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THE quarterbacks will decide tomorrow's Super Bowl, but former NFL passer Sean Salisbury believes New York Giants playmaker Eli Manning doesn't stand a chance if he tries to go one-on-one with Patriots star Tom Brady.
Haven't seen any NFL matches this season but want to jump on board for the big game? The Sunday Telegraph talked to ESPN commentator Salisbury for his exclusive guide on tomorrow's Super Bowl XLII between the New England Patriots and New York Giants.
Eli Manning has been able to step out of the shadow of his superstar older brother Peyton, of the
Indianapolis Colts, leading the Giants to play-off wins over the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers.
But Salisbury warned Manning against approaching this game as a duel with three-time Super Bowl winner Brady.
"Eli's answered a lot of questions in this three-game play-off run,'' Salisbury said.
'Everybody thought he was an average player but his career has taken a different shape in one month.
"He's got to realise how he got to this Super Bowl was not trying to be the puzzle, just a piece of it.
"What you can't do with a guy like Brady is try to match him play for play. You're not Brady - he threw 50 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. That's ungodly, that's video game stuff.
Brady's the man, he's been to three of these and won them all. If he looks at it like that, Eli will be throwing up all over himself for a week.''
Brady sent fans into a frenzy when he was spotted in a rehabilitation boot just a day after throwing three interceptions in the Patriots' scratchy AFC championship win over San Diego. Salisbury said it wouldn't be a factor.
"Mechanically, he's the best quarterback I've ever seen. My gut tells me Brady isn't playing two bad games in a row.''
Giant task
"If you'd have told me eight weeks ago the Giants were going to be in the Super Bowl, I'd have laughed at you and said, 'they'll have trouble winning one play-off game','' Salisbury said.
To give themselves a chance, Salisbury said the Giants would need to use their strong running game, keeping Brady's offensive team on the sidelines for as long as possible.
New York's win over the Packers on a snow-covered Lambeau Field had demonstrated their courage, but Salisbury said it was a 38-35 loss to the Patriots in December that had been a pivotal game for the Giants.
"I think that game catapulted them to think, 'we can play with those guys'.
"Every single thing that's come their way they've handled it. What they have got to caution against is saying, 'we made it'.
"The Patriots are going to be ready this time. You've taken that giant, you've slapped him in the face and you're not going to get to sneak up on him again.''
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