 1. Head referee Mike Carey
-- Makes history by
becoming the first African-American to be "in charge" of the Super
Bowl. Carey is a no-nonsense official and does an excellent job year
in and year out. It is refreshing to see yet another minority
achievement in the world of sports -- and this one on the biggest
stage of all, the Super Bowl. And probably the greatest compliment
of all for Carey revolves around not being noticed or talked about
the day after the game. That is exactly what any official in any
sport wants -- to NOT be part of the story (are the Big Ten hoops
referees listening?).2. MVP Eli Manning -- Peyton's
little brother didn't play the greatest game in the history of the
Super Bowl. But, when it mattered most, Eli made play after play
when it counted. How about the third-and-5 late in the game? Eli
should have been sacked twice -- but instead stayed on his feet and
completed a pass for a first down. All week long the press made
references to Eli being the Rex Grossman of this year -- a player
they were just waiting to choke and fall short of glory. But Eli
gets the last laugh and a pretty sweet ride ('08 Cadillac Escalade)
as well.
3. WR Plaxico Burress and his bold prediction of
victory the week of the big game -- During the week before the game,
Burress said, "Mark it down -- Giants WILL win 23-17." The media ate
it up with a spoon and threw it in his face all week long. New
England's 18-0 Patriots wondered aloud who this Plaxico was -- how
dare he pick against the Pats? Tom Brady was offended that his team
would be projected to score only 17 points, and -- guess what --
Burress pulled a Broadway Joe and put his money where his mouth is!
In the end, it was Burress who pulled in the game-winning touchdown
pass with under a minute to play. What a week for the Michigan State
graduate!
4. WR Wes Welker -- The 2007-08 example of the
Energizer Bunny, he takes a lickin' and keeps on catching pass after
pass. Welker looks like he should be lining up Lincoln High School
instead of playing in the NFL, but he was well on his way to the
Super Bowl MVP before the late Giant heroics. Welker made 11
receptions -- tying a Super Bowl record -- and made big play after
big play. And why did Randy Moss catch the second TD pass with less
than three minutes to play? It was because the Giants left Moss in
single coverage in order to double-cover Welker. That alone should
tell you how important the undersized Welker has become to the Pats.
5. Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora
and the rest of the Giant defensive line -- If Tom Brady faced more
pressure in his career, I'd like to know when it happened. Brady was
on his back time and time again Sunday night, and for the so-called
juggernaut offense, the Pats looked pretty average to below average
when they had the ball most of the night. The credit should be
spread around, but the defensive line, led by Tuck and Umenyiora,
should a get a ton of credit. The Giants were pounding Brady in a
way that reminded me of another Super Bowl pounding -- the '85
Bears' pounding of former Illini Tony Eason in Super Bowl XX.
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6. Tom Coughlin and the N.Y. Giant coaching staff -- Surely
not to be overlooked is the great game plan by Coughlin and crew.
Don't forget, these two teams met for their final regular-season
game during Week 17, and both offenses excelled in a 37-34 Patriot
win. The Giants found pressure was the key to slowing down New
England, and Coughlin and crew are Super Bowl champs as a result of
this plan.
7. QB Tom Brady -- Better known as "courage under
fire," this all-world QB was far less than 100 percent physically on
Sunday evening, yet led a great drive to give New England a 14-10
lead with under three minutes to play. This should have been enough
to give Brady his fourth Super Bowl ring, but the Giants had one
last drive left in them. Brady showed why he is such a winner, and
one of the great QBs of all time, by refusing to quit despite the
pounding he was taking all night long. This loss will sting, but
Patriot fans should realize what an asset Brady is.
8. Former Illini David Diehl and Eugene Wilson
play well -- Diehl on the offensive line for New York and Wilson in
the defensive backfield for New England both made strong
contributions to their respective teams. Wilson was looking for his
third Super Bowl ring, while Diehl is proudly wearing his first
today. Both were strong Illini during the Ron Turner era and both
represent their college well.
9. Cinderella makes a Super Bowl appearance -- All week long,
I was asked who I wanted to see win the Super Bowl. And my answer
was the same -- I really didn't care. I've never been a fan of any
New York team, and the Patriots' act of winning and winning and
winning gets old. I didn't care. However, as soon as the game kicked
off, Peyton and I were cheering for the Giants -- there is just
something about rooting for Cinderella. And when the Giants took the
lead with 35 seconds left -- I screamed with excitement as if the
Cubs had won the World Series (get ready sports fans -- 2008 is the
year of the Cub). Notch one in the win column for Cinderella!
10. The commercials -- Even for the folks like my wife who
couldn't care less about the game, the commercials are always fun to
watch. I don't know if I have a favorite, but I am just amazed at
how much creativity takes place during the breaks at the big game.
The biggest plus of all? Very few political ads -- and I think we
are all glad for that!
Have a great week. We'll check in next week for GT's "Ten for
Tuesday."
[By GREG TAYLOR]
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