As Good as it Gets

This rivalry is as old as football itself. Countless games range from the bitterest of heartbreaks, to the sweetest of victories in a division rivalry that defines what football is all about. Pure hatred is what drives these games. This isn't just football, this is Giants Eagles. The emotional attachment to the results of this game are higher than usual for the players and the fans. This game is what it's all about. And another episode that has provided generation after generation with the craziest games imaginable is about to be written.

No one can know what to expect from a game like this. The Eagles are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Cardinals and the Giants are coming off a dominant victory against the Panthers. Vick has been struggling and murmurs of him losing his starting job have already been rumored. Eli on the other hand, has percolated and is leading a very good offense. Logically the Giants could be favored simply due to the fact that they recently appear to be on the rise while the Eagles seem to be declining. This is all true indeed, but this is a Giants Eagles game, so forget any kind of logic. 

In fact, forget that both teams are 2-1 and are competing to stay afloat in a tight NFC East. It wouldn't matter if this were a 15-0 team against an 0-15 team. These are the most important games all season and both teams will come to play no matter what. It will be intense, it will be passionate, it will be dramatic. 

Recently the Eagles have had the upper hand in these games. The Eagles have won 6 of the last 7 games between these two teams. The Giants however managed to get a big win last year in Philly to end the drought. Since Andy Reid has been head coach of the Eagles he has always done an excellent job of figuring out the Giants run game. Even in years like 2006 and 2008 when the Giants had some of the best running games in football the Eagles had them beat. Defensively the Eagles always seem to be very well prepared for the Giants. This time around, Eli is not nearly as dependent on the running game and has proven that he can win big games without it. The Giants ranked dead last in rushing last year when they won the super bowl. Nonetheless, Andre Brown has emerged from the bottom of the depth chart after an Ahmad Bradshaw injury and shown he can get it done. Now Bradshaw is back and expected to play in this game. In other words, Eli who has had success without a good run game, actually has one now. The Eagles defense will be fired up and play well, but this Giants offense is not so one sided as it has been in recent years. The Eagles may slow them down, but the Giants are playing really well offensively right now and it should get it done. 

What will define the winner of this game, is Mike Vick's performance. Lately Vick has seemed lost. He is holding on to the ball way too long and getting killed. He is turning over the ball left and right with interceptions and fumbles. Vick was fortunate to come away with a victory after an awful performance in Cleveland. The Eagles are even more fortunate to be sitting at 2-1. Philadelphia has the talent there's no question. Dependable running back in LeSean McCoy, explosive receivers in Maclin and Jackson (although Maclin's health is a concern), and a defense that has the ability to keep you in games and rush the passer. The Eagles have the depth, it's a matter of showing the world they are a team. Something they failed to do last year, but showed signs of turning around after ending their season on a four game winning streak. 

Two veteran coaches in Tom Coughlin and Andy Reid going at it. Will a Giants defense that desperately needs a statement game be able to get to the elusive Mike Vick as his struggles continue? Or will he be able to turn it around and make a statement of his own. No matter what if the Giants want success they are going to have to pressure Vick but be disciplined about it due to his speed. If Vick is going to be flushed out of the pocket it is highly favored that Vick runs to his right, seeing as he's a lefty and it's a more difficult throw and he'll most likely choose to run it himself. That's when the Giants have to hit Vick hard and make sure he doesn't wanna run it again. Make him want to stay in the pocket. That's where he's been throwing most of his turnovers lately. 

But if the Eagles were smart they'd try to run the football. The Giants have to prove they'll be able to stop a decent run game this year. Demarco Murray had his ways against us in week one, that's footage that Andy Reid will see and want to remember. Expect the Eagles to go to LeSean McCoy early and establish a dependable run game and make Vick more comfortable. It would also put the Giants defense on their heals. 

That's why it is crucial that the Giants get a dominant start offensively and get points on the board. Make the Eagles feel hesitant to try and run that football and make them more one dimensional. The Giants jumped on the Panthers last week and that caused an absolute field day. That opening drive silenced the crowd in Carolina, and if the Giants can come out and score the first time they touch the ball that would be a serious statement in a hostile Philadelphia environment. 

It's Giants Eagles baby in the city of brotherly love. It's going to be loud, it's going to be exciting, and as any Giants or Eagles fan could have guessed, it's going to be crazy. But if the Giants stick to the game plan of getting on the board early and committing to stopping LeSean McCoy before things get out of hand, it may be logical to think that the Giants will be able to overcome the madness. The regular officials are back thank goodness, and they better be ready to break up lots of fights. 

Who knows what will happen. Games like this aren't scripted. They often end in ludicrous fashion. Which is why the Giants got to remember to keep their cool. They can beat this team and they know it, but they have to prove it. 

Just have to be smooth and easy, like Easy E. With two minutes left down a score the only quarterback I'd ever want out there is Eli Manning. That's a true luxury for a Giants fan. A clutch quarterback that knows exactly what he's doing. 

Go Giants baby. Eagles suck.

The Midst of Madness...More to Come

In the midst of a chaotic NFL weekend the Giants could kick back and relax knowing they pulverized the Carolina Panthers on the road Thursday night. Despite many injuries, and everyone on the NFL network picking the Panthers to win, the Giants simply dominated.

A lot of the Giants offensive dominance was because of the excellent run game provided by Andre Brown. Brown had 20 carries for 113 yards and two scores. That is without a doubt the best performance a Giants running back has provided for quite sometime. If the Giants could develop a consistent running game it would obviously be huge. Thursday night was a glimpse of what Eli Manning is capable of with a dependable running back. He wouldn't have to take as many chances and it wouldn't matter who was playing receiver. Perhaps that's why Ramses Barden was finally able to emerge with nine catches for 138 yards. If it aint broke don't fix it. Brown deserves to remain the starter until further notice.

On defense the game plan should never change. Stop the run, and then have some fun. The Panthers were behind early so being able to establish the run was sort of meaningless. As a result the Giants were able to rush Cam and even our banged up secondary was able to come away with some interceptions. But the defenses ability to stop the run is still very questionable. DeAngelo Williams only had 45 yards rushing for the Panthers, but he only had 11 attempts. In games that aren't as one sided the Giants are going to have to consistently stop the run if they wish to compete. They honestly still have not proven that they can do it.

A big part of that is discipline from the defensive ends. Osi did not have a horrible game, but there was one drive when Pierre-Paul was out for a series that the Panthers ran right at Osi's side repeatedly. Osi struggles against the run, lets face it. But it's not because of his skill level, it's his discipline while shedding a block. Stopping the run from a defensive end standpoint, is not always about getting tackles. It's about sealing edges, holding blocks, and waiting for help without giving up space. Something Osi absolutely has to learn to do. Especially with the Giants facing a big running back like LeSean McCoy next week, and another mobile quarterback in Mike Vick.

This upcoming Giants Eagles game will be a good matchup, and another great episode of a classic division rivalry as old as football itself. But a real concern going into this game isn't anything the Giants or Eagles can help. It's what everyone has been talking about, and that's the controversial referee replacements. The replacement refs clearly do not have the experience to be prepared for NFL games. They've missed some calls, and made some nonexistant ones. Last nights should have been interception for the Packers was the breaking point for most NFL fans. If this is referee situation is not figured out by Sunday there is going to be trouble. This is Giants Eagles we're talking about. The refs have really struggled with keeping the game under control in a hostile environment. The Patriots Ravens game Sunday night is a good example of how the game became a circus.

The disturbing part is that the league has punished head coaches for getting frustrated with the horrible officiating they've had to put up with, when it's the leagues fault for this situation in the first place. How is it fair when it is indirectly the NFL's fault for not handling this situation during the offseason? Siding with the refs is how most NFL fans are seeing it, but once again the main source of the profit in the NFL has been exploited. The fans are the ones who suffer the most from this dispute. After the lockout last year, the fans should not have to put up with this insanity. The NFL needs to do whatever they can to reach an agreement immediately, FOR THE FANS. Because lets face it the fans suffer more than the NFL does from this referee situation.

But from the Giants standpoint, there is nothing they can do when it comes to the ref situation. They simply must go about their business as usual, and be thankful for the long week going into this game. This will be a good one, and there will be much more to talk about as the week progresses.

Thursday Night Football

Due to a ludicrous schedule that has the Giants playing on a Wednesday, Sunday, and Thursday the first three games, the Giants will find themselves in Carolina tonight for a little Thursday Night Football. The Panthers and Giants are both 1-1 and this matchup could go either way. It's an interesting matchup and for the Giants, it's a pivotal game with the Eagles game coming next week.

The Panthers lost to the Bucs and the Giants beat the Bucs. But both games were completely different styles. Carolina played a tough game against the Bucs. But Tampa Bay slaughtered the Panthers running game and embarassed running back Deangelo Williams. When the Giants played the Bucs both teams defenses struggled. The Bucs capitalized on their three early takeaways, but in the fourth quarter the Giants ran away with 25 points, and the win orchestrated by the fourth quarter bandit Eli Manning.

Speaking of fourth quarters, last year the Panthers were one of the NFL's worst teams at closing out games. In fact six times the Panthers were either tied or had the lead in the fourth quarter and failed to secure a win. The Giants, as most know, were dead opposite. Finishing games was their specialty.

But lets not forget this is a banged up Giants defense. It will be a challenge for this weak secondary to step up and rise to the occasion of guarding the explosive Steve Smith. Him and Cam had a great connection last season and there's no reason to think that trend will not continue. So it's crucial that this pass rush plays their best game. It was an improvement against Tampa Bay but nowhere near the potential this front four has to get to the quarterback. Everybody knows about Cam Newton's mobility so the defensive ends have to play disciplined. Cam is right handed to if you're going to force him to run it's wiser to make him run left, therefore Cam is more inclined to run and our linebackers and secondary can anticipate laying a big hit. It's an old strategy against mobile quarterbacks that eliminates the element of surprise of whether it being a run or pass. If he attempts to pass running left pick it off. He's not talented enough to get away with that all night.

As usual the Giants offensive production is in the hands of quarterback Eli Manning. With Hakeem Nicks, Domenik Hixon, and Ahmad Bradshaw sitting out the Giants are missing some offensive weapons. Andre Brown has a serious opportunity to show what he's made of in this running game, and Eli thrived throwing the ball last week as a result of his success. But without Nicks, receiver Ramses Barden will be getting the call for more snaps. As everyone knows, (exhibit A: tackle eligible 65 last week) Eli will throw to whoever's open. It doesn't matter who's on the field. This is a team and anyone on the field can get the job done or they wouldn't be there. Cruz and Bennett are coming off big games and need to keep it going. But if the oline can give Eli time, there shouldn't be any problems throwing the ball even with a hurt Nicks. David Diehl's injury hurts our oline depth as well but the show must go on. Protect your quarterback.

This game is crucial. Get through it and the Giants have a long week of rest and practice for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants are more experienced then the Panthers and they know how to win. The Panthers are flashy but they do not know how to win. Their defense was not able to get clutch stops last year, and Cam Newton's skills are impressive but he has yet to show he can march down the field with the game on the line.

That's the X factor the Giants have that the Panthers don't. At least they didn't last year. It's a new year and it's still early and no one wants to be 1-2. This should be a good game given the circumstances and the matchup. Can the banged up Giants overcome an explosive Panthers offense? If this were December I'd say hands down no problem, but this is earlier in the year and you never know what can happen. In fact this year the NFL has the most 1-1 teams since 1997. So it's still tough to know who the good teams are.

The Giants have injuries but they should still win this game. They can't make excuses. They can't come out flat because of the short week. They have to get it done.

The Giants are up for the challenge, you better bELIeve it. Go Big Blue. Time to make a statement about what this pass rush is capable of.

Sweet Victory

Down 27-13 in the fourth quarter the Giants backs were against the wall. And any Giants fan can tell you that's when you get the Giants best game. When it's do or die.

After a painful first half of turnovers and redzone dysfunctionality, Eli Manning led the Giants offense to 28 points in the second half, 25 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. Eli passed for 510 yards, a personal best for him. And more importantly he maintained the fourth quarter dominance that all Giants fans have come to love.

Lets be honest this game was a bit of a scare. The Giants were very close to starting 0-2. And there are some things on this Giants defense that are alarming. Particularly the Giants secondary. When the Giants get cornerbacks Terrel Thomas and Prince Amukumara back it will be a different story. But right now cornerbacks Justin Tryon, Michael Coe, and Jayron Hosley are going to have to step up. The opportunities there, and honestly they are good enough to perform. Plenty of times they are in the right position, they just aren't making the plays. Good grief Mike Williams caught a touchdown pass off of Justin Tryon's head. But perhaps patience is the key. The ability is there but the confidence not quite yet. All it takes is one big play to turn that around though.

Another thing is the pass rush. Yes this week was an improvement, especially from Jason Pierre-Paul. But it's time to question Osi Umenyiora, who's supposed to be a pass rushing specialist. He can be considered a one dimensional player, but if he still gets sacks, there will be room for him on this team. But right now Osi is getting pushed up field, creating gaps and pocket space that's advantageous to any offense. Osi needs to become a purer football player. That means bull rush, that means run stops, not just sacks. It's time Osi steps up for this dline. He's been here for six years, he should know what's expected of him. Hopefully he'll start turning it around in good time.

The Giants also suffered a few injuries in this game. Ahmad Bradshaw came out of the game with a neck injury after a big hit. Fortunately this allowed the emergence of Andre Brown. Brown was cut last year but this year he made it and he showed the Giants why yesterday. Brown was very smooth running the ball with 72 yards and a touchdown. But more importantly he opened up things for Eli in the passing game. Fortunately Bradshaws injury doesn't appear to be too significant, but if he needs to sit out Thursday, Andre Brown has proven he can get the job done. Wide receiver Domenik Hixon was also injured yesterday after a big helmet to helmet hit. Hixon came out of the game  and did not return as a precaution that he may have a concussion. Lastly tackle David Diehl suffered an MCL injury, and Tom Coughlin said to the media that he is not sure of the injuries severity. Diehl will remain the most questionable for the Giants game against the Panthers Thursday night.

There is still loads for the Giants to improve on as this season continues. But most importantly Giants fans learned that the Gmen still have that comeback swagger that they had all of last year. Nicks, Cruz, and Bennett all had very clutch catches in the fourth quater. Eli spread the ball to everyone beautifully, and when the Bucs tied the game with two minutes left there was no doubt in any Giants fans minds that Eli was going to simply march right down the field again.

Long story short, it was a bit of a scare, but the Giants held on and they're 1-1 and that's all that matters now. The Giants have a short week as they travel for their first road game against Carolina on Thursday night. The Panthers are 1-1 as well, and without a doubt the Giants focus will be how to contain the explosive quarterback Cam Newton. It's a good test for a Giants defense that could use a real statement game.

What better test for a defense then the Carolina Panthers offense? More on them later in the week. But for now, enjoy the Giants sweet victory.

Be Resilient

The NFC East is a tough division. After just one game the Giants were reminded of that fact. Despite penalties and sloppy play, the Dallas Cowboys outplayed the New York Giants to start the 2012 NFL season. What hurts for Giants fans is a play here or a play there, Wilson doesn't fumble or Boley goes all the way on that pick, and the game could have been different. This is quite common when reviewing the outcome of a one possession game. Football is a game of inches.

The Giants defense played very well in the first half. But a big concern going into this season, the Giants secondary, became even bigger after a hamstring injury to Michael Coe. Third stringer Justin Tryon became too much of a mismatch for Cowboys wide receiver Kyle Ogletree and he had a field day. After opening up that passing threat, the Cowboys were able to run the ball with Demarco Murray in the second half. It was tough for the Giants to get off the field, the only thing keeping Big Blue in the game was a remarkable amount of penalties from the Cowboys.

On offense the entire game was just sloppy. Eli was smart with the football as always, but Giants receivers really struggled to get open. And when they did get open, they had a serious case of the dropskies. Seriously it's time to call out Victor Cruz. Sure it's only one game but the Giants are seriously anticipating success from Cruz after last years record breaking season. He's set the bar high for himself. Catch the damn ball. As for the running game it looked exactly like it did last year, a range of mediocre to non-existant. Averaging two yards a carry is not gonna cut it. A lot of it has to do with playcalling, attempting to run when the Cowboys have a clear jailbreak run stop is not the smartest thing to do. Gilbride or Eli have to make sure that doesn't happen throughout the year. But when running the ball should have worked the Oline was simply overpowered. Can't get in on 1st and goal from the 3? Shameful on the big boys up front. Eli's quarterback magic should not be the only thing carrying this team. Time to wake up.

To the fans, there's something special about that kickoff game. To be the defending champs knowing everybody's watching with the beautiful news that football is back, that's enough to give any fan goosebumps. So watching the hated Cowboys dominate on our homefield feels catastrophic. After one game, fans are already going to complain.

So to the fans that dwell on the loss, enough. What's done is done. Starting 0-1 does not mean it's time to panic. It's the emotions that are wired to the hatred of the Cowboys that are talking. The Giants are still getting things together. There's a lot of personnel, and plenty of adjustments to be made. On defense, maybe it's time to consider running more of Antrel Rolle in the nickel so we have more experienced defenders in man to man coverage? On offense, maybe it's time to put more faith in Domenik Hixon after he made a phenominal catch in double coverage.

It's coaching, it's adjusting, it's football.

The Giants will be fine. The good news is we will get a second shot at the Cowboys. For now the only thing on the Giants mind should be the Bucs. The Gmen have a long time to prepare for that one and I'd be shocked if they didn't get a win after responding to this loss. Have faith in Coach Coughlin, the Giants will get back in their groove soon.

But for those of you that don't know, the Giants theme or motto this year has been, "build the bridge." The idea is to never be satisfied and stay hungry after success in recent years. One day when it's all said and done, these current Giants will look back without any regrets knowing they maximized their capabilities through hard work and dedication to the tradition of New York Giants football.

The Giants will build that bridge. Just wait and see. The Gmen will stay resilient and get things going again. After all, as defensive captain Justin Tuck said, "a bridge wasn't built in a day."

Stay true to the team Giants fans, keep believing in Big Blue. In the mean time, enjoy this years first official NFL Sunday. Happy football everyone.

Back to Football

       After a long offseason, the powerful tradition of New York Giants football will resume Wednesday, September 5th at 8:30pm. It is the kickoff game to start the NFL season. The kickoff game is sacred, reminding loyal football fans that the time has come for a new year. New players, new teams, new hope. Because it's a brand new day for everyone, even the defending Super Bowl Champions.
        The Giants depth chart will be as follows:
Position          First                  Second                   Third             Other
WR          Victor Cruz         Jerrel Jernigan         Rueben Randle
LT            Will Beatty         Sean Locklear     
LG           Kevin Boothe      DJ Jones         
C              David Baas          Jim Cordle
RG           Chris Snee           DJ Jones
RT            David Diehl        James Brewer
TE            Bear Pascoe        Martellus Bennett     Adrien Robinson  Travis Beckum
WR           Hakeem Nicks    Domenik Hixon       Ramses Barden
QB           Eli Manning         David Carr
FB            Henry Hynoski
RB           Ahmad Bradshaw David Wilson       Da'Rel Scott      Andre Brown


LDE        Justin Tuck            Adrian Tracy        Adewale Ojomo
LDT        Linval Joseph        Marvin Austin      Chris Canty (injury)
RDT        Rocky Bernard      Markus Kuhn
RDE        Jason Pierre-Paul  Osi Umenyiora
SLB        Mathias Kiwanuka   Keith Rivers
MLB      Chase Blackburn     Mark Herzlich
WLB      Michael Boley        Jacquian Williams  Spence Paysinger
LCB       Corey Webster         Justin Tryon          Jayron Hosley
LCB        Prince Amukumara  Michael Coe
SS           Kenny Phillips         Tyler Sash(susp.)
FS           Antrel Rolle             Will Hill               Stevie Brown


P            Steve Weatherford
PK         Lawrence Tynes
H           Steve Weatherford
LS         Zak DeOssie            Travis Beckum
KR        Jerrel Jernigan          Da'Rell Scott
PR         Jerrel Jernigan         Domenik Hixon     Jayron Hosley

     After a long camp and preseason, the depth chart looks overall very pleasing. The biggest concern for the Giants this year on offense is without a doubt the offensive line. The Giants waived Mitch Petrus who had done good things for them in the playoffs last year. Petrus at camp this year however was not prepared to say the least. The Giants claimed second year tackle DJ Jones that was put on waivers by the Philadelphia Eagles. Eli's a sophisticated quarterback in the pocket and can handle getting hit once in a while. But it's really important that the Giants Oline can stay healthy because depth is a bit of an issue.
      On defense the biggest concern is depth in the secondary. The starting cornerback position that was up for grabs was given to Prince Amukumara in the midst of yet another Terrell Thomas injury. His experience his rookie season was limited with a broken foot, and this year a high ankle sprain has limited him as well. Hopefully Prince will be prepared for Cowboys team on Wednesday night with a lot of targets. The starting safeties Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle were fantastic last year and that should continue. But after them depth is thin. Deon Grant is no longer with the team and the Giants relied heavily upon him last year. Not to mention Tyler Sash's ridiculous suspension for the first four games. The secondary should hold it together, but players like Michael Coe and Jayron Hosley need to be ready for their chance.
        One fact remains with this Giants team that should keep them competing to defend their title. That is Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning are as experienced in big games and big moments as anybody. The Giants know exactly what they want to do and how they are going to do it. This team will protect their title with hard work and determination. As Eli said in reference to starting off the season against the much hated Dallas Cowboys, "it's fitting." The Giants have their work cut out for them, and they're ready for the job.
         More importantly though, another year of Giants football means another year for the fans. More souls to invest in what is a tradition that has brought family and friends together for multiple generations. The Giants have the honor of bestowing the tradition of what is NFL to the fans on Wednesday night. It's time to dust off the jerseys and get ready for what is sure to be a divisional battle in a hostile enviornment for the Cowboys.
        Football is back. This is the best time of year and in times like this every fan for every team tastes that magical feeling of hope for what could be the most historic year of NFL action ever. After a long offseason, training camp, and preseason, the time has come for what everybody has been waiting for.
       Let the games begin. The Giants are ready...are you?