To this day, not many people will be honest about which NFL seasons/superbowls were actually among the greatest of all time. Between the Miami Dolphins failed bid to win just one game out of their 0-16 run and the New Englands Patriots captivating undefeated 18-0 run up until the grand finale, 2007 - 08' was one of the most prolific seasons in NFL history. The end of the year was capped off with the greatest Superbowl upset of all time.
Coming off the heels of his older brother's first super title victory the year before, Eli Manning led the 2007 New York Giants (9-7) on the ride of a lifetime. The New York Giants 2007- 08' victory run was something out of a story-tale. I remember the game like it was yesterday ; I was in my freshman year of high school and I couldn't wait until the next morning after the superbowl to go to school to talk smack with my friends, especially being the only kid who believed the Giants could win. The night of the superbowl I stayed up past my curfew to witness the Giants seal the deal late in the 4th quarter only a few plays after David Tyree, a New York Giants wide-receiver, caught a hail mary pass from Eli Manning in the middle of the field using just one hand and the back of his helmet. Not only did I shed tears of joy for that moment but I also catch goosebumps whenever I relive the plays and the ending of superbowl 42.
What was most memorable to me was the fact that the New England Patriots came into the superbowl undefeated at 18-0 and had previously beat the Giants in a narrow 38-35 victory at the Giants home field in order to complete their perfect regular season at 16-0. I had every reason to doubt the Giants after they had clawed their way to the Superbowl for a rematch, but I kept faith. It seemed as though everything that could of made the New York Giants's crazy run almost impossible had disappeared in the blink of eye ... forever thanks to an unrelenting New York Giant's Defense led by Michael Strahan and a resilient offense led by the Superbowl MVP Quarterback, Eli Manning.
Part 2: Superbowl XLVI
Is Eli Manning an elite Quarterback? : "Yeah I think I am..."
Are you in the same class as Brady? : "Yeah I consider myself in that class." - Eli Manning
Just four years later, at the end of the 2011 season the New York Giants (10-6) and New England Patriots (13-3) would once again meet in the superbowl that set the stage for another wild 4th quarter victory by New York. In typical New York Giants fashion, the team had become the first team in NFL history to win a superbowl after losing 4 straight games in the regular season. In many ways this superbowl was even more special to me as this time I happened to attend college in Indiana which made it easy for me to attend the Indianapolis Superbowl Convention (with the superbowl being hosted in Indianapolis 1 week later). Being from New York it meant a lot to me to feel as if I were sharing the same vicinity of my football heroes. Although four years had passed since their last superbowl victory, not much had changed about the New York Giants as a team; they were still looked at as underdogs, the defense was still tough, and Eli Manning remained as cool, calm, and unpredictable of a quarterback as ever. And so it was here in Indianapolis where I got to relish in some of New York Giant football greatness.
To be amongst others who shared the same passion of being a New York Giant football fan was truly something special. During my time at the superbowl convention I also got to zipline across one building to another and gain access to ESPN coverage sets. All in all it made for an entertaining time.
What made my experience even better was going back to campus the next week to watch the Giants win over the Patriots for a second superbowl - marking the second time the Giants have one a superbowl when I was a freshman in school (both in high school and in college).
So if you had to ask me, which superbowl was the most compelling? I'd choose superbowl 42. But which superbowl was the better experience for me? I'd choose superbowl 46 because I got to feel like I was apart of history even though I couldn't afford to be at the actual superbowl.
What is your favorite superbowl(s)? Or your favorite teams?
Thanks for reading.
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