The New England Patriots became victims of their own history after Super Bowl XLII.
The last team to win a Super Bowl (prior to Super Bowl XLII) after being 10-plus point underdogs was — ironically — the New England Patriots. The Giants were 12-point underdogs in this Super Bowl and pulled off an upset far greater than New England’s surprise triumph over the St. Louis Rams in 2003. History comes back to everyone, and New England — as special as it was this season — was just another Goliath that was finally taken down by an up-and-coming David.
It was they who were upended Sunday by three points, something that they did to three other teams in three past Super Bowls. It was they who were physically manhandled throughout the championship contest, something they seemingly did to the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, Carolina Panthers in XXXVIII and Philadelphia Eagles in XXXIX. It was Tom Brady left in defeat, a feeling he gave then-Rams quarterback Kurt Warner, Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme and Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.
What the previously undefeated Patriots succumbed to was football’s evolution. Nobody stays at the top forever, and it took both Mannings to prove that if something bleeds, it can be killed. The Patriots entered Glendale, Ariz. as football’s immortals and suffered the worst death any football team could possibly take — losing in the Super Bowl.
An embarrassing loss for the NFL’s supposed perfect team? I think not. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick could not run off the field fast enough to realize that his quarterback could not withstand the ongoing pressure of the New York Giants’ front four, Randy Moss was neutralized for a good portion of the game and the defense could not take down Giants quarterback and Super Bowl XLII MVP Eli Manning. In short, the Giants were the better team and could possibly have been the better team in the last game of the season, which the Patriots won 38-35.
The Giants had the Patriots on their heels in Week 17, leading by 13 in the third quarter, the Patriots’ biggest deficit during the season. In Super Bowl XLII, New England was wobbling badly. A season-high five sacks to Brady had the Patriots cornered, and not even the late-game heroics of No. 12 could get New England back on its feet.
Brady, who was 24 years old in 2003, sidestepped veteran quarterback Kurt Warner [the 2001 regular season MVP] in his first Super Bowl to become the game’s new premier quarterback. History surely repeats itself six years later, and Brady, the regular season MVP was tripped up by young, brash Eli Manning (27 years old). Manning, who played his first Super Bowl, has now come into his own as one of the game’s most dynamic quarterbacks, a moniker Brady earned at his first big game.
Belichick’s rise to fame — or infamy (see Spygate) — began in 2002 as well. He was an unproven head coach with an unproven quarterback, a title that Giants head coach Tom Coughlin held before entering this year’s Super Bowl. Six years later, Belichick is the NFL’s best head coach, leading his Patriots to three Super Bowl titles in five years. Not enough can be said about Coughlin’s mental toughness as a head coach, especially when times were hard and his job was in jeopardy during a disappointing 0-2 start to this past season.
When Super Bowl XLII came to a close, a lesson was learned for all critics and viewers of America’s most watched game. The Patriots spent the last three Super Bowls pushing their opponents around with little to no response. But what goes around will always come back around.
As for the Giants, a dynasty was born, and it definitely was not in New York. Remember when Eli watched his older brother Peyton Manning win his first Super Bowl in Miami last year? The brothers switched roles this year, but something even bigger has happened. With two Super Bowl titles and two Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks, the Manning family has become the dynasty that critics have pondered on since the early days of Archie Manning.
When I saw Eli Manning complete one of the gutsiest plays in Super Bowl history, a 32-yard desperation heave to receiver David Tyree after miraculously escaping a vicious swarm of Patriot defensive tackles and ends on the Giants’ game-winning drive, I knew that the Giants deserved to win this game. But I also believed that the Manning family deserved the recognition that has been out of its reach in the football world.
When Eli completed that pass, it was almost as if Peyton and Archie were completing it with him. Eli’s game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass to receiver Plaxico Burress made me feel like all three heralded quarterbacks threw that ball. When Eli rose his hands in sheer joy and excitement after the score, I saw Peyton right next to him, pumping his fists in glory. I saw Archie right alongside them, maybe more excited than both combined.
Considering all the criticism that Eli has taken and all of the doubts that even I had for him when he was turnover-crazy in his last three seasons, Eli quieted the doubters. Eli quieted the San Diego Chargers, who he publicly refused to play for when the 2004 NFL Draft came along. Eli quieted Tiki Barber, who had harsh comments about his former quarterback’s leadership skills following retirement. Most of all, Eli quieted all who thought that the Manning legacy in football stopped with Peyton.
When both of these quarterbacks look back after their careers are done, they will remember that Manning and Super Bowl go hand-in-hand. Greatness in this profession and this family go hand-in-hand.
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