Finally we are at number one! So what could be the biggest moment in sports of 2012? Drumroll please….
THE NEW YORK GIANTS WON THE SUPER BOWL!!!!
This is the same team that did not win a game in November, stood at 7-7 at one point, and was doubted by every sports analyst. However, if you watched this team all season you knew there was something special. Eli Manning was unbelievable all year. The receiving corp seemed to be so in sync. The defensive line would put pressure on the quarterback and was always feared. Even with all the pieces clicking, they were still favorited.
Every week was supposed to be their last week in the playoffs. When will people learn to stop doubting an underrated Giants team? They say this team works best with their backs against the wall, but it is really when they are supposed to lose that they perform exceptionally well. They beat the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC Eact, they embarrassed the Atlanta Falcons at home, they went to the Green Bay tundra and stunned the reigning champs, and they got their rematch in San Francisco to win the NFC Championship. It was like we all traveled back in time and the game depended on Lawrence Tyne’s leg one more time. After a muffed punt, the Giants got Tynes into field goal range and he kicked them into the Super Bowl to get the ultimate rematch against the New England Patriots.
Had Super Bowl 42 been a lucky break for the Giants or were they the real deal? Well, Tom Brady sure thought he was robbed of a title. However, the Giants started off strong with Justin Tuck getting a safety on Brady in the first quarter. The Giants fell behind late and had to rely on Eli’s magical arm to put them back on top. It seemed like it was destined for the Giants to win when a long pass intended for tight end Rob Gronkowski was intercepted by Chase Balckburn. This set up the moment when Eli floated a beautiful pass to the sideline for Mario Manningham that was caught in bounds between two defenders. The Patriots let the Giants score and gave their MVP Tom Brady 30 seconds to make an epic comeback. He came extremely close getting a ‘hail mary’ pass into the end zone that the Giants knocked away that ended the game. Eli Manning outdueled Tom Brady for a second time in the Super Bowl. What a game! Even if you do not like the Giants, you have to respect how hard they played in the playoffs. Nobody wanted to win more than them and for that I thank them. The year might not have ended well for the Giants, but they brought so many smiles to so many different people on and off the field.
