All of the signs were there, we just missed it, but the better team won last night.  I know, it's much easier to write this following a loss by the Patriots, but they were not prepared to win this game.  Some pundits are claiming a "choke" job by the Patriots, but that isn't true.  The Giants deserved this victory, and I'll tell you why.

The 2007 Patriots will go down in history the same as the 2004 Colts... a bright shiny fishing lure and everyone took the bait.  An offense so great it covered up deficiencies, like an aging defense and the inability to run the ball.  We sat through it in 2004.  We couldn't be stopped.  We didn't even need to have the punter active on game day and then it happened.  We went to New England for the AFC Championship game and got punched in the mouth.  They were physical with Harrison, Wayne, and Stokley. They brought pressure at the right times.  Peyton spent most of the day on the turf.  Many people claimed the Colts choked.  Manning couldn't win the big one, etc.  The truth is, he didn't have time to throw. When he had time his receivers were covered.  We couldn't run the ball with Edge either.  We just couldn't get our offense going and the game slipped away.  They were the better team and deserved to win, just like the Giants did last night.

We learned a lot about how to make up a championship team from that game.  In my opinion there are several key things that must happen in order to win Playoff games.  You can skate through the regular season by only accomplishing a few of these, but if you don't bring you're "A" game in the playoffs, you're going home.

• Running the Ball - The Patriots basically gave up.  The Pats ran the ball 16 times, versus 26 times for the Giants.  The Giants averaged 3.5 yards per carry, the Patriots averaged 2.8.  One of the key plays in the game, and one that will be overlooked, was the Giants stopping Maroney on 3rd and 1.  After that, the Pats gave up on the run and the Giants tee'd off on Brady.  While coaches often want to stick to what they know, i.e. the Patriots passing... you simply can't do that against a versatile defense.  It's one thing to line up and throw 50 times against the Vikings defense in the regular season.  They have no pass rush, but can stop the run.  The Giants can do both, and when they know Brady is dropping back every snap, you're going to run into some trouble.  One of the main reasons for the Colts Super Bowl success was the ability to run the ball when we needed to.
• Getting off the field - Normally this is the spot where someone would say "stopping the run", but there is much more than that.  It doesn't matter if you stop the run if you can't get off the field on 3rd down.  The Colts did a great job limiting the Chargers running game, but we couldn't get off the field when it counted.  The Giants had 3 3rd and long conversions on that first drive.  As the game wore on, the Giants were able to start running the ball a little better.  This opened up some things for Eli and slowed down the Patriots pass rush.
• Offensive line play - Probably the most overlooked, and arguably the most important aspect of playoff football.  It doesn't matter who you have at QB.  If he doesn't have time to throw the ball, he's going to look ordinary.  Surprisingly the Patriots O-line played terrible throughout the game.  They were beat consistently. The coaching staff and failed to leave a TE or RB in to chip the Giants D-Line.  It doesn't matter how many Patriots receivers are running routes if Brady doesn't have time to see them.  If I were the Patriots, I'd gladly leave an extra guy or two to block for Brady and trust him to find the open receivers.  The Giants on the other hand played well.  For the most part they won their individual battles, and picked up the blitz well. It took the Patriots way too much time to adjust to the Giants pressure.  When they finally started throwing short passes, the offense couldn't get into a rhythm.
• Efficient QB Play - Too often we're caught up in the Tom Brady's and Peyton Manning's of the world.  These two are so far beyond everyone else, it's hard to think of Eli Manning, Ben Rothelisberger,  Trent Dilfer, etc as "Super Bowl Quarterbacks".  The truth is, if your team is good then your quarterback has to be serviceable.  You need someone who can manage the game.  Someone who can come out and get the offense going and get those nerves out.   Someone who can make plays, but doesn't try to make every play.
• Luck - Yea that's right.  You need luck, and lots of it.  What if Samuel had caught the interception.  What if New England had recovered a couple of the fumbles that the Giants did?  We're talking about two plays that completely changed the outcome of the game.  When two good teams play, often it comes down to the way the ball bounces.  You can play a near perfect game, but if the ball bounces the wrong way just once, you're on the outside looking in.

It's easy for me to sit here and tell you what needs to be done to win the Super Bowl, but as you know it's a completely different beast to go out and get it done.  Last night, the Giants were prepared for New England and they did what they had to do to win.  I'm not sure the Giants have more overall talent than the Patriots, but they looked like it last night because they made these 5 things happen.

Congrats to Eli and the Giants.  Last night you were the better team.  As for the Patriots, I thought most of the players were rather classy.  They gave credit and were sincere to the Giants, including Moss.

As for Belichick... grow up.  Show some class.  Congratulate the winners.  I'm sick of your attitude.  I understand you aren't a "people person", but that's part of the job description of today's NFL Head Coach.  If you can't face the media after a loss, then you don't deserve to be a Head Coach.  You act like the general public strangled your puppy, and I'm sick of it.