"So Near and Yet So Far"

“SO NEAR AND YET SO FAR” By Jesse M. Reyes

The New England Patriots were favored to win Superbowl XLII. More importantly, they were gunning for a perfect season with this victory, having gone 18-0 in the regular season. Not since the Miami Dolphins did it in 1972, had a team with a perfect season gone on to win the Superbowl.

In the 4th quarter, after Randy Moss had just caught a touchdown pass from Tom Brady to give New England the lead, only 12 minutes separated this team from historic glory and immortality. But the New York Giants, led by “cool Eli” Manning had other ideas. What ensued in the next 12 minutes denied the Patriots a spotless record and gave the Giants an improbable upset victory.

It started with what turned out to be arguably the play of the game, when on third down-and-5, Manning escaped being sacked by Patriots’ defensive end Richard Seymour with a spinning move and then throwing a 32-yard high arching pass that Giants wide receiver David Tyree remarkably caught. From then on the Giants marched towards the goal, capping their 83-yard drive with a game winning touchdown pass from Manning to Plexico Burress to complete one of the most dramatic upsets in Superbowl history.

The game was never easy for the Patriots—not by any stretch of the imagination. The Giants came to Phoenix much more prepared for the game than New England was, or so it seemed. Brady was sacked 5 times and was hurried for a dozen more, the Giants blitzing him all night. But it was Eli Manning’s cool composure,converting on crucial plays that sealed the game and earned him MVP honors in the end. When Terry Bradshaw asked him after the game, “Did you have any doubt that you could do it with 12 minutes left and 83 yards to go?” His answer was a resounding “No”. It was sweet relief for Manning, the much criticized, much analyzed New York Giants’ quarterback. He had the most interceptions for a quarterback this season. The Giants march to the Superbowl began in their last regular season game, ironically against the Patriots, whom they almost defeated. They never looked back after that, winning all their post-season games against Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay, all of these victories on the road and eventually against New England for the Superbowl championship.

Someone said that “New England came to this game undefeated but New York came undaunted.” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said, “These players deserved to win. They never gave up.” New England coach Bill Belichek was noticeably quite upset and would only offer short one-sentence answers during the post-game interview. He felt that the 3rd down defense by the Giants was key to their victory.

And to think that perfection was within the Patriot’s grasp, only to be snatched away in the waning moments of the game, was difficult for New England to accept. Yogi Berra’s “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over” came true again.