- First off, congrats to the Giants. While they might not have been the best team all year, they are the best team at the end. That is all anyone will remember, and that is all that matters.
- I thought the refs did a pretty good job. They missed some pass interference calls, but they got the big one right. That was intentional grounding. The ball was still in the air over the 35, and the closest Patriot was on the sideline. The Giants knew it right away, and the refs did their job, talked about it, and got the call right. Nice job, Zebras.
- Who is the goat of the game? Sadly, I think it has to be Wes Welker. He knew it too. In the post game, he was holding back tears. That pass with 4 minutes left would have probably taken the clock down the the two minute warning, and put the Pats in field goal range. While it wasn't the best throw, it still hit his hands, and he always catches those. The disappointment on the sidelines, from the entire defensive line as seen on worldwide TV, won't soon be forgotten.
- To build on that, there were a bunch of drops throughout the game for the Patriots. Aaron Hernandez and Deion Branch came up small in the biggest moments of the game. After the game, some Giants fans were heckling Mrs. Tom Brady, Giselle Bundchen. She defending him, saying (to paraphrase) that it is impossible for him to throw the ball and catch the ball, and that there were too many drops. It's true. QBs can't catch the balls they throw down the field. That isn't their job. Only one man in history can, and he was Perfect.
- Giselle is also right about the drops. The wideouts and tight ends are paid to catch the ball. They simply didn't down the stretch. I am sure Gronkowski being hurt didn't help the team's game plan at all, but someone needed to step up and make a play at the end. It didn't happen.
- I know that some people are going to yell about Giselle calling people out. But she said it to her friends and it was caught on camera by some random person. But she is right, and is right to say what she did. Her husband just lost the biggest game of the year. Every man should be so lucky to have a woman who defends his honor and boosts his pride like Giselle did for Tom last night. So, here's to you Giselle.
The aftermath questions revolve around Eli vs Brady, Eli vs Peyton, and the Hall of Fame candidacy of Eli and Tom Coughlin. Here are my thoughts on those:
- Let me start with the HoF question. The answer is yes. Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin should both be in the Hall of Fame now. It is not easy to win a Super Bowl. They now have two together. Coughlin also has the added resume of making the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars a competitve playoff team, and turning Mark Brunell into a Pro Bowler. We forget that for some reason. He might not be first ballot, but within the first 3 or 4, he deserves to be in. Another Orangeman in the Hall!
- Eli is also worthy. We can assume that, barring career ending injury, he will play at least 5 more seasons at a fairly high level. He has two Super Bowls and two SB MVPs. He is the best QB to play for a New York team. Forget about Broadway Joe. Empire Eli is the New York QB.
- Now, I am not ready to say that Eli Manning is a better QB, career-wise, than Tom Brady. Not yet, at least. Tom still has 3 rings, and 5 Super Bowl appearances. He has a regular season MVP and two SB MVPs. So the edge still goes to Tom. In head to head match-ups? Eli owns him. OWNS. You half expect Brady to pull a Pedro Martinez. "I just have to tip my hat, and call Eli my daddy."
- The question we will hear the most over the next few days is that of Manning vs Manning. Does a second Super Bowl push Eli past Peyton. I can't say yes. It makes him a better post-season QB, for sure. Eli is one of the best ever with his record. But Peyton Manning is the greatest QB I have ever seen play. And I have watched Montana, Aikman, Young, Elway, Favre, Marino, Brady, Brees and Rodgers. Peyton Manning changed the way quarterbacks play. His ability to call his own plays at the line of scrimmage, in this day and age, is ridiculous. But he always pulled it off. The Colts went a decade without winning less than 10 games! No other QB is history can say that. Does he have a good postseason record? Nope. 9-10 is not good. But it also means he has played 19 playoff games! And he won a Super Bowl. He is so good that he got a new stadium built for his franchise on his own play. He is so good and so valuable that a division champion became the laughing stock of the league without him. Now, that doesn't say the Eli can't surpass him. If he continues to play at a high level, he will. And that extra Super Bowl title will be the driving force behind that.
And so closes the 2011-2012 NFL Season. It was a dandy, in my opinion. A nice bounce back from the lock out. But football isn't all done. It is draft season now. Indianapolis Colts, you are on the clock. Andrew Luck is waiting. And so is Eli's brother.
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