It was two years ago that then-Jets head coach Eric Mangini ratted out the Patriots for what would become Spygate. The NFL slapped Bill Belichick with a $500,000 fine, took away one of their first-round picks, and kindly asked us to move on.
Eventually we did, but not before accusing the Patriots of cheating their way to three Super Bowl titles this decade before karma intervened by way of David Tyree.
New England became an afterthought when Tom Brady went down 15 minutes into the 2008 season, football gods and Pats-hating fans finally mollified. But it was only a matter of time before the Dark Lord found new ways to gain an advantage over opponents. And now, after some time off to regroup, Belichick is back, this time with psychological warfare. Or as the liberals would call it: subtle forms of torture.
Tyree was reportedly scheduled to tryout for Tampa Bay later this week, but after a Monday workout in Baltimore, was able to come to terms with the Ravens.
Tyree played for six seasons in New York, the only prior stop in his NFL career. He has 54 career regular-season catches for 650 yards and four touchdowns.
In Super Bowl XLII, David Tyree provided one of those incredible moments that will forever live in sports lore. Tyree's career with the Giants did not last nearly as long. New York cut the wide receiver on Saturday, about 17 months after Tyree's postseason heroics.
"Like anyone else, it was a tough thing for David to hear. He's actually saying his goodbyes to his teammates right now," Tyree's agent told the Star-Ledger.
Saturday's move serves to highlight, even further, just how remarkable Tyree's Super Bowl catch was -- Tyree's an incredibly average player who made arguably the best catch in playoff history.
There's no use pretending that a preseason Monday night can match the excitement of the NFL regular season's start to the week. We shouldn't even try to ramp up the excitement, to be honest.
In fact, I'll propose that Hank Williams Jr. and his "Are You Ready for Some Football?!" be replaced by Billy Ray Cyrus crooning "Hey, What Else Are You Watching?" for these practice contests. At least then we're not trying to kid ourselves.
But preseason football is better than no football, by a large margin, and at least this year's first Monday night features a pair of interesting matchups.
The NFL season is four weeks and one day away, so FanHouse is at Giants training camp for Stop 5 and Mile 996 of Dan Graziano's five-camp, 1,100-mile road trip.
ALBANY, N.Y -- His situation is bizarre, unique and potentially kind of sad. David Tyree is and forever will be one of the most significant names in New York Giants history for his helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII. And yet, two years later, he's here in camp trying not to get cut. Unfair? No way. Tyree won't even admit to finding it odd.
But everything has worked out: the Giants made a draft-day trade for Manning, sending Philip Rivers (and draft picks that would become Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding) to San Diego. And after a rocky first three years in the league, it all came together for Eli midway through the 2007 season ... all the way through the Super Bowl.
It didn't take long for the instant historians to proclaim Santonio Holmes' improbable end zone grab the "greatest catch in Super Bowl history." It's certainly in the conversation, but I'm not comfortable crowning it the best reception in 43 years, particularly hours after the fact.
Ben Roethlisberger has started 82 games in his five-year career, winning close to 80 percent of them. Yet for most of the football-observing public not located in Western Pennsylvania, he's still nothing more than a game manager. A good quarterback who fell into a great situation and is just along for the ride.
The play of Super Bowl XLII was easily the catch made by David Tyree, holding onto the ball for dear life between one hand and his helmet. The Giants would go on to slay the giant and knock off the previously undefeated New England Patriots. Let us pause for a second and think about what would have happened had Eli Manning not even made that throw. He broke away from what appeared to be a sure sack. What if he didn't?
After last season, football fans had to quickly prepare to be part of a world where Eli Manning and David Tyree were responsible for the most memorable play in many Super Bowls.
In a two-year span, both of the brothers Manning were Super Bowl champions, and both did it with playoff runs that had to be considered unpredictable. Peyton finally beat the hated Patriots before winning his big game, while Eli outplayed Brett Favre in the cold at Lambeau to get his shot at a championship against the unbeaten Patriots.
While Eli Manning was unable to lead his Giants to a repeat this season, despite an 11-1 start and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs, he may be on the verge of joining his older brother in another exclusive club.