New York Giants: Three things to think about…

And so, after the strike, the long season where at times many, including myself, had them all but done, a great end of the season run that then continued into the playoffs, a tough fought game against New England Patriots, and now, by the final of 21 to 17, the New York Giantsare once again the World Champions. They did it in the way that Eli Manning, who was named MVP, did it so many times this season: with a fourth quarter drive to win the game.

I am sure you can find many sites to read about the break down of the game, I am going to focus on a couple of things about the game. The first one is: how crucial was that safety when it was all said and done? Think about this, if the 2 points are not scored when the Giants were down in the Pats’ red zone at the end of the game the score would have been 13 to 17, meaning that New York would have had to score a TD in order to go ahead. That in turn would mean that the Patriots would probably not allowed the Giants to walk into the end zone to get the ball back with about a minute, but would have fought tooth and nail to keep them out. That is something that I have not seen discussed, but in the end could have been the most crucial score of the game, especially since it was a safety called on what some experts say was a mis call by the refs.

The second thing that I am going to say about the game is: As most analysts noted after the game what I posted on Saturday, Eli Manning is setting himself up for a bust in Canton, Ohio. The Giants’ QB played a great game, taking what the Patriots’ defense would give him and when the opportunity came striking deep, with the pass to Manningham, to spark the come back. He was poised and played like a true veteran who kept his team in the game . In the house that Peyton built it was Eli that raised the roof with his play last night. With many years still ahead of him the sky might be the limit for what the younger Manning can do with the remainder of his career. For the pessimists, he might not be all the way there, but he is close to 80% of the way, and that is not something many (if any) would have thought of Eli 2-3 seasons ago.

Finally, the third thing I like to touch on in this game is: for all the analysts and so-called experts that told us that when it came to the coach it would be Belichick outdoing Coughlin, I have to say that in the second half it was the Giants who seemed to have adjusted a lot more than the Pats. By all means sometimes the best plan does not work because it is not exercised on the field like it was planned on the chalkboard. And the reality is that the Patriots dropped many balls in the last part of the game that were catchable and could have changed the outcome of the game, but as far as the D was concerned, the Giants were able to do things against Brady in the second half that could not do in the first.

I am sure I will have more in time of this game and of course of the New York Giants, but for now, let’s enjoy the moment, and if you can make it, enjoy the parade which the mayor has said will happen tomorrow.