Super Bowl-champion Giants return home

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The Super Bowl-champion New York Giants have returned home.

The team's charter plane touched down around 1:55 p.m. Monday at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

Several players saluted the crowd as they departed the aircraft, and some used cameras and video recorders to capture the moment and the scene. Coach Tom Coughlin also had a big smile as he waved to the crowd.

Once on the ground, the players, coaches and team officials were greeted by several hundred airport employees and a Port Authority bagpipe band. Crews also fired a water cannon to salute the team while the plane taxied to a hangar.

The players then took buses to the team's headquarters in East Rutherford, where thousands of fans lined the gates waiting to catch a glimpse of the champions.

The Giants captured the franchise's fourth Super Bowl championship on Sunday, with a 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots.

New York now only trails Pittsburgh with six titles, and San Francisco and Dallas with five.

The Giants also became the first team to win the title after finishing the regular season 9-7. The team had an up-and-down year, but finished with wins over the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys, securing the NFC East title, before winning four consecutive postseason games.