Die Hard Giants Fan

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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So many Giants contributed to that win last night so Die Hard Giants Fan would like to give props to the entire team and coaching staff.  That was one of the most memorable Super Bowls ever witnessed.  They G-MEN took down the machine.  The Big Blue Wrecking Crew jacked up Brady for 4 quarters.  They brought the Lombardi Trophy to New York.  They played like old school smashmouth football last night.  I thought it would be a low scoring game, but I thought the score would be similar to the Giants - Packers game…low 20’s not in the teens.

Plaxico Burress backed up his mouth.  Do you remember when the Giants came off the plane in Phoenix dressed in black?  At the time, the Giants said they did that because they were on a ‘buiseness trip’.  Later on in the week, rumors began circling and it was said that the Giants were going to the ‘Patriots funeral’.  Who knows what their real intentions were, but the Giants gave the Pats their funeral.

This is a great day for Giants fans…It doesn’t happen often so enjoy it.  It’s been 17 years since they were crowned.  The Giants won their 3rd Super Bowl since the Super Bowl era.  It is their 7th NFL Championship since the inception of the NFL.  They remain in 3rd place all time in titles behind Green Bay and Chicago.

 Transcript: QB Eli Manning - Eli Manning answers questions about winning Super Bowl XLII and being named MVP.

Transcript: Coach Tom Coughlin - Tom Coughlin answers questions about winning Super Bowl XLII.

News, Notes, and Statistics - Michael Eisen compiled some fun stats, and here is a few of them.

The Giants won their sixth title game and seventh championship overall. They won NFL championship games in 1934, 1938 and 1956, plus the two Super Bowls. The Giants also won the NFL in 1927, before championship games were played.

The No. 5 Giants are the lowest-seeded NFC team to win the Super Bowl since the NFL began seeding teams in 1990. The previous low was a second-seeded team. In the AFC, sixth-seeded Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl two years.

The Giants are just the third team to win the Super Bowl after starting the season 0-2. The others were the 1993 Dallas Cowboys and the 2001 Patriots.

The Giants have 11 rookies on their active roster, a record for a Super Bowl winner. Several of those first-year players - including Aaron Ross, Steve Smith, Kevin Boss, Ahmad Bradshaw, Jay Alford and Zak DeOssie – made key contributions in the game.

The Giants’ defense was superb, holding the Patriots far below their season averages in several categories, including points (the Patriots averaged almost 37 a game in the regular season, but scored 14 in the Super Bowl); yards (New England averaged 411.3 yards a game, but totaled only 274 in the Super Bowl); rushing yards (the Pats averaged 115.6 in the regular season and 147 in their first two postseason games, but settled for only 45 against the Giants and did not have a run longer than nine yards). Tom Brady, who was sacked 24 times in 18 previous games (1.3 a game) was sacked five times in the Super Bowl.

Tom Coughlin became the 26th different head coach to win a Super Bowl, and the second to win one with the Giants (Bill Parcells won two). At 1-0, Coughlin is the 17th coach with an unblemished Super Bowl record.

Manning was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after completing 19 of 34 for 255 yards, two touchdowns and an interception that caromed off Steve Smith’s hands. It was the 22nd time in Super Bowl history a quarterback was named MVP. Peyton Manning was last year’s Super Bowl MVP after throwing for 247 yards and one touchdown.

Zak DeOssie and his father Steve DeOssie, a linebacker/long snapper who started for the Giants in their victory over Buffalo in Super Bowl XXXV, became the first father/son combination to win Super Bowls with the same team. The DeOssies are the 10th father-son tandem to reach the Super Bowl, and the first to play for the same team.

Giants are World Champions! - Michael Eisen tells you all about the Giants winning Super Bowl XLII.

Newsday:

Giants stun Patriots to win Super Bowl

Bleary-eyed Eli still reliving upset

Magical Giants can’t be stopped

Giants’ win ranks among NY’s best - Jim Baumbach goes through the list and raises questions about them.

Giants-Patriots most-watched Super Bowl ever

MVP Eli outduels Golden Boy Brady - Johnette Howard included this quote from Plaxico Burress, “They’re definitely better than us, but on any given day, on any given Sunday, anything can happen.  Any team can beat anybody.  So why not us?”

How the Giants shocked the Patriots - Bob Glauber broke down how the Jints won Super Bowl XLII.

Vindicated Eli wins Super Bowl MVP - I have something to say here.  I was the most excited person ever when Ernie Accorsi traded Philip Rivers for Eli Manning.  At that point in time, I said that if the Eli is half as good as Peyton, the Giants could win a Super Bowl because of all the talent around him.  Eli has played great the first 8 games of each season, but bad the last 8 games of each season.  I disowned him after the Buffalo loss in Week 16.  I knew that he had to play a big game if they were going to stop the Patriots from going 16-0.  The Giants lost 38-35, but Eli played great.  He played good in Tampa Bay.  He played good in Dallas.  He played great in Green Bay…and most importantly, he played great in the Super Bowl.  He won the Super Bowl for the New York Giants and he was named MVP.  And I rocked my dirty, stinky Manning jersey since Week 17.  So, I’m sorry Eli.  This is how a player that isn’t the best at their position can help their team win in the Playoffs, which is very unlike Alex Rodriguez.  I brought that up because I remember a lot of people saying that Eli Manning as the quarterback of the New York Giants was as big as A-Rod, and I couldn’t believe it because A-Rod is supposedly the best player in baseball and Eli Manning was not at the beginning of the season.  Imagine what winning the Super Bowl and being named MVP will do between that popularity contest now.  Eli Manning is now untouchable.  He doesn’t have to play well anymore.  He earned it.

Super Bowl ads show off offers you can’t refuse

Giants’ Tyree makes catch of a lifetime - That play was the greatest play that I’ve ever seen in a Super Bowl.  From Eli Manning escaping two sacks and airing it out to David Tyree who made the catch where he had to bring the ball down to his helmet to get control.  Tyree had two defenders hanging on him.  The down was 3rd and 5, and 1:15 remaining in the game.  Jim Baumbach did a great job describing the play and included a number of quotes about the play from Coaches to players.

Notes: Iraq vet Gadson inspires Giants - Lt. Col. Greg Gadson has been an inspiration for the Giants all season long.  He was nominated as one of the Honory Captains for the NFC Championship game.  His story is a horrible, and God bless him!

‘Wow!’ for Fox’s booth, too - Neil Best wrote about how FOX was reacting during the game, and the most commonly used term by various commentators at various moments was ‘Wow!’.

Patriots’ defense lets it slip away - What wins championships?  That’s right, defense?  Bill Belichick was able to win 3 championships in 4 years because they had great defenses.  This year, the Patriots had the best offense which wasn’t enough to win a championship.  The Giants had the best defense and it resembled when the Patriots won their first championship against the heavily favored Rams.

Giants victory parade planned for Tuesday - Justin Rocket Silverman and Jamshid Mousavinezhad were able to get the details of the victory parade, and here they are “Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that the parade would begin at Battery Park at 11 a.m. From there it will proceed northbound in the Financial District–along the traditional ‘Canyon of Heroes’ route–to Chambers Street.”.

Patriots’ line can’t protect Brady - It seemed like the D-Line wanted to see who can get to Brady the fastest on every single gown.  5 sacks and all of them were hanging on Brady the entire game.  From Tuck, to Strahan, to Umenyiora, to Alford, to Cofield.  The D-line manhandled the Pats O-Line.  The Giants knocked Brady down 19 times on top of the 5 sacks.

Most Giants fans have no problem wearing Tiki jersey - Jim Baumbach included quotes from Giants fans about why they wore a Tiki jersey, and here’s a quote from the article: “There’s one simple reason why I’m wearing this jersey, the only reason the Giants are in the Super Bowl right now is because Tiki Barber left the team.”.  I agree that the reason the G-MEN won the Super Bowl is because Tiki retired, but I’m still not wearing his jersey.

Giants fan rediscovers how to “always believe”

For fans, it’s screams and tears - Bart Jones and Brandon Bain tell you how the Giants fans reacted at the Brickhouse Brewery in Patchogue.

New York Daily News:

Eli Manning, David Tyree show why Giants are Super this night - That was on the game winning drive, but don’t forget about Kevin Boss catching that 40-yard pass which set up a go ahead TD.

Giants stun Patriots to win Super Bowl

Giants win over Patriots most-watched Super Bowl

When the heat was on, Eli Manning kept Giants, self cool - That’s why they call him ‘Easy’.

Plaxico Burress puts money where mouth is with winning TD

Super brothers Eli, Peyton Manning in league of their own - Just imagine what Archie Manning was thinking after Eli was named Super Bowl MVP one year after Peyton was named Super Bowl MVP.  It’s really amazing if you think about it.

It’s an early exit for Bill Belichick - Bill Belichick didn’t even wait until the clock struck 0:00.

Giants pass rush too much for Tom Brady, Patriots to handle - That sums it up in a sentence.

Big rush to endorse cheating - Bob Raissman put together a good piece here.

David Tyree catches on in Super way - David Tyree made one of the best catches in sports history.  Gotta tip my cap to him.

Giants coaches outclass the masters - Do you think Bill Belichick was wishing Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennel were there?  I’m just saying.

Patriots are ’shocked, heartbroken’ - I don’t care about the Patriots either.

Wait for ring is finally over for Michael Strahan, Amani Toomer - I’m very happy for Amani Toomer because he’s a classy guy, but I could care less for Michael Strahan because he belongs in jail rather than on a football field.  Toomer reflects what the Giants organization is all about, and Strhan reflects what the Bengals organization is all about.  I’m still waiting for Strahan to retire.

Tom Brady all bunched up

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman make right calls - Buck and Aikman actually weren’t bad last night.  They even pointed out the obvious on the final drive about Manning having success in the 2:00 drill when they use the no-huddle offense.

It’ll be Jags-Cowboys in Super Bowl XLIII - Gary Meyers is quick to make his Super Bowl XLIII predictions.

‘72 Dolphins still alone in perfection

Sen. Specter to call Roger Goodell about latest SpyGate report - God came through in this game because he righted the SpyGate situation just like he righted the pinetar situation when the Cardinals beat the Tigers in the World Series.  In both instances, the respective league did not handle the situation properly but higher powers made it all right.

Ellis Hobbs is a paper tiger - Rich Cimini pointed out how Ellis Hobbs talked smack all week and then got burned on the final play by Plaxico Burress who was the other one talking smack all week.

For Giants fans, a perfect night!

Giants Super Bowl XLII win over Patriots is one for the ages

Boston taverns packed, but full of losers

Greg Gadson inspires Giants to title

Happy mob swarms through Times Square as faithful surf on cars

Spagnuolo’s scheme outdoes Belichick - Just like Bill Belichick out coached Marv Levy in Super Bowl XXV.  This was the greatest upset that I’ve ever witnessed, but I’m not old enough to have watched the Jets upset the Colts.  So Steve Spanuolo now has a Super Bowl on his resume, and it is extremely likely that he will take a Head Coach position next year.  It will probably be with the Redskins.  I want to thank him for his efforts in getting the defense to gel to the point that they became World Champions.  The problem is that the defense was the biggest reason that the Giants won the Super Bowl, and it is unlikely that the Jints will have similar success in future years without him.  If he goes to the Redskins, then the Giants, Redskins, and Eagles will be using the same defense which is strange.

Plaxico Burress eyes relaxation time

Tom Coughlin focuses on positive

New York Post:

GIANT PIECE OF HISTORY

JEREMY SHOCKEY ON SIDELINES AT SUPE - I don’t know what the Giants should do with Jeremy Shockey.  I do know that the Giants have to get Shockey to buy into the team concept, and the Giants need to get Shockey to practice in New York.  He needs to bow down to Eli in the huddle.

TERRIFIC TYREE HELPS JINTS CATCH SUPER DREAM

PLAX COMES UP BIG WHEN IT COUNTS - Plaxico Burress is another one that I used to bash prior to the 2007 season because he wouldn’t play until the whistle blew.  In years past, I was correct in my assessment about him but he was a new man in 2007.  He played hurt every game, he barely practiced this years, and I heard him mention that having a child made him change his perspective in life.  So hopefully we won’t see Burress revert to the old Plax.

ELI DELIVERS A PERFECT ENDING

UN-’D'-LIEVABLE

TUCKS, SPAGS, ENJOY PLENTY OF SACK-NESS - Justin Tuck also had an outstanding game.  In Week 17, the O-Line of the Patriots had a lot of success against the bookends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, but Justin Tuck kept coming up the middle and knocking Brady around.  In Super Bowl XLII, The Patriots O-Line wasn’t able to stop the pass rush from any angle.  The Giants D-Line manhandled the Pats O-Line, and Tuck had another great game against the Patriots.  Good thing the Giants already locked him up or 5 years.

AMAZING MARCH - Mike Vaccaro takes you through Eli Manning’s game winning drive in Super Bowl XLII.

HISTORIC FOOTNOTE - Mark Cannizzaro wants to know what 18-0 means now?  I’m still saying who cares about the Patriots.

BELL TOLLS AT LAST FOR BELICHICK

NOT ENOUGH TOM - Jay Greenberg pointed out that Tom Brady fell short in the biggest game of his career.

STUD & DUD - Mark Cannizzaro and Paul Schwartz describe the performance of Eli Manning and Bill Belichick.

ELI HEAPS PRAISE ON COUGHLIN

STRAHAN, TOOMER FINALLY GET THEIR RINGS

O-NO, BRADY’S SACK & BLUE

HOBBS NOT A SUPERHERO

NO SUPER ENDING FOR PATRIOTS’ MOSS

WELKER SHINES IN LOSS - Wes Welker was one of the only Patriots that shined.  He had 11 receptions which tied an NFL record, and tying an NFL record in the Super Bowl should earn you the MVP award.  But, I’m a Giants fan so I’m biased and happy that Eli won it.

PATS’ VET: PERFECT LETDOWN - Jay Greenberg is referring to Richard Seymour.

SMITH’S BIG DAY - Rookie Steve Smith stepped up big time also.  The Giants had so many players step up.

COUGHLIN STIRS TEAM IN PEP TALK - Paul Schwartz recalls the Tom Coughlin speech on the eve of Super Bowl XLII.

SHAME GAME - George Willis says that SpyGate may leave the NFL in a dark place.

FOX GETS IT RIGHT ON SUPER NIGHT

BOSS’ BIG PLAY GETS JOB DONE - Finally an article about one of the biggest contributors of the game…rookie Kevin Boss.

GIANTS WIN ONE FOR ‘72 DOLPHINS - Even though the Dolphins were 1-15 in 2007, they should give the Giants their #1 Draft Pick for allowing the Fins to remain undefeated.

GIANT PARTY!

New York Times:

As the Giants’ Defense Holds Tough, the Patriots’ Crumbles

Change of Teams Changes Everything for Hixon

The Stubborn Voice of a Troubadour

Specter Appears on TV and Plans Follow-Up

‘Everybody’s a Giants Fan Tonight’

The Star-Ledger:

N.Y. Giants Steve Spagnuolo noncommittal on Washington Redskins interview - Spags stated that he wanted to wait until the party is over before deciding to interview for a Head Coach job.

Giants Stadium to host Super Bowl celebration in N.J. after NYC parade - According to Mark Mueller, the celebration will continue after the NYC party because Giants Stadium will host the NJ version at 4:00 pm.

PATH, NJ Transit add trains for NY Giants’ victory parade

Patriots’ perfect book yanked despite surge in orders

President Bush calls NY Giants to offer Super Bowl congratulations

Historic final drive leads NY Giants to Super Bowl XLII victory

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Phessional already put Plaxico on blast in the last post.  It is well derserved.  Tom Coughlin, Jerry Reese, John Mara, and Steve Tisch are very disappointed in Plax.   I also wish he said nothing.  However, none of his teamates said anything to him.  He was also over 30 minutes late to the media session today.  Burress had a monster game against the Packers so Belichick already was going to make sure that he doesn’t repeat that type of an outing.  Now Burress just added fuel to the fire, and Belichick is just going to eliminate him.  In my sarcastic tone, maybe every offensive player should guarantee victory so Belichick cannot eliminate all of them.  This is the first time this season that Plaxico behaved like years past.

 Transcript: Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels - Josh McDaniels answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: Patriots RB Laurence Maroney - Laurence Maroney answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: Patriots S James Sanders - James Sanders answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: Patriots S Rodney Harrison - Rodney Harrison answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Giants Meet the Media - Michael Eisen included various quotes from various Giants regarding Super Bowl XLII.  This was Harrison’s response to the New York-Boston rivalry

I’m from Chicago, so I really don’t know. Overall, I’ve been seeing a lot of this controversy – New York versus Boston, the Red Sox versus the Yankees, and now it’s the Patriots against the Giants. They hate us and we don’t really care for them, just as well as the Yankees and the Red Sox. It will be interesting to have the two best teams in the National Football League go head-to-head in a heavyweight battle. So we’ll see what happens. Hopefully we can end up on top.

The media kept asking why the Giants why they wore black, and the Giants kept saying that they are on a business trip.  However, a rumor surfaced that the Giants wore all black because they are going to the Patriots funeral.  Here is Harrison’s response to that “We’re too young. We’re not ready to die. We’ll see what happens on Sunday.”

Media Daze - Jeff Miller compiled a bunch of articles from various media outlets regarding Super Bowl XLII.

THE LONG WAIT - A Giants fan named Blue-Blooded reflected on the 2007 season even though it has not ended yet.

Transcript: CB Sam Madison - Sam Madison answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: T David Diehl - David Diehl answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: GM Jerry Reese - Jerry Reese answers questions about his role, as a first year GM, with the Giants and Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo - Steve Spagnuolo answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII and a whole bunch of other topics like becoming a Head Coach and working for the Eagles.

Transcript: LB Kawika Mitchell - Kawika Mitchell answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: G Chris Snee - Chris Snee answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.  The first question was about Tom Coughlin being his head coach and his father-in-law, and this was Snee’s response “When it’s football time he’s the coach. When it’s off the field, then he’s a normal guy. When he’s off the field he’s a family man. He can be fun to be around. It’s not the impression that he’s no fun at all. He’s a normal guy. He’s fun to be around.”

Transcript: Patriots S Rodney Harrison - Rodney Harrison answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.  A few questions were asked about what Bill Belichick is like when he is not coaching, and Harrison’s response was “I don’t know. Every time I see him, whether it is 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning or 10:00 at night, he’s always in the office. But that is a part of what makes him so great as a coach. There are certain sacrifices you have to make in order to get to that next level and he’s doing it. That is why he’s such a success. I’ve never even seen him sit down in the cafeteria and have a decent meal. I just see him grab some chips and poke them in his mouth and keep moving. He is a different [type of] man.”.  I love it…a different type of man.

Transcript: Patriots WR Wes Welker - Wes Welker answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.  Near the end of the interview, this was Welker’s response to the difference between Miami and New England “Weather. Women. Wins.”

Transcript: QB Eli Manning - Eli Manning answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Newsday:

Giants ‘D’ anxious for another crack at Patriots - I want to see the Pats get ‘Jacked Up’.

Joe Buck won’t pre-plan for possible historic call

Al Groh rooting for Patriots

Giants’ run to Super Bowl surprised bloggers, too - Hell yeah we’re surprised.  That’s been something I’ve been wanting to write about for a while, but I was waiting for the season to end first.  This was the first year for Die Hard Giants Fan, and it has been a great first year.

Plaxico’s prediction doesn’t upset Giant teammates

Coughlin shocks by having fun on Media Day - Wow…I can’t believe it!

Burress’ victory prediction out of line - We all know Plaxico Burress’ prediction.  It was on the back page of the newspapers.  This is Tom Coughlin’s response to Burress “”It’s not the way we’ve handled ourselves this season, if there’s anything I feel I have to have a discussion with Plaxico about, that will be between him and I.”

Patriots linebackers aged to perfection

Even Patriots weren’t sure about Moss at first - I can understand who the Pats were uncertain about Randy Moss.  Do you remember when he said “I’ll play when I want to play.”

Like fathers, like sons for Giants owners - Shaun Powell discusses the partnership between John Mara and Steve Tisch.

Spagnuolo focuses on Pats, not ‘Skins’ job

Blog bite: Eager Eli?

Giants fan won’t wear his heart on sleeve

New York Daily News:

Tom Coughlin, John Mara bristle over Plaxico Burress’ guarantee - The Giants organization needs to open up a can of whoop ass on Plaxico Burress.

Tom Coughlin not afraid to show displeasure with Plaxico Burress

Patriots’ media strategy says a lot

Randy Moss hopes to make impact for Patriots in first Super Bowl

There’s a softer side of Tom Coughlin

Michael Strahan sings at media day - I heard it live.  He always has jokes.

Boston plans parade as Giants gain bulletin board material - These plans were made by the Mayor not the Patriots.

Patriots will throw Eli Manning new look

Patriots downplay Plaxico Burress’ remarks about Giant win - Just wait until they make him a non-factor on Sunday.

Dear Diary: How’s this thing work?

Ohm’s Super Bowl Blog: Day 2

Mayor Bloomberg has put a lot at steak on the Super Bowl

Nuns at Phoenix monastery renting rooms to Super Bowl fans - Everybody has to put food on the table.

Steve Spagnuolo says Washington Redskins can wait

Super Bowl showmen bleed Big Blue

Super Bowl stories, then & now - Gina Salamone considers then to be 1991 when the Giants won there last Super Bowl.

The Tom Brady man crush

What you can buy for the price of a trip to the Super Bowl

New York Post:

BITE ADDED TO PLAX BUILDUP

LOOPY SUPE WHOOP

MATCHUP OF THE DAY - Steve Serby decifers the matchup between Antonio Pierce and Tom Brady.

KRAFT: SPYGATE BROUGHT COACH, OWNER CLOSER

GAL LOOKS AFTER GIANT APPETITES

PATS’ REACTION TO BURRESS: TALK IS CHEAP

WIDEOUTS CREATE MATCHUP WORRIES

PASS THE GRAVY IN PATS’ ATTACK

THIS QB IS LIVING THE GOOD LIFE

JACOBS, BRADSHAW: DESERT STORM - Steve Serby thinks that the 2-Headed Monster will be a big factor in Super Bowl XLII.

MOSS TAPS INTO THE UPSIDE OF ANGER

REESE OF MIND

The New York Times:

Where Everyone, and Anything, Goes

Coach Follows Dream to Football’s Summit

Some Quirky Drills for Gritty Players

Patriots’ Backup Quarterback Happy Playing Himself

Shockey’s Loss Is Not the Giants’ Gain

The Star-Ledger:

Wednesday injury report

Brady blasts Plax prediction

Giants video fever: Catch it

Coughlin, Mara: Enough NY Giants guarantees

NY Giants’ Michael Strahan is ringleader at pre-Super Bowl circus

Doug Williams is still scoring points

Antonio Pierce provides NY Giants’ swagger

NY Giants’ Steve Spagnuolo delaying thoughts of promotion

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The Patriots arrived first, and then the Giants second.  The Patriots already concluded their portion of media day, and the Giants are still going through it.  Below, you will see a bunch of articles relating to the interviews that took place. 

 Transcript: WR Plaxico Burress - Plaxico Burress answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: QB Eli Manning - Eli Manning answers questions regarding the Playoffs and Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: DE Michael Strahan - Michael Strahan answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin - Tom Coughlin answers multiple questions regarding various topics and Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: P Jeff Feagles - Jeff Feagles answers multiple questions regarding various topics and Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick - Bill Belichick answers multiple questions regarding various topics and Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: Patriots DT Ty Warren - Ty Warren answers multiple questions regarding various topics and Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: Patriots LB Adalius Thomas - Adalius Thomas answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: Patriots T Matt Light - Matt Light answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: Patriots WR Wes Welker - Wes Welker answers questions regarding Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: Patriots S Rodney Harrison - Rodney Harrison answers multiple questions regarding various topics and Super Bowl XLII.

Newsday:

Live from the Super Bowl media day circus - Jim Baumbach briefly detailed what took place so far during media day.

Brady says ankle feels ‘great’ - Neal Best included some questions and answers from the interview with Tom Brady that were much funnier than the one about his ankle.

Giants arrive at Super Bowl dressed in black - Arthur Staple reported that the Giants arrived in Phoenix dressed in black.  Antonio Pierce wanted everybody in black because it’s a “business trip”.

Giants, Pats don’t come clean about dirty players - If any of that poking in the eye crap happens then the Referees better advance the Giants 15 yards.

Injured Iraq war vet inspires Giants

Super Bowl sets record for media credentials - Neil Best pointed this out “Yesterday, when the NFL added up the numbers, this was the result: The most credentialed Super Bowl in history, by a comfortable margin. The league issued 4,786, compared with 4,516 in 2007.”  The media doesn’t want to miss out on the Patriots opportunity to conclude thier perfect season.

Giants’ many rookies go right to Super Bowl - The rookies are playing big time.

Brady practices and limps slightly - Tom Brady finally practiced and he is still limping…yeah.

Kicking off Super Bowl week by touring the sites - Jim Baumbach tells you all about his tour around Phoenix.

Blog bite: Hard at work on having ball with Suns - Shaun Powell got to play basketball on the court where the Suns play.

Ticketless Giants fans looking to party in Arizona - What’s better than a Super Bowl party in Arizona in February?

New York Daily News:

With win over Patriots, Giants can become City’s best champions - I’m loving the sound of that.

Ohm’s Super Bowl Blog: Day 2

Tom Brady practices for Patriots with heavily taped ankle

With win over Giants, can’t beat New England’s case for being best ever

He may not be glitzy, but Eli Manning’s worth to Giants is plain to see

Giants land in Arizona for Super Bowl dressed for success

Giants in Arizona to win - So they say, now Big Blue has to win the game.

‘Outsiders’ are Super fun in hype week - I wan’t able to figure out what this article was about, nor did it offer a reason to keep on reading.

Plaxico Burress’ ankle feels Super - Plaxico Burress said his ankle is “97%” better.

Staten Island’s Joe Andruzzi winning fight against cancer - Joe Andruzzi played with the Patriots and won three Super Bowls with them.

It’s Super Bowl salute to former Redskin quarterback Doug Williams

Diary: As scribes flock, it’s Rush hour

Randy Moss’ court order extended - I really have a problem with these athletes getting their court orders extended.  Last year, it happened with Tank Johnson.  This year, it is Randy Moss.  Why are they above the law?  Why is dealing with a woman that was allegedly beaten less important than a football game?  How do the judges conclude that they are doing the proper thing for the well being of this country?

Flu tackles Giants; Aaron Ross latest on Big Blue to get hit with bug - Ralph Vacchiano noted that 6 Giants got the flu in the last 8 days.  Also, Vacchiano included a note stating that the Redskins are hoping that they can interview Spags after the Super Bowl.

Patriots’ Matt Light denies dirty play

Game plan heavy on security

What to do in Arizona - The Daily News Staff created a list of places for travelers to check out.

Buying spree kicks off

A little pizza Brooklyn goes to the Super Bowl - Jonathan Lemire covered how a Pizzaria Owner from Brooklyn opened up another location near the University of Phoenix Stadium.  Outside of New York, pizza sucks…even if New Yorkers open up the stores.  The people in Phoenix are better off ordering pizza via FedEx from NYC.

New York Post:

PATRIOT DISMISSES BURRESS’ BOLD PREDICTION

PLAXICO BRAVADO COULD BE A BIG NO-NO

BLUE STREAK: LAS VEGAS AWASH IN GIANTS BETS

HAPPY NON-CAMPER

HE’S HOT RODNEY

PATS OT SPEAKS LIGHT-LY

WELK-OME ADDITION - Mark Cannizzaro disusses the Patriots acquisition of Wes Welker.

MATCHUP OF THE DAY - Bart Hubbuch breaks down the matchup between Ellis Hobbs and Plaxico Burress.

SUPE LOSS HAUNTS AMANI

‘BAD’ GUYS ARE GOOD FOR NAME

FLU BITES ROSS

CALL JINTS BIG BLACK

EMBRACE IT ALL, GIANTS - That’s the advice of Boomer Esiason.

BRADY BACK AT PATRIOT PRACTICE

EASY DOES IT - Mike Vaccaro wrote about Eli’s super arrival.

New York Times:

Eli Manning Took Cues From Mother

Giants Tell Story Behind Their Smiles

Feagles’s Roundabout Route to the Super Bowl

An Uncommon Wealth of Success Hits Boston - It’s time to bring it back to New York.

With Ankle Taped, Brady Practices

The Star-Ledger:

Pats not ready to grieve

Just call him ‘Prime Tynes’

Bitter Dolphins? Maybe not

NY Giants arrive for Super Bowl dressed to kill

NY Giants’ Lawrence Tynes close to, but far from, his brother

NY Giants look for London Bridge

Bill Belichick was born to coach

Tom Coughlin’s kinder side no secret to McGillis family

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The line moved back to 12 1/2 from 12.  Vegas said that they will lose a ton of money if the Giants win because too many people are betting on the Giants.  That’s their fault though because the spread opened too high.  Usually when people bet too much for one team, the line is supposed to move but that hasn’t happened.  The G-MEN will show the Pats what’s up on Super Bowl Sunday. 

 Super Bowl XLII Travel Blog - John Schmeelk updated readers about the travel plans of the Giants.

Transcript: Patriots LB Tedy Bruschi - Tedy Bruschi discussed Super Bowl XLII.

Transcript: Patriots QB Tom Brady - Tom Brady discussed his injury and Super Bowl XLII.

Newsday:

Tiki won’t talk about the Giants this week - That’s great news.  Tiki needs a muzzle.

Welker trade was huge for Pats

For matriarch, a little Giants fanmania among family doesn’t hurt - John Valenti covered the story of a superstitious Giants fan.

Belichick, Coughlin share Giants roots

Death of teammate meant Pats’ season not perfect - Patriot players miss the late Marquise Hill.

Patriots’ Brady: Ankle sprain won’t keep me out

Giants’ Tisch gives new meaning to term Superstar - Steve Tisch is associated with a bunch of Hollywood Superstars, and he hopes they show up in Arizona.

New York Daily News:

Tom Brady puts best foot forward despite lack of practice

Big Blue hero Lawrence Tynes kicks up cause for jailed brother

Giants blundered with Ray Handley hire, launched Bill Belichick’s career

Dick Lynch a link to Big Blue’s storied past and Super future

Eli Manning had Super sense of future while still in high school

Bill Belichick finds flight, weather far from perfect for Pats - This is when the media goes into overkill.

Giants bank on underdog status - Just as they have all season.

Richard Seymour says he predicted Giants’ Super Bowl finish - This article is strange because Ohm Youngmisuk created an article that includes quotes by Seymour complimenting the Giants after the Week 17 game, but there are no quotes in the article of Seymour saying that the Giants will be in the Super Bowl.

Patriots say they’re no locks - I know that already.  I just watched the Mets show me how you can give up the biggest lead ever.  That’s why they play the game.

Tom Brady hurts for bounce-back - I just want to see the G-MEN hurt Brady.

Meet the obsessed Giants fans who’ll do anything to win

Ex-Pats coach Mike Holovak dies - Die Hard Giants Fan would like to send our condolences to the Holovak family and the Patriots organization for their loss.  Not that it’s in their control, but it’s really bad timing because the Pats are in the Super Bowl in six days.

New York Post:

APPLE OF THEIR EYE - Steve Serby stated that the New York Football Giants want to bring a championship back to the Big Apple.

GIANTS BACKED BY 3-1 MARGIN OVER PATRIOTS BY VEGAS BETTORS

ANOTHER DEOSSIE ON A SUPER TRIP - Paul Schwartz pointed out that Zak DeOssie is going to his first Super Bowl as a Giant after his father Steve DeOssie went to Super Bowl XXV as a Giant.

MATCHUP OF THE DAY - Bart Hubbuch examined the matchup of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw versus Tedy Bruschi and Junior Seau.

VRABEL: GIANTS ARE ‘UNDEFEATED’ - In the Playoffs of course.  That’s why the G-MEN are in the Super Bowl.

SPAGS IS D-COACH DU JUOR - NFL Owners with open Head Coach positions are keeping an eye on Spags.

NATE SAYS JINTS GREAT! - Compliments were paid to the Jints by Nate Robinson.

BIG BLUE’S SURVIVAL GUIDE TO SUPER BOWL WEEK

STEVE: WONDER-BOY - George Willis wrote an article to compliment Steve Spagnuolo.

New York Times:

Belichick Left the Giants, but They Haven’t Left Him

The Star-Ledger:

NY Giants have edge on Patriots on D-line in Super Bowl

Ex-NY Giant Phil Simms feels Jeremy Shockey’s pain

Patriots: Brady still takes backseat to his idols

Checking in with the real expert

Welcome to the late ’80s

The Giants preparing to head west

Giants-Patriots: What’s being written

Giants and Patriots newspaper headlines - The Star-Ledger Sports Desk included images of the Arizona Republic.

Giants’ Eli Manning Etch-a-Sketch - The Star-Ledger Sports Desk included an image of Eli on an Etch-a-Sketch.

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I was thinking about how the week off between the Conference Championships and the Super Bowl would affect the game for each team.  I’m feeling a little uneasy about the bye week, so I would definitely like you all to chime in and let me know what you think.  Maybe you guys can cheer me up a little.  So here it goes.

Giants

I sort of feel like the bye week will affect the Giants more than it will affect the Patriots.  Historically, the Giants have performed very poorly after the “regular season” bye week.  This is by no means a regular season bye week, but it always seems like the Giants can’t get into a rythem after the bye week.  In the Playoffs, the Giants only experienced the bye week once prior to Super Bowl XXXV.  Big Blue bumped into that stout Ravens ‘D’, and it was ugly.  I’ve really tried to examine the vibe of the team after Sunday’s victory over the Packers.  Here’s some positives.  On the flight home from Green Bay, the two players that were on the 2000 team, Amani Toomer and Michael Strahan, discussed how they can keep the team focused enough to win.  Even they said they got wrapped up in it all back in 2000.  After coming off of that 41-0 thrashing of the Vikings in the NFC Championship game, they felt like the Super Bowl was going to be a walk in the park.  Going into the Playoffs, the Giants were labeled as the worst team in the Playoffs.  After winning the NFC Championship game, Wellington Mara even sarcastically said “we are the worst team in NFL history to win the NFC Championship Game” to the team in the locker room.  So now, Toomer and Strahan feel like they can get keep the rest of the team focused on the ultimate goal.  I really hope that they can do that.  With Toomer on offense and Strahan on defense, they really can reach the entire team.  It would be more difficult if both of them were on one side of the ball.  The Jints have a lot of youth, and those are the players that need to remain focused.  And there are millions of distractions right now.  The Giants had a few days off to unwind.  They were all over NYC.  Then they have to practice for 3 days.  Then they go to Arizona.  They have to deal with the media.  They have to practice out there.  Then they play.  Not only do the players not have Super Bowl experience, neither do the Owners, the GM, or the Coaching Staff.  So it is new to everybody.  What I’m saying doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to overcome, but it may be more difficult to handle than it would be if there was some more guidance from the top down.  I believe that the players will give it their all, unlike in 2000.  I heard Ernie Accorsi say how much losing that game bothers him until this day.  He believed that the players felt like they won the Super Bowl after beating the Vikings.  That’s something I cannot comprehend.  How can you not get up for the Super Bowl?  I do believe that the Coaches can look back at Super Bowl XXXV, and say that’s what happens to a team that gets caught up in it.  That in itself should keep their eye on the prize.  The last thing I wanted to mention is Tom Coughlin.  As much of a successful turnaround as Coach Coughlin had in 2007, he doesn’t match up toe-to-toe with Bill Belichick.  Tom Coughlin is a disciplinarian and a perfectionist, but he isn’t known for being one of the greatest offensive brains or defensive brains in NFL history.  So T.C. really needs to rely on his assistants more than Bill Belichick would need to.  Defensive Coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, seems to be the real deal.  He is a protoge of the Eagles’ DC, Jim Johnson who is a legendary DC.  Since the Giants put up 35 points on the Pats in Week 17, the weight of this game rests on the shoulder of Spags because they can’t give up 38 points again.  The Giants have to make the necessary stops on defense.  The Offensive Coordinator, Kevin Gilbride, didn’t seem to call many good games during the regular season.  However, he’s done a great job since Week 17.  He’s adjusted to the defenses.  The team appears to be comfortable executing his calls.  The biggest thing thing the Giants need to do to win this game is hold onto the ball.  I’m not talking about turnovers, of course they can’t turn the ball over.  I’m talking about time of possession.  In Week 17, the Giants defense got tired after three quarters of chasing Tom Brady around.  If the offense can stay on the field, then the defense shouldn’t tire as quickly.  The Giants need to hold onto the ball like they did when they beat the Bills in Super Bowl XXV.  Tom Coughlin needs to utilize the game plan of Bill Parcells.  The problem with that is Bill Belichick knows the game plan.  The Coaching Staff needs to out coach Bill Belichick, which will be difficult but not impossible.  The team will need to outplay and outwill the Patriots as well.  Our secret weapon is Ahmad Bradshaw because he sat out in Week 17 due to an injury.  Obviously the Patriots know about him, but they haven’t seen him.

Patriots

On the other side of the ball, the Patriots have been to the Super Bowl three times this century.  They’ve been through all of the extracurricular activities each time.  You already know Bill Belichick is one of the greatest defensive minds in NFL history.  They say his players are getting older and losing a step.  That may be true, but they know what they’re doing…and they always seem like they make the big stop when they need to.  Coach Belichick has lost some of his better assistants a couple of years ago, but he can completely take over the play calling responsibilities if need be.  We know that Belichick is in a lab concocting a game plan for the Giants.  He’ll probably be in that underground layer until gameday devising the ultimate scheme.  He will look at every aspect, every angle, and he will leave no stone unturned.  His players have all been to the dance before, and have had tons of success.  The Patriots had two players on the right side of the O-Line that didn’t start in Week 17 that will play in the Super Bowl.  They were Nick Kaczur and Stephen Neal.  So those are two players that the Giants didn’t see live, and obviously they will give Brady even more time to throw the ball to his army of receivers.  The last thing that I wanted to mention is Tom Brady’s leg and/or possible injury.  If he’s wearing a cast of some sorts then something is wrong.  To what extent?  Nobody knows, and Belichick will never provide you that information.  According to the Patriots injury report, Tom Brady has been listed as questionable each week for years so it means nothing.  The Giants are going to want to hit Brady to see if they can further damage his leg.  Knowing that, Belichick is going to have his O-Line totally prepared for this game.  Did you see the Chargers-Patriots game on Sunday?  There were a couple of times where the line couldn’t hold up, and Brady was screaming at them about it on the sideline.  I’ve never seen him yelling at his teamates on the sidelines before.  But, he didn’t have a good game.

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All of this suspense is annoying.  I want Big Blue to become Super Bowl Champs this Sunday.  Enough already, right?  All of the players are everywhere right now.  It’s their time to shine.  Tynes was on Letterman last night.  All of the players are going to be interviewed over and over.  I don’t like it.  I just want them to play…and win. 

 How the Giants got to Super Bowl XLII - Mike Eisen takes a step back and looks at the year that was 2007.

XLII facts about Super Bowl XLII - That’s a lot of fact.  It would’ve been a lot easier for NFL.com to assemble this list if it were Super Bowl I.  This is definitely worthy of reading.  It gets better as you go down the list.

Parcells’ 1990 coaching staff was ultimate ‘Super group’ - Vic Carruci wrote a great article about one of the best coaching staffs in NFL history.  The coaching staff of the Giants, in 1990, completely out coached the Buffalo Bills.  Here’s a look at the staff: Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Romeo Crennel, Ron Erhardt, Al Groh, and Charlie Weis.  All of them have become head coaches of NFL or major NCAA programs.  You know their names and track records.  Two of the coaches from that staff (Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick) are facing each other head-to-head in the Super Bowl.  I really enjoy following coaching trees.  Sometimes coordinators and/or assistant coaches get completely overshadowed by the Head Coach.  You can see what they’re all about once they become a head coach elsewhere.

Newsday:

Belichick still breaks out film of 1990s Giants

Belichick refuses to discuss Brady’s injury - What else is new?

McConkey picking Giants

Spagnuolo’s a keeper, and Giants know it

The simulated Super Bowl - Jim Baumbach found a website called www.whatifsports.com where he simulated the Super Bowl, and provided the results in his article.  I didn’t check out the website yet, but it sounds like a great idea.  If it’s relatively easy to use then it should be a cool site.

Giants fan went long, then short for team’s winning touch

Falcons’ job no longer a distraction for Spagnuolo - The Falcons filled their head coach vacancy, and the Redskins have their primary candidate.  So, since all of the open spots in the league were filled it seems like Spags will have no choice but to remain with the Giants in 2008.  Just think about how much cheddar he can earn if he figures out how to keep the Pats from putting up 38 points this go around.

Lawrence Tynes appears on Letterman’s show - That was last night if you missed it.

Tomorrow’s Super Bowl hype today

Umenyiora digs up dirt on Patriots’ Light - According to Tom Rock, Osi Umenyiora is the newest NFL player to publicly call out a Patriots player for being dirty.  For years in anonymous surveys taken by NFL players, Rodney Harrison was the dirtiest player in the NFL.  Then Harrison failed a drug test which makes even dirtier I guess.  Last year, the Chargers called called out Richard Seymour for foulplay.  Now, the Giants are calling out the Matt Light.  If anything is really going on then it is an issue that the NFL needs to resolve, not Osi talking to the media.  I’ve watched tons of Patriot games over the years and haven’t seen this stuff on tv.  But, it’s possible that the camera isn’t always on it.

New York Daily News:

Antonio Pierce calls on Super friends

Bill Belichick refuses to talk about Tom Brady’s injury

Giants beating Patriots in Super Bowl would not be so upsetting - Why would it be upsetting?  This is New York.  It would be ‘nothing but positives’ as T.C. would say.

Meet Wellington Mara’s widow, Ann, who has seen it all - If you like the history of the NFL and the history if the New York Football Giants then this is an enjoyable read.

Jerry Reese’s pieces look Super

Antonio Pierce hopes to keep rallying Big Blue as road warriors

Osi Umenyiora sees heavy in Matt Light

Tiki Barber may rush to Super Bowl

Tony Romo punts Jessica Simpson - HaHaHaHa…LMAO.  He lost the game and the girl.  He went through all of that to date a chick for like two months?

New York Post:

STATE OF SHOCK

BAVARO KNEW COUGHLIN WAS BY THE BOOK

TYNES KICKS IT WITH LETTERMAN

ELI FEVER AT MSG - He’s turning into a superstar.

WITHOUT THE HITCH

OSI IS EAGER TO SEE LIGHT AGAIN

HOBBLED OR NOT, GET YOURSELF TO GLENDALE, JEREMY

CORRECT CHANGE

MARK OF RESPECT

ARCHIE: S.I. JINX WON’T BOTHER ELI

TIKI TURNABOUT

BRADY ACHING TO TEST HIS SORE ANKLE - I hope the Giants exploit his sore ankle.

New York Times:

Seven Years Later, Giants’ Super Bowl Loss Still Stings

The Star-Ledger:

Belichick won’t discuss Brady’s ankle