As we wait for the Giants and Patriots to take the field in Indianapolis, we're going to be running down the 10 biggest reasons why the Giants are headed to Super Bowl 42. Coming in at number eight is Corey Webster.
With the Giants riding five straight wins into the Super Bowl, there aren't too many people spending their time consumed with thoughts about the 7-7 start to the season.
That makes sense because why would you remember the painful part of a journey that lands you at such a desirable destination. Those early days shouldn't be completely ignored, though.
Had the Giants lost one more game, something that was certainly a possibility given how close wins against the Bills, Cardinals and Dolphins were in that period, we would be getting ready for a Super Bowl featuring a different NFC representative. When thinking about those games, Corey Webster's play should come to mind.
The Giants defense over the first chunk of the season was not very good. Injuries had sapped some power from the front four, leaving the secondary exposed for easy pickings by quarterbacks of middling ability.
Deon Grant, Antrel Rolle and Aaron Ross were picked on with great success, leaving the Giants in need of serious help in the defensive backfield. Webster was the one guy who provided it and helped secure two of those wins that wound up looming quite large when all was said and done.
Against the Bills, Webster intercepted two Ryan Fitzpatrick passes on a day when the Buffalo quarterback was having a lot of success throwing the ball against the Giants. The first killed a drive inside Giants territory and the second came four yards from the end zone to set up what wound up being the game-winning drive.
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Two weeks later against Miami, Webster killed the final Dolphins drive with an interception near midfield that allowed the Giants to escape with a win despite playing terribly the entire day. He also played well in that Cardinals game, another one that saw the Giants win by a slim margin after getting beaten for most of the afternoon.
Webster's play didn't slip as the season progressed, making him a true no. 1 corner on a team that desperately needed one with Terrell Thomas out for the season thanks to a knee injury. He never really got the publicity he deserved, mostly because his teammates were so bad that it was hard to find compliments for the Giants pass defense, and now there are other players grabbing the spotlight with the team playing their best football of the season.
Make no mistake, though, Webster's play was crucial for a defense that was hanging on for dear life in the early part of the season.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City. You can follow him on Twitter and he is also a contributor to Pro Football Talk.
