Countdown: Breaking down the Super Bowl

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: There is no question that both teams are geared to attack the opposition's quarterback, and that should be the key to the game. The Giants hope that DT Justin Tuck and NT Fred Robbins can collapse the center of the New England offensive line and prevent Pats QB Tom Brady from stepping up in the pocket to avoid the outside rush of Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan. They should even try their five-man rush scheme.

Brady's right ankle seems fine and it wasn't heavily taped on practice days. Conversely, the Patriots may throw a few all-out blitzes in order to rattle Eli Manning, who hasn't thrown an interception in three playoff victories after 20 picks in the regular season.

The Patriots believe they were pretty vanilla on defense in their Week 17 38-35 win in the Meadowlands, when they actually trailed by 12 points in the third quarter. You can expect more Rodney Harrison blitzes this time. In the Dec. 29 game, Giants RB Brandon Jacobs caught five passes for 44 yards. You can bet that New York will throw more quick screens to Jacobs and to speedy rookie RB Ahmad Bradshaw, who didn't play that Saturday night.

Conversely, the Patriots believe they are better prepared to deal with New York's pass rush, which led NFL with 53 sacks, because RG Stephen Neal and RT Nick Kaczur were inactive for that Week 17 matchup. Neal is a powerful inside run blocker. That time Patriots TE Ben Watson had to stay in and help block, but on Super Sunday you can bet Watson will be testing the deep middle. If Watson gets off the line cleanly, he could be wide open while the New York secondary deals with Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

Granted, the Giants secondary is healthy with veteran Sam Madison and Kevin Dockery (hip flexor) returning after missing the last four of the last five games. This means the Giants have some depth to deal with New England's spread formations. Young cornerbacks Aaron Ross and Corey Webster have been rock solid in the playoffs, with Webster picking off Brett Favre in the NFC Championship game to set up Lawrence Tynes' winning field goal in overtime.

However, it will be interesting to watch how Mike Carey's all-star officiating crew will call illegal contact and holding in the secondary. The Packers accused Ross and Webster of holding and pushing beyond 5 yards in the NFC title game, and it bears watching on Sunday. There isn't a Giants player that can stay with Moss one-on-one, but he can be stopped if New York gets away with illegal chucks and holds.

The Patriots want to make Giants QB Eli Manning think and not be able to stride into his throws. For the Giants to win, players like rookie WR Steve Smith and TE Kevin Ball must make big catches. There is no question that Manning has a special relationship with Plaxico Burress based on Plax's huge numbers against the Packers. To beat the rush, look for Eli to throw some quick screens to his backs and Smith. Another solution could be attempting a few trick plays.

Finally, fans must remember that the Patriots committed an NFL-low 15 turnovers this season and allowed only 21 sacks, the franchise's lowest total since 1977. Yes, those numbers are big reasons why they are going for a perfect season and trying to copyright "19-0, a championship season."

CZAR'S SCOOP: There are rumblings within the Patriots organization that if Moss pleads guilty or is ever convicted of assaulting longtime girlfriend Rachelle Washington that Myra Kraft, the owner's wife, will plead with her husband not to re-sign the record-setting receiver. There are no indications that Moss is guilty of anything, but it's a situation that bears watching in the future. Remember, Mrs. Kraft had the team drop draft choice Christian Peter in 1997 when she learned he had been charged with sexual assault.

Michael Strahan and Amani Toomer are the lone remaining Giants who played in Super Bowl 35, a 35-7 loss to Baltimore in 2001. Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, who received a big contract two years ago, weren't pleased with the club's timing of paying DT Tuck $30 million over five years, with about $16 million guaranteed. Strahan may want to play next season, but his asking price could be around $8 million. Strahan doesn't sound like he wants to shop his services around the league and leave the Giants if he doesn't retire.

Despite a right ankle that has a torn ligament that will require surgery in off-season, Burress will play despite running only a few pass routes in Friday's practice and none in Thursday's. He also had some swelling in his left knee, causing him spend more time in the trainer's room at the Arizona Cardinals' training facility, their home during Super Bowl week.

Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is a possible candidate for the vacant Washington Redskins head-coaching job. But to get an interview, Spagnuolo's defense must play super on Sunday. Jim Fassel, the last coach to take the Giants to a Super Bowl, appears to have an inside lock on the job.

There is no question that Patriots owner Bob Kraft is among the influential NFL owners — Jerry Jones in Dallas, Pat Bowlen in Denver and Bob McNair in Houston — who are leading a rush on commissioner Roger Goodell to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement with the players and potentially an uncapped season in 2009.

The Patriots took a team photo in University of Phoenix Stadium on Saturday, but did no walk-thru practice. Giants guard Rich Seubert, who injured a knee in the second half against the Packers, practiced the past three days. There was a scare in Thursday's practice when center Shaun O'Hara went down in a tangle of bodies, but he returned to drills after missing only one snap.

"We're ready to roll," Belichick said after Friday's practice. "We're as ready as we're going to be."

Interestingly, Belichick deliberately scripted Wednesday's practice to frustrate his team, believing a bad practice might show his players what lies ahead. Patriots WR Jabar Gaffney's shoulder injury has improved, and Gaffney was able to participate fully in practice. Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown spoke to the Patriots prior to Friday's practice.

The Patriots issued a release late Saturday, denying that they videotaped the Rams' final practice prior to upsetting them in Super Bowl XXXVI. The bottom line about Spygate was that fewer than 10 plays were taped in the season opener against the Jets. The tape showed every play's down and distance before showing three New York defensive coaches on the sidelines signaling the call into their players.