Super Bowl a cat-and-mouse reprise of regular season finale

By Larry Fine

PHOENIX, Arizona (Reuters) - Sunday's Super Bowl could feature some cat-and-mouse moves as the New England Patriots and New York Giants toy with what to take from their hard-fought, regular-season finale clash of a month ago.

The Patriots preserved their perfect record with a come-from-behind, 38-35 victory at Giants Stadium.

"We both benefit by that game," Giants coach Tom Coughlin told reporters on Friday. "That benefit is still spiralling.

"By that, I mean that what one team did, the other team studies, and then the other team says to itself: 'If they know I'm studying this, then what am I going to do to counter what they think they're getting?

"But there's no doubt that having played against each other, you do have tape that you can look at and you can see, exactly, your player against their player, and you go from there."

New England coach Bill Belichick boiled it down simply.

"I certainly hope that we can hold them to less than 35 points. I'm sure they're hoping to hold us to less than 38," the impassive Patriots coach said at his news conference.

"I think each game takes on its own personality. There are some elements of that game that probably will carry a similar pattern. I think there will be other elements that will be different."