The Helmet Catch

Lore & Background

Tyree had been used primarily on special teams and had only 4 receptions for 35 yards and no touchdowns during the 2007 regular season. Although Tyree was seldom used as a receiver during the regular season, he caught the Giants' first touchdown of the Super Bowl early in the fourth quarter, giving his team a 10–7 lead. On their next drive, the Patriots scored a touchdown on a pass from Tom Brady to Randy Moss to take a 14–10 lead with 2:42 remaining in the game. On their next possession, the Giants faced a 3rd & 5 from their own 44-yard line with 1:15 remaining. On the previous play, Patriots' cornerback Asante Samuel dropped what could have been a game-sealing interception. Manning was given the play call "62 Sail-Y Union" from the Giants' playbook. On third and 5 from the Giants' 44-yard line, Manning took the snap in the shotgun formation and immediately faced pressure from the Patriots defensive ends Richard Seymour, Jarvis Green, and linebacker Adalius Thomas. Green grabbed Manning by the shoulder while Seymour grabbed him by the back of his jersey and attempted to pull him down for a sack; had he been sacked, the Giants would have faced a fourth down with around 8 yards to go for a first. Manning, however, was able to stay on his feet and duck under the arms of the Patriot defenders before scrambling backwards into space at around the 34-yard line. He managed to avoid getting sacked by Mike Vrabel and Junior Seau as he scrambled, then threw a high pass toward the middle of the field just before getting knocked down by Vrabel. Tyree was thrown off his intended route thanks to tight coverage from Ellis Hobbs, and he moved toward the middle of the field to give Manning a downfield option once he saw the play develop. The ball reached the Patriots' 25-yard line, where Tyree was being shadowed by strong safety Rodney Harrison. Both men jumped for the ball, with Tyree getting both hands on it first. Harrison was able to jar the ball loose, but Tyree secured the ball against his helmet using his right hand while keeping his left hand on it; he was able to maintain possession as the two men landed on the playing surface, gaining 32 yards and giving the Giants possession in Patriots territory with :58 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Reader's Guide

Like other famous plays in the NFL, this play has been given nicknames, but largely due to two separate, unique occurrences in the play, consensus was not reached on a single name for some time. In 2009, readers of the New York Daily News voted on nicknaming the play "Catch-42" as the favored name in reference to Super Bowl XLII and the kind of coverage the Patriots deployed against the Giants' four-receiver set. Since then, David Tyree has adopted the "Catch-42" nickname as well as has ESPN.com. Other proposed nicknames include "The Escape and the Helmet Catch", "The E-mmaculate Connection" (a pun on the Immaculate Reception; the 'E' standing for Eli), "The Double Miracle", and "The Reception that Ended Perfection". "The Great Escape" was used by U.S. President George W. Bush during the Giants' White House visit. "David and Eliath" was also suggested by David Tyree due to the biblical reference. Bill Simmons named it "The Helmet Catch" five days after the game, and as time passed by, this became the consensus name for the play.

Did You Know?

• The catch won the 2008 Best Play ESPY Award. The award ceremony featured a spoof by host Justin Timberlake, who "revealed" that he had left gum on David Tyree's helmet, which helped him catch the pass.
• Tyree would never catch another pass in the NFL. He missed the following season with a training camp injury and played just 10 games in 2009, recording no receptions, before announcing his retirement in 2010.
• Fox Sports lists Eli Manning's pass to David Tyree as the greatest play in Super Bowl history; editor Adrian Hasenmeyer called the play "an insult to physics and Albert Einstein".
• For the NFL’s 100th season, the play was declared #3 in greatest 100 plays in NFL history.