Giants-Patriots Two, Offensive Boogaloo

In advance of Super Bowl XLII, I put together my thoughts in a preview post and in the end, just couldn't bring myself to be a homer and pick the Giants. And who could blame me? The Pats had overcome absolutely everything that year. They looked pretty much invincible. Sure, looking back, there were signs that they were wearing down, but we kept thinking that all year and yet they had done what literally no team had yet done -- go 18-0. Then the Super Bowl happened, the Giants played a nearly perfect game, and the rest is history. 

I look back at my recap the night the Giants won the Super Bowl in Feb 2008 and I am barely coherent, but that's understandable given my lifelong Giants fandom and the magnitude of that night.

This year, things are so much different. As much as the media loves to talk about the "rematch," it's definitely a different feel. The Patriots got to the Super Bowl after going 13-3 in the regular season (as opposed to 16-0) and having the 31st ranked defense in the league. They've also only beaten one team with a winning record at the time this year (the Ravens). Even their first playoff game was against the 8-8 Broncos, which was essentially a second consecutive bye.

Now, understand, I'm not suggesting the Pats don't deserve to be here -- they absolutely do. You can only play who is on your schedule and the Pats have won 11 straight games. The last loss? Back in November versus the New York Giants. So I'm not suggesting the Pats shouldn't be here -- all I would say is that their path has been beyond easy. Almost no resistance this year, plus a fairly easy path in the playoffs. They're not the juggernaut they were four years ago.

That said, they could easily still win.

I think the Gronk injury is huge for the Pats. The guy caught 17 TDs and is the one guy the Giants would have a real hard time covering. Even if he does play, he won't be himself, so that bodes well for New York. If Brady plays poorly, as he did against Baltimore, I would say that's the only way this game could be a blowout, and it would obviously be in the Giants favor.

However, I think Brady will be as focused as ever and that concerns me. Also, how many times can this Giants brain trust beat Belichick? They've already won a Super Bowl against them and won in Foxboro this season. Can they win a third time? Sure, but it doesn't sound easy, does it?

The Giants were 7-7 at one point and looked listless. I even said on Facebook that being swept by the Washington Redskins and losing at home to Seattle should automatically disqualify you from the playoffs. And then the Giants simply flipped the switch and remembered how to play. They are here because they have used the formula that teams use in all sports to win titles: Play well, don't give games away with turnovers or mental mistakes, and get fortunate bounces. Hey, I'm realistic -- to win a championship, you don't only need to be good, you need to get lucky, too. It's all part of the formula.

Here's what I think: If both teams play to their potential, the Giants should win. The NY defense is better than New England's and the NY offense is comparable to NE's. Brady can of course be the variable, because he's so good he can alter games and bend time and space all by himself. But I know many Pats fans who quietly admit the only team they really "worried" about was the Giants.

If either team's QB plays poorly or the team turns the ball over, that's the team that loses. But hey, that's common sense, right?

I think both these teams and both these guys (Brady and Eli) will be locked in. I don't think it's the shootout that it could be and some expect. But I do think it goes the Giants way.

Giants 27, Patriots 24

Tony Romo and T.O. Apparently Shop At the Same Dorky Hat Store

Take a look at these daffodils:

I don't see how anyone can think Tony Romo doesn't love T.O. given that they clearly shop together for hate my grandfather would have worn.

Seriously, what is with certain athletes trying to look like they're fashion plates at press conferences? And why doesn't Tom Brady dress like this? Or Eli Manning? Or Peyton Manning? How come it's only the guys who've never one a damn thing who look like they're more concerned with stylish freaking hats than the game itself?

Okay, but I digress. The Cowboys actually played really well last night. Their defense especially came to play and the whole team, to their credit, played like they had to win -- which they did.

The Giants missed Brandon Jacobs a lot and it's very clear that without him and Burress, it could be an early end to the playoffs for the G-men. However, I'm still confident that with a healthy Jacobs, this team is solid and can make a run. Winning home-field next Sunday against the Panthers would be nice.

As for T.O., the dude needs serious help. I'm talking major counseling and perhaps some drugs. He's now acting as though nothing ever happened this past week and that ESPN's Ed Werder made it all up. The priceless cringing look on Andrea Kremer's face when Owens first said this on the field after the game was awesome. It's like when a child lies about something everyone knows to be true -- it's just kind of pathetic.

Yes, T.O. I'm sure the irresponsible media made it all up just to be mean to you.

But everyone was buddy-buddy after the win, while we all know that there would be even more hissy-fitting going on if the Cowgirls had lost last night. But all is well for now and I found it fun to see Jerry Jones and his merry band of idiots in his box celebrating and hugging after the win like they just won the Super Bowl. Hey, maybe you guys will make the playoffs this year! And maybe Tony and Wade will finally win a playoff game! Wouldn't that be fun?

Cowboys Lay Down and Play Dead

I never did understand why the Cowboys were such a chic pick for the Super Bowl this year. They had the same cast back as last year -- with the addition of alcoholic criminal Pacman Jones -- which couldn't win even a single home playoff game. They are in the best division in football, which also includes the defending champs, who didn't get worse or anything. And yet everyone on any major network seemed to be picking the Cowgirls go all the way.

And now, here they are, sitting at 5-4 and quite possibly not going to the playoffs. They're 2 1/2 games behind the Giants at the moment and while I don't necessarily feel that that's safe enough, it's a nice position to have your favorite team in. And around here at BS, with the Colts scuffling along at 4-4 and the Browns starting Gaydy Quinn, I'm definitely in the best position. (Not that kind of position, Brady.)

My absolute favorite moment from the Giants rumble over the Cowboys on Sunday, though, was one that Troy Aikman pointed out immediately and which is currently featured over at Fan IQ.

In the third quarter, I think the Cowboys had quit (did they really think Brooks freaking Bollinger was the answer?) and nothing said that more clearly than Michael Jenkins (#31) simply not wanting any part of Derek Ward.



That's quite hilarious. And sad, if you like the Cowboys.

Giants Keep On Winning

When you've had to watch your college team go through the motions and become a complete embarrassment, especially on offense, as we have recently, it makes watching your favorite pro team (if they're good) quite satisfying. Even if they're not world-beaters, or even if they have a mediocre game... they often find ways to still move the ball, capitalize on mistakes by the other team, etc. Good teams do those sorts of things. Even average teams do it sometimes.

I was somehow lucky enough to see the fourth quarter of the Giants-Steelers game yesterday because the Texans game here in Houston had ended and for some reason the NYG-PIT game was running long, so Fox -- in an uncharacteristically intelligent move for broadcast television -- put the rest of this game on.

The Giants had been anemic in the red zone, coming away with just four field goals through 4 minutes into the fourth quarter. Eli wasn't looking sharp and the Steelers defense looked positively stout.

However, the Steelers emergency long snapper, James Harrison, snapped the ball about ten feet over the punters head and out of the end zone for a safety, tying the score and giving the Giants life.

Side note: I love this quote from Harrison after the game:

"I was nervous about snapping for the first time in a game," Harrison said. "But my feeling was that even if I shot it over his head, we still had a chance to stop them."

Isn't that awesome? I'm sure it wasn't said as cavalierly as it appears in print, but that just makes me laugh. You know, he figured, even though it's a close game where points are at a premium, snapping it out of the end zone and blowing our lead -- and then having to kick the ball to the Giants -- would be okay.

Anyway, the Giants took the ball and went down the field, with Eli hitting TE Kevin Boss for the go-ahead TD and, after Ben Roethlisberger (who I'm sorry, is as overrated a QB as there is in football) failed to move the Steelers at all in two more possessions, wound up winning and moving to 6-1.

Quietly moving to 6-1, I might add. On The Sports Reporters Sunday morning, Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe said that if the Giants didn't win this game, people were going to start saying, "See, they did get lucky for three weeks last year."

How do you figure, Bob? That's among the most idiotic things I've heard yet about the Giants. Sure, people don't think they were the best team last year... that's true, and I'm fine with it. But they were 5-1, heading into a tough place to win -- against another 5-1 team! And if they don't win that, then they're.... a fraud? Hard to follow, Bob.

Anyway, yes, here they are -- the Giants, in the widely-agreed toughest division in the NFL, leading with a 6-1 record. And yet nobody seems to think they're real good. And I guess that's fine. Truth is, when I looked at this season, I decided that a 10-6 record was possible and that I'd actually be really happy with that because it should get them into the playoffs where, as they showed, anything can happen. And despite being 6-1, I still think I'd be happy with 10-6. Sure, the New York papers will blast them if they go 4-5 the rest of the way, but with the brutal schedule they have, that wouldn't be so bad.

I'm just totally rambling now, but it's better than focusing on Purdue football.

Yes, Patriots, You Should Be Proud of Your Effort

Buried in an article on Boston.com about the NFL season going to a 17 or 18 game schedule were some tasty nuggets about the Patriots "undefeated season" championship rings. Let's take a look and just be a prick, shall we?

There was the journey toward a 16-0 regular season and the AFC championship, then the bitter ending of a crushing defeat in Super Bowl XLII. When top Patriots officials gathered this offseason, they pondered the best way to celebrate a season that had such exhilarating highs and one crushing low.

I will never get tired of knowing the arrogant, haughty, Belichick-led Patriots had their season crushed all while their mouth-breathing fans were drawing up "19-0" placards (well, those who could count to 19). And, really, why would you "celebrate" a failed season at all? Ask any player, and they'll tell you winning it all is the reason for playing.

In the end, after declaring the season the fourth-greatest achievement in team history, they elected to have a private ceremony to commemorate it last Monday at Gillette Stadium.

Oh? Why private? Don't you think the Southies would love to come out in droves to "celebrate" the...um...fourth-greatest achievement in team history?

Owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft presented the players with rings. On one side of the ring, it reads "16-0 -- perfect season." On the other, it reads "18-1, AFC Championship."

I love this. Love love love it. Championship rings for the losing team in the Super Bowl. Now, before you write to correct me -- yes, I realize the loser often does have a ring made up. Sadly, Tom Jackson of ESPN wears one of his because his Broncos never won it all. But that's just it -- Tom's teams were never really expected to roll through the Super Bowl and so he proudly wears his AFC title ring from whenever it was. But really, does anyone else? I mean, I'm sure the third-stringers who are now financial analysis do... but any members of that Pats team? And who's going to want to trumpet their "perfect season," when, you know... it wasn't perfect? Isn't that kind of false advertising? If you're going to say it's a perfect season and make things up, why not just go the whole way and put "Super Bowl Champions" on the side since you all decided you were the champs ahead of time anyway? Or is it a truth and lies ring? On one side is the 16-0 record and on the other is their (actual) 18-1 record? Fun.

In addition, a banner was made to commemorate the season, and it was unveiled at the ceremony, with Kraft pulling a rope as it came down from the ceiling. It will be displayed at Gillette Stadium, next to the team's Super Bowl banners.

Yes, what better way to commemorate the biggest disappointment this group of players has ever felt? Let's hang a banner showing them how close they came to being the greatest team ever and holding that mantle, probably forever. This would be like the Seattle Mariners hanging a banner after winning 116 games in 2001 but losing to the Yankees in the playoffs. Or the 2004 Yankees hanging a banner to commemorate that they almost got to the World Series with a 3-0 ALCS lead before blowing it. Why would you do that? To remind yourself that you choked?

"I think there were two things going on from last year - and one was that it was an extraordinary year that I don't think we got to savor and enjoy," Kraft said. "We accomplished something special as a team and organization last year, under tremendous scrutiny, more scrutiny than any team has ever been under.

Because you cheated.

"We went 16-0, we won 18 straight games, and then the 19th game ended so abruptly that all of us have had a sick feeling in our stomach.

Because you choked.

"I think in 10-15 years from now, when people look back and start to realize what happened here, it probably will never happen again.

No, I think there will be AFC champs who lose the Super Bowl to an underdog again.

I can't say it won't, but you have to have a confluence of so many things coming together. We wanted to congratulate the team and the coaches for what they accomplished."

Losing the Super Bowl as a heavy favorite? Not getting the job done?

Added coach Bill Belichick, "It was a very special and historic year, and I want them to look back with pride when they look at the ring and remember the week-to-week approach.

Look at the ring.... in their dresser. Or under a footstool. Because nobody's going to be wearing them. And if they do, they deserve to be mocked.

"When you're in a season, you're always moving on to the next game, the next challenge, and because there is always something ahead, you never look back. I thought it was a good time to talk about it and acknowledge it, and also talk about how I appreciated their approach and superior performance they gave throughout the year."

Superior until the end, that is.

New Orleans To Be Hit By Another Devastating Hurricane

Yeah, I'm sure I'm not the first one with that joke, but I am the most handsome.

For those who haven't heard yet, Jeremy Shockey -- reknown, overrated douchebag -- has been traded to the Saints for some ankle tape and a bucket of used athletic cups. Actually, no, the Giants got a couple of decent picks for him so that's a win-win, especially considering Kevin Boss proved to actually be a better tight end as a rookie than Shockey ever was.

Shockey never really fit into the Giants team atmosphere like everyone thought he might. The Giants, despite being a "New York" team, aren't as hatable as most NY squads and so Shockey's act did more to piss off the real football fans in the stadium. Sure, once or twice his helmet flew off from a collision and people were like, "Man, he's a gamer!" But mostly he just infuriated real Giants fans by doing things like dropping critical -- and easy to catch -- screen passes or elaborately signaling first down when the Giants were losing games. He definitely had the highest ratio of in-your-face moves to actual plays made in the league.

In the end, as a Giants fan, I'm really happy to have him gone because it means I don't have to root for him anymore. He's a Miami Hurricane, which means he's colossally arrogant and entitled to begin with and simply not capable of humility (witness the way he's acted since being proven wholly unnecessary to the Giants success -- the guy still acts like the team owes him something).

Sean Payton, the Saints head coach, was on the Giants staff under Fassel so he knows what he's getting. So maybe he'll know how to handle him. Or maybe Drew Brees will tattoo Shockey with a laser pass during mini-camps to show him he's not dealing with Eli anymore.

Regardless, good riddance jackass. We will not miss you.

No, Seriously, Mercury -- Shut Up

Boilerdowd said it the night of the Super Bowl and I think we can all agree -- Mercury Morris needs to shut up. KSK has an excellent, if far more potty-mouthed, takedown of Mercury and his precious '72 Dolphins.

It's actually quite a difficult and divisive thing -- while most of the world outside of New England and the other front-running Pats fans around the country are thrilled that the Giants took down the Pats perfect season, I think a lot of us would also love to see the Dolphins shut the hell up. This baloney has gone on long enough.

Also, just for kicks... and in the hopes that some Pats fans are reading... below is the video that you knew was out there -- the one Reebok expected to run. The one with the Pats moving into the neighborhood.

Best Super Bowl Ever?

You'll have to excuse us (me) for still reveling in my team upsetting the best pro team ever. We'll get back to our juvenile bashing of fat coaches and other basketball programs soon, but I still need to savor this for a while.

Are we looking at the best Super Bowl ever? I know that "best ever" crap gets thrown around a lot -- like when the Pats are compared to the best dynasties ever, before they've won their crowning game -- but there have only been 42 Super Bowls and so it's not hard to run through them and try to figure out what was bigger.

Never has a team been considered more of an underdog. I don't care if there have been larger than two-TD underdogs -- the Giants weren't only going against a superior team, a team that had destroyed everyone and was undefeated. They were going against a team coached and QB'ed by two of the very best out there. Two guys who were unbeaten in the Super Bowl. And the Giants were considered not all that good. They "only" went 10-6 this year. They didn't even win their division. Eli threw twenty picks this year. People were writing stories about how it was time to give up on Eli. At age 25. Solid.

Anyway, so that's the Giants predicament. And they won, with catches like David Tyree's. David Tyree, a guy who had -- get this -- four catches this season, for a total of 35 yards. FOUR!! And he makes this grab.

Was that the best catch I've ever seen? It's up there. Was it simply awesome that it was Rodney Harrison that couldn't break it up? Yes, it surely was.

I always felt like the best Super Bowl I ever watched was Super Bowl XXV, when the Giants beat the Bills 20-19. The Bills had that high-flying, no-huddle, quick-strike offense and the Giants were the slow, plodding, 11-minute drive team. And the two clashed for 60 minutes and it came down to the Scott Norwood missed field goal. To that point, I don't think any Super Bowl had come down to the last play like that. We've been so used to complete blowouts and anticlimactic games. And that one was simply awesome. And yes, I'm biased because it was the Giants, but you cannot deny that was an amazing game -- if you remember watching it. I realize it was 17 years ago.

But last night ranks up there for me and I think it should for many. So many subplots, such a back-and-forth game. A defensive struggle, sprinkled with amazing offensive plays and clutch performances. Tom Brady leads his team down as he so frequently does. He was Tom Brady. He found a way to get them the lead and, presumably, the win. How many times has Tom Brady done exactly that? And to see them score by tossing to Randy Moss as the Giants defender frickin falls down. How discouraging. One of our friends at my house said, "Well, Moss would have caught that anyway." Probably true, but I felt like it was an awful way to lose... Moss being unguarded.

But as Boilerdowd pointed out to me, how weird was it to see Brady leave so much time on the clock? Usually, he seems to find a way to leave nothing. But 2:42 with three timeouts and the two-minute warning is a ton of time... even for Eli!

And I said this. To which my wife said she didn't believe me. I said that it wasn't the clock I was even slightly worried about -- it was the execution.

Speaking of execution, what about rookie Steve Smith (who had eight catches on the season), catching that third down pass with just over 40 seconds left and getting his body past the first-down marker and out of bounds?! Clutch!

So yes, in this rambling run-on of a post... I think this might very well be the best overall Super Bowl ever. The stakes were so high, the upset so improbable... and the game itself was outstanding. The Pats didn't lose, they didn't blow anything. The Giants went in and won -- they took it from the Patriots. And so I don't bash the Pats (I bash their fans more) for not showing up -- I think they did show up... I just think that last night, the Giants were better. If they played ten times, how many would the Giants win? Maybe 2 or 3 times? Doesn't matter... they won last night.

And that final kneeldown, where classy Bill Belichick was already up the tunnel.... below is a shot of it. And how wonderful is it that there's David Tyree, lined up in the backfield, allowed to be out there for the final snap. Don't tell me Coach Coughlin doesn't have a softer side.

18-1

New England Patriots: Most points scored in NFL history. Largest margin of victory in NFL history. Only second team to have undefeated regular season in Super Bowl era. Tom Brady -- 50 TD passes, number 1 all time. Randy Moss -- 23 TDs, number 1 all time.

Super Bowl XLII Champions: New York Giants.

Yes, everyone -- all you front-running New England fans, arrogant Bill Simmons (42-17, Pats, eh, Bill?), and fat-ass, pontificating Chris Berman and all the rest of the jackholes on ESPN who picked blowouts for the Pats -- that's right, the Giants beat the New England Patriots tonight. And I admit, I still cannot believe it. I watched every second and I, like many, knew that they had a shot if they kept it close throughout the game. I said to our guests at our home tonight, "I just hope they're not down 21-3 after a quarter." And there they were, holding the Pats to their lowest point total of the season. The mighty, mighty Patriots.

Who do you give credit to? You give it to the entire New York Giants team. It took what it had to take tonight -- a complete team effort. I said before the game that the Giants needed to be perfect and the Pats needed to have an off game. I think I was wrong. The Giants were not perfect. They made some mistakes. A botched snap. A critical pass interference penalty by Antonio Pierce in the second quarter. A terrible interception in the red zone where rookie Steve Smith juggled a ball into the Pats hands.

But the Pats were beatable tonight. And why? Credit the Giants defense for being beyond stout throughout this game. They came in knowing they had to play the game of their lives. They knew they were one blown coverage away from beating the Pats in late December. So let's be perfect this time, they must have said. And they damn near were. Aside from Pierce's pass interference penalty, I can't think of another mistake -- even a slightly missed assignment -- that the defense made all night. And that's amazing. They sacked Tom Brady five times. FIVE. He was sacked only once in their Dec 29 game and only something like 12 or 13 times all season. Nobody gets to Handsome Tom.

Do you know when I began to believe this game was not going to be just like every other Pats playoff game? Late in the first half, when the Giants forced a fumble to halt the Patriots drive, the fumble was caused by a sack of Terrific Tom Brady. And after the play, it was clear how hard Brady had been hit and even one of his linemen was getting up slowly and limping off the field. And I thought to myself, this is about when Rocky begins turning the tide. He uppercuts the champ hard and makes him bleed. And the champ isn't necessarily losing yet, but they're stunned and not looking like themselves. And the door is open a crack and the challenger has to push their way through. And they did.

Hey, how about Plaxico saying the Giants were going to win, 23-17, earlier in the week? Tom Brady then laughed -- laughed -- when told that and said, "Oh, is Plax playing defense?" He thought the idea of the Pats only scoring 17 points was a silly concept. Hmmm, what do you think of 14, Tom?



Some more thoughts on the classy Patriots.... how about that last one second of play? Belichick is clearly told at midfield by the officials that the game is not over and that the Giants have the ball with one second left on the clock. But Bill Belichick isn't interested in the Giants having the ball -- now that his team has lost the game, he's outta there! Belichick, Brady and many other Patriots were already up the tunnel and weren't out there for the final play of the game. And do you know who I do respect on the Pats? Teddy Buschi, for one, who was out there for the final play and who was signaling for his defensive teammates to come out there and line up for the Giants last snap. And whomever else on the Pats D that was out there at the end -- I'm impressed by those guys and genuinely appreciate their sportsmanlike nature of letting the Giants have that feeling of the final kneeldown. Please see Boilerdowd's suggestion down below about sending a videotape to the Classy Bill Belichick.

Unexpected heros: Well, as I said, this was a total team effort but David Tyree and Justin Tuck stand out for me. Sure, Strahan and Osi are the mack daddies on this defense, but Justin Tuck nailed Brady a couple of times and was a huge difference-maker. As for Tyree, he caught the TD that the Giants scored to go up 10-7 and then he also caught the desperation heave from Manning on the last drive... it was third and long and Manning escaped pressure from multiple Patriots D-linemen and chucked it downfield, and it was David Tyree who managed to haul it in. And that, coupled with Kevin Boss' 45-yard catch earlier in the quarter, might be the biggest catches in the Giants season. I'm not sure there were many bigger ones in their history. Perhaps Mark Ingrams long catch and run on third down against the Bills in Super Bowl XXV, for those that remember. That's where those two catches by Boss and Tyree rank.

How pleased must Goodell have been to be presenting that trophy to the Giants and not the Pats? Who wants to present a trophy to a bunch of cheaters, anyway?

Where do the Pats go from here? How bad does it hurt to go 18-0 and then lose? How hard will it be for Belichick to get these guys to buy in to his system next year? Those guys can say they buy in, but won't they be thinking, "hey, this didn't work last year"? The Pats will now be remembered as the 16-0 team that couldn't win it all. And they will live in infamy, no matter what happens in their future. They're now just like the 2004 Yankees that blew a 3-0 lead in the ALCS. A great team with a huge advantage who.... blew it. Deal with it, Boston.

My last thought for the evening... on an evening of many dissheveled thoughts.... but let's all shut the hell up about Eli Manning. He's the man. This kid is all of 26 years old and he's been in the playoffs every year he's been a full-time starter. Do you realize this? And now he's a Super Bowl champion. And a Super Bowl MVP. It's done, he's the man. He's lived up to his potential. I don't want to hear any more about comparing him to Phillip Rivers or his brother or anyone else. He won the Super Bowl. This wasn't like Big Ben's Steelers winning despite Ben's awful play. Manning was terrific, especially in the fourth quarter, and was deserving of the MVP. He was clutch, he was a champion and there's nothing else to say. Phil Simms, Jeff Hostetler, Eli Manning. Those are the Giants QBs who have won Super Bowls.

I've been a Giants fan my whole life. And not even I expected this for the 2007 season, especially after an 0-2 start and the team looking like crap. But then it all began to truly come together. The Giants went on a 11-game winning streak away from Giants Stadium. They blossomed. We watched Eli grow up before our eyes... like, truly, we saw him go from the kid nobody could ever count on all the way up the spectrum to a Super Bowl MVP, clutch, champion.

And hey, Tiki, how do you like Eli's leadership now?

Either Way, The Ride Ends On Sunday

Well, here we are. It's time to make my pick as a G-men fan. And as the title says, the ride ends either way on Sunday. Either the amazing run by the Pats ends in disappointment... the kind of disappointment rarely ever felt by a pro team. Or the Giants run ends in mixed feelings... mixed because who really thought they were going this far? Giants fans who tell you they knew this was going to happen are lying or are delusional. This team was good, yes, but Super Bowl champs? They weren't even the best in their division!

I've heard a few people say that if the game was played the week after the title games, then they might have picked the Giants. And I think that's a very good point. With only a week to prepare, one would think the Pats wouldn't be as ready, plus we all know something truly was wrong with Brady's ankle. He didn't practice much last week, he had a boot on, the media was being restricted from seeing things by the gestapo that is the Patriots coaching staff. It all added up to there really being a problem that this organization was arrogant enough to think it could hide. And it sorta did, mainly because everyone loves Tom Brady and thinks Bill Belichick is a "genius." Whatever.

Right after the Giants beat Green Bay, I remember think they had no chance but at least they'd be in the Super Bowl. And I remember also thinking we now had two weeks to all talk ourselves into the idea that the Giants had a chance. You sit around long enough and you begin to convince yourself of strange things. And as a Giants fan who has seen this team progress, it gets even easier.

I wasn't sure they would beat Tampa. But once they did, and it was clear this team was coming together and Eli looked like a different man after winning a playoff game, I actually believed they could beat Dallas. And they did. And then after that I knew they were good enough to beat Green Bay. And they did. But the Patriots?

The Pats absolutely smoked the Cowboys this season and the Cowboys smoked the Packers. By transitive properties, that doesn't give the Giants much hope. However, the Giants do slot in there above the Cowboys because they knocked off Dallas and they lost by only 3 to New England in that much-talked about game on Dec 29.

The one thing the Giants have going for them is that they're not afraid of New England. Well, that and they are underdogs so they can just go out there and chuck it like they did on Dec 29. When the Giants were last in the Super Bowl, after the 2000 season, I remember a number of analysts picking them to win. I'd say something like 60% of the talking heads were picking New York. The Ravens had no offense to speak of and the Giants had won the NFC title game something like 41-0 over Minnesota. So they looked good. And then Ray Lewis and the Baltimore defense punched them in the mouth and they never stood back up, getting trounced 34-7.

This time, though, the Giants aren't going in thinking they're the favorites or hearing very many people pick them. And I think that's good. Because they don't have any expectations to live up to. If they lose, they lost to the best team ever. If they win, though, well, that's hard to fathom, even for me.

I could come up with ways the Giants could win but the fact is, they basically need to play a perfect game and hope the Pats are off their game, which I cannot imagine they will be in the Super Bowl. The Giants did play them tough in December -- and still lost. Eli threw four TDs but he threw one killer pick and that essentially sealed it. He cannot do that on Sunday. No turnovers at all. If the Giants do that and play out of their minds again, then maybe they can pull this off.

Unfortunately, though, I don't see all these "ifs" happening under the worldwide bright lights of the Super Bowl. If you have a big game to win and you've got Tom Brady on one side and Eli Manning on the other.... well, make it that simple and who do you like?

I will of course be pulling hard-core for my Giants on Sunday and I genuinely do think that if they get a few breaks early on, they could make this a hell of an entertaining game. But when an 18-0 team has only one hurdle left to be perfect and they have the Brady and Belichick combo, is it conceivable that they'll let it slip away?

I don't think so.

Patriots 31, Giants 27

This Is What Happens When You Have Two Weeks Before the Super Bowl

You get fantasyland, weird-o articles like this one from New York sportswriters like Filip Bondy. I don't know why, but I've always had a problem with people who don't spell their names correctly and Filip is about as egregious as it gets. Names like "Thom" or "Geoff" or "Gregg" or "Trayci" or doofy things like that. I know, I know, most people are named by their parents and so it's not their fault but I'm allowed to dislike people for whatever reason I want.

It's entitled "What if Giants Didn't Pass on Brady?"

Please tell me Filip isn't going to talk about how much life "might be different" had the Giants and not the Pats drafted Handsome Tom Brady.

But after a goofy-ass intro where he talks about "Giants coach Jim Fassel" and Brady talking about the Giants "third straight Super Bowl," he says this:

February Fools' Day!

What you see there is the fantasy lead for a hypothetical column that might well have been written this week if only the Giants hadn't drafted six mediocre players ahead of Brady back in 2000.

Oh, boy. He is. I don't know where to start but I guess I could point out that articles like this are usually reserved for situations like when Sam Bowie is selected over Michael Jordan. Not when, like, 198 playes are chosen before a guy like Brady. I think we can all agree that nearly every single NFL team would like to have chosen Tom Brady over whomever they took that year. I mean, I think we've covered this. The Giants chose Ron Dayne in the first round. Others chose Peter Warrick, Deltha O'Neal, Stockar McDougle, Chris McIntosh, Leif Larson (clearly I'm just cherry-picking the funny names), Robaire Smith, Jeno James, Jabari Issa, Spergon Wynn, Mareno Philyaw... all before Handsome Tom. Hell, the Raiders used the 17th overall pick on an effing kicker! This has been covered, at length. He should have been chosen higher. He was a steal at 199th. But he was a backup in college. Nobody could have predicted this. And when fatass Bob Kraft tries to, he's a filthy liar.

What if the Giants hadn't passed on Brady? I don't know. What if it didn't snow the day I crashed my mom's Volvo in high school? What if the Nazis had passed on world domination? What if up was down and down was up? What if my grandma didn't drink so much? Who knows? Why are we asking these questions?

Anyway, Filip goes on to list many players that the Giants and others chose, much like I just did. Only he isn't as funny as me. At least, I don't think so. And he continues to re-hash really overcooked meat:

"When I came to the Patriots I was the fourth-string quarterback,” Brady said yesterday, for real. "I was eating nachos before the games, watching us in 2000, just hoping that one day I would get the opportunity.”

Then Drew Bledsoe got hurt in 2001, and the rest is Bill Belichick genius.

We know this. Everybody fricking knows this. Casual fans know this. I mean, if you asked Alice from accounting about Tom Brady, she'd know he was really handsome and wins all the time and that he took over for Drew Bledsoe and the rest is history. We all know this!

More from Bondy:

But what if things had gone very differently? What if Accorsi selected Brady with the marginal sixth pick?

The "marginal" sixth pick? What does that mean? And yes, things would have gone differently. Just like if the Trail Blazers had chosen Jordan or the Indianapolis Racers had never traded away Wayne Gretzky. Just imagine -- the Edmonton Oilers probably wouldn't exist and we'd be talking about how the city of Indianapolis is the hotbed of professional hockey, thanks to the kid from Manitoba. And everybody would bitch about the "West coast bias" of sports coverage all thanks to Michael Jordan's string of 14 straight championships in the Pacific Northwest. But that's not what happened.

But Filip is having fun playing make-believe:

Here is one scenario: Brady beats out Jason Garrett for the No. 2 spot on sheer talent. But he sits behind Collins for three long years, because Collins has a Super Bowl on his resume. Collins is streaky, and by the start of the 2003 season there is a real quarterback controversy in camp. When the Giants slip to a 2-4 start, Fassel pulls the plug on Collins and starts Brady for the first time.

Brady shines. He doesn't lead the Giants to the playoffs, but he is a galvanizing force, and this still-talented team finishes at 8-8. That is enough to save Fassel's job.

Dude, Fassel was definitely a good man and a quite-decent coach. But he was canned, like, five years ago. Time to deal with it. I thought this was about Tom Brady being a Giant, yet as ridiculous as that concept is for moderately-intelligent human beings, it's getting even more murky as we talk about who would actually be coach.

And how do you know Fassel would "pull the plug" on Collins? Collins was his boy and got them to a Super Bowl. Why am I even getting worked up over this?

In the 2004 draft, the Giants no longer need a young quarterback and keep all their picks. They choose lower in the draft, but solidify themselves by choosing defensive tackle Vince Wilfork in the middle of the first round.

The Giants continue to build around Brady through the draft - they have an extra pick in 2005, which they didn't send to the Chargers - and the team matures into a Super Bowl dynasty in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Wow, now we're talking about how Vince Wilfork would be a Giant? He's a Patriot! Oh, wait, I see... in Filip's make-believe world, only the Giants and Patriots exist. No other well-run teams are there. No Chargers, who have built a team looking more and more ready to take the next step. No Colts, a team that has won 13 or more games for like five straight years. Nope, if the Giants took Tom Brady, they and the Pats would be jockeying for position and the Giants would be a juggernaut.

Meanwhile, the Patriots' fate is not so kind. When Bledsoe is injured in 2001, Damon Huard steps in for a few games. He's not that impressive, and so Bledsoe gets his job back when he heals. Bledsoe slowly deteriorates with age over the next two years, until Belichick decides he needs a new quarterback.

I know it's fun to make these wild, completely baseless assumptions... BUT, if I could piss on your parade for a minute, Filip, may I just point out that not having Tom Brady wouldn't suddenly make Bill Belichick a drooling moron, you know? I don't think he'd have continuted trotting Bledsoe out there as he turned into a corpse. In your alternate reality, does Mo Lewis not exist, either? Would Belichick have just played without a QB after Lewis crushed Bledsoe?

Belichick has zero championships in New England. Fassel is in his third straight Super Bowl, fourth overall, going for a second successive title. Fassel and Brady form a brilliant partnership.

Except maybe Belichick would have taken David Garrard in 2002 and been just as successful. Or maybe he would have snagged LaDanian Tomlinson. Who the hell knows? And why, Filip, do you have a mancrush on Jim Fassel?

Genius is as genius drafts - even in the sixth round.

You mean Tom Brady was taken in the sixth effing round?? Why hasn't more been made of this??

Weekend Sports Notes

Tiger Woods is a good golfer.
-In Woods' first tournament of '08, Tiger is a mere 8 shots up after three rounds at the Buick Invitational. Unlike in every other sport, I actually like seeing this dynastic play in golf...Tell me golf is worth watching when Woods isn't atop the leaderboard.

Nice Job, Pacers.
-The Indiana Pacers allowed the Miami Heat to break out of one of their longest losing streaks in the franchise's history and get their first win of 2008. Hey Pacers- You've already pissed off the city by having a bunch of malcontents on the roster...The ONLY way you'll get the fans back is by winning. Shut up, stop going to strip clubs and win games.

Brennan's stock dropping.
-In something I'm putting in the category of "couldn't happen to a better guy" Colt Brennan's Senior Bowl week has yielded him a dropping NFL stock and a widely-held opinion that he simply doesn't have a strong arm.

Maybe if he cries like he did in his BCS game, he can get the pity of NFL teams and get picked on the first day.

Suck it, Sanctions.
-The over-rated Indiana Hoosiers got beaten on their home floor by an OK UConn team. Eric Jordan looked very human in the game as the Hoosiers seemed to be out-of-sync the entire game. So let me get this right- when your offense is based on standing around and watching a player score, and that guy is off, you can't score very easily...Huh. The best part is many IU fans are already jumping off of Sanctions' bandwagon...after only two losses. Imagine what they'll be saying if the spirited Boilers beat IU in Bloomington. Can't wait!

Go Giants!
-I know we're a week away from the game, but it's never too early to say it- Suck it Patriots and their shills at ESPN...Get 'em Eli. Hopefully Eli doesn't remember who he is for just one more game.

When asked if the Giants were dirty, he responded that the game was nasty...and that "This isn't tennis." I don't know why, but I really like that quote.

Stupid ESPN
-ESPN's new college basketball add campaign with little heads popping out of people's arms, necks and stomachs are nasty and kind of sick...but I do think of Jay Bilas and the other "heads" as leaches that tend to suck the life out of sports...ironic.

Nice choice on the college gameday (which doesn't work for basketball at all, by the way) SIU v. Creighton over Purdue v. Wisconsin...That worked out well.

Twaun Finding His Game.
-E'Twaun Moore seems to figuring out the college game as the season progresses. He led the Boilers in scoring off of the bench and is creating shots for himself with ease and regularity. It's nice to see that the guy who beat Eric Jordan head-to-head in high school might become the player that we all thought he could be.

Hummel continues to be the straw that stirs the drink for the Boilers....and JuJaun Johnson had one of his best Big Ten games versus the Badgers.

If Purdue can win just half of their remaining games, they should be in the dance...but I'm hoping they can win nine or ten, including the BT tournament...That would make them a solid 4 seed, in my opinion.

This Site Works Better When We're Angry

I was sitting here thinking about today's post and when there was finally nobody else in the bathroom, I realized why I was having a block of sorts.... and it's because I'm not really pissed off right now.

I think the site works better when one or all of us are angry about something... hateful writing is the easiest to do and it sparks the most debate and emotion in others. And usually we've got plenty to talk about, but right now we're heading towards the dead zone of the sports year -- February. When football is done, baseball hasn't begun, NBA and NHL playoffs are still two months away, and March Madness is still a month away. Sure, there's a little bit going on, but that's when all writers do their filler pieces and those ideas they've had stored up but haven't used because there have been actual interesting things to write about.

And why aren't I pissed about anything?

Well, sure, there's the whole steroids thing in baseball and I love baseball, BUT... I mean, how worked up can we get at this point? Unless you're Mike Lupica, how pissed off can you get? How shocked can you act? How betrayed can you imply you are? I mean, it's an epidemic, it's permeated everywhere (especially when guys like Andy Pettitte have used) so what is there to do? Not much. Complaining and chastising those players will do nothing.

What about Purdue? Well, the Baby Boilers are impressing us. They're playing well, they're developing into a really good basketball team right before our eyes and the future is bright thanks to Coach Painter. After a long span of mediocre years, we're on the upswing and it's a good feeling.

And my Giants made the Super Bowl. So how could I be anything but thrilled about that? I mean, it's a freebie Super Bowl appearance. The season began 0-2 with two awful losses, and I definitely remember thinking it was going to be one of those years where I knew what it was like to be a Jets fan. And then suddenly it all came together instantly. Sure, there were bumps along the way, but it was a steadily positive ride after that. They even won games they played poorly in, and isn't that one of the marks of a good team?

I remember before the 2006 season, I was asked by friends from outside the NY/NJ area how the Giants season was going to go. They were coming off an 11-5 2005 season and Tiki was still there, Eli was improving, etc. I said I didn't see why they couldn't make the Super Bowl that year, especially in light of how weak/mediocre the NFC had become. Well, I was off by a year on that. But I wasn't wholly wrong -- the Bears, quarterbacked by Sexy Rexy Grossman cheered on by Purdue alum Kyle Orton, managed to crawl into the SB, narrowly edging the team I had put money on from the NFC, the Saints. Talk about looking like a missed opportunity. Then this season came around and the Cowboys and Packers pulled away early and every media outlet annointed them the NFC title game participants. And then the Giants crashed the party, fulfilling the potential that many Giants fans saw for a while now. So, as I said, how could I possibly be anything but happy about this right now?

So yeah, we'll surely get back to being angry soon because we do it well.

Football Jambalaya! Conference Championship Edition

Green Bay's Seinfeldian Strategy Backfires as Eli Enjoys Family Matters Instead -- Says That Urkell Guy "Cracks Him Up"

Now there's the happy face of a kid who has just won his eighth-grade football championship.

See, even I can't help but poke fun at Eli Manning. He looks like a kid. And maybe that's because he kind of is. Eli was born in 1981, folks. he just turned 26 a few weeks ago. And he's in the Super Bowl four years sooner than his more-famous big brother and, yes, I think that's worth noting.

This guy was written off many times in the last few years by the New York fans and media. There were always some who said he needed more time and that they weren't going to give up on him and I was one of those fans. But even I fully admit that I never thought the Giants would seriously go anywhere with Eli at the helm... not for a while at least. I looked at him like a lot of past Giants quarterbacks, kind of like Kerry Collins. At the end of the season, the guy has twenty-something touchdown passes and 3500-4000 yards passing and you go, wow, this guy must be kinda good. And then he'd absolutely fold under the pressure in the playoffs or a big spot and you'd realize that he just didn't "have it."

I never thought Eli was bad, mind you. I always felt like we were a little harsh on the guy. He has been a full-time starter for three seasons now and he's made the playoffs all three times. Do you realize how hard that is in today's NFL? He's 29-19 over these past three seasons and 3-2 in the playoffs. And now he's reached a Super Bowl. And they'll be underdogs... again. And against a high seed for the third week in a row.

I'd like to self-congratulate myself right now because I picked the G-men to win yesterday, 24-21...and they indeed won by 3, 23-20. The game played out exactly like I thought it could/would. The Giants D kept the pressure up and the Packers couldn't plow through them like they could against Seattle. And Brett Favre did what I've been waiting for him to do all year through this sham of a "storybook" season -- he reminded us that he's still the "gunslinger" who makes terrible decisions. His first pick should have cost them the game and his second did cost them the game. Not only that, but did anyone else notice Favre throw a Hail Mary at the end of the third quarter? He threw a bomb towards the end zone where he had one possible reciever and THREE Giants d-backs. Did he think there was another halftime coming up? Imagine if THAT one had been intercepted?

Here's another thing to imagine. Imagine if it was Eli and not golden boy Favre who threw that awful pick in overtime. Imagine how Eli would be absolutely crucified by the media and fans alike. He'd be the butt of so many jokes. But with Favre, we get these kinds of excuses:

In fairness to Favre, there were a lot of reasons the Packers lost Sunday.

But the biggest was a horribly-thrown ball in overtime that allowed the Giants to get the ball at about the 30. Horribly-thrown...by Favre. "In fairness."

They couldn't run the ball as they had in the second half of the season -- running back Ryan Grant finished with just 29 yards on 13 carries after gaining 201 in an NFC divisional playoff win over the Seahawks -- and their defense allowed the Giants to control the ball for more than 40 minutes.

Yes, the defense wasn't all that impressive. Yes, Ryan Grant didn't rush for 201 yards but it's hard to blame Ryan Grant only having 13 carries on... Ryan Grant. What is he supposed to do? Steal the ball out of Favre's hands and run away?

To understand Favre's impact on the game, all you have to know are his stats before and after halftime. He completed 10 of 18 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown in the first half. He completed just nine of 17 passes for 73 yards with two interceptions in the second half and overtime.

I love this stuff. 90 of those 163 first-half yards came on one pass to Donald Driver. So take that away and he had exactly the same yardage in both halves. And did anyone else see why Driver was wide open? Because after he and his cornerback locked up, Driver flung the corner to the ground and sprinted downfield. That's actually not allowed but since it was in Green Bay I guess that rule was suspended. (Officiating was overall pretty piss-poor, by the way, and it's good that the officials didn't cost anyone the game.)

And this following line I can't quite follow... is the author trying to sort of semi-imply that the INT wasn't all Favre's fault?

In fact, he actually thought the pass was in trouble from the moment it left his right hand. Wide receiver Donald Driver was supposed to run a "shake" route on second-and-8 from the Packers' 28-yard line, but Favre's pass sailed behind the receiver after Driver made his out cut.

Hard to say.

And the piling on Eli even hasn't stopped. They even compared Favre's pick to something Eli would do, since he's, you know, such a f-ckup:

He got a reprieve in overtime after Corey Webster intercepted a struggling Brett Favre -- the kind of mistake Manning often has made before his recent turnaround.

Actually, Eli's never thrown a pick that deadly in the playoffs so knock it off.

The other guy I'm most happy for is Tom Coughlin. Tom has been under a lot of scrutiny as well, and again by the NY media and fans. And, like Eli, it's unjustified. Coughlin has taken the team to the playoffs three straight years, which is impressive, I don't care what happens after that. And Coughlin has survived near mutinies by his teams and he's also outlasted Tiki Barber. Ah, Tiki, the jerkwad who said he'd still be playing if not for Coughlin and who said Eli's attempts at leadership were "comical".... thankfully, the Giants were free of Tiki leadership and they've meandered their leaderless way to the Super Bowl! So good for Coughlin. He's a good man and a good coach. So he's a little intense. At least we got to see him smile yesterday. And who doesn't love smiles?

My last comment on the Giants-Pack game was the weather. I love how everyone assumed it was a huge advantage for the Packers. My wife even said, "I think the Giants are going to lose because the Packers are used to this weather." And that shows that that kind of thinking was girl thinking. See, everyone, both teams have to play in the same weather. It doesn't matter that it was the Packers home field. It was subzero for both teams and human beings get cold -- I don't care where they live. And as far as being used to it... well, this was the third-coldest title game ever so I doubt any of them have experienced this level of cold. And not only that, most games at Lambeau aren't played in mid-to-late January so it's hard to imagine it's ever typically that cold in, say, November. No, the weather doesn't matter, especially when you're playing a team from a somewhat cold, Northern locale like the Giants.

Some pics from the Giants-Pack game follow.

Brr! It's cold, ya'll! I guess you won't have to read stories for the next two weeks about how back in Kiln, Mississippi I sand down balsa wood using nothing by my manly whiskers! Yeehaw!

Archie Manning hugs Tom Coughlin. I guess Archie decided to use his "incognito Indiana Jones" disguise.

Lawrence Tynes leads the way to the bratwurst and jacuzzi tubs.

Patriots Win, But In Boring-Ass Game

Was it just me or was that a really boring game? I was honestly expecting the Pats to come out and bomb the Chargers back to California. I was thinking it'd be like 28-3 at the half. But the Chahjuhs defense definitely held firm and worked Brady over. Three picks, Tommy? Three? That's not so good. Try doing that against the Giants and see how it works out. He won't, of course, because Brady never has consecutive bad games, but if he did, it would hurt the Pats. Mainly because the Giants can score touchdowns and the Chargers couldn't do anything but knock some field goals through.

Which is why when the Pats went up 21-12 early in the fourth, me and the guys I was watching with said, "That's the game."And Mrs. Money said, "Wait, why is that the game? There's like almost a whole quarter left. I don't get why you guys say that." And I then explained why we all felt that way -- the Chargers didn't look like they could possibly pump in two touchdowns in the final quarter so there was no way they were coming back. It really was foregone at that point. And it turned out to be true.

I don't have much else to say about this game because we all knew how it was going to turn out. I do give a lot of credit to the banged-up Chargers for getting this far and to Norv Turner for actually not appearing to be a terrible coach at all. Tomlinson, you're a sissy... saying you're 90% all week and then playing one series. Solid, man. Was it too cold for you in those mean Patriots' house? What a waste.

Pics from the fun in Foxboro...

Tom Brady reads a note left by last year's AFC champ QB Peyton Manning: "I still punked your ass last year, bitch."

The Pats are so good they give themselves challenges to keep the game interesting. Here, RB Kevin Faulk rushes with his eyes closed to give the Chargers at least a fighting chance.

More Proof That ESPN.com Polls Are Dumb

ESPN.com has a thingie up right now where you click on your favorite team and then vote for who you're pulling for in the Super Bowl. This is kind of clever but I'm not sure people get it.

I clicked on the Giants and it says, "Giants fans: Which team are you rooting for?" Now, shouldn't Giants fans be rooting for the Giants? One would think. And they pretty much are. But I was expecting it to say 98% for the Giants. No, after I voted, it showed 81.2% are rooting for the Giants and 18.7% for the Pats. What? What Giants fans are rooting for the Pats? If you're rooting for the Pats to have a perfect season, well, then you're not a Giants fan and I officially revoke your credentials.

Candidate For The Dumbest Thing I've Seen on Fox's Pregame Show:

Before the game started, we got to see the Fox team looking like frozen imbeciles (instead of room temperature imbeciles) because they thought it made sense to broadcast from the field at Lambeau. Somebody please explain to me what the point of this is. Do we care any more about what they're saying if they say it from inside Lambeau? Are they more credible? It's the same reason I think it's so stupid when a television field reporter is reporting on a hurricane and they go to the place where it's making landfall and stand in the storm. What's the point?

But no, just them being there wasn't the dumbest thing I saw. No, the dumbest was when Jimmy Johnson poured water from a bottle into a glass and said, "We'll see what this is like after the game!"

What? It's water, Jimmy. And we've already established that it's -2 outside. So it'll freeze. What's the point? To prove that water freezes below 32 F? Didn't we all learn this in Earth Science class? How frickin' stupid.

Candidate For The Dumbest Statistic I've Ever Heard:

After the game, Fox actually told us that the Giants were "the first team to reach the Super Bowl by beating three Super Bowl winners."

Wha?? The Bucs won their Super Bowl...when, in Jan 2003? Five years ago? With different players? The Packers won their last one, when, a decade ago? And the Cowboys won their last one even longer ago than that. Absolutely brilliant, Fox. You've found the statistic with the least meaning ever.

Stupid Michael Jordan-esque "Nobody Respects Us" Quote Of The Weekend:

After the Pats beat the Chargers to go to the Super Bowl and advance to 18-0 this season, super-sized idiot Rodney Harrison was interviewed after the game and said things about how "it's not bad for a group of over-30, washed-up, can't-run guys, huh? Not bad."

Yeah, um, Rodney? Come over here a sec. Yeah, nobody has ever said the Patriots defense is washed up. Nobody said it, nobody thought it, nobody thinks it, nobody would even dream of it. Your team is 18-0. You cannot -- I repeat, cannot -- play the "Nobody respects us" card. You simply can't. Everyone respects you. Everyone is afraid of you. Your team is a more than two-TD favorite in the Super Bowl. So shut the hell up.

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That's all for now.... but you know there will be more.

Congrats J Money, Congrats Eli, Congrats Giants!

How often does a professional athlete get three chances to make something right? Not often. How often does a brother of the previous year's Super Bowl MVP lead his team to the very same game? I don't think ever.

Hopefully, this post-season's run by Eli and Co. will satiate the NY media's lust for success...Regardless, how Manning has played the last three games has been special to say the least.

Also, I am excited that Eli will have the chance to do something in two Sundays that neither his brother nor anybody else in the NFL could do this season: Beat New England.

Go Giants!

(Addendum: It must have been sunny in Green Bay tonight...all of the players and coaches, specifically Tom Coughlin have horrible sun burns.)

More Awesome Cowboy Reaction

First of all, I loved -- loved loved loved -- that this jackass came down to the sideline in the final minutes of the game to clap like a special ed student alongside his head coach. No pressure there, boys. Just the millionaire owner among you who pays all of your salaries and expects a Super Bowl, like, now. And then the game ends on the McQuarters interception and the whole team vacates the sidelines to respectfully congratulate the Giants and there's Jones standing there stone-faced and, to be sure, pissed.

I especially liked the report that Jerry Jones provided his players not only with the tickets to give their friends and families for this game, but he also provided them with two tickets each to next weekend's NFC title game. Nicely done, Jerry. (Of course, to be fair, this is probably typical. Fans have to buy tickets in advance for playoff games that might not be played -- in all sports -- and then get refunded for them. Still, it's kinda funny.)

I also love the arrogance that was out there leading into this game.... and to read the cockiness is just, well, wonderful.

I went to Deadspin to see some of the Cowboy blogs this morning and it's just more awesomeness.

This one feels the Cowboys "gave" the game to the Giants in every way possible. I'm not sure about that, but whatever you guys want to believe. "This offseason is going to be more unbearable than last year." Yeah, for your fat coach, too.

But I think my favorite knee-jerk reaction from idiot Cowboys fans came from the Cowboy Roundup. The article is a dead link now, but according to D-spin, the quote was as follows:

"Dallas couldn't get it done with seconds left on the clock. Perhaps Romo isn't the guy for the Cowboys ... It may be time to get Brady Quinn in here."

I don't know how to express how much I love this. I want to kiss this guy. Maybe even on the mouth. He's just so perfect to demonstrate knee-jerk idiocy of a city that has nothing else to live for besides their overrated football team.

Yes. Please please please... Dallas, start convincing yourselves that Brady Quinn is the answer and Tony Romo should be cast aside after one full season starting in the NFL. Indeed. Brady freaking Quinn! How stupendously wonderful would it be to see Brady Quinn stumbling around in the Cowboys backfield as they open their new stadium 3-13 and Jerry Jones fires three coaches in one season?

Giants Tantalize Me

Eli Manning only played like a confused pee-wee player for a few moments in last night's exciting, playoff-like, 38-35 Pats win.

The Giants came out screaming, just as I expected they would, and gave the Patriots a good punch in the mouth. They kept the pressure on, playing good D and keeping the Pats out of the end zone all but once in the first half. I was really impressed with the Giants' physicality and intensity. Even Eli seemed focused and on the money, perhaps knowing there was nothing to lose and so why not just chuck it and trust your skills?

Much like the Eagles, Ravens and Colts, though, the Giants couldn't sustain the superior play and eventually folded. It shows just how damn good the Pats are, frankly. But it also shows that the Giants were able to post 35 points against them and the Giants aren't, shall we say, the Colts.

Also, if the Giants defense didn't simply decide to stop covering Randy Moss, things might have been totally different.

Looks like both teams are ready for the playoffs, though.

You Heard It Here -- Giants Win

Just wanted to pop in during my week on the road with Mrs. Money to let you all know that the Giants are going to derail the Patriots undefeated season tomorrow night.

Playing in the first NFL game ever broadcast on every single channel, the Giants will throw schemes at the Pats in cold, swirly Giants Stadium that will knock Brady and Moss off their games and turn the tide in the Giants favor.

Not wanting to risk his best players, Belichick will have no choice but to rest some guys and not play them balls-out for the whole game. The Giants Tom Coughlin, on the other hand, knows little about going deep into the playoffs so this won't be an issue.

Why do I think this? Because nobody has ever gone 16-0 and there's a reason for it. And because the idiots are SportsCenter are already matching up the 2007 Pats against the best teams of all time and having the Dolphins VP analyze each matchup. Remember when they did this with the 2005 USC team led by Matt Leinart? Didn't work out too well for them, either, did it?

Giants prevail 28-19.