GLENDALE, Ariz. — Disappointment doesn't begin to describe the mood in New England today. The Patriots lost.
Humble pie has been served. Tastes terrible, doesn't it?
The New York Giants beat the Patriots 17-14 on Sunday night to win Super Bowl XLII. That a New York team stood in the way of New England's bid for history makes it harder to swallow.
Eli Manning did what his older brother did the year before in leading the Indianapolis Colts over the Chicago Bears. The kid no longer follows Peyton's shadow. He casts his own. Another Manning trumps Tom Brady. That rubs salt in New England's wound, too.
There is no perfect season. No fourth Super Bowl banner to hang in Gillette Stadium. No sharing of champagne with the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The last team to win every game it played in a season drinks alone for another year. Mercury Morris' Perfect Town still has a population of one.
That no other team has moved into Perfect Town is testament to how difficult it is.
The Patriots lost. This was the team and the Super Bowl with the unbelievable story lines. Junior Seau, the ageless linebacker who held off retirement to win the Super Bowl ring that has eluded him. Randy Moss, the former self-absorbed bad boy, who was transformed into the selfless teammate.
Tedy Bruschi, the stroke victim who had recovered his health to play a brutal sport. Tom Brady, who may be the greatest quarterback not of this time, but all time, leading his teammates to a fourth Super Bowl victory. A team of men who dedicated this season to Marquise Hill, the young defensive lineman who drowned before the first practice. They kept his locker intact to commemorate and to motivate.
Finally, the pursuit of perfection that eludes so many, from tiny gymnasts to giant men. No team has run the table, winning all 16 games of the season, two playoff games and the Super Bowl. That no team had done that since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, playing fewer games, was testament to the difficulty.
Sunday was judgment day and the Patriots came up lacking.
The Patriots never took on the mantle of underdogs. Can't do that when you've beaten every team that stood in your way to an undefeated season. Nor did the Patriots say they were unbeatable. No one used the "team of destiny phrase" this week, either.
"We don't consider ourselves invincible," said Bruschi before the Super Bowl. "If you think you can't be beat, that's the wrong thought to have."
The Patriots didn't win easily in any of their three previous Super Bowls. Bruschi, for one, didn't expect any that to change. "I'm used to having to grit your teeth and win in the fourth quarter," he said. "That's what I think this football team is all about."
The Patriots gritted their teeth again Sunday. And lost.
Hats off to the Giants and their pass rush. Watching Brady get sacked on successive plays in the second quarter was difficult. He didn't have his usual mobility. The ankle sprain wasn't a ruse. If Brady wasn't sacked, he was whacked. Hard.
The offensive line that had protected him so well for 18 games, let him down. They had no answer for Michael Strahan and his boys.
Hats off to Giants Coach Tom Coughlin for overseeing what had been the illusory blueprint to take down the perfect team. Facing a quarterback who may be the best there ever was? Keep Brady off the field and keep the heart of the defense on.
When Brady was on the field, choke off Laurence Maroney and the running game. With that option gone, go after the quarterback. Again and again. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had talked about his offensive defense. He didn't talk about his unit's youth versus the Patriots' age, especially at its heart -- the linebackers.
But like a younger contender going after the aging heavyweight, the Giants attacked the Patriots' defense early, keeping them on...
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