Superbowl Victories- 3

Superbowl XXI

The NFC champion New York Giants captured their first NFL title since 1956 when they downed the AFC champion Denver Broncos 39-20 in Super Bowl XXI. The victory marked the NFC's fifth NFL title in the past six seasons.

The Broncos, behind the passing of quarterback John Elway, who was 13 of 20 for 187 yards in the first half, held a 10-9 lead at intermission, the narrowest halftime margin in Super Bowl history.

Denver's Rich Karlis opened the scoring with a Super Bowl record-tying 48-yard field goal. New York drove 78 yards in nine plays on the next series to take a 7-3 lead on quarterback Phil Simms's 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zeke Mowatt.

The Broncos came right back with a 58-yard scoring drive on six plays capped by Elway's 4-yard touchdown run. The only scoring in the second period was the sack of Elway in the end zone by defensive end George Martin for a New York safety.

The Giants produced a key defensive stand early in the second quarter when the Broncos had a first down at the New York 1-yard line, but failed to score on three running plays and Karlis's 23-yard missed field-goal attempt.

The Giants took command of the game in the third period en route to a 30-point second half, the most ever scored in one half of Super Bowl play

New York took the lead for good on tight end Mark Bavaro's 13-yard touchdown catch 4:52 into the third period. The nine-play, 63-yard scoring drive included the successful conversion of a fourth-and-1 play on the New York 46-yard line.

Denver was limited to only two net yards on 10 offensive plays in the third period.

Simms set Super Bowl records for most consecutive completions (10) and highest completion percentage (88 percent on 22 completions in 25 attempts). He also passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns and was named the game's most valuable player.

New York running back Joe Morris was the game's leading rusher with 20 carries for 67 yards. Denver wide receiver Vance Johnson led all receivers with five catches for 121 yards. 

Superbowl XXV

The NFC champion New York Giants won their second Super Bowl in five years with a 20-19 victory over AFC titlist Buffalo.

New York, employing its ball-control offense, had possession for 40 minutes, 33 seconds, a Super Bowl record. The Bills, who scored 95 points in their previous two playoff games leading to Super Bowl XXV, had the ball for less than eight minutes in the second half and just 19:27 for the game.

Fourteen of New York's 73 plays came on its initial drive of the third quarter, which covered 75 yards and consumed a Super Bowl-record 9:29 before running back Ottis Anderson ran one yard for a touchdown.

Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler kept the long drive going by converting three third-down plays – an 11-yard pass to running back David Meggett on third-and-eight, a 14-yard toss to wide receiver Mark Ingram on third-and-13, and a 9-yard pass to Howard Cross on third-and-four-to give New York a 17-12 lead in the third quarter.

Buffalo jumped to a 12-3 lead midway through the second quarter before Hostetler completed a 14-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Stephen Baker to close the score to 12-10 at halftime.

Buffalo's Thurman Thomas ran 31 yards for a touchdown on the opening play of the fourth quarter to help Buffalo recapture the lead 19-17. Matt Bahr's 21-yard field goal gave the Giants a 20-19 lead, but Buffalo's Scott Norwood had a chance to win the game with seconds remaining before his 47-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right.

Hostetler completed 20 of 32 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown. Anderson rushed 21 times for 102 yards and a touchdown to capture most-valuable-player honors.

Thomas totaled 190 scrimmage yards, rushing 15 times for 135 yards and catching five passes for 55 yards.

 Superbowl XLII

The Giants were led by quarterback Eli Manning, who many in New York had all but given up on. Their head coach Tom Coughlin was almost fired a year ago. Running back Tiki Barber retired before the season. Defensive star Michael Strahan almost did likewise, but after missing training camp, decided to come back for another season.

Like Pittsburgh a couple years ago, the Giants did it the hard way on the road. The 10-6 team beat the Tampa Buccaneers 24-14. They then shocked the 13-3 Dallas Cowboys 21-17, when Tony Romo’s 4th down pass with 9 seconds left was intercepted in the end zone. They then stunned the 13-3 Green Bay Packers in overtime 23-20, intercepting Brett Favre in the extra period to set up the win.

The Patriots were already a dynasty, winning three Superbowls this decade, and coming one minute short in the AFC Title Game last year of a shot at a fourth visit. Head coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady had done it together. Adding star wide receiver Randy Moss almost made the entire season unfair as the Patriots went undefeated.

Yes, 16-0. They played tough teams in the playoffs, but dispatched the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers with some difficulty. They did not have to face the defending champion Indianapolis Colts, who were shocked by San Diego, but it may not have mattered. The 18-0 Patriots were seeking to become arguably the greatest team of all time…ever. The 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only unbeaten team at 17-0, were getting nervous.

The last game of the regular season featured the Patriots defeating the Giants in New York. Had the Patriots lost a game earlier, they would have most likely rested everybody. The Giants had no reason to play their starters, but decided to, which was criticized at the time. The Giants actually led 28-16, but with the score 28-23, Tom Brady threw his NFL record 50th touchdown pass to Randy Moss, who earned his NFL record 23rd touchdown catch on the same play. The Patriots extended their lead to 38-28, and hung on 38-35 when Eli Manning was intercepted late in the game.

The rematch was a thriller. The Patriots were 12 point favorites, and the only chance the Giants had to win the game was to run the ball up the gut repeatedly, using Brandon Jacobs as a battering ram, and then bringing in Ahmad Bradshaw when the New England defense would tire. They would have to play as they did when they beat a superior Buffalo team for their last Superbowl win 17 years earlier.

This was also the “Tuna Bowl,” since both Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick learned under Bill Parcells. Coughlin and Belichick are mirror images of each other. They are tough defensive minded disciplinarians. They are also Bill Parcells minus the warm and fuzzy charm. I have never seen either of these coaches smile.

The Giants began the game by executing their game plan to perfection. Eli Manning and the offense ripped off yardage gradually, converted third downs, and held the ball for 10 minutes. The drive only led to a Tynes field goal, but the pace was dictated, and the tone was set.

Tom Brady went right to work for the Patriots. With Randy Moss being blanketed most of the game, Wes Welker became the target of choice. Welker ended up tying the Superbowl record with 11 receptions. After 5 minutes, on the first play of the second quarter, Lawrence Maroney crashed over from the one foot line to put New England up 7-3. The run was set up by a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone on the last play of the first quarter. It occurred on 3rd down, and seemed to be a Big Blue Blunder.

The Superbowl then turned into a defensive slugfest with no scoring again until the fourth quarter. Both offenses actually had several chances, but luck combined with stout resilience benefitted the defenses.

90 seconds after the Patriots scored, Manning had already led the Giants to the New England 15 yard line. Yet on 3rd and 5, Manning’s pass to Steve Smith bounced right off his chest, and was intercepted by Ellis Hobbs. Instead of first and goal, it was a turnover.

The Patriots had the ball on their own 10 yard line with 1:47 left in the half, and of course Bill Belichick decided to try and go 90 yards. New Englnd does not take knees. They take out kneecaps. With 22 seconds left, the Patriots were already at the New York 45, but when Brady went back to throw the long ball, he was hit, resulting in a fumble that the Giants recovered.

Justin Tuck hit Brady, and Osi Umenyora recovered. Eli Mannings Hail Mary actually made it oevr the New England defenders to Steve SMith, but he did not see it, as it fell incomplete. Although the Patriots led at the half, the story of the first 30 minutes was the Giants defense, specifically the linebackers, destroying the Patriots offensive line. Umenyora was the only member of the entire team going to the Pro Bowl, while the Patriots had several. Yet the entire defense played like demons possessed, as Tuck had the game of a lifetime. Umenyora and Strahan had monster games as well.

In the second half, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnulo continued to order a combination of blitzes that left Brady bruised, battered, and beaten up. Brady was sacked a season high 5 times, and was hit 23 times.

The Patriots took the second half kickoff, but after 4 minutes had to punt. Yet Bill Belichick showed why he earned his reputation as a genius, challenging that the Giants had 12 men on the field. Replay showed that one player racing to the sidelines did not take his last step until after the ball was snapped. It was a successful challenge, and the Patriots kept the ball.

Yet Bill Belichick reinforced his other reputation, one of arrogance, 4 minutes later. On 4th and 13 from the New York 31, Belichick decided to go for it rather than kick a 48 yard field goal. Brady’s deep pass was out of the corner of the end zone incomplete. After 8 minutes, the Patriots turned it over on downs.

This game was seen by many as a reversal of the Superbowl 6 years earlier. The 2001 Patriots were a resilient 11-5 team that had beaten better teams in the playoffs and had shocked people to get there. The 14-2 Rams were the Greatest Show on Turf, had all the superstars, and a coach that was considered both a genius and arrogant. The Rams had beaten the Patriots in New England. The Patriots shocked the world, and defeated the Rams in one of the all time Superbowl upsets. Many blamed the Rams, and Martz in particular, for simply being too arrogant, and losing a game that should have been an easy victory. Their high octane offense ran into a brilliantly devised defense created by Bill Belichick.

Six years later, the Patriots were the ones trying to shake off the fact that they actually were in a competitive game against a hungry underdog that perhaps they took too lightly. Passing up a field goal attempt on a long fourth down gamble showed a smug attitude that would come back to bite them.

The Patriots would get the ball back, but with three minutes left in the third quarter, they were backed up to their own five yard line. They did reach past midfield with seconds left in the quarter, but a false start penalty pushed New England back and the drive stalled.

The Patriots punted on the first play of the fourth quarter, and the Giants took over at their own 20 after a touchback. After three quarters of defense, the offenses would finally see some life.

On the first play from scrimmage, Manning’s short pass over the middle to Kevin Boss led to a 45 yard gain before boss was dragged down. Boss is not legendary Mark Bavaro, or even injured Jeremy Shockey, but he dragged a pair of New England defenders in superstar fashion on that play. On 3rd and 4 from the 30, Manning went to Steve Smith again. This time he caught it at the 12 yard line. Manning then found the most unlikely Superbowl hero in many years in the form of David Tyree.

If anybody knew David Tyree before this game, they did not tell me about him. He was the Giants fourth receiver. Yet he entered the record books when Manning found him over the middle for a five yard touchdown pass. The Giants led 10-7 with 11 minutes remaining in the game. New England’s dynasty was now teetering.

Yet despite the fact that Brady was getting hit on every play, he showed his championship toughness that champions exhibit when it matters most. He led the Patriots 89 yards, eating up over 8 minutes of clock. On 3rd down and goal, the Giants needed one more stop to force the tying field goal. They had stopped the Patriots the entire game. They could not stop them this time. Neither could the rest of the league. A touchdown pass to Randy Moss, who had been held in check the entire game, put the Patriots up 14-10 with 2:42 remaining.

New England had done it again. They had scraped out another win at the last possible moment. 19-0, the greatest team ever, and four Superbowls in seven years, almost five. It would have been five had Peyton Manning not beaten them a year earlier. Yet this was not the Colts and Peyton Manning. It was Eli Manning. He was not his brother. The game was over. The defense had fought hard, but the offense of the Giants had nothing left.

Yes, they did. They had heart. The Giants started at their own 17 yard line. They had all three timeouts plus the two minute warning. At the two minute warning, the Giants faced third and 10 at their own 28. Manning completed the pass to Amani Toomer, but Toomer had to come back for the short throw, leaving him less than a yard short. On 4th and 1, with everything on the line, the Giants were granted a measurement, allowing the clock to temporarily stop. This allowed the Giants to get up to the line.

They could have punted, given that they had all three timouts, but going for it was the right call with 1:40 remaining. Battering ram Brandon Jacobs picked up the first down, and the Giants called their first timeout with 1:28 left. They were still at their own 38 yard line. The next play had Eli get caught after a five yard scramble, forcing the Giants to burn their second timeout with 1:20 left. Manning was almost intercepted on the next play, but the ball was just high enough. It bounced off the outstretched fingertips of Asanti Samuels.

On 3rd and 5, a play occurred that will be in NFL history forever. One of the craziest plays I have ever seen occurred, and I saw it live. I still could not believe what I witnessed. Eli Manning stepped back to pass, and was caught in the pocket for what appeared to be a certain sack. There were two or three Patriots with a shot, and one had him by the Jersey. He spun out, and heaved the ball before being hit.

This was only half the miracle play that should forever be known as “The Scramble.” His Fran Tarkenton impersonation was fabulous, but the reception was even more spectacular. David Tyree, with Rodney Harrison defending him perfectly, caught the ball against his helmet one handed. Harrison tried to pry it loose, but somehow Tyree kept the ball lodged between his hand and his helmet. Going to the ground, the ball never touched the ground or came loose. That catch could not be made in the circus. David Tyree made it as Harrison and the rest of the world remained stunned. One minute remained, and the Giants were at the New England 25, and Michael Strahan was screaming on the sidelines that the Giants would win 17-14. To give Strahan even more credit, he said it at the beginning of the drive when the Giants were 83 yards away.

Manning was brought down for no gain on the next play, and the Giants took their final timeout with 50 seconds remaining. On 3rd and 11 with with 45 seconds remaining, Manning completed a 12 yard pass to Steve Smith, who got out of bounds with 39 seconds remaining.

On the next play, Manning lobbed an end zone pass to Plaxico Burress. Burress had been silent the entire game, but he faked out Ellis Hobbs, who had intercepted Manning earlier. The 14 yard touchdown pass put the Giants up 17-14 with only 35 seconds remaining.

The stadium erupted, but after initial cheering, the Giants fans went silent, and reminded themselves that the game was not over. Dynasties do not die out naturally. They have to be killed, and the Patriots had 35 seconds and three timeouts.

From the 25 yard line, Brady’s first deep pass was incomplete. Brady got absolutely belted on the next play by Rookie Jay Alford. Alford came straight up the middle and drilled Brady in the chest. It might have been the best hit of the game. As badly as Brady got leveled, he showed his veteran poise by immediately calling timeout while on his back.

19 seconds remained. At that moment, on third and 20, Brady rolled out, looked for Randy Moss, and threw the ball 68 yards. Moss was double covered, but as fans everywhere held their breath, he still almost caught it. It was knocked away incomplete. One more yard in the air and it might have been a touchdown. Instead, with 10 seconds left, the Patriots faced fourth and 20. Brady again rolled out, threw it 65 yards in the area for Moss, and watched it fall incomplete. Moss was again double covered, and this heave was easily batted away.

The New York Football Giants had shocked the world. The 1972 Dolphins popped their champagne corks. their would be no 19-0 season. The Patriots were nothing more than a footnote, another great regular season team that blew up in the playoffs. A sign on the internet currently reads “18-1 arrogance.”

Yet this was New York Giant Football. Heart, tough running, critical catches, and ruthless defense. As the confetti came down, the question of “Who wants it More?” was answered.

The Giants had won Superbowl XLII. They are the World Champions.

The G-Men had shocked the world.

As Chris Berman says, “THAT’S…WHY THEY PLAY THE GAMES.”

Although Belichick did run to midfield and share a very sincere embrace with COughlin, apparently one second remained. Rules required a play be run, and Belichick remained in the locker room for the final kneel down, an ignominious end. Perhaps that passed up field goal opportunity would eat at him. Perhaps he was too dismissive to consider criticism.

It did not matter. History had been smashed, obliterated, and poured upside down.

New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14

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Franchise History

The New York Football Giants

The city of New York was introduced to professional football on the same day that the city was introduced to the New York Football Giants. It was a clear sunny October afternoon in 1925 when the Giants took the field to play against the Frankford Yellow Jackets. The Giants lost their home debut by the score of 14-0 to lower their record to 0-3 after opening with two losses on the road. But more importantly, the New York Football Giants and professional football had arrived.

Tim Mara, a bookmaker (legal at the time) and successful businessman and promoter, purchased the team for a reported $500. In an era when professional football was in the shadows of baseball, boxing and college football, and professional football teams hailed from the towns of Dayton, Rochester and Columbus, league officials believed that a team in a large market such as New York was exactly what was needed to keep pro football alive.

The Giants struggled financially through the first decade but managed to win their first title in only their third season, going 11-1-1 in 1927. With the fall of the Stock Market and the Depression that followed, the 1930s were not off to a great start. Tim Mara suffered substantial losses during the crash that threatened the existence of the Giants. With that fear in mind, Tim Mara handed control of the franchise over to his two sons, Jack Mara, who was twenty-two, and Wellington, who was fourteen. Wellington Mara became the youngest owner of a football team and began his storied career as a major player in the Giants organization.

In 1934 the Giants beat the Chicago Bears, 30-13, in nine-degree temperatures at the Polo Grounds in a game that has become famous as the "Sneakers Game." With the Giants trailing 10-3 at the half, head coach Steve Owen provided his squad with basketball shoes to increase traction on the icy turf. The team responded with four touchdowns in the second half to turn the game into a Giants rout.

If there ever were a time for the National Football League and the New York Football Giants to fold, it would have come during the years of World War II. The NFL decided to continue during the war despite losing players to military service. Many of the players that stayed behind were older players that were past their prime. Low attendance forced some teams to fold and other teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers to merge into one team. Fortunately, the New York Football Giants were able to survive the war years and managed to reach three NFL championship games during the 1940s.

The 1950s were filled with Giants players that would become household names and help bring football to a playing field equal to other spectator sports. With the growing interest in professional football, the Giants continued to make strides to attract the most talented players from the college level. By the time the decade was over, Kyle Rote, Eddie Price, Rosie Brown, Frank Gifford, Sam Huff and Tom Landry would send the Giants and professional football into a new era.

                            YA Tittle                                                           Frank Gifford

The 1960s marked a decade of change for the Giants. Since they were founded in 1925, the Giants had been a talented team filled with success. The 1960s marked a turning point for our country as well as the Giants. After reaching the title games of 1961, 1962, and 1963 the Giants were hit with injuries and a series of retirements to key players that sent the team through a period of mediocrity.

The Giants in the 1970s could best be described as a team in transition. The team called four different stadiums home, played in three different states, and did not play in one postseason game. Teams like the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Giants, so strong in the NFL's formative years, gave way to new powers like Dallas, Pittsburgh and Minnesota.

The Giants ended almost two decades of losing with one of their most prosperous decades in the 1980s. After finishing in last place or next-to-last eight times in the 1970s, the Giants appeared in three wild card games and won two NFC East division titles. Through the draft and key trades, the Giants slowly built a winning program. By 1986 the championship pieces fit together and the team was back on top with their first Super Bowl appearance and their first world championship since 1956.

The Giants were back on top of the NFL in 1990, winning their second Super Bowl in a dramatic 20-19 win over the Buffalo Bills. The next two years were filled with coaching changes, quarterback controversies, and a step back into the middle of the pack of the National Football League.

In February, 1991, less than a month after winning their second Super Bowl, it was announced that after 66 years of ownership by the Mara family, a 50% interest in the club had been sold to Preston Robert Tisch by Tim Mara. A native of New York City and a lifelong Giants fan, Tisch is one of the country's most successful businessmen.

Dan Reeves was hired as coach before the start of the 1993 season, and he helped bring the Giants back into Super Bowl contention. The Giants finished their first season under Reeves tied with the Detroit Lions for the best turnaround in football, going from 6-10 to 11-5. Reeves was named the NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press and others for his efforts.

On January 15, 1997, a new chapter in Giants history began when Jim Fassel was named the 15th head coach. In the first season under Fassel’s leadership, the Giants captured the NFC East Championship with a 10-5-1 record. The Giants finished the 1997 season with a 7-0-1 Division record to become the first team ever to go undefeated in NFC East Division play. The Giants fell short of a playoff berth in 1998 after overcoming a 3-7 start to finish with an 8-8 record. The Giants were 7-9 in 1999.

In 2000, the Giants returned to the upper echelon of the NFL. They won the NFC East title and earned home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a 12-4 regular season record. The Giants then beat Philadelphia in the divisional playoffs and routed Minnesota, 41-0, in the NFC Championship Game to advance to the Super Bowl for the third time. But they failed to win the game for the first time, falling to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Giants slipped to 7-9 in 2001, losing their last two games to fall out of playoff contention. In 2002, the Giants won their final four regular season games, including an overtime thriller in the regular season finale against Philadelphia, to clinch a wild card playoff berth. In the third period of the postseason game in San Francisco, the Giants led the 49ers, 38-14. But San Francisco rallied for a 39-38 victory.
Because of their impressive stretch run, the Giants began the 2003 season with high hopes. At midseason, they were in the thick of the playoff race with a 4-4 record. But a second-half collapse against Atlanta set the tone for an eight-game, season-ending losing streak. With two games remaining, the Giants announced that Fassel would not return. On Jan. 6, 2004, Tom Coughlin, a highly-successful head coach at Boston College and with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and a former Giants assistant, was hired as the 16th head coach in Giants history
   

Trivia

Phil Simms of the New York Giants was the first NFL player to yell, "I'm going to Disney Land," after his Super Bowl Victory, sparking a famous and now ritualistic reaction that current athletes now repeat.

The 'Gatorade Shower,' dumping a bucket of Gatorade on the coach after a big win, originated with the New York Giants.

Unlike all other teams in the NFL, the Giants sideline is in the sun during day games. While most teams have their sideline on the shady side of the field, thinking it would be to their team’s advantage to stay out of the sun, Wellington Mara's mother urged the Giants to switch sides of the field because her son had caught a cold at a previous game. This is a disadvantage that the Giants still play with to this day.