FanHouse ManningtoTyree

Examining Manning to Tyree, the play that changed the Super Bowl.

The 32-yard pass from Giants quarterback Eli Manning to wide receiver David Tyree late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLII is already becoming the stuff of legend. It brought Manning out of the shadow of his big brother, it transformed Tyree from obscure special teamer to household name, and it moved the Giants toward their game-winning touchdown in one of the most thrilling moments in NFL history.

But it almost didn't happen. At the start of the play, Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas was about a foot away from sacking Manning, which would have all but ended the game and completed the Patriots' undefeated season.

Lined up at right defensive end opposite Giants left tackle David Diehl, Thomas got a great first step and forced Manning to step forward before he completed his drop. In fact, the first words out of Fox announcer Joe Buck's mouth on the play were "Pressure from Thomas off the edge."

But Manning stepped forward to avoid Thomas, and then it was time for two of Thomas's teammates to have their shots at Manning.

Next: Rich Seubert Won't Give Up

Examining Manning to Tyree, the play that changed the Super Bowl.

The key players in the play that changed the Super Bowl were, of course, Giants quarterback Eli Manning and wide receiver David Tyree. But there was a third Giant who showed off the never-say-die spirit of these Giants: guard Rich Seubert.

Seubert was lined up at left guard, and at the start of the play he was blown off the ball. That allowed the Patriots to collapse the middle of the pocket, so when Manning stepped forward to avoid the blind-side rush from Adalius Thomas, he didn't have anywhere to go. Patriots defensive linemen Jarvis Green (#97) and Richard Seymour (whose helmet you can see behind Green's right shoulder) seemed to have Manning locked up for a sack.

But Seubert would have none of it. He got back into position and blocked Green, pushing him into Seymour and allowing Manning to make his great escape.

Previous: Giants' pass protection breaks down
Next: Eli Pulls Away

Examining Manning to Tyree, the play that changed the Super Bowl.

The four Patriots you see in the above photo all had a chance to sack Giants quarterback Eli Manning on his 32-yard pass to David Tyree in the waning moments of Super Bowl XLII. The two in the middle, defensive linemen Jarvis Green and Richard Seymour, had more than just a chance: They should have had him.

But thanks to good blocking by Rich Seubert, and thanks to Manning's own strength, Manning got out of the grasp of Seymour, who practically ripped his jersey off.

If there's one trait Manning doesn't get enough credit for, it's his physical strength. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Manning doesn't break tackles often, but he's not an easy guy to bring down, either. Seymour is a strong guy, and a lot of quarterbacks would have gone down with Seymour grabbing them, but Manning broke free.

Previous: Seubert Doesn't Quit
Next: Mike Carey in Position

Examining Manning to Tyree, the play that changed the Super Bowl.

For an instant before Eli Manning unleashed his 32-yard pass to David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII, it appeared that the play was over. The Patriots' defensive line had Manning bottled up, and referee Mike Carey ran toward the play.

Never is a referee's job more difficult than when a quarterback is feeling pressure. The league office constantly harps to the refs on the importance of protecting the quarterback, so the refs constantly have to be mindful of preventing quarterbacks from taking unnecessary punishment. The offensive coaches wills scream at the referee any time the quarterback takes a shot. The defensive coaches will scream at the referee any time he does something to protect the quarterback.

And fans, talk radio and sports writers are brutal toward referees any time they make a mistake in either direction.

So what did Carey do? He called the play to perfection. First, he lined up at his customary position about 10 yards behind the quarterback and off to the right side, since Manning is right handed. At the snap, Carey took a step back to get out of the way when it looked like Adalius Thomas might sack Manning for a big loss.

Then Carey took several steps forward when Manning scrambled forward so he would have a good view of the play, ready to blow his whistle if Manning's progress was stopped.

And then, with a mass of humanity in front of him, Carey did exactly the right thing: He let the football players play football. Maybe some referees would have ruled that Manning had been stopped and blown the play dead, but that would have been a mistake, and it was a mistake Carey avoided. He backpedaled, never took his eyes off the ball, and watched Manning make the play.

Previous: Eli Pulls Away
Next: Vrabel Can't Get There

Examining Manning to Tyree, the play that changed the Super Bowl.

After Giants quarterback Eli Manning broke free of Patriots defensive linemen Richard Seymour and Jarvis Green, he rolled out to his right.

That's where Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel, who led the team with 12.5 sacks, was lined up, and that should have meant Manning had escaped trouble in one spot just to run into trouble in another. But Manning looked surprisingly nimble on the play, and Vrabel had over-pursued in the opposite direction when he thought Seymour and Green were going to bring Manning down. That bought Manning just enough time.

If Vrabel had been able to get to Manning an instant sooner, he might have sacked him. At the very least, Manning wouldn't have had time to set his feet and launch the ball downfield. But Vrabel's momentum had carried him inside, and when Manning rolled outside, he got all the space he needed.

Previous: Ref Mike Carey in Perfect Position
Next: Tyree Leaps

Examining Manning to Tyree, the play that changed the Super Bowl.

There's an old adage in football that when a receiver jumps to catch a ball, he needs to try to catch it at the highest point of his jump. That's exactly what Giants wide receiver David Tyree did when he saw Eli Manning's pass come his way in the middle of the field: He leapt into the air to grab the ball rather than waiting for it to come down to him.

The 6-foot-0 Tyree isn't particularly tall as NFL receivers go. In fact, he's an inch shorter than Rodney Harrison, the Patriots safety he out-jumped for the ball. But out-jump Harrison he did. Tyree's most important skill on the play was less jumping than timing -- if Tyree had mis-timed his jump by just a split-second, he wouldn't have been at his highest at the instant the ball arrived, and the ball either would have gone over his fingertips, or Harrison would have knocked it away.

In a play that required perfect timing all around, the timing of Tyree's jump was the most important moment of all.

Previous: Mike Vrabel Can't Stop Manning from Throwing Long
Next: Ball Against Helmet

Examining Manning to Tyree, the play that changed the Super Bowl.

It was extraordinary the way Giants wide receiver David Tyree leaped to catch Eli Manning's last-minute pass at its highest point, but it was even more extraordinary that he kept the ball at its highest point: Rather than grabbing the ball with his hands and pulling it into his body, Tyree pressed the ball against his helmet on the way down from his jump.

That might be the single most-discussed element of the play: Joe Buck said on the game broadcast as they showed the instant replay, "Pressing it against his helmet as he goes to the ground and not dropping it is David Tyree."

But it's Buck's job to describe the action on the field. We knew the "ball on helmet" element of the play was legendary when, the next day, David Letterman's Top 10 Patriots excuses included, "Since when is that dude allowed to catch a ball with his head?"

Previous: Tyree Leaps
Next: Tyree Out-Muscles Rodney Harrison

Examining Manning to Tyree, the play that changed the Super Bowl.

Patriots safety Rodney Harrison has a reputation as one of the toughest -- some would say one of the dirtiest -- players in the NFL. If a receiver goes for the ball in Harrison's territory, Harrison is going to make him pay for it.

So when Giants wide receiver David Tyree grabbed quarterback Eli Manning's pass with a minute to go in Super Bowl XLII, he knew he was going to have to fight for it. Harrison struck Tyree around the neck with his right forearm and then tried with all his might to pry Tyree's right arm away from his body to keep Tyree from bracing the ball against his helmet with his right hand.

But on this play, Tyree was tougher. Tyree's body was in the air almost parallel to the ground while Harrison pummeled him in a desperate attempt to get the ball loose, but it didn't work. Patriots safety James Sanders tried to help Harrison, but he couldn't get there in time. Tyree took Harrison's heat and held on.

Previous: Ball Against Helmet
Next: Tyree on Ground, Ball Not

Examining Manning to Tyree, the play that changed the Super Bowl.

When David Tyree came down with Eli Manning's pass with 59 seconds remaining in Super Bowl XLII, it seemed like we couldn't really have seen what we thought we just saw. Surely, the ball must have hit the ground before Tyree controlled it, right?

No. In fact, Tyree did something very smart on the play: He held the ball up above his body while he was flat on his back, as if to say to the officials that they didn't even need to consider whether the pass was complete.

Patriots safety Rodney Harrison kept trying to wrestle the ball out of Tyree's hands long after Tyree was on the ground, and Giants receiver Steve Smith eventually jumped in and grabbed Harrison to get him off his teammate. But none of that was necessary. Tyree had gone to the ground in complete control of the football, and the Giants had gone from third-and-5 at their own 44-yard line to first-and-10 at the Patriots' 24-yard line.

Previous: Tyree Out-Muscles Rodney Harrison
Next: Coughlin Calls Timeout

Examining Manning to Tyree, the play that changed the Super Bowl.

For Tom Coughlin's entire coaching career, from his success at Boston College to building the Jacksonville Jaguars to winning Super Bowl XLII with the New York Giants, he's been known mostly for his disciplinarian methods.

But while that's an important element of who Coughlin is as a coach, it shouldn't overshadow another element of his coaching style: On game day, he manages the clock as well as anyone.

Case in point: After David Tyree hauled in Eli Manning's 32-yard pass with 59 seconds left on Super Bowl Sunday, Coughlin instantly ran on the field and called timeout. That might seem like a small thing, but it isn't: A lot of coaches would have wasted time, asked their assistants if they should call timeout, questioned whether it was the right move. Coughlin didn't hesitate, and that meant the Giants didn't waste a second.

The instant classic Manning to Tyree play didn't end when Tyree hit the turf with the ball still in his hands. It ended when Coughlin, cool under pressure, made the right call at the right time.

Previous: Tyree Hits the Ground, Ball Does Not
Next: David Tyree, the Unlikely Hero