Life as a New York Giants fan in the Coughlin era

Life as a New York Giants fan in the Eli Manning/Tom Coughlin era is a bit like riding a roller coaster.  One of those roller coasters that people fall out of occasionally, so they close it down for periods of time, but when it’s open, the line is like 4 hours long because it’s really that much fun.  OK, so maybe roller coasters like that don’t actually exist (I hope…), but rooting for the New York Giants is an up and down ride that is virtually unmatched in sports.

Need proof?

My ultimate high point as a sports fan came when the Giants upset the undefeated, unstoppable and (almost) perfect Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.  After winning that game in February of 2008, they started the next season 11-1.  That one loss?  A 21 point embarrassment on Monday Night Football to the Cleveland Browns (who finished 4-12).  They then went 1-3 in December, and lost at home to the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs.  In 2009, they started off 5-0, lost their next 4 and stumbled through December and missed the playoffs altogether.   2010 was the ultimate low point.  At 9-4, they sat atop the NFC East, and they led the 2^nd place Eagles by 21 with 8 minutes to play.  Not only did they lose, but they managed to do so in regulation.  By allowing a walk-off punt return.  Oh, and they missed the playoffs yet again.  They have proven time and time again that they can beat, or lose to, any team in the league no matter the stakes or the circumstances, at any point in time.  Maybe a roller coaster isn’t a strong enough analogy.  Being a Giants fan is more like living out a day in the life of Jack Bauer every single season.

And that’s freaking awesome.

If you aren’t familiar with the exploits of Jack Bauer or 24, each 24-episode season plays out a day in his life, hour by hour, as he saves the loved one/president/city that is currently under attack from the assassin/terrorist organization/military contractor currently causing havoc in America.  It’s an adrenaline overloaded, testosterone filled joy-ride that includes every type of emotion one can imagine.  In other words, it’s just like being a Giants fan.  You never know what is going to happen, therefore everything that happens is a surprise, but none of it is actually surprising, because you come to expect it.

Take this season, for example.  They started a solid 7-2, but those losses were to the Redskins and Seahawks, both of whom finished under .500.  And just like 12 hours into a season of 24, Jack has everything figured out, but you know something has to go wrong.  The bomb/informant/data has been defused/captured/downloaded, only there is a twist.  One more hurdle for Jack to overcome… or shoot his way through while yelling “NOW!” and putting fear into all those who stand in his way.  For the Manning/Coughlin era Giants, that hurdle is December, the home stretch of the season.  It seems like it doesn’t matter what happened before that, everything changes, and in recent years, everything falls apart.  And just like Jack on 24, Eli responds by going rogue, and cuts the fingers off of his wide receivers one-by-one until he gets what he wants.

But not this year.  Just like in the 2007, the Giants won the games that absolutely needed to down the stretch.  The defense pulled it together behind Jason Pierre-Paul’s Jack Bauer-esque acts of heroism.  Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks are busting off YAC runs that Tony Almeida would be proud of.  And through all of this, Eli Manning has emerged as an elite quarterback, just as he told us he would.  So many laughed (myself included), when he uttered those words back in August.  He is the one that, through all of the ups and downs, media attacks and jokes, has stayed strong and in command, proving why he is indeed in the elite quarterback class.  President David Palmer much?

The Packers game this weekend was yet another episode of 24: NYG Edition.  On the road and in the cold, the Giants had literally everything stacked against them.  Just as on 24, the opponent was clear, and their goals seemed obvious.  The 15-1 (and seemingly infallible at times) Packers would ride Aaron Rodgers’ magical arm to the NFC Championship game.  But yet again, there was a twist, one that you would think only the writers at 24 would think up.  The officiating crew was out to stop the Giants as well, and they were willing to do just about anything to keep the Packers in the game.  Between a blatantly obvious fumble call (that was reviewed and STILL incorrectly called), a phantom roughing-the-passer call against the Giants and one that wasn’t called when Eli got hit, it seemed like the refs were on the Aaron Rodgers/State Farm sponsored Discount Double Check plan.  But none of that mattered.  The Giants were in good hands with Eli (after his days playing President David Palmer on 24, Dennis Haysbert has become the best spokesperson on TV for, you guessed it, State Farm’s main insurance rival: Allstate.  Has this analogy gone too far yet?).  Between a 66 yard touchdown pass, a Hail Mary helmet catch as time expired at the half, a defense that forced 4 turnovers and a quarterback that absolutely outplayed the “best” quarterback in the league, the Giants dominated every facet of this game.

So what’s going to happen this weekend in San Francisco?

How the hell should I know?  If I have learned anything about the 24-era Giants (Yes, that’s what we’re calling them now), it’s not to bother with predictions or expectations.  This isn’t your average sports team.  If I could tell you confidently they would go into San Fran, win by 10 and head to the Super Bowl, I assure you, I would.  But I have absolutely no friggen’ idea what’s coming.  I’ve come to learn to just enjoy the ride when it comes to the Giants, no matter where it goes.

And I wouldn’t want it any other way.