FanHouse David Tyree

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.

Sorting the Sunday Pile looks back at the NFL weekend that was. It's also an unofficial Mittens blog.

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.

That changed for good Sunday night.

In anticipation of Cardinals-Steelers, FanHouse takes a look back at some forgotten storylines from past Super Bowls.

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.

FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.

The bonus of making an amazing catch at the end of 2008 is that you are fresh as mess in the minds the meaningless people who vote on meaningless postseason awards. But timing might not matter much for Hakeem Nicks, because this is the best catch of 2008, bar none.



Now, granted, I feel like I've said this before this year, and certainly David Tyree's Super Bowl grab will give him a run for the money, but come on, man -- did you see what he did there? Ridiculous.

Former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, now a Fox television analyst, says he'll have no problems criticizing his friends and former teammates.

"I criticize them to their face in the locker room: 'You sucked today,'" Strahan tells Frank Deford in a profile on tonight's Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel.

And then, as if to prove he won't hesitate to criticize former teammates, Strahan says the reason he's amazed by the famous Manning to Tyree play in the Super Bowl is that his old teammates Eli Manning and David Tyree seemingly lack the athletic talent necessary to pull the play off.

You know how there is always a movie where some guy just has bad luck and no matter what he does ... it isn't as good as someone else close to him?

Imagine Giants' quarterback Eli Manning. Dude just won a magical Super Bowl in the NFL's biggest market and he won't be the QB with the most attention in his home stadium! Brett Favre is a New York Jet and will get tons more coverage and attention from everyone than Eli.

Never mind that the last time either player was on the field, Favre threw a season-killing interception against Eli's Giants ... while Eli led an amazing drive to pull off one of the greatest Super Bowl upsets.

Good thing it is Eli since this just adds to his already "Charlie-Brown" life.

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...
David who slayed Goliath ... and you know how that goes in the world of fantasy football. At least you should. The residue of a strong post-season run by a team almost certainly means several players are going to be overrated the next fantasy season. I'm looking right at you, Thomas Jones. So the question with the Giants is, can you look past the post-season and judge flatly on what you think they'll do in this regular season? Imagine the Giants had lost in the first round at Tampa Bay. Now judge their fantasy players. That should be an accurate rating system. For example, settle down about Eli Manning. Sure, you can believe he's taken a giant (pun unintended, but I'm keeping the word choice) step forward in terms of maturity and taking care of the football. You also should remember that 13 QBs outscored him in fantasy points in '07. His last name doesn't do him any favors either. Hypnotize yourself into believing that Eli Smith lost in the first round to the Bucs. Now do you like him as a top ten QB? Me neither.

The Breakout
Brandon Jacobs ... I already covered him.

Plaxico Burress only had two catches for 27 yards in the Super Bowl, but none was bigger than Eli Manning's last completion of the season -- a 13-touchdown pass to Burress to give the Giants a 17-14 lead with 35 seconds left in the game.

Now, some four months later, Burress is sitting out minicamp, and he might be a no-show for training camp, too. According to CBSSports.com's Clark Judge, Burress, like everybody else, wants a new contract.

Burress signed with the Giants in 2005 after the Steelers chose not to offer him a new deal. At the time, it seemed peculiar that teams weren't falling over themselves to ink a 6-5, 230-pound deep threat, and after several weeks and one false start with the Giants (at one point the team abruptly ended negotiations), Burress was eventually signed to six-year $25 million contract, including $8.25 million in guaranteed loot.

After three seasons in New York, 46 starts, more than 3,000 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns, I'd say Burress has earned a new deal. Of course, the front office may feel differently, especially since he has three years left on his existing contract.

On the upside, the longer Plax stays way, the better it is for Mario Manningham and, if we're to believe Vinny Ditrani, David Tyree. Jeremy Shockey, however, is still angry. About something.

I've always grudgingly admired Rodney Harrison. Sure, he's a dirty player, and his on-field act can get tiresome at times. But he's the guy opposing fans love to hate because he doesn't play for their team. I get that.

I've also seen him interviewed during the offseason, and he comes across as a smart dude, someone who understands that the NFL is ultimately a part-time gig, and has plans for life after football.

Well, this offseason, between calling David Tyree's catch "lucky," Harrison penned the introduction to Tyree's book, which, shockingly, is about that catch.

"A lot of people have been asking me questions, am I mad or upset at the catch," said Harrison. "Obviously you want to make the ball come out, but at the same time when you give everything to something, you don't have any regrets. ...

"But more so than that, just from a spiritual standpoint, I heard what [Tyree] went through with his mom, her passing, and everything he kind of endured this season. You can see why he was blessed at that particular time. God has a way of showing different things through different people, and I'm not a hater. You beat us, so I congratulate you and we move on."

Harrison admits that he didn't actually "write" the introduction, but was asked "a bunch of questions" and someone fashioned one from the answers. He also didn't get paid for his time, but according to the Boston Globe's Mike Reiss, Harrison didn't hesitate because of the story's powerful message.

See, not only is Harrison human, he has feelings. Bill Belichick, however, is still assumed to be a Cylon.