To quote Sidney Deane, "The sun even shines on a dog's ass some days. Anybody can win the lottery." I wish it were that simple. If it was, the widespread disappointment resulting from Sunday's upset wouldn't sting nearly as badly. But this wasn't merely a matter of luck. The Giants played a better football game than the Patriots, and that is why New England finished 18-1 instead of the undefeated 19-0 most fans across the country were expecting. Losing is not something Pats fans have been accustomed to in recent times, especially this season, which saw them set numerous offensive records en route to becoming the first team to run the table in the regular season since the famed '72 Dolphins.
Fans could be forgiven for expecting a Patriot's championship. So could the commentators, sportswriters, odds-makers, player relatives, and food vendors. But the coaches and players needed to be held to a higher standard, which isn't to say they played with a lack of urgency because of personal expectations. But they did seem lackluster in Arizona, especially compared to the Giants, who played as if they were the ones on the verge of history. This is not the reputation of the Patriot players or Bill Belichick, who is often credited for being the most prepared and disciplined coach in the league. Having faced New York in week 17 and beaten the Giants, who gave arguably their strongest performance to that point, many (myself included) didn't think the Super Bowl would be all that close. The Pats had been exposed to everything NY could throw at them already, and had those interminable 2 weeks of preparation that NFL schedule makers dictated. For the record, there is no less exciting time in sports than the week after the league championship series, when there is basically nothing to talk about that won't get repeated 894 times more before kick-off on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Giants offense did not play a great game. If we knew ahead of time that they would only score 17 points, everyone would've picked the Pats to win. But I tip my hat to the Giant's defense. They overpowered New England's offensive line time and time again, rushing Tom Brady into poor throws and knocking him on his ass. While not accustomed to this type of pressue, one wonders if Brady's physical condition was worse than the Pats let on. He looked angry and somewhat rattled for much of evening, missing receivers on more than 1 occassion.
Truthfully, Eli Manning didn't play a great game either, and could've been picked off repeatedly during the Giant's final drive. You often hear post-game questions such as, "Did the losing team lose the game, or did the winning team win it." Both were in evidence on Sunday, and Pats fans have been left pondering a series of what-ifs. What if Belichick settled for a field goal on 4th and 13? What if Assante Samuel picked Eli? What if Manning went down when the blitz had him seemingly covered in all directions? What if David Tyree hadn't made the miraculous catch of the season, pinning the ball against his helmet? Yes, all these things could've happened, and yes, the Pats defense could've ended the game at least 5 times on the final New York drive. But they didn't. They gave the game away, while the Giants took it away at the same time. Manning to Tyree instantly became one of the 5 greatest plays in Super Bowl history, though it all would've been for nothing if Manning didn't find Plaxico Burress in the end zone with 35 seconds left. If he hadn't, then we'd be talking about Brady leading another game winning drive in the Super Bowl. Al Pacino said it best in Any Given Sunday; "Life is just a game of inches. So is football. Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small. I mean, one half step too late or too early, you don't quite make it. One half second too slow or too fast, you don't quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They are in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team, we fight for that inch." (I'm getting goose-bumps just typing that speech). Unfortunately, I can't help feeling that the Giants were a little bit hungrier and fought just a little bit harder for that inch on Sunday.
Which leaves us pondering the Patriot's place in history. Let's put one thing to rest immediately. Ignore the morons who now proclaim the 2007 Patriots were no better than the 43rd best team in N.F.L. history. You don't fall from an inarguable 1st place to 43rd because of 2 minutes of missed opportunities. You just don't. I suspect there are New England players, participants in all 4 recent Pats Superbowls, who if asked which team was the best would indeed pick this one. Not now of course, but maybe in 5 years, which is the time it seemingly takes to heal many fans. Remember, this Patriots team was truly dominant. This was the team that scored more points in a season than any other. This was the team that gained more offensive yards than any other. This was the team that saw it's star QB and wideout (Randy Moss) sets records at their positions. And this was the team that went 18-0 prior to the final seconds of the final game of the season.
The party where I watched the game evaporated just seconds after Brady's final heave on 4th down. I feared the host might jump off his 10th story balcony. The T-ride home was so quiet that a visitor could've been forgiven for assumming our public transportation system was still in it's testing stage, not yet ready for the general public to use. I suspect this was the prevailing mood throughout the area. Personally, I was disappointed, but it wasn't the worst I've felt following a sporting event, as many WEEI callers have claimed this to be. I have more or less recovered from the Giant's upset days after the fact, whereas I still feel in my bones what it was like when Aaron Boone hit that towering shot of Tim Wakefield in game 7 in 2003. I'm not as angry with Belichick for going for it on 4th and 13 as I was with Grady Little for sticking with Pedro Martinez in the 8th inning. That was almost 5 years ago.
But to each his own. While I admit the Pats are 3rd in my heart when it comes to local sport's teams (with the Celtics a run-away top-choice and the Red Sox a strong 2nd), I fully understand and sympathize with fans who can't let this one go. For what it's worth, the Patriots could very well be as great in 2008 as they were in 2007. A return to the SuperBowl is well within their reach. Hopefully, they'll lose once of twice before the big game though, just to remind us that anything is possible.
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