Eli Manning and the Giants pulled off the greatest upset in Super Bowl history. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

• Super Bowl XXXIX (Patriots 24, Eagles 21) -- Everybody remembers Philly quarterback Donovan McNabb heaving on the field in the late moments of the game. What they forget is, on that very same drive in which he lost his lunch, McNabb marched the Eagles, almost effortlessly, 79 yards down the field against Belichick's defense to make it a three-point game with under four minutes to play. Belichick's defense did hold up its end of the bargain, though, picking off passes on two of Philly's other fourth-quarter drives. But the outcome was still in doubt when the physically ill QB shredded the Patriots defense for a late fourth-quarter TD.

• 2006 AFC Championship Game (Colts 38, Patriots 34) -- Indy's victory begets a simple question: Can you be a defensive genius when your defense suffers the greatest meltdown on American soil since Three Mile Island?

We don't think so.

To put New England's implosion into perspective, remember Belichick's Patriots held a 21-3 late in the first half. Indy quarterback Peyton Manning had just thrown an awful pick that was returned for a TD. Then, on the ensuing drive, he was sacked on consecutive plays and was whistled for a delay-of-game penalty. Amelia Earhart never looked so lost.

The game was effectively over. Belichick's Patriots were on their way to Super Bowl XLI. Only the greatest defensive meltdown in history could ruin their hopes.

And it did.

Manning and the Colts recovered from a situation so desperate we saw it pan-handling outside Starbucks. The Colts ripped off 341 yards, five scoring drives and 32 points in the second half alone -- against a team run by a coach widely considered the great defensive genius of our time.

In the fourth quarter, with another trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the Patriots needed just a single stop. Instead, they prostrated themselves before the Indy offense, as if unworthy to play on the same field. On three fourth-quarter possessions, the Colts ripped off a 59-yard field goal drive and TD drives of 67 and 80 yards. They scored the winning touchdown with just one minute to play.

To put Indy's second-half outburst into perspective, it pays to remember the Colts offense had been a complete playoff no-show before that point. In their previous 115 plays against the Chiefs and the Titans in the wild-card and divisional rounds, the Colts netted just 406 yards and seven field goals.

In other words, the Colts could not move the ball against anybody in the 2006 playoffs. But then they were handed what seems to be a cure-all for impotent offenses: a chance to face a Belichick defense in the most critical moments of the biggest game of the year. At this point, the Colts were unstoppable.

We think even Ray Charles could see a pattern here, folks: despite the legend, Belichick's defenses routinely collapse in the late stages of the biggest games of the year.

2. Super Bowl XLII

We could have included Super Bowl XLII among the many other times a Belichick defense wilted like week-old lettuce when the game mattered most.

But Super Bowl XLII deserves to stand alone.

After all, New England's collapse in this game was so historic, so massive, so colossal, it joins the Great Wall of China as the only man-made objects that can be seen from space.

Before considering Super Bowl XLII's place in history, it pays to understand it was, by any objective, analytical measure, the greatest mismatch in NFL championship game history -- not just Super Bowl history, but championship game history dating to the very first title-tilt in 1933.

The Giants were merely mediocre in 2007, outscoring opponents by just 22 points over the season -- the smallest margin ever by a Super Bowl champion.

The Patriots were the single most dominant team in modern NFL history, outscoring opponents by a record 315 points.

The Giants were 10-6 in 2007 -- tying for the worst regular-season record ever by a Super Bowl champion.

The Patriots were the first 16-0 team in NFL history.

Yet somehow, someway, the Giants captured victory in a game they had no business winning.

As we mentioned recently, the Giants defense has garnered all the credit for shutting down the most prolific offense in NFL history. They deserve this credit.

But also remember that, with the Super Bowl on the line, with the first 19-0 season on the line, with football immortality on the line, and with the biggest audience in American sporting history as witness, Belichick's defense crumbled faster than the French Army in 1940.

The Giants had scored just three points against the Patriots in three quarters of play. But once again, a crunch-time Belichick defense proved the magic cure-all for ailing offenses: The Giants ripped off fourth-quarter TD drives of 80 and 83 yards and ripped a gaping wound in the Belichick legacy that might never heal.

3. The Tom Brady Factor

The most serious indictment of the Belichick legacy is not Spygate or the chilly press conferences or the defensive meltdowns or the lost opportunity to go 19-0.

The most serious indictment of his legacy might be that, if not for Mo Lewis's hit on Drew Bledsoe in 2001, Belichick might not even have a job here in 2008.

It's impossible to minimize the impact Brady has had on the Belichick's career, the fate of the New England franchise, and even modern football history itself. To put it most simply, no single football player has ever inspired a greater turnaround in the fortunes of so many people, or has done so with such immediacy.

For proof, simply consider these two sets of numbers.

42-58

100-27

The first set of numbers is Belichick's career coaching record through Week 2 of the 2001 season, an even 100 games (including playoffs) that included his stint with the Browns and his first 18 games with the Patriots.

The second set of numbers is Belichick's record since Week 3 of the 2001 season, which includes an even 100 victories in 127 games (including playoffs).

What changed in Week 3 of 2001? Of course, it's the day Brady took over the New England offense. Football history changed in an instant -- and nobody had been a greater beneficiary than Belichick himself.

In fact, the tandem of Brady and Belichick might have become the first in history to garner five Super Bowl rings in a mere seven seasons. But Belichick's defenses have stood in the way of history.

Actually, that's not true. Belichick's defenses have not stood in the way of anything, especially in the most critical moments of the biggest games of the year.

But despite all the wounds over the past two seasons, there is still time for the Belichick legacy to heal itself. And it starts with a victory in Super Bowl XLIII.

ColdHardFootballFacts.com is dedicated to cutting-edge analysis and to the "gridiron lifestyle" of beer, food and football. Email comments to siwriters@simail.com