Guest Author - Kori Ellis

As everyone knows by now, the New York Giants did the impossible and beat the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII. Using a legendary fourth quarter drive and ferocious defense all night, the Giants denied the Patriots a perfect season and instead became the NFL’s champions on Sunday night.

Here were the five biggest stars in the Super Bowl for the Giants:

1) Eli Manning, Quarterback
Never known as an especially clutch performer before these playoffs began, Eli Manning led yet another fourth quarter march down the field to seal the victory for the Giants. Manning went from Peyton’s brother and Archie’s son to a legitimate superstar right before our eyes.

2) The Entire New York Giants Defense
Everyone on the defensive side of the ball deserves major props for the Super Bowl victory. While other teams attempted to lay back and hope for the Patriots to beat themselves, the Giants attacked Tom Brady and the Patriots and the strategy paid off with a championship trophy.

3) David Tyree, Wide Receiver
In a play that will go down as one of the best plays in the history of the NFL, David Tyree pulled down a deep pass from Manning on a third down play late in the game. Using his helmet to secure the ball, Tyree’s amazing play will forever be remembered as the game’s most important play.

4) Plaxico Burress, Wide Receiver
Plaxico Burress talked the talk all week. On Sunday during the Super Bowl, Burress also walked the walk. He caught the game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the game to put the Giants up for good. He cemented himself as one of the game’s best wide receivers after two straight brilliant performances in the playoffs.

5) Ahmad Bradshaw, Running Back
With starter Brandon Jacobs struggling to find running room, Ahmad Bradshaw came in and lit a spark under the Giants’ running game. The shifty running back out of Marshall had a number of key runs for New York. Only a rookie, Bradshaw showed enough skill to keep him around the NFL for a long time.

When people look back on the 2007 NFL season, everyone will still remember how great of a football team the Patriots were when they were dominating throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. However, with the Super Bowl loss, the Patriots will be known as a great team that came within inches of perfection but couldn’t grasp onto the dream.