michael-strahan-shares-memories-of-ridiculously-freezing-2007-nfc-championship-game

Michael Strahan Shares Memories of ‘Ridiculously Freezing’ 2007 NFC Championship Game

Cold weather is something Michael Strahan faced a lot during his NFL career with the New York Giants. Yet one frigid game stands out.

Strahan and the Giants were playing the NFC Championship Game in 2007 against the Green Bay Packers. It’s still a day Strahan talks about when asked about his career.

The cold weather, for sure, played a role. But Strahan and his Giants teammates went into Lambeau Field and knocked off Brett Favre and the Packers 23-20 in overtime on Jan 20, 2008.

It landed them in Super Bowl XLII against the New England Patriots, where quarterback Eli Manning led “Broadway Blue” to a 17-14 victory. That game is best remembered for a crazy, improbable catch wide receiver David Tyree made on top of his helmet, forever to be called “The Helmet Catch.”

Michael Strahan Recalls Game On ‘Frozen Tundra’

But cold weather, NFC Championship Game, and “the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field” were on Strahan’s mind on Saturday. He shared his thoughts about that game and a little preview into Sunday’s NFC Championship Game between the Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“I’m sitting here in the mancave, thinking about NFC Championship Game 2007,” Michael Strahan said on Saturday. “New York Giants versus the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, freezing weather, ‘on the frozen tundra’ minus-23 or something like that.

“Reminds me of what’s going to happen this weekend although I don’t think it’ll get that cold,” he said. “But you have two legendary quarterbacks. You’ve got (Tampa Bay quarterback Tom) Brady. You’ve got (Green Bay quarterback Aaron) Rodgers. You got two great teams, both deserve to be here.”

Strahan Remembers Catching Packers At Right Time

“Both teams are really hot right now,” Strahan, a former defensive end with the Giants, said. “It really reminds me of when we went, we were on a hot streak, man. Caught the Packers at the right time, beat them in overtime, and as cold as it was I remember not wanting to hit anyone out there.

“I was thinking, ‘Please don’t run the ball because I don’t want to run into anybody today,’” Michael Strahan said. “But you’ve got to have that mindset that no matter what, you sacrifice because if you win this game, Oh my goodness you’re going to the Super Bowl.

“May the best team win, alright,” he said. “May the best team win and I’m not going to tell you who I think is going to win. You have to watch ‘FOX NFL Sunday. I’ll tell ya.”

Strahan will have memories of that game dancing in his head for a long time to come.

The Packers have a way of making wintry weather work in their favor most of the time. Snow is part of Sunday’s weather forecast in Green Bay, so it might be another classic cold-weather clash.