The University of Phoenix Stadium is mass of confetti right now, What happened tonight was shocking, simply shocking, as the New York Giants took a page right out of the New England Partiots playbook.

For all of their success, the 2007 Patriots will now go down in history as being a team that couldn't take that next step. All they had to do was stop the Giant offense one more time, but the New England defense, which had escaped danger in the past several times and was not nearly as dominant during the year as its offense, couldn't do it.

"We knew we were one stop (away) and we just couldn't get that stop," Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "...It's a tough way to finish. Not even what was on the line, or anything like that. It's the Super Bowl. The winnoner is the World Champion and the loser is just grouped into the other 31 teams."

One wonders just what will happen now with Bruschi, and linebacker Junior Seau, and even Randy Moss. Moss is even money to re-sign, but Seau will likely retire, the guy who loves to say "We have a chance" probably out of chances. Bruschi? No one knows. He seemed close to calling it quits a year ago but decided to come back, and if the Patriots had won tonight, he'd have certainly said that's that. He still may, although you wonder if he wants a Super Bowl loss to be his last game.

Meanwhile, NFL Network people are getting a platform ready in the middle of the stadium. Some corporate types and helpers are tossing the football around. The Patriots are sequestered somewhere likely in Scottsdale. Teams usually have post game parties win or lose because of all the planning involved, but this one is probably going to be the quietest party of them all.

It's too bad, 18-1 is such a huge difference from 19-0, when that "1" is a last minute loss in the Super Bowl.

To the victors, the Giants, go the spoils.

--- TOM KING