The confetti has settled and the New York Giants have defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI by a final score of 21-17. It’s the second time in four seasons that the Giants have defeated the Patriots on the game’s biggest stage, this time in slightly less dramatic fashion than the last. Big Blue brings home a fourth Lombardi trophy (XXI, XXV, XLII).
Eli is heading to the Hall
There can no longer be any doubt: Eli Manning is an elite quarterback. The youngest Manning stepped out from behind brother Peyton’s shadow once and for all and cemented his place in football lore. He joins vanquished opponent Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger as the only active quarterbacks with two Super Bowl victories. Manning was masterful in the playoffs, completing 106 of 163 passes with nine touchdowns and only one interception. If he continues to play at a high level for at least another five seasons (which would put him at age 36), he will finish his career with top-ten numbers in many major passing categories. He will be a Hall of Famer.
The Giants are built to win again
With a tremendously strong core of young players and few key losses in free agency expected, there is no reason to believe that the Giants won’t compete for back-to-back titles. The Giants’ list of impending free agents includes receiver Mario Manningham, tackle Kareem McKenzie, cornerbacks Terrell Thomas and Aaron Ross, linebackers Jonathan Goff and Chase Blackburn and punter Steve Weatherford. In recent years, the Giants have made keeping their own players a priority, so a least a few of the above names are likely to return. Manningham is likely to be the most significant loss in free agency (it was his incredible catch that put the Giants in position to score the game-winning points), but the Giants are deep at wide receiver and have shown a knack for finding talent at the position (emerging superstar Victor Cruz was undrafted). The Giants may explore trading defensive end Osi Umenyiora, as he’s entering the final year of his contract and is expected to want a raise that the Giants will be unlikely to grant. The emergence of Jason Pierre-Paul as one of the league’s best defensive players would make losing Umenyiora a lot easier to stomach.
Brady knows he may never be back
Tom Brady was the last player to leave the Patriots’ locker room following the game. Reporters present say that he sat with a towel on his head, starting at the wall for ten minutes. He was almost non-responsive, even to team owner Robert Kraft’s words of condolence. Brady’s wife vented after the game with a profane outburst and his head coach was back to his terse, guarded self when answering questions. Brady was just sad. He’ll be 35 years old at the start of the 2012 season and he knows how difficult it is to make it to the Super Bowl. It has been nearly a decade since his last win in the big game and his career mortality is staring him in the face. One more win would solidify his case for being the best of all time, but his shot at that one win is slipping away.
Get ready for Giants vs. Packers on Thursday, September 6
The NFL always opens the season with a Thursday night game featuring the defending Super Bowl champions at home. Traditionally, this is a game featuring a non-divisional opponent. In 2011, the season opener pitted the two most recent Super Bowl winners, the Packers and Saints, against each other at Lambeau Field. The Giants are scheduled to face the Packers at home in 2012, so it’s a very good bet that this will be the game that opens the 2012 season. Yes, it’s okay to look ahead to that game already.
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