2008 Woodie Awards
BELIEVE IT! GIANTS PULL OFF SUPER-SHOCKER
Brian Fitzsimmons
Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: Sports
Eli Manning galloped around the field shouting for joy and Plaxico Burress - the man who pulled in his quarterback's 13-yard game-clinching scoring strike - didn't even try to fight back the tears.
The moment is frozen in time. It was blue-tiful.
The New York Giants are Super Bowl champions and the New England Patriots weren't all that perfect, after all. The Little Engine That Could flirted with falling to the perfect team on football's biggest stage, but the courageous arm and heart of a quarterback that no one thought could pull this off came up big one last time. Manning lobbed a pass towards his favorite target and the formula that brought this team to territory no one thought it would see this season worked once more.
Let it be known the elephant in the room accompanying Manning has exited, and every critic who loved to call him a terrible former No. 1 draft pick has shut up. Peyton Manning won it all last season, and his little brother followed suit. And guess what? Eli showed the world a whole lot.
He proved he has what it takes to be a winner. He can lead a trailing team with two minutes left, much like Brett Favre has over the years. He can fend off those untouchable Patriots and he clearly outplayed the world's best quarterback.
He didn't win by a lot - just three measly points - but he gained it all. Eli Manning has arrived.
Manning's journey has been very similar to that of his coach's in a rollercoaster 2007-08 season. Coughlin was on the fence of losing his job for previous debacles in the playoffs, and speculation swarmed the fragile mind of Manning. People called for Coughlin's head much like Knicks' fans are pleading for Isiah Thomas' and it seemed he wouldn't last past this year, regardless of the outcome.
Eli, on the other hand, had more stable job security. The problem was that many believed he didn't have what it takes to bring home the big one. Boy, were those people wrong. Coughlin led this group as a five-seeded away team in the rigorous NFC playoffs and Eli sparked an offense missing Jeremy Shockey. The two most underappreciated pawns in the Giants' scheme came up the biggest and it seems they are heroes who will never be let go.
The moment is frozen in time. It was blue-tiful.
The New York Giants are Super Bowl champions and the New England Patriots weren't all that perfect, after all. The Little Engine That Could flirted with falling to the perfect team on football's biggest stage, but the courageous arm and heart of a quarterback that no one thought could pull this off came up big one last time. Manning lobbed a pass towards his favorite target and the formula that brought this team to territory no one thought it would see this season worked once more.
Let it be known the elephant in the room accompanying Manning has exited, and every critic who loved to call him a terrible former No. 1 draft pick has shut up. Peyton Manning won it all last season, and his little brother followed suit. And guess what? Eli showed the world a whole lot.
He proved he has what it takes to be a winner. He can lead a trailing team with two minutes left, much like Brett Favre has over the years. He can fend off those untouchable Patriots and he clearly outplayed the world's best quarterback.
He didn't win by a lot - just three measly points - but he gained it all. Eli Manning has arrived.
Manning's journey has been very similar to that of his coach's in a rollercoaster 2007-08 season. Coughlin was on the fence of losing his job for previous debacles in the playoffs, and speculation swarmed the fragile mind of Manning. People called for Coughlin's head much like Knicks' fans are pleading for Isiah Thomas' and it seemed he wouldn't last past this year, regardless of the outcome.
Eli, on the other hand, had more stable job security. The problem was that many believed he didn't have what it takes to bring home the big one. Boy, were those people wrong. Coughlin led this group as a five-seeded away team in the rigorous NFC playoffs and Eli sparked an offense missing Jeremy Shockey. The two most underappreciated pawns in the Giants' scheme came up the biggest and it seems they are heroes who will never be let go.
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