Journey Into Title Town

On Sunday our beloved New York Giants will journey to Lambeau Field to take on the 15-1 Green Bay Packers. The history between these two teams is tremendous, and both franchises are pioneers of the sport that we know and love today. Both teams are on a quest for the Vince Lombardi trophy and to get there they have to go to the very place it all began: Lambeau Field.

As you probably know, Vince Lombardi was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers at the time of the Super Bowl era and under quarterback Bart Starr they won Super Bowls I and II. That is why today the mother of all prizes in football is named in Vince Lombardi's very honor. Vince was one of the most honorable men in football but he wasn't always a man of Green Bay. A Brooklyn native, Vince was once an offensive coordinator for the New York Giants under head coach Jim Lee Howell. He led the Giants to a championship in 1956 along with defensive coordinator Tom Landry. Following his very successful time in New York, the only way Vince was able to land a head coaching job was for an extremely small market team in Green Bay coming off an awful season. As he did everywhere he went, he turned Green Bay into winners.

I cannot help but notice the irony that in order for the Giants to get to the next step in this years NFL playoffs, they have to go through the defending Super Bowl Champions in Green Bay. It is symbolic and this game will be one to remember. I don't think this will be another flag football game (like the many high scoring affairs Green Bay has been involved in this year). This is the playoffs in January in Green Bay, Wisconsin. There will be defense, especially because this is the second time these teams will be seeing each other this year.

My bold prediction is the Giants will win this game 21-17. This Giants team is cool and confident. Both teams have been to the NFL holy land and know what it takes to get there. The philosophy of the New York Giants is a simple one: If we want to be the best we have to beat the best. Right now, Green Bay is the best. They will be defending their title in an extremely hostile environment. They don't call it Title Town for nothing.

The crowd may be an advantage to the Packers, but there is no other place the Giants would rather be. They get a second shot at a team that the Giants barely lost to. If the Giants get a victory in Lambeau they will have defeated the number one seed in the NFL and the momentum will be on their side. If there's a team that can upset the Packers, it's us. Because as Jason Pierre-Paul said, "Rodgers will be hit."

On Sunday, two traditional franchises will meet yet again. This time it will be a battle for a chance to go to the NFC Championship. It will be the first time that two Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks square off against each other in a playoff. And if Eli Manning wins he will have the record for most road playoff wins in NFL history (the current leader is Mark Sanchez).

It is time for redemption. The road warriors are back and they're journeying into Title Town where it all began. There are ghosts of the past that have put their blood sweat and tears into both franchises. It's time to honor these pioneers of the sport because here it is in January, 2012 and we still live by the very tradition that they fought for.

It's upset time. We're all in. Lets go Giants.