Die Hard Giants Fan

NFL.com is full of lists right now.  Everyday, they have a new list for something.  This one is definitely worth pointing out because it’s one of my favorites.  So they made a list of the ‘Top 10 Linebacking Corps in NFL History’.  Here it goes…

1. Jim Mora’s Saints - “Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson and Pat Swilling combined for 13 trips to the Pro Bowl and helped the Saints earn respectability.”
2. 1970s Steelers - “Hall of Famers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert were integral parts of Pittsburgh’s famed “Steel Curtain,” the catalyst for four Super Bowl wins.”
3. Bill Parcells’ Giants - “Lawrence Taylor grabbed the headlines, but Harry Carson, Gary Reasons and Carl Banks were key contributors on two Super Bowl-winning teams.”
4. Hank Stram’s Chiefs - “Hall of Famers Bobby Bell and Willie Lanier, along with the unheralded Jim Lynch, dismantled the favored Vikings in Super Bowl IV.”
5. 1985 Chicago Bears - “Otis Wilson, Mike Singletary and Wilbur Marshall ran Buddy Ryan’s 46 defense to perfection as the Bears dominated the NFL.”
6. Vince Lombardi’s Packers - “Led by Ray Nitschke, and also featuring Dave Robinson and Lee Roy Caffey, this group was key to one of the NFL’s greatest dynasties.”
7. Steelers of the mid-1990s - “The foursome of Levon Kirkland, Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd and Chad Brown weren’t the “Steel Curtain” revisited, but weren’t too far off.”
8. 1980s Raiders - “Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks, as well as Matt Millen and Rod Martin, were major contributors on the last Raiders team to win a Super Bowl.”
9. Orange Crush - “Randy Gradishar, Bob Swenson, Joe Rizzo and Tom Jackson teamed up to lead the Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance.”
10. 2000 Ravens - “Led by Ray Lewis, and complemented by Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper, the Ravens defense dominated opponents en route to a title.”

I love great defenses so this is a list for me.  Some of the franchises above are defensive powerhouses historically like the Bears, the Giants, and the Steelers.  It is great to see that the original Big Blue Wrecking Crew got themselves up to No. 3 on the all-time list.  Those were the days.  In the same decade, the Jets had Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko who anchored the New York Sack Exchange which were defensive lineman not linebackers.  I would love to see the Jints put out a linebacking corps like that right now.

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Since the New York Giants won Super Bowl XLII, New York City held a Ticker Tape for them up the Canyon of Heroes at 11:00 a.m. on February 5, 2008.  It officially began at 11:10 a.m.

The Giants began walking through the Canyon of Heroes with the George Halas Trophy and the Lombardi Trophy.  Various floats full of Giants went through the Canyon of Heroes as 50 tons of confetti came falling down from the sky.  Giants players had their video cameras and were filming it.  The Giants donned their Super Bowl Champion hooded sweatshirts.  Mayor Bloomberg jumped up onto a float with Eli Manning and Michael Strahan who were holding the Lombardi Trophy.  Marching bands came up Broadway.  Governor Spitzer and Senator Schumer came up Broadway in a car.  John Tisch was on a Gray Line bus.  The Giants fans were screaming and chanting the whole time.  One of the chants was “18-1″.  A float came up Broadway with Steve Spagnuolo and Kevin Gilbride.  David Diehl came off the float and said “it was an unbelievable experience”.  Kareem McKenzie also came off the float and said that Giants fans are the “greatest fans in the world, they cheer for you”.  Other chants were “Defense, Defense, Defense” as floats came out with defensive players.  Justin Tuck said “This is crazy, I never heard of anything like this, the fans scream your name, and it’s amazing.  It’s amazing, I’m lost for words, I’ve been doing this for miles, and this is ridiculous”.  Antonio Pierce said “It’s amazing, we need to do this Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, every day of the year.  We didn’t do the impossible.  It’s beautiful that everybody came out so early in the morning.  Don’t stop celebrating.  Tell your boss we’re going to party all week.”  Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins got off the float and hi-fived the fans.  Barry Cofield said “it’s unbelievable.  I never expected anything close to this”.  The fans started chanting “Boston Sucks”.  Antonio Pierce said “It’s the best thing in the world.  All these people came to support us.  This is for the fans of New York.”  Plaxico Burress got up on a float with Gibril Wilson.  Gibril Wilson said ‘It’s crazy right now.  It’s great to see all these people out here”.  R.W. McQuarters said “It gets no better than this.  This is the best thing I’ve ever seen.”  Jeff Feagles and Lawrence Tynes came out on the next float.  Lawrence Tynes said “It is beyond his expectations.  It’s unbelievable.  I was a piece of the puzzle, and it feels good to contribute.”  John Tisch said “I’m a life long New Yorker.  One of the greatest things is seeing New York embrace this team.  And the fans all came here to say thank you.  This is a team of the people.  It’s fabulous, just fabulous.”  Harry Carson by phone said “I really agreed with John Mara.  It was the most historical franchise win for the Giants.  They came through.  They did New York and New Jersey fans well.  I’m watching the parade.  I’m currently in Hawaii.  I’m really impressed with who’s there.  It’s so appropriate that they have a ticker tape parade in New York.”

The City Hall Ceremony began around 1:00 p.m.  Whoopi Goldberg came out first because Mayor Bloomberg invited her there.  She gave an introduction.  The radio voice of the New York Giants, Bob Papa, came up next.  He gave a short speech, and introduced Mayor Bloomberg and other NYC officials and Meadowlands officials, Senator Schumer, Elliot Spitzer, Shelly Silver.  Then he introduced the World Champion New York Football Giants.  Speakers included Bob Papa, Governor Spitzer, Senator Schumer, Coach Coughlin, Speaker Silver, John Mara, Steve Tisch, Michael Strahan, and Eli Manning.

Every Giant received a key to the city.  New York City did a wonderful job with the Victory Parade and the City Hall Ceremony.  Hundreds of thousands of Giants fans were going crazy.  It was great to see all of that.

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Honorary Captian, Harry Carson, delivered the speech and handed the George Halas Trophy to the New York Giants for winning the NFC Championship Game.  Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch took the trophy first and each gave a quick speech.  Then Tom Coughlin gave a speech followed by Michael Strahan.  Eli Manning stepped up to the mic as well.

Last year, it was Peyton Manning first trip to the Super Bowl and he easily handed the loss to the pathetic Bears.  This year, it is Eli Mannings turn to play in the Super Bowl.  Now let’s get back to the game.  There were so many people that Die Hard Giants Fan would like to tip our caps to.  First, Eli Manning had an outstanding game.  I thought the cold would affect him…boy, I was wrong.  He went 21/40 and racked up 254 yards.  He did not throw any TD passes or INTs, but he constantly got the Giants in position to put points on the board.  Plaxico Burress again hobbled on one leg and caught 11 passes for 154 yards which is a Giants Postseason record.  Plaxico did this against one of the finest tandems of CBs in the NFL.  Corey Webster who had his third great game in the Postseason in as many games.  Corey got the pick in OT to give the Giants the ball to take the lead.  Lawrence Tynes who was never tested in a big spot ended up kicking the 47-yard FG to win the game after missing two shorter FGs including one that could’ve won the game in the final seconds of regulation.  The Giants won the time of possession battle 40:01 to 19:59.

The New York Giants became the first NFC team to win 3 road Playoff games to advance to the Super Bowl.

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