The News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington • C5

THENEWSTRJBUNE.COM SUNDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2008 C5 SUPER BOWL XLII: GIANTS VS. PATRIOTS Patriots (18-0) (Starters shaded OFFENSE Ht wt tx Tom Brady 6-4 225 8 tMattCassel 6-4 230 3 Matt Gutierrez 6-4 230 0 PB Laurence Maroney 5-H 220 2 Kevin Faulk 5-8 202 9 three recent Super Bowl appearances. "You just know if you go out there and fall short, it will put a dark shadow over everything you've worked so hard to Light said. Belichick has led the Patriots through an undefeated season by keeping them focused on weekly improvements, never allowing them to consider themselves a finished product That's been his goal this week, too. "I dont think you are ever where you want to be," Belichick said.

"There's always more to do and things you've done that you wish you could have done a little better. That's always a process in getting ready for a game." And today's game against the Giants in Super Bowl XLII? "It probably will not be perfect," Belichick said. It's a point that might be argued for the next 35 seasons. Dm Bolkif: 253-597-8440 more time to reflect and think about it because you have a week off to prepare," Bruschi said. "It's been a great distinction for us to just think about the next chapter.

Now, it's really about finishing. Finishing what we started, and then well worry about the historical ramifications A few Patriots have wondered how history would view a 19-0 finish. But they dont want to talk about it And they certainly don't want coach Bill Belichick to hear them talking about it "It's obviously there; I think for each guy, we all kind of deal with it in our own unique way," tackle Matt Light said. "It's not anything you really want to talk about. You dont want to jinx yourself, and none of it really means anything if you dont go out there and play well." As loose as the Patriots have acted the past two weeks, the pressure is there.

And it's greater than it's been in any of their flltflOlllfVt1MIMWItriblMM0lll tif FB 44 Heath Evans 6-5 250 7 Kyle Eckel 5-H 237 1 WP 83 WesWeiker 5-9 185 4 Randy Moss 6-4 210 X) JabarGaffney 6-1 200 6 Kelley Washington 6-3 215 5 DonteStallvrarth 64 200 6 Troy Brown 5-10196 15 Chad Jackson 6-1 215 2 Jl 14 Benpmin Watson 6-3 255 4 Kyle Brady 64 280 13 BStephenSpadi 6-4 250 2 72 Matt Light 6-4 305 7 71 NfckKaczur 6-4 315 3 MRyanOCallaghan 6-7 330 2 Wesley Britt 6-8 320 2 70 Logan Mankins 6-4 310 3 fl Stephen Neal 6-4 305 6 71 RussHochstein 6-4 305 7 Billy Yates 6-2 305 4 9 DanKopoen 6-2 296 5 DEFENSE Ht Wt El 94 Ty Warren 6-5 300 5 93 Richard Seymour 6-6 310 7 97JarvisGreen 6-3 285 6 90 Le Kevin Smith 6-1 308 2 DT 75 VinceWilfork 6-2 325 4 95RashadMoore 6-3 325 4 IP SOMikeVrabel 6-4 261 55 Junior Seau 6-3 250 54TedyBruschi 6-1 247 12 96 Adalius Thomas 6-2 270 8- 53 Larry Izzo 5-10 228 12 52 Eric Alexander 6-2 240 3 58 Pierre Woods 6-5 250 2- (V 22 Asante Samuel 5-10185 5 27 Ellis Hobos 5-9 195 3 21 Randall Gay 5-H 190 4 31 B.Meriweather 5-H 200 0 28 AntwainSpam 6-0 195 2 37 Rodney Harrison 6-1 220 14 36 James Sanders 5-10210 3 23 Willie Andrews 5-10190 2 41 Ray Vent rone 5-10200 2 26 Eugene Wilson 5-10195 5 24 Mel Mitchell 6-1 225 6 KICKERS Ht Wt El SSGostkowski 6-1 210 2 6 Chris Hanson 6-2 202 8 TOM BRADY'S SEASON IN REVIEW The Patriots quarterback's weekly yards and touchdowns: WK ifCZZ STATISTICS MINI Minn 1 i i i Mr'. v. 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Cfe, 9 GAMES WON GAMES LOST TOUCHDOWNS fiffik 'Eft? ir.vv- PATRIOTS POSTSEASON BY THE NUMBERS Super Bowl champioiuhipK 2001, 2003, 2004 OConfmnca champkMiihipK AFC -1985, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007 y5jgf Conference championihipc: AFC -1985, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007 11 DMiion chwnpkMMhipK AFL East 1963; VJM Diviiion chwnpioiMhipK AFL East -1963; AFC East -1978, 1986, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, (Final regular season) PASSING Att Con? Yfanfc TD INT T.Brady 578 398 4806 50 8 Cassel 7 4 38 0 1 Gutierrez 1 1 15 0 0 RUSHING No Yfe Av TD Maroney B5 835 4.5 6 Morris 85 384 4.5 3 Faulk 62 265 43 0 Evans 34 121 34 3 T.Brady 37 98 2 Eckel 33 90 2.7 2 Welker 4 34 8.5 0 Cassel 4 12 3.0 1 Stallworth 1 12 12.0 0 Watson 1 110 0 Gutierrez 5 -13 0 RECEIVING No Yfe Av TD Welker 112 H75 10.5 8 Moss 98 1493 15.2 23 Faulk 47 383 8.1 1 Stallworth 46 697 152 3 Gaffney 36 449 12.5 5 Watson 36 389 108 6 K. Brady 9 70 IS 2 Morris 6 35 SS 0 Maroney 4 116 290 0 Evans 4 43 108 0 Vrabel 2 3 15 2 a Thomas 1 9 90 0 Eckel 1 6 6j0 0 Mankins 1 -9 0 PLACEKKK1NG XP XPA FG FGA Pb Gostkowski 74 74 21 24 137 PUNTING No Ydi Avg Hanson 44 1821 414 PUNT RETURNS No Ydi Avg Welker 25 249 1O0 T.Brown 6 55 92 Jackson 2 7 ii KKNOFF RETURNS No Ydi Avg Hobbs 35 9H 26j0 Welker 7 176 25.1 Jackson 5 85 170 Andrews 4 149 373 Faulk 2 47 215 Evans 1 13 110 Vrabel 1 3 10 NTERCEPTIONS LEADERS Na mil Samuel 6 89 1 Gay 3 52 0 Seau 3 28 0 Sanders 2 43 0 Thomas 1 65 1 Wilson 1 5 1 Colvin 1 4 0 Harrison 1 2 0 Hobbs 1 0 0 takes Super twist 2007 walkthrough Saturday. The Giants held one at the Arizona Cardinals' practice facility.

A walkthrough is done without pads or helmets, giving teams a chance to practice their formations. Goodell spent much of his state-of-the-game address Friday talking about that episode. He said he did not think the Patriots used such tapes to win previous titles. Bui-mi's little better After missing a week of practice with ankle and knee injuries, New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress participated in a walkthrough. "I Slink he's a little bit better today," coach Tom Coughlin told pool reporter Mike Sando of GooiM Bwnm for New ESPN.com.

"He gets a little bit better each day, and hopefully we'll be able to have some further improvement tomorrow." Gad ion at Gianti practice Lt Col. Greg Gadson, who lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq, watched the Giants' practice with his son, Jaelen, at the Cardinals' headquarters in Tempe on Saturday. Gadson has served as an inspirational figure this season for the Giants. The elder Gadson served as an honorary team captain, along with Hall of Famer Harry Carson, for the NFC title game. IbmliiMon honored San Diego running back La-Dainian Tomlinson won the Bart Starr Award for serving as a positive role model to his family, teammates and community.

Tomlinson's Touching Lives Foundation promotes youth football camps, and it helps provide Thanksgiving meals for needy San Diego families and Christmas gifts for sick children. England It also presents scholarships to 30 college-bound students each year. Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr, the award is voted on by NFL players at the end of the season. Other finalists were Chicago receiver Muhsin Muhammad and Arizona QB Kurt Warner. Slow-ftarting Patrioti New England fans shouldn't worry if the Patriots don't score in the first 15 minutes today.

The Patriots did not score in the first quarter of their three Super Bowl victories. They scored 14 points in the first quarter against Green Bay in the 1997 Super Bowl and three against the Chicago Bears in the 1986 game and lost both times. Weather update Forecasters say there is a 60 percent chance of rain in Glen-dale today, with the temperature expected to reach 58. Good thing University of Phoenix Stadium has a retractable roof. NOTEBOOK 'Spygate' News Tribune news services A new spying charge has nicked the New England Patriots.

A member of the Patriots' video staff taped the St Louis Rains' last walkthrough before they played in the 2002 Super Bowl, an unidentified source told the Boston Herald for a story Saturday. New England beat the heavily favored Rains the next day, 20-17, for their first NFL title. The unbeaten Patriots will try to win their fourth Super Bowl in seven seasons today when they play the New York Giants. Early this season, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined New England coach Bin Belichick $500,000 and docked the team $250,000 and a first-round draft pick after the "Spygate'' scandal. The Patriots were accused of videotaping New York Jets defensive coaches as they signaled to players.

The Herald cited a source close to the Patriots in the 2001 season as saying the team held a walkthrough at the Superdome in New Orleans before the game Feb. 3, 2002. After the Patriots took a team picture, a member of their video department stayed inside the stadium and taped the Rams' session, the source said. It was not known whether the cameraman was told by the Patriots to film the practice or what he did with the tape, the Herald said. The Rams were two-touchdown favorites, but lost on Adam Vina-tieri's last-second field goal Told of the newest allegation, NFL spokesman Greg Aiefio told The Associated Press on Saturday: "We were aware of the rumor months ago and looked into it There was no evidence of it on the tapes or in the notes produced by the Patriots, and the Patriots told us it was not true." Patriots spokesman Stacey James reiterated that to the AP: "The suggestion that the New England Patriots recorded the St Louis Rams' walkthrough on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI is absolutely false.

Any suggestion to the contrary is untrue." New England did not have a TEAM MAKEUP Using the current 53-man roster 25 Draft 2 Trade 2f Free agent waivers.