Good for NFL
A year ago Tom Coughlin was nearly fired, Eli Manning was doubted as a franchise quarterback and Michael Strahan was headed for retirement. Now Coughlin is a Super Bowl-winning coach about to sign a mega-contract, Manning is a New York hero for life as a Super Bowl MVP and Strahan looks like he might outlast Brett Favre. The Patriots’ 16-0 regular season never can be wiped from the books. But the Giants winning is healthier for the NFL because it gives every team hope that even 10-6 wild-card teams can win the Super Bowl.
Taxed Bill
Nothing that happened Sunday night will harm Bill Belichick’s legacy. That might come later, depending on the depth of any more spying revelations. But two coaching decisions will be second-guessed. Belichick decided to pass up a 49-yard field-goal attempt in the third quarter — a critical miscalculation in a three-point loss. Then the supposed defensive genius allowed the Giants to isolate Plaxico Burress on Ellis Hobbs one-on-one in the end zone with NFL history on the line. New England’s best cover man, Asante Samuel, was on the other side. The Giants recognized the mismatch, and Manning threw a 13-yard TD pass that cemented his own legacy.
Rush job
The real defensive wizardry came from Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who came up with creative ways of getting to Tom Brady. End Justin Tuck rushed from both sides and up the middle. Blitzes from cornerbacks and safeties threw Brady off stride. The Giants sacked Brady five times and had nine quarterback hurries. Legends are made with plays like the ones Manning, Burress and David Tyree made. But championship games are won at the line of scrimmage, and the Giants’ ability to dominate with their pass rush made the biggest difference.
A Super show
The 7-3 score heading into the fourth quarter was the second-lowest Super Bowl point total through three quarters. The 17-14 final also fell well below most guesses. But anybody who was bored during a scintillating start-to-finish epic must have been tuning in just for the commercials. This is what the two best-coached teams in the NFL looks like. This is what the Super Bowl is supposed to be, drama as high as the execution level.
