Greatest Spoiler Ever

39 seconds to play, Eli Manning in the shotgun. A roar comes up from the other room. Eli takes the snap, looks left to Plaxico, the defender slips, Eli throws, he’s wide open, TOUCHDOWN!
The big TV screen was set up with the HD feed which started off about a second behind the analog feed, and gradually got slower throughout the game, so that at the end it was at least 6 seconds off, meaning that anyone watching in the other room saw the touchdown before the ball was snapped on the big TV. So I knew the touchdown was coming, and it was still fantastic.
Other thoughts: When the Giants got the ball back after the Patriots took the lead with 2:42 to go, I was still confident. Last year, I would have figured that there was no way they would drive down to win the game, but this year, Eli had led them on game-winning drives several times, and I really did think they could do it. I will admit that my confidence was shaken though when Eli nearly threw the game away on the sidelines, but the Patriots defender couldn’t bring the ball in. Then came the play that will go down as downright legendary in Giants’ history. On third and five, Eli was pressured, and it looked like he was going to get sacked, but somehow he found an elusiveness that he has never had and slipped away. Just long enough to heave the ball down the middle of the field (NO! What a stupid throw) for David Tyree to climb the ladder, pin the ball with one hand against his helmet, and somehow get his second hand over his head on the ball and keep the ball from touching the ground. Amazing freaking play, first down. Then they were in range, and to me, it was only a matter of when they would score. A nice first down pickup on a dumpoff to Steve Smith (who finally caught some key passes in the last two drives after dropping them earlier in the game). And then the TD pass to Burress (From? Michigan State!).
Keys to the game: controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides: getting pressure on Tom Brady, even with a four man rush, while keeping the rush off Eli.
If you had told the Patriots they would hold the Giants to 3 points through 3 quarters, they would have probably said they’d be killing them. And yet the Giants D kept them in it to the end, even if they were dog tired on the second-to-last drive.
Credit to the Giants’ coaching staff. For the last 5 games (four playoff games and the last regular season game against the Pats), they put together superior gameplans, and they WON the games, rather than the opposition losing them.
Amazing. I’m still in shock. But now I have a year of gloating over all the Redskin fans, and that I will do.
New York Giants: Super Bowl XLII champs!