Super Bowl Notebook | Eli joins Peyton as Super Bowl MVP

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Move over, Peyton. Make room in the Manning family trophy case, Archie.

Baby boy Eli is coming home with hardware all his own — an MVP trophy to place alongside the one his big brother brought back only a year ago.

The youngest son of a great quarterback and the baby brother of an even better one came into his own Sunday night in the desert, proving cooler than the falling temperatures by leading the Giants 83 yards on a final scoring drive to stun the Patriots 17-14 and cap one of the greatest upsets in sports.

"That's a position you want to be in. You want to have the ball in your hands ... down, where you've got to score a touchdown," Manning said after accepting the MVP trophy.

"I talked about it before with Peyton," Manning added. "You want to be down four [points], where you have to score a touchdown. Because if you're down three, maybe we go for the field goal."

Just a few weeks after fans and the media wanted to run Manning out of town, the kid will head back to his adopted hometown as the king of New York. His stats won't bowl over people — 19 of 34 for 255 yards, two touchdowns and an interception — but the way he performed on that fateful final drive certainly will.

"I can't be happy for anybody else. This is a guy who took all that criticism," Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce said. "Well, you can't criticize the MVP. ... Making all those plays with his feet; it was a beautiful thing to watch."

Tyree turns in super season — in one game

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Turns out David Tyree was saving up for one game. One really, really big game.

Little more than a special-teams player all season, Tyree became an All-Pro in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl.

First, he shook loose over the middle to catch a 5-yard touchdown pass from Manning that put the Giants ahead. Then Tyree topped himself, making a tumbling, circus grab to set up a last-second score and a 17-14 stunner Sunday night over the mighty Patriots.

"I don't know that there's every been a bigger play in the Super Bowl than that play," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.

Pretty neat trick for a guy who started the season with a broken wrist and finished with more tackles than catches. And someone who overcame adversity, too — Tyree's mother died of a heart attack in mid-December.

"I think every receiver has to believe he's the best guy out there," Tyree said.

Surrounded by the likes of Randy Moss, Plaxico Burress, Wes Welker and Amani Toomer, he was.

Tyree wound up as a most unlikely go-to guy. And for years to come, Giants fans will surely talk about a most improbable catch.

"That play alone took a few years off my life," New York defensive end Michael Strahan said.

The Giants trailed 14-10 with only 1:15 left when Manning faced a third-and-five at his own 44. The Patriots brought pressure, and Manning somehow shook loose from two defenders.

Scrambling to his right, he made a desperate, dangerous toss deep down the middle where defensive backs Rodney Harrison and Asante Samuel were lurking. Tyree jumped up and with Harrison on his back, managed to get both hands on the ball.

Harrison fought him the whole way, slapping at the ball and momentarily pinning it to Tyree's helmet. That gave Tyree a chance to get a better grip and as he fell backward, he had the presence to hold the ball aloft to show it was his.

"I just wouldn't let go," he said. "They were trying to say they had the ball. They snatched it," he said.

Notes

• A bar named Brady's in New York? Not on Super Bowl Sunday!

The owner of an Upper East Side establishment called Brady's changed his bar's name to Manning's, in honor of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Dan Brady made the name change Thursday. He said he had gotten a call from city officials looking for ways the city could show support for the home team in its championship match against the New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady.

Dan Brady, a longtime Giants season-ticket holder, agreed to make the change, and now the signs on the outside walls of his bar read Manning's.

"It's great, it's been a blast for myself and my family," he said Sunday. The bar was named after his father, the original owner.

• Had former Giants running back Tiki Barber not retired after last season, maybe he would have been sleeping at a nearby hotel where the rest of his former teammates were resting for the Super Bowl.

Instead, Barber walked alone late Saturday night along the red carpet at the popular Playboy party in Chandler, Ariz., stopping to pose for cameras while spending nearly 30 minutes conducting interviews before disappearing into the masses.

Not quite the same as playing in the big game, but Barber said he doesn't regret his decision to retire — even if he must enjoy this year's festivities from the perspective of a fan rather than a star player.

"I made my decision for personal reasons," Barber said at the party. "I haven't looked back."

• With his 15th completion, Brady passed Joe Montana for the most career Super Bowl completions. He has 97 in his career ... Wes Welker tied a Super Bowl record with 11 receptions.

• New York City will honor the Super Bowl champion Giants with a ticker-tape parade Tuesday that will end with a ceremony at City Hall Plaza. The parade is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on Broadway at Battery Place and is expected to follow a route north to Chambers Street.

• Giants guard Chris Snee had a message for the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who remain the NFL's only undefeated team.

"Thanks for supporting us," Snee said. "Your record stands for another year, I guess."