Superbowl XLII: Epilog

As an avid Giants fan, I am thrilled with the results of Superbowl XLII (a.k.a. Extra Large Deuce). Generally speaking, I only hope for a competitive game to satisfy my sports appetite for the final pigskin showdown on the biggest stage. But with a proverbial horse in the race, this game took on a whole new meaning. This game was hype infinitum, and among the few times in sports when I can recall the hype being warranted. For a number or reasons, Superbowl Extra Large Deuce will be remembered as one of the greatest games ever played. Here are some topics that stick out in my mind…

“I only play when I wanna play.” This infamous line comes to you courtesy of Randy Moss during his tenure as an Oakland Raider. Randy Moss is the undisputed king of the NFL sound bite—beating out the likes of Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson. Sports writers love listening to this guy for his candor. On the other hand, Raider fans detest him because his performance as a Raider belied his obvious talent, and it has been crystal clear that Randy quit on the Raiders long before the Raiders traded him based on his lack of performance and insolence. I believe Randy has a good heart underneath those shoulder pads somewhere, but he frequently fails to use that soft membrane inside his helmet before he speaks which winds up with him having cleats in his mouth. Case in point: When Randy stated, “I only play when I wanna play,” he didn’t qualify it as result of his disgust with the organization. Consequently, to outsiders he appeared to be a malcontent that quit on the Raiders organization. The problem is Randy either didn’t understand (or didn’t care) that by quitting on the organization in Oakland, he quit on his teammates and fans as well. Playing football is a privilege, not a right. Pros that understand this edict and love the game play with honor. What Randy did is among the most unforgivable things a player can do. To exacerbate the issue, the Raiders effectively rewarded him by trading him to a title contending team. And Randy wasted no time showing he still has top flight skills. In fact, up until the last game, Randy had as good a season as a wideout has ever had in the NFL. He had even shown signs of having drunk the Belichick Kool-Aid and pronounced he was a “team first” guy. Say what? Was this the new Randy Moss? Not so fast. Randy had been limited to just two catches in the post season until he caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to put the Patriots up 14-10. In an act of backsliding, Randy saw fit to gawk at the fans in the stands thinking the game was in the proverbial bag. He performed a motion with his arms that looked like he was force-opening imaginary elevator doors—It was either that or some form of Ghetto peak-a-boo. Suffice it to say, the game was NOT over and the results are now notable history. But sometimes you just have say “thank you” to those lovely ladies—Karma and Fate—for kicking certain people who need it squarely in the ass.

“We’re only going to score 17 points??? …okay” was the phrase of disbelief from Tom Brady during Superbowl Extra Large Deuce media day. Tom was referencing an earlier sound bite from Giants Wide Receiver, Plaxico Burress, who had indicated that the Giants would win with the score 24-17. “Is Plax playing defense?” asked Brady in the interview session. “At least give us some credit for scoring more points!” Admittedly, Burress’ prediction was bold—not quite as audacious as Joe Namath’s guarantee, but close. Fortunately, the Giants defense backed up the bold prediction with some pretty bold statements on the field. Tom Brady does not like getting hit, and the frequency of the pounding he took clearly rattled him in the latter part of the game. The Giants defense sacked Tom Brady five times and put him on the ground and additional eighteen times. Result? Patriots managed to score only 14 points. Three less than Plaxico’s prediction. It’s often said that “Defense wins championships,” and defending has long been a hallmark of the New York Giants. Chalk one up for the “G-men.”

Giant Vindication. The Giants started the season 0-2, were congratulated for their 35-33 loss to the Patriots at the close of the regular season, and were 14 point underdogs heading into the Superbowl. Can you say, “DIS+r-e-p-e-c-t?” Interestingly, the Giants—like the Patriots—never faltered on the road. They won every game away from Giants Stadium. That seems to be a footnote now, but was not a point that weighed very heavily with the ESPN and NFL network pundits. The Giants consistently believed in themselves, even though the media only reluctantly conceded they had “a shot” at winning the big game. The Patriots, on the other hand, were the team of destiny and chasing history. Well history has been made, and the Giants (and Eli and Tom Caughlin) have been vindicated in a very big weigh. The pursuit of perfection was stopped cold in its tracks.

18-1. No one ever remembers who loses the Superbowl; however, everyone will remember who lost Superbowl XLII because of the Patriots’ chase for perfection. One could argue they had already passed their mid-term exam, the regular season, with flying colors. Most touchdowns in a single season and most touchdowns by a wide receiver records were set and they had an 18-0 record going in. They were the clear favorites in the game and should have been. And frankly, some small part of me would just like to tell Mercury Morris from the ’72 Dolphins to pipe down already. To quote Hank Aaron, “Records are made to be broken.” But the Dolphins’ “Season of perfection” would not be broken for Superbowl XLII thanks to some outstanding plays by Eli Manning and the boys.

In the end, the drama that played out the way it always does: The ultimate thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. With the exception of their coach, the Patriots handled themselves with class before and after the Superbowl game. The Patriots players even gave credit to the Giants for “making plays.” That’s as close as most professional athletes ever get to saying, “They were better than us today.” The Giants were intent on not being a footnote. On this day, they would not be the team that the Patriots defeated to get to 19-0. The Giants refused to be satisfied with “just being in the Superbowl.” Yes, the Patriots were supposed to complete the perfect season. Unfortunately for them, the Giants didn’t read that version of the script.

“The Catch.” The Catch just got a sequel. When you think of The Catch, football purists envision Dwight Clark's winning touchdown reception off a Joe Montana pass in the January 10, 1982, NFC Championship football game. In retrospect, it really was a pretty good catch—no pun intended—but that play was not in a Superbowl. Let the record show that the grab by David Tyree is arguably the single best catch in Superbowl history. Better than The Catch. Better than the Immaculate Reception. It had all the elements of greatness. The play began with Eli Manning escaping the clutches of Jarvis Green and roughly a dozen other Patriots. Unexpectedly, he fought, scrambled, and pulled a “Brett Favre.” Eli proceed to sling the ball 32 yards downfield—an on target beeline, albeit a little high—to receiver, David Tryee. Tyree had broken off his blocking route, leaped in the air, beat all-pro cornerback, Asante Samuel, to the ball, pinned the ball against his helmet, and brought the ball down under control for a first down. The Giants would go on to score the winning touchdown with just 32 seconds left to play in the ball game. This is the same David Tyree whom Amani Toomer had been quoted as saying, “was dropping everything in practice on Friday.” Tyree would finish with 3catches for a total of 43 yards, but he won’t catch a more important ball in his career.

Going for it on 4th and 13??? The Patriots coach, Bill Belichick, is as brilliant and arrogant as they come. For a moment, forget everything you know or have heard about Spygate. Forget about the vindictive running up of the score during the first quarter of the 2008 season at Bill’s direction. Forget about Belichick’s lack of communication during press conferences. Forget about his lack of sportsmanship when it’s time to shake other coaches’ hands at the end of a game. Forget about his unwillingness to dress in something befitting a head coach in the NFL besides a ripped up sweatshirt. Bill Belichick is an aloof, crotchety, cantankerous, surly SOB. But if you really want to know how self-absorbed a man is, watch the decisions that he makes. Not that the Giants actually needed any bulletin board material, but Belichick showed his true arrogance when he ordered the Patriots to go for it on 4th and 13. 4th and 13? What was he thinking??? He thought what he always thinks: That his play calling and his team’s execution could overcome the statistically obvious. Belichick expected that his offensive unit would not be denied, and that arrogance cost him 3 points on that possession. Superbowl XLII came down to being a good old fashioned, field position controlling, limited possession having, “smash mouth” football game. Had it been 4th and short, no one would have questioned Bill’s call. Not that it would have mattered, but it was satisfying to see the Patriots getting out-played and out-coached as well.

The Vindication of Tom Caughlin. At the beginning of the season, Tom Caughlin was on the hot seat. After the previous season and the Giants’ 0-2 start this year, speculation was that the Giants were ready to let him go. Last year, Coach Tony Dungy showed that a Christian man of reserved demeanor could be tough in a different way, and coach a team to win a Superbowl. To be clear, no one has ever accused Tom Caughlin of being reserved or soft spoken. This year, the proverbial screamer has been redeemed. Tom Caughlin has been known for his intensity, his demand that things be done his way…or else! But he had a plan that the team bought into and it worked. He focused on reducing mistakes and this year the Giants were the least penalized team in the NFL a year removed from being among the top five most penalized.

On any given Sunday, you could see the pronounced redness in Tom Caughlin’s cheeks and the steam coming out of his ears. It was most evident in this year’s NFC Championship game. At just 32 degrees in Lambo field and wind chill of -25 degrees, you could really see the redness in Tom’s cheeks when kicker, Lawrence Tynes, missed not one but two field goals that would have sent the Packers packing. Tom almost blew a head gasket! And it was not difficult to tell what was being said to his kicker from reading his lips. The old ball coach lightened up a bit after that game. Though tempted, he didn’t fire his kicker, and the Giants found inspiration in both their own play and in their coach. It’s interesting how history repeats itself, because this was the same type of chemistry that Bill Parcells had with his championship squad back in 1990. Now Tom Caughlin can lay claim to putting the kabosh on the greatest regular season run by another team in the modern NFL era. Redemption? Yes, indeed.

Peace,
+THINKER