One day before Super Bowl XLII, Gibril Wilson seemed pretty relaxed for a guy whose team was a 12 point underdog to the undefeated New England Patriots. While hundreds of sports analysts predicted that the Giants wouldn’t be able to compete with one of the “greatest teams in history,” Wilson and his teammates hid something shocking up their sleeves.

“Mentally, we’re ready and we will play as hard as we can,” Wilson said just hours before the game. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was kid. So I will definitely be prepared for the game.”

Over 97 million people watched Super Bowl XLII and saw how prepared Wilson and the Giants were for the big game. They pulled off the greatest upset in Super Bowl history by defeating the Patriots 17-14. Wilson believes that establishing a physical presence is the key to being victorious in the NFL. “There is always a lot of trash-talking during games,” he says. “I try to make a point to get into my opponent’s face. I want to knock the competition off. They all fall down if you hit them hard enough.”

The Patriots did a lot of falling at the hands of the Giants unyielding defense. Wilson recorded five tackles and did a superb job of containing New England’s Randy Moss. The four-year pro approached the Super Bowl as if he had done it before. “I just had to remember that it’s just a game,” he says. “It’s like being in the backyard and playing ball with your boys. We grew up like that and the Super Bowl is just a bigger stage.” –amir shaw

Send this Article to a Friend
facebook