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GLENDALE -- Not bad, little bro.
Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning wasn't the only family member inside a wild New York Giants lockerroom.
You couldn't miss Peyton in the crowd. The Colts' quarterback who celebrated a SB win just a year ago, didn't mind joining in this party for the ages.
"I was thrilled last year, but this is right there with that one," Peyton smiled. "All week, when I had a chance to talk with Eli, I told him to keep his composure. 'Don't get rattled,"' I said. '"No matter what the circumstances.'"
Peyton was relishing his brother's do-or-die drive with nothing more on the line than football's biggest prize.
"Sweet, wasn't it? Peyton proclaimed. "I'm usually not that nervous having been around the game all my life.
But, I've got to say, that last drive had me pretty shook up."
It started with 2:42 to play and the G-Men starting at their 17-yard line.
Young Eli methodically moved the offense, overcoming an occasional breakdown to reach New England's 44.
On third and five, Manning, out of a mad scramble, momentarily disappeared. "I couldn't find him. I was expecting a sack," Peyton grimaced.
Suddenly, Eli emerged, a Patriot defender with part of his jersey in tow.
The 27-year-old fourth year pro managed to find an opening and throw downfield in a crowd. Giants' wideout David Tyree went high as did New England's Rodney Harrison. Tyree, somehow, emerged with the football, the play, easily the most dramatic in this Super Bowl.
"You think of big (Super Bowl) catches, you think of Lynn Swann (against Dallas)," Peyton observed. "This play, here, I believe, will go down as one of the most clutch of all time."
Said Harrison, "A crying shame. But give it up for Tyree, He made the play."
The Giants still had 24 yards and 59 seconds to negotiate. From the 13, Plaxico Burress makes one of his patented shake and bake moves. All Manning had to do was throw it up.
"It was a fade route," Eli disclosed. "They came with an all-out blitz. I saw Plax out of the corner of my eye and just put it up. He did the rest."
Tom Brady and the Pats couldn't stage a final drive with only 35 seconds to work with.
To top off the evening, enter the old man, Archie Manning. Talk about a proud Pop!
"I never even thought of them even playing college ball, much less pro football, much less winning Super Bowl MVPs," Archie explained.
"It wasn't in the plan. We just tried to raise kids just like any other parents. At this minute, I can't explain it..and wouldn't want to try."
Before joinig dad and his brother, Peyton suggested the future is golden for Eli.
"He just won the Super Bowl, was named MVP and is getting married in April. How good you think his life
is right now?"
NOTES AND QUOTES
PATS' cornerback Asante Samuel "Everyone is down and really heartbroken," he related. "(Coach) Belichick just told us he appreciated everything we did for him this season. But tonight, we weren't able to do what it takes. Man! To go 18-0 and not finish the job. This will be the longest off-season of them all. I can tell you, this (sick) feeling is not going away anytime soon…"
UNIVERSITY of Akron product Chase Blackburn, a back-up linebacker for the Giants, discovered himself temporarily wearing goat horns on what could have been a disaster for his team.
With New England in punt formation, Blackburn was unable to get off the field prior to the snap and was assessed an illegal participation, five-yard infraction after Belichick challenged the play.
Blackburn assured us he wasn't vying for TV time after cameras focused their attention on the former Zip.
"Yeah, that was on me," he declared. "Just a little miscommunication on my part."
Blackburn's gaffe retained possession for New England at the Giants' 39.
Brady generated a first down to the 28 and had his team in field goal range. But a third down sack authored by Michael Strahan resulted in fourth and 13 from the 31 and Brady threw an incompletion ending the drive.
"Sure, I breathed a big sigh of relief," Blackburn smiled. "You never want to be remembered for making some bonehead play…especially in the Super Bowl.
All's well that ends well, huh?"…
THOUSANDS of Giants' fans turned downtown Phoenix into a wild street party. The mob seemed to be generally well-behaved with dozens of mounted and uniformed officers overseeing the activity…
THE Patriots' Harrison discounted notions his teammates may have bought into pre-game hype declaring them a team for the ages.
"I guarantee we didn't take any of that stuff to heart," he insisted. "We had just played that team (Giants) in a three-point game (in week 17). Why would we think anything other than this would be a similar-type game?"…..
BURRESS told reporters he would have sat out a regular season game with his ailing shoulder. "I'm hurting, but I told coach I was going. You can't miss (this) game unless you're disabled…"
Gibson can be reached at rgibson@timesleaderonline.com