TheMachStart Spreadin' the News... the final rolling credits on the 2012 NFL Season
February 9th 2012 19:08
New York Giants 21-17 New England Patriots
Filmed on location at Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, Indiana
Producers: John Mara, Steve Tisch
Written and directed by: Tom Coughlin
Production designers: Kevin Gilbride, Perrey Fewell
Written and directed by: Tom Coughlin
Production designers: Kevin Gilbride, Perrey Fewell
Starring:
Mario Manningham – as David Tyree
The New York Giants defensive line – as the previously feared New York Giants defensive line
With special thanks to:
Steve Smith and Plaxico Burress – had it not been for their belief that the grass was greener elsewhere (no pun intended on both accounts!) the Giants may never have discovered the true potential of their super star wide receiver Victor Cruz who finished with seasonal statistics and franchise records that not only contributed massively to the Giants success but also more poignantly trumped anything Steve Smith has ever achieved as a Giant!
So it was, ‘Deja Blue’ all over again. Coincidentally the ‘House that Manning built’ provided the backdrop for the sequel to Superbowl 42 as the unlikely NFC Champions New York Giants hosted their AFC parallel counterparts the New England Patriots. For those who like to rearrange the prefix to the final prize at the aptly dubbed ‘Greatest Show On Earth’ they called it ‘Revenge Bowl’, at least where Monsieurs Brady and Belichick were concerned.
It has been analysed, scrutinised and picked apart thread by thread over the past 3 days, so there is no need to go into any great depth. However, the similarities between the most recent Superbowl and its 2008 predecessor are uncanny. Consider;
• The New York Giants snuck into the playoffs at the 11th hour and even then were given little chance of making any lasting impact
• Having to begin the playoffs in Wild Card weekend, the Giants returned to their previous mantra of ‘Road Warriors’ winning through the majority of the playoffs as visiting teams against opposition with superior seasonal records.
• Although not unbeaten this time around, the New England Patriots were the number 1 seed and most dominant team in the AFC over the course of the regular season
• In a low scoring affair the game was decided by four points, just one more than the 2008 winning margin
• The leading receiver in the game was Hakeem Nick with 10 receptions and 109 yards but no touchdown score, not unlike 4 years previous when Wes Welker caught 11 passes for 103 yards also without troubling the scorers
• David Tyree completed the world famous ‘helmet catch’ for 32 yards in a critical situation on the final drive which lead to the winning touchdown. Fast forward 4 years and Mario Manningham arguably equalled if not trumped this feat with an astounding 38 yard reception – taking the ball over his shoulder under double coverage before remarkably adjusting his feet and balance to remain in bounds and keep the Giants final drive alive.
• The Giants were the last to score in both games, as Ahmad Bradshaw repeated the Plaxico Burress achievement with the game winning touchdown both inside the final minute of their respective games.
So here we stand today, once again with unpredictable and for the most part unlikely reigning World Champions. The story of the 2012 New York Giants is a vortex of varying emotions and a true rollercoaster ride which I have no doubt will be expertly documented via the medium of television for years to come.
The long and short of it epitomises the National Football League and is all the evidence needed to prove that it is truly the greatest game in the world today; that being that the eventual Superbowl winners, the number 1 team across an entire season were written off at week 1 and for most weeks thereafter as late as week 15 on Christmas eve. They were branded no hopers, with no endurance and not even the most ardent of Big Blue supporter nor the individual with the most powerful foresight would have drawn this conclusion. This does of course stand to good reason. The Giants suffered the most turbulent of off seasons, hit hard by free agency and salary re-structuring whilst the injury list was eating deeper into the depth chart as the minutes ticked by.
• After losing key cornerback Terrell Thomas to a season threatening injury, their luck worsened as first round draft pick and fellow cornerback Prince Amukamara went down injured for a suspected similar length of time
• Number 2 receiver Steve Smith rocked the club with his previously unforeseen decision to head for pastures new and the ominously coined ‘Dream Team’ in Philadelphia leaving the Giants thin on the receiving core.
• The Giants offensive problems mounted when Kevin Boss headed out West to Oakland resulting in New York starting the season with no recognised tight ends after missing out on rumoured targets.
• Plaxico Burress was touted as the Giants ideal solution to the Steve Smith debacle after a well documented return to the game following a prison sentence. As if to rub salt into the already gaping wounds, ‘Plax’ instead chose the Giants roommates as his destination – opting instead to join the New York Jets as a free agent.
• Injuries also ravaged the Giants defense with key figures such as Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Jonathan Goff were all reported as out of the opening game.
• With only the smallest hint of irony, Victor Cruz completed week 1 of the regular season with more tackles than he did receptions…
To add to the furore, the Giants lost 28-14 to the NFC East resident whipping boys the Washington Redskins. Even with the season in this embryonic stage, it was decided that it would be very much a transitional period for the G-Men and whilst any talk of playoffs seemed ridiculous, not finishing bottom of the division looked a more realistic target for 2011/12. Needless to say this now seems a distant memory....
Eli Manning’s credentials were tested by the fans and media throughout the season along with the annual calls for Tom Coughlin’s tenure to come to an end. Although this seems unbelievably fickle in the present day, at the time the now two time Superbowl winners and future Hall of Famers gave good reason for the natives to become restless. For a good proportion of the season it seemed like the 2 minute drill was the only time Eli Manning could perform at Quarterback. His body language hardly oozed confidence as he looked flustered under pressure and was easily panicked as his protection crumbled all too often forcing one questionable play after another as the boos rang round Metlife Stadium. From the sideline coach Coughlin often cut a frustrated and clueless figure with his trademark red face and regular expletives appearing to be his only verbal offerings towards the game and his ailing team.
As mentioned previously, the team itself were doing little to force themselves into the reckoning and give any indication that they would hit the heady heights that they eventually did. With only a 50% record by week 14 even their wins were on the whole uninspiring; having scraped by in home fixtures against the Bills, Dolphins and Rams they had also endeavoured to lose ‘winnable’ fixtures in Jersey against the Eagles, Seahawks and Redskins in and amongst a four game losing streak from a previously 6-2 position. In essence they duped us all. From Coughlin and Eli downwards they lead us all to believe they were nothing more than middle of the road team, before unleashing one of the most impressive and formidable runs towards a championship in the history of the game. It is worth noting that although this is the case Eli, Tom and co do not have the right to say they proved their doubters wrong (after all those that doubted had factual and statistical evidence to support their claims at the time), more like they proved the fans that kept their belief, right.
With Ahmad Bradshaw missing a chunk of the games through the middle of the season to add to their fitness woes, a four game losing streak sandwiched by their only two impressive performances against the Patriots and Packers, the Giants found themselves 6-6 then 7-7 and faced with two ‘do or die’ situations in the final two weeks of the season. Essentially, it is under this pressure that they thrived throughout 2011. With countless come from behind wins in the fourth quarter their only method of victory, the Giants were well practiced for what was essentially a knockout playoff style situation beginning in week 16. Thus began the improbable and remarkable journey riding a wave of momentum, getter better as the weeks went by and an eventual 6 game winning streak towards the greatest prize in the game…
So who was responsible for such a remarkable turnaround? Was it words of wisdom from Coach Coughlin? A never say die attitude from Eli Manning, or a rousing response from a formidable Giants defense back to their best? It could be argued that it was a combination of all three, then again there is plenty of evidence to suggest that based on the majority of the season it was none of these instances which had been missing for so long. Controversial maybe and not discounting any of the achievements post week 16, but I believe it is fair to say that the man or men responsible for the New York Giants late season turnaround and eventual championship winning status is none other than . . . . . . . Rex Ryan, with a little help from the influential players and decision makers within the New York Jets camp.
I shall elaborate. Up until the ‘Battle of New York’ on Christmas eve as the two tenants of the Meadowlands went head to head to divide an entire state, the Giants were hapless. Theories such as ‘momentum’ and ‘form’ had little substance where the Giants were concerned as they put on their best Jekyll and Hyde act for their scrutinising public for 75% of the season winning in Arizona and New England, performing resiliently against the NFC’s top seeds 49ers and Packers then ruining all of their good work with ingenuity free and calamitous losses to the likes of Seattle and Washington. Facing a win or bust situation heading into their game with the New York Jets, Tom Coughlin and his Giants had given zero indication that they had the mettle and the stomach for a fight. With the inexplicable pattern of results, everyone to a man expected the Giants season to end without a whimper. The defense was labelled as ‘soft’ looking far too easily penetrated as they gave up scores of 49, 38 and 34 in consecutive weeks as defensive line were brushed aside whilst the secondary gave the impression that the season end could not come soon enough. They were their own worst enemy and could endeavour to beat themselves on any given occasion, therefore there was no call for what the Jets had in store for them in the run up to the clash.
Tom Coughlin must have thought all his Christmases had come at once. If it was true that the coach could find little words to inspire his team and dig them out of their increasingly widening hole then he would have thanked his lucky stars that his team talk was acted out for him long before they headed into the locker room pre-game. With the Jets seeking to make the shared stadium as much of a ‘home’ advantage as they possibly could, they petulantly covered up the Giants Superbowl logos outside of the dressing room and had the ‘Metlife’ logo that runs through the centre concourse lit up in green. With both end-zones baring the Jets logo, they used their media time in the build up to the game to talk of being ‘the big brother of the state’ whilst questioning the Giants temperament and stating they wanted to be “the number one team in New York” whilst launching the ‘Green It’ campaign to counteract the famed ‘Big Blue’ fan base. In a glaringly ironic example of under estimation, Derelle Revis belittled Victor Cruz’s achievements by saying he had “never heard of him”. From this point on Tom Coughlin did not have to say a single thing. All the motivation his players needed was right there before their very eyes in the run up to the game.
It was not only the fact that the Jets organisation had endeavoured to antagonise and belittle the Giants but more poignantly that fact they had seemingly tried to bully and emasculate them. The media had hounded them for weeks, questioning their ability and calling them a mediocre side and this had little effect, if anything it made matters worse as the Giants licked their wounds and gave off all the suggestions of a sulking child. It was only when the Jets had questioned their substance as men did the wake up call finally arrive. Suddenly it was as if the vocal leaders on the team, Tuck and Jacobs had picked up the Giants by the scruff of the neck and given them a much needed shaking. They could call them rubbish, boo and jeer all they wanted, but how dare they try and bully and manipulate the New York Giants of all people into submission. Petty stadium alterations and mind games had little effect from this moment on. As the Giants defensive line finally returned to a healthy state, they responded to the Jets with a controlled, balanced and aggressive performance as they forced their way out of the corner they had been backed into. For the first time that season they had won a game after leading for more than a few minutes. The fearsome pass rush of Pierre-Paul, Tuck, Umenyiora, Canty and Kiwanuka were back with a vengeance. They brushed aside the New York Jets failed psychological attempts and effectively and suitably ended their playoff hopes of which Rex Ryan had spoken of being his wish to reciprocate.
The perfect balance between offense and defense and between passing and running the ball that came as a pleasant surprise to Giants fans in the Christmas eve spectacular was now the foundation for their play moving forward. With teams like the Packers, Saints, Steelers and Ravens in the hunt the Giants were still given little chance of making any inroads in the postseason. However, the frustration that boiled over as the Jets poked them with a proverbial stick was channelled out on the field as the Giants began the famed run towards the Superbowl Championship which saw them dispatch two number one seeds and the defending champions in the process. The game plan and approach coupled with the raw emotion and passion exerted in that Jets game was to be the template moving forwards as they showed a resiliency and outstanding ability that was long since forgotten, hitting form at the perfect time which resulted in the epic proportions of what we know today.
If it wasn’t for the misguided Jets PR campaign that backfired to spectacularly to awaken the sleeping Giants and allow the Giants season to finally catch fire, it could have been a totally different story. The demolition of Atlanta, the heroics of Green Bay, the slugfest in San Francisco and the magic of Indianapolis may have been as unrealistic as was initially predicted. So thank you Rex, this fourth ring is for you!
| 29 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
