A Patriotic Postmortem
How the Giants Humbled the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII
The New York Giants took an arrogant New England Pats squad to the woodshed in SuperBowl XLII.
The New York Giants executed a virtually flawless game plan to upend the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII – and a perfect plan was exactly what was required to beat the almost perfect Patsies.
The Patriots swaggered into the game, smug and arrogant, completing forgoing the humility they’d often claimed to cloak themselves with throughout the team’s 18-0 run. New York rectified the Pats’ change of attitude with a serious attitude adjustment.
In the days leading up to the NFL’s biggest annual contest, analysis pieces published on Suite101 outlined blueprints the Giants needed to precisely follow, and, generally speaking, that’s just what New York did.
First and foremost, the Giants pressured Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady – the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2007 – all evening long. He had to rush upwards of 20 passes and was sacked five (count ‘em…five!) times. Although Pro-Bowler defensive end Osi Umenyiora didn’t register a single sack, fellow defensive ends Justin Tuck (2) and Michael Strahan (1) sacked Brady three times between them.
The individual Giants who needed to come up big, did so, and with a vengeance. New York’s defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo scripted a terrific plan to negate New England’s record setting passing game, mixing up coverages, blitzes and pass rushes. He crafted a program that nullified the Patriots’ attack. And the Giants’ offense also proved up to the task, scoring just enough points to beat New England, befuddling the Patriots’ defense when it counted most.
By the time the smoke cleared, New York left New England’s quest for a perfect season in abject ashes.
The Patriots appeared listless from the opening kickoff, and the vaunted defensive machinations on the part of New England head coach Bill Belichick and the highly acclaimed offensive scripts drafted by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel all went for naught. But not only did the Pats fail to field effective plans to open Super Bowl XLII, they inexplicably failed to make comprehensive adjustments as the game wore on.
For some reason, in spite of his previous failure to adequately cover New York wide receiver Plaxico Burress, the Pats left single coverage up to cornerback Ellis Hobbs. It was Burress who left Hobbs flatfooted to catch the 13-yard touchdown pass that won the game with 35 seconds remaining. All-Pro New England cornerback Asante Samuel was nowhere to be found. Yet, in fairness to the Patriots’ secondary, Burress pulled down but two passes in the contest.
The Pats failed to capitalize on Giants’ miscues, and repeatedly couldn’t close the deal and make plays when the game’s outcome was on the line. Samuel blew a pick that would’ve preserved a Pats’ victory, and a bevy of defensive linemen let New York QB Eli Manning twist away and complete a 34-yard-long pass to wideout David Tyree. Tyree trapped the ball between his hands and his helmet, with Pats’ safety Rodney Harrison failing to jog the ball from its precarious perch.
The bottom line: The New York Giants put a world of hurt on the now-humbled Patriots.
