GLENDALE, Ariz. — David Tyree stretched every inch of his 6-foot frame, straining as if the whole Super Bowl was at stake.

Because in a way, it was.

Somehow, with time running out and the ball pinned to his helmet, Tyree held on tight with both hands. Years from now, New York Giants fans will still wonder how he did it.

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

Little more than a special teams player all season — he had twice as many tackles as catches — Tyree became an All-Pro in the fourth quarter of yesterday's 17-14 stunner.

First, he shook loose over the middle to catch a 5-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning that put the Giants ahead. Then Tyree topped himself, outfighting Patriots safety Rodney Harrison to make a tumbling, circus grab that set up the winning score.

"I've probably got the worst vertical leap on the football team, like 30 inches or something," Tyree joked. "But you have to go up and get the ball at its highest point. 'Make the most of your opportunities.' That's been the motto for ... my career."

Peyton Manning, here to watch younger brother Eli, likened Tyree's grab to the great one made by Lynn Swann in a long-ago NFL title game.

"Eli's pass to Tyree, I think, was one of the greatest plays of all time," Manning said.

GIANTS LINEMEN WERE IN A RUSH TO GET TO BRADY

Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora hounded and hit Tom Brady from start to finish, limiting the NFL's all-time best offense to just two touchdowns.

The 14 points was a season low for a team that was looking for a place in history.

"For our defense to go out and play the way it did against Tom Brady, who I have so much respect for, and Randy Moss, the best receiver in football, I would have never imagined that those guys would have held them to 14 points," said Giants receiver Plaxico Burress.

Key to the Giants defensive game plan was pressure. They sacked Brady five times and hit him nine.

"That's wrong," defensive end Umenyiora said. "I hit him that many times by myself. We hit him a lot more than that."

Brady finished 29 of 48 for 266 yards and one touchdown.

"They were just more than we could handle tonight," Brady said.

PATRIOTS LINE SUFFERS PROTECTION BREAKDOWNS

The Patriots' big, brawny and bearded guys were just plain bad.

The AFC champions' heralded offensive line allowed a season-high five sacks, failing to give Tom Brady the type of tight protection they had guarded him with all season.

"It's one of those things where they have a great front seven," center Dan Koppen said. "They have tremendous players up there and they just outplayed us."

Their inability to protect Brady was a major reason the Patriots' quest for perfection ended in disappointment.

"They have some great pressure schemes, obviously some great pass rushers," Brady said. "Once we kind of got the idea of what we were doing, I thought we handled it much better, but we didn't get the ball in the end zone enough."

Coming in, Brady had been sacked a career-low 24 times this season playing behind a line that produced three Pro Bowlers in Koppen, left tackle Matt Light and left guard Logan Mankins.

"We all could've done things better tonight," Brady said.

1972 DOLPHINS REMAIN THE ONE AND ONLY

New York Giants guard Chris Snee had a message for the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who remain the NFL's only undefeated team after the Giants shocked New England.

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

By tradition, members of the '72 Dolphins uncork champagne bottles every autumn when the NFL's last remaining unbeaten goes down. This time, the party didn't happen until last night.

"Obviously, we're proud to still be the only undefeated team in the history of the National Football League," former Dolphins running back Jim Kiick said in a statement. "We're proud of it. Why shouldn't we be?"

The '72 Dolphins cast a long shadow over this Super Bowl. Kiick, Garo Yepremian, Larry Little and Mercury Morris gathered Friday for a media briefing. And in many local bars it was easy to find an argument over who would go down as the greater team — the Dolphins or this year's Patriots.

That debate is moot now. The Patriots' inexorable march died in the desert.

"(The Giants) played a fabulous game and I really thought they deserved to win," former Miami tight end Jim Mandich said. "As for the 1972 Miami Dolphins, I don't take joy in the fact the Patriots lost — period. But I do relish and savor the fact that there has only been one unbeaten team in the history of the NFL, and it is the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Of that, I am extremely proud."

BIG BROTHER PEYTON COULDN'T BE PROUDER

On the field, Peyton Manning is one of the NFL's cooler heads.

He was anything but calm as he watched kid brother Eli lead the Giants to victory last night.

One year ago in Miami, Peyton Manning was the MVP of Indianapolis' Super Bowl victory over Chicago. Twelve months later it was Eli's turn.

"This has been Eli's year," Peyton said. "I am proud to be his brother and I love him very much."