NFL Flashback Friday: ‘18-1! 18-1! 18-1!’
As New York fans rejoiced, pigs took flight, and one of the coolest chants invented burst onto the scene:
“18 and One!”
“18 and One!”
“18 and One!”
That was the day that David toppled Goliath — Eli Manning defeated Tom Brady in a Super Bowl.
In what was supposed to be the preordained coronation of the greatest NFL team of all-time, the New York Football Giants shocked us all by upsetting the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII (42 to any non-Roman readers). It was one of the greatest sports moments of all-time — a true underdog taking down a giant.
(That is if anyone wants to refer to anything associated with New York as an underdog…)
As part of its “Super Bowl Classics”, NFL Network re-aired Super Bowl 42 this summer, and I made sure to DVR it. In my newfound gusto for sports blogging — you know, after a seven month break — I figured it would be a great jumping off point for a new feature of my Dr. Sports Fan blog: Flashback Fridays. One Friday each month, I’m going to write about an old story that had a profound impact on the sporting world. After all, I love reading these types of columns, so why not do it myself?
Hope you enjoy!
Back in January 2008, I still lived in New Jersey and wrote for The Trentonian, where I had predicted something of a 47-24 blowout by the Patriots in our paper’s Super Bowl preview. (Anyone wondering why I leave the predictions game to Jack Bauer of All Sports, this is exhibit A.) I remember thinking at the time that the Patriots-Giants matchup was one between two teams I hate the most.
Who was I going to root for, as an Eagles fan?
Do I root for one of my most hated rivals, the Giants? Forget about the prospects of Eli Manning winning a Super Bowl before Donovan McNabb, but a Giants win would mean that I could no longer refer to Manning as my “favorite player in the NFL” ironically to my North Jersey friends. Not only that but I’d also lose out on bragging rights over Giants fans — people who loved holding Super Bowl titles over us less fortunate Eagles fans. You know I couldn’t allow for that to happen.
So instead, do I pull for the team that defeated the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX? You know, the team that flapped their arms and mocked us after Rodney Harrison’s interception sealed the heart-breaking 24-21 loss. Could I possibly handle more gushing reviews of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady? All that dynasty talk was annoying enough in 2004, just imagine it after a perfect 19-0 season and a record-tying fourth Lombardi Trophy in a decade? I definitely couldn’t allow for that to happen either.
I joked to my friends at the time that I would try to root for both teams to lose, which might’ve even come true — just not in the way I’d imagined. But really, my only option was to just sit back and enjoy the game.
Super Bowl XLII started with, ironically, a record from the Giants offense. The G-Men’s record 16-play, 77-yard opening drive took 9:59 off the clock and included four third-down conversions, despite the fact that the drive stalled and resulted in only a field goal.
New England responded as they did all season with a touchdown — a one-yard plunge from Laurence Maroney on the goal line — to take a 7-3 lead on the first play of the second quarter. At the time, it seemed like the Pats were off to the races, but the score remained that way until the fourth quarter. The Brady-to-Moss connection that was so dominant all year was invisible after the first drive.
The real story of Super Bowl 42 was the Giants’ relentless pass rush of Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, and Justin Tuck — who played mostly defensive tackle and was the early Super Bowl MVP, hands down. To think that coming into that game, the Patriots’ offensive line was considered one of the best ever.
With that in mind, let’s jump into the Take Back time machine with Doc Brown and set our destination for February 3, 2008 and the start of the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLII…
Super Bowl XLII Fourth Quarter
14:52 – Manning complete to Kevin Boss — the rookie tight end that filled in for Jeremy Shockey, on injured reserve with a broken leg — for 45 yards on 1st & 10 from the Giants 20. Boss beat Harrison, who had good coverage but couldn’t do anything about the good throw from Eli. The cameras just showed Peyton pumping his fist in a luxury box. As an only child, it’s pretty cool to see how excited he is for his little brother. Shoot, even I’m excited after the bore-fest that was the second and third quarters.
11:05 -After a big 3rd & 4 catch by another rookie, wide receiver Steve Smith, Manning hit the soon-to-be legendary David Tyree for a short TD throw. As of this moment, it’s the biggest catch of Tyree’s career, but little did we know that he would later make one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history.
Coincidental Stat: Back in week 17, the Patriots took the lead at 11:06 in the 4th quarter. In Super Bowl XLII, the Giants took the lead at 11:05 in the fourth. “The only stat that matters is 10-7, and the Giants lead.” Dynamite drop-in, Joe Buck!
8:25 - Rodney Harrison makes a big tackle to stop Amani Toomer on a 3rd & 9 throw for an 8-yard gain. This was a huge play that could have been a game-saver for the Pats had hell not frozen over a few minutes later…
2:42 -Moss comes alive with a 6-yard touchdown grab. 14-10 Patriots. The Brady-to-Moss connection finally came alive on this drive, with No. 81 grabbing three passes. Wes Welker also joined the party with two clutch first-down grabs on the drive, giving him 11 receptions for over 100 yards for the game and the most likely Super Bowl MVP candidate from the Foxboro bunch.
“Here comes Eli Manning to try to match Tom Brady.” That broadcast school has really paid off, Joe Buck!
(Ok, enough with the Cliff’s Notes. It’s time to do a play-by-play account for the conclusion of Super Bowl XLII.)
2:39 – 1st-10 (17-yard line): Manning passes to Toomer for 11 yards.
2:08 - 1st-10 (28-yard line): Manning incomplete (high) to Plaxico Burress in double coverage. If I remember correctly (and I don’t feel like Googling this), Burress predicted something of a 20-17 Giants win before this game, which riled up the Patriots. Funny how the Pats thought they would score way more than the 20 points in this game. I did, you did, everyone did. As Chris Berman would say, “That’s… why they play the game!”
2:04 - 2nd-10 (28-yard line): Manning incomplete to Burress (Harrison nearly intercepted the ball).
2-MINUTE WARNING
1:59 - 3rd-10 (28-yard line): Manning complete off his back foot to Toomer for nine and a half yards. Toomer had to dive back for the ball, as his route was beyond the first down marker. Time for a HUGE 4th & 1.
1:40 - 4th-1 (37-yard line): With the game on the line, Jacobs runs up the middle for one yard, but not before nearly falling down short of the marker. If I were a New York fan, that would’ve been nearly too much to handle as Jacobs was able to use his arm to fall forward enough to cover the distance. As my buddy Pete — a die-hard Giants fan — probably screamed: FIRST DOWN!
1:27 - 1st-10 (38-yard line) Manning found nobody open and scrambled for five yards before he was caught from behind, and nearly stripped, by outside linebacker Adalius Thomas.
TIME OUT GIANTS
1:20 - 2nd-5 (43-yard line) Manning’s pass to Tyree is nearly intercepted by Asante Samuel, who dropped a poorly thrown ball caused by the Patriots’ blitz. Many people point to Samuel’s dropped INT as the moment when fate turned on its head. I like to say that this the moment when hell reached 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
1:15 - 3rd-5 (43-yard line) Manning to Tyree for 33 yards. You know it as the “Helmet catch”. Demons everywhere just put on their parkas and watched out for pig droppings from the sky.
TIME OUT GIANTS
0:59 - 1st-10 (34-yd line) Manning sacked by Thomas, but only for a one yard loss so no harm no foul.
TIME OUT GIANTS
0:51 - 2nd-11 (35-yd line) Manning incomplete to his new favorite target, Tyree. Merriweather and Tyree each got a hand on the ball — way too dangerous a pass to attempt in that situation. Imagine how funny it would’ve been to make fun of Giants fans if Eli threw a pick there to end the game and return Hell from the ice box.
0:45 - 3rd-11 (25-yd line) Manning complete to Smith for 12 yard. Showcasing the skills that would lead to a 100-catch season in 2009, that was a very nice seven-yard out route there by Smith that he turned up field for a first down before being knocked out of bounds a yard past the marker by Merriweather. “FIRST DOWN!”
0:39 - 1st-10 (14-yd line) Manning lofts a fade to Burress for a 14-yard touchdown. Burress beat Ellis Hobbs on a slant & go. Hobbs, who had no safety help, wasn’t even back peddling when Burress made his move. Gregg Easterbrook probably had a cow in his Tuesday Morning Quarterback column that week.
Eli Manning’s fourth quarter passing numbers: 9-for-14 for 152 yards and two TD passes. Unreal…
Giants 17, Patriots 14
4th Quarter 0:35
0:35 - On the kickoff, Maroney showcases somewhat less than good judgement by fighting for some extra yards around the 25-yard line on the return.
0:29 - 1st-10 (26-yd line) Brady incomplete badly on a go route near the mid-field.
“At stake is the perfect season. 18-0.” Thanks again, Joe.
0:25 - 2nd-10 (26-yd line) Jay Alford sacks Brady for a 10-yard loss. Game.
Joe Buck deadpans, ”Another rookie. First it’s Ahmad Bradshaw and Steve Smith. Now it’s Alford.” Don’t get excited, Joe! It’s not like the Super Bowl or anything important.
PATRIOTS TO
0:19 - 3rd-20 (16-yd line) Brady incomplete deep for Moss. And I mean deep. Brady threw from his 12 yard line all the way down to Moss at the Giants’ 21 yard line, from the numbers on the near sideline to the numbers on the left side line. If I remembered high school geometry, I’d try to figure out how long that pass was in actual distance. Instead, let’s just say that Brady tossed it 67 yards in the air the hard way.
(And scouts thought he wouldn’t have the arm strength for the NFL…)
PATRIOTS TO
0:10 - 4th-20 (16-yd line) Brady’s deep pass to Moss is broken up at the Giants 26-yd line. Again, Brady threw it from his own 10. Sixty-four yards the hard way. Giants take over on downs, and thankfully the Apocalypse is not yet upon us.
0:01 - Belichick “congratulates” Tom Coughlin with the referee telling him that the game is still going on. Belichick ignored the ref and left the field. What a class act.
0:01 - 1st-10 (16-yd line) Manning kneel down. Game over and “18 and One” chant born.
Super Bowl XLII Post Script
It turns out that Super Bowl 42 was the peak moment for both franchises.
For New England, their failure to complete an undefeated season and capture a fourth Lombardi trophy in the 2000s was a loss too difficult to overcome. Tom Brady tore up his knee in the first quarter of 2008 season, and the Patriots missed the playoffs — this despite an 11-5 record and impressive play by career back-up QB Matt Cassell. Brady returned in 2009 and played well, though nowhere near his record ‘07 performance, and the Pats were unceremoniously blown out in the Wildcard Round at home against the Ravens.
Meanwhile, things were going really well in New York for the first three months of 2008. The Giants were the NFL’s best team at 11-1 when the fall began. Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg with a concealed weapon at a Manhattan night club. Burress was suspended for the rest of the season and ultimately put behind bars for a two-year prison sentence thanks to Draconian handgun laws in New York.
Without their playmaking 6-foot-5 receiver, New York was one and done in the playoffs after a listless home loss to the Eagles in the Divisional Round. After starting out 5-0 in 2009, the Giants went just 3-8 to finish the season at .500 and out of the playoffs. With Burress, the Giants went 6-2 against Philly, but without Burress they are a winless 0-4 (including the playoffs).
Both teams lost after Super Bowl XLII, so maybe it all worked for me in the end…