Link (That’s me.)

My good friend Mr. O’Stevens and I have discussed becoming the hosts of our very own sports talk show for quite sometime now. However, I suppose before we get our hands dirty with radio or TV/Internet mediums, we might as well work with the written word first. My blog is as good a place to start as any.

The Giants and the Patriots. What a great game! I’ve said it repeatedly, but this is the first Super Bowl in years that kept my interest throughout the game’s entirety. (I even lost interest last year, but that’s just because it’s hard to watch your team get stomped on the sports biggest stage.) I was one of few non-New Yorkers who both rooted for the G-Men and believed that they could pull off what many would consider to be the biggest upset in NFL history. I have some beef with that train of thought. This was no huge upset. The biggest upset in NFL history would have been if the (1-13) Miami Dolphins had defeated the then (14-0) Patriots during week 16. The Giants were good, and possibly the best team of the post season and deserve respect.

My time is short today, but if I had to pick three stories to take from this game, it would be these: redemption, justice, and the underdog.

Redemption. I’m a Bears fan. I’m a big Bears fan. And it’s been hard the last two seasons to watch Rex Grossman. However, I say that because for me, it’s been hard to see someone with so much potential for greatness underperform. But that’s not why it has been so hard for me to watch him, it’s been painful because, instead of rallying behind him, supporting him, and helping him to succeed, the media, the fans, and his teammates were nothing but critical and unsupportive. How can anyone succeed when everyone is betting against him and crying that he be benched . . . permanently.

For the last two years, Eli Manning has had the exact same pressures placed on his back not to mention the obvious heavy burdens of the “Manning” name and the expectations of a demanding city. For the last two years, I’ve heard comments like, “He’s okay. But he’ll never be great.” “He just isn’t Peyton.” “He’ll never be able to handle the pressure and effectively manage the game.” And so on. Last year and earlier in the season, analysts and fans declared that he was finished and it was time for them to move on. He just wasn’t good enough, or so they thought.

What about now? He succeeded where Grossman unfortunately could not. They made it to the Super Bowl, not in spite of him, but because of him. He stood tall at arguably athletics most difficult position in unarguably athletics most stressful game. He led the Giants to victory in Arizona. He was named Super Bowl MVP.

I am compelled but such a story. Seeing someone overcome such odds and such difficulty encourages me to not give up, even when it seems like everyone is against me. I think we all could learn from that.

Justice. I don’t think I’m alone in this sentiment, but something about the Patriots just bothered me this last season. Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate a good team, even a dominating team, but there was just something about Belichick and his Pats that just didn’t sit well with me: running up the score, clearly unnecessary fourth-down attempts, and sometimes what seemed to be a smug attitude.

Last night, during the 3rd quarter, when the Pats decided to go for it on fourth-and-long instead of attempting a 40+ yard Gostkowski field goal, I turned to Mr. O’Stevens and said, “Wouldn’t it be great if they lost by 3? Poetic considering all the unnecessary fourth down attempts that Bill Belichick has called this last season.”

Poetic justice indeed. The Pats lost by three and that field goal sure would have been helpful in a game where every point, every play, every opportunity mattered.

The Underdog. Who doesn’t love a good underdog story? This story, while in my words “not-the-biggest-upset-in-NFL-history” is still a great underdog story. The NFC Wild Card versus the Undisputed, Undefeated AFC Champion. All the analysts and all the casual fans had counted them out. But they didn’t count themselves out, and I suppose that’s what mattered.

The Giants (especially their defensive front) out-worked, out-fought, and all around out-toughed the Patriots. The Giants desire and grittiness was (in my mind) illustrated by an unforgettable and game-changing Manning effort on a pivotal third down. Where one moment, it seems like Eli is sacked and the Giants wind has been knocked out of the them, the next moment Eli erupts from a mass of blue and white jerseys and launches a 30+ yard pass to his WR Tyree. 4 plays later: Eli connects with Plaxico Burress for a game winning touchdown.

Who cares what the experts say? Who cares what the rest of the world thinks? Believe in yourself, do your best, and you’d be amazed at what you can do. Don’t give up.

Well, this has been my post-class distraction, and now I’m going to “not give up” for the remainder of the night on writing an appellate brief that’s due this Friday.