I really didn't expect to enjoy the Super Bowl this year. Partly because this was the first time in three years that one of my two favorite teams (the Steelers and the Colts) was not in the game, and partly because I dreaded the chance that New England might blow out the Giants. But I did enjoy it, and not just because the Giants won.
It wasn't a high-scoring game, but it was a hard fought battle, very evenly matched with great defense on both sides. The Giants' defense especially did an outstanding job. Eli Manning deserved the MVP because of his play overall and because of the winning touchdown drive, but if you could give an MVP award to an entire defensive unit, they would have deserved it. Truly, I don't think that Tom Brady played poorly (he actually ended up with more passing yards than Manning). New York was just able to break through his offensive line so easily to rush him, hit him and sack him.
Best play of the game by far: Eli Manning, on third and five with 1:15 remaining and his team down by four points, manages to escape an apparent sack and complete an amazing pass to David Tyree, who caught the ball over his head with a Patriots on top of him.
As the game was nearing the end, before New York took the lead, my husband and I were discussing who from either team should be MVP if their team were to win the game. It became clear on the winning drive that Eli had earned that honor, but what if the Giants hadn't scored and the Patriots won? I don't think you could give it to Brady, because he didn't have a good game. Randy Moss, other than his touchdown catch, was pretty much a non-factor in the game, and Laurence Maroney only rushed for 36 yards. In my opinion, it would have had to be Wes Welker, whose 103 receiving yards on 11 catches was the most for either team. But he didn't score a touchdown. . .I wonder if an offensive player has ever been named MVP without scoring any points.
So what did you think? Did you enjoy the game and were you satisfied with the outcome?
Liberty
This was the biggest upset in Super Bowl history in my opinion. I don't think too many people expected the Giants to pull it off.
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“Fashion fades, only style remains the same.”
—Coco Chanel
1I know the Patriots were favored big, but it really didn't seem like that big of an upset to me. I didn't expect the Giants to win, mostly because it seems like nothing could go wrong for the Pats all year.
The Pats won big a lot, especially early in the season, but several of their later games they could have easily lost--Baltimore, Indianapolis, Philadelphia. In the final game of the regular season, they only beat the Giants by three points.
I think the odds were set by all of our expectations more so than the stats on the field.
2The Pats have been winning by a hair the past few games, and the Giants played well against them in the season. I thought the Pats would win, but I didn't rule out the Giants. I was (am) an Archie Manning fan and that is carrying over to his sons. I'm glad they won their rings back to back - pretty cool!
3Yeah, the upset is more that the Pats didn't finish the perfect season. Now they'll be dealing with the media scrutiny big time. To me, I'd rather win the Super Bowl than have a perfect regular season.
The Giants D played very well and kept getting pressure on Brady. I think that was the key to the win.
I still didn't enjoy this SB as much as when the Steelers won it though. They're my boyfriend's favorite team so that was a good time!
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“Fashion fades, only style remains the same.”
—Coco Chanel
4I thought it was great that the Mannings got the back to back rings too. I got the chance to meet Peyton (and Coach Dungy) when I was living in Indy, and he was such a nice guy.
Glam, I agree...it's hard to top the Steelers win!
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