What a Team!

This Giant team will get better. A hall of fame quarterback. (You heard it here first). The offensive line is peerless. The backs are very good. The receivers are top notch. And what a defense!! And depth all around. Tuck is all pro and the rest of the defensive line are pro bowlers. The offensive line makes huge holes that a truck can pass through. What a team.

See you Monday night in Cleveland.

Who Won the Game

All hail the perfect team!

All hail the perfect quarterback!

All hail the greatest achievement ever in team sports!

All hail New England's admittance to the pantheon of competitive immortality!

But everyone should wipe away the drool and realize there's another team playing in the Super Bowl -- a team that, in some respects, has attained a level of success that's comparable to what the Patriots have done.

The New York Giants have won 10 straight road games, including three in the playoffs. More than half of the Giants' victories came on the road.

That's as mindboggling as 18-0.

Giants sign Jaquar safety Knight for three years

Knight looks good but I was surprised to see Wilson go. He sure got a lot of money from Oakland. Wow! Sorry to see Mitchell go. Reese brought in his first reinforcement Monday when he signed former Jaguars safety Sammy Knight, an 11-year veteran to replace Gibril Wilson, who signed with the Raiders when free agency opened. Knight signed a three-year deal worth $5.15 million and got a signing bonus of $1.25 million.

That's quite a bargain compared to the six-year, $39 million contract (with $16 million) that Wilson got from the Oakland Raiders on Friday night.

Giants great coach gets just reward.

Coughlin was always a good coach. The impatient media was not able to think beyond the moment and they affected fan opinion. He was good with the Jaguars and has been good with the Giants. He certainly was a welcome relief from the previous years when snapping the ball became and event and a ten yard field goal attempt made one cringe.

His money is well deserved and the Giants should be contenders for a long time to come. Especially with this young talented team and Eli is only going to get better.

Let's Get this Straight about Eli!

Much is made out of how Eli did not have that great a year until the Patriot game and the ensuing playoffs. What many do not realize is that the receivers started catching the ball as of the Patriot game and thereafter. The Giants led the league in drops. What is a quarterback to do. The second factor is that Plaxico had never really practiced with the whole team and this was definitely a deficiency. Then Steve Smith got healthy. So now Eli has Plaxico, Smith, Toomer and Boss with Tyree in reserve. And they are starting to hold on to the ball. Of course, you can't say enough for the contribution of the emerging Bradshaw along with the solid Jacobs. So Eli and the defense was always there. The rest of the offense had to catch up.

The Giants sign both kicker and punter.

The Giants signed Feagles to a two year contract and are about to sign Tynes to a seven year deal. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/2008/02/12/2008-02-12_giants_to_give_lawrence_tynes_fiveyear_7.html
Feagles is the best directional kicker and Tynes has shown his clutch ability. After all no one has ever kicked a field goal that far in such cold weather in Green Bay.

One More Time---The Catch

Eli Manning, David Tyree show why Giants are Super this night
Monday, February 4th 2008, 3:34 PM
How/Getty
Eli Manning and David Tyree connect on play that propels Giants to Super upset on third-and-5 with 1:15 left.
Sipkin/News
Tyree makes an incredible 32-yard reception in the fourth quarter. For more photos of the play, click above photo.
GLENDALE, Ariz. - The best Super Bowl of them all really ended in the left corner of the end zone at University of Phoenix Stadium, one last ball in the hands of Plaxico Burress, who called this one the way Joe Namath called one once. Eli Manning delivered that ball to Burress, delivered it the way great quarterbacks are supposed to deliver the ball at the end of a game like this, delivered it the way Joe Montana did in a Super Bowl in Miami against the Bengals. And now it wasn't just Super Bowl XLII ending this way, even with 35 seconds still left on the clock. This was the ending to one of the great sports stories of all time, any sport, in New York or anywhere else.
"The greatest victory in the history of this franchise," John Mara said on the field when it was over.
And it was. It was. It was 17-14 for the Giants against the Patriots, and the Patriots weren't going to be 19-0 and Tom Brady wasn't going to have enough time to drive his team down the field one last time the way the kid, Eli Manning, just had. Eli and the Giants were underdogs again Sunday night, the way they have been underdogs for a month. Couldn't stop them because nothing could stop them, not in a month when a sports team carried the city, carried the whole area we think of as New York, as much as any New York team ever has.
The Cowboys couldn't stop them and the Packers couldn't stop them at Lambeau and the Patriots couldn't stop them yesterday. And as much as a money throw that last throw was, as much of a money play it was from Eli, it wasn't the play that will be remembered from this game. The play that will be remembered, a play that goes in with the best Super Bowl plays ever made, is the one you had to see to believe in that last drive, the one Eli made to David Tyree four plays before the winning touchdown to Burress. The one where Eli seemed to disappear underneath the pocket and then break free like a swimmer coming out of the water.
"An amazing play," Tom Coughlin said, "in the middle of an amazing drive."
The Patriots did not sack Manning (19-for-34, 255 yards, two touchdowns, the MVP of course) on third-and-5 from the Giants' 44. They did not bring him down even though everybody in the stadium thought they had. He was still standing, standing up and standing in there the way he had all day long. Then he was running to his right and throwing one down the middle of the field to Tyree, who outjumped an old Patriots safety named Rodney Harrison for the ball and came down with the ball at the Patriots' 24.
Under a minute left in Super Bowl XLII. And now the improbable had become inevitable in the Super Bowl.
Namath shocked the world once for the Jets. Eli did the same Sunday. Only he had a better game against the Patriots than Namath had in Super Bowl III, and against one of the best teams to ever play. Even after Tom Brady hit Randy Moss and got the lead back near the end, it didn't matter. Wasn't his day. It was Eli's day and his time to make history for the Giants, on the best day the Giants have ever had.
There will be other teams in New York, because there always are. There is always another team. This team goes with Namath's Jets now and the '69 Mets and Willis Reed, with anything the city has ever seen or will ever see. Never a bigger day than this, never a better Super Bowl than this.
Now Eli Manning came through the confetti of University of Phoenix Stadium, came into the tunnel through all the Giant fans at the other end of the field from where Eli had hit Burress. And now he put up one finger, the way Namath did when he beat the Colts.
"How did you get away from that sack?" he was asked.
"Don't frankly know," he said. "All I was trying to do was escape."
He was asked if he could feel not just the pressure, but a hand on the back of his uniform jersey.
"I knew I was getting grabbed," he said. "And then I saw Tyree."
A few minutes later Tom Coughlin couldn't stop talking about that scramble from his quarterback and that throw, amazing throw in an amazing drive, that Eli made to David Tyree that was like the punch that started to finish the New England Patriots on the day they thought they were going to be 19-0.
"It has to be one of the great plays of all time in the history of the Super Bowl, doesn't it?" Tom Coughlin said.
The last Giant drive, the end of everything that really began with that 38-35 loss to the Patriots on the 29th of December, began with a throw to Amani Toomer for 11. Then he hit Toomer again, out to the 37. Fourth-and-1. One hundred seconds left in the Super Bowl. Brandon Jacobs ran for the first down. Three plays later came the escape, the scramble, the throw, Tyree going up for the ball like it was a basketball rebound that was going to win the Super Bowl for the Giants, Tyree out-wrestling Rodney Harrison and holding on when he hit the ground.
"Some things just don't make sense," Tyree said. "I guess you could put that catch up there with them."
Eli hit Steve Smith at the 13 three plays later. Forty-five seconds left. Then one more dream throw from Eli, to Burress, like Brady had been making to Moss all year, all the way to 18-0, the pass to the guy who said the Giants were going to shock the world.
Last time the Giants won a Super Bowl, they won because Scott Norwood went wide right. This time it was because they were better than 18-0, because it was their day and their time to make history. And because the great Tom Brady could only watch at the end as another Manning won the Super Bowl, and Peyton's kid brother found greatness in himself.
"We believed the whole time," Eli Manning said.
There will be another team someday, another run, another improbable story. It won't be better than this football team, and this run, and this story. There have been other big games in football. Considering the circumstances, never one bigger than this.

A Quarterback Who thinks Like that and Spagnuolo Stays.

When commenting on the final drive in the Superbowl with the Patriots up by 4 points Eli said that is the situation you want to be in with the game on the line and you are driving to win the game. He also said: "Peyton said that you would rather be down by 4 rather than 3 because then you will work on winning the game instead of tying it by a field goal.

Strahan who was standing next to Eli when he said this said: "I don't know about rather being down by 4 instead of 3 but I'm glad my quarterback thinks this way."

Now its official. Our defensive coordinator stays. We will be even better next year. All we have to do is keep our great attitude. Play the game.

The Winning Touchdown

You will be pleased to know that in my household the place rocked when Plaxico caught the go ahead touchdown. My daughter's fiancee was here with his brother and wife and her father and friend. It was better than being at the game because we had the intimacy of our own home. Simultaneously, all of us exploded including my wife of all people. It does not get any better. We knew there were 35 seconds left and anything could happen yet the euphoria was intense.

As soon as we saw Plaxico was free and the ball perfectly thrown going into his hands we erupted. It was a magical moment. It preceded an historic drive in which the G-Men converted on fourth and one, third and ten mixed in with the marvelous, incredible grab by David Tyree.



A great memory.

Giants are Super

What a defensive line. Five sacks of Brady and many, many hits and knockdowns. The Patriots did not lose this one. The Giants won it. How about David Tyree. The former special teams player showed that he can make great catches too. Now he has one of the top five catches in Super Bowl history. And Manning avoiding the sack and throwing a strike to Tyree. How sweet it is. The secondary came up big too. How far they have come. And Justin Tuck showed why the Giants tied him up for six years.

No denying that Eli has passion and talent. He has that championship character of playing his best when the game is on the line. The only reason the giants did not do more in the first half was due to receivers dropping balls again. They finally changed that in the second half. But Eli was on the money all through the game. Has he ever arrived.

And let's give the great coach Couglin his due. All he has ever done is to develop winners. He changed a little and got his players to buy into his philosophy.

I was surprised the Giants were not able to run better. At the same time Bradshaw had some amazing moments when he carried about three guys for extra yardage.

The Giants were clearly the better team. World Champions.

Eli is Ready and So is the Team

Here we go and the pundits are wrong. Precision by Eli, swing passes to Bradshaw and Jacobs, slants to Toomer and mid range to Boss. Look for Steve Smith to be big and Burress to be awesome. Eli mowed Roma and Favre and Brady remains. It can happen. This is a defense which is peaking and an offense which has not reached its peak yet. Let's go Giant fans. Let's do this thing.

Jacobs is the New Bavarro

Remember when Bavarro carried about five forty niners on his back during the game with San Fran during the year. The Giant players on the sidelines went bananas. They were very inspired by what he did and they all got pumped up. They went on to win that game and the Super Bowl that year. Likewise when Jacobs knocked over Woodson in zero degree weather the Giants on the sidelines were similarly inspired.

This is an inspired team.

The Giants are Peaking

Many factors are evident which makes for a pretty good game by the New York Giants. Manning has never had this many quality receievers who are healthy. Plaxico is the best he has been physically all year. Steve Smith is improving with every game. Boss is making important plays and Toomer remains the great receiver he has always been. And don't discount Sinorice Moss coming out to make it five wides. Now that Burress is practicing, Eli is able to practice with everyone where they will be in the game. And the receivers are not dropping the ball the way they have during the year in leading the league in dropped passes. And be aware of that offensive line.

Ahmad Bradshaw gets better with every game and provides a contrast with Jacobs which catches defenses unaware. Hixon is an added attraction to improved special teams, giving the G men important field position. Jacobs is hitting with such ferocity that tacklers are wary of him.

Tuck is only getting better which is scary, while Osi has yet to reach his peak. And Strahan is more motivated than ever. The secondary, while not completely healthy, is better than it has been. The linebackers are steady.

All of which adds up to a quality effort against the Patriots.

Bradshaw is From West Virginia

Fumbles do not define Ahmad Bradshaw
By TOM BONE
Bluefield Daily Telegraph


— Do a couple of fumbles define a football career? Not in the case of Ahmad Bradshaw.
The New York Giants rookie, from Bluefield, Va., has overcome a shaky start in the NFL to lead his team in postseason rushing as they prepare for Sunday’s Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
After being drafted No. 250 last spring, he had two fumbles as a kick returner in game two the 2007 season and his prospects looked dim. As the season progressed, though, he continued to work and learn. He has not fumbled since.
On Nov. 25, against the Minnesota Vikings, Bradshaw tied a Giants record for most kickoff returns in a game — eight. He also took his first four carries as a pro, gaining 29 yards.
Overall, in the regular season he averaged 8.3 yards per carry on 23 attempts, including the electrifying 88-yard touchdown against Buffalo on Dec. 23 that first brought him national notoriety and repeated ESPN highlight clips.
He gained 921 yards on 38 kickoff runbacks, an impressive 24.2 yards per return.
In the postseason, he’s carried 39 times for a team-best 163 yards, or 4.2 yards per carry. His 4-yard touchdown on Green Bay’s frozen turf in his last game showed again his determination and strength to go with his blinding speed.
That doesn’t include another flashy would-be touchdown run that would likely have won the game in the fourth quarter if not for a holding penalty.
As the Giants were driving late in the game, Bradshaw also demonstrated that he could keep his cool under championship pressure. He would not submit quietly to the NFL defenders’ practice of pinning the runner to the ground to let the clock tick away.
But instead of lashing out and costing his team a penalty, the rookie simply used his strength to push himself up and away — and get ready for his next play.
His coach, Tom Coughlin, was on television Monday night, talking about how Bradshaw “left the ball on the ground ... but he continued to learn.”
There is still room for this 21-year-old to learn, as there is for most of his former Marshall University classmates, who are still in their senior year in Huntington.
Bradshaw need not look far for examples to learn from, each of whom is a Marshall alumnus. Two will be in uniform on Sunday night.
One of them is very surprising — Randy Moss, former “bad guy” for his lack of effort at times and off-field run-ins while with the Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders.
The 10-year pro from Rand, W.Va., has been a different guy with the New England Patriots. He’s now adopted a team-first attitude, even as he deals with a temporary restraining order won by a Florida woman.
Moss has 23 touchdowns this year for the perfect Patriots, with 98 catches for 1,493 yards, a 15.2 average.
Another is Troy Brown, a Patriot wide receiver now in his 15th pro year.
He will be remembered not for Hall-of-Fame receiving stats. But he was willing to do whatever was needed to help the Patriots win, including switching to a starting role at defensive back a couple of years ago when that position was thin due to injury.
Then there’s Chad Pennington, who plays for that “other” New York team, the Jets. Despite several season-ending injuries and calls by the rabid media to toss him to the curb, the former Marshall quarterback has endured with grace.
He quietly rehabs and prepares to compete in yet another season for a starting job.
A former Giant, Concord University assistant coach Tracy Gravely, says that Bradshaw is succeeding not for himself, but for his community.
A former teammate, Chase Elswick, may have said it best. “Anything you want in life, you’ve got to work hard for it, and he sure has,” Elswick said about Bradshaw last week at Graham High School.
One thing’s for sure — we’ll all be watching this work in progress on Sunday.
Tom Bone is a sports writer and editorial cartoonist for the Daily Telegraph. Contact him at tbone@bdtonline.com.

Copyright © 1999-2006 cnhi, inc.

http://www.bdtonline.com/localsports/local_story_030004942.html/resources_printstory

Bellechick is Talking too much.

I guess he feels confident. Apparently he thinks this game will not be that much of a challenge. Or maybe he is thinking about his legacy. We have a surprise for him.

Bill M.

Zimmerman of SI picks the Giants

Tougher than the rest
Giants' grit will overcome Pats' talent in Super Bowl
Posted: Tuesday January 22, 2008 11:41AM; Updated: Tuesday January 22, 2008 1:06PM

With Ahmad Bradshaw emerging as the type of back whose speed can put a defense on its heels, Giants have the weapons to keep pace with the Pats in the Super Bowl.


I have a chance to settle an old score, right an old wrong, find peace in my old age and apologize, in sideways fashion, to those whom I wronged so many years ago.

The way to do all this is to pick the Giants to upset New England, and that's what I'm doing. Giants to upset the New England Patriots, currently favored by 12½, in the great stormfest known as Super Bowl XLII.

In 1968 I was the beat man, covering the Jets for the New York Post. I was around the team every day. I flew down with them to Miami for Super Bowl III and I stayed in their hotel, the Galt Ocean Mile in Fort Lauderdale. The Colts opened as 17-point favorites. By game time, the rush of Baltimore money had pushed the price up to 19½, one of the biggest line moves in Super Bowl history. They were calling the Colts The Greatest Team Ever, or at least the greatest on the defensive side of the ball. Their owner, Carroll Rosenbloom, thunderously echoed that sentiment.

I had a feeling about the Jets, not a strong one, but Joe Namath working against that strong side rotating zone? Gee, he'd never had trouble with it before. Could it be that ... ? Do I have the courage to ... ? Nah, I'll pick the Colts to win, but by under the spread. That'll make everyone happy. So I did and it made no one happy, least of all me when the Jets scored the biggest upset in Supe history. Who was happy? Leonard Shecter of the Post. He picked the Jets. I kicked myself for the coward I was. No longer. Today, I am a man.

I was in Green Bay on Sunday. The Giants clearly were the better team, tougher, more resilient, harder hitting. That bone chilling cold that was supposed to imbue the Packers with strength and sap it from their enemies, kind of like the giant Antaeus from Greek mythology who drew his strength from contact with the ground ... that brutal, minus-24 wind chill cold was brushed aside by the Giants.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/dr_z/01/22/superbowlxlii/index.html

Shockey has not been Missed

The confusion among the media as to the ability of Eli Manning has a partial answer in the absence of Jeremy Shockey. Manning is a much better quarterback when he does not have to deal with the tight end's constant: "Give me the ball." Shockey was clearly responsible for two interceptions during the Viking game when he did not make the proper adjustment on his pass route. And how about his working out in Miami and not coming to early camp?

The proof is in the pudding and Shockey, hopefully, will come back with more team in him. Otherwise, maybe we can get a solid lineman for him.

Mike and the Mad Dog and all other pundits.

Russo and Francesca got all the Giant's playoff predictions wrong and they are still picking the Patriots. You would think they would have a little humility by this time. The Las Vegas oddsmakers put the Giants at 14 point underdogs again which means that they are more conservative than analytical. They figure the money is going on the Pats. Two things they should know. Eli has matured considerably, the receivers are healthy and better. Above all, Burress is motivated as he has never been before.

The pundits still won't eat crow.

How About that Defense.

You can't say enough about this defense. Whenever they had to make a play they did. They stopped the mighty Dallas offense when the Giant offense could not run out the clock. They got the ball back for Tynes so he could make the winning kick. You could write a post about him. But look at Justin Tuck and what a job he is doing. The coaches and the front office know it. They just tied him up at six mil a year. How Sweet it is!!

First About Eli

Eli has gotten better but part of the problem was all those dropped passes. Think of how many drives were stalled, first downs not made because of dropped passes. The receivers are finally more consistent. That is what they are getting paid to do; catch the ball. Notice the New England receivers. They catch the ball thrown in front of them, behind them and high and low. Eli does not say what I am saying directly if you listen to him. What he says is that: "People are making plays."

The other thing is that they seem a much better team without Shockey, who has dropped his share.

The other thing is this. A good receiver, if he cannot catch the ball, will not let the defender intercept. He will never give up on the play.

Bill M.