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| Sometimes miracles do happen. Tom Coughlin smiles. |
A Win For the Ages (and the fans). While players play for a million different reasons, money, pride, respect and even sometimes winning, fans give way too much of themselves for one reason - to be a part of something special. Something memorable. And as we wrote a few weeks ago, winning this Super Bowl was legacy-making. And for as much as that probably mattered players it was equally important to the fans. We wanted it so we could feel like we were around for a special era of Giant football. And, as rarely happens in sports, it actually worked out. Now, no matter what happens from here, ten years from now when Coughlin has been fired and Eli has suffered the indignity of being benched and forced into an ugly exit, we'll still all be able to talk about the two times the Giants beat the mighty Patriots in the Super Bowl. That shit is priceless.
It was just like 2007 ...
The parallels have been discussed and dissected to an almost Tebow-like level, starting all the way back on the first Sunday in December when the Packers left town looking somewhat less than invincible. Even the game smelled similar - lower scoring than expected, a potentially rattled Tom Brady, a huge N.Y. drive for the go-ahead score courtesy of tremendous catch, and a last ditch heave that was just off the mark. It's so close its tempting to call it a match. But its not.
.. but it wasn't.
For all the similarities in the run, these teams couldn't have been more different. The 2007 version was built on a running game, a fantastic offensive line and a blitzing attacking defense. And for much of the time it seemed like they were winning in spite of their shaky quarterback play. For as much as that run is remembered as Eli's coming of age, the the entire tie was that he was always one play away from screwing it all up. We can still remember sitting there watching the NFC Championship game at Lambeau and, in between expressions of concerns for the well being of Tom Coughlin's face, slowly coming to the realization that Eli was playing well and holding his own against the Dongslinger. At that moment it felt real.
This year, the team was all about Eli. The line was suspect. The running game, non-existent. And the defense got better the less aggressive it tried to be. But only constant was the quarterback. If the 2007 title was Strahan's and Tuck's and O'Hara's. 2011 was Eli's.
Sequel < Original.
Yes, we know the end result was fantastic. But the process to get there was a little ... boring. Blasphemy, we know. And hard to justify in a game that featured a safety, two 80+ yard drives, and neither team leading by more than 9 points. But until the last five minutes, it kind of a snoozefest. Perhaps Simmons said it best but the game played out just like a bad movie sequel - same plot, same scenes, just slightly tweaked with a new supporting cast. 2007 was epic, a game and an upset for the ages. 2011 was Batman Returns.
Rarer Than Rare.
No fan base in recent memory went into a game with arrogance despite their team being the underdog, facing the best quarterback of a generation and a team with 3 titles under its belt, than Giants fans. It worked out. But the expectations were scary. Two of the more memorable runs in history in under five years, can do that to a fan base. Make them spoiled. So much so that the next time the Giants limp through a regular season and into the playoffs, everyone is going to expect it to happen again. Like it's destiny. But this shit doesn't happen. Ever. So enjoy it while it lasts.
Halftime!!
Madonna is old. That is all. Well, not quite all. It wasn't nearly as inhumane as last year's Black Eyed Peas good-sense genocide; however, she came off much more like an in-shape Betty White than a legendary performer. MIA may have stolen the headlines with her finger, but Esther's knees were much more concerning. She was walking like someone on rocks without shoes. Speaking of depressingly aging stars, maybe she should try some joint juice.
Eli is now the official King of All Things Intangible ...
Tebow, who? Eli is now the embodiment of everything you want in your favorite quarterback but can't measure. Brees and Rodgers will have all the stats but, for now at least, Eli holds the "Clutch Belt." Suddenly, and oh so predictably, the everything hateable about him is now the reason he succeeds. His quite demeanor is now "coolness under pressure" and "poise." He's the clutchiest clutch guy ever. He's always been that way, of course, it was just hidden behind that goofy exterior. Everything is wonderful.
... but prepare for the Eli Manning backlash
Yes, it's entirely possible that this year will come to represent the new baseline for Eli. That he'll continue to be cool and clutch while putting up 4500+ yard seasons. And that he'll never really struggle again. It's not like its unprecedented for a guy to make his reputation as a winner and start putting up big numbers around age 30
History Works Itself Out.
A lot was made in two weeks leading up to the game about how if Brady won his 4th Super Bowl he would become the best quarterback of all time. Right now, he's very much in the conversation. But it's just that, a conversation. Sports rarely makes things easy for us and debates over who's best are rarely clean. Before Sunday you could have argued he's the greatest ever. Thankfully, though, Brady settled the argument by making it clear he's not the best ever. The best quarterback ever makes that throw to Welker (or at least the one to Branch). And the best quarterback ever doesn't take an awful intentional grounding for a safety. Or find himself completely unable to move the ball save for two excellent drives. The best quarterback ever finds a way to get those first downs to close out the game. But most of all, the best quarterback ever doesn't lose twice in the Super Bowl to the same underdog. The best quarterback ever isn't Tom Brady. At least not yet.
The Genius Has Still Got It ...
On the field at least. The Pats game plan was terrifically effective. They went all-in on the prevent defense and kept the Giants from making their signature big plays while constantly double-teaming (and the apparently legal during the post season mugging of Victor Cruz) and basically daring Eli to run the ball and throw underneath. For the first half, at least, the Giants played right into his hands. Eli put the ball in the hands of Pascoe, Ballard and even Hynoski - guys guaranteed not to break one - and occasionally forced the ball downfield to Nicks. The Giants were mostly efficient but as a result of having to run so many plays ended up making enough mistakes (or perhaps getting jobbed by holding calls) to kill their drives without giving up touchdowns. It worked all the way until the fourth quarter when the Giants went 3-wide and getting Manningham into the game proved to be the difference.
On offense, the short passing game kept the pressure off Brady but, save for two drives when he looked unstoppable, Brady couldn't move the team consistently. If the Giants had adjusted more quickly to Gronk's status as a decoy (he could apparently dance but not run) it might have been even worse.
... on the field at least.
Imagine how well those incredible game plans would have worked if the Pats had some good players. Belichick certainly deserves credit for pulling guys off waivers, or the practice squad or the kitchen at Red Lobster. But none of it would be necessary if he didn't blow so many draft picks. Years of turning first round picks into later picks and missing have caught up to them. It's never easy but the degree of difficulty in the later rounds must be higher than the first. It's time for the Pats to invest in the now and get some blue-chippers before it's too late.
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