Contrary to what a lot of talking heads told you this week, the Giants’ win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII last Sunday was not the greatest upset in Super Bowl history. But it was the biggest missed opportunity in the NFL of all time.
The Patriots had a chance to become a team for the ages. Instead, they’re stuck with 18-1, and the knowledge that they couldn’t come through when it counted. And I’m not trying to take away from the Giants’ victory – I was easily the happiest person in the room when Tom Brady’s last-gasp Hail Mary sailed past Randy Moss just after 10 p.m. on Sunday. But if not for the incredible athleticism of David Tyree, the Giants’ fourth-string wide receiver who made an unbelievable over-the-head catch on third down with 75 seconds left in the game, the Giants could easily have been the team that couldn’t muster another rally, couldn’t overcome the fourth-quarter efficiency of the Patriots’ attack.
But instead, the Patriots failed in the clutch, giving up the game-winning touchdown to Plaxico Burress (who took flack for predicting the Giants’ victory) and in the process dimming the bright lights of the legacy of Brady and coach Bill Belichick. The coach, in particular, deserves as much of the blame as anyone for some odd decisions throughout the game. After not adjusting quick enough to the Giants’ defensive pressure, Belichick made a puzzling third-quarter call to go for it on fourth-and-13 from the Giants’ 31-yard line, rather than kick a 49-yard field goal. That call pretty much guarantees him an off-season of second-guessing, well-deserved considering the relative ease with which the Patriots handled most of their competition this year.
The Manning-to-Tyree play, in particular, seemed to sum up the Giants’ postseason run. To start, Manning was nearly sacked three separate times, staying up only through force of will and scrambling out of the pocket. Then he heaved a desperation throw to Tyree, who was triple-covered in the middle of the field. Tyree, a former sixth-round pick, had to fight safety Rodney Harrison for the ball and ended up with it over his helmet as he fell, but he somehow kept the ball in his possession and off the ground, giving the Giants 32 yards and a nation of sports fans a collective coronary. Reminiscent of “The Catch” (Joe Montana’s touchdown pass to Dwight Clark in the 1982 NFL playoffs), the play definitely deserves its own name in football folklore (“The Heave,” anyone?). And though the Giants won’t go down as the greatest team in NFL history, they did enough to prevent the Patriots from wearing that crown themselves.
Manning was named the MVP, but it was clear to anyone watching that the real MVPs were the Giants’ defensive line – Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Fred Robbins – who managed to knock Brady around all night and keep the Patriots from establishing an offensive rhythm. No one predicted that the Giants would be able to hold the Patriots under 20 points (except for Plaxico), and the fact that Giants were able to do so speaks volumes about the game plan drawn up by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and head coach Tom Coughlin. Consistent pressure up front was the key to the Giants’ win.
One more point – Belichick’s decision to walk off the field with a second remaining shouldn’t be remembered as one of the defining moments of the game (and it definitely wasn’t), but it should be put in context with his pattern of behavior this year. Belichick is known for his smug expressions and short answers in interviews, both of which were on display in the post-game press conference last Sunday. But in hustling out to meet Coughlin in the middle of the field before the clock had a chance to hit zero and then retreating to the locker room before the final snap, Belichick cemented his reputation as one of the most dour personalities in the league, and along with the filming scandal (which expanded this week with the accusation that the Patriots may have taped a St. Louis Rams Super Bowl walkthrough in 2002), there’s bound to be some additional backlash against him.
As a Giants fan, this is one of the sweetest victories imaginable. The Patriots came in expecting to win, and the Giants out-worked them. That’s the only conceivable explanation – the Giants schemed better and executed better, and for whatever reason, the Patriots lost their edge at the absolute worst time of the year. Were the Giants a better team? Probably not. An 18-0 record coming into the Super Bowl means that the Patriots were doing something right. But the Giants played with more passion, more heart and more muscle on Sunday, and were the embodiment of team play. What a game, and what a team.
See you next year.
Final record: 131-48.