Giant Football Blog

Giants blessed having second Super Bowl in four years

Beyond all the hype and all the glitz and all the spectacle that the event has come to signify, this all comes down to something much simpler than the grandiose buildup that precedes it.

This is all about the dream.

"It's what you think about coming up as a kid, through high school, through college, on a big stage like this," Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks said. "Anyone that plays football, this is the game you dream about. When you get that chance, that's what it's all about."

That chance has arrived for Nicks and the Giants. It's a team that might never have imagined this moment during all the turbulent times of a year filled with injuries and roster questions, the surprise first-half surge and the subsequent four-game losing streak, and then the late-season surge that made them think that maybe, just maybe, this day was possible.

And here it is: Giants-Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium. A chance for Nicks and every other player on the field to make their dream come true. This is what they play for, and the moment is to be cherished.

"If you play this game long enough, you realize how precious each season is and how precious these opportunities are," Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. "You don't know if you're going to get another chance." (continue)

Old School Tom doesn't mind the trash talk

Tom Coughlin has heard plenty of big talk from his players during the run-up to Super Bowl XLVI. He also hasn’t forgotten that Tom Brady kicked the week off by doing some talking, too.

Though the Giants downplayed it all week, Coughlin clearly took notice of what Brady said at a pep rally back in Foxborough last Sunday when he told the crowd of 25,000, “Hopefully we have a lot more people at our party next weekend.” It was trash talk in its mildest form.

And Coughlin said the constant chatter coming from his players all week long wasn’t any worse.

“I know that there are one or two quotes out there, but to be honest with you, I don’t know that either one of them is any different than Tom Brady’s quotes,” Coughlin said Friday at his final press conference before Super Bowl Sunday. “I think it’s just a matter of our team has played good football against great football teams. (continue)

Pressure on Brady key to Super Bowl victory for Giants

 The Giants weren't happy with their pass rush against Tom Brady when they played the Patriots in November. They had only two sacks and were credited with only three quarterback hits.

But that doesn't mean they weren't effective. In fact, JPP, who had one sack, said they were in Brady's head more than they were in his face.

"It's like he felt us," Pierre-Paul said Thursday. "When we looked back on the film, we watched the film, and we didn't really rush like we can rush as a defense. He was throwing balls on the ground and stuff."

Brady was shaky. He completed 28 of 49 passes for 342 yards, but he threw two interceptions and many of his incompletions were uncharacteristically ugly. Pierre-Paul said that was because he was reacting to pressure that wasn't really there. (continue)

 

Giants are as healthy as they have been all year

In this week of prognosticating, Tom Coughlin is 0-for-1 on his predictions.

And he’s surely plenty fine with that.

Though the Giants' coach said earlier today Ahmad Bradshaw wouldn’t practice, it turns out he did. The running back was limited in the first session here in Indy. It’s unclear at this point if he’ll take the next two days off and continue the once-per-week schedule he’s maintained since returning from a stress fracture in his foot earlier this season.

With Bradshaw on the field, the Giants had all 53 players on the roster practicing, though four other players were limited: wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (shoulder), defensive end Osi Umenyiora (ankle/knee), cornerback Corey Webster (hamstring) and linebacker Jacquian Williams (foot). (continue)

 

Mara always had Reese's back

The critics questioned his every move, but there was one very important person still standing in Jerry Reese's corner.

Giants owner John Mara spoke highly of his general manager Tuesday, highlighting Reese's leadership skills and his unwavering confidence in his vision for the franchise.

When the Giants were 7-7, it seemed all hope was lost. But as always, Reese saw an opportunity; one he knew his players wouldn't squander.

"I can't say there were a lot of people, with the exception of maybe our general manager, who thought we were going to be here," Mara told a small group of reporters at media day.

Reese, as Mara put it, is the eternal optimist, the guy who believes the Giants will weather adversity and win, even when it seems unlikely. (continue)

 

Manningham vs Edelman

Mario Manningham wasn’t trying to trash talk — or at least he said he wasn’t. But the Giants’ wideout also couldn’t hide his excitement, either.

When Manningham takes the Lucas Oil Stadium field next Sunday against the New England Patriots, he knows that he might see Juian Edelman line up against him. And to Manningham, that’s a matchup that he should own.

“I hope he’s out there when we play them,” Manningham said, according to a report in the Boston Herald on Friday. “I don’t want to sound like, you know what I mean. To our advantage, I hope he’s out there.”

It will likely happen at some point, because Edelman, a regular wideout, has spent the past two months moonlighting as a nickel back for a Pats secondary that has battled injuries and inefficiency all season. The third-year pro has rarely looked out of place at corner, but he struggled in the AFC title game win over the Ravens, giving up four catches to Baltimore’s Anquan Boldin. (continue)

Manningham vs Edelman

Mario Manningham wasn’t trying to trash talk — or at least he said he wasn’t. But the Giants’ wideout also couldn’t hide his excitement, either.

When Manningham takes the Lucas Oil Stadium field next Sunday against the New England Patriots, he knows that he might see Juian Edelman line up against him. And to Manningham, that’s a matchup that he should own.

“I hope he’s out there when we play them,” Manningham said, according to a report in the Boston Herald on Friday. “I don’t want to sound like, you know what I mean. To our advantage, I hope he’s out there.”

It will likely happen at some point, because Edelman, a regular wideout, has spent the past two months moonlighting as a nickel back for a Pats secondary that has battled injuries and inefficiency all season. The third-year pro has rarely looked out of place at corner, but he struggled in the AFC title game win over the Ravens, giving up four catches to Baltimore’s Anquan Boldin. (continue)

Giants will make use of extra week off

Last week the Giants couldn't wait to play the 49ers. JPP said that he was ready to do so the minute they beat the Packers and others noted that it felt like a long week of waiting for the NFC Championship Game to roll around.

Now they have two weeks to wait until Super Bowl XLVI. That must be killing them, no?

Actually, a few are relishing the break. "I have to be honest with you, I'm not too antsy," said Antrel Rolle, whose very first words at his first Super Bowl news conference on Tuesday were an unprintable expletive mumbled under his breath but audible enough to show just how tired he was. "This last stretch has been an exhausting one, a lot of hard work. You're just putting everything to the side for these five games, which was very much needed. It took a lot of mental space, as well as physical pounding and doing whatever it took to get to this point. And you know, once we're here, we're not going to stop now. So I'm going to enjoy this little time off, and once we come back to work on Thursday, I will be ready and full speed." (continue)

 

Eli joining elite company

Eli Manning will become the 19th quarterback to start multiple Super Bowls, but he wants to be on the list with 10 names: The list of quarterbacks who have not only played in but won multiple Super Bowls.

"Having seen my brother win a Super Bowl and seen him lose a Super Bowl, it's no fun just going there and not winning, I can tell you that," Manning said in his weekly spot on 1050 ESPN Radio Monday. "I don't want to experience that." 

Giants-Patriots rematch after OT victory over 49ers

Lawrence Tynes came running off the field after another overtime field goal, his index finger high in the misty air and pointing straight to another Super Bowl.

It all seemed so deliriously familiar to the erupting Giants on the sideline, who once again await the New England Patriots after a 20-17 overtime victory on Sunday night to advance to Super Bowl XLVI.

Even Tom Coughlin admitted resisting comparisons to the Giants’ Super Bowl victory four years ago over the Pats is now futile, and there’s no avoiding comparisons to the Giants’ glorious past. These Giants, once on the brink of a “historical” collapse, are now on the verge of history.

“It is kind of eerie,” said defensive end Justin Tuck. “We tried to downplay it all along, but I’d be lying to you if I said it didn’t feel like 2007.”

“It’s pretty similar,” added Giants co-owner John Mara. “Let’s hope it stays that way.”

They’ll have a chance to make sure it does on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis when the Giants (12-7) face the AFC champion Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII — one of the greatest Super Bowls in history. And just like they did four years ago, they set that up that showdown with an overtime field goal by Tynes on the road. (continue)