As the conquering heroes returned to their home to bask in the afterglow, to soak up the last full-throated cheers from an adoring and appreciative fan-base, players who have been through it before as well as first-timers all agreed they never have been to a better party.
There was no stopping the Giants down the stretch of the season, in the playoffs and especially in Super Bowl XLVI, where they came back (again) to defeat the favored Patriots 21-17, in front of plenty of blue-clad loyalists out in Indianapolis. Home is where the heart is, though, and yesterday home was where the Giants concluded the public portion of their day-long celebration.
As much as his team earlier in the day enjoyed and was awed by the parade up the Canyon of Heroes, co-owner John Mara proclaimed “there’s no place like home’’ to a crowd at MetLife Stadium estimated at 40,000 to 45,000, all on hand to salute a team that defied even the most optimistic expectations by turning a 7-7 record into a second Super Bowl triumph in four years.
“Greatest day of my life,’’ said Henry Hynoski, a rookie fullback from rural Pennsylvania. “Words obviously can’t express it. I feel spoiled. I’m going to want this every year now.’’
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The Giants still want to hold on to this year, as soon enough the roster will be invaded, as it is every season, and this exact collection of players will never be together, en masse, again. The reality is the Giants have 21 free agents on their roster, and many of them will not be back.
“That’s the sad part about it,’’ Chris Snee said. “It’s the game, the guys who have been around know that. If you have to go out one way this is the way to go out, with this chapter.’’
The crowd, arriving early and free of charge, was significantly larger than the rally four years ago at Giants Stadium, a sign that the fans were even more thankful for this championship than they were the last one.
They cheered as if they did not know what was going to happen as a highlight video was shown on the four jumbo screens, hooting that now-familiar “Cruuuuz’’ when Victor Cruz took it 99 yards on the Jets and again, a minute later, when he walked onto the field with his teammates, easy to spot in a bright red sweatshirt.
Justin Tuck, as he does after a sack, bowed to the crowd, calling it an “absolute honor’’ to carry the Vince Lombardi Trophy into the stadium. Tuck then asked the crowd to chant “Happy Birthday’’ to his son, Jayce, who was celebrating his second birthday. “And this is my second ring,’’ Tuck beamed as the fans howled in delight.
The adulation reached a fevered pitch when Eli Manning entered, with “MVP’’ chants filling the building, as the comeback kid quarterback was showered with a reverence that previously hasn’t been felt.
“It’s the Meadowlands, it’s the biggest arena in the world and to pull in here as world champs, there’s no feeling, no words that can describe it at all, nothing,’’ said long-snapper Zak DeOssie, who as the special teams captain was given the honor of walking the George Halas Trophy for winning the NFC title into the stadium.
“My rookie year I didn’t understand how great this was. I understood but I couldn’t appreciate it because it’s so rare to be here. We’re so focused on our jobs and concentrating on staying focused sometime you don’t stop and appreciate how much this means to anyone.’’
Antrel Rolle, a first-timer in all this, said he sees no reason why the Giants cannot repeat this all over again, because the foundation already is in place. Of course, the Giants went 9-7 in the regular season and, despite the sensational surge through the postseason, are not favorites to get back again.
“The reason why we’re so cool with it is we believed,” Tuck said. “That’s all that mattered. We’ve got 53 guys in that locker room that believed. That’s all that mattered. We don’t really care what people outside say — the oddsmakers or whoever. As long as we believe in each other, the sky’s the limit.”
Tom Coughlin, receiving a huge ovation, told the crowd, “This is a tremendous finish to an amazing season.’’ It is all over, but the shouting.
“It might have ended for you guys, it hasn’t ended for me,’’ punter Steve Weatherford said. “I’m going to enjoy this for a long time.’’
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