Entries Tagged 'New York Giants' ↓

I had intended to post something first thing yesterday, but to be honest, I think I was still in a daze. I still can’t quite believe it. In the most incredible Super Bowl game in forty years, the Giants came from behind with just over two minutes left to beat the previously undefeated New England Patriots 17-14.The Giants started the game with a strong opening drive which took up nearly ten minutes. It was a a bit of a let down then when they came away with only a field goal. It seemed even worse when the Patriots took their first possession and scored a touchdown to make it 7-3 early in the second quarter.

The score remained 7-3 at halftime, thanks in large part to the Giants defense, which absolutely overwhelmed the Patriots offensive line, and in so doing, rushed, harried, hit and sacked Pats QB Tom Brady relentlessly.
The 3rd quarter was somewhat uneventful, both teams coming away with nothing. Then, in the fourth quarter, the Giants struck. Eli Manning found David Tyree on a perfectly threaded 5-yard pass into to the end zone, and the Giants were back on top 10-7.

Up stepped Tom Brady, and he marched the Patriots on a 82-yard drive , culminating in a touchdown pass to Randy Moss. 14-10 Patriots, and it seemed as though the Giants luck may have been running out.

However, there was yet another twist in the tale. Manning and the Giants continued to march down the field, converting a fourth down on a strong second effort by running back Brandon Jacobs. However, after picking up five on the ensuing first down, Manning’s next pass was incomplete. Facing a third and five, the Patriots decided to all out blitz. Eli was swarmed by at least five or six Patriot defenders. One of them even had a grasp on his jersey. Somehow, Eli wriggled out of the maelstrom, rolled to his left, and hurled a 38-yard pass to a waiting David Tyree. Somehow, someway, Tyree out-jumped two Pats defenders, squeezed the ball against his helmet, and came down on the Patriots 24 yard line.

It was a play that has to be seen to be believed.

Three plays later, Eli found Plaxico Burress all alone in the end zone with a perfect fade and it was 17-14 Giants with only 35 seconds to play.

The defense held the Patriots in check for those few final seconds, and the amazing journey was complete. The Giants were Super Bowl Champions. The perfect season for the Pats had been derailed.

Eli Manning had become a New York sports legend.

[Rick Flair Voice] Woooooooooo! [/Rick Flair Voice]

What a difference a few weeks makes. Four weeks ago, I was slating Eli Manning for his inconsistency, his poor decision-making, etc. I had written off the Giants chances of doing much of anything in the playoffs.

Now, after a third consecutive excellent performance from Eli - not to mention the defense - the Giants are one win away from the Super Bowl. A gutsy 21-17 win in Dallas over the Cowboys earned the Giants their first trip to the NFC Title game since 2001. Eli was flawless, not turning the ball over once, while the defense stepped up, in particular in the fourth quarter. The key sequence though, the thing everyone will remember about this game, was the drive that the Giants composed with less than a minute left in the first half which led to a game-tying touchdown.

The Cowboys had just spent nearly twelve minutes of the second quarter marching 90 + yards to take a 14-7 lead, leaving the Giants only seconds before the half. Instead of playing out the clock, the offense moved like lightning down the field, Manning conducting every movement with precision unseen from him before. It was impressive to be sure, and adds confidence to the team who now head to Green Bay for a show-down with a rejuvenated Brett Favre and the Packers. Kickoff is this Sunday 6:30 PM ET, and the forecasted high for that day is 7 degrees Fahrenheit. Good lord. Anyway, you know I’ll be tuned in to FOX, who are covering the game beginning at 6, which should be right around the time Tom Brady should be speaking to the media about the Pats’ win over the Chargers. Honestly, the Chargers are so banged up, it’ll take a miracle for them to come out of New England with anything less than a whipping.

Wow. Not much more to say. I admit that I was feeling that this game was one the Giants could win, but as usual, it was said with fingers crossed, hoping that Eli Manning wouldn’t screw up.

Well, perhaps this will be the game we look back on as a turning point. Eli was nearly perfect today in Tampa - no turnovers at all - as the Giants moved past the Buccaneers with relative ease in an NFC Wild Card weekend match up.

Even with all the pre-game storm-in-a-tea-cup crap regarding Ronde Barber’s so-called bulletin board material, and Jeff Garcia’s so-called hoax over the Giants in the playoffs, Big Blue won their first playoff game since the NFC title game against the Vikings in 2001.

That win earned the Giants a ticket to Dallas to take on the Cowboys next Sunday. It’s the first time these NFC East rivals have met in the playoffs. The Cowboys have already beaten the Giants twice this year, will they do it a third? Or will the Giants build on the excellent performance of guys like Manning and Ahmad Bradshaw? You know I’ll be tuned into FOX at 4:30 next Sunday to find out.

So, in answer to my question after last week’s game, Tom Coughlin played all of his starters, and as a result, a highly entertaining game was played on Saturday night, but in the end, She-li did what he does best, throwing an interception to seal the victory for the Patriots. It was the Patriots sixteenth win of the season, thus making them the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to go an entire NFL regular season without defeat.

OK, so the season’s behind us, now on to the important matters - the playoffs. I think the Giants match up fairly well to the Bucs, and I’ll be hoping for a first round win this Sunday. Kickoff is 1PM ET, and the game will be shown nationally on FOX.

Fueled by a strong performance by the defense, the Giants booked a trip to the playoffs today with a 38-21 win over the Bills in Buffalo.

The Giants had gone down 14-0 in the first quarter, but their running game was used to great effectiveness and Brandon Jacobs scored twice before leaving it the fourth quarter with a swollen ankle. His replacement, Ahmad Bradshaw, scored on an 88-yard touchdown run with just over six minutes left to play to make it 31-21 to ensure the victory.

So, with the playoff spot sealed (a trip to Tampa Bay on January 6th is all but a certainty), it’ll be interesting to see what type of team Tom Coughlin sends out against the Patriots for the home finale on Saturday night. The Pats are still pursuing a perfect 16-0 record. Will the Giants want to prevent that, or will they concentrate on keeping their players healthy with an eye towards the playoffs. Given last year’s early exit, I’d like to see a bit more emphasis put on getting past the first round, so perhaps resting a few players may be the way to go.

Anyway, the Pats game will be broadcast nationally on the NFL Network at 8PM ET on Saturday. I should be in the city that night, so I’m sure it’ll be on wherever I find myself.