super bowl 42 in the pages of the patriot ledger

8/3/2019 Super Bowl 42 in the pages of The Patriot Ledger

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SUPER BOWL XLIIPAGE 27FEB

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DISASTEROF GIANT PROPORTIONSDISASTEROF GIANT PROPORTIONSAssociated Press

New York quarterback Eli Manning celebrates his 5-yard pass to David Tyree late in the fourth quarter of the Patriots 17-14 loss Sunday night in Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz.

FALL FROM GRACE

PAGE 28

History will only

remember the defeat

THE BITTER END

PAGE 29

Conclusion is far fromperfect in stunning loss

WOES ON THE LINE

PAGE 30

Porous offensive linelets down Brady

CHANGED MAN

PAGE 32

Coughlin chills outand Giants get hot


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28Monday, February 4, 2008PATRIOTLEDGER.COM

SUPER BOWL XLIIN . Y. G I A N T S N . E . PAT R I O T S

THESUMMARY

GIANTS17, PATRIOTS14N.Y. Giants 3 0 0 14 17New England 0 7 0 7 14

First QuarterNYGFGTynes 32,5:01.

SecondQuarterNEMaroney1 run(Gostkowskikick),14:57.

FourthQuarterNYGTyree5 pass fromManning(Tyneskick),

11:05.NEMoss 6 pass from T.Brady (Gostkowski

kick),2:42.NYGBurress 13 pass from Manning (Tynes

kick),:35.Attendance: 71,101.

NYG NE

First downs 17 22Total Net Yards 338 274Rushes-yards 26-91 16-45Passing 247 229Punt Returns 3-25 1-15Kickoff Returns 2-39 4-94Interceptions Ret. 0-0 1-23Comp-Att-Int 19-34-1 29-48-0Sacked-Yards Lost 3-8 5-37Punts 4-39.0 4-43.8Fumbles-Lost 2-0 1-1Penalties-Yards 4-36 5-35Time o f Possession 30:27 29:33

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHINGNew York, Bradshaw 9-45, Jacobs14-42 Manning 3-4. New England, Maroney 14-36,Faulk1-7,Evans1-2.

PASSINGNew York, Manning 19-34-1-255.New England,T.Brady 29-48-266-0.

RECEIVINGNew York, Toomer 6-84, S.Smith5-50,Tyree 3-43,Burress 2-27,Boss 1-45,Bradshaw1-3, Hedgecock 1-3. New England, Welker 11-103,Faulk7-52, R.Moss5-62,Stallworth 3-34,Maroney 2-12,K.Brady1-3.

MISSEDFIELD GOALSNone.

CHALKTALK

Who was hot

WesWelker Can't blamehim. The slot machine made 11

catches, tying the Super Bowlrecord shared by Cincinnati's DanRoss (Super Bowl XVI), SanFrancisco's Jerry Rice (XXIII) andNew England's Deion Branch(XXXIX).

Adalius Thomas Generated good pressure off theedge late, although he was one ofthe rushers who got a hand on EliManning on his game-changingscramble/completion on thewinning drive.

Ray Ventrone OK, we'rereaching here. But his thunderoushit on Domenik Hixon on the kickreturn that set up the Giants'winning drive set what appearedto be a nice tone for the Patriots.

1972 Dolphins Pop the

champagne.

Who was not

Offensive line They stunk,plain and simple. LG LoganMankins was to blame on at leastthree of the five sacks against abeleaguered Tom Brady. LT MattLight wasn't much better with passprotection problems and two falsestarts in the third quarter. Plus, norunning room (2.8-yard average).

Bill Belichick His legacy isforever stained by the biggestplayoff flop in NFL history. This isworse than Spygate.

Josh McDaniels Theprecocious offensive coordinatororchestrated the highest-scoring

regular-season offense in NFLhistory, but the Pats were so-so inthe AFC championship game andpositively dreadful in the SuperBowl.

Ellis Hobbs/Asante Samuel Hobbs, the secondary's season-long punching bag, was beatenbadly by Plaxico Burress on thewinning 13-yard TD pass with 35seconds left. Just putrid coveragein crunch time. Samuel wasbeaten on the Giants' first TD(David Tyree's 5-yard catch) andcouldn't hang on to a potentialSuper Bowl-clinching interceptionwith 1:15 left.

Rodney Harrison Made agame-high 12 tackles, but he letKevin Boss run away from him ona 45-yard pass play that set up the

Giants' first TD, then lost a jump-ball battle to Tyree on the key 32-yard play during the winning drive.

Laurence Maroney Yes, hescored a 1-yard TD in the secondquarter, but his late-seasonresurgence hit a wall. He ran 14times for 36 yards (2.6 average).

Randy Moss Yes, hecaught what would have been thewinning 6-yard TD with 2:42 left,but he made only five catches for62 yards and finished thepostseason with just sevenreceptions.

JuniorSeau Agelessveteran can't write a fairy taleending to a Hall of Fame career.

Turning point On third-and-5 from his own

44 with just over a minute left,Manning somehow eluded a sackand completed the 32-yarder toTyree to bring the ball to the Pats'24-yard line and give the Giants ahuge emotional lift. Harrisoncouldn't pry the ball out of Tyree'sgrasp as the two fell to the ground.Four plays later, the Pats werestaring at 18-1 instead of 19-0.

Did you notice?

The red-zone defense, aseason-long bugaboo for thePatriots, ultimately failed them inthe clutch. The Chargers were 0for 3 in the red zone in the AFCfinal, and the Giants were 2 of 5

yesterday, but the two conversionscame in the fourth quarter andruined the perfect season.

Bottom line

Now the Patriots know howthe Rams felt in Super BowlXXXVI. Or how the Colts felt inSuper Bowl III. Or how the Sovietsfelt at Lake Placid in 1980. Evenmore sickening - instead of goingdown in history as a big-mouthedloser in the mold of FreddieMitchell and Anthony Smith,Burress caught the winning TDand looked like a genius for hispre-game guarantee.

Up next

A very painful offseason.Moss could leave as a free agent,although he swears he's in lovewith the organization. Samuelmost likely is a goner. Andpotential retirements (TedyBruschi, Seau, maybe evenHarrison) could further cloud thepicture for 2008. At least there'sAndre Tippett's Hall of Fameinduction to look forward to.

FALL FROM GRACEPats will be remembered for one loss, not their 18 wins

Associated Press

Patriots receiver Kelley Washington, left, sits on the bench with his teammates after the Patriots lost to the New York Giants, 17-14, in Super Bowl XLII Sunday night.

ByGLENFARLEY

GateHouse News Service

Turns out the NFLsdecision to enlist theservices of Tom Pettyfor the halftime show at

Super Bowl XLII was mostappropriate.On Sunday night, the New

England Patriots shot at NFLhistory would be Free Fallin.

One minute,the 2007Patriots wereon the brink ofinvincibility.

Then, in a New York finalminute, New Englands defenseapproached invisibility.

Solid 12-point underdogs inthe game, New Yorks NFCchampions proved to be sleepingGiants, slaying the leaguesGoliaths, 17-14, in Glendale,Ariz.

The response we got out ofour team, Giants head coachTom Coughlin said in acceptingthe Vince Lombardi Trophy,was unbelievable.

You want unbelievable? Incalling for a Giant upset at thestart of the week, wide receiverPlaxico Burress predicted histeam would win, 23-17, holdingthe Patriots to a season-low pointtotal in the process.

Were only going to score 17points? Patriots quarterbackTom Brady chuckled. OK. IsPlax playing defense? I wish hehad said 45-42 and gave us alittle credit for scoring morepoints. As it turned out, Burress

gave a Patriots offense thatscored a league-record 589points during the regular seasontoo much credit andshortchanged his own defense.

You really want unbelievable?The Patriots mastermind helpedkick this one away.

Rather than send StephenGostkowski out to attempt a 49-yard field goal just past themidway point in the thirdquarter, Patriots head coach BillBelichick opted to go for afourth-and-13 at the New York31, the play resulting in anincomplete pass to Jabar Gaffneythat never had a chance.

Granted, the kick was far from

a gimme, but the message wasthat the coach lacked theconfidence in his place-kickersability to convert from 49 yardsinside a domed stadium.

A field goal there and . . . well,well never know.

Then again, a sack of Elianning by Jarvis Green on

third-and-five from the New

York 44 on the Giants game-winning drive and, well, wellnever know about that, either.The Patriots defensive endtreated the quarterback like BillBuckner treated a routine ground

ball off Mookie Wilsons bat 22years ago, letting Manning slipaway to complete a 32-yard passto David Tyree, who made anunlikely catch with his head asmuch as his hands.

And a potential interception bycornerback Asante Samuelgrazed off his hands.

On that last drive, Manningwas transformed into the Bradyof Super Bowls past, rallying histeam with a calm and collectedmanner that led to his selectionas the games MVP.

And if anyone out therethought, back in September, thatthe Manning boy who would endthe Patriots season would benamed Eli, well, youre muchwiser than me. For a good

portion of this season, it seemedlike Olivia (Peytons and Elismom) had a better shot at doingthis than Eli.

And so a team whose regularseason began with Spygate, thevideo scandal involving NewYorks other football team thatPennsylvania senator ArlenSpecter chose to revive last theweek, saw its postseason end onegame shy of what seemed to beits fate.

As a result, the 1972 MiamiDolphins place in Perfectville,that Reebok-created communitywhere great football teams withmiserable dispositions reside, has

been preserved.Yes, Mercury Morris and the

members of his 72 DolphinsNeighborhood Watch Programcan rest easy for another year.

It was way back in Novemberwhen Morris, a running back onthat 72 team, told the 2007Patriots: Dont call me when

youre in my town. Call me whenyoure on my block and I see younext door moving your furniturein. Thats when Ill know youregoing to the championship andare about to play. And if you winit, Ill be dressed up in a tuxedowaiting on my bride.

Just when it appeared theywere prepared to say, I do, thePatriots didnt.

After following half a seasonof romps with half a season thatfeatured dramatic wins overIndianapolis, Philadelphia,Baltimore and the Giants (thelatter a regular-season win thatsure seems hollow now), itappeared the Patriots could. Butin the end, they couldnt.

On the cusp of being labeledthe greatest team ever, thePatriots came up second best inthe NFL game that matters most.

After going down in the NFLrecord book as the first team inleague history to complete a 16-0

regular season, the Patriotsextended their streak to 18 with

postseason victories overJacksonville and San Diego, butin the wake of Sunday night,what does it all mean?

The fact of the matter is, in theNFL, regular-season highlightfilms and records arent thething. Its all about hoisting theLombardi Trophy and wearinggaudy rings.

The fact of the matter is, theGiants 14-6 dwarfs the Patriots18-1.

The Lombardi Trophy, FoxNetwork analyst Troy Aikmansaid just prior to the Giants-Patriots kickoff. Thats what the

NFLs all about.So, what do all those regular-

season highlights and records allmean?

All those things, ESPNsTom Jackson said late Sundaynight, are meaningless at thismoment.

Associated Press

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks at side judge Larry Rose during the third quarter of the

Patriots 17-14 loss to the Giants Sunday night.

GIANTS 17PATRIOTS 14


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SUPER BOWLRESULTS

2008...............................Giants 17, Patriots 14

2007.................... Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17

2006.......................... Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10

2005 .....................Patriots 24, Philadelphia 21

2004 ...........................Patriots 32, Carolina 29

2003 ..................... Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21

2002 .......................... Patriots 20, St. Louis 17

2001 .......... Baltimore Ravens 34, NY Giants 7

2000..................... St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16

1999............................. Denver 34, Atlanta 19

1998 ........................Denver 31, Green Bay 24

1997 ....................... Green Bay 35, Patriots 21

1996 .......................... Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 17

1995 ............. San Francisco 49, San Diego 26

1994............................... Dallas 30, Buffalo 13

1993............................... Dallas 52, Buffalo 17

1992 ...................... Washington 37, Buffalo 241991........................ N.Y. Giants 20, Buffalo 19

1990.................. San Francisco 55, Denver 10

1989 .............. San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16

1988...................... Washington 42, Denver 10

1987....................... N.Y. Giants 39, Denver 20

1986 ........................... Chicago 46, Patriots 10

1985.................... San Francisco 38, Miami 16

1984 .................. LA Raiders 38, Washington 9

1983 ........................Washington 27, Miami 17

1982 .............. San Francisco 26, Cincinnati 21

1981.................... Oakland 27, Philadelphia 10

1980 ....................Pittsburgh 31, L.A. Rams 19

1979.......................... Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31

1978 .............................. Dallas 27, Denver 10

1977 ...................... Oakland 32, Minnesota 14

1976 .......................... Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17

1975...................... Pittsburgh 16, Minnesota 61974 ............................ Miami 24, Minnesota 7

1973 ..........................Miami 14, Washington 7

1972 .................................. Dallas 24, Miami 3

1971 .................. Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas 13

1970 ................... Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7

1969 .................. NY Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7

1968...................... Green Bay 33, Oakland 14

1967 ................ Green Bay 35, Kansas City 10

COMPOSITEGLANCE

W L Pct. PF PA

San Francisco......... 5 0 1.000 188 89

Balt. Ravens.... .. .. .. .1 0 1.000 34 7

NY Jets ..................1 0 1.000 16 7

Tampa Bay............. 1 0 1.000 48 21

Pittsburgh................5 1 .833 141 110

Green Bay.............. 3 1 .750 127 76

Balt.-Ind. Colts........2 1 .667 52 46

NY Giants... .. .. .. .. .. ..3 1 .750 83 87

Dallas......................5 3 .625 221 132

Oak.-L.A. Raiders ....3 2 .600 132 114

Washington ............ 3 2 .600 122 103

Patriots....................3 3 .500 121 165

Chicago.................. 1 1 .500 63 39

Kansas City............ 1 1 .500 33 42

Miami ..................... 2 3 .400 74 103

Denver ....................2 4 .333 115 206

St. Louis-LA Rams..1 2 .333 59 67

Atlanta....................0 1 .000 19 34

Carolina..................0 1 .000 29 32

San Diego ... .. .. .. .. .. .0 1 .000 26 49

Seattle....................0 1 .000 10 21

Tennessee..............0 1 .000 16 23

Cincinnati................0 2 .000 37 46

Philadelphia............0 2 .000 31 51

Buffalo.................... 0 4 .000 73 139

Minnesota...............0 4 .000 34 95

Associated Press

Patriots linebacker Junior Seau lies on the turf after New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.

THE BITTER ENDConclusion far from perfect as Patriots are shockedByLENNYMEGLIOLA

GateHouse News Service

It was going to be the perfectending to the perfect season. TomBrady tosses game-winningtouchdown pass to Randy Moss.

They were going to Disney World,hand in hand. Patriots win anotherSuper Bowl.

Brady to Moss. There could be nomore perfect ending. And no onewouldve been surprised. It was sort ofexpected, actually magic from Brady.

The New York Giants would neverrecover from the Moss TD. Thevaunted, grizzly Patriots defense had to

just make one more stand, chew up andspit out the last 21/2 minutes of thegame, then fly off to party time.

One problem: Two-and-a-halfminutes was all Eli Manning needed toturn into Tom Brady.

Manning, the oft-criticized kidbrother of You-Know-Who, turnedevery kids dream into reality. On oneunbelieveable play, he somehowescaped the grasp of what seemed likehalf the Patriots defensive unit, thenthrew what looked like a desperation

prayer that would likely be intercepted.Nope. David Tyree caught it.

Suddenly, there was an inevitability toall this, and it had more to do withManning than with Brady.

Manning added the finishing touchwith a TD strike to wide-open PlaxicoBurress for the game-winningtouchdown with 35 seconds left.

Giants 17, Patriots 14. Manning hadtaken the underdog Giants 83 yards.

It was Burress who predicted NewYork would win, 23-17. Son-of-a-gunwasnt far off. After it was over, aweeping Burress told Foxs Pam Oliverthat Manning played like he had icewater in his veins.

Pats coach Bill Belichick could onlyrepeat to Foxs Chris Myers, Weredisappointed.

Belichick looked awfully pale. Hewas in less mood to talk than usual.You get the picture.

It didnt take long for ESPN to getMercury Morris on the horn. Morrishad been dissin, and hopin and

prayin all season that the Patriotswouldnt go undefeated, so his 72Dolphins could still say they were theonly team to end a season that way.Some day someone will go out (andgo undefeated), said Morris. But notthis year . . . We were the best then;were the best even now.

Warning to brokenhearted Pats fans:Morris promised to do a thousandinterviews about this.

Make no mistake, this was no fluke.The Giants were the better teamSunday. They were dogs, said Morris.They wanted it more.

Not true. But they deserved to win.New Yorks defense was magnificent.

The Patriots offensive line was, well,offensive to Brady, not to mention adanger to his well-being. Brady got

knocked around and down time aftertime. They must have wondered,Whats so special about this guy? Hesthe one with the nice-looking girlfriend,

right?The Giants attacked Brady from

every known angle. The replays madeit seem like all of Bradys important

body parts were being twisted andcrushed. You must have wondered acouple of times if he was going to getup, right? No quarterback can playgreat without time to throw. The Giants

gave Brady only a nanosecond beforethey went into body-slam mode.

Was it me, or did Belichick lookmuch more worried maybe even

confused than weve ever seen himwhen the Giants took the openingkickoff, and although they only gotthree points out of it, ate up more thanhalf the first quarter?

OK, the Patriots led 7-3 at the half.But the Giants played better. To makehistory, the Pats had to ratchet up. Theynever could, until the drive that ended

with the Moss TD catch. OnlyManning had another page to write.

The Patriots went through a lot to getto the first Sunday in February. Theywere a major story right away, accusedof being cheaters after beating the Jetsin the seasons opener. America hadanother gate to take issue with.

Spygate had legs, but when the Pats

kept winning, the controversy gotpushed into the shadows when the teabegan the season by pummeling everyopponent. In the last month or so, thatchanged. To stay unbeaten, the Pats hato hold off two struggling teams, theEagles and Ravens, who in consecutivegames, had a chance to stop the streak.

The Pats were 15-0 on the last day ofthe regular season. Their opponentswere the Giants, who had a chance to

pull off what 15 teams couldnt. Butthere was also this. Would the Pats,who had already earned home field inthe first two playoff games, be

judicious in how much they used thestarters, or toss caution to the wind?This was also true of the Giants, whohad barely qualified for the post-seasonand had to play a wild-card game onthe road the next week against TampaBay. The Giants certainly didnt wantto risk injury.

Neither Belichick nor Giants coachTom Coughlin showed their handleading up to the game. Wed just haveto watch.

What we saw were both teams goingall out with their first-teamers playinglike that night, Dec. 29, was the SuperBowl. If it were, it wouldve been a

beauty. New England survived, 38-35.But the real Super Bowl was played

yesterday. After it ended, Giantslinebacker Michael Strahan told Fox,People said we got a false sense ofconfidence from the first game (agains

New England). No. We got confident.On the biggest stage yesterday, it

manifested.The Patriots should have had all of

Neutral Football America rooting forthem to go 19-0. Not the case. Theycould never totally shake the Spygaterap. The cheating tag even gainedmomentum in the week leading up tothe Super Bowl.

Outside New England, a lot offootball fans felt the Patriots werearrogant, and worked under a tight-lipped control freak in Belichick.

Neutral Football America came up wita list of reasons to hope the Patswouldnt finish 19-0.

There was also the jealousy factor.The Patriots detractors were so greenwith envy they could have passed forasparagus.

So, while New England fans cried intheir beer, a lot of football fans fromcoast to coast were glad they lost. Thedynasty cracked in the desert heat. TheGiants kissed the Lombardi Trophy.

It was all rather stunning. But it wasreal enough.

No parade tomorrow. Go voteinstead.

Associated Pressphotos

New York receiver Steve Smith (12) celebrates after the Giants beat the PatriotsSunday night in Super Bowl XLII.

Tom Brady

talks to ateammate

while sittingon the bench

during thethird quarter

Sunday

night.


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Monday, February 4, 200830 PATRIOTLEDGER.COM


PATS INTHE SUPER

BOWL

SUPER BOWL XLII

Feb. 3, 2008, at Glendale, Ariz.

Giants 17, Patriots 14 Giantsquarterback Eli Manning hits widereceiver Plaxico Burress with a TD passin the last minute as the Pats bid for a19-0 season comes up short.

SUPER BOWL XXXIXFeb. 6, 2005, at Jacksonville

Patriots 24, Philadelphia 21 Deion Branch had 11 receptions for 133yards and the Pats defense forced fourturnovers to become the eighth team towin consecutive Super Bowl titles.

SUPER BOWL XXXVIIIFeb. 1, 2004, at Houston

Patriots 32, Carolina 29 AdamVinatieri kicked a 41-yard field goal withfour seconds remaining as the Pats wontheir second Super Bowl in threeseasons.

SUPER BOWL XXXVIFeb. 3, 2002, at New Orleans

Patriots 20, St. Louis 17 AdamVinatieris 44-yard field goal as timeexpired sealed the upset victory.

SUPER BOWL XXXIJan. 26, 1997, at New Orleans

Green Bay 35, Patriots 21 Desmond Howard returned a kickoff 99yards for a touchdown and Brett Favrethrew two TD passes and ran for a score

to power the Packers.

SUPER BOWL XX

Jan. 26, 1986, at New Orleans

Chicago 46, Patriots 10 TheBears league-leading defense set aSuper Bowl record for sacks (seven) andlimited the Pats to a record-low sevenyards rushing.

Associated Press

Tom Brady is sacked by Giants defensive end Michael Strahan (92) during the third quarter Sunday night.

Face facts: Linemen let Brady downByDENNISWASZAKJr.

Associated Press

GLENDALE, Ariz. The Newngland Patriots big, brawny,

bearded guys were just plain bad.The AFC champions heralded

offensive line allowed a season-high five sacks to the New YorkGiants in the Super Bowl on Sun-day, failing to give quarterbackTomBradythe type of tight protec-tion with which they guarded himall season.

Their inability to protect Bradywas a major reason the Patriots

quest for a perfect 19-0 seasonended with a disappointing, 17-14loss.

Coming into the game, Bradyhad been sacked a career-low 24times this season, playing behind aline that produced three Pro Bowlselections center Dan Koppen,left tackle Matt Light and leftguard Logan Mankins. Throw inright guard Stephen Neal and righttackle Nick Kaczur, and Bradyplayed most of his record-breakingseason without having to worrymuch about getting hit by blood-thirsty defenders.

Sunday, disaster struck in theform of the Giants all-out, pres-sure-packed, swarming defense in the worst possible setting. It wasthe first time Brady had beensacked as many as five times sincethe New York Jets did it on Sept.21, 2003. Hesimply had notime tofind Randy Moss and most of hisother targets on a regular basisagainst the Giants.

Brady shouldve known he wasin for a long day when he wassacked by Kawika Mitchell andJustin Tuck on consecutive playsmidway through the second quar-

ter. It didnt help that Neal left withan injury after Tucks sack, andplay again.

With 19 seconds left in the gameandthe Pats facing a do-or-die sce-nario, Brady was sacked for the fi-nal time when Jay Alford drilledhim at New Englands 16-yardline. Brady was left with nothing todo but try two straight desperate,incomplete heaves to Moss.

The Giants entered the gamewith 56 sacks, including the play-offs, and hadshowed in their Week17 loss to the Patriots that theycould be a force against New Eng-

lands line. Brady was sacked justonce and threw for 356 yards andtwo touchdowns in that one, butwas hit repeatedly and forced tostray from the game plan.

That happened again in the Su-per Bowl, only worse.

With help from their linemen,the Patriots set NFL records for points scored and total touch-downs, while Brady broke theleague mark for TD passes andMoss set a record for scoring re-ceptions. That high-powered of-fense was held to a season-low 14points in the Super Bowl mostly

because it didnt have time to makplays.

The offensive line receivedgreat deal of attention in the daybefore the game for its consistenc and for the hair on the linemenfaces. All five of Bradys bunchad some sort of facial hair goingon, including Neals Fu Manchand Mankins big, bushy, GrizzlAdams-like beard.

Its safe to say they were red-faced after their performancagainst the Giants.

AssociatedPress

Giants defensive end Michael Strahan celebrates after sackin Tom Brad who walks off the field after the la durin the Patriots 17-14 loss in Su er Bowl XLII in Glendale Ariz.


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MOSTVALUABLE

PLAYERS

2008 Eli Manning QB, Giants

2007 Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis2006 Hines Ward, WR, Pittsburgh

2005 Deion Branch, WR, Patriots

2004 Tom Brady, QB, Patriots

2003 Dexter Jackson, FS, Tampa Bay

2002 Tom Brady, QB, Patriots

2001 Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore

2000 Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis

1999 John Elway, QB, Denver

1998 Terrell Davis, RB, Denver

1997 Desmond Howard, KR, Green Bay

1996 Larry Brown, CB, Dallas

1995 Steve Young, QB, San Francisco

1994 Emmitt Smith, RB, Dallas

1993 Troy Aikman, QB, Dallas

1992 Mark Rypien, QB, Washington

1991 Ottis Anderson, RB, N.Y. Giants1990 Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco

1989 Jerry Rice, WR, San Francisco

1988 Doug Williams, QB, Washington

1987 Phil Simms, QB, N.Y. Giants

1986 Richard Dent, DE, Chicago

1985 Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco

1984 Marcus Allen, RB, L.A. Raiders

1983 John Riggins, RB, Washington

1982 Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco

1981 Jim Plunkett, QB, Oakland

1980 Terry Bradshaw, QB, Pittsburgh

1979 Terry Bradshaw, QB, Pittsburgh

1978 Randy White, DT, Dallas,and Harvey Martin, DE, Dallas

1977 Fred Biletnikoff, WR, Oakland

1976 Lynn Swann, WR, Pittsburgh1975 Franco Harris, RB, Pittsburgh

1974 Larry Csonka, RB, Miami

1973 Jake Scott, S, Miami

1972 Roger Staubach, QB, Dallas

1971 Chuck Howley, LB, Dallas

1970 Len Dawson, QB, Kansas City

1969 Joe Namath, QB, N.Y. Jets

1968 Bart Starr, QB, Green Bay

1967 Bart Starr, QB, Green Bay

PATRIOTSRESULTS

THIS SEASON

(Home team in CAPS)

Sep. 9....................... Patriots 38, JETS 14

Sep. 16.......... PATRIOTS 38, Chargers 14

Sep. 23.................... PATRIOTS 38, Bills 7

Oct. 1 ............... Patriots 34, BENGALS 13

Oct. 7 ............... PATRIOTS 34, Browns 17

Oct. 14 ............ Patriots 48, COWBOYS 27

Oct. 21 ............ Patriots 49, DOLPHINS 28

Oct. 28 .......... ... PATRIOTS 52, Redskins 7

Nov. 4 .................... Patriots 24, COLTS 20

Nov. 18 .................... Patriots 56, BILLS 10

Nov. 25.............. PATRIOTS 31, Eagles 28

Dec. 3 ..................Patriots 27, RAVENS 24

Dec. 9.............. PATRIOTS 34, Steelers 13

Dec. 16.................. PATRIOTS 20, Jets 10

Dec. 23............. PATRIOTS 28, Dolphins 7Dec. 29................. Patriots 38, GIANTS 35

DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF

Jan. 12 ............ PATRIOTS 31, Jaguars 20

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Jan. 20 ........ PATRIOTS 21, San Diego 12

SUPER BOWL

Feb. 3 ......................Giants 17, Patriots 14

ITS ELIS TURNPeytons baby brother snags his own MVP trophy

ByJIMLITKE

Associated Press

GLENDALE, Ariz. Move over,Peyton. Make room in the Manningfamily trophy case, Archie.

Baby boy Eli is coming home withhardware all his own an MVP tro-

phy to place alongside the one his big brother brought back only a yearago.

The youngest son of a great quar-terback and the baby brother of aneven better one came into his ownSunday night in the desert, provingcooler than the falling temperatures

by leading the Giants83 yards ona fi-nal scoring drive to stun the Patriots17-14 and cap one of the greatest up-sets in sports.

Thats a position you want to be in.You want to have the ball in yourhands . . . down, where youve got toscore a touchdown , Manning saidafter accepting the MVP trophy fromTerry Bradshaw, a pretty fair quarter-

back himself.I talked about it before with Pey-

ton, Manning added a few momentslater. You want to be down four(points), where you have to score atouchdown. Because if youre downthree, maybe we go for the f ieldgoal.

Just a few weeks after fans and themedia wanted to run Manning out otown, the kid will head back to hisadopted hometown as the king o

New York.His stats wont bowl over people

back in the Big Apple 19-of-34 for255yards, two touchdownsand an in-terception butthe way he performedon that fateful final drive certainlywill.

I cant be happy for anybody else.This is a guy who took all that criti-cism, Giants linebacker AntonioPierce said. Well, you cant criticizethe MVP. . . . Making all those playswith his feet; it was a beautiful thingto watch.

Starting from his own 17 with 2:39

left, Manning hooked up twice withAmani Toomer, the second leavingthe Giantsfacing a fourth-and-inches.After Brandon Jacobsplowed hiswayto a first-down up the middle, Man-ning showed some surprising foot-work by escaping the New Englandrush and scrambling for five yards.

Turns out that was just the prelude.One play later, the Patriots threw

another kitchen-sink blitz at Man-ning; linebacker Adalius Thomas hadhis shirt and tried to throw Manningto the ground.

Instead, he ducked down and usedthe momentum to spin away, then sethis feet and fired a high strike 32yards down the field.

Receiver David Tyree made a spec-tacular grab on the ball, pinning itagainst his helmet as he fell to theground with New England safetyRodney Harrison draped across hisshoulders.

You try to get small sometimesand see if you can squeak through,the 6-foot-4 Manning said with typi-cal understatement. You just try tofind a hole to squeeze through andmake a throw.

Associated Press

Eli Manning (10) and Brandon Jacobs celebrate after Manning threw the game-winning touchdown pass.

Giants defense refused to back downByTOMCANAVAN

Associated Press

GLENDALE, Ariz. Plaxico Burresswas absolutely wrong, Tom Brady!

The New England Patriotsquarterback couldnt get 17 pointsagainst the New York Giants defense,which sacked the NFL MVP five timesand hit him nine more times while hewas throwing.

Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and OsiUmenyiora hounded and hit Bradyfrom start to f inish in limiting the NFLsall-time best offense to just two

touchdowns in a stunning 17-14 victorythat will go down as one of the biggestupsets in Super Bowl history.

The 14 points were a season low for ateam that was looking for a place inhistory.

Now it has one.This stunner came less than a week

after Burress created a stir by predictingthe Giants (14-6) would end thePatriots run at perfection after 18straight wins.

His forecast was 23-17, and it gotBradys attention and drew his ire.

Were only going to score 17points? Brady chuckled at the thoughtthe Giants could shut down an offensethat scored 589 points and got a record50 TD passes from its star QB.

OK. Is Plax playing defense? I wishhe had said 45-42 and gave us a littlecredit for scoring more points.

Credit goes to the Giants anddefensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo,who refused to back down. Theyattacked Brady at every opportunityand limited him to two scoring drives.

I think our defense did a great job ofsetting the tone, Giants coach TomCoughlin said. They were in the attack

mode all the time. They did their job.The defense certainly did an excellent

job.We did some different things;

created some different matchups.The last big play came in the final

minute when rookie tackle Jay Alfordtook over for a winded Fred Robbinsand planted Brady on a second-and-10from the New England 26 with 19seconds to go.

Brady threw two more desperationpasses. Then the Giants began tocelebrate their third Super Bowl title.

Strahan, a seven-time Pro Bowlerwho opted to return this season aftermulling retirement for the entiretraining camp, knelt on the ground and

looked up at the roof at the Universityof Phoenix Stadium. After 15 years, hehad his Super Bowl ring andchampionship.

We watched a lot of TV, Strahansaid. We had a lot of free time. Iremember somebody saying the Giantshave a false sense of confidence from

the first time they played. We gotconfident. My guys are the best in theworld.

The Giants held New England to 274yards in total offense, including just 45yards rushing.

Brady finished 29-of-48 for 266yards and one touchdown, a 6-yarder toRandy Moss with 2:42 to play against adefense that was running out of gas. Itcapped a 12-play, 80-yard drive onwhich several exhausted defenderslimped off the field.

Eli Manning responded with a 12-

play, 83-yard scoring drive, which hecapped with a 13-yard fade pattern inthe corner of the end zone to a wide-open Burress.

The defensive effort came a monthafter the Patriots ripped the Giants for38 points in the f inal game of theregular season.

Associated Press

Giants defensive end Michael Strahankisses the Vince Lombardi trophy.


6/8



HOWWINNERS

FARED

How the Super Bowl winnersfared in their next season:

2007 Indianapolis lost toSan Diego 28-24 in AFC divisionalplayoff.

2006 Pittsburgh finishedthird in AFC North division with an8-8 record.

2005 Patriots lost to Denver27-13 in AFC divisional playoff.

2004 Patriots repeated andbeat Philadelphia 24-21 in SuperBowl.

2003 Tampa Bay finishedthird in NFC South division with a7-9 record.

2002 Patriots finishedsecond in AFC East division with a9-7 record.

2001 Baltimore lost toPittsburgh 27-10 in AFC divisionalplayoff.

2000 St. Louis lost to NewOrleans 31-28 in NFC wild-cardgame.

1999 Denver finished last inthe AFC West division with a 6-10record.

1998 Denver repeated andbeat Atlanta 34-19 in Super Bowl.

1997 Green Bay lost toDenver 31-24 in Super Bowl.

1996 Dallas lost to Carolina26-17 in NFC divisional playoff.

1995 San Francisco lost toGreen Bay 27-17 in NFC divisionalplayoff.

1994 Dallas lost to SanFrancisco 38-28 in NFCchampionship.

1993 Dallas repeated andbeat Buffalo 30-13 in Super Bowl.

1992 Washington lost toSan Francisco 20-13 in NFCdivisional playoff.

1991 New York Giantsfinished fourth in NFC East divisionwith an 8-8 record.

1990 San Francisco lost toNew York Giants 15-13 in NFCchampionship.

1989 San Franciscorepeated and beat Denver 55-10 inSuper Bowl.

1988 Washington finishedthird in NFC East division with a 7-9 record.

1987 New York Giantsfinished last in NFC East divisionwith a 6-9 record.

1986 Chicago lost toWashington 27-13 in NFCdivisional playoff.

1985 San Francisco lost toN.Y. Giants 17-3 in NFC wild-cardgame.

1984 Los Angeles Raiderslost to Seattle 13-7 in AFC wild-card game.

1983 Washington lost to theLos Angeles Raiders 38-9 in SupeBowl.

1982 San Francisco finishedeleventh in the conference with a3-6 record.

1981 Oakland finishedfourth in the Western Division witha 7-9 record.

1980 Pittsburgh finishedthird in the Central Division with a9-7 record.

1979 Pittsburgh repeatedand beat the Los Angeles Rams31-19 in Super Bowl.

1978 Dallas lost toPittsburgh 35-31 in Super Bowl.

1977 Oakland lost to Denve20-17 in AFC Championship.

1976 Pittsburgh lost toOakland 24-7 in AFCChampionship.

1975 Pittsburgh repeatedand beat Dallas 21-17 in SuperBowl.

1974 Miami lost to Oakland28-26 in AFC divisional playoff.

1973 Miami repeated andbeat Minnesota 24-7 in SuperBowl.

1972 Dallas lost toWashington 26-3 in NFCChampionship.

1971 Baltimore lost to Miami21-0 in AFC Championship.

1970 Kansas City finishedsecond in the Western Divisionwith a 7-5-2 record.

1969 New York Jets lost toKansas City 13-6 in AFL divisionalplayoff.

1968 Green Bay finishedthird in the Central Divison with a6-7-1 record.

1967 Green Bay repeatedand beat Oakland 33-14 in SuperBowl.

CHANGEDMANGiants came to life once Coughlin toned things down

Associated Press

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin kisses the Vince Lombardi Trophy after his teams 17-14 victory over the Patriots Sunday night.

ByEDDIEPELLS

Associated Press

GLENDALE, Ariz. It mightbe time to dump all thoseunflattering images of TomCoughlin yelling at people.

Replace them with pictures ofhim holding up the Super Bowltrophy.

So long portrayed as an unkind,unbending caricature of himself,Coughlin was recognized assomething different Sunday achampion, after leading his New

ork Giants to a stunning 17-14upset of the no-longer-undefeatedNew England Patriots.

Other than family, he said,the greatest feeling in the worldis when, all of the sudden, yourealize youre a world champion.

His wife, Judy, was standingoutside the locker room sheddingtears of joy.

Unbelievable, said the wifewho has spent the last four

decades following her husband

through his overworked, oftenunder-appreciated career.Coughlin has spent 12 of those

years as an NFL head coach, andthat he outcoached Bill Belichickin his biggest game of all is nohuge surprise hes always hadthe Xs and Os down pat.

That he was able to keep hisjob this long, change hisapproach to players and get anentire team moving in the rightdirection took a little more doing.

Coughlin came to New Yorkfour years ago with some

baggage from his f irst stint as ahead coach in Jacksonville.

His rules and regulations,insistence on practicing in pads,

flare-ups with quarterbacks andbad locker room chemistryseemed to override all the goodthings he accomplished.

He did nothing to dispel thereputation over the first threeseasons in New York, and came

into this season on the hot seat. It

was made hotter by the fact thatCoughlin was working in themost critical of markets, and thathis record (25-23, no playoffwins) and temperament were lessthan stellar.

He didnt change his message,so much as he reinvented thedelivery. Coughlin created aplayers leadership council asmall group of veterans whocould get the low-down from thecoach, then pass it on toteammates.

While Belichick fieldedquestions about Spygate allweek, the best story on Coughlinwas his supposed transformation.

The Giants opened the season

0-2 and the plan looked like aloser. Then, Coughlin sent a newmessage: That there was nogroup of guys hed rather havethere with him.

Soon after, the winning began.Six straight games to become a

contender, then a steadily rising

arrow for the rest of the year,though not without a fewdispiriting setbacks.

The defining moment andmaybe Coughlins most criticaldecision resulted in a loss: He

played the starters in the lastregular-season game against NewEngland, even though the Giantshad nothing to gain from it.

The best way to prepare for adifficult challenge is to gothrough a difficult challenge, heexplained again and again duringSuper Bowl week.

I should have just printed itout and passed it around, he saidafter fielding the question for theumpteenth time. Kinder and

gentler or not, he admits his petpeeves are redundancy andwasting time, and sometimes he

just cant help lashing out a bit.But after dealing with the

mandatory silliness of SuperBowl week, he headed back to

his office, crafting a pretty good

game plan along withcoordinators Steve Spagnuoloand Kevin Gilbride, a longtimefriend and confidante back fromtheir days in Jacksonville.

It was the game plan thatfinally made Tom Brady lookhuman, that made Eli Manninglook great, that put the Giants ina position to win with 35 secondsto go.

It was the coach who made histeam believe.

Every team is beatable. Younever know, Coughlin said. Theright moment, the right time,every team is beatable.

On the day that counted the

most, the Giants proved it.And Coughlin the changed

Coughlin showed you donthave to be perfect to be achampion.

Associated Press

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is doused by player MadisonHedgecock after the Giants beat the Patriots, 17-14.

Associated Press

Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes and head coach Tom Coughlin celebrateafter the Giants beat the Patriots in Glendale, Ariz.


7/8



Elis older brother reacts like a kidByANDREWBAGNATO

Associated Press

GLENDALE, Ariz. On the field,Peyton Manning is one of the NFLscooler heads.

Manning was anything but calm as hewatched kid brother Eli lead the NewYork Giants to a 17-14 victory over

heavily favored NewEngland in the SuperBowl on Sunday night.

As the amazing upsetunfolded on the field

below him, television cameras caughtPeyton Manning pumping his fist andacting like a fan in a sports bar.

You sort of play the game as you areup there watching, but you are pulling sohard for Eli, Peyton Manning said. Iwas pumped, and I got a lot of messages

telling me to calm down because I wasexcited and pumped after the big plays hewas making.

One year ago in Miami, PeytonManning was the MVP of IndianapolisSuper Bowl victory over Chicago. Twelvemonths later it was Elis turn after hecompleted 19 of 34 passes for 255 yardsand two touchdowns, including thedecisive 13-yarder to Plaxico Burresswith 35 seconds to play.

Being in the league 10 years, youcertainly dont take it for granted, PeytonManning said. I am really proud andhappy for my brother.

This has been Elis year. I am proud tohave been here tonight. I am proud to behis brother and I love him very much.

Family affairNew England defensive end Richard

Seymour wasnt lacking for supporterswho filled a row in the family section

wearing his No. 93 jersey.Most wore the regulation jersey with

the name Seymour written above thenumber. But one family member had acustom jersey with Mama Seymour onthe back, while a little boy had SeymourII on his back.

The best jersey belonged to the littlegirl bouncing on more than one lap.

It read: My Daddy.

Free falling

Anyone on the field for the Super Bowlcan expect some mayhem. Michele Tumasaw it firsthand.

Tuma and her group of 14schoolteachers were among 1,500 people

picked to be part of the halftime show

featuring Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.Only 12 minutes were allotted for the

performance, including setup andbreakdown, so it was bound to be ascramble.

Tuma, from Marlton, N.J., and aPhiladelphia Eagles season-ticket holderfor 23 years, found out how wild thingswould be during three rehearsals thatlasted nine hours Thursday.

We have to start at the 25-yard lineand then sprint to the far end of the fieldtoward the stage. Everyone wants to getthere f irst so they can be on TV, shesaid.

During the last run-through, my friendand I were going to a spot and somewoman yanked my friends hair. Just

pulled it from behind to get past. It was afree-for-all out there. Elbows flying,everything.

Taylor honored

Miami defensive end Jason Taylor washonored as the Walter Payton Man of theYear in a pre-game ceremony. Taylorreceived the award from Paytons widow,Connie, and NFL commissioner RogerGoodell.

Taylor, the Dolphins career sack leaderand six-time Pro Bowl player, establishedthe Jason Taylor Foundation in 2004 witha mission to create programs that assistneedy South Florida children. In 2007,

the foundation started the Jason TaylorReading Room in Miramar, Fla. to

address illiteracy among inner-city youth.Other finalists were Pittsburgh receiver

Hines Ward, Kansas City guard BrianWaters and Dallas tight end Jason Witten.

Mickelsons gift

On the third tee of the FBR Open onSunday, Phil Mickelson gave two SuperBowl tickets to John Fockler and hisyoung son, Drew.

He was wearing a Callaway hat,Mickelson said, referring to one of hismajor sponsors. I thought that it would

be fun to give it to a father-son.There was plenty of time for the two to

make it to the game, because the SuperBowl was being held 30 miles to the westin Glendale.

I cherish the time I have with eachone of my kids and I just thought it would

be a cool experience for them,Mickelson said. I wasnt going to beable to use them because my family is intown, and were all going to watch ittogether.

Nofunin the sun

With rain in the forecast, NFLcommissioner Roger Goodell orderedUniversity of Phoenix Stadiumsretractable roof closed Sunday.

Its the 13th time the Super Bowl hasbeen played indoors. Last year,Indianapolis and Chicago played in adownpour in South Floridas DolphinStadium.

Shockey showsNew York tight end Jeremy Shockey,

who broke his leg on Dec. 16, appearedon crutches on the Giants sideline.

Shockey posed for pictures with a localpolice officer and chatted with inactiveteammates Jerome Collins and SinoriceMoss during pre-game warm-ups.

Inspiring words

Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, who lost bothlegs to a roadside bomb in Iraq and has

been an inspirational figure for the teamthis season, addressed the Giants at theirheadquarters hotel in Chandler onSaturday night.

Gadson spoke of pride, poise, teamand belief in each other, according to PaHanlon, a team spokesman. Gadson

played football at Army, where he was ateammate of New York receivers coachMike Sullivan.

Extra points

With the victory, the Giants become theeighth NFL franchise to win three ormore Super Bowls . . . New York joinsthe 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers as the onlyteams to win three road playoff gamesand then win the Super Bowl. The Giantswon their final 11 games away from theMeadowlands in 11 different venues . . .Eli Manning is the 27th quarterback towin a Super Bowl and the first wearing

No. 10 . . . Manning is the secondquarterback in Super Bowl history tothrow two touchdown passes in the fourtquarter. The other? Joe Montana, whodid it to lead San Francisco to a 20-16victory over Cincinnati in the 1989 SuperBowl . . . The three fourth-quarter leadchanges were the most in the finalquarter of a Super Bowl.

SUPERBOWLNOTEBOOK

RECORDSTHEY SET

Individual

CAREERRECORDSSET

Mostcompletions 100, TomBrady, New England. Old record: JoeMontana, 83.

GAMERECORDS TIED

Receptions 11 by Wes Welker,

New England. Tied with Dan Ross,Cincinnati vs. San Francisco, 1982;Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs. Cincin-nati, 1989; Deion Branch, New Eng-land vs. Philadelphia, 2005.

Mostpassattemptswithout aninterception 48, Tom Brady, NewEngland.

Team

GAMERECORDS SET

Fewest rushing attempts,bothteams 42, New England (16), N.Y.Giants (26).

Fewest rushing yards, bothteams 136, New England (45), N.Y.Giants (91).

GAMERECORDS TIED Fewest fieldgoal attempts,both

teams 1, New England (0),N.Y. Gi-ants (1).

Fewest touchdowns, rushing 0, N.Y. Giants.

Fewest first downs, rushing,both teams 7, NewEngland(3),N.Y. Giants (4).

MISCELLANY

Oldestplayer 41 years, 333days, Jeff Feagles, N.Y. Giants.

Mostyears between SuperBowlappearances 13, Junior Seau,New England.

AssociatedPress

New York quarterback Eli Manning, left, and Michael Strahan celebrate the Giants 17-14 win over the Patriots Sunday night.

Associated Press

Giants running backs Ahmad Bradshaw(44) and Brandon Jacobs hug each otherafter the Giants beat the Patriots.

72 Dolphins gracious about Pats defeatByANDREWBAGNATO

Associated Press

GLENDALE, Ariz. New York Gi-ants guard Chris Snee had a message forthe 1972 Miami Dolphins, who remainthe NFLs only undefeated team after theGiants shocked New England 17-14 inthe Super Bowl on Sunday.

Thanks forsupporting us, Snee said.Your record stands for another year, I

guess.By tradition, members of the 72 Dol-

phins uncork champagne bottles everyautumn when the NFLs last remainingunbeaten team loses.This time, thepartydidnt happen until Sunday night, whenthe Giants handed the Patriots their first

loss in their 19th game.Obviously, were proud to still be the

only undefeated team in the history ofthe National Football League, formerDolphins runningback JimKiick said ina statement. Were proud of it. Whyshouldnt we be?

The 72 Dolphins cast a long shadowover this Super Bowl. Kiick, GaroYepremian, Larry Little and Mercury

Morris gathered Friday for a mediabriefing. And in many local bars it waseasy to find an argument over whowould go down as the greater team theDolphins or this years Patriots.

That debateis moot now. ThePatriotsinexorable march on the Dolphins died

in the desert.We never were against the New Eng-

land Patriots, Kiick said. We have ouraccomplishments.

Were not comparing ourselves toanyone else from other generations.Were happy with our own accomplish-ments. The Patriots are a great footballteam. Unfortunately, they didnt win thisSuper Bowl.

The Dolphins remained in the spot-light after thegame,sharing theattentionwith the victorious Giants, their new fa-vorite team.

They played a fabulous game and Ireally thought theydeserved to win, for-mer Miami tight end Jim Mandich said.

I really feel the better team won.As for the 1972 Miami Dolphins, I

dont take joy in the fact the Patriots lost period. But I do relish and savor thefact that there has only been one unbeat-en team in the history of the NFL, and itis the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Of that, Iam extremely proud.

Former Dolphins coach Don Shulawatched from a suite.

What I learned today is how tough itis to go undefeated, Shula said. Thatswhy Im even more proud of our 72team than Ive ever been. It shows its atremendous accomplishment. It hadnt

been done before we went undefeatedand it hasnt been done since.

In November, Shula said the Patriotssuccess was diminished by the spyingscandal. In January, he acknowledgedthat because the Patriots threaten tomatchhis teams perfect-season achieve-ment, hiscommentscould be interpretedas sour grapes.

Shula had kinder words for the van-quished Patriots on Sunday night.

Im sure they are going to use it as

motivation because thats a proudgroup, Shula said. Their football teamis a team that really knows how to win.

So Im sure they are going to realizewhat they accomplished this year, andthen what they failed to accomplish atthe end of the year.


8/8



Crazy catch

clinches gameByBENWALKERAssociated PressGLENDALE, Ariz. David Tyree

stretched every inch of his 6-foot frame,strainingas if thewholeSuperBowlwas atstake.

Because in a way, it was.Somehow, with time running out and the

ball pinned to his helmet, Tyree held ontight with both hands Sunday. Years fromnow, New York Giants fans will still won-der how he did it.

I dont know that theres ever been abigger play in the Super Bowl than thatplay, Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.

Little more than a special teams player

all season he had twice as many tacklesas catches Tyree became an All-Pro inthe fourth quarter of Sundays 17-14 stun-ner over the mighty New England Patri-ots.

First, he shook loose over the middle tocatch a 5-yard touchdown pass from Eli

anning that put the Giants ahead. ThenTyree topped himself, outfighting Patriotssafety Rodney Harrison to make a tum-bling, circus grab that set up the winningscore.

I am a man that really has to capitalizeon his few opportunities, Tyree said.Some things just dont make sense and Iguess you can just put that catch there withthem.

Amazing, for more than one reason.Unbelievable, Giants receiver Amani

Toomer said. In Fridays practice, he wasdropping everything.Prettyneat trick fora guywho startedthe

season with a broken wrist. And someonewho overcame adversity, too Tyreemissed a game after his mother died of aheart attack in mid-December.

Tyree finished with three catches for 43yardsreceivingand one touchdown againsta team that was trying to completea perfectrun. He had totaled f ive catches, 40 yardsand zero TDs all season.

I think every receiver hasto believe hesthe best guy out there, Tyree said.

Surrounded by the likes of Randy Moss,Plaxico Burress, Wes Welker and Toomer,the fifth-year receiver from Syracuse was.Out of nowhere.

A lot of people call me a special teams

player. They dont give me any recognitionas a wide receiver, and that is fine, Tyreesaid. You tell me to do something and Iam going to go out there and do it.

Nice that he had confidence in himself.Maybe he shouldve shared that withMichael Strahan before the crazy catch.

That play alone took a few years off mylife, the grinning defensive end said.

The Giants trailed 14-10 with 1:15 leftwhen Manning faced a third-and-5 at hisown 44.The Patriots brought pressure,andManning somehow shook loose from twodefenders.

Scrambling to his right, he made a des-perate, dangerous toss deep down the mid-

dle where Harrison andcornerback AsanteSamuelwerelurking. Tyree jumpedup andwith Harrison on his back, managed to get

both hands on the ball.Harrison fought him the whole way,

slapping at the ball and momentarily pin-ning it to Tyrees helmet. That gave Tyree achance to get a better grip and as he fell

backward, he had the presence to hold theball aloft to show it belonged to him.

I just wouldnt let go, he said. Theywere trying to say they had the ball. Theysnatched it.

Too late.I thought the play was representative of

us not really getting the breaks that wewere used to getting, Harrison said.

The 32-yard gain tothe New England 24seemed to startle Harrison and his team-mates while the Giants jumped up anddown on the sideline.

He made a hell of a play, Samuelsaid.

Rodney was right there, Patriots quar-terback Tom Brady said.

That ball was challenged, Coughlinsaid.

The Giants called a timeout with 59 sec-onds remaining and four plays later, Man-ning hit Burress for the winner.

David Tyree, thats all you have to say,Manning said. It was just a great catch byDavidTyree. I founda way to getlooseand

just really threw it up. He made an unbe-lievable catch and saved the game.

New Yorkplanstickertapeparade

NEW YORK NewYork City will honorthe Super Bowlchampion New YorkGiants with a ticker-tape parade Tuesdaythat will end with aceremony at City HallPlaza.

The parade isscheduled to start at 11a.m. on Broadway atBattery Place and isexpected to follow aroute north to

Chambers Street.The Giants beat the

previously undefeatedNew England Patriots17-14 on Sunday nightin Glendale, Ariz., fortheir third Super Bowltitle.

The New Jersey-based team celebratedits 1987 and 1991Super Bowl titles withceremonies at theMeadowlands.

Associated Press

New York wide receiver David Tyree celebrates his crucial fourth-quarter catch against the Patriotsduring Super Bowl XLII Sunday night in Glendale, Ariz.

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