See, we are two degenerate Jets fans and one degenerate Cowboys fan. And since we’re such homers when it comes to the NFL, we don’t agree on much. But we do agree that the two teams we hate the most are playing for the championship this year. To us, the ideal outcome would be if both the Giants and the Patriots lost. Sadly, the very nature of competition renders this outcome an impossibility.

So it is with a heavy heart that we submit our picks for Super Bowl XLII. And as we say goodbye to the 2007 NFL season by reluctantly crowning a champion, here’s to looking forward to the draft, training camp, and the 2008 season. Hope will always spring eternal somewhere.

SK:  I see this game being close until the fourth quarter, much like when these teams met in the last week of the regular season.  The Pats and Giants actually match up pretty well on the field.  The big questions are:  Will the Giants be able to dial up the kind of pass rush that got them this far, or will Brady have enough time to be able to sit in the pocket and find his WRs?  Will the Pats be able to stuff the Jacobs and Bradshaw RB tandem, or will the Giants be able to keep the Pats offense off the field by controlling the clock, pounding the ball, and using play action passes?

Neither team makes a habit of turning the ball over (well, lately anyway) or killing themselves with penalties.  This is technically a road game for both teams, and both teams play well on the road, with the Pats at 10-0, and the Giants at 10-1.  The Pats can be dominant on offense, especially on a warm and dry Arizona evening, but the Giants defense has been on a roll and is playing with a ton of confidence.  However, let’s not lose sight of the Pats defense here.  They did give up a lot of yards to the Chargers two weeks ago, but tightened up when it counted and kept Phil Rivers and company out of the end zone.  If that happens again, the Giants have no shot.

At the end of the day, I just don’t see Belichick and Brady letting their team lose this one.  They know what’s at stake and they know that without a championship, all the arguments about their legacy are moot.  No matter how well they played on their way here, at this point there’s a huge difference between 19-0 and 18-1.  So Don Shula, Mercury Morris, and the other douchebags on the ‘72 Dolphins can put their champagne away forever.  My pick is Patriots 38 - Giants 28.

Hasan H: Right off the bat, let me just say that it will take a lot for the Patsies to lose this game. All the cliches happen to be true in this scenario. The Giants will have to play a perfect team game and the Patriots will have to shoot themselves in the foot somehow.  And if there is any reason to believe why I think the Giants will even keep the game close, here it is: I think the Patriots are over-confident. 

When asked about Plaxico Burress’ 23-17 prediction, Tom Brady replied “We’re only going to score 17 points? Is Plax playing defense?” Then he went on to say he wished that Burress had predicted a 45-42 score.  So in Brady’s mind, he thinks the Pats are going to score a ton on these Giants.  Sure, Burress opened his mouth first and obviously Brady has to be confident because they have the track record, but to me his comment seems a tad arrogant.  Don’t think the Giants D won’t notice this. The Patriots are coming to play with a sense of entitlement and destiny, and the Giants players have bristled over that notion all week. They are looking for something, anything, to fire them up.  You couple Brady’s comments with the trash talk from Randy Moss and Rodney Harrison and I think the Giants have enough to get mad about.   Remember - the disrespect card always works. The Giants have felt it all week and they are itching to lay some hurt on the Patsies.

I think the Giants will come out pissed off and it’ll show in the first quarter. But if you see no fire from them in the first quarter, I recommend hitting up a gambling site and putting all your hedge money on any and all combinations of side bets favoring the Pats in the second half.  But until then, sign me up for 18-1.  My pick is Giants 35 - Patriots 31. 

Russell A: Forget 2 shits, I couldn’t give a half of one about this Superbowl. Which is precisely why I’m flying to the west coast on Sunday night - so I don’t have to watch both of these teams play.  Alas, there must be a victor. It’s a classic David and Goliath match up on this one. Ironically the “Giants” are playing the role of David and the Hatriots are playing the role of Goliath. The intial line of Patsies +17  made this match up feel like another Broncos/Falcons or Niners/Broncos Superbowl (minus the ‘Dirty Bird’). I think the fact that the line has dropped to 10 on some boards is telling. Prognosticators and blowhards in the media can pick numbers to support either side of the argument. The Giants are hot right now and they are playing as a team. They are the “It” story. Eli’s long awaited coming out party is in full blast. All of a sudden Tom Coughlin is a fatherly figure and a media darling.

But as hot as the Giants are, with their impeccable road record and Manning’s flawless play, they will never be as hot as the Patsies. Belichicken has gameplanned the entire season perfectly. Light up the score board in the warmer weather and don’t overuse Maroney. Then when the weather gets colder, put the white hot passing game on ice and bring out some smashmouth football. While the Patriots have done terrible ATS in the last few weeks, they are built to win Superbowls, not to please gambling degenerates around the globe. And win they do. Often.

I see this game starting out wide open. Tightening up in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and the Patriots blowing out the door in the 4th quarter. It will go down as one of the more lackluster Superbowls ever and we will be subjected to hearing Bill Simmons wax poetic about this disgusting dynasty of a team for months to come. But it would be sour grapes if I complained. The Patsies have earned it.

 Patriots 34, Giants 17.