For 15 years, Fox Sports analyst John Lynch was one of the NFL’s top strong safeties. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and was called by NFL Films one of the top 10 most feared tacklers in football. In his 11 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he won a Super Bowl and was part one of the most respected defensive teams of his era. He was part of a defense that popularized the “Tampa 2” coverage that is now a mainstay in the NFL. He finished his career spending four years under coach Mike Shanahan in Denver.
Lynch weighed in on his approach to stopping these two prolific offenses in Super Bowl XLVI.
How do the Giants stop the Patriots’ offense?
Lynch » “The offense the Patriots run is very much a rhythm-type offense. It allows Tom Brady to get the ball out of his hands quickly. So to best combat that, the Giants will use Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck to keep pressure on Brandy all afternoon. That allows New York to rush four and drop seven to cover Wes Welker, Deion Branch and Aaron Hernandez. As for stopping Rob Gronkowski, if I were playing him I would hit him hard at the line of scrimmage, making him really have to push off to get by me and forcing him to really work that ankle.”
How to the Patriots stop the Giants’ offense?
Lynch » “The Patriots’ defense does not have the pass rush the Giants have. For them it begins with Vince Wolfolk, who provides the push for the defensive line. This is a team that will use a number of stunts, blitzes and ways to confuse New York. Eli Manning, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz pose matchup problems for the Patriots. During the regular season, the Pats allowed [79] plays over 20 yards but since the playoffs have begun they only given up just [six] plays over 20 yards. The hope is getting just the right blitz dialed up so they can get a pick from cornerback Devin McCourty or Patrick Chung. This is a team that bends but does not break with one of the best red-zone defenses in the NFL, and so keeping the Giants out of the end zone and attempting field goals will be crucial come Sunday.”
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
