Taking a look at a New York Giants player who’s wrongfully underappreciated.
Quarantine is becoming the new norm for people across the planet amid the coronavirus outbreak, and most have resorted to living in the past to supplement the troublesome future. With Fox replaying the New York Giants’ win over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl of 2007, we can rejoice in a moment of perfection. Taking down an undefeated team in an improbable matchup will live on forever in Giants’ history, but one player was instrumental in the victory.
Amani Toomer, one of the Giants’ most consistent and successful wide receivers, finished one of the best Super Bowls 6-for-6 on catches with 84 yards. His stability and steady hands gave Eli Manning a target throughout the game that he could rely on, including an incredible sideline catch that Toomer just barely snuck his feet in bounds for.
How well did Amani Toomer player for the New York Giants?
Toomer pieced together five consecutive seasons of 1,000-yard from 1999-2003, posting numbers worthy enough for him to be inducted into the Giants’ Ring of Honor. Interestingly, his career 53.9 catch rate wasn’t anything to write home about, but his top seasons were undoubtedly fantastic. In the time span mentioned above, he secured 36 total touchdowns, cementing himself as Big Blue’s top red-zone threat along with Jeremy Shockey. During his prime, he also remained incredibly healthy, missing zero games in those five seasons.
There would be many more quality receivers to wear blue after Toomer’s dominance in the early 2000s, but he is often forgotten in history. The part he played in the Super Bowl win over New England is brushed aside in favor of Manning’s heroics and David Tyree’s helmet catch. The truth remains — many contributed to such an astounding feat, but Toomer was doing it far before the Giants overcame the undefeated Patriots in 2007.