By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer
I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong. I expected New England to win handily. However, with that said, the outcome did not come as a shock, as this Patriots team just hasn’t looked the same recently. I won’t call it the biggest upset in the history of the league, but I will call it the most improbable (and impressive) run in the postseason ever. New York is the lowest NFC seed to ever win the Super Bowl. They also became the first SB winner with just one Pro Bowler on their roster.
The opening drive was absolutely huge. Sure, it resulted in only a field goal, but the Giants offense ran 10 minutes off the clock and really set the tone for the game.
The Giants defense flat-out dominated. After New York’s first drive, its offense did little favors, putting the onus heavily on the D. This was the best offense in the history of the NFL in perfect conditions, and the G-Men’s defensive line recorded five sacks, hit Tom Brady 16 times and pressured him 23 times. Also, they held the star QB to just 5.5 YPA and the running game to a paltry 2.8 YPC. It was one of the single greatest defensive performances I’ve witnessed.
It’s David Tyree’s world, the rest of us are just passing through. Fun fact: he entered Sunday with more tackles than receptions for the season.
The one clear negative from Sunday’s terrific game is that we now still have to deal with the insufferable 1972 Dolphins.
Ahmad Bradshaw, Steve Smith, Kevin Boss, Jay Alford – it’s safe to say the Giants did a nice job with their 2007 Draft.
It’s almost unfathomable, but it’s hard to argue that Steve Spagnuolo and company didn’t outcoach Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Speaking of which, you couldn’t have paid me enough money to conduct that interview with the red-hooded one afterward. Cold would be a nice way of describing his demeanor. Oh, and who cares if he left the field 1 second early?
The commercials were downright brutal. And nice lip-syncing, Mr. Tom Petty.
After “leading” the NFC in turnovers, Eli Manning improbably played nearly mistake-free football throughout the playoffs. Before Week 17 against the Pats, Manning hadn’t thrown for multiples TDs in any of his previous eight games. He tossed multiple scores in four of the five contests since. Also, for some reason, he really excels at the no-huddle, which was obviously huge Sunday.
So not only was Plaxico Burress playing with a bum ankle but also a sprained MCL? I doubt many Steeler fans predicted his career would take this kind of turn.
Were Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey literally negatives for this franchise?
That was the loudest Super Bowl crowd I can remember. It sure seemed like the suits stayed at home, and the seats were filled with actual football fans.
I can understand the constant flashing to Peyton Manning would annoy some, but I actually enjoyed watching him show genuine happiness rooting for his brother.
It’s likely a coincidence, but there’s been one common dominator involving two of the NFL’s biggest upsets over the past decade, and that’s Randy Moss.
How refreshing, a Super Bowl that wasn’t decided by the refs.
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