Super Bowl XLII Game Day Thread

[Robbie]

We haven't had a game day thread in a while. I think the Super Bowl today deserves its own game day thread.

[Lions_Fan_4_Life]

23-17 Giants. Nuf said, Plexico said so.

[Harderfindings]

Boring, boring, boring!

Typical Super Bowl!

[Canuck_4_Life]

Even Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers is slowly putting me into a coma.

[LFITQ]

Charlie Brown wins so far...

Richard Simmons is second ....

The Salsa dip we had here almost made that fire breathing bud light commercial come true.

[sj-roc]

Boring, boring, boring!

Typical Super Bowl!

It got more dramatic after you posted.

That sound you just heard was the 72 Dolphins popping their champagne corks.

[WestCoastJoe]

Defense still rules in the NFL.

The Giants defense played like men possessed. They looked like they would drive their heads into and through a brick wall if that is what it took to win the game. They had to play with that intensity in order to beat a very good Patriots team.

Eli did well.

For a Patriots fan, the winning drive was torture.

2 dropped interceptions by the Patriots, although not easy catches. Samuel didn't pick up the flight of the ball fast enough to be ready on the sideline one.

Eli is stripped of the ball on a scramble by Adalius Thomas, the ball lies on the back of Eli's legs, and somehow he gets it back again. Gotta see that one on replay.

Eli is sacked ... no, somehow he sprints out the back of the scrum, and throws a bomb downfield, good for 32 yards.

Amazing, and it had the feeling of inevitability. The Patriots pass defenders looked like they were terrified and frozen on the winning drive.

My only real dissatisfaction is the smug happiness of the 1972 Dolphins.

Oh yeah, one more dissatisfaction. Plaxico Burris called the win, and almost nailed the score. He will be about as unbearable as Terrell Owens now.

Brady and Moss came within a whisker of stealing it back again. That 75 yard bomb by Brady touched the outstretched hands of Moss. The Giants' defender got his extended hand on the ball too, and it deflected past them. Great defense again by the Giants.

Way to go, Giants. You earned your part of it. The Patriots came to play too.

[Tighthead]

I think that Manning may have been down before the ball came out, but the catch by Tyree was one in a thousand.

Two season long issues for the Pats were an inconsistent o-line, and aging LBs. Thomas was full value, but Vrabel, Seau and Bruschi did not show much today.

[notahomer]

Manning got the MVP, I guess because he led a late drive to beat the Patriots. I think the Giants D-line were the only reason Manning had a chance. Actually Eli's only INT was more the fault of the reciever (IMHO). Smith knocked the ball up for an easy pick. So, I woulda given the MVP to a Giant D'Man but thats me. Good finish for a SuperBowl and I guess perfection is still a ways off yet....

[Robbie]

Congratulations to Eli Manning and the New York Giants for pulling off what may be the biggest Super Bowl upset.

I wonder if the Super Bowl winning drive by Manning will be more memorable than what happened in Super Bowl XXIII when Joe Montana led the 49ers on a final drive in their 20-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. There are two key differences that should make today's drive more memorable. First, unlike the 49ers in that game, the Giants were heavy underdogs. Second, if the 49ers didn't score a TD at least they could have made a game tying FG. In today's game, the it was do or die for the Giants in that they definitely needed a TD.

[bbang]

The game was a snore for the most part. It was nice to watch a game without the zebras throwing a hankie every 2 or 3 plays however.

[TheLionKing]

Although the game had drama it certainly not the greatest game ever played despite what some pundits would have you believe.

[Tighthead]

I really didn't find the game boring at all. It was low scoring, but very tense. The Giants were able to execute there game plan despite the best efforts of NE.

I know everyone is calling it an upset, and it was, but the teams looked pretty evenly matched yesterday.

Bbang - good point about the flags. The Giants got tremendous pressure even though it seems like you are allowed to hold in the Superbowl.

[WestCoastJoe]

I know everyone is calling it an upset, and it was, but the teams looked pretty evenly matched yesterday.

I agree.

I was hoping for the Patriots to go undefeated to take some of the smugness out of the 1972 Dolphins. I had a bad feeling that the Giants were going to somehow win the game.

It's obvious the Giants have a sensational defence: great pass rush, run-stopping and pass defense. The offence does just enough: solid running game, careful passing game with Eli and some good receivers, Toomer and Burris.

Since the time of Bill Parcells the Giants have maintained a winning attitude in their organization.

Strahan sets an incredible example for all his teammates. His motivation is as good as it gets, and he does not get too high or frantic. He always manages to have fun in the moment.

Eli dealt with the heavy expectations of being Archie's son and Peyton's brother.

Overall the Giants are a very, very tough team, and match up well with the Patriots. And it was anyone's game. Give Brady about 60 more seconds to deal with at the end, and the lead could have changed one more time. As it happened, the 75 yard throw to Moss with a few seconds left managed to hit his outstretched hands (and the hand of the Giant's defender).

A good, tough game. A defensive battle. Very intense.

BTW, Tom Coughlin reminds me of Vic Rapp, insanely intense, but a helluva coach. That Giants' players' committee that met with Coughlin during the season deserves a lot of credit for smoothing things out between coach and players.

[Tighthead]

I know everyone is calling it an upset, and it was, but the teams looked pretty evenly matched yesterday.

I agree.

I was hoping for the Patriots to go undefeated to take some of the smugness out of the 1972 Dolphins. I had a bad feeling that the Giants were going to somehow win the game.

It's obvious the Giants have a sensational defence: great pass rush, run-stopping and pass defense. The offence does just enough: solid running game, careful passing game with Eli and some good receivers, Toomer and Burris.

Since the time of Bill Parcells the Giants have maintained a winning attitude in their organization.

Strahan sets an incredible example for all his teammates. His motivation is as good as it gets, and he does not get too high or frantic. He always manages to have fun in the moment.

Eli dealt with the heavy expectations of being Archie's son and Peyton's brother.

Overall the Giants are a very, very tough team, and match up well with the Patriots. And it was anyone's game. Give Brady about 60 more seconds to deal with at the end, and the lead could have changed one more time. As it happened, the 75 yard throw to Moss with a few seconds left managed to hit his outstretched hands (and the hand of the Giant's defender).

A good, tough game. A defensive battle. Very intense.

BTW, Tom Coughlin reminds me of Vic Rapp, insanely intense, but a helluva coach. That Giants' players' committee that met with Coughlin during the season deserves a lot of credit for smoothing things out between coach and players.

There are lots of fairly informed rumblings that this team became easier to coach with Tiki's act in the studio and Shockey's attitude nowhere near the field. Coughlin certainly showed that an old-school, rigid hardarse type can change his tune. I wouldn't have expected that. Credit to those for calling him on it, and to him for listening.

WCJ - the intensity level of this game was insane. The margin for error was razor thin. It reminded me of Dallas at San Fran in the 1993 NFC Championship. I watch that game today and my heart pounds. It was like a 15 round heavyweight title fight.