The talk on sports radio this week was how foolish Tom Coughlin would be if he played his started against the New England Patriots, risking injury and a loss in the wild card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Bucs.  I listened to this drivel, but knew that Coughlin would never consider blowing off a game.  This was football.  You just go out and play.

It’s been hard being a Giants fan.  Sure, they have the occasional great quarter of football, but they haven’t play a great game since they beat the Minnesota Vikings 41-0 in the 2001 playoffs.  When they win, it’s ugly.  It’s by the skin of their teeth.

Eli Manning hasn’t been as bad a quarterback as most people say.  The problem is that he’s not as good as everyone hoped.  He’s a Manning, but he’s no Peyton.  He does a yeoman’s job week after week, but he will never be a franchise player.  There will be no songs about him when he’s gone.

There were the Ray Handley years, with the ridiculous looking “Authentic Giants NFL Clothing” and losing.  This was the hardest time I can recall being a Giants fan. 

There have been bright spots over the years.  Tiki was a great player, despite the criticism of his off-field comments.  Lawrence Taylor was in a league of his own, but it’s been a very long time since he dumped Joe Theisman.



It’s unlikely that the NFL will ever have another Lawrence Taylor.  Michael Strahan comes close, but is not quite the powerhouse that Taylor presented on defense.  While the Giants defense has done well sacking quarterbacks this year, and Oci is poised to replace Strahan, it will always be in the tradition of Taylor.

Last night, the Giants played the Patriots.  If the Giants won, the game would be good for a week of sports radio talk and then forgotten.  Nobody cares about a team that almost had a perfect season.  It only matters if they accomplished it.  They did.  Brady is possibly the most likable guy who ever led a team.  Like Joe Montana, without flash.  He just seems to work hard, keep his head down, and push through whatever wall is in front of him to win games.  It is in the best tradition of the game.  He is a great quarterback.

But there will be plenty of people extolling Brady’s virtues.  Today is for the Giants.  Their 38-35 loss to the Pats was the best football the Giants have played in years.  More importantly, it was the best football they have played, and it was against a great team.  I could not have been prouder of the Giants.

They came to play, and play they did.  The focus and energy and will were palpable.  They aren’t the most talented football team around, and as already noted, they are led by a quarterback who will never meet expectations.  But they rose to the occasion.  They played above themselves.  They played this “meaningless” game like they were real football players.  It was thrilling to watch.

Sure, there was that one series in the fourth quarter where the old Giants were back.  Eli dropped the snap.  Toomer dropped the pass.  Eli floated one for an interception.  Eli waste two out of the last four minutes doing . . . nothing.  But they played football.  A whole game of it. 

The best team won the game.  Of this, there can be no doubt.  The Patriots are a great team, and may well prove to be the best team of all-time if they can parlay their perfect season into a Super Bowl win.  But the New York Football Giants won the Big Game too, by proving that they are better than they really are, and showing the fortitude to play above their abilities in the Big Game.  It was a great game, and I was proud last night to be a Giants fan.