So, what does a Super Bowl-winning player want just about more than anything three days after the big game?
Sleep.
Henry Hynoski woke up from a short nap Wednesday evening and returned a phone call to a reporter with a very, very hoarse voice.
"I was just trying to get some sleep," the New York Giants fullback and Elysburg native said. "I think I've had about three hours of sleep total since Sunday night."
Little wonder. From the moment Tom Brady's final desperation heave to Aaron Hernandez bounced off the end zone turf at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, giving the Giants a 21-17 win, Hynoski's life has been going at a breakneck pace. As for his voice, he started losing that right away.
A television shot showed the Southern Columbia graduate running toward the stands, arms upraised, shortly after the final play.
"I was yelling so loud," he said. "My parents were sitting in that end zone where I ran and once that ball was incomplete, I just started screaming. It was complete pandemonium. (Pro Football Hall of Famer) Raymond Berry was walking up toward the podium with the (Vince Lombardi) trophy, and I got to touch it right away. Then I met my mom and dad and got to have my picture taken with them and the trophy. I was on top of the world, and being able to share that feeling with them made it even better."
Then came the postgame press conference, more talking, and back to the hotel for the victory party, which was attended by about 2,000 people, including members of Hynoski's family and several friends from back home - Dave Fegley, Colby Snyder, Chris Raup and Snyder's mother, Lynn - whom Hynoski managed to get passes for.
"The party was a lot of fun, but I was exhausted. I turned in earlier than a great majority of the people did. The party went till about 4:30 a.m. and I left about 3. I was so banged up and sore, but I couldn't sleep anyway because I was so excited and once everybody got back from the party, our hallway turned into a giant (no pun intended) party," Hynoski said. "Nobody wanted to stop."
Had to be up early
There was only one small problem. The players had to be ready to roll for the Indianapolis airport and the flight back to New York by 8:30 a.m. or so. Which means basically that the party just went from Indianapolis to 30,000 or so feet above the midwestern U.S.
Then came Tuesday's big parade down Broadway.
"It was unbelievable," Hynoski said. "I've never seen anything like that in my life. I guess they said there were about 2.3 million people, and everyone was just flipping out."
Including rapper Flavor Flav, who gave Giants coach Tom Coughlin a bear hug after the game, and ended up riding on the float with Hynoski and other running backs in the parade.
"He's a big fan," Hynoski said. "I think he knows Brandon Jacobs pretty well. He came up to congratulate him and we waved him to come up and hang out with us."
Hectic week
If the past three days have left their mark on Hynoski's stamina, the days leading up to the Super Bowl contributed as well.
"It really is a whirlwind," he said. "It's hectic. There's a lot of stuff that goes into Super Bowl week besides practice. We didn't even practice the first couple of days. We had Media Day and other appearances. We had free time. We basically could go to dinner with whoever we wanted to. Eli (quarterback Eli Manning) took us out one night, and I took my family out one night.
"I tried to keep up with my conditioning and weightlifting during the week, too. It wasn't mandatory, but I wanted to try to stay in my best shape."
As Sunday drew near, Hynoski said he had to focus on maintaining some kind of calm, even though he obviously would be playing the biggest game of his life.
"You knew what was at stake, but at the end of the day, it's just a football game and you try to treat it like any other," he said. "I wanted to win so bad that I wasn't going to let all the distractions take away from it. That's why I still tried to keep my structured schedule as much as I could."
Best performance
As for the game itself, Hynoski has gotten solid reviews from writers and commentators around the country for his blocking, pass catching and the important fumble recovery he had in the third quarter which kept a Giants drive alive.
"I think it was my overall complete best performance," he said. "There was one block I wasn't happy with where I got stuck in the hole and didn't really hit anybody. I had some good iso (isolation) blocks and I had the opportunity to make some plays with the ball in my hands."
As for the fumble?
"Right place, right time," he said. "I was looking downfield to make an extra block and I just reacted. I did remember that our coaches said, 'This is the Super Bowl. If there's a fumble, just stay on it and cover it up', so that's what I did. My knee got stepped on and I know some people were trying to rip it out from underneath, but I just held on."
Hynoski said he feels badly that some Patriots fans have been venting against All-Pro wide receiver Wes Welker and other receivers for dropped passes.
"It's unfortunate," he said. "I know I feel for them a little, because they put in the hard work, too. They were at the Super Bowl for a reason, too.
"Obviously, I'm glad there were some drops but I feel bad for the criticism they're getting. Wes Welker drops maybe one pass out of a thousand. He's an All-Pro."
Hynoski is not sure when he'll be returning to the area, although he expects there will be some celebrating to do when that happens, as well.
"I still have some signings and things to go to around here (New York)," he said.
Such as sleeping.