That’s a wrap on this NFL season. Congrats to the New York Giants on winning their second Super Bowl in four years and eighth (league and Super Bowl combined) overall. Eli Manning turned in another Super Bowl MVP performance, this time going 30/40 for 296 yards and a touchdown.
Note: Eli Manning this 2011 playoff season went (4-0) with a completion percentage of 66.4, nine touchdowns and just one interception.
Can’t forget about the defense of the Giants. They were essentially the reason New York went from (9-7) playoff question marks to the newly crowned champs that beat the number one and two seed on the road to do it. Lets put this in perspective folks: The Patriots averaged 28.3 points per game and the Giants held them to 17. That is with Brady turning in a record breaking performance halfway through the game.
Tom Coughlin basically punched his ticket to Canton with this victory on Sunday if he hadn’t done it already. All the man does is bring his teams together and coach solid football. He not only has two Super Bowl victories with the Giants but many forget his work with the expansion Jaguars in taking them to the AFC championship game in their second season of existence and turning in division titles in years three and four of the franchise. The man can coach and I think (like Eli Manning) its time to start recognizing these guys for what they are: an elite QB/coach tandem in the National Football league.
Notes:
- There were no shortage of critics when the Patriots fell on Sunday for the second time to the Giants. My guess is because for so many years Belichick and co. rubbed so many the wrong way. Sympathy usually is reserved for the humble, and for years the Patriots haven’t been that. Examples include Wes Welker going George Carlin with his wordplay about feet, Belichick and spygate, Brady and his uggs…okay that last one was just because. Aside from all of that it is just plain hard to feel for a group that has three titles already and being pretty smug about it. They did play hard during the Super Bowl and you have to give it up to some for knowing how to play hard even after a tough loss.
- Peyton Manning is still in Indianapolis but for how long? Jim Irsay and the iconic Colts quarterback are set to meet this week. My bet is it will be to let number 18 know how thankful they are for his services but its time to part ways. In some ways its sad seeing the end of the Manning era in Indy because, like many legends, he is known in a Colts uniform. But as I stated previously on this blog it is a business; and my hunch says Manning will be free to walk by the end of the week.
