Eli Manning's Rise to Stardown Will Overshadow the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl

Here is my boldest prediction of the Super Bowl: The Giants-Patriots game will be the most watched Super Bowl ever! How's that for a prediction. As a native New Yorker, I can tell you that almost every person in the metropolitan which includes all of New York state and New Jersey will be watching the game and the entire New England area which covers Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont will be watching this game. Not to mention, the millions of people across the country who love or hate Tom Brady. Oh, by the way, did I mention the fact that the Patriots are looking to become the first team ever to go 19-0 in a single season? It must have slipped my mind.

However, I'm not here to tell you about the spectacular amount of viewers who will be watching this game. I'm here to tell you that Eli Manning will win the Super Bowl MVP trophy and deliver the Giants to the Promised Land. That my friends will be the top Super Bowl story. You can take that to the bank!

Eli Manning has been playing the best football of his life this season with the retirement of possible Hall of Fame running back Tiki Barber. Barber was a great running back but he had and still has a huge personality. Even as a television talking pundit, he has criticized Eli Manning for his leadership. So how has Eli Manning responded? Did he berate Eli Manning? Did he scold him for being a bad teammate? No! He simply kept his mouth shut and let his play do the talking for him. That's how all great players handle themselves. Eli Manning has certainly elevated his performance and is the unquestioned leader of this New York Giants football team. He had perhaps his best game as a quarterback against the New England Patriots in week 17, a game that the Giants had nothing to play for and the Patriots had everything to gain.

On the road, Eli Manning has shown his true colors as a road warrior as the Giants have won their last 10 road games. Time and again the television pundits said the Giants would lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Then the pundits said they would lose to the Dallas Cowboys who beat them twice in the regular season. Then the pundits said the Giants would lose to the Packers who were riding on the magical season of Brett Favre. They were all wrong. Now the pundits have once again picked the Giants to lose the game. In fact, the Giants are 14 point underdogs on the betting lines. And you know what! The Giants will prove the pundits wrong once again and pull off the greatest upset in NFL history. This Giants team is destined for greatness. Michael Straham is not going to lose this game. Not after he was on the 2000 Giants team that got blown out in the Super Bowl against the Ravens. Straham will make sure he has at least one big play in this Super Bowl that will make the difference to win the game. Michael Straham will make sure he isn't going to retire without that glorified Super Bowl ring.

Eli Manning will take over this game, just like he did against the Patriots. Eli Manning led the Giants to score enough points to win the game but the defense let them down. Not this time with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnulo getting better at play calling each game. Eli Manning will have one of his best games as a quarterback because he is tired of living in his brother's shadow. He is tired of hearing how Tom Brady is the best quarterback ever. Eli Manning is tired of being criticized and tired of the pundits who say the Giants should have drafted Ben Rothesberger of Phillip Rivers. Eli Manning will be the best quarterback in this Super Bowl and will be on his path to greatness in the National Football League in what will be the best Super Bowl story yet to come.