Eli Manning, Super Bowl XLII MVP, met the media Monday morning to receive his tropy and new car – he chose a Cadillac hybrid Escalade – and sounded a lot like Tom Brady in his comments.

Manning credited his teammates and coaches and said they never doubted their ability, even when all things were going bad.

"We just had a great will on this team and it was the right group of guys,'' he said. "It was a special group of guys. We were determined and we had great faith in ourselves. Everybody knew their role and their responsibility and no matter what happened, what we've been through, it helped that a lot of the players have been together the last three or four years and we've learned to deal with adversity. We've had to overcome mistakes or bad play or disappointment and had to put it behind us.''

Manning said he got little sleep Sunday night, spending the time after the game with his family and friends. He watched the game again – especially the jaw-dropping 32-yard completion to David Tyree in which Manning escaped a sack by Jarvis Green and Adalius Thomas and Tyree held onto the ball on his helmet – and then replayed it in his head.

"I didn't get to appreciate what a great catch it was,'' he said.

There was a light moment when Manning was asked how he would spend the next couple of weeks. He noted that he would like a little time off to rest before the team gets together for off-season workouts. He said he didn't know when they began and Coach Tom Coughlin, sitting to his left, said, "Monday.''

Coughlin noted that it was nice that Manning won a car, but noted there weren't any other free cars around.

Coughlin praised the Patriots for being a great opponent. Of his team he said, "We kept getting better and our confidence grew and the players felt we could win under any circumstances.''

Some final notes from the Super Bowl:

Tom Brady set a record for most career Super Bowl completions. He now has 100. He also attempted the most passes in a game (48) without an interception.

Wes Welker tied the single-game mark with 11 catches.

The teams combined for the longest scoreless stretch in Super Bowl history (33 minutes, 52 seconds).

New York punter Jeff Feagles became the oldest player (41 years, 333 days) to appear in a Super Bowl.

The teams combined for the fewest rushing attempts (42) and fewest rushing yards (136) in a Super Bowl game.

Junior Seau set a record for most years between Super Bowl appearances (13)

The Giants became only the second team in Super Bowl history to win the championship after trailing in the final minute of the fourth quarter (San Francisco beat Cincinnati in Super Bowl XXIII on a John Taylor touchdown reception with 34 seconds left)

The Giants were the first team to win a Super Bowl after trailing at the half since Dallas beat Buffalo 30-13 in Super Bowl XXVIII after the Bills led 13-6 at the half.

The Patriots lead Super Bowl XLII, 7-3, in a defensive first half.

Neither team had much going offensively. For New England, Tom Brady was 8-for-14 passing for 82 yards, but he was sacked three times, twice by Justin Tuck.

Laurence Maroney, who scored on a 1-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter, had just 11 yards on eight rushes. Overall, the Patriots had just 20 yards rushing.

For New York, Eli Manning was 8-for-16 for 85 yards and was sacked twice.

Brandon Jacobs had 35 yards rushing and Ahmad Bradshaw 26.

New York led in time of possession: 19:27 to 10:33. That included a Super Bowl record 9:59 drive on its first possession.

Stephen Neal, the Patriots guard who missed eight games in the regular season because of a shoulder injury, limped off the field after Tom Brady was sacked for the second time in the second quarter.

It was announced that he suffered a knee injury and his return was questionable.

Lawrence Tynes' 32-yard field goal on New York's only possession of the first quarter gave the Giants a 3-0 lead.

The quarter ended with the Patriots at the Giants 1-yard line, courtesy of a pass interference call on linebacker Antonio Pierce on Benjamin Watson in the end zone.

Low-scoring Super Bowl first quarters are nothing new for the Patriots.

They trailed St. Louis 3-0 and were tied, 0-0, with both Carolina and Philadelphia.

Patriots defensive back Randall Gay was injured and taken to the locker room after a collision with safety Rodney Harrison just 4:21 into the game.

It was announced as an arm injury. His return is questionable.

Troy Brown, the veteran wide receiver who played such a huge role in the Patriots three Super Bowl victories, is inactive for today's game against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

Brown, who had off-season knee surgery, was activated in late November but played in one game this season, on Dec. 23, against Miami.

Other inactive players for New England included wide receiver Chad Jackson, cornerback Antwain Spann, tackle Wesley Britt, guard Billy Yates, tight end Stephen Spach and defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith.

For the Giants, the inactive list included running back Danny Ware, defensive back Geoffrey Pope, tackle Adam Koets, defensive tackle Manny Wright, wide receiver Sinorice Moss, tight end Jerome Collins and defensive tackle Russell Davis.

Welcome to University of Phoenix Stadium, where the crowd is slowly filtering in and the roof is closed. Rain is in the forecast for this afternoon here, with a heavier rain into the evening.

The excitement is slowly starting to build among the fans. And it appears at first glance that there are more Giants fans here than Patriots fans.

If you ever get a chance to come out to this stadium to see a game, make sure you stop by the Pat Tillman monument. It is a statue of the late Tillman running in his football uniform with his helmet in his hand. Across the plaza is a reflecting pool.

Tillman, remember, was a safety for both Arizona State and the Arizona Cardinals. After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, he quit football and joined the Army and was later killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan.

It is a stirring memorial to him and worthy of a stop and prayer.