Super Bowl XLII was one of the biggest upsets in NFL history. 16 years ago, the New York Giants, the underdogs, outwitted the favorites, the New England Patriots, by 17-14. Playing under coach Tom Coughlin, analysts and the press repeatedly ridiculed the Giants in the playoffs. LB Antonio Pierce and other players were miffed after being disrespected by Tom Brady as well. But their determination paid off when they thrashed Bill Belichick‘s team at the Super Bowl. LB Pierce talked about that wonderful year on the Pardon My Take podcast on the 7th of August.

In the 2007 season, the Giants secured a playoff berth by defeating the Buffalo Bills in week 16. Their last game (in week 17) was against the Patriots at Giants Stadium. Some reporters, surprisingly, asked Pierce why they were even playing that game. It was disrespectful and LB lost his temper, as he replied, “What the h*ll are you talking about? Like why wouldn’t we? these dudes were coming into our house.” The Giants gave tough competition to the Patriots in that game and even took a lead of 12 points before Randy Moss and Brady produced magic to win by 38-35.

Both teams, thereafter, met again at the Super Bowl in a more intense atmosphere. Before that Giants WR Plaxico Burress had predicted that they would win by 23-17. Brady was laughing at WR’s prediction of stopping them at 17 points, as he alone had made 50 touchdown passes in that season. The Patriots entered the Super Bowl ‘undefeated.’ Giants, on the other hand, had a mixed season with 6 defeats in the season. Predictions were made that they would lose by double digits.

The team was angry at the humiliation and Pierce said that going into Super Bowl week, they got off the plane wearing all black with their mindset being, ‘Death to the dynasty, it was like death to Patriots, like going to the funeral. That was the mindset. That’s what I told the team.” And this time, the result was different. The Giants stopped the Patriots at only 14 points. And everyone was stunned.

After that historical season, both Brady and Pierce went on their paths before meeting again, but in different roles. Hired as the interim head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, Pierce has now officially become the head coach in 2024 and he is quite vocal in that role as well.

Antonio Pierce as Head Coach of Las Vegas Raiders & Brady’s bid for the ownership

When the retired LB became interim head coach of the Raiders, he declared, “I was born with the Raiders rolling into the Coliseum in LA.” The 45-year-old led them to a 5-4 season with a victory against the team he played for, the Giants. While Deion Sanders praised him for his leadership and ability to motivate the players, CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin placed him at 28th position in the Top NFL Head Coaches list before pointing out his little experience of coaching.

Amidst all this, Pierce has remained solid in his strategies for the team. But there’s a twist. Fans were surprised when Brady announced his ownership bid for the Raiders’ franchise. The GOAT was in talks with Mark Davis, the Raiders owner. Reportedly, Davis offered a special price to Brady which other NFL owners didn’t approve. According to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, despite the setbacks, there is slow progress in the deal. Meanwhile, Brady has been successful in securing a different deal with Davis.

TB12 managed to buy a stake in the WNBA team Las Vegas Aces, primarily owned by Davis. At the unveiling of the Aces’ new jersey in May, his old rival Pierce was also present. Standing at the ringside, both had a brief talk which showed they had put old times behind them.

The equations have changed after all these years. Will the Raiders perform up to Antonio Pierce’s expectations? Will Tom Brady get a stake in the Raiders’ ownership group? The upcoming season may be full of surprises. What’s your take? Let us know in the comments.