It didn’t even take until the Monday after Super Bowl XLVI for a lot of people to change their minds about the New York Giants and the legacy of the New England Patriots. It seems like only yesterday that the Giants team suffered the wrath of fans because of its 7-7 win/loss record, but in a drastic change of heart, the team is being praised by just about everyone.

Die-hard Giants supporters never lost faith in quarterback Eli Manning and coach Tom Coughlin, but others were heard screaming, “Off with their heads!” just a few short weeks ago. Of course, this was before the team won six straight games and went on to an unlikely victory over the Patriots on Sunday night.

For Manning in particular, he now has his second Super Bowl championship and game MVP award, both coming at the expense of the Tom Brady/Patriots dynasty. Manning’s first victory in Super Bowl XLII was seen by many as a fluke, but now, both fans and football analysts alike are already saying he’s a lock for an eventual spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

And Coughlin? He was exalted after the Giants’ Super Bowl victory four years ago, but for sports fans, that might as well have happened a century ago. Many were already writing his coaching obituary and predicting he wouldn’t have a job next year. But after an amazing run-up to the playoffs and his second Super Bowl win, many believe he too will be enshrined in Canton’s Hall of Fame.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, on the other hand, has taken a media beating. After winning three Super Bowls in a row, he was anointed as the second-coming of Joe Montana. Now with two straight losses to the Giants, Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick have seen their “dynasty” title fall by the wayside, and probably unfairly. The consistency and dominance the Patriots have shown over the past decade means that even if their incredible run is over, the team still deserves a place in NFL history… fickle fans aside.

Read the full original story by Steve Kaplowitz over at 600 ESPN El Paso.

More From 103.3 The GOAT