morons sitting at Spirit will deny it, we didn't want the Giants to pull off another road upset, we wanted to 49ers to take care of business at home because (just like we thought about the Giants in '07) we don't think they're as good as New York. It's almost a complete role reversal. The team we wanted to win lost in the same way that the team we wanted to lose lost five years ago. (Say that sentence three times fast.) No synchronicity there, it's totally upside down.

Not to mention the 4,000 pound gorilla in the room... The Patriots aren't undefeated. They don't have the pressure of trying to pull off something that's never been done before. They'll be favored in Vegas but in the court of public opinion they're the underdogs. In 2007 they were favored by double digits, this year it might be two or three by kickoff.

None of this has anything to do with the game of course, but I just can't agree with everyone that's calling this a Xerox of 2007. So the Giants won a couple of road games, the Packers did the same thing last year. So they won in Green Bay, the Packers were the one seed, only one team could have made it to the Super Bowl without winning a "road" game in Lambeau (or SF) and they have cheese on their heads.

So pick the Giants if you want. I won't blame you. They're certainly hotter and they might just be better at this moment. But don't do it because they won a game four years ago under similar circumstances, it's not that coincidental, it's not freaky, and it's not fate...

Don't tell that to Billy Cundiff though...