Super Bowl XLVI: Giants Beat the Pats Again

GIANTS WIN THE SUPER BOWL!

-From friend of the Breeze and game attendee Gary Hartman:

"I honestly don't know where to begin. I guess with the one word that continued to define this team. Resiliency. It is truly astounding. Always overcoming. We were 7-7 before that Jets game. 7-7! What an unbelievable, amazing run. Jets or go home. Cowboys or go home for the division. Shutout Atlanta. Knock off the PREVIOUS Super Bowl Champions in Lambeau. Go face the possibly best defense in the league on the road for a chance to play today and take care of business. Then de ja blue. Wa La. SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS. SUPERBOWL 46 CHAMPIONS. ONE MORE TIME. SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS. I am so thrilled. Actually the best night of my life. Never have experienced anything like this before. I wasn't joking before when I said I can now die happy. In person, I saw my New York Football Giants win the Superbowl. Obviously no questions about Eli anymore. Hall of Famer. Same goes for Coach. Tom Coughlin is a god as far as I'm concerned. Pass Rush was shit for 3 quarters, but defense came up big when it needed to in the 3rd quarter. Manningham- amazing. Nicks-amazing. Bradshaw coming up big when need be and this whole team was, well, resilient. I'm sitting in my hotel room in Indianpolis with a huge smile on my face. Beyond happy. This is so surreal. We are Super Bowl Champions. Can't say it enough. Now need to get back to College Park tomorrow night, get my car and off to The canyon of Heroes for Tuesday. Can't Wait. WE DID IT. WE WANTED IT MORE. WE OVERCAME EVERYTHING AND ARE NOW WORLD CHAMPIONS. NYG FOOTBALL."

-On Manningham's catch from the NY Times:

"Quarterback Eli Manning took the snap on first down from the shotgun. Manningham was not the first option on the play, but Manning seemed to know where he planned to throw the ball the entire time. Manningham said the Patriot who defended him gave him a cushion of 5 or 6 yards, that he started inside and worked outside, streaking up the left sideline.

The ball arched high, went long and arrived over Manningham’s shoulder, in the only place Manning could have thrown it with success. Manningham told himself to “freeze your feet,” and he stomped them at the turf, conscious of the out-of-bounds line and his position relative to it. “That was clutch,” Nicks said. “We had to get the ball downfield. Someone had to make a play.”

-From SI.com:

"I thought I heard Eli yelling at me to fall down ... I tried," Bradshaw would say, but not unhappily. People can argue about the right and wrong thing to do there. If he had stopped and not scored the touchdown, and the field goal was somehow missed, that would be the worst decision in the history of the NFL. Of course, if he had scored and Tom Brady then drove the Patriots for the win, people would second-guess that too."

From Don Banks on SI.com:

"It's a pretty select club Eli Manning joined here Sunday night. You could almost call it an "elite'' membership to belong to.

Quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl wins have a cache all their own in NFL history, and we had best start wrapping our minds around the reality that Peyton Manning's little brother is in the fraternity, and the Colts' long-time great isn't. That last shall be first stuff really does come to pass sometimes."

-From Peter King's MMQB on SI.com:

"I've noticed this about the guy. Football's his job, and he likes it a lot. But let's say God tapped him on the shoulder tomorrow and said, "I've got different plans for you. You're going to be an architect.'' Manning would handle that pretty well. He is a sick competitor, but he'd figure a way to satisfy that part of his life. Golf with the other architects, Friday night poker, trying to be a better architect than anyone else out there.

"He just doesn't care,'' Giants defensive lineman Justin Tuck said by his locker 90 minutes after the Super Bowl. "He doesn't. If we lose the game today, life goes on. He's fine. He'll just start getting ready for next year. That's who he is.''

Fine Fifteen:

It's a wrap. 1. New York Giants (13-7).

The other day, Tom Coughlin said to me, "Don Shula's amazing. Amazing! Look at how many games he's won!'' Shula's won 347. Coughlin won his 154th last night and would be lucky, obviously, to get to 200 one day. But I do think Coughlin's amazing himself, to have withstood the stress of this job with an expansion team for half his career and one of the modern powerhouses for the other half ... and to have won an average of 9.6 games a year."

The Award Section

Offensive Player of the Week

Giants QB Eli Manning. I've come to the conclusion that his laissez-faire attitude is one of the things that makes him a great player. He doesn't sweat the small stuff. How else do you explain the great play late in so many big games? In his two Super Bowl victories, Manning is a 66 percent passer with 551 passing yards and one turnover. And his throw to Manningham with the season on the line ... priceless.

Defensive Player of the Week

Giants DL Justin Tuck. Give credit to the Patriots for sealing off the holes they couldn't seal four years ago. The Giants weren't as successful rushing the passer as they were in the previous Super Bowl against New England, but Tuck did get two sacks, the second of which left Brady with a left shoulder injury that will be painful this morning. While the Patriots shut down the rush of Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul with strong play on the left side of their line, Tuck got the best penetration of the night.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Giants P Steve Weatherford. Other than one sloppy touchback, his day was stellar. His four punts left the Patriots to start from their 6-, 20-, 4- and 8-yard lines.

Coach of the Week

Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. Sometimes you have to take what the defense gives you. Sometimes you have to attack the defense when it's not giving you much, in hopes that your key guys can make a play or two that logic says isn't coming. I thought Gilbride had a great feel for this game. It's not always total rushing yards; number of rushes is just as important when you want to keep the ball away from the other quarterback. The Giants' 28 rushes (4.1 per rush) helped them to 37 minutes of possession time. Gilbride had to figure out what the Patriots were doing on defense, which took a while (like, about 55 minutes). "It was a tough game to call,'' Gilbride said, "because they're a tough team to go against. They don't let you figure out what they're doing very easily.''

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Giants all the way baby. From 7-7 to World Champs. LOVE IT.

OMFG The Giants Are In The Super Bowl: Party Like It's '07

Emotions running crazy, never giving up. The Giants are back in the Super Bowl for the second time in five years behind the brilliant play this season of our boy Eli Manning. Hard to explain, no need to explain.

From Don Banks on SI.com:

"Here's my favorite summation of this plucky Giants team, all wrapped up in one mind-boggling statistic: There have now been 92 Super Bowl teams in NFL history, and New York is the first one to have been outscored in the regular season (400 to 394). But somehow, I don't think the Giants care. Their story was never about how they started, it was about how they finished. And New York knows how to finish. Just ask the Jets, Cowboys, Falcons, Packers and 49ers, their past five opponents/victims."

"Manning's toughness and determination was on full display all night. San Francisco's tenacious defense sacked him six times, hit him some 20 times according to the FOX telecast, and limited him to just 5.4 yards per pass attempt. But they didn't beat him, and now he gets a rematch with New England's Tom Brady, meaning the Super Bowl will have a Manning in it for the fourth time in six years."

From ESPN New York:

"Eli Manning began the season telling everyone that he's an elite signal caller who should be considered on the same level as Tom Brady. Manning should add toughness to that list. Once again, the Giants' franchise quarterback proved not only how good he is, but how he may be the toughest player on Tom Coughlin's team. And now the best season of his life will end in the Super Bowl against Brady' Patriots."

From Peter King's MMQB on SI.com:

"How about this incredible Xerox of fate for the Giants.

In 2007, the Giants started the playoffs by beating an NFC South team. Then they beat the No. 1 seed on the road. Then they beat the No. 2 seed in the conference title game when the foe turned it over in overtime and gave the Giants a short field and the Giants won on a Lawrence Tynes overtime field goal. Then they moved on to face the Patriots in the Super Bowl."

In 2011, let's see ... NFC South team, No. 1 seed, No. 2 seed, overtime, turnover, Tynes, Patriots. Check.

One more thing:
2007: Giants lose to Washington 22-10 in Week 15.
2011: Giants lose to Washington 23-10 in Week 15.

--YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS SHIT UP

More from Peter:

The Fine Fifteen:

1. New York Giants (12-7). There's something about getting hot at the right time. The Giants have played five straight elimination games and won them all, which sounds a lot like the last time they played the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Defensive Players of the Week:

New York DL Justin Tuck. As usual, you could name two or three guys from the Giants' defensive front to this august honor. Tuck's 1.5 sacks and three pressures helped keep the Niners out of scoring position for 11 of their last 13 drives.

Special Teams Player of the Week:

New York LB Jacquian Williams. In overtime of the NFC title game, Williams stripped punt returner Kyle Williams at the Niners' 24-yard line. Devin Thomas recovered, and the Giants kicked the winning field goal five plays later.

Coach of the Week:

New York head coach Tom Coughlin. For a guy who's been fired at least 65 times in the last five years, Coughlin sure can organize, plan, motivate and game-day-coach exceedingly well. That showed with a poised team that understood the basics of how to win this game: Don't turn it over ... punting is fine ... you'll be in position to win at the end. And the Giants were.

Eli vs Brady rematch in the house that Peyton built. Let's do it boys.

NFL Playoffs: Attack the Pack

Giants take down the mighty Pack and set up a huge NFC Championship matchup with a team they may have been able to beat earlier in the year, the San Francisco 49ers.

From friend of the Breeze and all around g money all star Gary Hartman:

"I said after the last GB game that they were very beatable, just needed the right test and that I'd love to see them again. This being said, GIANTS FOOTBALL BABY. What a game! We dominated in every facet. Yeah they dropped passes but doesn't change the fact that we simply out played them. Playing unbelievably right now.Eli and Nicks truly are Gods. Defense is playing at a different level and everyone from coaching down is stepping up huge. PLAYING FOR THE SUPERBOWL BABY!!!! Bring on San Fran!!!"

From Peter King at SI.com:

Quote of the Week II:

"How the hell is that not a fumble?''
-- Giants play-by-play man Bob Papa, on the Giants Radio Network, after ref Bill Leavy did not overturn a first-quarter non-fumble call against the Packers. (SERIOUSLY..how???)

One of the Offensive Players of the Week: "New York Giants WR Hakeem Nicks. His second straight strong playoff game -- seven catches for 165 yards, with two touchdowns -- is reason enough to honor him. But the dagger he plunged into the Packers just before halftime was the play of the game. "Those Hail Marys work about twice a year,'' said Tom Coughlin. Nicks, with the help of a Packer defense that was far too passive near the goal line, caught the 37-yard fly ball from Manning cleanly, and the Giants went into halftime up by 10, not three. Huge factor.

One of the Defensive Players of the Week: "New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora. After Umenyiora batted the ball out of Rodgers' right hand, FOX showed clearly how incredibly open Greg Jennings was down the left sideline. Umenyiora saved a touchdown, clearly. For the day, he had two sacks for 12 yards, and the forced fumble."

One of the Special Teams Players of the Week: "New York Giants S Derrick Martin. It's one thing to tell your front players on the kick-return team to stay alert for an onside kick. It's another thing for every guy on the line to wait until the ball is kicked. Martin and his mates did wait for Mason Crosby to kick it deep in the first half -- and when Crosby pooched an onside kick, it went right into the arms of the waiting Martin, who is a former Packer, by the way. Smart, smart play by Martin."

More King:

"I must be the only guy in America who didn't think his non-reversal on the Greg Jennings fumble or non-fumble was horrible. But his blow-to-Rodgers'-head call, extending a desperation fourth-quarter drive, was a fictitious call if I ever saw one. I wouldn't expect to see Leavy doing any games until next September."

Some stats and interesting nuggets:

-The Giants are Giant killers in the postseason. In terms of difference of wins during the regular season, the Giants have authored the 3 biggest wins in NFL postseason history. The Giants have defeated three teams that had won at least 5 more games than they did during the regular season. In fact, they own the two 6-win differential games with Sunday and back in Super Bowl XLII when they knocked off the unbeaten Patriots.

-Hakeem Nicks had 165 yards receiving in Saturday night's upset victory. That total is the second-most in a playoff game in Giants history.

-Eli Manning threw for 330 yards, the 3rd-most in a single postseason game in Giants history.

-Hakeem Nicks has two TD receptions of 66 or more yards this postseason. He's the 2nd player in NFL history with 2 TD receptions that long in a single postseason, joining Isaac Bruce of the 1999 Rams.

Let's go G-Men.

Third Time's A Charm?

By Matt Jussim

Third time’s a charm? That is what the Giants are hoping as they prepare to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at the Meadowlands. The division rivals know each other all too well, and have split the two games they have played this season.

Each time, the road team was victorious. The Giants visited Philly on November 9th and defeated the Eagles 36-31. Eli Manning threw two touchdowns, while Brandon Jacobs rushed for two as well. The second time the teams faced off the Eagles prevailed 20-14 at the Giants Stadium. Brian Westbrook dominated the defense in that game, almost out gaining the entire Giants team amassing 211 total yards.

If the Giants hope to advance in the playoffs, the defense will have to find an answer for Westbrook. Justin Tuck didn’t practice on Wednesday, but Coach Tom Coughlin expects him to work out Thursday and play on Sunday. The Giants will need a supreme effort from Tuck, who has to return to his early season form. He has had only one sack in the past four games.

The Eagles were the only team to beat the Giants at the Meadowlands this season, but that does not guarantee success on Sunday. “We haven’t forgotten that game,” said defensive tackle Barry Cofield. “It wasn’t very long ago. They came in here and beat us up. So we owe them something.”

The Giants didn’t play particularly well in that game, and they wish to erase that memory with a win over their division rivals. “In that game we didn’t rush the ball, we didn’t pass the ball, we didn’t have many snaps,” Coach Tom Coughlin said. “They had the ball, they had time of possession. So it was disappointing from that standpoint. We had a drive at the end of the game that put us a little bit closer, but it didn’t say much about that game.”

Many voices in the sports community have been hailing the Eagles as the second coming of the 2007 Giants, which the team takes a bit personally. “There’s a strong dislike for one another,” said guard Chris Snee. “Anytime you get a chance to knock out a divisional opponent, one that you don’t like, you get geeked up for these challenges. I think both sides would agree that to knock the other one out would make the other one happy.”

Talk that the Giants may falter I think will just motivate the team even more to win the game on Sunday. Every time the media or anyone counts the Giants out, they find a way to win. They did it in the Super Bowl last year, and they did it against Carolina in Week 16 when everyone counted them out.

I predict a close, high-emotion game, but the Giants take this one, and advance to the NFC Championship game.

Coughlin Will Play It Smart Against the Vikings

By Matt Jussim

Will they or won’t they?

That is the question heading into this weekends Giants game. Will Tom Coughlin rest his starters? The coach said that he would do what is in the best interest of the Giants, but did not say if or how much his starters would play in the season finale on Sunday.

"My answer to all of your questions will be that in conjunction with the medical people and with the idea of improving our game, having individuals perform at a higher level than we did in the last game, which is always our theme, we will do the best thing for our football team," Coughlin said.

The Giants have already clinched a first round bye and home field advantage through the playoffs, so they don’t really have anything to play for on Sunday. But try getting that past Coach Coughlin. "The week off comes after the last game," the coach said yesterday.

Last year the Giants had everything to gain, and barley anything to lose when they faced the undefeated Patriots to finish the regular season. Everyone knew Tom Coughlin would have his team play hard. He has an immense respect for the game and I think everyone realized that he wouldn’t allow an undefeated season to occur against the Giants practice squad.

New York wasn’t expected to win that game by any stretch, but if they could somehow pull it out, or at least keep the game close, it would have given the team some confidence going into the playoffs. We all know how that ended up.

This time around though, the Giants will be facing a team that hasn’t even clinched a playoff spot. And if Minnesota ends up winning the game and making the postseason, they will be the team with some confidence, and set themselves up for a possible a playoff rematch with New York.

As of right now, the Giants are unsure who will venture to the Meadowlands for the NFC divisional playoff game that will take place two weeks from now. There is a possibility that the team could be the Vikings.

That could complicate things for the Giants. Not only must they decide if the should rest some of their players, they also need to think about what schemes they will and will not show to a team they could possibly play again in the future.

Some players will definitely be resting this weekend. According to the Associated Press cornerback Aaron Ross will miss Sunday’s game due to a concussion, and at least four other starters are listed as questionable for the season finale.

Tight end Kevin Boss (concussion/ankle) was listed as doubtful on the injury report this week, and Brandon Jacobs (knee), defensive tackle Barry Cofield (knee), and offensive tackle Kareem McKenzie (back) were questionable.

Ross suffered his concussion in last Sunday’s game against the Panthers. "My head is still hurting sometimes, but as far as every thing else, I don't know nothing," the cornerback said. "I haven't had a chance to do anything, so I don't know how far along I am. I have to listen to them. I have to get out of here, my head is still hurting." Kevin Dockery will join Corey Webster as the starting cornerbacks for this Sunday’s game.

Tight end Boss was injured twice in the Panthers game. He suffered a concussion, and then later on rolled his ankle while making a catch later in the game.

Jacobs practiced earlier in the week, but he did not participate on Friday. He might be the one starter who needs some rest more than anyone. He has been hurting recently, and due to his powerful running style, he is more inclined to be injured than some of the Giants other players.

If Jacobs does not play, it would also give Derrick Ward a better chance gain the 52 yards he needs to reach 1,000 yards on the season. If he does it would make the Giants the fourth team in NFL history to have two running back rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.

"We prepare like there is only one objective in mind and that is to win," Coughlin said. Whether the Giants win or lose on Sunday, their number one goal will to remain healthy and well rested for their NFC divisional playoff game in two weeks.

Giants Lock Down Home Field Advantage in Overtime

By Matt Jussim

The New York Giants reestablished themselves as the best team in the NFC last night. They finally emerged from a two game sleepwalk and secured the top seed in the postseason by coming from behind and beating the Carolina Panthers 34-28 in overtime.

The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will now go through the Meadowlands as the Giants improved to 12-3 on the season.

Determined not to lose, the Giants running attack of Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw, known as “Earth, Wind and Fire” were poised to run over the Panthers. But with Brandon Jacobs still slowed by a knee injury, and Ahmad Bradshaw returning kick offs and punts Sunday night, Ward took his nickname “Wind” to heart.

Fighting the frigid, swirling wind in the Meadowlands, Ward rushed for a career high 215 yards on only 15 carries. He averaged 14.3 yards per rush, and was dominant on the winning drive in overtime by rushing for 82 yards on three carries. Bruising running back Jacobs bullied his way into the end zone for the winning 2-yard score in overtime, his third of the game.

Fans who were crazy enough to stand the punishing, frozen wind threw snoballs that rained down like confetti as Jacobs scored to win the game.

Ward has had a respectable season so far, but he always took second billing to starting running back Brandon Jacobs. But with Jacobs still not fully healed from a knee injury, Ward took advantage of his opportunity and had the best game of his career.

“My teammates looked at me and said they wanted me to get it done,” Ward said. “I looked in every one of my offensive linemen’s eyes and they had my back. We played smashmouth football.”

Offensive tackle David Diehl, also helped spring Ward for some of his best runs. “This game was a true sign of us,” Diehl said. “Things aren’t going to be perfect. But none of us pressed. We talked all week about how this would be a test of will. This is what the in December is all about.”

The Giants forced overtime when Jacobs scored his second touchdown of the game, and Eli Manning hit Domenik Hixon for the two point conversion which tied the game with 3:21 seconds to play.

The loss spoiled a record-tying, four-touchdown performance by Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams, who gave Carolina a 28-20 lead with a 30-yard TD run 2 minutes into the final quarter. He also scored on runs of 13, 5 and 1 yards.

The Panthers had a chance to win the game in regulation but the wind at Giants Stadium pushed John Kasey's 50-yard field-goal attempt wide left, leaving some hope for fans that the Giants could still pull this game out.

The Giants won the coin toss in the overtime but couldn't generate anything, and the Panthers followed suit on their possession. The game nearly took a terrible turn for the Giants when R.W. McQuarters muffed a punt at the Giants 13. He emerged from a pile with the ball and then Ward took over.

On first-and-10 from the 13, Ward went 51 yards to Carolina 36. Three plays later on third-and-7, he went 14 yards to the 19 and followed that with a 17-yarder to the 2. Jacobs scored on the next play, capping a night New York rushed for a season-high 301 yards.

Until late in the game, it looked like the Panthers and Williams had overcome the elements, and were ready to hand the Giants their third straight loss. Carolina scored touchdowns the first three times they had the ball. The last touchdown came a play after a Tom Coughlin challenge left Steve Smith a half-yard shy on a play that originally was ruled a TD.

Carolina had eight plays of 10 yards or more on the drives of 77, 66 and 65 yards. The biggest play was a 60-yard pass from Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad on a pass that went right through the hands of Giants cornerback Aaron Ross..

John Carney got New York to with 21-13 with a 35-yard field goal late in the half, and then the Giants defense started to play as they had the first half of the season, limiting Carolina to seven second-half points.

Justin Tuck, the defensive end headed for the Pro Bowl, was weak with flu-like symptoms and had to be helped off the field twice. “I’m gong to go back home and get into bed,” he said. “This win was huge. The atmosphere in the stadium was tremendous.”

New York closed the gap to 21-20 when Manning found a wide-open Kevin Boss for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 59 seconds to go in third quarter. It capped a 12-play, 84-yard marched that took more than eight minutes.

Carolina came roaring back, and restored their eight-point lead when Williams, who gained 108 yards on 24 carries, broke a tackle by Antonio Pierce and ran 30 yards for a touchdown.

The Giants' tying touchdown was set up by a spectacular coffin-corner punt by Jeff Feagles, a 12-yard pass from Manning to Boss and a pass-interference call in the end zone against Ken Lucas, one play later.

The Giants needed this win to prove that they were still the class of the NFC. As important as the win was, there still are questions the Giants will have to answer if they hope to make it to the Super Bowl.

Will Brandon Jacobs be able to stay healthy? With Jacobs back in the lineup, the Giants rushing game was fierce, and Derrick Ward performs much better when he isn’t the feature back. Jacobs gave the Giants the physical running presence that they lacked the past two weeks, especially in the loss to Dallas.

Although the defense played extremely well in the second half, DeAngelo Williams was able to run free in the first half, scoring three of his four touchdowns. The Giants have been a top ten defense all season, but with Williams running wild, its been a theme for the defense the past few weeks. Philadelpha’s Brian Westbrook, and Dallas’ Tashard Choice totaled 131 and 143 yards respectively against the Giants, both losses.

Just when everyone counts out the Giants, as they did the past two weeks when they averaged just 11 points per game, and 80 yards rushing, the team comes together, and wins games as they did last night.

Heading into next week’s game against Minnesota, the Giants don’t have much to play for considering they now have secured home field advantage through the playoffs. The team will be well rested by the playoffs, with Tom Coughlin most likely resting some of his starters next week, something he did not do last year in Week 17 when the Giants took on the 16-0 Patriots.

Game Notes: It’s amazing what a little confidence can do for a player. A year and a half ago, cornerback Corey Webster was seen as a draft bust, playing on special teams, and barely being able to crack the starting lineup. But with some stellar play during the playoffs, due in part to an injury to Sam Madison, Webster transformed himself from a possible bust to a possible superstar. Webster has played well this season, but last night he stepped up big, breaking up two huge third down passes forcing the Panthers to punt back to the Giants. A little more than a week ago he signed a 5 year $43.5 million dollar deal with the team. It’s amazing what a few interceptions can do for a players confidence.