Yesterday I saw Cloverfield and then watched eight or so hours of football. Incredibly, the giant monster attacking New York wasn't as shocking as this simple fact: Eli Manning is a Super Bowl quarterback. No, not Peyton. Eli. A month ago, I wrote on this blog, "[Eli Manning] is not good. Maybe one day he'll surprise us all but right now he is not a very good quarterback." Well, that day of surprise came. It came when Eli led the Giants to a narrow loss over the juggernaut Patriots. It came when he helped the G-men beat up on the Bucs. It came when he embarrased Tony Romo. And it came yesterday, when he led his men to the NFC Championship in subzero temperatures against a legend. Eli Manning has provided consistent, intelligent, gutsy leadership over this incredible run and the team has benefitted from his transformation. Peyton Manning took forever to win in the playoffs with one of the best teams of the decade. Eli took a good team and led them to greatness.
This Giants squad has shown us some of the best team play we have ever seen. There hasn't been one star; it has truly been a team effort. Eli stepped up. Plax schooled Al Harris. Strahan and Osi brought the walls down around Romo and Favre. Ross, Webster, and Pierce dominated the secondary. Plax, Boss, Toomer, Jacobs and Bradshaw marched down the field. Tynes finally made a kick. And Tiki watched it all from home. "Who needs training camp," Strahan said Sunday night, "When you have teammates like these?" These men have come together to achieve the improbable. In Glendale, Arizona, they will attempt the impossible. Waiting for them will be the 18-0 New England Patriots, whose last loss came at the hands of Eli's brother in last year's AFC championship game.
The Patriots may look to make history, but the Giants have a date with destiny. In a season of perfection, the Giants' faults are what make them so compelling. They entered the postseason with more injuries than the Cloverfield cast. They run with a duo of rookie backs. Their quarterback spent most of his career hanging his head. But all that changed when they played New England last time. Every fault, every weakness ceased to matter. They played tough, they played together, and they overcame everything. The New York Giants are the champions of the National Football Conference and soon they will vie to become Super Bowl Champs. In taking on the juggernaut, the Giants will become America's team and Eli Manning will put sports nation on his shoulders. I now have no doubt he is up to the task.
In other news, the MARYLAND TERRAPINS defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels, previously top-ranked and undefeated. The Terps marched into Chapel Hill and outplayed North Carolina for 40 minutes, shutting down Tyler Hansbrough and the rest of Roy Williams' boys. Once again, the Maryland Mystery is visible in full force. The Terps lose to American and Ohio and then go on to beat UNC. We play to the level of our opponents in basketball and football and we've proven once again that we can lose to or beat any team, any time.
This weekend was quite a sports weekend for me. I saw Maryland knock off the top team in the country and then watched the Giants earn their ticket to the Super Bowl. I might not have always been Eli's biggest fan, but he has certainly made a believer out of me. The Giants' grit, teamwork, and faith in each other have brought them sixty minutes away from a Super Bowl ring. Who needs perfection when you have that?
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Some say that Eli found himself when they played New England and there was no pressure.
That was only part of it.
Eli changed when Shockey went down with his injury. No longer some big mouth came back to the huddle and yelled at the quarterback.
It became Eli's team and he played as if it was.
The best move the Giants can make, whether they win or lose is to trade Shockey.
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