CHANDLER, Ariz. – Before ever setting foot here in the Valley of the Sun, Plaxico Burress let The Post – and thus the world – in on his prediction for who wins Super Bowl XVII.
It sure ain’t the Patriots.
As he pulled his car up to the Giants Stadium tunnel to unload his bags, Burress yesterday morning was asked by The Post a direct question: Are you ready to make history? “You better believe it,” the towering Giants receiver said.
And then, as he entered the stadium and turned left toward the Giants locker room, Burress was asked for his prediction. Burress never hesitated, flatly stating “23-17.”
He didn’t identify the winning team. He didn’t have to.
Next came Michael Strahan, unloading his bags as The Post looked on. The same question: Are you ready to make history? “Yes sir,” said Strahan, who for 15 years has chased the dream of winning the Super Bowl.
“History will be ours.”
With that, the Giants departed for their western excursion, intent on proving wrong their many doubters and the oddsmakers and the legion of New England fans who believe their undefeated (18-0) Patriots are unbeatable and that a fourth Super Bowl title in the past seven years is their birthright.
Although their charter flight took off nearly 45 minutes late because rookie cornerback Aaron Ross got sick prior to takeoff, the Giants arrived here displaying sartorial splendor, with almost every player decked out in an all-black ensemble as per the instructions of fashion consultant/linebacker Antonio Pierce.
Out of the gate, it was the Patriots who led the way into town, touching down in Phoenix on Sunday afternoon amid a rainstorm. Tom Coughlin preferred to keep his team home until the last possible moment and by the time their charter arrived yesterday, there were breaks in the clouds and some afternoon sunshine and welcoming blue skies managed to peek through to greet the Giants.
A sign? An omen? Were whatever fates and Muses in charge of underdogs everywhere smiling down on the Giants?
The oddsmakers believe the Giants can give the unbeaten Patriots a game, just as long as you spot the Giants nearly two touchdowns, which means the odds say it won’t be much of a game at all.
“This ain’t no feel-good story,” Pierce said. “We’re not here to hand over the trophy to nobody. We’re here to hopefully take that trophy home back to New York.”
The sendoff for the Giants back in New Jersey was an understated scene and certainly not in the same stratosphere as the grand sendoff afforded the Patriots, who on Sunday were given a heroes salute back at Gillette Stadium, with thousands of adoring fans attending celebratory rally.
The Giants exited with little fanfare. Not more than 30 or so fans lined the fence outside the parking lot to catch a glimpse of the NFC champions.
After the flight, though, the Giants touched down and realized they were one of two teams left standing.
“The captain announced ‘We’ve landed in Arizona and good luck in the Super Bowl,’ ” Pierce said. “That’s when you know we’re here, we arrived. I think it hit everybody once we landed and they started seeing the desert and the cactus.”
The Giants headquarters for the week is the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass, a swanky resort located 20 miles southeast of downtown Phoenix and in close proximity to their practice home for the next five days, the Arizona Cardinals training complex.
Figure Coughlin will keep a tight leash on his club – there was no curfew last night but there will be the remainder of the week.
In his first Super Bowl as a head coach, Coughlin in his introductory press conference sounded relaxed and ready to roll.
He actually cracked up the gathering twice, first when he was asked about the secret to the Giants incredible road success (an NFL-record 10 consecutive road victories).
“We have a lot of secrets we can’t share with you,” he said in perfect deadpan delivery.
Later, when asked about the large media crowd, Coughlin said:
“This is like a normal day in New York.”
Eli Manning, asked about Joe Namath’s famous guarantee prior to Super Bowl III, said “Joe Namath was a great, confident man. That was then, this is now. I am not going to guarantee anything.”
No one ventured into making any predictions. Burress already took care of that much earlier in the day.
– additional reporting from Lenn Robbins and Brian Lewis in New York