New York Giants’ co-owner, John Mara, was aghast during the final minute of the Super Bowl XLVI
New York Giants’ running back, Ahmad Bradshaw, would be remembered for scoring the go-ahead goal for his team against New England Patriots in the Super Bowl XLVI game, but it is not the only reason he would stay in the limelight.
He did something for which even Giants’ president, chief executive officer (CEO) and the co-owner, John Mara, was also aghast during the final minute of the game.
Mara discussed about the nervous last minute of the game and the level of anxiety he went through during a radio show on Thursday, February 9, 2012.
It all started when just a few minutes were left on the clock and Giants were two points behind Patriots.
The Super Bowl XLVI Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Giants’ quarterback, Eli Manning, initiated a drive, aiming to take the lead.
To complete the final play of the drive, Giants needed just six more yards to reach the end zone and get a touchdown.
Patriots’ coach, Bill Belichick, decided to give safe route to the rusher to score a touchdown so Patriots could hit back with still some time left on the clock.
Many observers, including some Giants’ players and coaches, had read Belichick’s mind.
"My feeling was that they were going to let us score," John said. “I remember turning to my brother Chris (Mara) and saying, 'I think they are going to let us score.”
The smart thing for Giants was to fall just a yard short of the end zone, which would have allowed them to set up a field goal and hence more time would have been consumed.
The cameras caught Giants’ kicker, Lawrence Tynes, warming up to take a kick.
Things were going according to the plan, but it was the plan about which no one had told Bradshaw.
Manning handed off the ball to Bradshaw and he rushed for exactly the yards needed to get a touchdown.
However, on his way he had heard Manning yelling not to score the touchdown. The dilemma could only make him look awkward while he was dropping his body in the end zone.
With 57 seconds left, Patriots’ quarterback, Tom Brady, initiated a drive, but Giants got lucky as Brady’s final Hail Mary pass was not collected.
John said of the final drive:
“I was scared to death with 50 seconds left to put the ball in Brady's hands. The last play of the game, the ball was in the end zone being batted around -- anything could have happened."
However, he also acknowledged that Bradshaw could not have done anything else.
He commented:
“You can't blame the guy for doing that. That is just an instinctive play and, at least, by doing that, it made him (Brady) have to come down the field and score a touchdown as opposed to a field goal.”
Bradshaw’s unintentional move did raise the game’s temperature, but that’s what makes such big events captivating.
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