Skip to main content

Super Bowl safety talk doesn't add up

I've seen one too many writers claim that if it weren't for a safety by the Giants at the beginning of Super Bowl XLVI, the Patriots would have been able to kick a field goal to win the game at the end.

The theory, I gather, is since the Giants won 21-17, you would subtract two points for the safety, making it 19-17. Thus, a field goal wins the game.

I say it takes a simple mind to adopt that view.

Let's take away the safety, for argument's sake, making it 19-17.

Think back to the Giants' last touchdown. They went for two, to make it a six-point game. I guarantee you that there is no way -- none -- that the Giants would go for two if the game was 19-17. They kick the extra point to make it 20-17.

The Patriots don't get a chance to kick a field goal to win the game. The best a Patriots' field goal would do is tie the game.

There's one other point I'd like to make.

I'll even concede the Giants trying to covert two after their touchdown. I'll give you the Patriots kicking a field goal to win the game. How far would that field-goal attempt have been?

I'm guessing 68 yards.

I doubt the Patriots attempt the kick, let alone make it.

The Giants were deserving champs.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Didn't Antonio Brown just get paid?

Didn't Antonio Brown just get paid? That was the first question that popped into my mind when I heard he wanted a new deal from the Steelers. I remember the details: Mike Wallace wanted more money than the Steelers wanted to offer, so the Steelers turned around and signed Brown to a $43 million deal over six years. That was 2012. Today, we learned that Brown will skip offseason workouts in the hope of getting a new deal. Honor your contract. It's that simple. Brown signed a deal that caused some people to scratch their heads at the time. It looked like a great deal for Brown. And after two seasons, it looked like the Steelers made a terrific call with the long-term deal. Brown had almost 1,700 yards receiving last year to go with 13 TD catches. That's a heck of a season. However, in exchange for long-term security, Brown looks like a bargain today. That's how it works. Or, at least that's how it's supposed to work. Now Brown wanted paid e...
2 comments
Read more

NFL Draft grades don't pass this test

My beef with the NFL Draft doesn't end with the hours of television time it eats up. It continues right through to the grading of teams after the draft. This is another exercise in futility. The problem is the preconception of players by those handing out grades. The gurus who grade the teams for their performance, or lack thereof, already are locked into a belief of where a player should or should not be drafted. So let's say Draft Guru A has Football Star B rated really high on his draft board. For some reason, the NFL teams selecting players keep passing on Football Star B. When a team finally gets around to drafting our broken-hearted player in the third round, Draft Guru A will rave about what a steal that selection was. Why? Maybe Draft Guru A doesn't want to look so bad. Maybe it's a way to cover his behind. By the time everyone figures out Football Star B doesn't have the talent to be a starter in the NFL, we'll have forgotten about Draft Guru A's as...
2 comments
Read more