Admnittedly I was premature in declaring football season “over.” For me, it was, because my team wasn’t in the Super Bowl, and my pro football interests typically are focused in laser fashion on one team and one team only, your five-time Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys. My attitude about today’s game was, “Ho hum. The Giants will keep it interesting for awhile but the Pats will prevail in the end thanks to their relentless offensive pressure and superior firepower.” Wrong. It was the Giants’ defensive firepower that kept it close, and in the end, set the stage for the offense finally to wake up and do something useful.
I didn’t like either team in the Super Bowl, so I didn’t root for either, but instead sat back and enjoyed what was a thrilling game. That was an amazing fourth quarter! The play of the game will go down as an all-time classic, one that even I (who can’t stand the Giants) must admit was one of the most amazing in Super Bowl history. This was where Eli Manning somehow got out of a three-way blitz sandwich, scrambled left after nearly tripping, and heaved the desperation pass that David Tyree leaped to catch off his helmet, while draped by two Patriots. Luck and skill. That’s how games like this are won.
I didn’t wake up until the end of the first half (coming off a night shift), and was rather surprised to see the score 7-3 at that juncture. I’ll begrudgingly hand it to the Giants for bringing the heat nonstop, and smacking Mr. Not-so-perfect all over the field. Indeed, that stick on the last drive, where an unblocked middle blitzer absolutely laid waste to Brady, was a great defensive play call — perfect execution to place a perfect scowl on Mr. Perfect. I don’t fell sorry for him, though. Gisele surely will do a fine job of soothing his aches and pains in the next few weeks.
I’m happy to see the Pats lose, but wish some team besides the Giants would have been the ones to do it (say, the Cowboys!). At least there’s reason for optimism for my team going into next season, for once. The talent is there, no doubt, and should be reinforced by the addition of two first round picks, assuming Jerry doesn’t do something phenomenally stupid, like trade those picks up for Darren McFadden. [Why? Marion the Barbarian is a ferocious beast. Instead, draft a talented change-up runner like Felix Jones with one of the existing picks instead, and use the other on badly needed DB depth…say, Aqib Talib.] The staff vacancies resulting from the Tuna’s Dolphin raid have been filled by smart, experienced coaches, including Dave Campo, who is right where he belongs as secondary coach.
I would take a win or two less in the regular season if it means the team peaks at the end, instead of in the middle. Two teams I do not like — Pittsburgh and the Giants — recently have showed how it can be done.
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