Bruce Smith expects history to repeat itself Sunday.
The former All-Pro defensive end says the New York Giants' swarming, athletic defense will be too much for the New England Patriots to handle in the Super Bowl at Indianapolis. That was certainly the case four years ago when the Giants shocked the football world by upsetting New England in the NFL championship game and handing the Patriots their only loss of the '07 season
"I just think the Giants' defensive line is healthy and they're the best defensive line in football," Smith said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "The Giants are peaking at the right time, they have momentum.
"They're playing better than any other team and being coached, along with New England, better than any other football team in the National Football League right now. They're just clicking on all cylinders.
"This game could go either way but I'm predicting the Giants will win.''
Heady praise, indeed, of Giants' head coach Tom Coughlin considering New England's Bill Belichick is a three-time Super Bowl champion and leading the Patriots to their fifth championship appearance in 11 seasons.
There's no denying the Giants' defense is on a roll. The unit has anchored the club's five-game win streak heading into the Super Bowl by allowing 13.4 points per game over that span with 20 sacks. What's more, New York hasn't allowed more than 251 yards passing.
Four years ago, New York sacked Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady five times, hit him on nine other occasions and forced a fumble in its stunning 17-14 victory.
New England's biggest concern this week is the health of Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. He hasn't practised since sustaining a high ankle sprain in the AFC championship game Jan. 22 but at least is no longer sporting a walking boot.
Gronkowski was selected to the Pro Bowl this season after registering 90 catches for 1,327 yards and a tight-end record 17 touchdowns.
Gronkowski's status has taken some of the emphasis off a New England defense that struggled during the regular season. But the unit has performed well in the playoffs, having allowed just 30 points in the Patriots' last two games while registering eight sacks.
The 48-year-old Smith knows all about how effective a disruptive defensive front can be. He registered an NFL-record 200 sacks —impressive considering he played mostly in a 3-4 alignment — in a Hall of Fame career that spanned 19 seasons with the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins.
Smith also made four straight Super Bowl appearances (1990-'93) with Buffalo, who took Smith first overall in the '85 NFL draft out of Virginia Tech after he captured the Outland Trophy as U.S. college football's top lineman.
Smith and former defensive lineman Jevon Kearse, who appeared in Super Bowl XXXIV with the Tennessee Titans, will take in Sunday's big game at an NFL-sanctioned Super Bowl party in Toronto. Similar events will also go in Montreal and Vancouver.
The six-foot-four, 265-pound Smith was very much a disruptive force at defensive end. He was quick enough to beat an offensive tackle to the outside but also had the uncanny ability to get low while at full speed to create an even bigger mismatch.
Eleven times he was named to the Pro Bowl and twice captured the NFL's top defensive player award.
But Super Bowl success eluded Smith and the Bills. The most bitter memory came in their first appearance when Scott Norwood's late 47-yard field goal attempt sailed just wide, preserving the Giants' 20-19 victory.
That's as close as the Bills would get. They lost the 1991 Super Bowl 37-24 to Washington before dropping the next two to the Dallas Cowboys by scores of 52-17 and 30-13.
"That one … the first one was the worst memory because it was a difference of one point," Smith said. "Had we won that one, who knows what would've happened in the next three Super Bowls?
"It is what it is, we can't cry over spilled milk. We were just blessed to have had the opportunity to play in four straight Super Bowls.''
Super Bowl week is indeed a hectic, sometimes chaotic time for players. Not only must they prepare under a much more intense media glare — with thousands of journalists making the trek annually to the contest — but there's also the added distractions of securing tickets and lodging for friends and family as well as the abundance of Super Bowl parties leading up to the game.
The key, Smith said, is for players to live in the moment, understand why they're there and enjoy the overall experience while maintaining an even keel emotionally as they prepare for the biggest game of their careers.
"There's a wide array of thoughts and emotions that these players are experiencing along with some sleepless nights," he said. "This is the biggest stage that many of these guys have ever seen in their entire lives.
"When Sunday gets here, you can explode and let it all hang out.''
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Copyright © 2012 The Canadian Press. All Rights Reserved.
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