Still Shocked

It's been nearly a week...and the Pro Bowl's tomorrow - but I'm still stunned and shocked at the Patriots' failure to complete the perfect season last Sunday!! I guess the defeat was beyond comprehension for most, myself included, whom expected them to romp home easily. But the Giants had other ideas. And just as the Patriots did in 2001 onto the Rams, they had it done unto them last week in Arizona.

All credit to the Giants defense: they were fantastic, hassling Tom Brady and his offensive line all the way, never letting him the time and space to pass the ball around. Their offense did what they could, but they still found themselves behind at halftime. The Patriots defense played better than they did when the two met in Week 17; man, with the defense playing that well - how could the Patriots lose?

The warning signs were there when they couldn't convert a turnover, and gave up some good field positions. But giving up a field goal attempt and going for it at 4th-and-13 when the offense is not firing on all cylinders? Bill Belichick must have taken one too much of a gamble. The weather was great and if successful, would have put the Patriots 10-3 up. Even when Manning drove his team to a 10-7 lead in the 4th quarter hopes were high that the Patriots offense would wake up and move into gear.

And that they did with a Randy Moss reception for a touchdown with about 3 minutes to go to give the Patriots a 14-10 lead. I guess the Patriot defense cracked at the critical juncture - allowing a 40-yard reception deep into Patriots territory, and of all match-ups, allowing Plaxico Burress a one-on-one mismatch in the end zone against Elis Hobbs with its resulting touchdown. There was just 45 seconds left in the quarter for Brady to move his team into field-goal territory; yet again the offensive line gave way. It was too little, too late. There rest they say is history...

I guess the Patriots will never relive this glory year, when they fell short at the final hurdle - it was their year to write themselves in the history books. Alas it was not to be. They have to rebuild their vaunted but aging offensive and defensive teams. Then who knows...maybe in a few years perhaps the stars would align themselves again - maybe it won't be the Patriots, but for another NFL team, to write themselves into the history books!