Giants have been Tom Brady's nemesis
Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots looks to the sideline in the first quarter of a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on Aug. 28, 2015 in Charlotte, N.C. Credit: Grant Halverson
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady has won four Super Bowls and is eyeing a fifth. But it's the two he almost won that he keeps getting asked about as the Patriots prepare to play the Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
The Giants are responsible for two of the lowest points in the future Hall of Fame quarterback's career. They beat him by three points in Super Bowl XLII and by four in Super Bowl XLVI, each time with a last-minute touchdown drive highlighted by a spectacular catch.
This will be the first time Brady has faced the Giants since he was pulling enemy confetti out of his hair while watching them celebrate in Indianapolis. Because of that, a reporter opened Brady's news conference Wednesday by asking if the "sight of the New York Giants disgusts'' him. Brady didn't go that far, but it was clear he was not happy with the past three meetings.
"They're a good team. I mean, they've always played us pretty tough, so we're expecting their best,'' Brady said. "They've got some really good players. They're obviously well coached. We've always had very close games against them even when we've won. We just haven't won as many of them as I would have liked to have won.''
The Giants are the only team that hasn't lost to the Patriots since 2008, although they've met only three times in that stretch. In 2007, the Patriots were 18-0 before losing Super Bowl XLII, 17-14. The Giants beat the Pats, 24-20, during the 2011 regular season and 21-17 in the Super Bowl.
"Those games were a long time ago,'' Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "I don't think it has any bearing or influence on what happens this week.''
The Patriots (8-0) again are seeking perfection.
"I think for our team, playing against their team, a very, very good team, it's exciting,'' said Tom Coughlin, whose Giants are 5-4. "Let's face it, accomplished is the right word, but also remember they are undefeated. In this day and age, being undefeated at this point of the season is quite an accomplishment in itself.''
Belichick and Coughlin overlapped as Giants assistants from 1988-90 under Bill Parcells. Belichick, 63, leads active coaches with 219 wins, fifth all-time, and his 22 postseason victories are the most ever. Coughlin, 69, is second among active coaches with 169 regular-season wins, 12th all-time.
It's clear that both franchises and both coaches have the utmost respect for each other.
"I'd much rather have won them than lost them,'' Brady said of the last three games against the Giants, "but they won't have any bearing on this week or what the matchups are. It's a totally different team and game and so forth. They've had a great organization for a long time . . . It's a very good team and they're tough on defense, so we're going to have to play well.''
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
