One For The Ages

(This article appeared in the Feb. 7 edition of the QC Knight News)

NYG 17-14 NE.
That was what the scoreboard read at the end of Super Bowl XLII, a game that many people are beginning to call the greatest Super Bowl ever. The 18-0 New England Patriots came to Glendale a confident, if not cocky, team. They left humbled by a Giants team that simply wanted it more and turned the perfect Patriots into an NFL footnote instead of the greatest team of all time. That is not to say that these 2007 Patriots won’t be remembered. Their perfection through 18 games will be invoked with regard to future undefeated clubs, but always along with the painful, unyielding fact that they could not win the most important game of all. Meanwhile, the Giants proved that willpower and resolve, not to mention a ferocious pass rush, should never be underestimated. After clinching a playoff spot in week 16 against the Buffalo Bills, Tom Coughlin made the unorthodox decision to play all of his starters, even though there was nothing to gain. The result was a thrilling week 17 showdown with the Patriots that would end a three point victory for the Pats, with the key play being an Eli Manning costly interception. He would only throw one more after that game.
There was a book written by the Boston Globe that was advertised the week before the Super Bowl entitled “19-0,” a reference to the Patriots inevitable perfection. Tom Brady mocked Plaxico Burress for saying the vaunted New England offense would score only 17 points. Well known ESPN columnist Bill “Sports Guy” Simmons predicted a 42-10 Patriots blowout. It was obvious that the Patriots and their fans thought this game would be no trouble. The Giants proved them wrong on their very first drive. New York ate up just under ten minutes and took a 3-0 lead. The Patriots stormed back, however, and took advantage of an Antonio Pierce pass interference call to score the game’s first touchdown on a Laurence Maroney 1 yard run. The Giants began to look sloppy, first an Eli Manning interception that went off the hands of receiver Steve Smith and then a fumble by Ahmad Bradshaw. But then something odd happened. The unstoppable Patriot offense was stopped. And then they were stopped again. Linebacker Kawika Mitchell sacked Tom Brady, and one play later it was Justin Tuck throwing Brady to the grass like a rag doll. Manning fumbled again. And again Tuck sacked Brady, this time stripping the ball as well, which assured that the Giants would go into halftime down only 7-3. The Patriots and Coach Bill Belichick, famous for their halftime adjustments, came out for the second half just as flat as they had finished the first. This time, the Giants would take advantage. Manning hit rookie tight end Kevin Boss for a huge 45 yard play. Boss, who replaced Jeremy Shockey after he suffered a broken leg, was one of many rookies to contribute largely to the Giant success this postseason. Along with Ahmad Bradshaw, cornerback Aaron Ross, Steve Smith, safety Michael Johnson and others, the rookies played like fearless veterans in this Super Bowl. Smith caught a 17 yard pass for another first down, and the drive was capped off with a touchdown pass from Manning to wide receiver David Tyree to give the Giants a 10-7 lead. But Tyree’s night was not over.
The Patriots have been a great team all season, and they would not yield this game without a fight. Tom Brady led a strong drive downfield, but the star was Wes Welker. Welker, who finished the night with 11 catches for 103 yards and was second in MVP voting, caught short passes and weaved tantalizingly out of reach of New York defenders for big gains. Brady finished the drive with a third down touchdown pass to Randy Moss with just 2:42 left on the clock. But unlike in years past, these Patriots left time on the clock.
Eli Manning, the man mocked for being a “comical leader” by Tiki Barber, walked into the huddle and said simply “we’re going to go down and score.” The drive did not start out well for the Giants who were forced into short plays to convert tense third and fourth downs, and they had already expended all but one of their timeouts. That’s when the Giants called the play they called “Phantom.” Eli Manning dropped back to pass and was engulfed by Richard Seymour and Jarvis Green. Just as Giants fans began to lose hope, Manning somehow snuck out of the sack and heaved a 32 yard pass to David Tyree, who leaped high in the air over safety Rodney Harrison and caught the ball with one hand trapping the pigskin against his helmet. It was a play, already dubbed by some as “The Catch II,” that will certainly go down as one of the best in Super Bowl history. “It was supernatural” said Tyree after the game, “some things just don’t make sense.” Steve Smith after the game could only say “Man, that was a catch.” The Giants, already confident, now believed, as did all their fans, that they were destined to win this game. Sure enough, a few plays later, Manning lofted a fade route to Plaxico Burress. It is a play call that Giants fans have come accustomed to seeing. Most times in the pass the ball would be deflected to the ground harmlessly. But not this night. This night was special. Burress badly fooled cornerback Ellis Hobbs with an inside move, and was wide open in the end zone for a touchdown. The Giant faithful erupted as the receiver known as “Plax” took a knee and absorbed the moment. Tom Brady came back on the field with seconds remaining, but there would be no comeback in this game. DT Jay Alford, another rookie, lit Brady up one last time and the Pats turned the ball over on downs. Bill Belichick did his best to show up the Giants by leaving the field early, despite being told by the referee that there was time on the clock. It did not matter. Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning took a knee amidst chants of “18-1” from the crowd, and the impossible had been achieved. Antonio Pierce after the game summed it up after the game by telling reporters about the new motto “18-1: Super Bowl Champion New York Giants” quipped Pierce “Write that book.” The Giants shocked everyone with a playoff run against all odds. “They’re the worst Super Bowl team ever” said Knight News sports editor Ari Goldstein. Perhaps. But they are now the NFL champions, and the winner of the greatest Super Bowl ever.