I scream for sports: 4 years ago again, not quite but Giants are champs.

New York Giants showed their muscles in defeating the New England Patriots 21-17. What does this mean? Giants have the worst season record of all time in a 16 game season 9-7 to win a Super Bowl. Meanwhile for the Patriots, Quarterback Tom Brady is closer to the end compared to being in his prime when the Patriots won teams last Super Bowl verses the Philadelphia Eagles at the end of the 2004 season. Also any doubts of Giants quarterback Eli Manning as a leader and a manipulator in the line of scrimmage should be erased even though many fans will always compare Eli to second older brother Peyton.

Four years ago the Patriots had carried the world of hate like Talpa did in the Ronin Warriors to fuel the team psychologically after “The Spygate” scandal which turned the respectable franchise to nothing more than villains in the eye of sports fans. Giants at that time were just fighting off the Washington Redskins for a playoff spot….both teams eventually did reach the playoffs. Giants ended up stunning hated NFC East rival the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Playoff just 2 weeks after throwing kitchen sinks and everything else trying to stop the Patriots perfection crusade 16-0 fell short 38-35 in 2007 regular season finale.

Patriots at the same time were planning on humiliating the Jacksonville Jaguars not that long after a resounding win verses the Pittsburgh Steelers in the snow. Patriots did humiliate the Jaguars upside down including a pump fake statue of liberty by Tom Brady spelled down for Jaguars secondary. Patriots in the AFC Championship game struggle with the injury written San Diego Chargers. The Patriots this time around were a touchdown pass and a clock malfunction verses the Baltimore Ravens to losing AFC Championship game.

Yes the same 2 teams played in Super Bowl 46 last night, but the circumstances are different. Eli was just a naïve kid of a quarterback who is the younger brother of Cooper and Peyton as Tom Brady was not that long removed lead the Patriots to a dynasty to start the 2000’s. In Super Bowl 42 there was a miracle scramble out of the grasp by Eli and the concentration of then Giants wide receiver David Tyree to catch the ball using his hand to keep the ball pinned to his helmet. No miracle this time around, a perfect thrown pass by Eli in a short window late in the 4^th quarter to wide receiver Mario Manningham.

Giants had a cliffhanger of a game in the cold rain 23-20 in overtime to reach Super Bowl 46. A week earlier in the NFC Divisional round the Giants won in dominating fashion 37-20 versus the Green Bay Packers. In defeat to the Giants the Packers became the first team to have a 15-1 record and losses NFC Divisional round. Giants defeated Packers in Brett Favre’s swan song as his final game as the quarterback in Green Bay in 2007 NFC Championship game.

As a loyal Philadelphia Eagles fan since 1995 it is hard to understand how did they missed the playoffs by 1 game, but the Giants made unprecedented run to finish the 2011 season. Giants had an easy schedule as the team had a 6-2 record, then after defeating the Patriots in Foxboro the schedule became harder just as it always have been every year for some reason as the team sunk to 7-7. Giants came from an incomplete pass from Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo to wide receiver Miles Austin from missing postseason play, also were swept in season series to NFC East division foe the Washington Redskins. In the following week the Giants were pushed to the edge by MetLife Stadium co-tenants the New York Jets which enabled the team to defeat the Dallas Cowboys yet again in the following week to win NFC East title with 9-7 record. Eli Manning’s story isn’t finished yet, but Tom Brady’s story might have changed as I see both of these guys playing quarterback.

Giants had a poor record and sometimes their confidence was arrogant throughout the season but the Giants showed precision and toughness when the 2011 NFL season ended as Super Bowl champions.

Pictures of the day