So it seems that the trend of fans recording themselves while watching the final moments of a championship game continued on Sunday, with Giants fans everywhere looking to preserve their viewing memories of Super Bowl XLVI – good or bad – for all the internet to see.  Fortunately for these fans, Brady’s last-second hail mary fell harmlessly to the turf, sealing New York’s fourth Super Bowl championship in franchise history, and sending legions of Giants fans around the world into fits of hysterical joy.

This compilation of reaction shots goes on a bit long, but it’s still fun to re-live the final seconds (as well as the emotional post-game celebration) through the eyes of these passionate fans.

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

I bet the Patriots version of this isn’t quite as light-hearted.

Eli = Elite (Photo: NY Giants Facebook)

The New York Giants are Super Bowl Champions once again, and Eli Manning has won his second Super Bowl MVP award after defeating the New England Patriots 21-17 in Indianapolis tonight. With the win, Eli officially steps out of the shadow of his brother Peyton, and cements himself in the annals of NFL history as one of the game’s greatest quarterbacks.

The biggest play of the game came in the fourth quarter, as the Giants attempted to drive the field for the game-winning score. Manning hit Mario Manningham for this incredible 38-yard sideline catch:

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

As remarkable as Manningham’s catch was, Manning’s throw was equally as brilliant, delivering the ball on a rope in a very tight space where only Manningham could snare it. And the play will undoubtedly go down in Giants history as one of the greatest plays of all time.

Ahmad Bradshaw finished off the drive with a bizarre game-winning 6-yard touchdown run with just over a minute to go. New York was trying to run out some more clock before scoring the go-ahead points and giving the ball back to Tom Brady, but the Patriots called the patented “Red Sea” defense and left Bradshaw untouched … leading to perhaps the most awkward touchdown in Super Bowl history:

(via Reddit/r/nygiants)

The Giants defense was able to hold off a last-minute drive by Brady, which ended with a failed hail mary as the clock struck zero. And suddenly – after winning his second championship and defeating Bill Belichick head-to-head for the second consecutive time on the game’s biggest stage - Tom Coughlin has to be in the conversation as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.

(Image via SportsGrid.com)

Sunday’s 2012 Pro Bowl started out pretty much as expected, with defensive players giving minimal effort at little things like rushing the passer, covering and tackling, setting the stage for the offensive shootout that ensued. The AFC ultimately out-gunned the NFC 59-41, with Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall reeling in a Pro Bowl record 4 TDs and earning the MVP trophy.

And while this laissez-faire defensive attitude elicited boos from the crowd and groans from television viewers everywhere, the game did end up providing a few noteworthy moments. To be honest, we didn’t actually watch the whole thing, but we got a pretty good feel for things via the stats and game highlights … and with 100 total points scored, you get the general idea: defense (and running backs) took the day off in Honolulu today. For their part, the NFC had three players – Tony Gonzalez, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Smith - with more than 100 yards receiving, with Fitzgerald pulling in three scores of his own.

Marshall finished with 176 yards on six catches, but none of them were as memorable as this unbelievable (and wildly lucky) third quarter grab of a tipped Andy Dalton pass while laying on his back in the endzone:

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

BONUS GIF: The other worthwhile highlight came Drew Brees attempted the rarely-seen drop kick extra point late in the 4th quarter, only to miss it badly [VIDEO here]

(via mocksession.com)

(Image via Youtube.com)

There has been a trend sweeping YouTube in recent years of fans recording themselves watching live sporting events unfold, and then uploading their reactions for all the world to see. This has provided us with all kinds of tremendous sporting moments caught on camera from the fan’s point of view, like this remarkable compilation of fans watching Landon Donovan’s game-winning goal in the 2010 World Cup.

And as you might guess, last week’s AFC Championship game between the Patriots and the Ravens provided all kinds of fodder for superfans everywhere to freak the eff out, with their cameras rolling. Between both Lee Evans’ near-game-winning-TD that wasn’t and Billy Cundiff’s field goal shank that lost it for Baltimore, the final few minutes were an emotional roller coaster for fans of both teams.

So that’s what makes this compilation of fan reactions to the game (aptly titled “The Agony of Defeat and Thrill of Victory“) – which features both ebullient celebrations and soul-crushing collapses from Pats and Ravens fans alike –  just so fantastic. You really get to feel the win/loss from both perspectives, and get a sense of just how much this game means to people everywhere. And of course it includes this guy.

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

This week 14 block effectively saved the Giants season (Photo: NYPost.com)

There are thousands of fan-made highlights packages to be found on YouTube, but this one of the New York Football Giants 2011-12 regular season stands out from the pack for its incredible editing, high quality footage, and of course, the tasteful use of  ”Run This Town” by Jay-Z (feat. Rihanna) as the backing music.

And even though the Giants barely squeaked into the playoffs as a Wild Card after finishing 9-7, with guys like Eli, Cruuuuuuz, and JPP having breakout seasons, there were still plenty of explosive and memorable plays from this year’s campaign … even before they were able to put it all together just in time for a stunning playoff run.

So if you’re a Giants fan looking for something to keep you fired up during the off-week before Super Bowl XLVI, you’ve come to the right place.

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

(Image via NFL.com)

Ray Lewis has long been a controversial figure in the NFL, but no one can argue the man’s ability on the field as one of the finest linebackers of our generation. But the thing that perhaps makes Lewis even more special are his innate gifts as a leader, and his undeniable ability to motivate his teammates around him to be better.

As we watch yet another Ravens defensive coordinator get plucked away for an NFL head coaching job in Chuck Pagano (after Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan and Rex Ryan before him), you can’t help but wonder if it really hasn’t been Lewis who has been the true guiding force of the Baltimore defense all along. Not taking anything away from Pagano, but with guys like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed in that locker room, it feels like almost anyone could step in and coach this unit to the playoffs.

The latest proof of Lewis’ status as the unquestioned leader of the Ravens comes from his post-game locker room speech immediately following their gut-wrenching AFC Championship loss to the Patriots. Watch and listen as Lewis drops into preacher mode to put things into perspective, congratulating his teammates on a job well done this season, telling Joe Flacco “you played your ass off” in the loss and to keep his head up, while also exhorting them all to get back to work and become stronger as a team.

For this clip, Lewis’ speech has been set to Ravens season highlights, as extra motivation for sad Baltimore fans everywhere.

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

Compiled in 2008 following their last Super Bowl run, this is by far the most comprehensive (and emotionally stirring) Giants highlights package we’ve ever seen. Featuring the highs and lows from New York’s storied franchise history – and with several classic moments from their rivalry with the Niners included – it is a must-watch for any fan of Big Blue.

Simply put, this is why I’m a fan of the New York Football Giants:

[Music – “This Is The Sea” by the Waterboys]

Sorry, but any objectivity we had been feigning until now goes right out the window today … GO GIANTS!!!

"The Hit" ended Montana's day, and ultimately his career in SF (Photo: NY Daily News)

On Sunday, the 49ers and Giants will meet in the playoffs for an NFL record-tying EIGHTH time … with all of those match-ups coming since 1981. Along the way, the two NFC powerhouses have won a combined 8 Lombardi Trophies, and have given us a few of the more memorable games in playoff history.

In looking back at the rivalry, some of the more indelible playoff memories include Jim Burt blasting Joe Montana in New York’s 49-3 Divisional drubbing in 1986, Roger Craig inexplicably fumbling late in the 1990 NFC Championship game to set up Matt Bahr’s game-winner, and Trey Junkin (whose name alone has become a curse word in Giants fandom) botching the game-winning field goal snap in 2002′s Wild Card game to complete the second-biggest collapse in playoff history.

So before these proud franchises take the field to provide the latest chapter in their long-running saga, we thought it fitting to look back at two of their previous meetings to get ourselves in the proper frame of mind. Specifically, we bring you the highlights from the 2002 NFC Wild Card game and the 1990 NFC Championship.

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

 2002 NFC Wild Card game:

And of course, who could forget the 1990 NFC Championship game:

So "Gronking" is now an actual thing (Photo: Boston.com)

Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski has set a new standard for receiving tight ends in the NFL this year, with a record 1,327 yards and 17 regular season touchdowns, plus 3 more in last weekend’s divisional playoff game. Along the way, he’s made a habit of angrily spiking the ball into the turf after every score, spawning the term “Gronking” to describe his particularly violent  take on the traditional celebration.

In fact, in an obvious take-off of the Tebowing trend, Gronking has apparently become a thing among Pats fans - complete with it’s own website - who want to emulate their favorite player. Somehow, in his own jolly-meathead-icon fashion, Gronkowski has actually managed to make spiking the ball cool again.

Now, someone has gone ahead and set clips of Gronkowski’s spikes to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture … and let’s just say it makes for a very explosive highlight reel:

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

(Image via Sportsgrid.com)

We’re obviously a little late to the party on this, but the San Francisco 49ers took down the New Orleans Saints 36-32 in the game of the Divisional Playoff weekend, with Alex Smith delivering the game-winning TD to Vernon Davis on what will undoubtedly forever go down in San Francisco sports history as “The Catch III”. 

Both Smith and Davis turned in career-making performances and Smith finally delivered on his #1 pick expectations by out-dueling the NFL’s all-time single season passing leader (Drew Brees) in a game that saw four lead changes in the final 5 minutes! Smith had his NFL bar mitzvah and became a man on Saturday, finishing with 299 yards and 3 TDs passing, 0 INTs and one 28-yard rushing score to pus SF ahead late in the 4th.

For his part, Vernon Davis cemented himself in Niner lore with 7 catches for 180 yards and 2 TDs, including the game winner on a 14-yard strike from Smith with nine seconds remaining. After dominating all day long and when his team needed him most, Davis delivered a huge blow to Saints safety Roman Harper in the endzone and managed to hang onto the ball for the win.

On what was very nearly the 30th anniversary of the original “The Catch” – Dwight Clark‘s infamous touchdown grab in the 1981 NFC Championship game (1/10/82) – Davis’ play more closely resembled “The Catch II” by Terrell Owens in 1999, right down to crying on the shoulder of head coach Jim Harbaugh as he ran to the sideline (pic above).

VIDEO OF ALL THREE 49ERS “CATCHES” AFTER THE JUMP

But after the game, rather than embrace the obvious connection to his predecessors, Davis insisted that his catch go by a different name:

“You’ve got to call it “The Grab,’ ” Davis said of his play. “We were down. I had to make it happen to take my teammates where we want to go.”

“This is huge for us … It’s history, legendary, anything you can describe.”

Yeah … good luck with that, Vern.  It’s “The Catch III”. Get used to it.

The high-powered Saints offense also contributed five turnovers to the Niners’ cause, including 2 Brees interceptions, but give credit where credit is due. Much like their adopted team mascot the honey badger, Jim Harbaugh’s team took what it wanted and proved themselves the better team on this day. The win gives SF their first playoff win in nine years, and they’ll next play host to the New York Giants in Sunday’s NFC Championship game.

Now thanks to the wonders of Youtube, here are all three of the historic 49ers “Catches” in chronological order – Clark>Owens>Davis: