Dateline: Foxborough, MA - Has anybody seen our swagger?

The sun has risen and set a couple times since Eli Manning found Plaxico Burress in the corner of the endzone with :35 seconds left in Superbowl XLII to best Tom Brady and the seemingly unbeatable Patriots. I still can’t shake the feeling that, even after all this time, Bill Belichick is going to call an ESPN press conference and pull out a red challenge flag from his sock and put the kibosh on this whole thing. I think Ben’s reaction directly on the heels of the game mirrored many of my emotions and I applaud him for having the gumption to capture that moment. I’ve had a couple days to dwell on “The Mannings: The first family of football” stories that have been surging out of Bristol lately. I even caught a human interest story that was dusted off from late 2004 when Eli was a rookie. I actually remembered seeing it the first time around and was impressed by how awkwardly he shrugged off questions about his draft day choices. It wasn’t tragically awkward like Ricky Williams keeping his visored helmet on during post-game interviews, nor was it confusingly awkward like Tony LaRussa “taking a stand” on a poem the Post Dispatch published “demeaning” the Cubs... It was just plain awkward. It led me to believe that if Eli Manning and Rex Grossman got into a “Yo Mama” confrontation, everyone would lose... including those in attendance.

Now, well... it seems as though all the consternation surrounding this young man has now melted away. He’s as good as advertised. He no longer clings to some notion of “potential” like so many failed quarterbacks have done before him. He’s arrived. His status is set and his reputation has done an about face in a matter of months. As it stands, the American football watching public (i.e. basically everyone) will recall his final drive with a reverence bestowed to only a select few. He toppled the Evil Empire and in doing so, he gave us something of tremendous value. A story for the ages. A standard by which every subsequent Superbowl underdog will be measured. Peyton and Eli. Eli and Peyton. The order really doesn’t matter any more. It’s all gravy train now.

Congrats, New York. You've earned THIS.



P.S. If evidence comes to light that the Patriots filmed the Rams walkthru practice directly before their first Superbowl win in 2002 then I'm officially camping outside the Sports Guy's house in LA and heckling him for three solid months. Bet I won't. I dare ya.