For all the hype surrounding Tom Brady and Bill Belichick of the Patriots, the Giants had their fair share of big name player as well.’ Guys like Plaxico Burress and Michael Strahan, are also well known to the casual fan.’ While you can give the MVP to Eli Manning, and credit is due to the front four of the Giants, you can’t say enough about the young guys and no names. They made big plays all night long.
Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, Jay Alford, Ahmad Bradshaw and David Tyree all made a huge impact on the biggest stage. All that while being relatively quiet for the majority of the season.
Smith, out of USC, was never higher than a number two receiver. While playing in five games, he only had eight receptions.’ Coming from Division II Western Oregon, Kevin Boss played in 13 games, with nine receptions. Bradshaw only rushed the ball 23 times. Jay Alford, a defensive lineman from Penn State saw the field for all 16 games, and recorded only one tackle, a sack.
Why do I bring up these guys? While not seeing much action in the regular season, the term ‘second season’ applies to all of them. Steve Smith had as many receptions as Randy Moss (five). Boss had more yards than Dante Stallworth, who has a multi-million dollar contract.’ Bradshaw had more rushing yards than Lawrence Maroney (first round draft pick in 2006). Jay Alford had a huge sack on the final drive in the fourth quarter, forcing the Patriots into a third and long situation. David Tyree was a sixth round draft pick out of Syracuse in 2003. He has made the pro bowl team once for his special team’s play, and was rarely used on the offense as a receiver. He had four receptions this year, and has never had more than 19 in any one year.
Despite all this, he could be considered the hero of the Super Bowl, with his acrobatic catch to keep the Giants winning drive alive. He had three catches for 43 yards, 32 of them on one of the biggest plays in Giants history. What’s the big deal? The rookies and no names proved to be critical in the playoffs and down the stretch. Given the chance, they excelled, and helped a team win a huge game. Never underestimate the rooks and no names.
