Monday, February 6, 2012

Champions


Where to even begin?

The Giants have done it again. Four years after a run that appeared to be once in a lifetime.

24 hours later and I am still trying to fully digest what has happened, but here are a few thoughts.

Eli Manning now has a legacy. Beyond "super clutch" I don't know quite what it is, but I know he no longer deserves being compared to his brother, or anyone. He's his own man, and has his own special chapter in NFL history.

Tom Coughlin is a Hall of Fame coach. I say that for lack of a better term, because the Hall of Fame itself is so arbitrary and has Peter King voting on it. But needless to say, Coughlin isn't on the hot seat anymore. Nor can anyone question whether his players love playing for him, and can still be reached by his methods.

Like I said, for me it's still sinking in, but there is a strange feeling at this point. After being all-in for an entire season that was never short on drama, there is no game next Sunday. No heavily favored opponent. No confident yet nervous feelings leading up to the game. No superstitions. (I can now cut my hair, wash my Sunday t-shirt, and not insist certain people are seated next to me while watching the game.) It's really over. 32 teams, and the Giants were the ones left standing. Again.

Yes, there is no game next Sunday. No game for about six months, in fact. Somehow though, with the tape of this game that I'll probably watch a few times over again, I think I'll make it through the long spring and summer.

(Actually, I'll be able to enjoy it more the second time, after having been too on-edge to do so while it was happening.)

Finally, on another personal note, I couldn't have picked a better year to really immerse myself in a Giants season like never before. I tried to write almost every week, and by the 2nd half of the season, Drew and I had the podcast going almost every week. This all has been a blast, and thanks for coming along on the journey with me.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

They got it right

I was quite critical of the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year when Curtis Martin, the NFL's 4th all-time leading rusher, was passed up for enshrinement. And while it's still a year late, they deserve a small amount of credit for doing the right thing and voting him in this year.

Curtis was remarkably consistent and durable, a great all-around back who could catch and block with the best of them, and according to just about anyone who knows him, is a great human being.

Congratulations to Curtis Martin for now being recognized as one of the greatest players who ever lived - a distinction that most of us who watched him play, knew all along.