The Giants are headed to Disney Land. The Patriots were undefeated at 18-0 but the Giants had nothing to lose. In the end, the underdog earned one of the greatest Super Bowl upsets in NFL history. Led by a tenacious defense, the G-men harassed Brady, sacking him five times and forcing a fumble before halftime. Rallying behind by Eli Manning's arm, the Giants earned the 17-14 decision in the final 2:39. After the Pats took a 14-10 lead on a Brady-to-Moss touchdown, Eli readied himself for a final drive. It was one of the most memorable I've ever seen.

Credit wideout David Tyree for that outstanding 32-yard catch to extend the drive, and Burress for catching the game-winning touchdown in front of 71,101 in attendance and close to 100 million around the world. Earlier in the week, Burress told reporters that the Giants would win 23-17. Though his score was off, his prediction was still accurate. The Giants are now Super Bowl XLII Champions.

I really cannot believe this just happened. It's 3:59 AM and I cannot sleep.

The ticker-tape parade is tomorrow Super Tuesday @ 11 AM, starting on Broadway at Battery Place and ending with a ceremony at City Hall Plaza. I hope to see everyone there.

I do not need to recap the highlights or commercials. But, what an effort, what a performance by the Giants. Grades:

Quarterback Eli Manning

A... led game-winning drive, named MVP, eluding the two sacks was just unbelievable

Running Backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw

B+...26 carries for 91 yards is not amazing, but they outdeuled the Patriots running tandem (16 touches for 45 yards) on the ground, not in the air (Faulk caught 7 for 52 yards)... they also protected Eli from constant blitzes

Wide Receivers

A-I would have given them an A for Toomer, Tyree, Boss and Burress' efforts but they dropped a bunch of passes and deflected one into an interception... otherwise, they had some highlight-worthy receptions that will stick in New Yorkers’ heads for a long time

Offensive Line

A... They gave Eli enough time to throw the rock, committed ZERO false start or holding penalties, negative- Eli was sacked three times and nearly two others

Defensively:

Defensive Line

A… If Strahan retires, there is a future star in the making… Justin Tuck (5 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble), who could have been named MVP... In addition, Osi and Strahan hounded Brady for 60 minutes, forcing underthrown balls and many incompletions

 

Linebackers

A… Mitchell and Pierce were very aggressive, made some important tackles (19 between two of them) and constantly applied pressure to Brady, who on camera looked poised, but in reality felt the freight train driving into his head throughout the game

Defensive Backs

AAA… Alright, Welker had his 11-catch 103-yard performance… but, the Giants shut down Moss (5 grabs for 62 yards), none until the end of the second quarter and three on a crucial fourth-quarter drive, including a touchdown… Otherwise, the defensive backs were very solid

Special Teams

B+… Other than Chase Blackburn’s costly penalty, the Giants had strong coverage down field… Maroney managed just a 17-yard return on last kickoff, not enough credit is given to punter Jeff Feagles who pinned New England inside 20 twice … it’s time for Feagles to retire, go out a champ

Coaching

A+… Coughlin, Gilbride, Spagnulo all earned highest marks for their efforts on Sunday night… Coughlin rarely lost his cool, Gilbride and Spagnulo both outcoached their opposition to shreds with blitzing and timely play-calling… Spagnuolo is hottest commodity (job offers) since IPODS.. just kidding, but I really hope he stays in New York New Jersey (East Rutherford, not New York City)…

Bottom Line:

Giants 17

Pats 14

Second Guessing: Belichik’s decision to go for first down on 4th and 13 at Giants 31… Pats lost by three points, I love looking back and criticizing coaches for poor choices… just like in Steelers-Jags Wild Card Game, Steelers failed on separate two-point conversions, two extra points would have tied the score…

Congratulations to New York Giants, their organization and all fans (including myself)... This is so surreal!!!!

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