The revolving door leading inside the well-lit structure featured two extremes: Outside was frigid, a January winter in the Northeast; inside was warm, still a January winter in the Northeast. It felt odd then that I stood on the inside wearing a black trench coat while everyone in front of me wore short sleeves.
It would be silly though if the New York Giants wore trench coats as they practiced.
I’ve had the opportunity to cover the Giants and the rest of the NFL on a fairly regular basis over the last seven years. I’d estimate I’ve reported from the press box at close to 30 games since my first on Oct. 30, 2005 — Giants vs. Redskins. It’s truly my favorite sport to witness and write about firsthand.
2008, however, was an experience unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of. I wasn’t in Green Bay when Lawrence Tynes’ kick sailed through the uprights, sending New York to their fourth Super Bowl. I, like most, couldn’t believe this Giants team was making the trip to Arizona. It’s not that they were a bad team — they started off 6-2 before going 4-4 after their bye — but, simply put, there was nothing special about them.
It’s all about making runs though, and that’s exactly what they did. First, the Giants knocked off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-14, in the Wild Card game. They then traveled to Dallas to face a Cowboys team that had swept them during the regular season. New York emerged 21-17 winners; the prize: a trip to face the second-seeded Packers in Wisconsin.
Similar to two weeks ago in Green Bay — this year the snow showers came a few days earlier — the Giants defense slowed down the Packers offense. Nobody thought they’d make it out of Brett Favre country as survivors, but they did. Only it’s Aaron Rodgers’ land now. Didn’t matter. The result was the same.
We saw in the Baltimore/New England game how fragile an on-the-line kick is. Tynes didn’t care the ground was frozen and snow covered five years ago. He didn’t care it was soft and soaking wet on Sunday in San Francisco. Tynes went out and did what he’s done his whole life: kicked a football in the direction it needed to go. The difference with these field goals compared to any others is these sent the Giants to the Super Bowl.
This year the Giants weren’t too special either. They started off hot (4-2) before their bye, then finished a mediocre 5-5, similar records to their Super season. Being swept by the Washington Redskins and a home loss to the Seattle Seahawks were the low points. Beating the New England Patriots in Foxborough, the highlight.
It’s perhaps ironic that the last two times the Patriots and Giants have met up during the regular season, they also took part in the Super Bowl. NFC East teams don’t face off against AFC East teams every year. Rather, it’s every five, the span it’s taken both teams to get back to the game’s grandest stage.
The Giants couldn’t stop the Patriots from a 16-0 record in 2007-08. They were the last of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s victims. To make it worse, they capped off the perfect regular season on the Giants’ home turf. That stung many of the players.
The two weeks before the Super Bowl are split in two. The first, each team spends in their home city, practicing and prepping for the game. The second is spent in the location of the big game. The latter is much more lax, as much of the game plan has already been strategized, leaving little time for on-field practicing and more time for interviews and parties — some of the guys hate this, Brady included.
I didn’t make the trip to Arizona in 2008. I did cover several of the Giants practices during the week before they headed west though. The first one I brought along a camera crew from FoxNews.com to film my report, which you can watch right here. It was my first such package for the network, and I was thrilled this was the topic. Also, I had only covered NFL games, so this practice thing was new for me.
Before MetLife Stadium, the Giants offices were underneath Giants Stadium, and the practice field was in a large inflatable bubble in the parking lot. That morning, with crew in tow, I walked into the bubble to watch about 30 minutes of practice. Media is usually allowed to watch near the end when not much of the week’s game plan is revealed. Seeing Eli Manning toss casually in red zone schemes and Michael Strahan not hit someone hard on the line was fascinating. I had only witnessed these guys play at 100 percent before.
The thing I remember most is how relaxed every player appeared. No one came across as anxious or nervous. They all looked like they were having fun and had nothing to lose. I guess that’s the bonus of being the underdog, the team no one in a million years thought would upset perhaps the best team in the NFL over the past several decades.
Talking with the players in the locker room after practice reiterated my feelings. Every one of the guys I spoke with — Amani Toomer, Sam Madison, Justin Tuck and others — were thrilled to be in the position they were, but none acted like this was going to be any other game. Toomer had been to the Super Bowl before, with the Giants in 2000. He told me a lot of the guys asked his advice on what to expect. Toomer told them to focus on the game since there will be a lot of other distractions taking place during that week.
I went back the following day by myself and talked with several other players, including David Tyree, about the upcoming game. I might have talked to him longer had I known his place in history, but no one can predict the future. Even one day later, that same calming aura surrounding the team remained. I believe it was there all week.
We all know the end result of the 2008 Super Bowl. It is in the history books as one of, if not, the greatest games in history. Rightfully so, too. The Giants weren’t a bad team; in fact, they were damn good in the playoffs. But no one expected them to win. This time around, there’s more optimism. Perhaps it’s because they’ve done it before and not too long ago. Maybe it’s because the Patriots looked just okay last week, while the Giants looked remarkable.
Regardless, this is going to be one helluva game.
Here’s my take on how the Giants and Patriots stack up in Super Bowl 46:
Quarterbacks: There’s no denying that Tom Brady is one of the greatest passers in the game. The way he stands in the pocket is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There is simply no one with more confidence back there than the three-time Super Bowl winner. Eli Manning, on the other hand, is completely the opposite. He always seems scattered with a head-hung-low-type demeanor. But looks can be deceiving and Manning is one damn good quarterback. Getting back to the Super Bowl cements him as one of the Top 5 quarterbacks in the game today, in my opinion. Look at what he did in crunch time this season. You know the Giants will always have a shot when within one score, the ball in Manning’s hands and the clock ticking down. Brady gets the edge only because he’s No. 1 in that aforementioned Top 5.
Edge: Patriots
Wide Receivers: The Giants feature two of the most dynamic wideouts in the game today: Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. Nicks and Cruz are both deep threats, although Cruz might have the edge in that department. Cruz is also much better on third down. Nicks in the end zone, however, is unbeatable. Throw in Mario Manningham as the third wide receiver and any quarterback would feel comfortable. Outside of Wes Welker, the Patriots don’t have the depth at wide receiver that the Giants do. Brady relies more heavily on his tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Both guys are just so big for their position, making it extremely hard to cover them.
Edge: Tie
Running Backs: New York is using the same running back tandem that they used in 2008 with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. While Jacobs is still a bruising runner, he hasn’t been as effective as in years past. Bradshaw, however, still picks up big gains and is especially helpful in the flat. The Patriots have BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who is famous for having never fumbled in his NFL career. He isn’t a big gainer, but is effective near the goal line. Former New York Jet Danny Woodhead is the Patriots’ Bradshaw. He’s not used too often, but will make a play here or there.
Edge: Giants
Defense: I don’t think it’s even a question which team’s defense is playing better right now: The Giants all the way. Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, both of the 2008 squad, and Jason Pierre-Paul have been unbelievable on the pass rush throughout the postseason. The Patriots don’t have a good enough offensive line to protect Brady from being hit with those three guys coming at them. Aaron Ross and Corey Webster do a nice job protecting the outside, but the hard work will be on safeties Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips with helping out on Gronkowski and Hernandez. New England, meanwhile, has Kyle Arrington and Devin McCourty at the corner position. Arrington, who had a healthy seven picks this season, will likely draw Nicks. Up front, New York will have to watch out for defensive end Mark Anderson (10 sacks) and Vince Wilfork.
Edge: Giants
Special Teams: Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski is one of the more efficient players at his position. He’s been in a number of big games and always seems to come through. Tynes has an impressive resume himself, with the two aforementioned kicks in bold at the top of his resume. Even punters Steve Weatherford and Zoltan Mesko were both effective for their teams this season. Weatherford averaged 45.7 yards a kick to Mesko’s 46.7. The Giants kicker also had 25 balls downed inside the 20 compared to Mesko’s 24. The difference in this category comes down to the other special teamers. I love the way the Giants’ Devin Thomas is playing right now. The former Washington Redskins castoff is playing some smart football. It also seems that Chase Blackburn is involved in every special teams play. Will Blackmon, who only handled kicks for six regular season games this year, will receive all of them for the Giants. His numbers aren’t overly impressive, but neither are those of Matthew Slater — both had zero return touchdown in 2011. Julian Edelman, the punt returner for New England, does have one.
Edge: Giants
Prediction: Coming Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012.
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