How good was the '07 team

by queler on Jul 10, 2009 11:01 AM EDT

I was thinking about this the other day and it seems timely based on the championship team comparison we've been talking about. Basically I was wondering if people perceive us to be a bad champion, an abberation. I guess that's not that unfounded given the achem, uneven regular season. My argument has always been that the Packers, Cowboys, and Patriots were consensus top 5 teams that year, and we beat them all successively. Any of those teams would have been considered legit champs.

I think the more interesting question is how times out of ten would we beat the Pats. Obviously, we lost once a month prior. The game was pretty close. We got some very fluky breaks: the entire Phantom play, Asante Samuel not coming down with the game-winning INT, Corey Webster getting a finger on the extremely underrated 70 yard bomb Brady through across the field at the end of the game (how does everyone not talk about that play, it was an amazing throw by Brady). I'm sure similar things happened in favor of the Pats that didn't strike as much fear in my heart so I don't remember, but Steve Smith practically handed them an INT, Pierce had that pass interference at the end zone.

I think with the same coaching strategies, that game can go both ways a lot of the time. I think with another chance, the Pats don't make the crucial coaching mistakes that cost them the game. The first, while minor, was the one play the entire game that Plax wasn't doubled which resulted in the game-winning TD and shivers down my spine. The huge mistake, that I swear I've only heard Phil Simms talk about, is that the Pats looked at the tape, saw Tuck wrecking havoc in the middle against guards and centers and decided that he was the guy that needed to be doubled. I think that was such a huge mistake, it's like if we had decided to shade our coverage to Wes Welker because he did so much damage while defenses were focused on Moss. Osi and Strahan ate those tackles alive. Hell, Strahan's been waiting his whole career for that much single teaming. I think that was a such a huge mistake, and I'm not sure how well the line does if the Offense line had actually been focused on our two best (at the time) D-Lineman.

Do we compete with Pats if Belichick doesn't make that mistake?

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great post Q

I think the Giants take that game maybe 3 times out of ten, but that ain’t what counts, is it? Regarding the Pats’ strategy on O-Line, I think Belichick just overestimated his matchups. The Pats’ O-Line had a very good reputation (remember the Mastercard commercials?) and he was probably right in considering Tuck worrisome. Whomever they decided to double, the other guys were gonna get the extra sacks. The most amazing intangible about that game, to me, was just the crazed intensity with which the D-Line played. They hadn’t been really terrorizing through the playoffs like they were that special day. Were there a few crazy plays? Yes. What game doesn’t have some? The “if” game is a BS exercise, a loser’s revenge. You know, “if” every single championship game in sports and you can flip the winner.
Will the Giants get the respect from history they deserve? I think so, on the stregth of their run against tough opponents on the road; they’ll get respect everywhere but Massachusetts! I recently re-read somebody’s post about not realizing the Giants had taken over on downs at the very end. Well, I had 2 friends with me after the TD saying “It’s over! The Giants win!” And I wanted to kill them. So yeah the pass D (and Jay Alford!) was key at the end there.
By the way, Bill Beilchick doesn’t make mistakes. Sometimes things just happen wrong!
Just kidding. But his real mistake, and to me the hidden play of the game, is Strahan’s mid-3rd quarter sack to push the Pats from the Giants’ 25 to the 31. On 4th and 13, Belichick made the mistake of not attempting a 47-yard field goal. All I can find statwise is that in 2008 the guy was 9 of 11 from 40-49 and 1/1 from 52 yards. That’s a big dynamic changer right there. And that’s how Michael Strahan won the Superbowl.

You play to win the game!

by Simms-McConkey on Jul 10, 2009 1:19 PM EDT reply actions

Historically...

I think our 07 defense will be celebrated as one of the better ones in super bowl history. We had 3 all-pro pass rushers on our line. Strahan is considered one of the best all time, who knows what tuck and osi’s legacies will be at the end of their career. Our linebacking core was solid but not spectacular as was our DB’s

On the offensive end everyone seemed to play well.

The more success our guys have in the future will effect the perception of our 07 team.

by B-rod24 on Jul 11, 2009 2:59 PM EDT reply actions

That defensive line HAS to be considered one of the best

simply because the offense they faced was quite possibly the best in history.

Its not like they shut out the Baltimore Ravens or anything.

by FreeBradshaw on Jul 11, 2009 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Don't Forget That Jay Alford Sack....

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Alford

“His young career with the Giants is best known for a devastating sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLII. With less than one minute remaining in the game and the New England Patriots down 17-14 with possession of the ball, Alford sacked Brady resulting in a 3rd and 20 situation. The Giants went on to shock the previously undefeated Patriots 17-14 in one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history. "

"Blanchard kicks a high twisting spiral".... God Bless Marty Glickman

by celerino sanchez on Jul 11, 2009 8:54 PM EDT reply actions

YUM YUM SNACKS!!!!

by queler on Jul 13, 2009 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions

"how does everyone not talk about that play, it was an amazing throw by Brady"

This. Oh man, almost no one I know was amazed by that bomb… but it was a work of art. He damn near hit Moss in stride 70 freaking yards down the field!

by brisulph on Jul 13, 2009 8:27 AM EDT reply actions

it's right up there

with the hook-and-ladder to Dixon as one of the greatest plays that didn’t work. The most amazing thing about it Corey Webster, three weeks removed from being a healthy scratch got a fingernail on it to save the game

by queler on Jul 13, 2009 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions

Good post, good points

That Super Bowl, as heartbreaking as it was for Pats fans, wasn’t the beat-fest some would make it out to be. An objective observer would have seen a close, hard-fought game that could have gone either way but the Giants made the extra plays that needed to be made to make the difference (lord knows the Pats did the same thing, winning their SBs by the same measly 3 point margin.) And how Eli managed to not only stay on his feet, but get that pass off…

Anyway, it wouldn’t have mattered if the Patriots would have won 9 times out of 10, or if the high-powered Rams in 2001 could have beaten the Patriots 99 times out of 100 – what makes the Super Bowl so great is that “any given Sunday” mentality.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Jul 24, 2009 11:59 PM EDT reply actions