Sunday's biggest winner was the New York Giants. But now you better make way for Steve Spagnuolo.
He's the Giants' defensive coordinator and the guy who defused a blitzkrieg that was supposed to be unstoppable. But he's also someone on the Washington Redskins' short list as their next head coach, and look for him to be interviewed this week.
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| Steve Spagnuolo credits his front four for the Giants' handling of the Patriots. (US Presswire) |
Of course, the last one was the best with Spagnuolo pulling off the unthinkable, beating Tom Brady on a stage where he does not fail and outwitting Bill Belichick and the bullet-proof Patriots.
"I believed in the guys," he said, "and what they were and what they did and what they could do. But I just had so much respect for New England that I thought if our offense could control the ball and we could score a few points, then maybe we could outscore them."
That, of course, happened. But how in the world did Spagnuolo hold the highest-scoring offense in league history to 14 points? I have to believe that comes up in the conversations in Washington this week.
"I have to give credit to the four guys up front," said Spagnuolo. "We hung our hats on those guys all year long, and we did it again and it (paid off)."
Look for it to pay off for Spagnuolo again. Maybe soon. Maybe.
"He's not going to Washington," linebacker Antonio Pierce said. "We're going to hijack him."
MVP
Eli Manning. It was going to be Eli if the Giants prevailed, and Wes Welker if it was the Patriots. Manning won because he did what he was supposed to do, which was to make big plays when it mattered most. He had two fourth-quarter touchdown drives -- one of 80 yards, the other 83 -- and produced the game's most unforgettable play when somehow, some way, he slipped out of a Jarvis Green sack to throw a 32-yard pass. "It was a big-time play," Eli said. He was talking about David Tyree's catch; he could just as easily have been talking about his Fran Tarkenton impersonation.
"I am really proud and happy for my brother," said Peyton Manning, who watched from a private box. "For the Giants to have beaten them in this game -- and in these surroundings -- it is going to go down as one of the greatest games of all time. Eli's pass to Tyree, I think was one of the greatest plays of all time. "
Biggest play
Manning's escape. If he's sacked, the Giants are staring at a fourth-and-long. Instead they're first and 10 at the New England 24. "Incredible," said Patriots safety Rodney Harrison. Amen.
Worst play
Ellis Hobbs freezing on Plaxico Burress' game-winning touchdown catch. Burress hadn't caught a pass since the Giants' first series, but flew by Hobbs -- who seemed to sit on the play -- and was alone in the corner of the end zone when he made the catch.
"It's not one play that beat us," Harrison said. "We lost because of a bunch of different plays. So I don't have to say anything to Ellis."
Guy I gained respect for
Giants defensive lineman Justin Tuck. He was unblockable. In the first half alone he had six tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble. The Patriots talked about the guy's rare combination of quickness and power all week, and they saw both on Sunday.
"Justin has been doing that all year long," Spagnuolo said. "He's a warrior. He got banged up, came out, got right back in there. He's very, very special because he's very versatile."
Best call
Belichick's challenge that the Giants had too many men on the field with 11 minutes left in the third quarter. He was right, and don't ask me how he knew. He just did. The penalty not only delivered the Patriots five yards; it gave them a first down, too. And instead of punting the ball away, the Patriots kept it.
Worst call
It's Belichick again, this time on a fourth-and-13 at the Giants' 31, with just under seven minutes left in the third quarter. Logic says you call for the field goal. Only Belichick didn't. Instead he keeps his offense on the field, and Tom Brady threw the ball out of bounds.
Wait a minute, didn't Belichick remember that it was a call just like that -- fourth-and-11 from the 30, to be exact -- that cost Marty Schottenheimer in last year's playoff loss to ... New England? Are you going to tell me that Stephen Gostkowski can't kick a 48-yard field goal indoors? Please. If that's the case, the Patriots should find themselves another kicker.
Miss that hurt the most
If you were listening to Randy Moss -- and I was -- it was that bomb that Brady launched on third down with 10 seconds left. It was perfectly thrown, only Moss was double covered and the pass fell incomplete.
"That pass will haunt me," Moss said. "I could've made the play. If I had gathered myself, slowed down and jumped up I might have made the catch."
Had a good weekend
Giants coach Tom Coughlin. Two games into this season he was waiting to get fired. Instead, he finishes the year on a four-game tear, wins his first Super Bowl and awaits the biggest reward of all -- a contract extension.
Give the guy credit: He reinvented himself this season and made an honest-to-goodness effort to communicate with his players and the media. And it paid off. Big time.
"You start to think about all our veteran guys who now are world champions," Coughlin said, "and are experiencing that feeling for the first time, reinforcing the concept of team ... that's the greatest thing for me."
Had a bad weekend
Giants defensive end Adrian Awasom. Bad enough that he finished the season on injured reserve and couldn't enjoy Sunday with his teammates. But he must've enjoyed it with someone. He was pulled over for a possible DUI in Phoenix and sent home by the team. My question: How soon is he sent packing again?
Coach I'd like to be
Spagnuolo. I don't care if he's offered the Washington job or not, he makes out big from this game. Either the Redskins hire him now or someone else hires him later.
Coach I wouldn't like to be
Jim Fassel. He was the weekend's biggest loser outside of Foxborough. The Redskins have kept the poor guy on the hook until they talk to Spagnuolo ... or is that Steve Mariucci? Anyways, while it once looked like the Redskins were a slam dunk for Fassel, he now has to compete with the hottest assistant in the business. Good luck, Jim.
Happiest team outside of East Rutherford, N.J.
Yep, we have the 1972 Miami Dolphins to deal with all over again, and take a bow, Don Shula.
"Obviously, we're proud to still be the only undefeated team in the history of the National Football League," said former running back Jim Kiick. "Why shouldn't we be? We never were against the New England Patriots. We have our accomplishments. We're not comparing ourselves to anyone else from other generations. We're happy with our own accomplishments. The Patriots are a great football team. Unfortunately, they didn't win this Super Bowl."
Five guys who made the game worth watching
David Tyree: He had four catches all season; now he makes three in one ballgame, including an acrobatic 32-yard reception? Peyton Manning is right. They'll be rewinding the video of that catch for decades. Dwight Clark, move over.
Wes Welker: He caught 11 against the Giants the first time they met. He caught 11 again on Sunday. Tell me again why the Miami Dolphins thought it was a good idea to deal Welker within the division?
Tom Petty: That's two straight years the NFL scored a bull's-eye with its halftime show. The Heartbreakers run through American Girl, Won't Back Down, Free Fallin' and Runnin' Down a Dream. Yessssirrrr. I didn't see a better series all day.
Justin Tuck: He was everywhere Sunday and usually it was in Tom Brady's face. Tuck wound up with six tackles, two sacks and one fumble, and keyed a relentless pass rush that frazzled Brady all night -- sacking him five times and forcing him into hurried and inaccurate throws.
Corey Webster: The Giants cornerback guarded Moss on virtually every play and won more battles -- a lot more -- than he lost. Moss had one catch in the first half, and it wasn't against Webster; it was against Kevin Dockery, who hadn't played in weeks. OK, so Webster slipped on that fourth-quarter TD pass to Moss. Big deal. He neutralized the Patriots' big-play receiver for most of the evening -- and that was good enough.
Déjà vu all over again
It figures it would be Plaxico Burress to make the winning touchdown catch. It was Burress, then a wide receiver at Michigan State, who victimized Brady and the University of Michigan in 1999, ending the Wolverines' seven-game winning streak. Burress wound up with 10 catches for a school-record 255 yards that afternoon; he caught the Giants' first and last passes on Sunday. Both had the same impact: A three-point victory.
Numbers that matter
1: Snaps for Randy Moss on defense (he was the safety on the Giants' Hail Mary to end the first half)
2: First-quarter possessions, a Super Bowl record
3: Number of 49ers greats on hand to honor the late Bill Walsh prior to kickoff. They were Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott. But here's my question: Where was Joe Montana? No one was more identified with Walsh than Joe. So why wasn't he here?
4: Consecutive Super Bowls where the Patriots lost the coin toss
5: Sacks of Tom Brady
6: Straight games with a Laurence Maroney TD
9:59: Time it took for the Giants to complete their first drive, the longest series in Super Bowl history.
10: First-half hits on Tom Brady
Just asking but ...
• So what do you think of the Giants' trade for Eli now?
• Was Tom Brady's ankle an issue?
• If you were Spagnuolo would you take the Washington job?
• Why in the world is the U.S. Senate interested in Spygate?
• How many times did Hobbs replay that TD catch in his head Sunday night?
• Why not kick the field goal, Bill?
• David Tyree?
• Was that it for Michael Strahan?
• Was that it for
• If Belichick is a genius what does that make Coughlin?
• What do you think Belichick does with that red hoodie now?
• Any more predictions from Plaxico Burress?
