BleedinBlue

I have to agree with 420 here. Spags has never made "good money" in the dozen places he's been in the past 30 years and he's not getting any younger. He's probably pulling in 200 -300K with the Giants and will probably be offered 500K or a little more. On the other hand, the skins will probably offer him 5 million a year on a guaranteed contract for 4 or 5 years so that if he gets fired (happens a lot with that organization), he is guaranteed all 25 million or so. No one in their right mind can turn down that kind of monetary security and a chance to be a head coach in the NFL....especially when a guy is past 50 years old (like Spags) and it could be his "last chance" at such an honor. It would shock me if the Giants could offer him 1 million and the assistant coaches job...but they might. Even so....it would pale in comparison to the chance of being head coach with ten times as much money. Hopefully, Washington decides Spags isn't the right fit for the job and they offer it to someone else. That's really our only chance of keeping him. Also, I too believe that Capers is in the shadows waiting to see what happens and would be picked up by the Giants if Spags leaves.

I was watching analysts on TV last night break down the play second by second and they came to the conclusion that if there was a "holding" penalty in that mess, it was on Diehl, but they couldn't be sure and no angle made it crystal clear if it was holding or not. They also came to the conclusion that it was one of the best officiated (if not the best) games in superbowl history, allowing the players to play the game without the refs becoming a big part of the game's conclusion. Two missed calls: Toomers obvious "offensive interference" when he caught that sideline pass and when Bradshaw "recovered" the fumble that was clearly "down" after the Pat's had already recovered it. I thought I saw a couple of "holding" penalties that could've been called on the Pat's trying to keep the Giants off Brady, especially in the second half. Also, I thought there was a couple of defensive interference plays that could've been called on the Pat's for hitting after the 5-yards limit. All in all....the game was very well officiated and any penalties that were missed were basically a wash for both teams.

"The Play" is good. I've exhausted my brain trying to come up with catchy names. I've thought of "Holy Crap", "The Great Escape Play", "Circus Play", "Slip-n-Catch", "The Miracle Play", "Miracle in 42nd" (as in 42nd SB), "Perfect Season Doom Play", "Pat's Doom", "Perfection Denied Play", "Boston's Buckner II", "R U Fuckin Kiddin Me Play", yada, yada, yada. You know....I've watched the play a hundred times (at least), and the one thing I notice that no one has talked about is how Harrison brought Tyree down with his knee supported in such a way as to bring him down the way a WWF wrestler pretends to break an opponent's back.....only Harrison wasn't pretending....he really tried to break Tyree in half as he came down. Had he severed Tyree's spine, the ball would've come loose. Three days later and all I can still think about is what happened on Sunday. I'm still coming to grips with the FACT that the Giants went all the way and brought home the trophy. Un-fricken-believable!!!!

Nice writeup. Thanks for sharing

Madison Square Garden network.

Thanks for the tip. I've got it on MSG now and my DVR is running. The crowd is immense. Announcers said people have been lining up since 2:00 AM. This is incredible!

There have been several times in my life when I'm convinced that "destiny" is a real phenomenon that cannot be explained scientifically and it's as if an unseeable force takes over. When the Giants got by the Cowboys (with Eli's 43 second drive the length of the field for a TD), and then made a 47 yard FG at Lambeau in the bitterest cold and wind (after missing two earlier that were much easier), I started thinking I was watching a team in which "destiny" had taken over. So much so, that I believed there was a good chance (not just "a chance"), that the Giants would pull it off. After Brady's last drive to put the Pats up by 4 points, I finally started to think that I had been wrong. But then one play after another....including of course, the most remarkable "escape-fling-impossible catch" by David (special teams gunner) Tyree, followed by the easy drop into Plax's hands in the end zone.....I believe in "destiny". It makes me wonder if a higher power is involved. Take for instance, Seabiscuit (an unbeoming race horse that was too small, knobby-kneed, and stubborn). At just a couple of years old, Seabiscuit was headed for the glue factory because he was thought to be untrainable and far too small to be a good race horse. Of course....Seabiscuit went on to win by 4 lengths, a head-to-head race against the gorgeous, long legged, perfect thoroughbred, Triple Crown Winner, "War Admiral". Again...all I can think of is "destiny". Or when Secretariat, who didn't just win the Triple Crown, but won the last leg of the crown by 25 LENGTHS...making it nearly impossible for TV cameras to be able to televise the entire field because it required wide angle lens. Races that were routinely won by a "nose", "half a length", or at the very most, "4 lengths"....was won by 25 lengths! Again...."destiny". And of course the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team in probably the biggest upset in sports history. Regardless....I felt as if the Giants had the blessings of a higher power and had been given the gift of "destiny" ever since the Dallas game. Am I nuts? Or does anyone think I'm actually sane?

I take it those are the city local channels. That's bad news for me because I use Direct TV instead of cable. If I had cable, I'd get the NYC channels, but not all the others that I like. Hopefully it will be on NFL Network, MSG, YES, or perhaps the SNY (Sports New York) channel. TV Guide doesn't say if they will or not. Damn! I won't be happy if I can't watch it.

I hope it gets taken care of during the off season and he's 100% next year. I used to think Plax was overhyped and a hotdog. I have seen more on him in the past year than ever before and I have found out he's humble, he doesn't do embarassing stunts after a catch, he was the first one to give away a TD ball to our honorary co-captain Gadson, he's driven to win, he plays hurt, and he's a sensitive guy as evidenced by his crying after the game. He has become one of my favorite Giants of all time....something I would have never guessed in a million years. I just love this guy and as far as I'm concerned, one of the great ones on this team.

I can't make it to the city today, but man I wish I could be there. Anyway....will the parade be televised and if so, what channel will be covering it?

I sure hope Strahan comes back for one more year. Even though he's getting older and at the typical age players call it quits, he's an inspiration to the younger guys. If he does retire, the Giants should pay him handsomely as an assistant coach or something so that he can continue to inspire our defensive line the way he does. His leadership in that regard is even greater than his play. Imagine if Strahan had Tiki's attitude...the defensive line would reflect it. But instead, Strahan got behind "coach" with every drop of loyalty possible, and the youngsters who adore him followed suit. That's leadership and one of those "intangibles" that can never be measured.

Wow....I thought I was the only one who cried. I was so emotionally overwhelmed with that last drive seeing Smith, Tyree, and then Plax pull off the impossible and then having to hold my breath while Brady heaved it downfield twice. I was too stunned to scream. I just kept saying over and over that "I can't believe it..". I couldn't grasp the reality of it all and as bits and pieces of reality set in, tears started rolling down my cheeks. When Plax was interviewed and I saw him choke up and lose it....I lost it right along with him. It's now Tuesday and I think I have finally come to grips with the reality of it all. I've logged in only about 36 hours straight of every sports program imaginable analyzing the game and the shear gravity of what happened. Still...I haven't been able to think of anything but that game (when I'm conscious anyway) since the last minute of the game. But you know what really sucks???? I used my DVR to record the game and it wasn't until last night that I discovered the DVR quit recording at 10:00PM because it only allocates 3 1/2 hours for a football game so you guessed it. I have the entire game recorded except for the last six minutes. Talk about pissing me off!!! Hopefully, the DVD will be out soon. The Cowboys might advertise themselves as "America's Team", but Sunday Night....there was no need for the Giants to spend tens of millions in advertising to claim to be America's team like the Cowboys do....they simply were America's team. One of the most memorable nights of my life.

I' thrilled you guys got to watch the game over there wolf. Keep your head down over there and "thank you" from the bottom of my heart for your service to this country.

Thanks for the kudos egg. Takes a lot to come back to the board that you know is going to ridicule you at length. Thanks again for tipping your hat

Coaching for the Pats should have gotten the "F". - Going for it on 4th and 13, was one of the dumbest calls I've ever seen in my life by a coach. - Also, Belichek would have lost a "challenge", but in a game of that magnitude, he should have thrown the red flag for a review of Tyree's catch, which could've been ruled incomplete for what appeared to be a slight bobble in his hands just as the ball touched the ground. - overconfident to the point that they planned on a blowout score, so failed to play old fashioned football where you scratch for every point...even if it means kicking a field goal. - walking off the field before the game was over, leaving his team to go back out on the field while he's in the locker room was classless.

Well.....it's Monday morning and I'm still in shock....a little hungover....unable to turn ESPN off....reading every story I can find on the net and reliving every moment over and over. Still finding it hard to believe we did it. This was smashmouth football at it's best. Like baseball purists who relish a 1-0 or 2-1 game, this was the game of a lifetime for football purists....where heart, grit, and defense wins the game. Not one of those fancy 40-37 games of offensive flurry and offensives records falling like dominoes. Nope....this was REAL football...the kind REAL football fans crave. I remember one of Tom Coughlin's first comments to the press when he was hired. He said his first mission was to "rebuild the lines" - and that a good team, "wins in the trenches". He said "great teams are built by winning in the trenches and that's going to be my focus". With a Giants defensive line that completely dominated the Patriots O-line ( a line that includes 3 pro-bowlers), and a Giants offensive line that protected Eli....I think T.C.'s goal has come to fruition and could his statements 4 years ago be more aprapo or more true? Where does one begin when trying to comment on such a great game. The emotional response in my body from a sporting event was like no other time in my life....even surpasing Hakim Warrick's slap away shot that sealed SU's national championship in the last second of the game. I thought my heart would give out when Brady heaved those last two throws in the waning seconds. After the second shot down field and the ball was batted away I became numb...trying to comprehend that the Giants just pulled it off. Disbelief, numbness, choking back tears, trying to absorb what just happened, unsure if I was really seeing what I was seeing.....it was simply a moment in which emotional confusion actually surpassed what should have been pure joy. I couldn't even yell because I was so totally stunned. I just kept saying over and over in an almost inaudible voice, "I don't believe it...I don't believe it...I don't believe it...". In reality, my confusion and numbness started on the Giants' last drive capped off by Plaxico's catch in the corner. Everything about this game made it the greatest football game I've ever watched in my life. This was smashmouth football - grit, dirt, heart, an epic battle fought every second of the game with a "Rocky" like comeback from the "team that doesn't stand a chance". For me...it was the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team..the Kirk Gibson homerun in the 9th...and Secretariat winning the Triple Crown by 22 lengths all wrapped into one. Just a partial list of my take on the game: - Jacobs early run hitting Merriweather and driving him 10 feet backwards through the air....and later when he picked up 2 yards on a 4th and 1 that was the end of the game if he didn't make it.....and some great, great defense against the blitz to keep Eli safe (and I have to mention Bradshaw for likewise defending Eli). - Osi/Tuck/Strahan absolutely dominating a pro-bowl offensive line and rattling Brady in a way that Brady has never felt. - Amani/Smith/Tyree rising to the occassion when it was "do or die" in some of the most difficult opportunities. And what can be said of Tyree? The touchdown - the "catch" that will be shown on highlite films for the remainder of my life and probably my kids' and grandkids' lives. - Plax playing hurt all season and making the play to seal the game. When he was interviewed later, he started to break down and looked skyward, blowing his cheeks out with exhausted air, followed by a flood of tears from the combination of shear disbelief and joy. I know a few tears trickled down my cheeks as well still trying to comprehend the moment and realizing what was just accomplished. - Eli proved to the world that he has the grit, the talent, and the brains to be a world champion. - 8 Rookies on this team....that in itself is an unspeakable improbability of magnitude that defies all reasoning. The catch by Boss, the extra yards by Bradshaw with a heart bigger than the stadium, Alford crushing the life out of Brady, Ross and Johnson playing exceptional coverage and defense, Smith making the catch and diving for an extra couple yards to get the first down, etc. - Coughlin unable to stop smiling after the Gatorade shower. What a game. What a win. What a great time to be a Giants fan.

Not sure what part of VT you're from, but if you're near Troy or Albany, you should be able to get a pint in one of their bars. If you live in Burlington, I'm not sure if you ferried across you could find a Yuengling. Hlb would probably know....he lives right across Lake Champlain from Burlington.

It's just really, really good beer. A pale lager. Fairly dark (amber shade), but smooth as glass. Best from the tap. For years you could only get it around the Pennsylvania area, but in the last 10 years, they moved into New York, New Jersey, and Ohio. Wherever they start selling it, it immediately becomes the best selling beer and outsells all the others combined in most cases. http://www.yuengling.com/

A fresh pint of Yuengling of course!

Excellent read...thanks for sharing.

Traditionally, white uniforms are "home" and dark uniforms are "away". However, I think in the NFL (correct me if I'm wrong), the "home" team gets to pick which Jersey's they'll wear. I've been following "media day" (for 3 days on NFL Network), and the Giants are always wearing their white jeseys with red stripes and grey pants and the Pats are wearing dark blue jerseys. I am assuming that's the colors that'll be worn for the game, even though the Giants are the "away" team and wearing "white". It probably has to do with the Pats having the option and choosing their blue jerseys. I'm speculating so don't stop from correcting me if I'm totally off base.

Willie will always bleed Yankee pinstripes. It's forever in his blood!

It's hard to believe what the Twins were demanding from the Yankees and the Sox for Santana's services after seeing them give him away for practically nothing. Must be the Twins were determined to keep Santana out of the American League unless a deal could be made to seriously hurt the trading team.

It works out best for NY fans. The Yanks don't get raped (as the twins demanded), and the Mets are getting Santana for basically nothing. As a Yankee fan....I was dreading the news that we might get Santana because the twins wanted our young stud pitching staff asking for Joba Chamberlain, and Phil Hughesor or Ian Kennedy and even talked of getting us to throw Robinson Cano or Melky Cabrera. It was pure horsehit nonsense. I don't love the Mets by any means, but I like to see the New York NL team do well....especially with Willie (one of my all time favorites since a little kid) at the helm. I want to see Willie (a Yankee to the marrow of his bones) do well and get the respect he deserves. Hopefully, Santana can stabalize the pitching rotation and win the division.

Just saw the ticker on ESPN announce that the Twins dealt Santana to the Mets. Actually, I'm happy that the Yanks stayed pat....and even happier that Santana didn't go to Boston. I see another subway series in the future.