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2007 Giants and the 1999 Titans: Separated at birth?

The New York Giants and the New England Patriots face off this weekend in this year’s rendition of the Super Bowl. The upstart Giants will be seeking to punctuate an unexpected ascent to NFL supremacy while the Patriots have perfection on their minds as they attempt to become the first 19-0 team in the league’s illustrious history.

The Super Bowl journeys of the 2007 Giants and a team we’re very familiar with, the 1999 Titans, bear striking resemblances.

Eight years ago, Titan fans were able to relate to the extraordinary feeling that will be experienced by Giants’ aficionados this weekend. The icy conditions of Atlanta served as the backdrop for the league’s showcase game that year: a rematch of a thrilling regular season match up that pitted the Titans against the heavily favored St. Louis Rams.

This year’s match up is also a sequel to a regular season battle between the two Super Bowl combatants. In 1999, The Titans were able to hold off the Rams’ second half comeback in a 24-21 victory at the venue formerly known as Adelphia Coliseum. The regular season contest between the Giants and the Pats was also decided by a field goal, with the Patriots sealing their 16-0 season with a 38-35 victory over the G-Men.

Like the 2007 Giants, the 1999 Tennessee Titans came out of nowhere to punch a ticket to the Super Bowl. Both teams finished second in their divisions and were overshadowed by flashier teams. The Giants have played in the shadow of the Cowboys all year long, while the 1999 Titans, despite their 13-3 record and two regular season victories over the Jaguars, were overshadowed by a Jacksonville team that finished the regular season 14-2.

Both the Giants and the Titans were able to reach the Super Bowl as a result of a victory over their division rival in the playoffs. The Giants went to Texas Stadium and upset the Cowboys a few weeks ago, and the 1999 Titans completed a season sweep of the Jaguars by defeating them for the third time that season in an impressive 33-14 butt whipping. Ironically, the coach of that Jacksonville Jaguar team, Tom Coughlin, is currently the head coach of the Giants.

At 6’4” and 264 pounds, Brandon Jacobs is a beast of a running back who appears to be a Mack truck as he approaches opposing defenders (just ask Charles Woodson). The 1999 Titans had their own bruiser at the running back position. Eddie George, who wore the same #27 jersey that Jacobs wears, was a powerful force during the Titans’ run to the Super Bowl that season. At 6’3” and 235 pounds, George was one of the league’s best power backs during his heyday.

As the case with the 1999 Tennessee Titans, this year’s Giants are led by a young signal-caller playing in his first Super Bowl. Like Steve McNair before him, Eli Manning is also a young quarterback hailing from the Gulf Coast that has stepped up and emerged as a leader on his football team.

As we all know, the 1999 Titans’ bid for a world championship was crushed as Mike Jones tackled Kevin Dyson one yard short of the end zone.

The outcome of the Super Bowl is where the 2007 Giants hope that the similarities between the two teams end.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 12:08 am and is filed under Commentary, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.