It's All Coming Down to This

After Ahmad Bradshaw ran over Brodney Pool and coasted into the end zone for a fourth quarter touchdown, the message was clear. The Gmen won the so called "Battle for New York." Truthfully I don't understand such overhype, but I guess Jets head coach Rex Ryan is to blame. What bugs me the most about how he uses the media to hype up games is he doesn't even make it about the game he makes it all about himself and what he thinks. It's selfish in my book.

But hey how about Victor Cruz breaking Amani Toomer's single season franchise record for receiving yards in a season. Not only that he did it with style. A 99 yard touchdown reception when the Giants were backed up in their own end zone. Simply awesome. That salsa dance is like fine wine it gets better with age. That was easily the play of the game.

Alright now that the Giants have beaten the Jets and are done with the stupidity of Rex Ryan we can think about more important things. The entire season as we know it has come down to one final game against our division enemies the Dallas Cowboys. Sunday night, the lights, the drama, it's going to be a battle beyond recognition. I get chills up my spine just thinking about it. This is going to be one hell of a football game.

A battle for the NFC East in the final week of the regular season. Unbelievable. As we can remember from our last game against the Cowboys, these teams matchup against each other pretty well. I would expect both Eli and Romo to have good games. I know Romo injured his hand in that game against the Eagles, but I would be very surprised if he did not play in this game. But then again it was his throwing hand and you never know. It will be interesting to see what happens with that.

I cannot imagine a better way to bring in the new year. The Giants have had a very erratic season filled with many highs and many lows. But so have the Cowboys. The Giants have also typically gotten together and put in some remarkable team efforts for big games. As a fan am I nervous? Absolutely. But that's just because of what's at stake. Am I confident the Giants can win? Damn right. I have been correct 8 out of 15 times in predicting Giants victories this season. Sure I always predict the Giants will win, but that's not an arrogance, it's a philosophy about believing in your team. It's something I think is very important in the world of being fan. Against all odds when the Giants backs are against the wall and it doesn't look good, you still gotta believe. Because that's what being a sports fan is all about in my opinion, not just rooting for your team, but truley believing in them with your heart and soul.

Giants. Cowboys. It's all coming down to this.

But no matter what, don't stop believing in the Giants. If that clock is winding down and we need to score against all odds and we have the ball, we're going to do whatever's necessary to win the game. I believe in the New York Football Giants.

Never Give Up

First thing's first:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXfaL4QdKdI

Ahhhh music to my ears. That game on Sunday night was one hell of a football game. The Giants had many reasons to roll over and die but they never quit. They scored fifteen points with like three and a half minutes left in the game. Lets talk about some of the awesome individual efforts from some of the stars of this great team win:

Brandon Jacobs- He's baaaaaack. Jacobs looked like he was in his 2007-08 form. He was running with a purpose, blowing people off the ball. No tip-toeing, just good ol' fashioned north to south big man football. It was awesome, if he can keep it going that will be huge for us. It was great to see for Giants fans. And that signature touchdown dance on the Dallas star in the end zone was icing on the cake.

Jason Pierre-Paul- I think he just punched his ticket to Hawaii. Can we just think about the type of game he had for a second? The man was everywhere he's an absolute beast. He had a sack for a safety, an additional sack, a forced fumble, and a game winning blocked field goal. He's a warrior, one of the best defensive players in the NFL and he's only in his second year! JPP's turning out to be one of the best draft picks Jerry Reese has had as Giants general manager. His constant hustle is inspirational to other members of the team to never give up on the play. He is an absolute monster.

Eli Manning- The wizard. A Greek God. The best. These are words that come to mind when I think about Eli running the two minute offense. He's drove down the field to come back and win the game in the fourth quarter in six out of our seven wins. Not to mention the San Francisco and Seattle games we lost when he moved the offense to the red zone to try and win the game in both those games. He is moving the ball at will, against any defense in the NFL. Now he has ALWAYS had fourth quarter magic but this year is something even more special. It's just ridiculous, he tolerated some of the worst snaps I've ever seen from our replacement center Kevin Boothe who decided to have a nervous breakdown for the entire drive. But that wont stop Eli. Heck he even threw a pass with his left hand when he was being rushed by Demarcus Ware. Why not? He's Eli Manning, and if the games even remotely close and he's got the ball in his hands late in the game, he will score. In fact Eli is one fourth quarter touchdown shy of passing a tied record held by Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning. With regards to Mr. Unitas, we have to realize that he still has the record and this was back when they had 12 game seasons. Regardless there's no doubt about it, Eli's fourth quarter magic is becoming historic.

Danny Ware- He is the nastiest two-point conversion shotgun draw specialist the NFL has ever seen.

I could go on and on about the efforts from every player, but the truth is this was a team win. Tommy Coughlin icing the kicker to steal the win and take first place in the division? Man that is just awesome. But basically, we are 1-0 in our 4 game season. Next week we have another division game against the Redskins and winning it is extremely important because the Cowboys still have two division games as well. It may be unlikely, but there's a chance that the Giants can have the division clinched before the next Giants Cowboys showdown in week 17 if they win their next two and the Cowboys lose their next two. That would be sweet, but there's also other possible crazy outcomes as well. If the Giants win next week against Washington, and the Cowboys beat the Bucs then the Giants have a divisional record of 3-2 and the Cowboys would be 2-2. Then even more hypothetically if the Cowboys lose to Philadelphia (I will never root for the Eagles but I'm just saying it's not an easy game with a healthy Vick) and if the Giants lose to the Jets that would set up the final game with the Giants having a record of 8-7 (3-2 divsional record) and the Cowboys with a record of 8-7 (2-3 divisional record). THAT WOULD MEAN, and keep in mind this is all hypothetical folks, that the Cowboys would be motivated to win that game to tie everything up in the division as far as overall records, and divsional records. AND THAT WOULD MEAN that the tie breaker would become a matter of who has the better conference record for the year. Off the top of my head I am not sure who has the better one, but just for fun lets say that was tied, then it would be a matter of points allowed and points scored, or strength of victory.

The point is this divisions getting insaaaaaaane. But the Giants control their own destiny. The best thing they can possibly do obviously is to win out and be 10-6 to clinch the division. Lets see what happens folks, it's going to get crazy very soon. But from the Giants perspective, all they gotta be doing right now is be thinking about the Washington Redskins.

One week at a time. Never Give up. Fight for this division. This team will not quit.

"I Definitely See us Winning These Last Four and Getting Into the Playoffs" - Victor Cruz

History has a way of repeating itself. In 2000 The New York Giants started off the season looking like the favored team in the NFC East. But a mid-season slump put the New York Giants playoff hopes in jeopardy, and Jim Fassel took action. He took over the role of offensive coordinator from Sean Payton and made a public announcement soon afterwards: "I'm raising the stakes right now. If this is a poker game I am shoving my chips to the middle of the table. I am raising the ante. Anybody that wants in can get in, anybody that wants out can get out. This team is going to the playoffs. That is my whole goal in life right now."

The Giants went on a run to the super bowl but lost to the Baltimore Ravens that year. They beat the Eagles three times in the same year and then shut out the Minnesota Vikings 41-0 in the NFC Championship game. Sure times and circumstances have changed, and what happened eleven years ago has absolutely nothing to do with the Giants fate this year, but can we all agree that it's a little bit eery?

I just felt like that needed to be said...But okay it's showtime we're going to Dallas part I of the battle for our division. This will be a crazy game. If you look at who we've beaten and who they've beaten it's kind of ridiculous:

                   Gmen                                                                                  Cowboys

Eagles:Won once, lost once. Close games.                                 Got destroyed.
San Fran: Barely Lost                                                                  Barely Won
Patriots: Barely Won                                                                   Barely Lost
Miami: Barely Won                                                                     Barely Won
Buffalo: Barely Won                                                                    Destroyed them
Washington: Lost                                                                         Barely Won twice
Arizona: Barely Won                                                                   Barely Lost

The wins and losses don't lie. It's evident that the Cowboys and Giants have had similar seasons, very up and down. But the past is the past. Both teams control their own destiny. This is going to be one hell of a football game. The Giants are confident. Even after a four game losing streak, they feel they have what it takes to be a playoff team. Epecially after the way in which they lost to Green Bay (Ballards knee was fucking in there is photo evidence and the league issued an apology). But like I said, the past is the past. The Giants know its going to take every ounce of strength they have to win this game. Miles Austin is returning to the Cowboys which is unfortunate because the Giants have a banged up secondary. On defense they will certainly have their hands full with Bryant, Austin, and Witten. At the end of the day we all know it's going to come down to the Giants ability to get to Romo.

On offense be sure to do one thing, block Demarcus Ware. He is the best pass rusher in the league and leads the NFL in sacks. So maybe we wont be able to stop him but we sure got to slow him down. Eli Manning will give yet another spectacular performance. Lets face it this game is an NFC East division game so it's tough to predict, but I can gurantee you one thing: If Eli Manning has the ball and needs a score to win towards the end regulation, the Giants will win the football game. 

Since Giants fans will be at an emotional high on Sunday night I would like to say one thing: Keep the faith. Regardless of what happens the spirit of Giants football will never die. Our team is confident, that's for sure, and I am one of many fans that believe in them, that's for sure. But there comes a point where you have to look at the bigger picture. Why do we all love the Giants so much? It's because they will never leave you. They're a reliable tradition. Sure there are all nightmares of games that keep us up at night, heck there are occasions when the team even quit on the fans. But they always come back. Always. Giants football and sports in general are endless. Since that fateful day where Tim Mara purchased the New York Giants in 1925 for $500, a great tradition was bestowed upon us. There have been good times and bad, but Big Blue will never die.

That's it folks. In a world that is constantly changing, people need a healthy reminder that some things will never leave your life. And that's what sports, football, and the New York Football Giants can do for you.

Lets Go Giants. Romo will be on his back on every snap and the Giants will move the ball at will.

Nothing to be Ashamed of

Football is a game of inches, in fact sometimes millimeters. If Jake Ballard's potential touchdown catch was ruled in bounds (officials would have needed the space hubble telescope to be sure), we would have won the damn game. But as fans we should still be proud. Despite this loss the Giants looked the best team in the NFL dead in the eyes and gave them a serious run for their money. At the start of the game you could see it in the Giants eyes: they were ready to go to war.

And what a war it was! Sure you can argue that the defense did not play well enough. Especially because of Rodgers game winning drive at the end that gave the Packers a total of 38 points. But I thought the defense had it's moments. The Dline looked much improved. We were able to get to Rodgers. Justin Tuck's swagger is back, and JPP was doing his thing as well.

Truthfully I think it's extremely difficult to play defense at all with all of these fairy rules the NFL has. Illegal touching, helmet to helmet, defenseless receivers, it's all horse manure. I understand the leagues best interest is to protect the players, but defenses are hesitant to play tough. I mean, just look at the Packers. Their defense sucks. The Giants were running on them (great to see Ahmad again) without any problems. Green Bay is one of the worst run stopping defenses in the NFL and they are 12-0. How is that even possible? Maybe defense just isn't as meaningful as it used to be.

But lets not get all mopey, there were a few questionable calls, but that was one hell of a football game. Looking at this loss positively, the Giants confidence is back! Losing to the best team in the NFL by a field goal will allow the Giants to believe in themselves again. Could they win out and finish 10-6? It's possible, our toughest opponent will be Dallas and we have to play them twice. Truthfully I think 9-7 will be good enough to win the division.

Speaking of the division, we are one game behind the Dallas Cowboys for first place. We play them next week, and then once more after that. Game on.

The Giants are winning this division, you better bELIeve it.

Time to Make Adjustments

That game on Monday night was a horrible excuse for a defensive performance. The epitomy of New York Giants football is defined by a furious pass rush from a defensive front that wreaks havoc in the backfield. But on Monday night we were humiliated by a prolific Saints offense that was moving the ball against us at will.

So what's the problem? Some people are beginning to murmur that we are simply not good enough in the heart of this 3 game losing streak, but I am not ready to accept that just yet. In my opinion the Giants defense is being over coached because Fewell is making too many substitutions during the course of the game. I understand his mentality when it is third and long and he wants to bring in all of our defensive ends that our pass rushing specialists. But when Pierre-Paul, Osi, Tuck, and Tollefson are all trying to get around there blockers they are all simultaneously getting flushed to the outside, creating a pocket of immense proportions. We all know how that ends with a quarterback like Drew Brees, and with Aaron Rodgers and the undefeated Pack coming to town next week, that shit is just not gonna cut it.

Giants tackles Chris Canty, Linval Joseph, and even Rocky Bernard have not been playing badly. Bernard came in for a play and blew his blocker off the ball and drove him into the pocket, causing Brees to panic and throw an incomplete pass into the dirt. Bernard was immediately taken out of the game after this play because it brought up a third and long passing situation. I think we need to keep the tackles in on third down because the past few weeks on third down the quarterbacks have had way too much time. The tackles need to push the middle effectively this week and force Rodgers to take more drop steps. Then can we blitz some defensive backs! Have we already forgotten the good ol' days when Steve Spagnualo would send players like Gibril Wilson, or Sam Madison on blitzes to get to the quarterback? We must do this against Green Bay, especially if our front four does not generate any success. Blitzing the DB's can be dangerous against Rodgers because it may force him to roll out. But if you force him to his left (because he's a right handed quarterback) it may not be as problematic as you'd think. Especially if everyone in the secondary is expecting Rodgers to roll out.

Speaking of the secondary, along with sending some safeties or corners on the occasional blitz, we need to stick to more man coverage. Our zone really sucks. It's just bad. Plain, period, and simple. So enough of this dancing around before the play, faking like you're going to blitz and then dropping back. It's simply not working. I think it is time to simplify. Stick to man coverage most of the time, and in zone I say go with the simple Cover 3, or Cover 2. I think our zone coverage would have much more success if we sent some DB's on blitzes. But I did happen to catch Jason Pierre-Paul dropping back into coverage on one play on Monday night. Our last defensive coordinator, Bill Sheridan, got fired for that exact idioticy.

On the defensive side of the ball that would be my gameplan. Force Rodgers to roll to his left, keep the tackles in on third down, and less zone coverage. Keep it simple, don't over coach every particular situation. Hopefully we'll be able to have some success hitting Rodgers. On offense however, we really aren't that terrible despite our run game being atrocious. If Ballard breaks up that pass in the first quarter the Giants have 31 total points easily. But we cannot continue to be this dependent on the passing game, especially with the Packers next week. Green Bay has given up three consecutive hundred yard rushing games. Their defense is in fact quite overrated. I really hope Bradshaw will be able to go this week. If he is, I would come out throwing the ball like a demon. Let Eli do his thing. And can we hurry our asses to the line so if Eli wants to change the play he has more than just five seconds? We need to run more no huddle. But if we are able to get Eli going early in the game against the Packers, they will be on their heels for the passing game, and assuming Bradshaws playing we can develop a running game in the second half to keep the ball out of Rodgers hands. The reason I say we will do this assuming Bradshaw is healthy is because I do not have any confidence in any other of our running backs. None.

That brings me to my next point. Our veteran leaders Justin Tuck and Brandon Jacobs are not playing well. They were both plagued by some injuries for a few games over the course of the year, but they are simply not getting it done. There was a play where Tuck missed a sack on Brees and simply laid there after he missed. Had he gotten up and chased Brees, he would have gotten to him again, but instead he gave up and showed no hustle. And when Jacobs finally did something and scored a touchdown for the Giants when they were down 21-3, he celebrated like he won the super bowl. It's just extremely disappointing to see. Tuck has only two sacks on the year, and Jacobs hasn't had a 100 yard game in quite some time. Why hasn't Coughlin shown these guys a seat on the bench? Even if its just for a quarter to get them pissed off. I think it's because since in years past these players have been extremely valuable to the Giants, which is why they have the role of the emotional leaders that they are now. So maybe the fear is if these guys are benched they will lose the emotion of the team, and maybe they would complain to the media and become a team distraction. That is especially so for Jacobs. But enough is enough! We have lost 3 games in a row and if you don't produce week in and week out you have a seat son. It doesn't matter who you are. Tom Coughlin has to send these guys a message.

Now allllllllllllll of that being said if the Giants decide to upset the Green Bay Packers I will go far enough to say that the teams confidence will soar and there's no way they will miss the playoffs. Heck, even if we lose the game but give the Packers a damn good run for the money and lose a close one, the Giants will stil gain confidence. Sure, if that happened the Giants would be 6-6, but they would still have to play Dallas twice and would not mathematically be out of it. But if we get torched again and Rodgers is standing in the pocket with all day as the Packers accumulate over 500 yards of offense, that will be extremely degrading for the confidence of this team over the next few weeks. So for the love of all that is good in this world, the Giants have to give it everything they have. Not just for a shot at the playoffs but for something more important than that. It's about re-establishing Big Blue pride.

We have to honor the Giant legends of the past and play like a bunch of crazed dogs. And honoring big blue pride goes for us fans as well! We cannot give up on the team. They need us.

So there you have it, that is my entirely unprofessional opinion on the New York Football Giants at this moment in time. But if there's one thing you have to know, it's that regardless of the fact that our backs our against the wall and all odds are against us.

I still bELIeve...

Chad Jones: The Inspiration

Eli Manning will not be the only Giant going back to his hometown on Monday night when the Giants square off against the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. New York Giants safety Chad Jones was drafted in 2010 in the third round. He had a reputation for being a fighter, a big hitter, and a threatening punt returner at LSU.

Two weeks after Jones signed a four year contract with the Giants, he was in a very serious car accident. This was not a DUI, it was just an accident. Reports say that his femur and ankle were both visible. Doctors were close to amputating his foot to save his life. Fortunately by some miracle Jones was able to survive and not lose his foot. Needless to say Jones' football career was in serious jeopardy.

But Jones was stubborn. His father said that he does not accept failure. Jones refused to use a wheel chair after the accident. He would rather struggle with the crutches. It could have been easy for Jones to give up on his football career and say he was in a tragic accident. There is no doubt that the temptation to quit was there for him. But Chad Jones continued to fight, in the hopes that one day he might be ready to re-join the New York Giants.

Now, only a year and a half later Jones is benching 325 lbs and running a 4'8" 40 time. He will be on the sidelines for the game on Monday night. This will be his first official game with the team and it will be in the city of New Orleans where he was born and raised. Giants cornerback Corey Webster also went to LSU and is a friend of Chad Jones. He refers to Chad as his little brother. There is no doubt that Corey will be giving every thing he has on Monday night for his little brother.

In fact there is no doubt that this whole Giants team will be playing for Chad on Monday night. Sure, the Giants may be motivated to win because they've had two consecutive losses and they need a turn around game, but that will not be the primary motivation. TEAM is the primary motivation. Sometimes you have to forget about all the fluff going into the game as far as where you stand in the division and what the game means and just play for your brothers. Last week our starting middle linebacker was Mark Herzlich, a cancer survivor, and now this week Chad Jones will be on the sidelines after a near death experience where doctors said he would probably never play football again. Players like Chad and Mark gave it everything they had for a chance to be a New York Giant.

That's what footballs all about folks. Playing for your team. Chad Jones and Mark Herzlich are both walking proof that miracles do exist. And now they both want nothing more than to be a New York Giant and to help this team in any way possible. That really tells you something. It is a tremendous honor to be a New York Giant. The fire and determination inside players like Chad Jones and Mark Herzlich is enough motivation to make anybody want to run full speed into a brick wall.

So Giants fans, instead of complaining about the past couple of weeks, why don't we live in the now and look ahead. We are a team. The Giants have a choice to do one of two things. They can come together as a team and show the world that they're gonna fight, or they can roll over and collapse. Ironically this is a very similar situation that both Chad Jones and Mark Herzlich were in for their own individual careers. They could have rolled over and quit, and no one would have thought anything of it.

But that is not what true blue New York Giants do! Herzlich has fought his way onto the starting roster, and Jones has made an incredible comeback to the team in only a year and a half. It's time for the Giants to ask themselves the same question that Jones and Herzlich did.

Are you going to give up? Or are you going to give it every ounce of strength you have to fight.

I have a feeling it will be the second one. Lets go Big Blue. Never quit. Never.

Time to Wake Up

It is seven o'clock in the morning on a Monday and I am awake on my own free will. Perhaps it's because I thought I had a nightmare about the Giants playing like crap against the Eagles at home. Oh wait, hate to be a debbie downer but that was a reality. Yeah, it looks like the Giants just lost that "trap" game and are looking at a record of 6-4 after being on top of the world two weeks ago. I could rant for pages and pages if I kept writing this blog in paragraph form, so I think I will make this blog more of a list.

-The Giants were beat big time up front on both sides of the ball. The front four couldn't get pressure on Vince Young alone, and on offense we couldn't block a soul.
-Despite our woes on the line we continued to have some sort of stupid commitment to trying to run the ball. Jacobs and Ware looked dreadful. I hate to say it but I think our beloved Jacobs will never be the Jacobs we used to know and love. That is very common in big running backs in this league, but it's up to the Giants coaching staff to see that and do something about it. Benching him may be the right move but I feel they are hesitant about it because of what Jacobs used to be, and how he may be considered a vocal leader of this offense. If Bradshaw remains out it's time to give Da'rell Scott some more carries.
-3 points in the first half. C'mon man. Then to only finish with ten points total? That is embarassing. I think Weatherford was in for more plays then Eli. If you had told me prior to this game that the Eagles were only going to score 17 points I would have said there's no way we could have lost.
-Ballard couldn't catch a cold. I don't understand it, one week he's making behind the back grabs on third and long in traffic then another he is dropping the most routine passes I've ever seen. If he had made the catches that he should have early and if Hakeem Nicks had come down with that deep ball that he should have had then Eli might of had 100 more passing yards right there. Drops had not really been a problem with this team, that was very shocking to see.
-Desean Jackson is the stupidest asshole in the NFL. But he sure is fast. Don't punt him the damn ball for crying out loud. And flipping the ball at a Giants coach like you won the super bowl? I have never been one for promoting injuries but after that someone should have shattered his knee cap, or at least started a fight. What a thug. At least they threw a flag, I didn't know taunting plays can be put into effect as if the play never happened. I had never seen that before in my life.
-The rookies came to play. The fresh Prince of New York looked pretty good with his interception, and I thought Herzlich played very well. Kiwanuka and Canty had good games as well. In fact the defense didn't play that badly but there were two things that were extremely disappointing: 1) Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Osi Umenyiora were very ineffective at rushing the passer. That doesn't make any sense to me one bit. Should have done more blitzing because they were not getting it done. 2) Tied 10-10 with the enemy at home and you allow them to take 11 minutes off the clock and for Vince Young to throw a game winning balloon pass to Riley Cooper??? Cooper looks like a white trash scum bag who lives in a trailer park. How the hell did he score the game winning touchdown of this game? We were in zone and guys in the secondary were just standing around. Makes no sense.
-As much as I love Eli and we all know he had to put up with a joke of a running game, a line that couldn't block a soul, and a receiving core that was dropping everything, you cannot fumble the ball after Cruz's big play. Yes he got hit on his blind side as he was rolling out, but on a night where you had no time the whole game, you have to keep two hands on that ball until you throw. It honestly is more of the olines fault, but you cannot give up the rock. It was extremely frustrating after Cruz made such a good play.

So yeah, those are most of my complaints. And no this is not a broken record, the Giants have started 6-2 and stumbled to 6-4 yet again. But to the fans of Giants nation let me try to end on a high note after this bitter loss. Yes, we have tripped up and our division lead is in serious jeopardy, and yes we have shown some serious highs and serious lows this year. But we are still tied for first and we still have to play the Cowboys twice. The Eagles aren't out of it just yet either. Not to sound like an ass but I thought this division would be a bloodbath at the beginning of this year and it's starting to look like just that. But hey, we are the New York Football Giants and we are going to fight. I expect a sharp performance from this team next week. We cannot go 6-5. New Orleans is a game people will say we are not ready for, that we can't win on the road, and people will say the Giants stink again and have no chance in hell.

So naturally the Giants have a shot at winning next week.

No more moping. No more coming out flat against teams we can easily beat. It's time to man up. Our season is on the brink of destruction. We can never give up, and we wont give up. Keep in mind this Dallas team got there butts whooped by Philly and still have a lot to prove. This is going to be a fight baby, and we have to brush off this loss and get ready for it.

Also despite the performance, it was great to be back at Giants stadium. No matter what happens the magic of seeing your team come out of the tunnel like a bunch of crazed dogs as the smoke rises and the national anthem starts playing will give you goosebumps every time. The memories of going to games with my family are ones that i will cherish forever.

No matter what.

Early Thanksgiving Celebration

For starters I would like to apologize for slacking with my blogs of late. I have been busy with schoolwork and haven't been able to keep my consistent blog schedule.

Anyways, last week the Giants lost a tough one to the 49ers. The potential tying touchdown was off Mario Manninghams fingertips at the end of the fourth quarter. It was a pretty good football game, but it was tough to turn out on the losing end. Gilbrides mysterious draw plays with under 2 minutes left with Danny Ware still remain a mystery to me, but basically the Giants lost a close game to a good football team. Perhaps we'll see this team again somewhere down the road...

But hey, back to reality. We got our sworn enemies coming to town on Sunday night. It's Giants and Eagles baby and anything can happen. They're 3-6, and we're 6-3. The Eagles will be playing desperate football. We need to put our foot on the throat and eliminate any little hope that team may still have. The dream teams a joke. I don't care if Vick plays or not, how about we blow this team out? The hearts and blood pressures of many Giants fans can use a week off from a close game. Lets bury the Eagles and have them leave feeling like absolute crap.

The truth is it's Giants Eagles, and anything can happen. Some of the most unbelievable football games have been between these two teams. And that's not just a myth, it's true. Any fan of either team can tell you that these games are usually crazy. As far as I'm concerned the records mean nothing. Do we need a comeback game, and would it be much better to be 7-3 then to be 6-4? Absolutely. But the priority is to slaughter the enemy. Vick is questionable, he has broken ribs. If he decides to play make sure that is the worst decision he has ever made. Prince Amukumara has finally been cleared to play and more than anything I want to see him sack Vick on a blitz. This kid needs to play some football!

Bradshaw will more than likely be out for the Giants so we need solid performances from Jacobs, Ware, and Scott. A lot of Giants fans say we need to develop the run game for later in the season when the weather gets bad. Seeing as the Giants typically do have a good running game I can see where most of the fans are getting at. And as much as I love saying Eli has put everything on his shoulders and stepped up, a developed run game would obviously be helpful. The offensive line has had its moments in pass protection, but sometimes their run blocks are a little iffy. We don't need to move up in the rankings and be in the top ten at running the football again, but we need to be able to have success running the ball WHEN WE NEED TO. In other words, I don't think being a pass first team in a pass happy league is anything to be bummed about.

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming to Giants stadium. Anything else going on in this world is irrelevant. We must beat the Eagles, they are the enemy. It doesn't matter who's playing, we're better so lets show it. Last week Steve Smith caught a pass prior to crossing the first down marker, and instead of making an effort for the first, he saw a defender and immediately collapsed and protected his body. They're all babies. Desean, Smith, Maclin. They don't hit people. They're cowards. And Lesean McCoy is effective but it's obvious he has no intentions of running up the middle. Hitting people is the last thing these Eagles have in mind. Perhaps that's why they're 3-6.

That's right Thanksgivings coming early baby and we're putting the turkey on hold. Lets fry up some Eagle and then crush the bones. And on a personal level I have to say, I'm baaaaaack. Yes, that's right Sunday night I will be back where I belong in section 341 screaming like a lunatic. I could not be anymore excited. Thanksgiving is about tradition, and a tradition that will never die is the celebration of New York Giants football. We will break the Eagles. We hate them. Shut up these critics about "second half collapses." It's a new year. The Giants can do whatever they want with it. We control our own destiny not stats from previous seasons.

Lets Go Gmen baby! And in other news how about Timmy Teeb? A 95 yard drive to beat the Jets on Thursday night and he was personally responsible for 92 of those yards. The kids incredible. I think he is the first quarterback running the football with no intentions of sliding I have ever seen in my life time. This guy is just strong, he's got muscles on his muscles. He's 4-1 and deserves respect. He made Revis look silly when he ran right at him. Love it.

Lets Go Giants. We want to play this game. The Eagles don't.

"You Can't Spell Elite without Eli"- Justin Tuck

What defines an elite quarterback? In my opinion it's the ability to win games. Especially when it's under two minutes and the team needs a score. It's about overcoming any kind of obstacles thrown at you and simply getting it done. That's what great quarterbacks like Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, and John Elway were able to do. Get in the endzone by any means necessary and get the win.

What makes Eli any different?

The fact that there's still any kind of debate as to whether or not this guy is one of the best in the game is beyond comprehension. Here's a guy who has been to the promise land and consistently shown throughout his whole career that when the balls in his hands late in the game he is going to do whatever's necessary to get in the endzone. Then yesterday without his leading receiver Hakeem Nicks and his leading rusher Ahmad Bradshaw he outplays the legendary Tom Brady. Not to sound like a broken record but Eli has taken this team (coming off a pitiful offseason) and put it on his shoulders. Fourth quarter comebacks are his middle name, and it's officially time to start using the word: MVP.

These Giants have an incredible team vibe. They're fighters and almost every game has been a heart attack for fans but the Giants truley believe they can win any game they play. That is an extremely important thing to have, and frankly isn't as common as people might think. Following yesterdays New England game, the Giants danced for joy and picked Coughlin up on their shoulders. That's the one thing that matters the most. The Giants are a team.

 The defense has had that Gmen pass rush that we know and love. Second year defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul already has 9.5 sacks. That's typically a solid season for any NFL defensive end and it's only half over. Fewell has done a good job of mixing up the rushing and the dropbacks, and as a result we're getting the turnovers that we need. It's getting extremely hard to find any kind of criticism with this Giants team.

Not to be a debbie downer but the Giants have had several 6-2 first halves since Coughlin has been here. Some have turned out better than others, the obvious one being the Super Bowl XLII season, and some have ended up pretty ugly. But this season has a different feeling to it. Any Giants fan can sense it. There is some magic in the air and our heroes are fighting to the very end week in and week out.

But lets live in the now shall we? Today is a particularly proud day to be a Giants fan. The Gmen were 9 point underdogs yesterday. They were also the first team to shut out the Patriots in the first half since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Statistical improbablities are just fuel to the fire with this team. Any game is winnable.

Now next week we got San Francisco on the road. More on the 49ers game later but lets just make it clear that the Giants will move the ball no problem no matter who is on the field. The road warrior swagger is back baby, the upset city bus is coming through. On defense we will rattle Alex Smith and get that ball by any means necessary to put it in the hands of our elite quarterback Eli Manning.

I believe in Eli Manning. I believe in the defense. I believe in the coaching. I believe in the New York Football Giants. And if you don't, you can drink a nice tall glass of shut the fuck up.

Gmen Baby.

Underdogs

First thing's first lets look back on the greatest day of our lives, which also happens to be the last time we played the Patriots in a meaningful game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64HksFibyMA&feature=related

Now that we've got that image really clearly in our minds, does our philosophy with beating this team change that much? Yes there have been several roster changes to both teams since that epic day but both teams still stand for the same thing they did on February 3rd, 2008.

The Giants are still underdogs and fighters. They traditionally have one of the best pass rushes in the league, and right now the Giants lead the league in sacks, not undifferent from our 07-08 magic carpet ride of a season. The Patriots are still favored to win almost every game they play. Everybody still bows down to the almighty Tom Brady and the legendary Bill Belichick. And while people still think they're the greatest team to walk the earth I think it's an important reminder that the Patriots have not won a super bowl since the 2005 season and haven't won a playoff game since the 2007 season. Do we really have to spell it out? They're overrated.

Now the Pats still got game. But the point I'm making is that they're not unbeatable. In fact the Giants match up quite well against New England. The Giants have an incredible amount of talented pass rushers. But it's tough to utilize all of them until the Giants aren't certain the opposing team is in a must-pass situation. If you think about the end of the Miami game where everyone in Giants stadium knew Matt Moore had limited time and had to throw to try and march down the field, it was over. The Giants just sent in all the hound dogs. Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Dave Tollefson, and Mathias Kiwanuka were all having a party. So if Brady's at a point where he has to pass no matter what the game will be over, but oh wait a minute, IT'S NEW ENGLAND. How often do they run in the first place? Maybe occasionally but right now Green-Ellis is hurt and they're starting Kevin Faulk. So the game plan approach is almost exactly like that incredible day almost 4 years ago, find the minimum amount of pass rushers to gain consistent pressure on Brady. If you can go with 4, go with 4.

Brady recently said in an interview that he doesn't even think about the super bowl as a grudge against the Giants at all and it has nothing to do with this game. Let me tell you right now, that's a sack of shit. Teams don't forget. The Patriots have plenty of reasons to be motivated, and Super Bowl XLII is certainly one of them. Brady just said that to avoid controversy. Speaking of controversy, earlier this year everyone tried to make some fluff of what Eli said, when he mentioned he thought he was in the same category of play of Tom Brady. First off I'd like to point out that he is. And second off what the hell was he supposed to say? "Oh shucks Mr. Reporter man maybe one day I'll be as good as my hero Tom Brady," hell no, Eli's got balls. Reporters go to Eli begging and praying that he'll say something to create a story. The truth of the matter is he's a professional so he's not going to say anything, and so is Brady. Both quarterbacks without a doubt have multiple reasons to want to win this game. I expect incredible performances from both of them.

The Patriots have not lost a game when Tom Brady is quarterback at Foxborough since October 2006 against the New York Jets. But as Giants fans know, statistical improbables are just fuel to the fire. These Gmen come to play. They play at the level of their competition consistently and don't be surprised if this game on Sunday is a battle untill that clock hits zero. For me personally, I haven't been this psyched for a game since we played Philly early this year.

Bradshaws status is uncertain with a broken bone in his foot, and Hakeem Nicks is questionable with a hamstring injury. They are two terrific players but let me tell you the Giants are going to come to play no matter who's on the field. Super Mario and Victor Cruz will bring their game and the running game may be hurting but lets face it it's already non-existant. I would be all for giving the rookie Da'rell Scott a chance. Why not when you're ranked thirtieth in the league with running the football? On the Pats side Wes Welker has a neck injury. Antrel Rolle has already made it clear that he is up for the challenge of covering Wesley. I am psyched to see that matchup.

Sunday at 4:15. It will be a battle to remember. Eli Manning and Tom Brady, two of the best quarterbacks in the league going at it. JPP will be joining the "Sack-Brady party" since he unfortunately couldn't be with us for that historic day in Glendale, Arizona. The Giants are fighters, scrappers, underdogs and are going to give these Pats hell. Statistics are against them, but that doesn't matter. Football is about creating your own destiny as a team and accomplishing great things.

Upset city baby, the Gmen are rolling out to Foxborough. Lets get that Road Warrior swagger back. This Sunday will be a game to remember.

Survived the Halloween Scare

After Cruz's signature salsa dance in the back of the endzone you might as well have put it in the books. The Giants were not going to look back after getting their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter. The Gmen overcame a bit of a scare against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, but more importantly the Giants are 5-2 and all alone at first place in the division.

The winless Phins came out pretty strong to start the game against the Giants. Lets face it they were motivated and they gave us a football game to play. Matt Moores dopey rollouts were effective and Reggie Bush had some nice runs. Lets give the Dolphins a little credit when it's due. But at the end of the day our fearless leader Eli Manning, one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, proved to be too much for this desperate Dolphins performance.

When I say Eli Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL that isn't an opinion it's a statistical fact. After only 7 games Eli has 2,127 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, 5 picks, and an astounding quarterback rating of 102.1. More impressively he has a quarterback rating of 119.3 in the fourth quarter which is the best in the NFL. Not to mention the Giants are really struggling to run the football. They are ranked thirtieth in the league at running the ball. Quite frankly that's a testament to how well Eli has been throwing considering we are 5-2.

How about my man Victor Cruz? Cruuuuuuuuuuuz the third and long machine. His salsa dance gets better every single week. He is the big play guy and his story is incredible. He grew up 15 minutes away from Giants Stadium (that's right say it with me, GIANTS STADIUM), and has been a Giants fan since he was a kid. He is living the dream. The kids a fan favorite and he looks better after every catch. His game winning touchdown against Miami was clutch, and yet another third and long situation. The kids a fighter and the definition of New York Giants material.

Currently the Giants are sitting at the top of the NFC East with a 5-2 record and a divisonal record of 1-1. Everyone else in the division is 3-4 so right now the Gmen have a comfortable lead. But the Giants schedule is about to pick up. In fact statistically speaking the Giants have one of the toughest schedules in the NFL. Our next game is against the New England Patriots. Ahhh the beautiful memories we have against them. The memories of the best defensive performance in Super Bowl history. Led by our fearless leader Michael Strahan we ASSAULTED Tom Brady and shocked the world by beating the undefeated Patriots on the worlds biggest football stage. Our quarterback Eli Manning marched down the field, with the Super Bowl, the season, and the hopes and dreams of all Giants fans on his shoulders. I can remember it all like it was just yesterday...

This Sunday the Giants will head to Foxborough to take on the Pats at Gilette Stadium. Much more to come on the Patriots but for now I will leave you with the beautiful memories of Super Bowl XLII. I will also remind you that football is endless. It is time to create more memories against the Patriots RIGHT NOW.

Lets have Brady looking out the ear hole of his helmet shall we?

Bye-Bye Bye Week

The most painful week of the football season is finally over. It's time to buckle down and get ready for some more New York Giants football baby. The 0-7 Dolphins are coming to town and there's no way in hell they're winning this game.

Following the bye the Giants have only gotten stronger. Chris Snee, Brandon Jacobs, Justin Tuck, Ramses Barden, and Prince Amukumara have all had time to nurse their injuries. Snee and Barden will definently be back on the field against Miami and Jacobs and Tuck are listed as questionable and will likely play. Unfortunately the Fresh Prince Amukumara was ruled out for this weeks game and will not be ready to make his Giants debut. Hopefully next week against New England he'll be ready.

This Dolphins game is one the Giants will win. Miami may be desperate, and all you pessimists out there may say this is a "trap game." But I'll be damned if the New York Football Giants allow an 0-7 joke of a team to come to our house and walk out with a victory. Matt Moore? Jason Pierre-Paul's already licking his chops. I wouldn't be surpised if this was Tony Sparano's last ever game as a Miami head coach.

Believe it or not Brandon Marshall promised a victory against the Giants via twitter. If anything the Giants should be encouraged by this cause Marshall is a complete idiot. He guranteed a victory last week as well. It's called being a sore loser. I guess when you're 0-7 you have to try and do something to stay in the spotlight.

Can't wait to watch the Gmen bury the Dolphins. And more importantly thank the football gods that the Giants bye week is over. Time to bring your lunch pail and get back to business for the rest of the season. And it starts with a party at the Meadowlands against Miami.

Old School Win

After Bradshaw rushed for his third touchdown and the Giants defense held the Bills to 7 points in the second half, it was conclusive the Giants had just won the game in typical old school Gmen fashion. The Giants legends of the past beamed down upon the Meadowlands as New York Giant pride was re-established heading into the bye week.

This game was won thanks to the clutch play of the defense in the second half. Phil Simms described the Bills as a very "opportunistic" team, and he is correct. Fred Jacksons big touchdown run early on exploited the Giants 4-2-5 defense they were in. It created space for one of the most dangerous running backs in open field. The Giants were playing pass all the way and once Williams and Boley both flushed out, it was over. A truck could have driven through that hole.

Fortunately this was early on in the game. When it comes to throwing the ball, the Bills are all about yards after catch. Curls and slants were there game, it was old school and I couldn't help but be a fan of their approach. But I think at some point there was a realization that Ryan Fitzpatrick hadn't actually thrown the ball over 20 yards. He struggles with the deep ball, and he knows it. He rarely attempted any kind of deep route.

So the cornerbacks, who earlier in the game were giving the receivers at least a 5 or 6 yard cushion, began jamming the receivers up at the line in the second half. And like magic, Corey Webster came away with two interceptions and the Bills offense did not look nearly as effective. We were also able to sack Fitzpatrick three times.

It was a good showing from the defense. Forget total yards and stuff like that, it's about clutch stops when you need them. We were up 27-24 in our house. There was no funny business. Our defense went out for four plays and we took our ball back and took the win. It was a nice bounce back from when we were in the exact same situation a week before. New York Giants pride was re-established.

On offense Eli did his job and moved the ball no problem. It was nice to see Ahmad Bradshaw back to having great success running the football, and it was also nice to see Mario Manningham contributing to the offense again. He had been struggling lately since coming back from his concussion in week two.

It was a close one, but we were able to make adjustments and get the win. Now we can go into the bye week with sole possession of first place because Washington has a 1-2 divisonal record and we are 1-1. Tuck and Jacobs will be able to come back with lots of rest, and that's important because the second half of the season is approaching and we have a tough schedule.

Nothing we can't handle of course. This team has the ability to compete with anybody, and as fans we should all look foward to the games ahead.

Crazed Dogs

There are two main factors to playing the game of football. There's talent obviously, but the other is motivation. You have to be on an emotional high for 60 minutes or before you know it your knee will be out of it's socket. This is true from Pee-Wee leagues all the way to the NFL. The Giants have talent. There is no question about that. The Bills also have their fair share of talent, especially on that explosive offense. This game will come down to who wants it more.

Recently the Giants have had problems running the football on offense, stopping the run on defense, and making stops against the hurry up offense. Every single one of those things are about attitude and desire. There is no elabroate schemes man, it's all about doing you're job. So when they run the football, fill the holes and get 11 hats on that ball. Fred Jackson's about to have a wake up call. And when we line up to run the ball, get out there and make you're blocks. Get to the second level and look to truck somebody's sorry ass. A safety while trying to run the ball??? Man that should be keeping you up at night if you're an offensive lineman. And if Fitzpatrick tries to run the hurry up, MAN UP. Send four, maybe five after the quarterback if they pass. GET TO HIM, there's nothing else to it. Play straight man coverage in the secondary and do you're job. There's nothing complex about a hurry up offense. It's an insult to the pride of this defense if we can't stop it. Show them we're in better shape and we want the stop more than they want the touchdown.

The results of football games are so heavily determined on emotion. Why do you think everyone has been able to beat the Eagles that have all this talent? It's because everyone gets pissed off hearing about the damn Eagles. How they're "the dream team," and how they're on sportscenter every damn day despite the fact that they are 1-4. Teams are motivated to beat them because of the fact that everyone thought the Eagles were stacked and going to be amazing when they signed all their free agents. It's about pride man. And frankly it's something the Giants DID NOT SHOW AGAINST SEATTLE.

Plus lets face it, we escaped Arizona with a nice comeback win, but there were some portions of the game that were just ugly. The same goes for Seattle, we showed the effort to comeback and get the win and we were five yards away from taking the lead with a minute left. But we didn't even deserve to win. Letting the worst road team in the NFL for the past four years drive down the field against us when we're at home and we're up 22-19 in the fourth quarter? That hurry up drive when the Seahawks took the lead was only five or six plays. You can't let them get in, that's all about pride. Especially at home.

Now the beauty of football is there's an opportunity for redemption next week. We've displayed team unity and execution when we rolled over the Eagles, and when we came back in Phoenix. But lets see it for 60 minutes. That has yet to be seen. Tuck and Jacobs are both out again this week, but we can't let that bring us down. This is a game we have to win as a team. We cannot be 3-3 going into the bye. 4-2 must be the record after this game. Show Buffalo we want it more. They're hungry for wins and they've got some talented players, but so do we.

How do we re-establish the Giants pride? We think of the ghosts of the past, the Giffords, the Taylors, the Carsons, the Tittles, the Simms, the Huffs, the Strahans. How would they play in this game? I think they'd go out like a bunch of crazed dogs. Lets honor the tradition of Giants football. Lets get the win by any means necessary. Because beating the Bills has to happen. And more importantly, show the league that the Gmen still have pride. Show everybody that we're not gonna let down. Show the Bills that we want it more than them, and that this is OUR HOUSE.

Show them we're going to fight for 60 minutes.

Shoulda Coulda Woulda

Yup. That was a game that we should have won. The bitterness of this loss is the reason my blog is a day late this week.

A 3-2 record is not the end of the world, but with the Bills coming to town next week there are some things that need work. The number one priority is the epitomy of New York Giants football, and that is the defense. The past two weeks the Giants have not looked good at stopping the run at all. I think that's partly because Justin Tuck didn't play either of those games. Osi is a good defensive end and a great pass rusher but stopping the run isn't really his strong suit. We need our leader on defense back on the field as soon as possible.

Another issue of concern is the Giants defensive struggles against the hurry up. When the Giants don't have time to make their substitutions opposing offenses are having a fairly easy time moving the ball. Charlie Whitehurst? Are you kidding me? I guess the guy made some plays. That one in particular when the Seahawks took the lead for good when Osi jumped offsides and there wasn't a whistle was frustrating but man our defense was looking helpless on that drive anyway.

What makes this even more difficult of a loss was despite the lack of defense on Whitehurst's go ahead drive was that Eli drove right back down the field following it. 1st and goal from the ten and we have a false start. That is extremely frustrating. The Giants still had some timeouts so I had a feeling they were going to be running a draw on that play before the false start. The penalty pushed them back and they decided to throw. Unfortunately Victor Cruz lost his feet and because of that the ball was a little ahead of him and he tipped it up. Pick six the other way.

But hey, we can mope about how we should have won that game, and we can complain about some of the ATROCIOUS calls, but the truth of the matter is we made some mistakes and we didn't play very good defense. The Seahawks had a fair amount of mistakes as well but they made the plays when they mattered. But this team has resiliency. The Giants are going to fight. If there's a time to prove that it's against the 4-1 Bills at home on Sunday.

Hopefully Tuck and Jacobs will both be back and able to play. Those are two big leaders of this team that weren't able to suit up last week and they would make a huge difference. The Bills would have to be crazy not to run the hurry up. The Giants know this. Time to put that weakness to rest, do some extra suicides at practice and man up. And on offense we could use a run game. We haven't had much of that but maybe throwing to the backs is more our game these days. It sure seems like it.

We need to throw Ballard the ball more. He has been showing some serious toughness the last few games and he fights for every yard. Plus Cruz has shown he can make the big plays (that third and long circus catch was unbelievable). He's had his fair share of mistakes seeing as he's a young player, but this guy can play and there seems to be a great work ethic about him.

Lets face it the Seahawks game was a stinker, but I'm not worried. The Giants under Coughlin tend to respond well after a disappointing week, and at home against the Bills is a pretty good place to do it. We hit a little bump in the road, but it's time to re-establish some New York Giant pride. And we gotta do that by improving the defense. It's not the personnel it's a state of mind.

"We gotta go out there like a bunch of crazed dogs..."

One Week at a Time

Coaches and players in the NFL typically like to live in the now. Take it one week at a time, one game at a time, one play at a time. That's probably a smart philosophy because looking at a season as a whole can be overwhelming. But as a fan on the other hand, you could hear murmors of who's going to the Super Bowl before the regular season's even half over.

So as Giants fans, this may be a situation we're all too familiar with since the Coughlin and Eli era. We're off to a good start. The future looks bright. We look like one of the better teams in the NFC and we're winning football games early. Naturally Giants fans may start to think that this is the year as early as October, but personally I can't help but have a feeling of deja vu.

The Giants under Tom Coughlin very frequently have a winning record and a chance to compete, but pretty much always don't have as good of a second half as they do a first. 2006 and 2009 were some atrocious second halfs, and even when we won the Super Bowl in 2007 our second half record was 4-4, finishing 10-6 after a 6-2 first half. 

What does it all mean? NOTHING, THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF FOOTBALL. The game isn't scripted. Every season, every game, every play you have the chance to see something totally different. That fact is exactly why coaches and players take it one week at a time. At this moment in time we could finish as good as 18-1 or as bad as 3-13.

As fans, it should be our duty to have the same approach. Take it one game at a time. We're 3-1 and we're playing the Seahawks at home on Sunday at 1:00. THAT'S IT. Don't think about last year, this year, 4 years ago, or whatever. Football fans watch their team for multiple reasons:
1) It is incredible to witness valiant efforts on individuals to try and contribute to a greater cause. And that's winning games as a team.
2) Football is unscripted. You think you may have seen it all and then you see something new. Football is endless, and the magic of the game will never die.
3) Commitment. Being committed to a team as a fan is a dedication and something to be proud of. It's very similar to being committed to a team as a player in my opinion. The goal for everybody is one thing: to see you're team win.

So why shouldn't we all have the same philosophy as the coaches and the players? Don't overwhelm yourself with past statistics or who we're playing in 5 weeks. Live in the now and fight for the now. (Or in this case root for the now). That being said, the Seahawks are in for a loooooong day this Sunday. I know for a fact we wont see Marshawn Lynch in beastmode on this defense. Once he's shut down we'll get to Tarvaris Jackson and introduce him to the Giants Stadium turf. (That's right GIANTS STADIUM). And on offense our fearless leader and captain, Eli Manning, will move the ball at will. Hakeem "the dream" Nicks will be open every play. Long story short we're better than the Seahawks, so lets go out their and show everybody that.

Lets fry us up some Seahawks. Go Gmen.

bELIeve

As Beanie Wells danced into the end zone with 5:17 left to put the Cardinals up 27-17 with his third rushing touchdown of the day, all hope of a Giants victory seemed lost. The Pass protection was pitiful. The defense couldn't stop the run. The Giants offense looked flat and couldn't generate points.

But never say never.

Hope for a fourth quarter comeback is never just something to imagine when Eli Manning is you're quarterback. With some special teams help from Aaron Ross, Eli lead the offense down the field with only about a minute taken off the clock. After an amazing catch by Ballard the Giants still had a shot down 27-24.

Fittingly, the Giants defense rose up and Arizona had to give the Gmen the rock. Then would you look at that, Eli did it again. He led another drive down the field and found Hakeem Nicks with about a minute left in the ball game to take the lead 31-27. Just to make this game even more dramatic the Cardinals were knocking on the Giants doorstep after a drive of their own to the Giants 30 yard line. But after Osi Umenyiora's second sack of the day in his season debut, Corey Webster said NO SIR to Larry Fitzgerald on 4th and 2. Ball game. Giants win. Awesome.

With the game on the line, you will almost always get Eli's best game. Anybody that's ever had a problem with Eli, their argument (if they even still have one), is getting very thin. Here's a guy that had little to no pass protection the entire game. The run game was not having very much success either. Not once does he complain. Instead he bears down and finds a way to put a W on the board. And not once did he throw an interception despite the pressure the Cardinals were getting on him.

For all of you stat freaks out there, lets take a look a look at Eli's numbers for the first quarter of the Giants 2011 season:

Eli Manning: 8 Pass TDs, 1 Rush TD, 2 INTs, QBR 105.6

Right now Mr. Manning is on the pace to throw 4, 264 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. This is all despite losing Boss and Smith to free agency, Domenik Hixon to injury, and all of the changes to the Oline. He's flat out getting it done. But hey, NEWSFLASH he always has. This doesn't come as a surprise to me one bit. Eli's a winner and we've done one thing since him and Coughlin came to our beloved franchise: we've won football games.

Lets keep the ball rolling. With our division rivals down in the dumps lets put our foot on the throat early. This is our division, this is Giants football.

Time to fry us up some Seahawk next week...

Take Care of Business

After an extremely satisfying victory in Philadelphia, the Giants will travel out west to Glendale, Arizona to take on the Cardinals. The Gmen are 2-1 and after coming off of a big win in Philly they have to make sure they don't allow this to be the "let down" game.

What I mean by that is the Giants can't come in overconfident after a big win. They need to keep their heads on straight. Especially on the road. That task may be pretty easy with receiver Mario Manningham returning to the club, and defensive end Osi Umenyiora ready to make his Giants debut. On the Cardinals side of the ball it looks like running back Beanie Wells will be able to play as well.

Quite frankly, this is a game the Giants should win, and I think it's important that the Giants take care of business without any funny stuff. Control the game. We're the better football team. Play with confidence but not at the point of being cocky. On defense hit Kolb then get up get to the line and do it again. On offense stick to the classic Giants formula of establishing the run early and looking to pass soon after. Get that play action going and remind Patrick Peterson that he's still a rookie.

I think the key to this game is mostly mental, but lets break down the good and the bad possibilities that could occur in this game:

The Good:
-The Giants are coming off an impressive win and their confidence should be high.
-Some players are returning to the club and their position depth is a little stronger.
-Kevin Kolb has not established a consistent rhythm at quarterback of his new team. With the Giants pass rush it could get ugly.
-Beanie Wells is a little banged up. I don't see him successfully running the ball on the Giants at all.
-Keep throwing to the backs. The oline has looked good on screens and need to keep that up.

The Bad:
-Being on the road after a big win, especially out west, it's possible the Giants can come out a little sluggish. This is probably more likely on the offensive side of the ball. If this happens the defense has to come out sharp and keep the Gmen in the game.
-Coverage of Larry Fitzgerald. The Giants will double cover Fitz and Antrel Rolle will be in the nickle, but you know at some point in the game Larry is going to do something awesome. Hopefully it wont be a key point in the game, and hopefully up front we'll have no trouble getting to Kolb.
-Patrick Peterson. I would try to stay away from this guys side of the field. Perhaps that may be giving him too much respect since he's a rookie but this dude can play. Since there's really no one else in the secondary I'm afraid of I wouldn't take any chances near him. He's only more of a reason to put emphasis on throwing to the backs.
-The Cardinals are 1-2 and still have a chance with their season. They could come out with a lot of fire to keep their season alive, especially on their home turf.

I think in the long run the Giants will win this game. It took Gilbride and the offense a little time to find their identity due to the changes at oline and wide receiver, but it seems they're in a little bit of a rhythm now. Just look at Eli's last game, he completed 70% of his passes. That's just awesome, look for Easy E to keep the ball moving on the big blue offense.

As for defense? We know who we are. We're the Giants We mess up quarterbacks.

Time to join the party Osi.

How Sweet it is

What a day of New York Giant pride. Vick got hit almost every single play. Eli Manning had an incredible game and threw for four TD's. Coughlin jumped for joy like a little kid. On defense there were 11 hats on the ball almost every play. Not to mention the amazing goal line stand. Such a great day to be a Giants fan.

I can go on and on about the awesome efforts from each person in this game. So instead lets talk about the post-game chatter and what this game means. For starters Vick immediately followed the game claiming he doesn't get roughing penalties like quarterbacks that stay in the pocket like Brady or Brees. I honestly can't say that's entirely untrue. They have been very sensative to quarterback protection these days (not saying I agree with that rule), but it seems they let Vick take some shots. The way I see it that's the price you play for being an insanely mobile quarterback. You have to give the defense something. The NFL has done a good job of removing the fun of kickoffs but for the love of Jesus they can't remove the beauty of defense too. Long story short swallow you're ego because it's freaking football.

Speaking of ego's I don't think anyone is giving Eli the respect he deserves for his performance. All you hear about is Vick and how the poor guy bruised his hand and blah blah blahhh. Eli Manning completed 70% of his passes, threw 4 touchdowns, had no turnovers, and had a quarterback rating of 140. Don't hear sportscenter mentioning much about that AT ALL. "Yeah Eli had a pretty good game," was the only thing about Eli I think they said at all. And yet all of that crap aside you do not hear Eli complain once to anybody. He checks his ego at the door, all he cares about is winning. He is the definition of humble and is personally one of my favorite Giants of all time.

It's very clear that motivation was the key to this victory. After coming out strong to start the game, the Giants we're hanging around down 16-14 going into the fourth quarter. After that you could see the motivation in their eyes. The big stop by Boley on fourth down at midfield started it. Then came Cruz's grab between two defenders to follow. From that moment on they were not letting down. EVERYBODY WAS JACKED UP. I wanted to send Coughlin on some blitzes. I think he would have got to Vick and pumped his fist no different than Pierre-Paul. The Eagles had nothing. We simply wanted it more and it was because of those nights where we all lay awake at night thinking of that horrible game last December. Revenge sure is sweet man.

So what does this game mean? Well I think we just witnessed this team come together. They are realizing their strengths and weaknesses, and the motivation to beat those Eagle bastards was the fuel to the fire. We are in store for another season of competive Giants football. We are coming together and have seen what we're capable of. We just beat the ever living crap out of Vick in Philadelphia for their teams home opener. And did Desean Jackson even play??? What did he have like 2 catches if that? Awesome, simply awesome.

Arizona next week. Lets keep this winning streak going.

Eagles Suck: A Survival Guide for Putting up with the Most Idiotic Fans on the Planet

Due to the fact that it's rivalry week and the Giants have a date of vengeance in Philadelphia tomorrow, I decided to dedicate this blog to the benefit of Giants fans. That's right, a survival guide for putting up with Eagles fans. My gift to you...

1) First things first, you must constantly remind them that they've never won a super bowl. You can do that by perhaps saying Eli Manning has more super bowl rings then any Eagles quarterback ever.
2) Change the words of their stupid fight song to a much better tune, "Die Eagles Die" just flows so much better if I do say so myself.
3) They will bring up last years fluke of a win thanks to the worlds luckiest onside kick. They can do that all they want because you can remind them that it will never get better than that. That was their super bowl. A regular season win, congratulations.
4) If they even mention the name Desean Jackson, remind them that he is the softest football player in the history of the game. He may make plays, he may be fast as hell, and he certainly is talented. But he is disgraceful to the game simply based on his approach to football. I don't even think it's safe to call this guy a football player he's more like a track star. I have never once seen him after a catch try and take someone on and lower his shoulder. Long story short he never actually hits anybody. I respect football players that hit people seeing as...it's freaking football.
5) Eagles fans tend to think of pro bowls as something really important. I guess they have to because that's the only time they get to watch their team in the month of February. If they even bring up pro bowls remind them that nobody cares and they're completely meaningless. Not that they can comprehend that obvious fact unfortunately.
6) "Stop living in the past" is something I can gurantee Eagles fans will say in response to anytime you even mention super bowls. Eagles fans say this as a defense mechanism because they're fully aware they have no past. But since they will never get that through their skull lets talk about the present: We're 1-1 and so are you. We have both beaten the same team. You're fluke of a comeback was last year, that's right last year in the past. All that matters is this game right now if you're an Eagles fan right? So let me remind you that we're going to come out with a vengeance and ruin you're homeopener.

That's right baby the "Dream Team" is in for one GIANT nightmare. Let me tell you man we're coming for Vick, this quote from Pierre-Paul is great, "If you want to stay in the pocket, we got something coming for [you]. So I suggest you run. He’s going to be pretty vulnerable. We got to get after him," Pierre-Paul said. "If it takes all 11 to get to him, we’re going to get to him."

WE'RE GOING TO GET HIM. If Pierre-Paul thinks so you know I kind of believe him. Desean can run up the sidelines all we wants when Vick is on his back. And on the offensive side of the ball we got to pound the rock allllllll day. The Eagles cannot stop the run it's very clear. Just ask Cadillac Williams and Michael Turner. Yeah that's right Cadillac Williams ran on the Eagles no problem, I'm pretty sure that's the same dude we shut down on national television last week but I could be wrong...

Giants football. Pass rush. Defense. Run the football. Set the tone. We may be in Philly but there's no doubt in my mind we're going to be playing some Giants football. Because it's about tradition baby something Eagles fans can't understand because they traditionally choke. Lets go man it's time to show some New York Giants pride.

Eagles suck. Vick will not be able to see straight after this game.

On the Board

We won! How sweet it is to be back in the win column. Lets take a look at the good and the bad of our victory against the St. Louis Rams:

The Good:
-We ran the ball well. Bradshaw and Jacobs had a combined 109 yards on the ground. Over 100 yards is good stuff.
-The defense was awesome, especially in the red zone which is even more awesome. Bradford accumulated over 300 yards but only threw one touchdown when the game was pretty much over.
-Cadillac Williams who looked pretty darn good against the Eagles in week one didn't do much at all against us. I think it's clear we're better at stopping the run.
-Eli got the job done. Didn't put up amazing stats but he won the game. It's what he does. He's a winner.
-Tuck is back and looks filthy.
-Hakeem Nicks actually caught that ball that was ruled pass interference on the defense. Sick.

The Bad:
-The offense looked a little flat at points. There were too many 3 and outs. 2 Minute drill at the end of the half looked awesome but the Giants need to develop consistency in the passing game.
-Mario Manningham suffered a concussion and Domenik Hixon got up with some pain in his calf after his circus catch. Both are questionable for Sunday's game against the Eagles, but it seems like neither of the injuries aren't too serious.
-Deon Grant faked an injury to stop the Rams offense that was moving quickly before the Giants could make their substitutions. I know it worked but as far as I'm concerned that's bush league. This is football man.

At the end of the day there really isn't much to say except we won the damn game. It's a nice thing winning. In fact, the Giants have had the best winning percentage in the NFC since 2005. That's a nice juicy stat there. 2005 was Coughlin's second year as head coach and Eli's first full year as a starting quarterback since being drafted in 2004. The reason I'm pointing  these stats out  is because I've heard far too much criticism about Eli and Coughlin over the years. The Eli and Coughlin era has been a very successful one, and if I here another idiot talking about how we should fire Coughlin or get rid of Eli after playing two games I think I'll go insane.

What I'm saying is, you can't possibly talk about Tom Coughlin's job so early in the season. Sure, he's been here a while, and we haven't made the playoffs the past two years when we probably should have, but live in the now. We're 1-1, and we got the Eagirls next week.

And I think the Giants will be on their game for this upcoming showdown, and I know I'll certainly be on mine as far as blogging is concerned...

Go Gmen! More to come on the Eagles game later in the week.

Lets Slaughter these Damn Rams

As I sit here in my chair on this NFL Sunday, I can't help but feel like I have been ripped off...

That's right we have to wait another loooooong day until we watch our beloved Gmen. But Giants fans, trust me our patience this weekend will pay off. I have a very good feeling going into this Monday night showdown against the Rams. Motivation seemed like a key factor in our loss to the Redskins a week ago, and I feel it wont be an issue for our first home game.

Justin Tuck looks like he should play, and so should Hakeem Nicks. They are both listed as questionable but I would be surprised if either one of them didn't suit up. Tuck being back would be a huge upgrade for the Dline since he can draw double teams, and that would allow Jason Pierre-Paul to only improve from his solid performance in week one.

Don't forget the Rams are a little banged up as well. Running back Steven Jackson is making an effort to see the field and he is also questionable. Wide Receiver Danny Amendola will not play tomorrow night, and even quarterback Sam Bradford is a little shaken up as well. He has a sprained ring finger on his throwing hand but I don't think that will bother him too much, I mean he's no Tony Romo.

I don't see our defense having any trouble against the Rams offense. With Amendola out our secondary should be able to handle their receivers no problem. The Rams did run the ball effectively against the Eagles last week, even after Jackson was hurt. But without an effective balance to their offense in the passing game it's nothing I see Perry Fewell and the Giants defense having any problem being prepared for.

If there's any concern going into the game it's how the Giants offense will play. We know Spagnuolo likes to blitz so it would be nice for us to get the run game going and be able to run some play action. This will make Spags more hesitant to blitz and allow Eli to have time late in the game. Pound the rock dude. We didn't have enough rushing yards last week against the Redskins and frankly it's because we didn't have enough rushing attempts.

Run the ball early and often. Allow yourself to be in control for the second half and be one step ahead of the defense.

Frankly I can talk until I'm blue in the face about how we are struggling to move the chains, how we looked a little sloppy against a Redskins team, and how people even doubt that we have what it takes this year. But if there is one thing I know about football it's that it is a game of emotion and motivation. There's no doubt in my mind the Giants will come our with "fire and desire." (Clyde reference).

That's right baby, the smoke will rise and our hero's will leave the tunnel on national television and take our home field, known as GIANTS STADIUM, and slaughter these damn Rams. Yeah, I said Giants stadium. Take a hike Snoopy because you're MetLife sponsor isn't welcome by us Giants fans. It was Giants stadium in 1976 when Wellington Mara purchased it and as far as I'm concerned any stadium in the Meadowlands will be known as such.

Long story short: Home field advantage. It goes a long way and the Rams don't know what's coming...

3rd and Short...Shit

Yes that wasn't a nightmare the Giants actually lost to the Washington Redskins. But as painful as it is I think it's important to address why we lost:

1) Failure to move the chains on 3rd and 4th down. Especially on 3rd and short. I can not tell you how much it infuriates me, and probably all Giants fans for that matter, to see Bradshaw or Jacobs being stuffed well short of the 1st down or worse, endzone. The worst of it is this isn't a recent thing. This has been a serious trend throughout Gilbrides tenure as offensive coordinator. It's as if he gets so fixed upon the fact that we only need one yard he forgets the fact that they're giving you THE ENTIRE FIELD. I swear I think I saw Laron Landry in a three point stance ready to stop the run at one point. Why can't we throw the football? Is that such a crime if the defense is putting ten men in the box? And when I say throw the football, I don't mean make it obvious and line up in the shotgun with 4 or 5 wide. I mean why not take a two step drop out of the power I and throw the damn ball. Long story short do something ballsy because running the ball right at the really fat guy and his fat friends isn't working. Plays like that killed two potential scoring drives yesterday.

2) Pass Protection. Eli got hit a lot. I'm not convinced it's because our Oline isn't good enough just yet. It may have been miscommunication due to lack of experience. But it's the regular season so there's no excuses now. The two times Eli had protection in the pocket he hit two bombs, one early to Nicks and one later to Ballard. If our Oline turns out to not be so great at pass protection Eli will have to learn to throw into the blitzes and take some shots, but for now we have to get our franchise QB some time in the pocket.

3) Did Not Capitalize on JPP's Big Play. Down 21-14 towards the end of the third quarter Jason Pierre-Paul sacked Rex Grossman and forced a fumble which was recovered by Michael Boley around the Redskins 30 yard line. That was a huge play. But after being stopped on 3rd and short (see complaint number one), Tynes kicked a line drive directly at the defensive lineman on the field goal attempt. You have to get points out of a play like that late in the game and they didn't.

Those to me are the 3 biggest reasons why we lost. Yeah Eli's pick six on that quick pass intended for Nicks was bad too. Kerrigan made a good play, but hey that was easy after Kareem Mckenzie was lying flat on his flace after missing his cut block. But to me the game wasn't lost at that point.

The Giants defense did solid. I think the truth of the matter is Justin Tuck makes an incredible difference. Tollefson is not bad but he doesn't draw double teams and Tuck does. Tuck simply being there makes everyone else on the Dline have an easier time at getting to the quarterback. Hopefully the captain and our fearless leader will be back on the field Monday night for the home opener.

But hey wait a minute, maybe the Redskins are good. Maybe Rex Grossman will revitalize his career in Washington as their starting quarterback. After all the guy has been to the Super Bowl. Is that a ridiculous thing to say? The truth is you don't know yet. You can't determine who is good and who isn't after one game. Yes, that's right, I'm talking to you Giants fans who think the seasons over and we suck. That's plain stupid man. 0-1 is far from the end of the world, and I'll think we'll come out strong against the Rams at home on Monday night.

More to come on the Rams later, but for now in honor I'm going to quickly address things worth noting after our first week of NFL action:
-Ted Ginn is a boss.
-Cam Newton had more passing yards in his first game ever then Tom Brady has had in any game ever and the Panthers still lost.
-The Colts are really going to stink I think it's safe to say that's obvious.
-Jets made some 4th quarter plays but Tony Romo is a choke artist and has yet to prove me otherwise. -The Bills smoked the Chiefs. Wow.
-The Ravens smoked the Steelers. Double wow.

Giants fans let me just leave you with this reminder: We're in the NFC East, possibly the most unpredicatable division in football. This is the division where the Eagles clinched a wildcard birth in 2008 with a 9-6-1 record and made it to the NFC Championship game. This is the division where the Cowboys absolutely sucked last year when they were picked to make a super bowl run. This is the division (this one's my favorite), where a certain team started off 0-2 and gave up 80 points in those two games, only to gather as one and shock the world on the most magical Super Bowl run of all time hands down. Am I saying we're reliving 2007-08 again? Absolutely not...

But I am saying anything's possible and we lost one damn game so take it easy.

The Eve of Battle

It's Christmas Eve right now as far as I'm concerned...

That's right baby NFL Sunday starts tomorrow, and the Gmen will start their season against their division rival the Washington Redskins on 9/11. There's no question emotions will be running high for both teams, for the countless lives lost ten years ago from both cities.

I would be lying if Giants fans didn't have a few reasons to worry going into this 2011 season. Terrel Thomas, Osi Umenyiora, Prince Amukumara, Jonathan Goff, and Clint Sintim are all currently injured and unable to perform. Osi and Prince will return to the club in good time, but the others are gone for the season.

And now, say it aint so, Justin Tuck isn't sure if he'll be able to play on Sunday due to severe stiffness in his neck. As insurance the Giants recently signed defensive end Justin Trattou off of the practice squad after putting Jonathan Goff on the injured reserve. Greg Jones the two time all American out of Michigan State that the Giants drafted will be starting at middle linebacker on Sunday. Lets face it, that's a little sketchy but this is the opportunity of a lifetime for the kid, and I have confidence in him.

But lets look at the facts. The Giants have beaten the Redskins six straight times. The Giants have also won the first game of their season for the past three years. Lets break it down with the good and the bad...

The Good: Corey Webster without a doubt completely owns Santana Moss. Look for that trend to continue.
-Jacobs and Bradshaw usually pound the rock no problem against this team. Look for the Giants to continue their formula of establishing the run on offense and stopping it on defense.
-Hakeem Nicks is dirty. I expect him and Eli to be doing their thing. Back shoulder fades all day, I have yet to see a team that can defend it.
-Giants passing game may have looked mediocre in pre-season, but supposedly Gilbride has been keeping plays under the radar. Hopefully that's true, I personally have never been a huge fan of Gilbrides offense but Eli's not worried about the passing game, (despite losing Boss and he who must not be named to free agency), so neither am I.
-Mathias Kiwanuka. No one is talking about the fact that he's back in action, and I am excited to see this guy play.

The Bad: Tim Hightower has looked good in pre-season. Knowing Shanahan he will really want to get his teams running game going especially after last year. I expect Hightower to be getting the rock early.
-Expect little dinky passes aimed to exploit the linebackers. Especially if Greg Jones is paired up man to man with a running back like Hightower or Torrain. I think Fewell will be able to overcome our weakness at linebacker, since he pretty much did last year.
-Tuck might not play! I'm hoping the captain will be able to make it on the field because that would certainly fire up the troops, but if he can't expect runs to Tucks would-be side right away.
-Laron Landry. The dudes a beast. But I think Hakeem can show him up, especially if we get that running game going early.

I'd like to end this blog with a message to Giants fans who are doubtful and pessimistic going into this season: Believe. A couple months ago we weren't even sure there would be football. Yet here we are. There may be injuries to certain individuals but this is a TEAM game. If the Giants show they can overcome these injuries it shows a great deal of confidence in the depth of the team. Since Couglins been here they've had plenty of injuries EVERY YEAR, and I would much rather have them earlier than later.

Long story short, be happy. Cause footballs back baby. Lets go GGGGGGGGMMMENNNNNNNNN (Chris Berman style).

First Blog Post

Before I start posting blogs about the New York Giants I think I need to say a few things on the behalf of why I am doing this.

For starters I am a huge Giants fan. But more importantly I am a student at SUNY Oneonta and I am currently listed as an English major. This is my second year of college and I think it's time to start truley thinking about what I am going to do in life. Being a fan of the New York Giants I can safely say is a passion of mine. This blog will not only be for Giants fans to read about the team, but it will hopefully provide me some sort of direction in my life as far as knowing what is or isn't for me.

I'd like to thank my good friend Layne for giving me the idea to do this.

Until then, Go Giants!!!