2008

[BronxRik]

At midway point, 2008 is greatest sports year ever.

 

Super Bowl XLII

Of the 42 Super Bowls, 29 could be qualified as outright disappointments. Only 13 have been decided by one score or less.

 

Of those close games, one (Super Bowl V) featured 11 turnovers, another (SB VII) would have been a shutout if not for Garo Yepremian's generosity and a third (SB XVI) was only a one-score game by virtue of a meaningless TD with 16 seconds left.

 

 

Eli and the Giants got 2008 started off right with a memorable playoff run. (Gabriel Bouys / Getty Images)

 

That leaves 10 Super Bowls that could be considered great, and as the years pass, the Giants' upset of the Patriots will age like a fine wine and could eventually sit atop that list. Throw in the Giants' three playoff road wins in January, including the sub-zero upset at Lambeau, on their way to SB XLII and their achievement is unmatched in NFL history.

 

The Giants' victory marked the first time the eventual winner lost the lead in the final three minutes before regaining it. The 83-yard title-winning drive redefined Eli Manning, transforming him from enigma to Mr. Clutch. And David Tyree's catch against his helmet will go down as the greatest play in Super Bowl history, trumping even Lynn Swann's Super Bowl X acrobatics.

 

Then there's the fact that the G-Men beat the 18-0 Patriots, a double-digit favorite who showed up in Arizona for their coronation as the greatest team of all time. The Pats were crowned alright, battered all night by the physical New York defensive line. The efforts of Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Fred Robbins, Jay Alford and particularly Justin Tuck (MVP 1-A) made Manning's late heroics possible.

[BIGBLUE01]

MVP 1-A Justin Tuck.......u got that right.