Monday, January 21, 2008
"He's Got Heart"
That's what Giants coach Tom Coughlin told Archie Manning about his son, Eli Manning, in what was surely a deliberate allusion to Gene Hackman in The Replacements, one of the great football movies.
I am still reveling in the Giants victory. They weren't supposed to win. They were playing legendary Green Bay in the "football cathedral"—can we ban that expression, please?—Lambeau Field, they couldn't handle the -20 temps the way the Packers could, Brett Favre was just too good and Green Bay was having a "storybook" season.
Nobody gave the Giants a shot.
Well, the Giants have now set a football record for winning on the road—10 straight—they never looked rattled by the crowd or the cold (and, shoot, watching on TV, I was rattled by the crowd—when they chanted, "Go, Pack, Go!", it was loud), and Eli Manning outplayed Brett Favre. That last interception Favre threw was a terrible pass, and frankly, he looked throughout like he was having a rougher time of the temperature than Manning was.
Plus, how about that Plaxico Burress? He was unstoppable all day, catching 11 passes, and not because the coverage was bad; I thought that catch where he went up with his hands facing the quarterback, tipped the ball, turned to face the end zone and caught the ball around his waist even as he was running was one of the most remarkable catches I've ever seen.
Kind of looks like it's the Giants who are having a storybook season now, doesn't it? (And just as an aside, that was really a heck of a football game, wasn't it?)
So it's off to play the Pats. Who could be confident of victory against New England? Not me. I'm sure the Giants again will be huge underdogs, and they should be. They're just a ragtag collection of no-name players—just one Giant made it to the Pro Bowl, as opposed to a dozen Cowboys. (And where are the Cowboys now?) They have a punter who's played for 20 years without making it to the Super Bowl, a quarterback overshadowed by his older brother, a wide receiver playing all year on a sprained ankle, a cornerback playing with a shoulder that keeps popping out of its socket. They have lost three starters (Jeremy Shockey, anyone?) to broken legs.
But the Giants have heart.
After all, it was the Giants who came closest to beating the Pats during the regular season. And Tom Brady threw three interceptions yesterday. And the Patriots didn't really look that awesome against a Chargers team depleted by injuries. And New England will have much more pressure on them than the Giants will.
I'm talking myself into hope, I know. But you should too. Because any human being with a soul—with, yes, a heart—will be rooting for the Giants on Super Bowl Sunday—not the bloodless, automaton, not-averse-to-cheating, Bill-Belichick-is-a-genius-but-what-a-jerk Patriots.
Go Giants!
Victory. ¶ 8:18 AM
I am still reveling in the Giants victory. They weren't supposed to win. They were playing legendary Green Bay in the "football cathedral"—can we ban that expression, please?—Lambeau Field, they couldn't handle the -20 temps the way the Packers could, Brett Favre was just too good and Green Bay was having a "storybook" season.
Nobody gave the Giants a shot.
Well, the Giants have now set a football record for winning on the road—10 straight—they never looked rattled by the crowd or the cold (and, shoot, watching on TV, I was rattled by the crowd—when they chanted, "Go, Pack, Go!", it was loud), and Eli Manning outplayed Brett Favre. That last interception Favre threw was a terrible pass, and frankly, he looked throughout like he was having a rougher time of the temperature than Manning was.
Plus, how about that Plaxico Burress? He was unstoppable all day, catching 11 passes, and not because the coverage was bad; I thought that catch where he went up with his hands facing the quarterback, tipped the ball, turned to face the end zone and caught the ball around his waist even as he was running was one of the most remarkable catches I've ever seen.
Kind of looks like it's the Giants who are having a storybook season now, doesn't it? (And just as an aside, that was really a heck of a football game, wasn't it?)
So it's off to play the Pats. Who could be confident of victory against New England? Not me. I'm sure the Giants again will be huge underdogs, and they should be. They're just a ragtag collection of no-name players—just one Giant made it to the Pro Bowl, as opposed to a dozen Cowboys. (And where are the Cowboys now?) They have a punter who's played for 20 years without making it to the Super Bowl, a quarterback overshadowed by his older brother, a wide receiver playing all year on a sprained ankle, a cornerback playing with a shoulder that keeps popping out of its socket. They have lost three starters (Jeremy Shockey, anyone?) to broken legs.
But the Giants have heart.
After all, it was the Giants who came closest to beating the Pats during the regular season. And Tom Brady threw three interceptions yesterday. And the Patriots didn't really look that awesome against a Chargers team depleted by injuries. And New England will have much more pressure on them than the Giants will.
I'm talking myself into hope, I know. But you should too. Because any human being with a soul—with, yes, a heart—will be rooting for the Giants on Super Bowl Sunday—not the bloodless, automaton, not-averse-to-cheating, Bill-Belichick-is-a-genius-but-what-a-jerk Patriots.
Go Giants!
Victory. ¶ 8:18 AM
Comments:
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Attributing the age-old "he's got heart" adage to The Replacements, Rich? A solid film, yes, but you're about 50 years late on the most cliched sports compliment in history.
And the Packers were over-achieving all year, the only difference in the game was home field advantage. But if you prefer to remember it as David vs. Goliath, you will participate in a proud tradition of sport reporting.
Puffed up Giants aside, I hope they actually do pull off a real upset against New England. Good luck.
And the Packers were over-achieving all year, the only difference in the game was home field advantage. But if you prefer to remember it as David vs. Goliath, you will participate in a proud tradition of sport reporting.
Puffed up Giants aside, I hope they actually do pull off a real upset against New England. Good luck.
# posted by 
: January 21, 2008 12:58 PM
: January 21, 2008 12:58 PM
Well, Egret, I'm sure that the Replacements didn't coin the cliche. Nevertheless, it's such a silly but fun movie that I take great pleasure in touting it.
And I think you don't give the Pack enough credit.
But I am glad that you are a patriotic American and will root for the Giants.
And I think you don't give the Pack enough credit.
But I am glad that you are a patriotic American and will root for the Giants.
And why is it only patriotic if you root for the giants??? Is it purely because they are the underdog and in order to truly be "american" one must pull for the underdog?? Should we all vote for Giuliani based upon this premise as well? Perhaps your thinking is a bit faulty.
# posted by : January 21, 2008 10:21 PM
: January 21, 2008 10:21 PM
No, it's not that in order to be truly American one must root for the underdog.
It's that, in order to be truly American, one must root for the Giants.
It's that, in order to be truly American, one must root for the Giants.
Whoa boy. Nice comments about the Giants, certainly, but the Replacements a good -- or even silly, fun movie? It's a crap movie. Jon Favreau as a threatening kickass? Keanu Reeves as a QB with "heart"? Please. The Longest Yard (original). Now there's a football movie.
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# posted by : January 22, 2008 5:19 PM
: January 22, 2008 5:19 PM<< Home
