They Definitely Are Giants

Sunday, January 28th, 2001 was one of the worst days of my life.

That was the date of the New York Giants' last Super Bowl appearance before yesterday. Any day your team makes it to a Super Bowl should be a good one, especially when their appearance in the Big Game is as improbable as the Giants' appearance that year. Then-head coach Jim Fassel, after back-to-back losses early in the year, "guaranteed" the Giants would make the playoffs. Big Blue responded by winning 11 of their next 12, earning them a date with the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV.

At the time, I was a senior at Syracuse. I had an awful head cold that limited my voice to a whisper. I watched the Super Bowl at a bar downtown with some buddies of mine but, I was feeling so badly, I didn't even drink. I knew the Ravens were good, but the Giants had more weapons and the game, I felt, should at least be competitive. No dice. The Ravens won 34-7 and, frankly, it wasn't even that close. I left early with my buddies so we could get back in time to catch the season premiere of Survivor.

Yesterday, I started getting jumpy about an hour and a half before kickoff. I rushed my girlfriend out of the house so we could get to a Super Bowl party on time. We actually had oodles of time, but I didn't want to chance missing a minute of the action. We got there just as Jordin Sparks began her rendition of the National Anthem. I grabbed a beer and took my seat. I was ready.

And so were the Giants.

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has been maligned for much of his tenure for his, at times, questionable play-calling. However, he had the perfect game plan for that opening drive against Patriots -- run the ball and control the clock. I wasn't thrilled when the longest drive in Super Bowl history ended with only three points, but it was a step in the right direction. I didn't even panic when the Patriots marched in for a touchdown on their first offensive series of the game. Once again, I liked what the Giants were doing -- they were willing to allow the Patriots' receivers to get the ball, but they were intent on limiting the yards after the catch and preventing the big gains. They made sure a safety went over to help on Randy Moss when he went deep. And, they got to quarterback Tom Brady early and often. It was the perfect storm.

I was still happy going into the fourth quarter, even with the Patriots still ahead 7-3. The Giants needed a low-scoring, defensive slugfest. Even with as good as their offense has been all season, the Giants were a team that set the tempo with defense, something few but the most ardent followers of the team realized. Besides, no team was going to win a shootout with the most prolific offense in NFL history.

I clapped excitedly when Eli Manning found David Tyree (Syracuse!) for a touchdown, putting the Giants ahead 10-7. But, I knew the Patriots would respond. They always do. So, when Moss took advantage of a slip by cornerback Sam Madison and scored a TD for a 14-10 Patriots lead, I wasn't surprised. However, I knew the Giants still had over 2 1/2 minutes and all of their timeouts, giving them one more chance.

And I believed in Eli Manning.

I know what a lot of you are thinking. How could you believe in Eli Manning? He's been such a disappointment, blah, blah, blah. If you listened to all of the so-called experts, that's what you would think. But, that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Since the 2004 NFL Draft, when Eli declared he didn't want to play for the Chargers and forced a trade to the Giants, he's had a bulls-eye on his back. In part because of his draft manuever, in part because his brother Peyton and father Archie had success as NFL quarterbacks and in part because he plays in the New York City pressure-cooker, Eli has always carried the weight of unrealistic expectations. But, while Eli has struggled with consistency (like any other young quarterback), he has shown an ability to rise to the occasion late in close games when his team needs him. Super Bowl XLII proved to be no different.

Eli really showed his moxie on a third-and-five play, when he eluded a sack and heaved the ball downfield, allowing Tyree to make one of the greatest catches ever. It's a play we're destined to see for years to come, like Montana-to-Clark, or the Buckner error, or Christian Laetner's turnaround jumper. After that, the ensuing game-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress seemed inevitable.

Sure, Brady got the ball back with about a half-minute left and a chance to drive for a game-tying field goal, but there was no way the Giants defense, this team's backbone all season, was going to relent now. And they didn't.

Then came Tom Coughlin's victory Gatorade bath. Then came the confetti.

And that's why Sunday, February 3rd, 2008 will go down as one of the best days of my life.