Not the Greatest Team, But Maybe the Best Game

No, I haven't seen 'em all. Joe Willie guaranteed before I was watching.

But having seen the last 37 Super Bowls, I'd be prepared to say No. 42 was the best, most dramatic, most taut and unpredictable I've seen.

The best, in other words. The best I've seen. And I got to watch it with all four of my kids, with three of them cheering for New England and me rooting on the Giants.

The two-year-old didn't much care one way or another.

SHAUN BEST/REUTERS Giants’ Reggie Torbor, Amani Toomer and Kevin Dockery jump for joy after New York shocked the Patriots 17-14.

Too low-scoring for some, sure, but for me, every down mattered, every error mattered, and the fact Fox did an absolutely terrific job delivering the Super Bowl last night sure helped. Troy Aikman, to me, just has that Lloyd Robertson-like authority about him.

It also helped that the Eli Manning-to-David Tyree pitch-and-catch that was a critical part of New York's 12 play, 83 drive for the winning score may have been the most incredible single play in Super Bowl history.

How did Manning, not the fleetest afoot, escape the clutches of the savage New England defence that had history and the Giants QB in its grasp?

How did Tyree, not even a starter, manage to control the ball by leaping to catch it at its highest point with Rodney Harrison all over him, then refuse to drop it while falling to the ground, actually using one hand to press it against his helmet?

Incredible.

It was a win for little brothers everywhere, with Eli winning it all a year after Peyton, putting them right there with the Williams sisters and the Richard brothers as the most successful sibling combinations in sports history. Patriots coach Bill Belichick, a little too arrogant for some, was surely Super-arrogant on the day when he stalked off the field with a play still to run. Maybe he was confused or thought the game was over, but when you're opponent has earned a victory like the Giants did yesterday, you stand there until every second is gone.

And so the Giants matched their fellow New York team, the Jets, with the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history. Plaxico Burress, meanwhile, was spot on with his prediction, including his suggestion that the Giants defence would be able to stuff the Tom Brady-led New England attack.

Burress said the Pats would be able to come up with 17 points. They only managed 14, and Burress, rather than blathering about his brilliance, etc, afterwards, broke into tears on national television with the emotion of it all. While "winning it in the trenches" is the most over-used of football clichés, it was true that New York's offensive and defensive lines outplayed their New England counterparts on the day. In particularly, the Patriot offensive line was leakier than it had been all season, with the exception of the near-loss to Baltimore. Nobody had seen Brady hit that often and that hard all year long.

The Patriots, 18-1 rather than 19-0, now go down as one of the best NFL teams ever, but not the best. Not the greatest. Not perfect.

But they did get to play it what to me was the best Super Bowl yet.

Comments

[Guelphdad]

Not a fan of either team, did watch the game with a rabid New England fan though.

New England didn't seem to even try to find Stallworth or Moss early in the game, didn't run a four wideout pattern until way too late in the game and generally got away from what got them there. Run the ball? Nope didn't work early and it didn't work often.

And leaving Burress in single coverage with the game on the line, with the Giants needing a touchdown? Speechless!

Still Manning did what he had to and the Giants deserved to win the game that was played on the field. I think a bit more was expected from New England's offence is all.

[Rick Grace]

Why is great defensive play and goaltending in the NHL so bad, yet a defensive Super Bowl is seen as exciting?

[Geoff Read]

Dear Damien,
I think you need to rethink your perspective on this one - it was the best fourth quarter in Superbowl history. The rest of the game was like watching paint dry.

[Rob]

Dead on, Damien.
This was and edge of the seat game from start to finish, the most exiting Superbowl I've seen, and I've seen nearly as many as you. I almost felt sorry for all the fans who were too swacked by the time the game started because they surely missed a historic football memory.
I'm a Pats fan and sure, it stung, but the game was tremendously entertaining anyway.
You forgot to mention the great performance from Tom Petty at the half-time show though. What a perfect perfoming act, minimal glam, all performance. I was so glad it wasn't another American Idol/Vegas crap show like some previous years.
I don't know who'll play next year in the Big Bowl, but George Thorougood would be a perfect half-time act.

[mark]

Wow. I still can't believe it. That Giant's D was incredible and I've never seen a more unlikely quarterback/receiver combo deliver they way Manning and Tyree did. And Damien, I too was disappointed in Belichiks reaction. Zero class. It's one thing to be disappointed, it's another to show absolutely no respect for the team that just handed you the defeat. In your words 'arrogant', in mine, immature and disgraceful.

[Jimmyboy]

The Pats, at 18-1, henceforth may be regarded as the best team never to win a Super Bowl, but hopefully Bill Belichick will have learned how much more difficult it is to complete a 60-yard pass to Randy Moss in the last 30 seconds of a championship game than when you're on cruise control in a regular-season game. He'll have the video of both. And doesn't it seem like just 10 minutes ago that the NFL media was criticizing Eli Manning for his lack of maturity? My only regret is that the 1972 Dolphins alumni can continue toasting each other, but let Don Shula and his boys have their fun. After all, it was Shula who coached the most ignoble Super Bowl defeat ever, the one Joe Willie guaranteed.

[Mr. Right]

Bills/Giants was a better game.

Were you reporting sports then?

[JS]

My question is, why do so many Ontarians seem to care so much more about the NFL and its championship than the CFL and its final game? I've heard far more about two American teams in the past week that I could care less about than the Grey Cup, and that was with that game being in Toronto no less. Stores had sales, people took today off work. How very, very, patriotic.

[Jason Falbo]

No Comments?? Come on.. i just watched the game on tape-delay in Italy thanks the great technology of the slingbox and it was just awesome!... A day late, A day forcing myself not to view my homepage for fear of the outcome and worth every second of the suspense... awesome! Way to go Eli.... your passes were off most of the day but you got lucky when it counted, which is the hope that most of us hold onto even when the numbers are against us...

ciao.

[Bryan]

Mr. Wrong, that is because the CFL is a minor league, maybe entertaining and quaint and charming but minor league all the same. Do you only rent Canadian movies and listen to Canadian music? Didn't think so.

I'm a proud Canadian, love the NFL, MLB (and US College Football most of all which will really get your blood boiling as driving down to a Michigan or Penn State game when we have the big time Varsity Blues just up the street is surely treasonous), have no interest in CFL and despise hockey and curling - both iconic Canadian pastimes.

Btw, as I live downtown I did go out and partook in the Grey Cup parties even though the Grey Cup was the only CFL game I watched all season, and had a good time. Was astounded at the number of establishments in the so-called Entertainment District that weren't even open on Grey Cup Sunday. Even Regina residents were lamenting that they had to go the same chains as they have at home - way to go Toronto. Pretty sure if the Super Bowl was in Toronto (not while the earth is round) there would be a buzz and lineups unlike any Toronto has ever seen. After all the downside to the Super Bowl is that it is hyped to the Nth degree and is often a less than stellar game as it was for three quarters.

The fact that Cox liked it or even wrote about it gives me pause. The ultimate hoser looked up from the ice for a few hours - didn't know he had it in him but please take your unbridled ego and uninformed musings and go back to covering the sad sack losers in Blue & White and the rest of North America's eighth or tenth favour sport and leave the commentary on the dominant sport to the big boys.

[Alf]

Damien, great observations. Love your stuff. You're much more than just a hockey writer.

[Michael]

haha....I think Damien wrote that last comment.

[Alex]

1) Bryan: okay, so you don't like hockey or Damien Cox or the CFL...or, it seems, anyone or anything else. Great. Now go brew yourself some coffee and sober up. You should be embarrassed to have posted that.

2) I actually thought the Super Bowl was a bit of a snoozer until the 4th quarter (although, to be honest, I'd rather watch a game that is slow but close than watch a blowout that is basically over by halftime.) But wow, what a finish. Eli really earned his wings in the 4th.

Sure, he got lucky, but shaking off that sack with only 1:15 to go still took a lot of physical strength, not to mention presence of mind and sheer guts. Had he not done that, and had he not connected with Tyree, we would now be hearing all about the Patriots' perfect season and their 4th championship in 8 years. But instead…here we are. Nice that the Manning brothers now have matching rings!

BTW, I thought Tom Petty was okay...a bit sedate, perhaps, but he beat the hell out of the Rolling Stones' performance from two years ago (God, wasn't that just sad?). I thought Lenny Kravitz put on a way better show at the Grey Cup, though...

[Tyrone Singh]

Damien...you couldn't be more bang-on...every play had significance.

This game wasn't about poor execution on offence but brilliant execution on defence trumped by adjustments and fatigue in the 4th quarter. For a game this low scoring, there were few punts. It was about giving a little, and then taking a little bit back.

When New England scored, I thought it was done but to see The Giants respond and fight when the momentum had swung to the favoured Patriots way in the 4th quarter was the epitome of sporting drama.

I don't always agree with your insight, but as usual, I'll give you respect for your insight.

[FRT]

The problem is with most people they have no recall of recollection. They only remember what has just happened. As total games go...there have been many better. But as one blogger wrote it probably was the best 4th quarter...just because of the 2 drives...the one that put the Pats in front and then the reply of Eli driving his Giants in for the winning TD! One thing I can report on as someone who has seen all 42 SB's...is that it was one of the finest performances by a teams "Front 7" in Super Bowl history. What the Giants defense did to the high-flying Pats...ranks right up there with the Steel Curtains of the `70's...The LT led Giants...and the amazing `85 Bears defense & the Ravens Super Bowl win!

[chris]

Have you lost your cotton-pickin' marbles, Damien? That game was a total bore 5/6th of the time. There was more scoring in the most recent Grey Cup and that game was a pooch as well. If it wasn't for New England's attempt at a perfect season most of the TV viewing audience would have been flipping between the Discovery Channel and the Food Network. Hope everyone looking forward to the Bills playing a few games in Toronto the next five years know what they're getting themselves into before they flush their money down the toilet.

[pt]

Just going in you knew this would be a monumental game:

If the Pats won, you'd have the perfect season.
If the Giant won, it would be one of the biggest upsets ever.

The MVP should really have been the Giants defensive line.
They threw Brady around like a rag doll.

While I loved the 'win for little brothers' comment,
Manning never threw a spiral all game. It was the Giant D line, and punishing early running attack that won the game. The coaches ran plays for Manning that limited the possibility of him making mistakes. A Trent Dilfer SB XXXV type-performance.