The Imperfect Champions

They didn’t deserve to take the field with this team. They were supposed to lose by double digits. The pressure of a Super Bowl was supposed to rattle this young team. The defense was supposed to be licking its wounds with dented confidence. The offense was supposed to be flummoxed because Bill Belichick had two weeks to prepare for them. They were supposed to be outcoached by the greatest coach in Super Bowl history and shredded by the greatest quarterback of the modern era.

The orders were flowing in for the "19-0" book that was being written before the game started. The term “19-0” was being trademarked by the franchise. Their quarterback laughed when it was predicted they would only score 17 points.

Turns out he could have used 17 points. Sorry Tom, the joke’s on you.

The New York Football Giants stunned everyone outside of Gotham (and even a few within) by beating the unbeatable New England Patriots. For one of the few times in my life, I can honestly say that I am thrilled I was wrong. In fact, I’m thrilled I was wrong three times in a row. Now of course, I was partially picking against them by the end out of superstition, but regardless, I was wrong. Happily, joyfully wrong.

They did the unthinkable by holding the highest scoring offense in NFL history to 14 points and blew away the Patriots offensive line, regarded as one of the better units in NFL history, and sacked Tom Brady five times, knocking him down numerous other times as well. Steve Spagnuolo is now the hottest coaching candidate since Charlie Weis a few years ago. His masterful game plan of disguised blitzes conjured up memories of the Giants defensive masterpiece against the Bills in Super Bowl XXV. You might remember who the genius was behind that plan: none other than Bill Belichick himself.

Eli Manning may have won Super Bowl MVP, but there are 11 guys on the other side of the ball who could make a case for that award. Justin Tuck played like a Pro Bowler, making 6 tackles while recording 2 sacks and a forced fumble, which was recovered by the Giants. Michael Strahan had a huge sack of Tom Brady. You may remember the next play, which was the 4^th and 13 incomplete pass to the end zone, saving the Giants from a possible three points.

The Giants won this game with defense. They held the Patriots to their lowest point total of the year, 274 yards of total offense, and just 45 rushing yards. They were able to get to Brady with their down four linemen, starring Strahan, Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora. Heck, even rookie Jay Alford got in on the act on the Patriot’s final possession, driving Brady into the ground. While they didn’t use the all-out blitz as much as you would have thought they needed to, they confused Brady by bringing the blitz from all different angles and from many different players. Whether it was linebackers Kawika Mitchell and Antonio Pierce or defensive backs such as Aaron Ross, R.W. McQuarters, Sam Madison, Gibril Wilson, James Butler, or Corey Webster, someone was coming and Brady didn’t know who it was.

Of course, this means that Spagnuolo is now the leading candidate to get offered the Washington Redskins head coaching position, but with a little luck, “Spags” will stick around for one more year and master this defense again. But even if he does leave, everyone in New York will thank him for bringing us a title.

I reflected on this victory after the game, and a number of thoughts came to mind. First was obviously that Eli Manning has officially become a top flight quarterback. In the fourth quarter, he left people thinking of Joe Montana, going 9-14 for 152 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 140.5. He picked up his game to another level, when it matters most, and elevated his play to one of the best 4^th quarter performances in Super Bowl history.

The second thing that comes to mind is how much Tom Coughlin has gone through in New York. People were calling for his head just a year ago, and when he got a one year extension, he was seen as a lame duck coach. Instead, he became embraced by this group of players, and their passion for him showed on Sunday. He may be tough on the players, and is not historically viewed as a very kind coach, but he was as deserving as any coach to win a championship.

The last thing I thought about was a little known fact: Giants GM Jerry Reese became the first African-American GM to win the Super Bowl. History continues to be made in the Super Bowl, and there was no better one to do it in than this one.

In what was the most watched Super Bowl ever, millions got to see the upstart New York Giants squash history. They saw the Giants bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to New Jersey, where it is made (Parsippany, in fact; my old hometown). They saw Eli become a star in the biggest city in the world. And most of all, they saw a group of players who refused to believe the naysayers, who weren’t intimidated by perfection, and who didn’t care about the history that could have been made.

They may not be the ideal champion, and they are certainly not perfect. But they are imperfect champions.

19-0? More like "18 and No". Maybe that’s a book worth printing.