Be Proud NY – A Giants Perspective
This NFL season and Superbowl XLII have come and gone and legends are being inked into historical lore as we speak. Tales include the New England Patriots heartbreak of being 3 points short of a perfect season. Plaxico Burress of the NY Giants guaranteeing a win and then scoring the winning touchdown. The brothers Manning (Peyton and Eli) owning superbowl rings with sequential dates. A final drive in which it took a hair raising quarterback scramble, a perfect pass and a nine foot leap with fingertip catch while being smashed in the back… and not letting go to win. Perhaps it wasn’t New England that benefited from a perfect season but I’m of the belief that it was in fact a perfect season for the NFL in general.
I played football for well over a decade as an offensive tackle and so my perspective is a bit different from the one being written about right now. I firmly believe that the NY Giants won this day, this season, as a result of the heart of their linemen. The guys in the trenches who can never give less than 100% on ANY play. The gladiators who face 335 lb + warriors on every down and seldomly get recognition for the vital role they play. Having once been a 328 lb, 4% body fat, defensive end stuffing machine myself I want to make sure nobody forgets the monumental contribution linemen gave this season.
If you TiVo’d the game (or DVR’D with your directv family package ” go back and watch it again and this time look at the linemen who’ve just come off the field – they’re breathing so heavily from their efforts that they need oxygen. Watch Tom Brady get pressured consistently all game long. Look at the size of the men they must move to do just that, it’s incredible to think that a 5 man line weighs nearly a ton. On offense the line both moves men aside to clear the lanes and takes a brutal pounding to protect their quarterback on each and every single play. A moments hesitation often leads to injury… and these massive gladiators can run the 40 yard dash faster than most of the fans half their size watching the game!
No, this post isn’t really about improving your webmaster skills or on how to make money online. It’s just me wanting to make sure due credit goes out to those who play hardest for none. Then again, there is an ultimate lesson afterall. Play/work/learn extremely hard in every single aspect of everything you do and success is virtually guaranteed. Do you want it more? On this day, the NY Giants linemen sure did. Linemen of the NFL and of football teams everywhere, both offensive and defensive, I salute you!
[image source:Getty via official fan multimedia]