Learning from the Super Bowl
by Josh Gaier
The Super Bowl is over, but after reviewing the tap again, Josh Gaier is able to give us some insight on what was learned in Glendale.
By Josh Gaier
Honestly, who would have predicted the New York Giants as your Super Bowl champions in the preseason? Not even those who bleed blue and white, the king of predictions, a guru of fantasy football or even the second coming of Nostradamus could have made that prediction. Nobody in their sane mind thought the Giants would be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in early February. In fact, not even loquacious defensive end Michael Strahan thought it was possible.
“This team, this season, where we started and where we ended was totally unexpected,” he said after the Super Bowl. “Five weeks ago, I couldn’t have told you that we’d beat the Patriots.”
Nevertheless, the Giants pulled out an improbable victory against the vaunted New England Patriots.
With the world on their side, very few gave the G-Men a chance. But, they proved the doubters wrong and rose to the occasion by doing what they do best: playing a defensive, physical brand of football. From the Patriots’ opening snap, the Giants’ tenacious defensive line was playing the role of cupid. They kept arranging dates between the NFL’s golden boy, Tom Brady, and the turf.
Without question, the Giants’ defensive line was a force to be reckoned with. By doing a great job of pairing up press coverage with a four-man rush, then mixing it up perfectly with zone blitzes, Giants’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo installed a game plan for the ages. The always poised Tom Brady was rattled constantly in the backfield, and the prolific New England Patriots offense fell from their 18-0 pedestal, and landed with a boom.
Instead of the Super Bowl savvy quarterback Tom Brady leading his team down for the game-winning touchdown, the over-criticized Eli Manning invented his own Super Bowl magic. On a play that featured a remarkable scramble and an even more unbelievable catch, the Giants found themselves deep inside their prey’s territory. After converting a 3rd and 11, the Giants were in prime position to seize the go ahead touchdown. A play later, Plaxico Burress ran a double move, as Ellis Hobbs bit, and Manning hit a wide open Burress in the endzone. Arguably the greatest Super Bowl of all time reached its conclusion with the underdog New York Giants prevailing 17-14. However, we learned a lot from this single, epic game. Here are five things learned from one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports.
1) Eli Manning turned the corner
It happened in front of our very eyes. No one saw it happening, and some people are still shocked that it happened. Overshadowed by his big brother Peyton, Eli Manning displayed a factor that every franchise signal-caller possesses. Although no one has an exact definition or name for this phenomenon, it is simply called the “it” factor. Manning displayed a sense of confidence, poise, leadership, and toughness in the wake of the biggest moment of his life. The Giants’ players felt that Manning was the man to lead them to battle, but the rest of the world was waiting for the Mississippi native to make a mistake. To Patriots’ fans dismay, Manning played a nearly flawless game and has elevated himself into an immortal figure as a Super Bowl champion.
There are a ton of questions from here, though. How good is Eli Manning now? Is he still the inconsistent quarterback with poor mechanics that folds under pressure? Or, is he the poised, confident quarterback that wants the ball in his hands with a minute left on the clock with his team down by four? Only time will tell. Regardless, Manning has asserted himself as a top-10 quarterback in the NFL.
2) Pressure is the key
Pressure will make an un-humanly quarterback look like a human, even the poised Tom Brady. From the conclusion of this game, the Giants have basically set out the blue key for success for the rest of the NFL. In order to beat the best of the best, constant pressure needs to be applied. By building a strong, powerful, explosive, penetrating defensive line, the Giants were able to keep “Tom Terrific” off balance the entire night. In short, offense in the NFL is all about rhythm - if the beat is disrupted, the music will sound horrible.
It should be interesting to see the aftermath of this performance in terms of the emphasis on pass rushers in the NFL. Does this help the stock of defensive ends coming out of college? Likely, as more money is going to be thrown at premier pass rushers. Regardless of your scheme, the Super Bowl has shown that with menaces reeking across your defensive line, there will always be a chance to come out on top.
3) Perfection is impossible in this day and age
The way the NFL is setup today, with free agency, the salary cap and the draft, it’s nearly impossible to run the table. Every team is bound to play lousy at least one game a year. Not taking anything away from the Giants, but unfortunately for the Pats, they picked the biggest game of the year to play their worst. With the playing field more evenly distributed today than when the 1972 Dolphins claimed their historic record, the odds of going perfect are nearly impossible.
The NFL was redesigned in the early 1990s to prevent the domination of a single team. The goal of creating a salary cap was to hopefully get rid of the tycoons that ran the NFL for years and years. Although the Patriots came three points short of proving the system had some type of flaws, they still proved that today perfection is nearly impossible. Hats off to the Pats, though. It is highly doubtful that another 18-0 team will be seen anytime soon.
4) Rookies are the hot commodity
Throughout the Giants’ storybook postseason run, they had three unsung heroes along their offense: Wide receiver Steve Smith, tight end Kevin Boss and running back Ahmad Bradshaw. What do all of these players have in common? They are all rookies.
Smith, a second round pick, converted a key 3rd and 11 during the miraculous game-winning drive orchestrated by Eli Manning. Smith also had many key plays that propelled the Giants to victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game. Collectively, between the two games, Smith had a total of 75 receiving yards. Boss, a 2007 fifth round draft pick, caught a 45-yard pass from Manning, which ended up leading to the Giants’ first touchdown of the game.
Bradshaw, an undrafted free agent, emerged onto the scene once Derrick Ward suffered a season-ending injury earlier in the season. Bradshaw led the Giants in rushing in the Super Bowl with 45 yards, and piled on another 63 during the NFC Championship game. Together, with physical running back Brandon Jacobs, the two formed a dynamic tandem.
However, the Giants also had key contributing rookies on the defensive side of the ball. First round pick Aaron Ross started at cornerback for the Giants, and helped pick up the slack while corner back Sam Madison was recovering from injury throughout the entirety of the post-season. At safety, rookie Michael Johnson also saw extensive time in nickel and dime defenses and thrived in coverage.
Also, third round pick, defensive tackle Jay Alford sealed the shocking victory when he ran through and sacked Tom Brady with less than a minute left in the game. With the salary cap forcing teams to look for cheaper, alternative options opposed to the high-costing vets, the Giants clearly have found some too handle the load. Without the contributions of their ’07 rookie class, who knows if the Giants would have even been in the Super Bowl?
5) Any team can win, on any given Sunday
We’ve all heard this adage a thousand times, but last Sunday proved it was true to its highest degree. The once fragile New York Giants were able to defeat the once impeccable New England Patriots. Despite the dominance the Patriots displayed all season long, despite the intimidation the Patriots imposed on the opposition, the Giants gave it their best, and came out with a victory. Isn’t that the best thing about football though? In all honesty, football is the one sport where anything can happen on any given game. Unlike basketball and baseball, football is fueled by athletes who want it the most, who are willing to sacrifice the most, and who can smell that sweet smell of victory singing their nostrils. We never know what’s in store during the course of an NFL season. And, quite frankly, that’s what makes football the greatest sport in the world.
E-mail Josh Gaier:
josh@newerascouting.com