Paul Domowitch: For Pats, rush a Giant concern

INDIANAPOLIS - The most lasting memory of the Giants' 17-14 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII 4 years ago was that miraculous, ball-pinned-against-his-helmet catch by David Tyree that kept alive the Giants' game-winning touchdown drive.

But there would have been no late-game heroics by the Giants' offense if not for the beginning-to-end havoc wreaked by the defense on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady that day.

The Giants' pass rush made Brady's life a living hell, sacking him five times and giving him precious little time to get the ball to a receiving corps that had lit up scoreboards all season long. Brady, who threw 50 touchdown passes and averaged 8.3 yards per attempt that season, threw for just one TD against the Giants and averaged 5.5 yards per attempt.

When the two teams meet again here Sunday in Super Bowl XLVI, the Patriots' ability to protect Brady from the Giants' ferocious pass rush again will go a long way in determining the winner and loser.

"They can really get after the passer," Brady said yesterday after his team arrived in town. "It starts with those guys up front - Justin [Tuck], Osi [Umenyiora], JPP [Jason Pierre-Paul], [Chris] Canty, [Dave] Tollefson - it seems like whoever they put in there can get after the passer.

"Any time you can limit a quarterback's time to make reads and make an accurate throw, it's much more challenging. But I have a lot of trust in my offensive line."

The Giants managed to notch 48 sacks this season despite the fact that Tuck and Umenyiora were hurt for a good chunk of it. Pierre-Paul, the freakishly athletic second-year man out of South Florida whom the Eagles took a pass on in the 2010 draft, had a team-high 16 1/2 sacks. Despite playing in just nine games, Umenyiora finished with nine sacks. Tuck fought through injuries to record five sacks.

The Giants sacked Brady just twice in their 24-20 come-from-behind win over the Patriots in Week 9. But the pressure they put on him contributed to two interceptions.

Both Tuck and Umenyiora are healthy now, and the Giants' pass-rush has been relentless in the playoffs. They have nine sacks in their three postseason wins, including seven in victories over the 49ers and Packers.

"It's a challenge because each guy gives you something a little different," Patriots right guard Brian Waters said. "If you're not prepared, they can make you look bad. And then they work really well together. Individually, they're all good pass rushers, penetrators. They do a good job of knocking balls down when they're not able to get to the quarterback.

"But when they have to work together, when they're running games and different twists and things, they do a good job of that, too. They're able to get in the backfield and also be effective against the run."

On passing downs, the Giants often will go with four defensive ends, moving Pierre-Paul and Tuck, both of whom go about 280 pounds, inside, and using Umenyiora and linebacker/end Mathias Kiwanuka at the end spots. They're not the only team in the league that does it, but they're more effective with it than most because of the versatility of the players involved.

"A lot of teams don't have the personnel to do that," Patriots left guard Logan Mankins said. "That's what makes their pass rush good; that they can get that many guys in there at one time that can all rush the passer."

Said Patriots coach Bill Belichick: "Sometimes they'll do it out of an odd [three-man] front where they have Kiwanuka kind of floating behind the line of scrimmage as a fourth rusher, but you don't know exactly where he's going to come from.

"They have a bunch of guys they can roll out there who all can rush the passer. They're all good and some of them have their own unique skills to rush the passer, and that makes it a different matchup when one guy is in there relative to another guy."

The condition of Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski's injured ankle will be a big story all week. Gronkowski, who had 90 receptions for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns this season, suffered a high ankle sprain in the Pats' AFC Championship Game win over the Ravens. He had his foot in a protective boot yesterday when he got off the plane. Bill Belichick said Gronkowski is day-to-day . . . Belichick, whose team has had a fierce rivalry with the Colts, was asked yesterday whether he expected some "Hoosier hospitality" from the people of Indiana this week. Replied Belichick: "I never had too much hospitality here until I went for it on fourth-and-2. Since then, I've been greeted in a lot more friendly manner here." He was referring to a 2009 game against the Colts. Belichick, with his team up by six, went for it on fourth-and-2 from his own 28 because he didn't want to give the ball back to Peyton Manning. The Patriots failed to pick up the first down and the Colts scored and won the game.