After their stirring, improbable victory over the Patriots in the Super Bowl in January 2008, the New York Giants rightfully felt like they were on top of the world. With a great blend of youth and experience, with good coaching to boot, there was no reason not to be confident. It didn’t last, though. The Giants didn’t return to the Super Bowl for four more years. What happened, and how did they finally get back?
The slow-motion disintegration of a Super Bowl champion
Michael Strahan had retired, but Justin Tuck had burst onto the scene, Mathias Kiwanuka was improving, Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield were anchoring the interior line, Antonio Pierce was a force at middle linebacker, and the Giants seemed to have an embarrassment of riches in the secondary in the form of Aaron Ross, Corey Webster, Michael Johnson, James Butler, and two impressive rookies, Kenny Phillips and Terrell Thomas, who had been drafted in Rounds 1 and 2. (They also had Osi Umenyiora, but he missed 2008 with an injury.) The defense that stymied Tom Brady looked like it had gotten even better.
