Tom Brady (No. 12) of the New England Patriots hikes the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during their AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 22, 2012, in Foxborough, Mass.
(2 of 3)
Of the two tight ends, Gronkowski is the more physical player. He's a 6 ft.-6 in., 265-lb. specimen who will barrel right over you. Hernandez, at 6 ft. 1 in., 245 lb., is quicker, more elusive: New England's tight-end coach, Brian Ferentz, and several teammates referred to Hernandez as "shifty." Go right ahead, point at Hernandez on the TV and say "that guy is shifty." When someone asks you what that word means, you'll have another opportunity to expound.
"Aaron is special with the ball in his hands," says Patriots special-teams captain Matthew Slater. "He has a great feel for his body in space, the way he makes people miss. It's unbelievable that we've got him and Rob together."
One of the most pressing questions of Super Bowl week, however, is whether they'll be able to pair up on Sunday. In the AFC championship game, Gronkowski suffered a high left-ankle sprain, and he arrived in Indianapolis wearing a boot. Belichick labels him "day-to-day." Translation: We're going to make the Giants do more work, and prepare for the Pats both with and without Gronkowski.
On Thursday, Gronkowski practiced, on a limited basis, for the first time all week. "I really do think he'll play," says Giants coach Tom Coughlin. If Gronkowski takes the field, Tucker recommends you examine his movements when he cuts to the left and to the right. A player can run full speed downfield and block with a bad ankle. But when you've got to change directions, and push off sore bones, you're more at the mercy of the injury. If you see Gronkowski slowing down, or his rhythm disrupted when he turns, you might spot the effects of the injury before the announcers do. And if he's zigging and zagging with ease, you can announce to the party crowd: "Gronk is good."
3. Hold On
When the Giants line up for a field goal or extra point, just know that the guy catching the snap is an oddball who takes the job very, very seriously. Steve Weatherford (No. 5) is primarily the Giants' punter, but he also holds kicks. And in the NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers, Weatherford made a scoop that sent the Giants to the Super Bowl. When Lawrence Tynes set up for the game-winning 31-yard field goal in overtime, Weatherford rescued a low snap into the mud, got the ball down and let Tynes boot it through the goalposts. Weatherford then kind of lost his mind, as he sprinted downfield, tore off his helmet and screamed: "mother----ing Super Bowl!" Nearly 57 million lip-readers watching the game easily deciphered Weatherford's words. "I was so jacked up, I don't even remember the half of it," says Weatherford.
Weatherford considers himself a true athlete, not just a football specialist who uses his hands and his feet. Giants defensive lineman Justin Tuck often spots Weatherford sculpting his upper body in the weight room and wonders why he puts in that work, since bigger pecs won't put more hang time on his punts. "Do I need to be able to bench press 400 lb.?" Weatherford asks. "Absolutely not. But it's pretty cool to say that I do, know what I mean? I enjoy lifting weights, I enjoy working out. It's a hobby for me. Some of these guys like to bowl. I like to get big muscles."
When Weatherford and Tynes line up for a routine extra point, you can explain Weatherford's training technique: in practice, while his teammates pound one another, you can find Weatherford on the sideline, catching footballs with just his left hand. Weatherford is righty, but figures if he can pull off the more challenging task of snaring the ball with just his weak hand, game conditions — where he can use not only his strong hand, but a second hand to catch it and place it on the ground — become much easier. Weatherford sees holding as a craft. After all, Tynes can't score those three points, and cash his paycheck, if Weatherford doesn't catch the snap. "It's something where I control success of another man's life," Weatherford says of holding. Don't you wish your co-workers were so caring?
4. Cruz Control
When it's third down and the Giants have the ball, key in on New York wide receiver Victor Cruz, No. 80. The second-year player signed with the Giants in 2010 as an undrafted rookie and didn't catch a single ball last season. But this year, he caught 82 passes, for a team record 1,536 yards. Against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game, Cruz shredded the Niner defense for 10 catches and 142 yards. "We knew he had talent," says New York Giants wide-receiver coach Sean Ryan. "Did I expect that kind of production to come so early? No."
The Giants love targeting Cruz on third down, especially when they are losing. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Cruz had 455 receiving yards, tops in the NFL, on third downs in situations where the Giants were trailing in the game. So at the party, ask the question — aloud — that former New England safety and NBC studio analyst Rodney Harrison will be asking: Will the Pats double-team Cruz on third downs? "If I were the defensive coordinator, you look at a third-down situation, who's the No. 1 guy?" Harrison says. "It's Victor Cruz. You want to take Victor Cruz away. I would say, stop the run, and force [Giants tight end] Jake Ballard, force [Giants wide receiver Mario] Manningham to make plays. You don't want to leave [Patriots receiver and defensive back Julian] Edelman or any of those guys in one-on-one situations [against Cruz]. It wouldn't be fair."