[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 20 (Thursday, February 7, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E135-E136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                CONGRATULATING NEW YORK: LAND OF GIANTS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 7, 2008

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to place in the Congressional 
Record and allow two editorials, the Feb. 5 New York Post piece ``They 
Shocked the World'' and the Daily News' ``Land of the Giants,'' to 
speak to the inarguable superiority of New York's football team, the 
Giants. In what has become one of the greatest upsets ever, the 
underdog Giants ended the New England Patriots' hopes for a perfect 
season and brought the title home to the Big Apple and New Jersey.
  The tenacity of this championship team carried it over the finish 
line--from the steady leadership of its most valuable player, Eli 
Manning, and head coach, Tom Coughlin, to the late-breaking plays from 
wide receivers David Tyree and Plaxico Burress. The 17-14 nail biter 
was a match of wills and mettle, and the people of New York are proud 
that their team came out on top.
  Congratulations are in order for the New York Giants, and its 
supporters, in its win of Super Bowl XLII.

                         They Shocked The World

       Everyone knew that Super Bowl XLII was going to make 
     history.
       Either the world would witness the coronation of Tom Brady, 
     Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots as masters of a 
     once-in-a-generation perfect season . . . or it would see one 
     of the greatest football upsets ever.
       But no one could possibly have foreseen that the Eli 
     Manning-led New York Giants would pull off that upset with 
     one of the most iconic performances in Super Bowl history: 
     two fourth-quarter touchdown drives, including one to take a 
     final lead with mere seconds remaining.
       The team is being honored this morning with a much-deserved 
     parade through New York's Canyon of Heroes, from Battery Park 
     to City Hall.
       Theirs was a performance, indeed, that could shape the game 
     for years to come--if New York's already proud football 
     history is any indication.
       Take the 1958 NFL championship at Yankee Stadium--``the 
     greatest game ever played''--where legendary quarterback 
     Johnny Unitas' own late-game heroics led the Baltimore Colts 
     to a thrilling overtime victory over the Giants.
       It was a devastating loss for New Yorkers, but a huge 
     blessing to the sport. Football caught the nation's 
     imagination as never before, and the country soon discovered 
     that its even pace, regular breaks and hard-hitting action 
     made the game perfectly suited for the television era.
       Within two years, the NFL boasted two new teams, and the 
     newly formed American Football League (the leagues decided to 
     merge in 1966) added eight more.
       New York got its revenge in 1969, anyway, when ``Broadway 
     Joe'' Namath famously guaranteed--and delivered--victory for 
     his (AFL) Jets over the heavily favored Colts in Super Bowl 
     III.
       That victory was just as significant, shattering the image 
     of AFL (now AFC) teams as talent-challenged upstarts and 
     bringing an exciting and competitive parity to the sport 
     that's propelled it toward unambiguous national-pastime 
     status.

[[Page E136]]

       And who can blame Americans for falling in love when the 
     sport's biggest game regularly features epic thrillers like 
     Super Bowl XXV, the Giants' 1991 nail-biter win? (That game, 
     incidentally, saw both Belichick and current Giants' coach 
     Tom Coughlin under the tutelage of coaching great Bill 
     Parcells.)
       Or Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, for that matter, when a young 
     Tom Brady led his Patriots to a stunning upset over the 
     powerhouse of the day, Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams?
       Sound familiar?
       For Eli and the Giants, this could be just the beginning.
       As for New York--well, suffice it to say that Sunday wasn't 
     the first time the locals have made football history.
       Likely won't be the last, either.
                                  ____


                           Land of the Giants

       See that look of joy on Eli Manning's face? Just about any 
     New Yorker can look in a mirror and see the same. Even two 
     days after the most breathtaking Super Bowl finish in 
     history.
       You can also see the look on Manning's face in person 
     Tuesday. Along with the smiles of Tom Coughlin and Plaxico 
     Burress and David Tyree and all the other Giants as they 
     travel up the Canyon of Heroes in a ticker-tape (these days, 
     confetti) parade.
       And richly deserved the celebration is. The Giants' end-of-
     the-season run was something to behold. They were tougher, 
     smarter, faster--just plain better--than the supposedly 
     invincible competition.
       Including the now-imperfect New England Patriots:
       The team that had everything going for it, the running, 
     passing, blocking and Captain America at quarterback.
       The team that was coached by no mere mortal, but by a 
     genius.
       The team that was named by so many as the finest pro 
     football squad of all time.
       There was none better than the Patriots, they all said, and 
     they were wrong. Because when it counted, the Giants proved 
     their mettle.
       The parade is set to start at 11 a.m. at Battery Place and 
     end at City Hall, following the route on which New York City 
     has traditionally cheered accomplishments that lift the civic 
     soul, some in sports, others of a far more profound nature. 
     It's where the Giants belong this day.
       Regardless of their unfortunate address--an exile forced by 
     municipal stupidity--the Jints are a New York institution, 
     big enough for Broadway, far too large for Moonachie.
       Go and enjoy. Go and soak up all the glory and hear the 
     wall of sound echoing up the canyon. Once experienced, it is 
     never to be forgotten.
       Just like Super Bowl XLII.
       You've been replaying it in your head, haven't you? At 
     least the final 1:15 minutes. Which were the most amazing in 
     Super Bowl history.
       There's Manning, whose abilities were so often questioned, 
     who responded to all the doubts with class. He has the ball. 
     The Patriots have his jersey. He breaks free, sets up and 
     fires a high one to Tyree amid defenders. Tyree makes that 
     one-handed catch, the catch that had to be seen to be 
     believed. And even then was unbelievable.
       The Pats still lead 14-10. Manning lofts the ball to 
     Burress. Touchdown. Extra point. Giants, 17; New England, 14. 
     Proving that it ain't over till it's over, a truism observed 
     by all--except by ungracious, unsportsmanlike Bill Belichick.
       What happened Sunday goes into the annals of Great New York 
     City Sports Moments, along with the championships of the '69 
     Jets, '69 Mets, '94 Rangers, and '87 and '91 Giants. As co-
     owner John Mara noted, ``It's the greatest victory in the 
     history of this franchise.''

                          ____________________