At about the same time yesterday, 175 miles to the northeast of the outdoor show, quarterback Eli Manning and the New York Giants were parading in celebration of their second Super Bowl championship in the last five seasons. This obviously was weighing on the mind of the fan, and it wasn't that easy for Cole to swallow, either.
Giants fans passed the booth at a surprising rate, given that Cole was standing in the middle of Pennsylvania. Considering their team had won Super Bowl XLVI less than 48 hours earlier, and the NFC East rival Eagles hadn't made the playoffs, the blue-clad New York followers weren't too obnoxious. Then again, they were addressing a 270-pound, two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher separated from them only by a folding table, not some dumpy fellow fan in midnight green.
"They didn't stop. They finished strong, and that's what it's all about," Cole said, when asked his thoughts on the Giants. "I kind of knew, if the Giants' defense came to play, it was going to be a game . . . We finished strong as well, but it didn't work out [to make the playoffs]."
Cole acknowledged he'd been pulling for the Patriots, that a New England victory wouldn't have stung quite as much as seeing the Lombardi Trophy go to a team from the division, a team the Eagles beat at MetLife Stadium back on Nov. 20, 7 days before the Birds were crushed at the Linc by the Pats.
"It's hard [to see them win again, with the Eagles still having never won the Super Bowl]. They're too close to home. But you've got to give it to them," Cole said. "Eli did a great job. That's two Super Bowls he's won, against a great team. There's nothing you can say.
"We had a bad year. We just couldn't pull it off at the last minute. Andy's a great coach . . . We were right there, inches away from being great, being a dominant, dominant team. I think some teams are going to be worried about playing us" in 2012.
