Before anything else, I think one of the worst things about sports is the phony fan. I'm not even talking about the corporate guys who have all the money in the world to go to these games....I'm talking about the random guy who watches maybe 3-5 full games all year, does not know when the team is playing night games, and barely knows any of the players on the team. The same guy who now celebrates what a wonderful season his team has. The same guy who knows nothing about the Patriots other than what people have told him and now claims - "I told you they would win." A real Giants fan is at the parade today. If he can't be there, at least watch it on TV or listen to the coverage on the radio. If you are a Giants fan and you did not have a job that 100% prevented you from being at the parade and you are not ill (or caring for someone who is) and you are not at the parade or the Meadowlands later today - then you are not a real fan and I don't want to hear from you. You are a phony, a disgrace to all true fans and you should keep your mouth shut!
Onto the game..........I'm still not over the shocking ending on Sunday night. There are no excuses to be made; the Giants defensive line took it to the Patriots all game and hit Brady almost 20 times including 5 sacks. Brady hasn't had that much pressure combined all year. Sure he takes a sack here and there but ht is never consistently under pressure. Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnoulo, therefore, is without a doubt the MVP of this game.
Aside from their last drive of the game I was very surprised with the approach that the Patriots took offensively. They played without emotion and it seemed like it was a practice walk through. I understand that Brady was under pressure but why not run some mis-direction? Why not throw more screen passes? Why not run the ball more even if it was not so effective? And where was the aggressiveness that marked the Pats offense this season? All year long the Patriots attacked, attacked and attacked some more. On 3rd and 1 there was no chance the Pats were running. They were throwing for 10 yards. If they didn't pick up a first down they would go for that 1 yard on 4th down. That did not happen on Sunday night. The Patriots looked old, they looked tired, they were too slow, and they showed no heart! The Giants were hungry, they played loose, they were quick to the ball, and they showed unbelievable resolve despite the fact that their offense stunk until the the 4th quarter.
Interestingly enough, all game long I felt that the Patriots were one score away from going up by two scores and really deflating the Giants spirit. I felt that a 14-3 lead would have been insurmountable for the Giants and the momentum would carry the Patriots to their normal level of play. Instead the game remained close and the Giants gained confidence just as they did during the last few weeks.
All in all, the Patriots played like crap and the Giants got the little bit of luck they needed to pull off one of the biggest upsets in sports history. I still remember not believing my eyes on 3rd and 5 when Manning escaped several Patriots defenders holding his jersey which would have been a 5-7 yard loss. Who know what could happen on 4th and 10 or longer? I still cannot believe that Tyree made a catch with one hand trapping the ball between the hand and helmet while Rodney Harrison (who is so old its scary) tried to pry his hands apart. This all happened while Tyree was falling down and bending backwards in a way that the body should not bend. It was the greatest catch I have ever seen in a football game considering the magnitude. A few plays earlier Asante Samuel let an interception go through his hands. Eli would have been the goat at that point. Instead his receivers made plays for him and he is named MVP. What a joke. Give the MVP to Tuck (2 sacks, 1 forced fumble) to represent what the defensive line did.
Anyway, serves Boston right.....a bunch of cocky fans who have actually turned into what the Yankee fan was a few years ago. I admit it - I expect the Yankees to win a championship every year and I took it for granted 7 years ago. Going undefeated is something that if this team could not accomplish - NO ONE WILL! The Giants are not the best team in football - they got hot at the right time, they played well enough NOT TO LOSE vs. Dallas and Green Bay and got lucky when the Patriots skipped the game to attend their Super Bowl victory party (or to sign books about going 19-0).
Once again to all fake Giant fans who have jumped onto the bandwagon: You are a disgrace to sports and you don't deserve to celebrate.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
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