Pats focused on Nicks, Cruz during Giants' last drive

BY NICK ST. DENIS

When teams take something away from the Patriots, the Patriots beat them another way.

But things were the other way around in the Patriots' Super Bowl loss to the Giants Sunday.

"This is still a (Victor) Cruz-and-(Hakeem) Nicks game," Belichick told his defense before the Giants' game-winning drive. "I know we're right on them. It's tight, but those are still the guys. Make them go to (Mario) Manningham, make them go to (Bear) Pascoe. Let's make sure we get Cruz and Nicks."

Belichick got his wish. Giants quarterback Eli Manning hit Manningham for a 38-yard completion down the left sideline on the first play of the drive, which may have been the biggest play of the game.

New York went on to drive the field before scoring the eventual game-winning touchdown on the ground.

"It just says how talented we are (as a receiving corps) and how you can't really key in on one guy because at any point in time, all of us can really do well," Cruz said, according to ESPN Boston. "And in the running game as well, once you try to sit back and play all these different coverages and try to stop us, that is when Ahmad (Bradshaw) or (Brandon) Jacobs will gash you."

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