Super Bowl Quickly Alters Images
BY JIM ARMSTRONG,
AOL
Posted: 2008-02-06 00:57:14
Sports Commentary
For one glorious day, Eli Manning wasn’t the Other Brother. And you know what? It isn’t going to change tomorrow or the next day or any other day.
Postgame: Eli Manning hoists the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl XLII MVP after one of the all-time stunning upsets in sports history. Click through the photos to see how the Giants made it happen.
Welcome to the next level, kid.
OK, so, unlike his big brother, he isn’t destined to break every passing record in the book. He isn’t destined to live in his brother’s shadow, either. Not any more. He is his own man now, with his own legacy, his own page in the book, his own wrinkle in time.
The Super Bowl has a way of doing that.
No other venue in the sports world turns up the volume on your career soundtrack louder than the Super Bowl. No other single event changes people’s perceptions more quickly or dramatically. No other day on the sports calendar creates heroes as instantly.
It is a phenomenon like no other, with an impact to match. The marks it leaves are indelible, written on paper on game day, carved in stone as time passes.
Five weeks ago, the Giants were along for the ride. They were lucky to be in the playoffs. As in, lucky their erratic young quarterback, who had three interceptions returned for touchdowns against the Vikings, hadn’t gotten them beat along the way. He was considered a turnover waiting to happen, not an instant success story waiting to be written.
And now?
Streeter Lecka, Getty Images
Memorable
Sore Losers
Bill Belichick, 2008: The Patriots coach storms off the field with one second left on the clock as the Giants end New England's quest for perfection. The loss punctuated a tough week for Belichick, who was hit with more "Spygate" allegations.
Now his off-Broadway days are gone forever. His image? Ancient history. For all they expected of Manning before, they’ll want even more in the future. Maybe, like Joe Namath, he’ll never pass this way again. But then Namath is Exhibit A, living proof that all it takes is one day in the sun. Provided, of course, that one day happens to be Super Sunday.
It isn’t just that Manning won a Super Bowl in his fourth NFL season. How you win it matters, too, and nobody ever has done it quite like Manning did it against the Patriots. The Giants won the game 17-14. Add in style points, though, and it was a blowout for the ages.
Namath was all about style. All these years later, we remember him because he guaranteed a win on Super Sunday. No matter what happens from here on out, we’ll remember Manning, too. We’ll remember because he did the unthinkable and beat the unbeatable. And he did it by leading the G-Men on a last-ditch drive to destiny, completing the winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds left in a season seemingly headed nowhere.
Only Joe Montana does that kind of stuff. Only Tom Brady does that kind of stuff. And now we can add Eli Manning’s name to the list. So much for the notion that the Giants gave up too much to get him on draft day.
Not that the drama in the Giants’ locker room began and ended with Manning. Far from it. No other team in NFL history overcame the kind of turmoil the Giants did to win the Super Bowl. No other team had to deal with so many distractions, accusations and rumors. Or maybe you’ve forgotten that, two weeks into the season, Tom Coughlin was as good as gone.
Stuff happens when you’re 0-2 in New York. And this time, it happened after former Giants tailback Tiki Barber claimed he had retired because Coughlin, ever the drill sergeant, had taken the joy out of playing the game. Oh, and, while I’m on a roll, said Barber, Manning isn’t a leader, either.
That’s the team that took down the Patriots, that rained on the parade, that canceled the coronation. And now that they’ve pulled it off, they’ll never be viewed the same. They’ll get the benefit, not the doubt. When the subject is Super Bowl contenders, they’ll be lumped with the men, not the boys.
Story Telling Kit
Who should have been Super Bowl MVP?
- Eli Manning
- Amani Toomer
- Justin Tuck
- David Tyree
Coughlin henceforth will be seen not as a strict disciplinarian, but as a man with the wisdom to change his ways when they weren’t working. Plaxico Burress, who went Namath and guaranteed an upset, will be looked at not as a flake with a couple of screws loose, but as one of the game’s premier big-play receivers.
The list goes on and on. How many among us had heard of David Tyree before Super Sunday? For the next several days, you’ll see his incredible catch more than you’ll see your own kids. Tyree goes on the list of instant Super heroes, right there with Jack Squirek, John Taylor and Max McGee.
Then you’ve got Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who instantly becomes the hottest head-coaching candidate in the business. And Michael Strahan, who locked up a spot in Canton by finally winning the Big One. Oh, and then you’ve got the other side of the equation: the Pats, whose aura of invincibility is yesterday’s news.
One more Super Bowl win and Tom Brady would have been on the short list of the game’s all-time greatest quarterbacks. Now, after he couldn’t muster more than two touchdowns on Sunday, we’ll have to think twice. And so much for New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels being the next big thing on the sideline.
Not that everyone involved in the game has a new image today. As if Spygate hadn’t already stained his hoodie and his legacy, Bill Belichick further perpetuated his profile by bolting with one second left on the clock. With the officials scrambling to clear the field, Boorish Bill could be seen heading up the tunnel in disgust.
Talk about classless. If you think that particular stunt will be forgotten any time soon, think again. When it happens on Super Sunday, we don’t forget. When Belichick lands in the Hall of Fame, he’ll have to take that piece of baggage with him.
MAILBAG
Questions? Comments? Feel free to e-mail me at dontmissjim@aol.com. A few random excerpts from recent e-mails ...
Jim, Really enjoyed your article ‘‘Curse of the Babe’’. Very witty, well scripted, enjoyable and, yes, maybe even true! Now you have me wondering.
-- Herb Reedman,
Langhorne, PA
Yeah, and now what are you thinking? If you’ve lost your scorecard, Tony Romo and Tom Brady blew their Super Bowl chances, and Tony Parker is on the injured list with a bone spur on his ankle. Moral to the story: You can get the girl; the trick is getting the girl and the trophy.
Dude! Just read your article on Brady. I’ll keep it short. You’re an idiot.
-- JimCarrSavannah@aim.com
I may be an idiot, but you’re now a loyal reader. Welcome to the club, bubba.
Jim, You are absolutely right about the Curse of the Babe. But it didn’t start with Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe. What about Samson & Delilah?
-- Mrs. Romel Perry
You’re right, I forgot about my man Samson. Brady could have used him against the Giants’ pass rush.
Giants are not pretending anymore!!! They are GRRRRRREAT!!!!
-- GYOLIE52@aol.com
Amen, brother!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice comment on Ricky Davis. How many points did you score in high school? I’m 5-8, white and scored 22 in a half once. I’m 61 and I would play you tomorrow for $100. Let me know when and where.
-- Gerry
That would be nowhere and never. Sorry, oh Great One, but I’ve got a life.
That Super Bowl trash talking piece was freakin’ funny as hell.
-- Dan Merlin,
Cocoa, FL
To quote the Cowardly Lion, ‘‘Shucks, folks, I’m speechless.’’
Your writing is horrible and you’re not funny.
-- Race200sx@aol.com
Will you people make up your minds?
Hi Jim, I have to admit I laughed off your Curse of the Babe column, thinking that Tom Brady was bulletproof. Now I think Gisele should share Super Bowl MVP honors with Eli Manning.
-- honey1994@aol.com
What can I tell you? She’s an MVP in my book.
Jim Armstrong is a sports columnist for The Denver Post.
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