INDIANAPOLIS -- After winning three Super Bowl championships before the age of 30, Tom Brady himself probably figured No. 4 was a lock. But even as he routinely slayed his biggest rival, this biggest rival's little brother avenged his family's honor.

After Sunday's 21-17 Giants win in Indianapolis Sunday night in Super Bowl XLVI, Brady will hold steady for another year with three championship rings. But now Eli Manning has two, and both were won over Brady. Peyton Manning, thought by many (but certainly not by all) to be the greatest quarterback of this trio of quarterback's whose legacies are forever intertwined , has only one.

Now, of course, football is a team game, but if the balloting were held today, you would be hard pressed in denying all three their place in Canton. Certainly Brady and the elder Manning were in, but Eli had a long way to go before he could be held in the same esteem.

Until last night, that is.

Eli Manning now has accomplished something so few quarterbacks have done. Hall of Fame voters will certainly look at the overall body of work, but there has to be something said about winning on sport's biggest stage and beating head-to-head one of the greatest there ever was. But to be sure, Eli is now in some pretty exclusive company.

Eli Manning now joins a group that includes some of the greatest names the game has ever known. The only other signal callers with multiple championships are Bart Starr, Roger Staubauch, Bob Greise, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, John Elway, Troy Aikman, Jim Plunkett, Ben Roethlisberger, and Brady. All but Plunkett among the retired quarterbacks are in enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"I'm excited to win a championship," Manning said after the game. "I'm excited for my teammates. There are a number of guys, this is their first one."

But not for Manning. All week the focus here in Indianapolis was on his big brother and his future with the hometown club. Few were actually thinking about the legacy that Peyton's little brother would be setting with a Giants victory. To beat Brady once was impressive; to do it twice would be legendary.

This game, much like the first Super Bowl meeting between New York and New England four years earlier in Glendale, AZ, was a closely fought battle the entire way through. But Brady took it especially hard, just staring at his feet in full uniform for several minutes while seated at his locker before composing himself postgame.

"As a competitor, we all hate to lose," Brady told reporters when he finally emerged. "We fight as hard as we can and sometimes you get beat."

In all, Brady was 27-41 passing for 276 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Manning was just a little bit better, completing 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. In the end, that little bit proved to be the difference.

The other major storyline of the week was the bad ankle of New England tight end Rob Gronkowski, who reported no problems with the injury and says he plans to rehab his ankle at first, as opposed to having surgery on it. Gronkowski had a shot at Brady's last desperation heave at the end of the game, but football immortality just eluded him by inches, as the Giants began their championship celebration around him as the football fell harmlessly to the Lucas Oil Stadium turf.

So how will history view Super Bowl XLVI?

First of all, Indianapolis was a spectacular Super Bowl venue. The griping we heard going into the week from some of the national writers who had never been here (and thought it was little more than a cold cow-town) was totally unfounded. Instead, the downtown was buzzing with excitement all week long. Restaurants were filled, bars were packed, and the zip line running a full city block was the talk of the town.

As someone who has long advocated a five city Super Bowl rotation of Miami, Phoenix, Tampa, New Orleans, and Southern California, I would wholeheartedly endorse another Super Bowl here in the Circle City. In the 1970s, there was a concerted effort here to use sports as a catalyst for urban development. And even with some questionable venues for many years (both Market Square Arena and the Hoosier/RCA Dome were total dumps), a re-investment in the infrastructure with Bankers Life (formerly Conseco) Fieldhouse and the sparkling Lucas Oil Stadium are a testament to what forward-thinking politicians can accomplish.

Milwaukee should take heed of this success story to the south, particularly with the effort to replace the aging Bradly Center. As I said last week, Milwaukee could have been Indianapolis if not for politicians covering their own behinds time after time.

Final Notes:

With the win, Tom Coughlin becomes the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl at 65 years old. The previous record was Dick Vermiel, who was 63 when the Rams upset the Tennessee Titans in 2000.

Tom Brady set a new Super Bowl record with 16 consecutive completions. The previous record was Joe Montana's 13 consecutive completions in Super Bowl XXIV.

The Giants are creeping up on the Packers in terms of NFL Championships. With their win Sunday, the Giants now have four Lombardi Trophies to go along with their four titles from before the Super Bowl era began. The Packers lead with 13; the Bears are second with nine,.

Overall, the Patriots have lost four Super Bowls, tying the record set by the Bills, Broncos, and Vikings.

The Giants are the first team to get outscored during the season and still win the Super Bowl. They are also the only team in the 16-game regular season era that won the Super Bowl with less than 10 wins prior to the playoffs.

Next year's Super Bowl will be held in New Orleans for the 10th time, but the first time since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. This year, the Final Four will also be held at the Superdome for the first time since the storm as well.