By Steve Panzarella

The argument swirling around the NFL and around America is not whether or not Santonio Holmes’s Super Bowl winning touchdown grab was a great play, even one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history. The largest argument going on is in comparing its greatness to a play made a year earlier. Do you remember the play known as “The Great Escape” or “Manning to Tyree” or one of the countless other names it was given in the weeks after it happened?

Anyone who watched the Giants upset of the New England Patriots will remember when Eli Manning escaped 3 sacks to throw a ball to David Tyree, who somehow caught the ball using his helmet. It will be something that you will see while watching Super Bowls 20 years from now when they talk about great plays. When they show the highlights of either play you’ll tell your kids where you were and who you were with when Tyree or Holmes caught those balls. The argument goes past the greatness of Ben Roethlisberger who was surrounded when he saw Holmes in triple coverage in the end zone. Somehow Holmes kept both feet in-bounds and scored the game winning touchdown. This argument begins and ends with the player’s themselves, and the situations in which they both become legends.

Tyree was more known as a special teamer then a wide-out. He actually made the Pro Bowl team in 2005 as a special teams specialist. Tyree was drafted out of Syracuse in the sixth round and even then he was known for his skill on special teams, recording six blocked punts’ while he was No. 13 ranked all time on the Syracuse receiving list. Tyree had some of his own issues prior to his Super Bowl performance, battling injuries weeks before as well as surviving the worst practice week of his career. One Giants coach called his last few practices before the Super Bowl “positively dreadful.” No one expected greatness. Holmes, on the other hand, was expected to be a difference maker when he was picked by the Steelers in the first round to replace Plaxico Burress.

So here are the arguments. After reading all the experts’ opinions in the papers and listening to the on-going debate on ESPN, you have to wonder what everyone else thinks. It was WRHU Sports member Christian Heimell who gave the most balanced argument. “It depends on the situation, if you’re looking at the Holmes’s catch, that was an amazing play but the overall better play has to be the Manning to Tyree play. Manning was forced to escape sacks then toss the ball to Tyree. It had to be perfect, or the Giants may not even win that game. Holmes’s catch was amazing and everyone who saw it first didn’t think he was in bounds. Still, overall The Great Escape is a better play.”

The other argument comes from Hofstra freshman Tom Drinkwater.

“David Tyree, caught one pass all year. It was pure luck, and although it was clutch, it didn’t win the Super Bowl for the Giants, it only got them in field goal range, which didn’t matter because, they were down by four. Holmes’ catch won the Steelers the Super Bowl.”

However you want to look at it, both teams won the Super Bowl, both plays will be seen for years to come and the fans perspectives will always be different. You can ask a Giants fan and they’ll say the Tyree play was the greatest play in sports history. If you ask a Patriots fan they’ll say there were 3 players being held for Manning to get away. No matter who you ask, the opinions will be different.

In my opinion the Giant’s would have lost if Tyree didn’t make that catch or if Manning had been sacked. “The Great Escape” is one of those plays that left everyone in shock and happened because everyone made a play.

Tyree was a nobody who came out of nowhere and became a big part of the offense on the biggest stage. Holmes’ catch was brilliant considering he got his feet down and made the play in triple coverage, but the Steelers were in the red zone and had other chances to score. When it comes down to it, you can argue on both sides. Both plays were brilliant and both will be remembered forever.