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Burress' Prediction Not Far Off

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune
and ANWAR RICHARDSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 4, 2008

Updated: 02/03/2008 11:55 pm

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Giants WR Plaxico Burress tried to give Nostradamus some competition during Super Bowl week, but fell short.

Then again, he probably does not care after he caught the game-winning 13-yard TD pass in New York's 17-14 upset of New England on Sunday night.

Burress had predicted New York would pull off a 23-17 victory against New England.

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST: Giants WR David Tyree did not have much of an impact this season, but he had the catch of his career against New England.

Tyree was inactive for New York's first two games because of a fractured wrist and finished the regular season with four receptions for 35 yards, and had nine special-teams tackles.

However, Tyree caught a 5-yard touchdown pass against New England with 11:05 remaining in the fourth quarter to give New York a 10-7 lead. It was the first touchdown allowed by New England in 10 postseason quarters.

Tyree was a sixth-round draft pick in 2003 and was named to the Pro Bowl after the 2005 season and had four career touchdowns prior to Sunday's game.

RUNNING OF A BULL: Giants LB Kawika Mitchell, a former University of South Florida standout, made an impact in his first Super Bowl appearance.

Mitchell combined with DE Michael Strahan to sack Patriots QB Tom Brady in the second quarter, plus had eight tackles.

South Florida's Mitchell joins long snapper Ryan Benjamin (won Super Bowl XXXVII with the Bucs), OL Kenyatta Jones (won Super Bowl XXXVI with the Patriots) and S J.R. Reed (lost Super Bowl XXXIX with the Eagles) as former Bulls to appear in the Super Bowl.

MISSING MOSS: Randy Moss was Brady's favorite target during the regular season. Not Sunday.

By pressuring Brady and double teaming Moss, the Giants virtually eliminated Moss from the Pats' offensive attack.

Though he came on late in the game and caught a go-ahead touchdown pass, Moss had just one catch for 18 yards through three quarters.

Wes Welker proved to be Brady's top target Sunday, tying a Super Bowl-record with 11 catches for 103 yards.

Moss' 18-yard reception was rare, too. By taking him out of the equation, the Giants took away the vertical portion of the Patriots attack and reduced their average pass reception to 9.1 yards.

PRESSURED PATRIOTS: The Giants' pass rush was one of the big stories of the game. It got to Brady for sacks three times in the first half and five overall.

Brady was never sacked more than three times in a game this season and he was taken down just once by the Giants in their regular-season finale. Brady is 8-7 as a starter when he is sacked three or more times in a game.

HISTORIC START: The Giants got off to a record-setting pace Sunday, putting together a 16-play scoring drive on their initial possession of the game.

The drive was the longest to start a game in Super Bowl history and was part of a historic first quarter, one in which each team possessed the ball just once each. That made this game the first in Super Bowl history in which each team had just one first-quarter possession.

MAN OF THE YEAR: Miami Dolphins DE Jason Taylor was named the 2007 Walter Payton Man Of The Year prior to Sunday's game.

Taylor, the Dolphins' all-time career sack leader and six-time Pro Bowl selection, established the Jason Taylor Foundation (JTF) in 2004 to assist disadvantaged South Florida children by focusing on improved health care, education and quality of life. In 2007, the JTF launched the Jason Taylor Reading Room in Miramar, an after-school program designed to address illiteracy among inner-city youth. Taylor also contributed $50,000 to the Holtz Children's Hospital in Miami to support the Jason Taylor Children's Learning Center, a recreational and educational hub for hospitalized children.

"I am extremely humbled to receive an award bearing Walter Payton's name, as he embodied everything an NFL player should aspire to be, both on and off the field," Taylor said. "This is without question one of the more special moments of my career."

SUPER BOWL BITS: When New England's Laurence Maroney scored a TD to give the Pats a 7-3 lead on the first play of the second quarter, it marked the sixth consecutive game in which Maroney scored a touchdown. ... Giants P Jeff Feagles, 41, became the oldest player to play in and to win a Super Bowl.

Roy Cummings,

Anwar S. Richardson

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