2008 Woodie Awards
Giants spoil Pats perfect season with Super Bowl win
Matt Spillane
Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: Sports
The New York Giants won the Super Bowl.
I had to write that in order to believe it. Just reading that sentence, you have to pause and let it sink in. Really, no words need to be said. All of us Giants fans out there can just sit back and soak in the moment, which can only be described as pure joy.
With an improbable and inspired run, New York capped off a tumultuous season with one of the all-time spectacular victories in NFL history. Who would have ever thought this possible? If someone had told me midway through the season that the Giants would defeat the vaunted Patriots in the Super Bowl, I would have thought they were nuts.
But once the postseason started, New York put a different team out on the field. They were confident, aggressive, and poised. There was just a different vibe about them that wasn't quite there before. Beginning with the wild-card win over Tampa Bay, the Giants played some of the most inspired football I've ever seen. The Giants advanced to face three consecutive teams that had gotten the best of them during the regular season, and three consecutive times the Giants exacted revenge.
It really looked as though New York was a team of destiny. The same Giants defense that allowed 76 points in two games to the reviled Dallas Cowboys during the regular season, somehow shutting down the prolific offense to seal the Divisional round win while holding their NFC East rivals to just 17 points. Lawrence Tynes, blocking out the eternal condemnation that awaited him, drilling the game-winner and stomping on the hearts of Packers fans. To say the Giants' playoff path was improbable would be a vast understatement, to say the least.
But those three wins combined can't measure up to the satisfaction of the team's triumph over the Patriots. Where do you start? There are so many things that made this win so thrilling, so euphoric. Of course, a Super Bowl win is incredible, regardless of the opponent. However, this particular championship was made extra special because of the circumstances.
I had to write that in order to believe it. Just reading that sentence, you have to pause and let it sink in. Really, no words need to be said. All of us Giants fans out there can just sit back and soak in the moment, which can only be described as pure joy.
With an improbable and inspired run, New York capped off a tumultuous season with one of the all-time spectacular victories in NFL history. Who would have ever thought this possible? If someone had told me midway through the season that the Giants would defeat the vaunted Patriots in the Super Bowl, I would have thought they were nuts.
But once the postseason started, New York put a different team out on the field. They were confident, aggressive, and poised. There was just a different vibe about them that wasn't quite there before. Beginning with the wild-card win over Tampa Bay, the Giants played some of the most inspired football I've ever seen. The Giants advanced to face three consecutive teams that had gotten the best of them during the regular season, and three consecutive times the Giants exacted revenge.
It really looked as though New York was a team of destiny. The same Giants defense that allowed 76 points in two games to the reviled Dallas Cowboys during the regular season, somehow shutting down the prolific offense to seal the Divisional round win while holding their NFC East rivals to just 17 points. Lawrence Tynes, blocking out the eternal condemnation that awaited him, drilling the game-winner and stomping on the hearts of Packers fans. To say the Giants' playoff path was improbable would be a vast understatement, to say the least.
But those three wins combined can't measure up to the satisfaction of the team's triumph over the Patriots. Where do you start? There are so many things that made this win so thrilling, so euphoric. Of course, a Super Bowl win is incredible, regardless of the opponent. However, this particular championship was made extra special because of the circumstances.
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