To elaborate more on my comments in today's column, it's not that I don't enjoy Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in general. Buck employs a less-is-more style that many other play-by-play men would be wise to note, and even if Aikman is no Phil Simms, he's a sharp observer.

However, given how overwhelmingly the Patriots were favored and the hosannas that had been heaped upon them during the season, I was looking for more explanation about how the Giants were able to do what they did. Or was it more a failing on the Patriots' part? With two weeks to get ready, we were led to believe, New England would employ its unsurpassed preparation and that certainly would negate anything the Giants could throw at them. But Tom Brady had to endure hit after hit, and Eli Manning was able to find receivers open in the secondary (though I'm not sure how you defend against somebody catching a ball against his helmet).

In the end, though, what we got was still a terrific game, well-produced and filled with any pictures or replays we could have desired.

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Given the way things turned out, should someone have made a bigger deal out of Bill Belichick's decision to go for it on fourth-and-13 and not to attempt a 49-yard field goal in the third quarter?

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In the fourth quarter, Buck said Brady was getting some time to throw because the Giants defensive linemen were getting tired. But later in the same period, when the pressure returned, Aikman said the Giants had rotated their defensive linemen to keep them fresh.

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Good preparation and awareness by Fox: After the winning touchdown pass from Manning to Plaxico Burress, the network played tape from the warm-ups, showing the two running the same pattern that resulted in the score.