On Any Given Sunday…

Well, I never thought I’d say it but congratulations to the NY Giants on their Super Bowl XLII win over the previously undefeated New England Patriots, 17-14. I am a Dallas Cowboys fan so it really pains me to say that. However, one year of Giants bragging rights certainly beats listening to 20 years of gloating from Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Thank God the Giants pulled this off. I get the feeling the rest of the league is relieved as well as they don’t have to listen to the Patriots brag either. Todd Heap of the Ravens made reference to that idea earlier in the week on WFAN radio in New York. He said no NFL player wants to hear how their league was dominated by an undefeated team. He said it was a pride thing and that the rest of the league would be pulling for the Giants. As for the Patriots, this is a colossal disaster. To lose in the Super Bowl after an 18-0 run negates everything the Patriots did all year. If you are a Patriots fan you can’t deny that fact. You can’t say the Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season and call it a true record. They may have the most regular season wins in the modern era but it means nothing because they couldn’t finish the job. Losing the Super Bowl after going unbeaten to that point is an utter disaster. It’s all about who wins the Super Bowl. No one seems to remember the Super Bowl runner up, but they will for years in this case because it was their only loss. They are now right behind the Colts of Super Bowl III in infamy. But that’s why they actually play these games and why America loves sports so much. You never know what you might see that hasn’t been seen before. This victory was extra sweet to witness because we all got to watch Belichick shake Tom Coughlin’s hand quickly and then dart off the field before the final gun. That’s one reason why I am happy the Patriots lost. Belichick is a sore loser and sore winner. Nothing ever makes him happy. He wanted to stick it to the NFL and go 19-0 and run up scores as payback for the spygate scandal and he got it stuck right back up his ass. Good. Sometimes there is justice in sports. Of course he was full of one word answers in his post-game interview with FOX, which is typical. Next year I’ll be right back hating the Giants but for now they deserve all the accolades. They did a hell of a job and should bask in the glory- particularly Eli Manning, who grew up in full today as an NFL player on the biggest stage. He will never be his brother but he showed today that he has the guts to get it done and again, as a Cowboys fan, that is hard to admit but the result speaks for itself. He had it all on the table for him in the last 2:42 and he grabbed it and ran with it. That play he made on the scramble where he was just about sacked and then heaved it up to David Tyree, who made a circus catch, was the play of the game. I never thought I’d ever see Eli do that. He proved himself a winner and someone the Cowboys and everyone else will have to deal with in the years to come. Now, I don’t think this is the biggest upset in Super Bowl history. The Jets 16-7 win over the Colts in Super Bowl III was bigger. I think it was because without it, the NFL as we know it today might not exist. But this game is firmly in second place. To cause an 18-0 team’s season to collapse in an utter disaster is monumental and will be remembered for years. Congrats, Giants. I can’t wait to watch Patriots fans have to deal with losing to both of the Manning brothers, whom they hate, in consecutive years. In some circles, the Patriots are considered the Evil Empire because of Belichick. It’s nice to see that empire defeated in the game they could least afford to lose. It’s nice that everything the Patriots did this season is down the drain. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy than Belichick.