New York Giants fans can relive their Super Bowl memories with new NFL DVD

The final pass has been thrown. The final touchdown has been scored. The naysayers have been silenced. The fans have had their day.

The New York Giants are still basking in the glory of winning Super Bowl XLVI, and now the team and its cadre of supporters can relive the 2011 season with the NFL’s new highlights DVD. Examining the strange path that brought the Giants to the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the 120-minute film looks at all of the triumphs and seemingly impossible obstacles. With the swelling music in the background and more slow-motion than the Zapruder film, the documentary will interest mostly those football nuts who bleed Big Blue.

When looking back at the Giants’ surprising season, it’s hard not to get caught up in the hysteria. On paper, the team should not have made it to the playoffs, let alone win the big award. Halfway through the season, as the DVD points out, Eli Manning and company were facing a losing record and loss after loss after loss. They weren’t playing Super Bowl football, and the NFL’s other teams, including the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots, seemed like they were in another league.

Then something happened. What that is still remains a mystery, even after watching the all-access pass the DVD provides. It shows Tom Coughlin inspiring the troops in post-game huddles. It shows Victor Cruz making unbelievable catches and then dancing the samba in the end zone. It shows the exquisite performance of Jason Pierre-Paul. It shows the endless fourth-quarter comebacks, all orchestrated by the marvelous Manning. But what changed everything over is difficult to ascertain. Likely, the team looked at their prospects in November and realized that if they didn’t make a run for the title, it would soon be too late.

Whatever changed their minds, something clicked and everything seemed to work for the team. They won several key victories late in the season, including hard-fought contests against the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys, and all of a sudden they found themselves winning the NFC East title.

The rest, as they say, is history. The Giants dominated the playoffs, keeping every game competitive, but always coming out on top. Their ultimate victory against the Patriots in the big game — a feat they had already achieved four years prior — was almost Shakespearean. The Pats, under the guidance of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, have broken almost every record in the book and achieved the highest successes. The one thing they have been unable to do is stop the Giants when it really mattered.

The NFL’s film includes some extra content, which only adds to the Cinderella story. There are featurettes on Super Bowl Media Day, Super Bowl Post-Game Ceremonies, Super XLII Recap, The Eli Manning Conversation, The Receiving Giants and Catching Up with David Tyree.

The main draw here is to watch those iconic plays that catapulted the New York franchise from mediocrity to excellence. Try not to be amazed by a Victor Cruz reception or Jason Pierre-Paul blocked field goal. Try not to be impressed by Eli Manning’s consistently stellar performances. Try not to fall in love with the Giants all over again. I dare you.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Super Bowl XLVI Champions: New York Giants

• Narrated by Scott Graham

• Running time: 120 minutes

• Rating: