new york jets The Helmet Catch by wide receiver David Tyree THE HELMET CATCH Many people expected Super Bowl XLII to be a coronation The New England Patriots were primed to go undefeated Only one other National Football League NFL team had ever done that Thirty-five years earlier the Miami Dolphins had finished 17 0 Since then the NFL had added two games to the season If the Patriots won the Super Bowl they would be the first team to go 19 0 Most experts predicted an easy win The New York Giants had lost six games during the regular season One loss came in the final game It was against the Patriots 9
new york jets In the Super Bowl the Giants proved they were not pushovers New York opened the game with a long drive It marched 63 yards in nearly 10 minutes But the Patriots forced the Giants to kick a field goal New England took a 7 3 lead in the second quarter The third quarter was scoreless The Giants regained the lead early in the fourth quarter Quarterback Eli Manning tossed a touchdown pass to wide receiver David Tyree The Patriots surged back to a 14 10 lead with less than three minutes remaining Then the Giants took over They worked their way downfield With only a minute left a ferocious pass rush nearly sacked Manning Somehow he escaped He threw a long pass toward Tyree The receiver jumped up He got his hands on the ball New England safety Rodney Harrison yanked him to the turf Tyree pinned the ball Eli Manning 10
new york jets Mel Hein Center Linebacker Giants seasons 1931 45 Height 6-foot-2 Weight 225 pounds GRIDIRON GREATS A CLOSE CALL Mel Hein was an immovable blocker at center on offense On defense he was a devastating tackler Hein nearly missed wearing Giants blue After college he wrote to several NFL teams offering his services The Providence Steam Roller offered him 125 a game Hein signed the contract and mailed it The next day the Giants offered 150 He telegraphed the Providence postmaster to stop delivery of the first contract Although it violated postal regulations the postmaster did as Hein asked In 1938 Hein became the first offensive lineman in NFL history named Most Valuable Player MVP 11
