ASCH:
If writing can be therapeutic, then I should start working on my own “War and Peace”/”Atlas Shrugged”-length treatise on disappointment. A bit of my soul died with 35 seconds left in the Super Bowl. C’mon, Eli Manning? I mean, Eli motherbleeping Manning?!?

You know what I think of when I think of Eli Manning: There’s a scene in the movie “Varsity Blues” where Moxxon, the backup quarterback, is about to enter the game, and they cut to a shot of him on the sidelines apparently studying the playbook, only to have his coach rip away the binder and reveal an open copy of “Slaughterhouse Five” inside it that he’s actually been working on. That’s how I think of Eli Manning: not throwing Super Bowl-winning touchdown passes with only 35 seconds left on the clock.

And this guy outplayed Tom Brady, outsmarted evil super-genius Belichick and picked apart the Patriots to the tune of 152 yards and a pair of TDs in the fourth quarter? Let’s talk about the Santana and Pau Gasol trade, or how good the PAC-10 really is this year, or whether Tiger Woods has a shot at the Grand Slam this year (or even if he’s complicit in allowing racism to run rampant in the golf community): anything but this. DAMMIT!

WOODS:
Those side topics might have to wait for our radio show, because we’ve got to start with what just happened in Super Bowl XLII. I’m still in shock. How did the Giants’ defense hold that record-setting Patriots offense to seven points through the first 55 minutes of the game, and to only 14 points overall??? In case you were wondering, yes, that is their lowest scoring output of the season, and I can’t believe it. Brady didn’t look comfortable at all until that last drive. That’s when they put him in the shotgun formation and him and Wes Welker (Super Bowl record 11 catches) picked the Giants defense apart like every other defense they had faced all year. Before that drive, the Giants pass rush and blitzing schemes really had Brady on his heels, or on his back. In the third quarter I started thinking, “The Giants defense can’t possibly keep this up much longer; Eli’s going to have to do something soon.” As it turns out, the defense held Brady and company in check just long enough, only allowing one more score and Eli worked some real magic in those last few minutes. That third down scramble-turned-hail-mary from Manning to Tyree is a play that you’ll be seeing for a long time, Eli, both in your nightmares and on ESPN.

ASCH:
Seriously, Brian, enough; I’m sorry your ‘Hawks got knocked out in blizzard in Green Bay, but you don’t need to rub this loss in my face.

The thing about this upset is although neither of us predicted it, everybody knew the Giants’ personnel matched up as well as anyone with the Pats’. Also, New England hadn’t dominated over the last couple months like it did in September and October, and although I expressed skepticism last week, it seems that Brady’s ankle injury actually affected his play. He wasn’t as shifty in the pocket as usual, and the Giants used their pass rush constantly to get through a noticeably-rattled Patriots O-line to put pressure on Brady.

Brady was sacked five times in the game, hurried a dozen more, and seemingly spent the entire game tasting the University of Phoenix Stadium’s turf. Last week in this same space we both said that the Giants pass rush could keep them in the game; we just didn’t believe it would actually win it for them.

WOODS:
While I’m not buying the excuse that his ankle was affecting his play, the rest of your analysis sounds spot-on. The Patriots by no means dominated their last five games the way they did their first five. And even though Eli Manning won it for the Giants, their pass rush was the difference in the game. To be fair, it would have been special to see a team go undefeated even if I wasn’t really rooting for the Patriots. But the Giants earned this one and I’m just grateful we got such a thrilling game to watch.

A couple more things on the big game before we wrap up: First off, where does this win direct Eli Manning’s career to next? He got to the Super Bowl quicker and won it at a younger age than his big brother, Peyton, but which one do you see getting back their sooner? And secondly, does this put the Giants as a favorite for next season as well? Could we see a Manning vs. Manning Super Bowl next February? I think both teams have to like their chances. Barring some major injuries to Dwight Freeney and Marvin Harrision on the Colts, we realistically could have seen that matchup this season. So next year, with coach Tony Dungy committing to one more year and with a fresh, healthy start, the Colts have a legitimate shot. And with their youth at running back in Brandon Jacobs and at receiver with Steve Smith, I think the Giants could make another run in the weaker NFC. Of course this is all speculation, because I can’t name anyone, non-shock jock or not, who predicted last February that Eli Manning would be winning the Super Bowl MVP in a year’s time.

ASCH:
Yeah, I’m still having a tough time wrapping my head around this. This is a Giants team that a (very knowledgeable) Giants fan friend of mine called, after week 14, the worst 9-4 team he’d ever seen . . . and now they’re Super Bowl Champions? And they stopped the pre-anointed greatest team of all time, the 18-0 Patriots? It’s going to be a cold couple of weeks in New England. But it’ll be OK soon: the defending World Series champion Red Sox’s pitchers and catchers report to camp on February 14th.