The matchup in Super Bowl XLII is made for Connecticut. Around here, it doesn't get any better than the New England Patriots vs. the New York Giants. With half the state rooting for one and the rest for the other, the hype over the National Football League championship game knows no bounds. Sure, there's no sports rivalry in these parts as rabid as that between the Yankees and the Red Sox. But they can never play each other in the World Series, being that they are both in the same league. To have two favorite teams play for a championship is a tonic for a long, cold winterThose who watched the Patriots defeat the Giants 38-35 at the end of the regular season can expect a good game. There will be plenty of drama. The Patriots are undefeated and can become the first team ever to go 19-0 and the first in 36 years to have a perfect season. But they will not prove invincible until the last Dorito is munched and the last beer drained. The Giants are underdogs who came on strong for the playoffs. They played tough against the Patriots on New England's home field in what turned out to be a Super Bowl preview. The big game Feb. 3 in Phoenix will mark only the second time in NFL history that two teams who met in the final week of the regular season play in the Super Bowl. The state is abuzz with anticipation. Two women were overheard in a store dressing room east of the river recently, both Patriots fans. "Can you imagine if they lost the Super Bowl after all this?" one said to her friend. "The whole season would be a waste!" Welcome to the land of high expectations. No pressure, Tom Brady. No pressure, Eli Manning. These are only the most knowledgeable, sophisticated and exacting fans in the sports universe. So far, you haven't let them down.
Football: Utes support injured teammates
The Jan. 19 stabbings of Utah football players Paul Kruger and Greg Newman both frightened and shocked many of their teammates, but don't expect any sort of retaliation from a Ute anytime soon. They are just happy their teammates are alive and on the road to recovery. "It's an unfortunate situation, there's no doubt about that," Utah quarterback Brian Johnson said. "It's something that will definitely bring us closer together, and hopefully they find out what happened. Obviously, our thoughts and prayers go out to Paul and Greg, and hopefully they can have a speedy recovery."Many Utah football players and athletes alike visited the University Hospital earlier this week to check on Kruger's condition. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound defensive end underwent surgery Sunday morning for two stab wounds to his stomach."A bunch of us went up there on Sunday or Monday to show him some love," Utah's Darrell Mack said. "That's one of my good friends. It's just sad it had to happen."Kruger was discharged from the hospital Wednesday afternoon but will remain in ginger condition in the coming weeks, as one of his lungs was punctured in the melee, his father said. Newman and Kruger's brother, David, who was on a recruiting trip to the U when the incident occurred, were both treated and released. All three are expected to make full recoveries. Newman said in a statement released on Monday that he is "looking forward to things returning to normal." Despite the fact that the brawl took place in public around the intersection of 2900 South and 700 East, there still wasn't an abundance of eyewitnesses. Kruger's father, whose name is also Paul, said that the players were able to give hazy descriptions of some of the assailants, but police have yet to name any suspects and are still in the investigation process. "Our initial investigation was done by the responding officers," said Sgt. Paul Jaroscak of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department. "Any further investigations will be done by the detective assigned to the case."Attempts to reach the detective investigating the incident were unsuccessful.Many Utah football players, although disturbed by the altercation, say that the thought of retaliation never crossed their minds. "That's stupid," Mack said. "We just got to go about our business and our schooling. Retaliation? Nah, we don't want to be doing none of that." Teammates and coaches have also said that Kruger and Newman aren't the kind of people to go out looking for trouble. "Those are really good guys," Johnson said. "Those are classy guys. They're not trouble-makers by any means. Those are very high-character guys, and they've done a lot for this program. It was just kind of an unfortunate situation."
Football: Utes support injured teammates
The Jan. 19 stabbings of Utah football players Paul Kruger and Greg Newman both frightened and shocked many of their teammates, but don't expect any sort of retaliation from a Ute anytime soon. They are just happy their teammates are alive and on the road to recovery. "It's an unfortunate situation, there's no doubt about that," Utah quarterback Brian Johnson said. "It's something that will definitely bring us closer together, and hopefully they find out what happened. Obviously, our thoughts and prayers go out to Paul and Greg, and hopefully they can have a speedy recovery."Many Utah football players and athletes alike visited the University Hospital earlier this week to check on Kruger's condition. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound defensive end underwent surgery Sunday morning for two stab wounds to his stomach."A bunch of us went up there on Sunday or Monday to show him some love," Utah's Darrell Mack said. "That's one of my good friends. It's just sad it had to happen."Kruger was discharged from the hospital Wednesday afternoon but will remain in ginger condition in the coming weeks, as one of his lungs was punctured in the melee, his father said. Newman and Kruger's brother, David, who was on a recruiting trip to the U when the incident occurred, were both treated and released. All three are expected to make full recoveries. Newman said in a statement released on Monday that he is "looking forward to things returning to normal." Despite the fact that the brawl took place in public around the intersection of 2900 South and 700 East, there still wasn't an abundance of eyewitnesses. Kruger's father, whose name is also Paul, said that the players were able to give hazy descriptions of some of the assailants, but police have yet to name any suspects and are still in the investigation process. "Our initial investigation was done by the responding officers," said Sgt. Paul Jaroscak of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department. "Any further investigations will be done by the detective assigned to the case."Attempts to reach the detective investigating the incident were unsuccessful.Many Utah football players, although disturbed by the altercation, say that the thought of retaliation never crossed their minds. "That's stupid," Mack said. "We just got to go about our business and our schooling. Retaliation? Nah, we don't want to be doing none of that." Teammates and coaches have also said that Kruger and Newman aren't the kind of people to go out looking for trouble. "Those are really good guys," Johnson said. "Those are classy guys. They're not trouble-makers by any means. Those are very high-character guys, and they've done a lot for this program. It was just kind of an unfortunate situation."
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