Giants 17, Patriots 14: Third Anniversary of Super Bowl XLII

have seen it many times, still cannot believe it.

My thought today was that I wish we played with the same zeal and drive now. We have the talent, not the mental state.

Is still one of the most underrated plays from that game. People sometimes recall it, yet undervalue just how slick of a move he uses to keep moving forward without stepping out of bounds. Another HUGE play was Tuck’s FF on a sack of Brady near the end of the 1st half, stalling a drive that was just starting to roll (another TD for the Pats and that game might have been over). Finally, Belichick losing his mind and trying for a TD on a very makeable 49 yard FG in the 3rd quarter showed he was getting antsy about how things were going.

Also, one of my favourite/heartbreaking moments was Bruschi giving Seau a HUUUUUUGE bearhug on the sidelines. favourite due to Bruschi looking like an ass, but heartbreaking for Seau who deserved a title before he retired.

but couldn’t eat anything from 5pm on because I was so nervous. The worst of the butterflies came when Brady threw that long desperation bomb with a few seconds left and it looked like Moss got behind the prevent. Once it fell to the ground the feeling of jubilation was indescribable. I remember thinking wow this is the happiest feeling ever.

Remember when Bradshaw fumbled in the backfield? It looked like NE had recovered, but then AB came out from underneath the pile with the ball. That’s when people started to realize how strong and feisty he is. Could have been a devastating turnover.

I still had to sweat the last 30 seconds of hail mary’s, even after the sack

It was a beautiful day

My wife booked a trip to Cabo with her parents and brother for that week. I made clear from the outset: I don’t care what you and your family have planned, I am going to watch the SB uninterrupted.

I went alone to the bar at the Sheraton. Filled, for some reason I cannot fathom, with Patriots fans. Start hammering Pacificos. Too tightly wound in the first half to do much but sit with my eyes glued on the tube with the jerks around me who forgot there was a game still to play.

Fourth quarter, lubricated with unknown numbers of beers in me, I start standing up and getting, well, a tad vocal. Much back and forth with the guys around me. Tyree catch—I am up and screaming like Marv Albert…..Yesssss!!!! Yessss!!!!!. Waiters are in the corner looking at me like I’m out of my mind, which of course I am.

Alford sack…..I have lost all self control. Waves of euphoria come over me ….. a floaty sense of well being.

I go back to the place where we’re staying. My father in law knows it is a special day for me. Pours me a scotch, we go out on the patio and watch the stars and waves. All is right with the world. He goes to bed and I turn on SportsCenter and watch the replays again and again.

A day I will never forget.

I had a hellacious head cold going (being early February and in Canada and all), so I watched the game alone in my apartment, slugging mass quantities of water. My then girlfriend (now wife) came out of the bedroom right at the start of the 4th quarter to use the computer, so I basically ignored her while watching the game.

The whole game, I had a system worked out, and it went as follows:
1. Sit and watch play.
2. Slug off my water.
3. Pace to the dining room and back.
4. Sit down and watch the next play.
5. Repeat steps 1-4

I did that all night, only deviating whenever I needed to refill my water bottle (done on the pacing nervously portion of the routine). The only time that truly changed was when Burress caught the game winning TD, and I sort of ran in a circle on the floor, Homer Simpson style. My girlfriend thought I was utterly insane.

When the game ended she asked me the same question she asked me every week during those play-offs: “What does this win mean”? I typically would answer “the team gets to play one more game.”, but this time I got yell at the top of my lungs “the team gets to be remembered forever as champions of one of the best Super Bowl games ever!” of course, she was just relieved that football was over for another year, and she had 6 weeks before March Madness started, but we all take different positives from each situation.

We sat on the couch on either side of my step brother (who is a huge Patriots fan lol), and watch the game with the players twice the size they actually are. When the Patriots took the lead, my step brother had started talking smack because we had bet on the game (it was only $1 so it was more symbolic than anything lol). When Tyree made the catch my father and i said “HOLY SHIT” in sync, and my step brother didn’t think it was possible that Tyree held on. When Plax caught the touchdown pass my father and I stood up and showed “YES!” and remained standing nervously till the game was over, while my step brother sat in silence lol.

For weeks all I heard was how the Pats were gonna go perfect that season. When the Giants, of all teams, ended up being the one to face them in the Super Bowl, I must admit I was a little uneasy at first. Surrounded by Pats fans who all thought they had the game in the bag and that the Giants would be the ones to be sacrificed on the altar of perfection, it was tough to see another outcome. But I rooted for the home team anyway. A group of 4 friends and I headed to a restaurant to watch the game, only one of my friends rooting for the Giants. That probably made 2 Giants fans in the whole place. Suddenly we were down to the final drive. My heart was racing. Riot police began to gather on the streets. With only 2:30 to go I held onto the notion that the Giants would somehow pull off a victory. I had never been so emotionally invested in a sports game in my life before this. And then they did. After Manning to Tyree I remember texting a friend to say “Dude I’m gonna have a heart attack.” Eli passes to Plax for the game winning touchdown and I couldn’t believe what i just saw. I wanted to stand up and scream, but being in a room surrounded by Pats fans I had to keep my cool, so sadly the only celebration I could get was a fist-pound with my Giants-fan friend. Watching that final drive probably took a few years off my life.

The next day I woke up early for a class, and the streets of Boston were eerily quiet. Not much commuter traffic, not many people out. I went to class with a smile on my face while everybody else was miserable. It was satisfying after dealing with their arrogance for so many weeks.