NFL

Patriots pair puts Giants in ‘tight’ spot

Patriots tight end Ben Watson set up the first touchdown of Super Bowl XLII against the Giants, drawing a 16-yard pass interference penalty in the end zone that led to Laurence Maroney’s 1-yard score.

The Patriots’ tight end again will be a Giants concern on Sunday, but this time, it’s the dazzling duo of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez — the best tight end combo in the NFL.

Gronkowski, who is 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, is tied for fourth among NFL tight ends in catches (36), ranks third in yards (495) and is tied for second in touchdowns (five). The 6-foot-1, 245-pound Hernandez is 11th in catches (29), 13th in yards (298) and tied for fourth in TDs (four) — despite missing two games.

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“It’s very difficult, because in our opinion, [Hernandez is] like a wide receiver,” Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. “He can go out, he can run routes like a wide receiver.”

So how will the Giants stop Gronkowski and Hernandez? Most teams cover tight ends with a linebacker or a safety. Michael Boley is the Giants’ fastest starting linebacker and Antrel Rolle is their most versatile safety, so both could work in coverage on Gronkowski and Hernandez.

Rolle, when asked yesterday how the Giants would cover the duo, said, “I’m not giving our game plan away.”

The Giants could go in another direction. Rookie cornerback Prince Amukamara is expected to make his NFL debut after missing the first part of the year with a broken foot. Fewell suggested Amukamara’s return could allow the Giants to “put a corner on a tight end rather than putting a linebacker on [him].”

That means Corey Webster or Aaron Ross could cover the tight ends, especially since the Patriots don’t have a dangerous outside receiver.

So far this season, the Giants have stopped tight ends — other than in Week 1, when Washington’s Fred Davis hauled in five passes for 105 yards. But in the six games since, no opposing tight end has done much.

“We’ve been more efficient in what we’ve been doing,” Rolle said. “On the tight ends we’ve been playing a lot of different coverages and locking them down a lot with our safeties.”

Fewell had a simpler explanation.

“I just think,” he said, “the players have focused more.”