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Linebacker Antonio Pierce's physical play has caught the attention of the Patriots. (JULIE JACOBSON/Associated Press) |
GLENDALE, Ariz. - To get a better picture of Antonio Pierce, check his profile in the Giants' media guide. The 6-foot-1-inch, 238-pound middle linebacker majored in communications at the University of Arizona, and one of his hobbies is breeding pit bulls.
Put the two together and you get a vocal battler, a leader on a defense that must find a way to contain the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady in tonight's Super Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Take, for example, Pierce's take on Brady, the NFL MVP, before the Patriots and Giants met in the regular-season finale in December. "He walks around like he's Prince Charles, like he's the golden boy," Pierce said. "He walks around like he shouldn't get hit. You never see players get followed by paparazzi. But he's a heck of a quarterback."
Pierce has helped build unity on the Giants, who put together a 10-game road winning streak that has carried them to the Super Bowl. He suggested the Giants wear black suits for their arrival in Arizona, a funereal procession that caught the eyes of the Patriots.
"We all just decided to pick out the same outfit," Pierce said. "It's just a little team unity, that's all. We're always trying to do things like that. We have to wear a suit anyway, so we all decided black would be a good color to wear on the plane and we decided to do it together."
Pierce always seems to have en edge, something he's relied on since his NFL career began in 2001 as an undrafted free agent signed by the Washington Redskins. He played four seasons with the Redskins before moving to the Giants in 2005.
Pierce was aware of the Giants' history when he joined the team.
"Especially if you play in the NFC East, you know about all the great linebackers that played here," said Pierce. "Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, Harry Carson, Jessie Armstead, Sam Huff . . . [there is] a lot of history."
Defensive end Michael Strahan is still the leader on the Giants' defense, but Pierce has made his presence felt.
"When I see him on the field, I feel very comfortable," said Strahan. "Now, when I see him off the field, I'm very uncomfortable, because it always looks like he's up to something. But on the field, he makes you feel very comfortable because he's so smart. He sees things. He makes adjustments, which is amazing at the speed the game moves. He sees something and he goes over and tells the coaches so they can make adjustments. He is truly a coach on the field."
Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said what you see is what you get with Pierce.
"Antonio is a student of the game," Spagnuolo said. "When you see him out there talking and pointing, that's not phony."
The Patriots are well aware of Pierce's presence on the field.
"Pierce is a very physical player," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. "He's aggressive and a good tackler. He makes a lot of plays on instincts and quickness. He anticipates every play very well. A lot of times he almost looks like he hears the plays in the huddle."
Pierce, who has led the Giants in tackles the last two seasons, said he's tired of hearing what the Giants can't do.
"We went against every quarterback, heard everybody say, 'You can't beat that guy,' " Pierce said. "You can't beat Jeff Garcia. You can't beat Tony Romo. You can't beat Brett Favre in the cold weather. And now, you can't beat Tom Brady. That's beautiful. That's what we want. We're not here to hand the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the Patriots. We're not Roger Goodell."
Pierce recognizes the underdog role in which the Giants have been cast. He has played that role since he got out of college.
"That's how it's been since Day One," he said. "It just didn't start because of Super Bowl week. That's something that if that's what everybody wants to label us as, that's something we've accepted. We're trying to use that as motivation."
Pierce said the underdog role is fitting for the Giants' linebackers.
"[Our] linebackers are lunch-pail guys," he said. "Those are the guys who come to work every day - hard hats. We don't take plays off. We don't just come in on third down.
"Our defensive line does a heck of job getting to the quarterback. All year they've been very aggressive. They make everybody around them better. With the linebackers, we're just part of the puzzle."
Pierce dismissed a media blitz when Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress predicted a 23-17 victory.
"Are we supposed to say we're going to lose?" Pierce said. "What do you want us to say? We want to win the game. That's obviously the ultimate goal for us. We're not here to play second best to anybody.
"We came to win a game and go back with the Lombardi trophy. If you want to consider that a guarantee, it's not. We're not going to think negative and say we're going to lose and have the same perception everybody has about us."
Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com.
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