Like Peyton, Eli grasps football immortality

Like Peyton, Eli grasps football immortality
The 1972 Miami Dolphins are still in a class by themselves, and Don Shula can once again light that victory cigar knowing that for now, his Dolphins are still the only team to go undefeated for an entire season.

I just witnessed the greatest Superbowl I have ever seen, and one of the greatest upsets in all of sports....Eli Manning and the upstart New York “football” Giants, 12 point underdogs, defeated the undefeated New England Patriots 17-14 in dramatic fashion reaching football immortality and grasping superbowl glory ending a Patriot season, that many were proclaiming to be up to this point, the best ever.

There was once a time when…

“Broadway” Joe Namath proclaimed that his underdog NY Jets would upset the fully favored Baltimore Colts and hall of famer Johnny Unitas in Superbowl III (1969) in which the Jets were 18 point underdogs. Well, Broadway Joe lived up to that guarantee guiding the Jets to a historic 16-7 win over the Colts and could be seen exiting the field with cameras flashing in every direction pointing his finger in the air knowing that he and the Jets pulled off the greatest Superbowl upset in recent memory......possibly until tonight. The debate now begins.

Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was quoted as saying that the Giants were going to win 23-17 last week during media day, drawing all kinds off attention from the Patriots. The Giants not only lived up to that guarantee, but Plaxico caught the game winning TD catch.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS—PERFECT SEASON

The New England Patriots entered the Superbowl XLII as twelve point favorites, deservingly so with the insurmountable 18-0 record they were carrying into it. They had finished the regular season 16-0 and had dispatched the Jacksonville Jaguars in the division round 31-20 and the San Diego Chargers 21-12 in the AFC title game.

BEST REGULAR SEASON EVER—2007 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

They ended the regular season as the best offensive team in NFL History, surmounting 589 points while outscoring their opponents 589-274, by far the biggest point differential in NFL History. Many other records were also shattered included:

*Randy Moss’ 23 receiving TD’s.—(Jerry Rice 22 in 1987)
*Tom Brady’s 50 TD passes.—(Peyton Manning 49 in 2004)
*TD to interception differential for Brady (50 TD’s and 8 interceptions) - 42
*Tom Brady throwing for at least 3 TD’s in 11 straight games
*Went into the superbowl as only 18-0 team ever
*Scoring 30 or more points in 8 straight games

Aside from setting all sorts of offensive NFL records, the Patriots were also one of the most formidable teams defensively. They ranked 4th in the NFL in total defense and were led by some of the leagues best in Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, Junior Seau, Asante Samuel and Adalius Thomas. Impressive victories included wins at Dallas beating the Cowboys 48-27, Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning 24-20, while there were also the occasional routs which included a 52-7 win against Washington and 56-10 avalanche at Buffalo.

Entering the 2007 playoffs, many believed that the Indianapolis Colts were the only team that could stop the Patriots and halt their amazing run. However, to my surprise and many others, the San Diego Chargers went into Indianapolis and defeated the defending NFL champs (much to my dismay) in a 28-24 upset. So......after the Colts loss, it was clear that there was no stopping the Patriots from finishing the best regular season ever and being labeled as the best team ever. Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick’s playoff history spoke for itself. It was clear to all and those in Las Vegas, there was no way the NFC opponent in the superbowl, whether it be the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, or NY Giants defeat them, because they were that good....except for Eli Manning and the resilient NY Giants.

A Superbowl victory for the New England Patriots would not only be their 4th in 7 years, but it would label them as probably the best dynasty of all time, although their is much debate to the subject. They had already won 3 in 4 years joining the likes of the 1960’s Packers and Vince Lombardi, 1970’s Steelers and Terry Bradshaw, 1980’s 49ers and Joe Montana, and 1990’s Dallas Cowboys, who were the first team to win three superbowls in four years. Tom Brady would also join the likes of Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks to win four superbowls. Many also debate that Tom Brady would be labeled as the best quarterback ever with a win against the Giants.

SUPERBOWL XLII RECAP—An upset for the ages

NY Giants 17—New England Patriots 14
There was expectation of history on a chilly night in the Arizona desert. Super Bowl XLII delivered on that score, but history of a different sort was made on Sunday. The Giants, 12-point underdogs, ruined the New England Patriots’ quest for a perfect season. New York, which lost six of 16 games during the regular season, prevailed 17-14 at University of Phoenix Stadium. This will be viewed as one of the greatest upsets in superbowl history.
Quarterback Eli Manning lofted a regal, floating 13-yard pass to Plaxico Burress in the corner of the end zone—over Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs—to put the Giants over the top with 35 seconds left. It was the culmination of the kind of last-minute, game-winning, 12-play, 83 yard drive we have come to expect of Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. With 19 completions of 34 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns, Manning was named the Most Valuable Player—following his brother Peyton, who won the award last year when he led the Indianapolis Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears.

ONE WORD DESCRIBED THIS TEAM: “RESILIENT”

The victory was especially sweet for Manning. Giants defensive end Michael Strahan has often said that Manning faces more pressure than any player in the league—because he was a No. 1 draft choice, because he plays in New York and because he is the younger brother of Peyton. Now, that pressure has disappeared. In his fourth season, Manning has a significant lead in the early returns. At the tender age of 27, he has won four playoff games and a title. The Giants are nothing if not resilient. Because they were technically the visiting team, they won their 11th consecutive game on the road, including all four playoff games.

This was especially sweet for Strahan and wide receiver Amani Toomer, the only holdovers from the 34-7 strafing by the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV. It was the third Super Bowl victory for one of the league’s most venerable franchises, to go with the Vince Lombardi trophies won at the end of the 1986 and 1990 seasons. The Patriots beat the Giants 38-35 in the final regular-season game five weeks ago, but the Giants gained a great deal of confidence in the process. On Sunday, they proved that first meeting was no fluke.

If the Giants had a dream scenario for the opening drive, their first possession, which consumed nine minutes and 59 seconds and required 16 plays, was it. Manning converted his first three third downs (a first-drive record for Super Bowls), but couldn’t manage a fourth, when he threw too far underneath to Steve Smith. Lawrence Tynes, who won the NFC title game with an overtime field goal, hit one from 32 yards out to give the Giants a 3-0 lead.

GIANTS PASS RUSH SHUDDERS BRADY

Coming into the game, the key matchup appeared to be the Giants’ pass rush—which produced a league-high 53 sacks over the regular season—versus the Patriots’ offensive line. In the Dec. 29 meeting between the two teams, Brady was only sacked once, and that was minus two starters. On this night, he would get sacked five times and hurried on nine other occasions. With all five regular starters in, the Giants sacked Brady on back-to-back plays midway through the second quarter. Kawika Mitchell, feigned a drop-back posture and blitzed. He and Strahan both got a piece of Brady for a 6-yard loss. On the next play, defensive end Justin Tuck blew inside left guard Logan Mankins and leveled Brady.

The Giants had a terrific opportunity to make it a one-point game with a little over two minutes left in the half, but a crazy circus play worked against them. Patriots’ linebacker Adalius Thomas knocked the ball loose from Manning and Bradshaw tried to knock the ball out of bounds. It stayed in, and Smith recovered for what would have been a first down. But Bradshaw was flagged for an illegal touch—knocking the ball forward—and the Giants were eventually forced to punt.

The Patriots were driving down the field at the end of the half, when Tuck hit Brady again, this time from behind, and knocked the ball loose. The Giants recovered and a Hail Mary fell incomplete in the New England end zone to end a curiously quiet first half.

At halftime, the Giants had run 34 plays to 27 by the Patriots, and possessed the ball for 19 minutes and 27 seconds of 30 minutes. And yet, they trailed by the modest margin of 7-3. As a result, the Patriots had a paltry 81 yards at the break, and the offense looked disjointed and unsettled. Belichick successfully challenged a non-call on the Pats’ first drive of the third quarter, and a review showed that, indeed, linebacker Chase Blackburn was the 12th man on the field for a punt. The Patriots retained possession, but a Strahan sack eventually led Belichick to pass on a 49-yard field goal attempt and go it for on 4th down and 13. Brady in turn, would sail a pass over receiver Jabar Gaffneys head, turning the ball back over to the Giants.
And so, the Giants continued to hang around.

On first down at their own 20 on the second play of the fourth quarter, Manning flipped a pass to rookie tight end Kevin Boss. He caught it at the 39 and, when safety Rodney Harrison missed the tackle, it was good for a 45-yard play. A few plays later, Manning threaded a perfect 5-yard pass through traffic to David Tyree and the Giants, led 10-7 with 11:05 remaining. It was Tyree’s first touchdown of the season, and what a time for it. Naturally, the Patriots came back. Taking over with 7:54 left, Brady moved them down the field, throwing underneath more often than not. And then, on the 12th play of the drive, Brady hit his favorite receiver, Randy Moss for a 7-yard touchdown to put the Pats in front 14-10 with 2:42 remaining.

Manning, however, engineered a terrific drive as time ran down. The signature play: Manning, ducking and spinning, somehow avoided a severe rush and Tyree managed to catch a 33-yard catch—he initially pinned the ball on his helmet with one hand—and the Giants had the ball at the Patriots’ 24-yard line. It was probably the most amazing play I had ever seen. With 35 seconds left, Manning hit Burress with a gorgeous 13-yard touchdown pass and the perfect season had congealed into the twisted wreckage of a shocking loss.

The Patriots started their final drive on their own 26 with 29 seconds left, but Brady had no magic to offer. Two incomplete passes and a sack preceded the final chance, with 10 seconds left. A long, long pass to Moss fell incomplete and the crowd went absolutely berserk, as did I being one of two Giants fans in a venue that included about forty Patriot fans. For two weeks, the focus was on the Patriots and their date with destiny. Few outside the locker room in East Rutherford, N.J. gave the Giants much of a chance.

Eli Manning went from average quarterback to “elite” status with the way he not only performed in the Superbowl, but throughout the playoffs and winning four straight road games which included wins at Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Green Bay. My boy Peyton won it last year, but this year, Eli went on to prove that it’s not all about Peyton anymore, and at 27, he still has a lot left to prove and many years left.

The Manning family legacy continues to grow, and next year, we could see the status of one of these elite quarterback brothers, whether it be Peyton or Eli get even bigger. Everyone witnessed tonight that its not just Peyton that can win the big game. Eli grasped football immortality and superbowl lore against a team that was undefeated as one of the biggest underdogs in superbowl history. Peyton can’t say that.