A Giant Upset

I love watching football. . . most especially my beloved Bulldogs, Aggies, and Cowboys. Only if they are not playing will I choose a side and it will invariably be that I root for the underdog.

On so many levels, the Super Bowl was a triumph of the underdog. The game was much more than it was touted to be. Few people gave the New York Giants a chance to win the game. They got in the playoffs by being a wild card team. In fact, I heard that the bets were overwhelmingly in favor of the Patriots. However, a Patriots win was not to be.

In my humble opinion, the New York Giants set a goal early in the year and proceeded to systematically and determinedly reach that goal. I really hated it when the Giants beat the Cowboys. I was upset, but I had to respect them for their efforts.

In the Super Bowl, it was obvious that the Giants defense had “done their homework” and play by play picked apart the Patriots offense. The Giants never gave up; never seem frustrated nor panicked. They just kept patiently playing the game forging forward to victory.

There were very few turnovers and penalties. They didn’t seem to be a big factor in the outcome. The big play was when Eli Manning escaped what seemed like a sure sack and sailed the ball to Tyree who used basketball-like finesse to snare and secure it. That play gave the Giants the momentum for the ensuing Manning-Burress touchdown.

I noticed that although they were elated, they still took nothing for granted. They knew the game was not over even with only half a minute left. I detected guarded optimism. The Patriots still had all of their timeouts left. The Giants just chipped away at the Patriots offense and made sure that they defended the guaranteed passes.

I really feel like the New York Giants had a bigger plan. They used their weapons to their advantage and never gave thought to anything less than winning. It would have been easy to become an “also ran”, but they kept their eyes on the prize and defeated the almost perfect Patriots.

Perhaps the Patriots rested on their laurels. I have no way of knowing. However, I do know this, I admire people who set goals and use the tools that they have to accomplish them picking apart their competitors (i.e. Bulldogs vs. Mart Panthers).

I will also add that even though the Patriots’ coach and quarterback were obviously very disappointed, they showed class and gave credit to the Giants because they were due the credit of defeating the previously undefeated Patriots. Instead of trash talking and placing blame, they congratulated the Giants. That tells a lot about their character.

Sometimes underdogs prevail which makes things seem balanced somehow. That is what competition is about and it is good.