Looks like the end of the road for Tom Brady after giant defeat -- Eli Manning the new successor as Super Bowl great?

Tom Brady walking off pitch at the 2012 Super Bowl

Is it the end of the road for Tom Brady?

In the end all quarterbacks reach that moment that Brady reached on Sunday night, his despairing pass into the end zone left the Patriots an agonizing touchdown short of victory.

At 35 when next season starts Brady knows it will not be easy to get back to the Big Show, that his skills will inevitably diminish.

Because of his courage standing in the pocket all those years he has plenty of miles on the clock.

He was outplayed by Eli Manning when it really mattered last night.

The new hero is Eli Manning who clearly lived up to his early season boast that he considered himself an elite quarterback.

After two MVP performances in two Super Bowls who can blame him?

Manning like he did in 2007 and like Brady of old, drove his team the length of the field almost for the winning touchdown.

On the previous play Brady, admittedly aided by a dreadful dropped pass by Wes Welker, could not close out the game.

That is how it goes in this the game of football.

Brady was magnanimous in defeat but it must have pained him to come so close and yet be so far.

This is a guy remember, who has admitted he has never looked at the 2007 Super Bowl tape when the Giants defeated the Patriots last time.

It looks like now he will hover on the verge of the nearly greats to have played the game, not quite up there with his idol Joe Montana who was 4-0 in four super bowls and Terry Bradshaw who was also 4-0.

At 3-2 wins and losses Brady is a notch below.

Indeed, Eli might be the one to match Montana and Bradshaw, he is relatively young, just turned 30 and has many years left.

Ironic that Brady came into this Super Bowl on his way to history but was derailed and Manning can now make tracks in that direction.

As for the Boston fans they are downright dismissive of Brady which is hardly fair.

Here's what Boston Globe columnist Eric Wilbur wrote after the game "The legend is dead, the prince has turned back into a frog, and...well, use whatever other cliché you want.

A performance as bad as Tom Brady's tonight in Super Bowl XLVI deserves a lead just as lame.

"Sorry, Tommy Boy, this one's on you. Your hideous performance led to the Giants' 21-17 Super Bowl title win. How embarrassing for your coach, your teammates, and your fans."

Tough crowd to please in Beantown. You win 'em three Super Bowls, compete in two more and they just want to forget all that.

The Irish secret to Tom Coughlin's Super Bowl success -- Mike McCarthy, Sean Payton also have the magic formula

Is there something about the Irish and coaching Super Bowl champions?

Three of the best four coaches in the NFL, Tom Coughlin, Sean Payton, Mike McCarthy have Irish backgrounds. Hall of Famer Bill Parcells, real name Bill O'Shea (His father,born Charles O'Shea, was adopted) is another.

In Britain it is well known that Scottish managers such as Alex Ferguson, Matt Busby, Bill Shankly are the best soccer managers that were ever produced.

There is something in the Scottish gene that makes them great managers of men.

It was Shankly, the Liverpool supremo who made the classic quote about the level of commitment great managers have.

"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that."
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Could the same level of success be true of Irish and NFL coaches?

Yes is the answer. Tom Coughlin is back in his second Super Bowl. Mike McCarthy won it last year with Green Bay and had a terrific team this year again.

Down in New Orleans, Sean Payton led them to the promised land in 2009 and also had a helluva team this year.

All are good Irish Catholic boys who seem to get the mix of discipline and encouragement right.

Then there's Rex Ryan of course, another Irish guy who has yet to get to the big show but came close two years in a row.

Coughlin, Payton, McCarthy look and act like altar boys, clean living guys who inspire their teams with an army type discipline, teaching fundamentals and reexamining every facet every new season.

They don't like showboats, don't need the ego gratification themselves and always stress the team.

Kinda like Catholic school don't you think?

Patrick Sean Peyton, the New Orleans coach, a Chicago area native, is named after the Irish Catholic priest, Fr. Patrick Peyton, known as the famous "rosary priest."

Tom Coughlin once studied for the priesthood, while Mike McCarthy is the son of a fireman who was also a bar owner -- you don't get more Irish than that.

You gotta believe that Irish Catholic upbringing with its emphasis on discipline, teamwork and selflessness has something to do with it-- as well as the ability to communicate, never in doubt when it comes to the Irish.

There is a lot of God and Country type sentiment in there-- and clearly it works...

Gisele Bundchen sends 'positive energy' request to friends for Tom Brady in Sunday's Super Bowl

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen

Gisele Bundchen is praying for her hubby Tom Brady to be a star of the Super Bowl on Sunday -- and getting her friends to "send positive energy" to him.

In a typical new age mushy style Gisele the super model reveals she's no Hemingway with the pen.

The New York Post got sent a copy of the email which reads:

“My sweet friends and family,” the e-mail began. “This Sunday will be a really important day in my husband’s life. He and his team worked so hard to get to this point and now they need us more than ever to send them positive energy so they can fulfill their dream of winning this super bowl . . .

“So I kindly ask all of you to join me on this positive chain and pray for him, so he can feel confident, healthy and strong. Envision him happy and fulfilled experiencing with his team a victory this sunday.

“Thank you for your love and support. Love, G :)”

Reached via e-mail, by the Post Bundchen said yesterday: “I am surprised that you received this e-mail; it was a private note only sent to close friends and family.”
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