BGO.C.D. - Further On Up the Road

[Tarhog]

Where the road is dark and the seed is sowed

Where the gun is ****ed and the bullet's cold

Where the miles are marked in the blood and gold

I'll meet you further on up the road

It’s February 3rd, 2008.

The upstart Giants are in the Super Bowl. They aren’t supposed to be in the Super Bowl. You know it. I know it. Bob Dole and the American people know it. 13-3 Dallas is, as usual, favored to represent NFC East playoff hopes. Yet here they are. This 2007 Giants team had gone 4-4 to close the season, lead by an Eli Manning completing just 56% of his passes on the year, throwing nearly as many interceptions as touchdowns, and whose erratic play was frequently as bad as his haircut.

Opposite them on the turf at University of Phoenix stadium? Perfection.

The 18-0 New England Patriots were bound for glory and NFL legend. This Patriots team was special, having cut their way through the 2007 NFL ranks like a knife through warm butter. Scoring an average of nearly 37 points per game, with the 4th ranked defense in the league, and a +16 turnover ratio, the Patriots were a juggernaut that could not be stopped.

But with a 13 yard 4th quarter touchdown toss to Plaxico ‘Quick Draw’ Burress, Eli Manning did the unthinkable. He ruined the perfect ending to the most perfect prom ever. Brady was not crowned king. Members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins got drunk, high-fived, and left Glendale satisfied that their perfect season remained the NFL Holy Grail.

And here we find ourselves again, looking at another Brady-Manning matchup for all the marbles. The Gunslinger vs. the Bubble Gum Kid. But there’s been a lot of highway travelled since their last historic duel.

Since shocking the world and stealing destiny in Super Bowl XLII, the G-Men have looked like Longfellow’s little girl. You know, the one with the little curl in the middle of her forehead. When they’ve been good they’ve been very, very good. But when they’ve been bad, they’ve been horrid.

The good? The Giants lead the NFC East in 2008, going 12-4 before being upset by the Eagles in the divisional playoff. The horrid? In 2009, they slumped to 8-8, 3rd in the division, and missed the playoffs. Calls for head coach Tom Coughlin’s head began in earnest. 2010 looked more promising, as Coughlin lead his team to a 10-6 record, but behind the surprising return of Michael Vick, the Eagles captured the division’s only playoff spot, and the Giants again watched the post-season from their recliners. And of course, this season the Giants were viewed by many as the 3rd or 4th worst team in the division, behind Andy Reid’s ‘Dream Team’ and the always destined-for-glory Cowboys. Yet, amid continuing cries for Andy Reid’s ouster, the Giants scratched and clawed their way back to relevancy, riding the resurgent arm of Eli Manning and the suddenly impressive play of an over-achieving defense.

It’s been a twisted, winding road back for the New England Patriots as well. In 2008, the Pats continued their success, finishing 11-5, but lost out to Chad Pennington’s surprising Dolphins squad for the AFC East’s only playoff spot. The following year, 10-6 took the division but the Patriots floundered in their Wildcard game against the Ravens. And in 2010, the Patriots captured the division going 14-2, but again succumbed to an early exit, this time losing to the Jets in the divisional playoff.

In the 2 successive playoff losses since their near-perfect 2007 season, Tom Brady has looked downright human, averaging just 225 yards passing for a paltry (by Brady standards) 4 touchdowns, and a surprisingly equal number of interceptions. Brady’s claim to NFL greatness as perhaps the game’s best QB ever is under siege. Although the Patriots team he and Bill Belichick bring to Super Bowl XLVI is loaded with new faces, it is the familiar ones, namely Brady and Belichick, whose legacies will be judged on the outcome of this game. The great ones have lost their way since nearly achieving perfection. It’s taken them 4 years to find their way back to opportunity and the outcome is nearly completely on their shoulders.

In stark contrast, no one expected Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning to be here. Manning has gone from grudging respect to elite in the space of a single season, Coughlin from fighting for his very job to NFL coaching God in the space of 20 weeks. Think these guys are feeling any pressure to win Sunday?

Fuggedaboutit.

So who prevails Sunday?

Click HERE to read the rest of Further On Up the Road.

[SkinsFTW]

i really wish the Giants fans got their wish and Coughlin had been fired. Now he's going to be able to stay as long as he wants.

[hail2skins]

Coughlin has had a great run in New York but I wonder how much longer he's going to want to stay in the NFL grind. He's 66 now, had no time off between his J'ville stint and the Giants......I give him 2-3 more seasons.