ULTIMATENYG

A few comments about this 3-0 team

2009-09-30T06:00:00.005-04:00

Did you notice that the Giants are 3-0? Nice. Hmm, let's see who they beat.

a) the Redskins, who BARELY BEAT the Rams (0-3) 9-7 and then proceeded to lose to the Detroit Lions! So this is a 1-2 Redskin team that has barely escaped after facing teams that are 1-5. Not impressive.

b) the Dallas Cowboys, who beat the TB Bucs (0-3) and barely beat the Carolina Panthers (0-3). If Steve Smith does not cut off his route in Q4, Newman does not get that pick 6 and the Panthers can potentially (not likely, but possibly) march down the field to win the game. In Jerry's Palace. In Dallas.

c) the TB Bucs (0-3), who beat nobody.

This is not the Giants fault that they have not faced greatness thus far. And it is not the Giants fault that the teams they have faced have not faced greatness thus far either.

All the Giants can be right now is 3-0. WHICH IS PRECISELY WHAT THEY ARE. We simply have to recognize that this 3-0 team we are rooting for has not yet played a very good football team yet. We as fans must be sober and recognize that our team has a lot ahead.

Playing TB, KC and OAK is paradise for a team that needs to heal and come together. On the job training for guys like Rouse and CC Brown. Work Study for guys like Bruce Johnson. It's a shame that guys like Nicks and Sintim (OUR #1 and #2 picks, for heaven's sake!) have been out! What an oppty to get snaps.

Without showing too much disrespect for the Chiefs and Raiders, these next two games can be preseason warmups for the team if they do not look past them. Or else, yes, in THIS CASE, they will be trap games. Take care of business. Improve. Get healthy. And get ready for tougher opponents now by simply executing fundamentals better every game. Today Francesa called the Giants an "elite team." Maybe. In due time. Enjoy it all, one week at a time. I love Kansas City Barbeque.

Wonderama

2009-09-29T06:00:00.009-04:00

Wonder's observations after W3:
1) Playing TB was equivalent to a bye. They have no homefield advantage, half the stadium is transplanted NYers, nice to play them there.
2) TB and CLE are the two worst teams in the league. If you put them in the Super Bowl the score might be 0-0 in March before anyone scored.
3) Man-Idiot fined a player something like $1700 for taking a $3 water out of the minibar. This head coach is a psycho. He buses his rookies from Ohio to Hartford (against CBA rules) for a football camp. He has a secret about who his starting QB is. Again. Setting the over-under on how long he lasts- 2 years.
4) "There are NO GOOD TEAMS in football right now. All teams have flaws."
5) If they had to play the Super Bowl RIGHT NOW, it would be the Saints and the Ravens. Just like everyone else, these two have flaws, but right now they would be there.
6) "Andy, you're right, this kid Manningham is the real deal. Fluid hips, cuts on a dime."
7) The AFC West and the NFC West should be forced to play in the Arena League.
8) If there is one team that has less flaws than anyone, it would be Minnesota.
9) My Jets have loads of flaws- a rookie QB, D'Brickapussy can't run block, Faneca can't block period, and we only have one WR. (Note Wonder did not comment on the defense, which is playing well w/o arguably their best player, Pace.. "well, best besides Kris Jenkins.")
10) Eagles flawed- They are the best 2-1 team out there, but they lost bookend Tackle Shaun Andrews to IR, they can't pressure the QB the way they used to.
11) Best QB in the game is Peyton Manning. If he is #1, then #1a is Drew Brees. Brees is '1a' because we'll take Peyton when the pressure packages come, Peyton is better against pressure because he has seen it all, knows exactly where to go with the ball when that happens.
12) Steelers at 1-2 are better than a lot of teams.
13) Denver at 3-0 is the biggest fraud. They might be the worst 3-0 team in history. Coach too.
14) AZ is crumbling because their line play has deteriorated from last year. Their LT and RT are not good.
15) If Urlacher did not get hurt, the Bears could have won their division. Very positive on Cutler.
16) The Giants have the greatest potential of any team in the NFL, but this win against TB means very little. Tell me where this team is when Canty is back, when Boley and Tuck are 100%. Until they can get healthy, stop decent teams, they are not completely there. Remember, there are NO GOOD teams in football right now.. if the Giants do get their act together, they can be the team to beat, but right now after W3, no.
17) Baltimore has a very solid OL. Together with a solid defense that plays well together as a unit, they are the 'least flawed' AFC team.
18) "If I am the coach I fine Sanchez for that submarine TD run of his- he could break his neck and be out of football, must protect himself, too valuable."
19) Look at Percy Harvin on the turf.. could you imagine what he would be like with Peyton Manning?!
20) Even though Morris has a HORRIBLE team and a HORRIBLE o-line, watch Josh Johnson keep "the other Josh" Freeman on the bench the whole year.. unless coach gives into "public pressure."
21) "At least Favre admitted" he did not know who he was throwing to on the winning pass to beat the 49ers!

NYG 24 TB 0

2009-09-27T16:00:00.004-04:00

That was a clinic. Of the good kind. Tampa Bay is a bad team, but all wins are good and any road win is a very good win. Ring it up, collect, next. Buying time for the team to heal up. But unfortunately McKenzie (knee) and Seubert (shoulder) left the game. So while some get better, others get hurt. Otherwise a very good all around performance.

Good:
1) The Defense shut down Tampa Bay so badly that they took 40 minutes of game clock to make their first 1st down. Props to Sheridan and the DL for cleaning up and fixing their lanes.
2) The offense improved in the red zone, 3-5. Some sloppy playcalling but you have to accent the positive, which is IMPROVEMENT.
3) Bradshaw got 104 yards on the ground. 7.5 avg per carry. He makes the most of his opportunities. Coughlin: "Yards after contact, he was EXCEPTIONAL."
4) This kid Bruce Johnson is playing well, came up with two stops on 3rd down, even when he got beat in garbage time he was right on the ball.
5) Steve Smith and Mario Manningham get separation and continue to deliver for the Giants.
6) No news is good news from the Safeties.
7) Gartrell Johnson looked good in scrub time.

Not excited about:
1) Lawrence Tynes missed a FG from extra point-land. One kickoff barely went to the 15 and it was not intentional.
2) Jacobs looks like he's in midseason slowdown speed. Yes, he picks up 3.5 yd/carry (92 yds on 26 attempts), but he is dancing and not getting North-South. Darryl Johnston: "He stops his feet too much." Agreed.
3) playcalls to Hedgecock. Is he 0 for '09? why not Beckum?
4) Osi's lack of pocket contain on his pass rush

Bad:
1) McKenzie knee injury? How bad?

If McKenzie's injury is minor, this was a great day for the Giants. We'll assume the Seubert shoulder is minor for the moment. He was dressed on the sideline so that would tend to mean he could have gone out there again in an emergency. The team is 3-0, TB gave us some TIME to sort out our problems, address them and put on a clinic. Next.

NYG-TB Intragame Comments

2009-09-27T12:45:00.001-04:00

We've heard it mentioned no less than a half dozen times this week that this is a "trap" game. Bullbrown. THIS IS NOT A TRAP GAME. When your team is hit hard by injuries, gets GASHED for 250 YDS (!) in the running game, gives up 31 points the prior week, cannot make any conversions in the red zone all season, there are NO ILLUSIONS that the Giants are a very good team right now. Trap games occur when GOOD teams who are playing WELL have a letdown vs a bad team. The Giants know they are not playing well, so if they lose it will not be because they were 'trapped'... it will be because they did not fix A LOT of problems from last week that they are FULLY AWARE OF.

If the Giants
1) play better run defense
2) get better red zone efficiency
3) get modest coverage at Safety
they will win the game.

Tampa Bay notes

2009-09-26T06:00:00.003-04:00

Out:
Canty, Sintim, Ross, Nicks, Ware

Questionable:
Tuck, Hixon, Dockery, Koets

Probable:
Manningham

Garafolo's Preview

Ultimatenyg (Burned Out, 5 stages of Grief Depression stage) Preview: Giants -7

Showtime Phil Simms:
Simms takes NY Giants
Simms praised the Giants offense, which "can do just about anything" (except score in the red zone), can still rush the passer and Leftwich holds the ball too long. Sapp does not understand what has happened to the DBs/defensive schemes of Tampa.

Kenny Phillips Fallout

2009-09-25T06:00:00.006-04:00

Phillips is out for the year. I really did not want to even post today. Losing Osi last August was worse than this, but this is up there. Francesa said it is big, very big. He did not back away, kept on repeating how big a loss this is for the Giants. And he is right.

A quick word on Phillips- this injury could mean his playing days are in jeopardy. This is no layup. Good luck to him and may he successfully rehab his knee.

This blog is about one thing- championships. Can we win a title without Kenny Phillips. It will be much harder, but not impossible. It means we will need more help from the offense, and that means we'll need Gilbride to remove his head from his butt and get this offense to operate at great efficiency while the defense gets out of intensive care.

Let's list the problems that need to be addressed in order for the Giants to win a title in 2009-10:
1) GET HEALTHY
2) FIX THE RED ZONE
3) FIX SHORT YARDAGE
4) PATCH UP SAFETY
5) FIX THE RUN DEFENSE
6) FIX KICKOFFS
7) FIX KICKOFF COVERAGE

Safety is not, I repeat NOT, a critical position on the field. These guys are some of the lowest salaried people in the league. But go try telling that to the Steelers after they lost Troy Polamalu. Or the Colts w/o Sanders. When you have a player like Phillips who was coming into his own this year (See link above, Coughlin said he was on course for a Pro Bowl season) IT IS A BIG LOSS. But this loss is not a death blow.

HOWEVER> IF the other problems listed above are NOT addressed satisfactorily, the loss of Phillips WILL be a death blow.

There are simply too many things that need to be straightened out before the Giants can be considered contenders. Fwiw, Wonder still thinks the Giants will win the next 3 games with the B team. IF, IF the Giants can GET HEALTHY, IMPROVE THE RED ZONE EVEN MODESTLY, FIX THE GAP/LANE RESPONSIBILITIES ON DL, GET HIXON BACK ON KICKOFFS in time for the Saints, there is a reasonable expectation the team can be 4-1 at worst, or 5-0 and be in a position to move forward.

How many losses on Defense can the team get handed before the whole ship implodes? Alford, Phillips, ... Canty, Tuck, Boley, Ross, Dockery. Folks, that is almost an entire unit! Let's take care of TB this weekend, buy some more time, fix the problems, get people back healthy, keep improving and somehow get to the point where the team can legitimately vie for a title. The season is very early. That is the opportunity. Potential.

We saved the best for last. I am not going to link to everything that was said here on the blog, the regulars know this to be true. We asked for help at Safety 1) before the Draft 2) after the Draft 3) warned about it before Camp as one of 5 issues for the team 4) during camp when we saw CC Brown 5) after camp was over when the roster only had 3 safeties 6) again after seeing CC Brown vs the Redskins AND 7)THEN FINALLY WHEN IT WAS DISCLOSED THAT PHILLIPS WOULD POSSIBLY BE PLAYING INJURED ALL SEASON. Reese has done a great many things right, but he blew it here. There may have been slim pickings out around the league, but this was not a new problem. Now we have a guy named Aaron Rouse (Wonder: "decent fill-in, obviously no star") as the PRIMARY backup on Sunday and he has never worn a Giants jersey. This was not handled well, not at all. Maybe in the next 3 weeks CC Brown will learn the defense well enough to at least be okay out there. If we were playing Brees this weekend, it would be a clinic.

Get the IVs ready

2009-09-24T06:00:00.010-04:00

1) This sounds like fun:
a) Tuck possibly out (?) w/ a torn labrum. Vacch: "long shot."
b) Canty likely out (?)
c) Derrick Ward and Cadillac Williams know how to run
d) AT Tampa Bay
e) 1PM start

"Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun." Add Giants Defensive Linemen. Better have lots of those IVs ready at halftime. Will they be lucky enough to make it that far? These are the games where you love to have ALL of your linemen for rotation. For the Giants to be w/o two of them is nothing short of cruel... for the others that are left. This is where I get to segue to one of my favorite NFL video shorts, the one about Fran Tarkenton. When you get to the clip with Deacon Jones, you'll understand. Merlin Olsen's remarks weren't bad either.

Back to this Sunday's game, the Giants DL has my condolences. If they thought it was hot at the Palace in Dallas, wait'll they get to Raymond James. Forecast- 89 degrees and a 40% chance of precipitation/scattered thunderstorms. Rain never sounded so good.

2) Garafolo is not sure how serious a shoulder injury is with Mario Manningham.

3) All injury issues aside, is there anyone in their right mind who could think that Hixon should be ahead of Manningham on the depth chart?

On Monday Russ drew extra attention to a comment by
Raymond Sultan: "I think that making (Hixon) a kick return specialist and, for a while at least, only a situational receiver might actually really boost his confidence and get him back to a place where he's a serious every-game difference-maker for the team."
Russ: "Brilliant! Sometimes we find our niche (like Joba Chamberlain when he was a reliever) and we don't even know it. Time to resurrect the big-play Dominick."

That is a really nice observation, Raymond. Simple and powerful. Hixon's track record already shows him to be brittle anyway, so keep his plays down and he can come in and make some plays off the bench. And FOR GOODNESS SAKE, GET HIM BACK THERE RETURNING KICKOFFS PLEEEEEEZE! I do not know what was more insane, the Miami dive on 3rd down or (the emperor not having any clothes and) not having Hixon on kickoff duty. Frightening. Absolutely frightening.

4) Want a rookie LBer? Maualuga and former USC teammate Cushing have 4 starts, 30 tackles, a sack and 2 forced fumbles between them. Good thing these guys are only rookies.

5) They have these Weekly Power Ratings and they are mostly as useful as toilet paper. This week is no exception. Having the Ravens as the #1 team after beating two AFC West teams is a joke. Yes, beating the Chargers in SD is respectable, but let's face it, it is Norv Turner. And Norv Turner is the same retread loser (think: Wade Phillips) we saw in other hotspots like Washington and Oakland. He is 78-96-1 in his career. My apologies in advance to Charger fans and Ravens fans, but there has to be more to it than that. The fact that they can have the Giants #2 is another joke. Not at the Giants or at #2, but the whole exercise is flawed because there are too few data points to even know enough about the team. I would classify many of the commenters on this site as extremely knowledgeable about this team and all of us would to a man agree that there are still so many issues and variables that remain to be settled before we can anoint this team. Health? Defense? Gilbride? Red zone? Short yardage? SHERIDAN? Special teams on kickoffs? To see the Giants even ranked is a joke- it should be "I," as in INCOMPLETE. To be determined. Needs more games. Right now you could put the Giants #1 or put them #10 and I could make arguments for either. Which is why this Weekly ranking system this early is ... toilet paper.

6) Nobody asked me, but I'll tell you anyway.. the two teams at this moment who are impressive are the Saints and Jets. Brees has the same potent offense with a little more defense. And the Jets have given up spit on defense this year. It's not how you start, it's how you finish. Those two teams (and of course the Giants, to name just three) have the raw material to be contenders down the stretch. There is so much football to be played, let's try to figure out who is even DRESSING this weekend! G-I-L-F!

7) Toni Monkovic of The Fifth Down asks for ideas or solutions for freezing of kickers with a few seconds left. Leave it alone, it serves one good purpose.. it is very good at identifying the loser head coaches who are desperate enough to be grasping at straws.

More observations

2009-09-23T06:00:00.008-04:00

1) Papa and Banks reviewed the Dallas win with a 23 minute recap. Good stuff.

2) Vaccaro has a nice piece on how Manningham got to the place he is currently in. He mentions the Wonderlicht score; concerns about MM's ability to learn the offense were there. What Vaccaro did not mention was how Manningham got hurt in training camp in 2008. That is a big setback for ANY rookie. They need to get up that learning curve. But for Manningham, it was a death spiral. He spent the rest of the year trying to play catchup, never learning the offense.

It wasn't until the offseason that he had the opportunity to make progress- he needed TIME. Our first BIG clue was given by Gilbride, which was passed along on June 19th at Ultimatenyg. We saw in preseason how he was being coached on the field by Manning in where he needed to put his body. But just as importantly, we saw in preseason that beautiful separation he seemingly gets on EVERY play. Manningham's ascendency to the X receiver will not be without some 'growing pains.' But the way this NY Giants blogger sees it- THE MORE HE PLAYS THE BETTER HE GETS. By the end of the season he will be much improved. And wait until he has another camp- I'll go on record and say that as long as Mario Manningham is not injured, he will be a tremendous WR in 2010.

3) "THINK"- As Manningham plays more, he will be thinking less.. that is when it will get scary, because he just went for 150 yards and was actually thinking out there. Thinking takes time. Not sure who said it (Simms?), but the paraphrased quote is that in the NFL, you want (defensive) players to think because that slows them down before they can actually make the play. For offensive players like MM, you need their moves to be automatic. This game is not yet automatic for Mario Manningham. When his game becomes automatic, lights out, he'll get even more open than now because he'll be making the right reads.

4) What is good for Manningham should be good for Corey Webster (and the other CBs) too. Practice makes perfect.

5) It is nice to see Vacchiano talk so candidly about some items. Vacchiano is an example of a beat reporter who has a lot of things to say but holds back because he needs to appear unbiased and get his access. This was caught late yesterday and belatedly linked it to the Tuesday remarks on Phillips, which were similar in vain.

6) I concede. How many of you out there in football land saw the Dolphins vs the Colts on Monday night? I saw the end of the game, and my estimation of Tony Sparano just went down a peg, maybe two pegs. Here is the setup:

MIA has the ball and is driving, 3rd and 6 from the IND 30 (4:33 to go), score tied. What do you do?

To say the Dolphins ran was not correct. It was more like a dive to CONCEDE the end of the possession so that they could get a few yards extra to make the FG more manageable. WRONG WRONG WRONG. As soon as they did that, I was going nuts. If the Giants did this, you can bet your sweet buns that Nature and I would have been throwing a hissy. It is tantamount to Fassel kicking the FG on 3rd down. But there were 4:33 to go, an eternity for Peyton Manning. And what about that Herm (un)Edwards line- YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME. How about trying to actually get the FIRST DOWN???! What a radical concept. How about still trying to score SEVEN on that drive. Pathetic. They kick the FG, which incidentally would have easily been good from another 5-10 yards, having hit the back net. Peyton dissects the Dolphins (and Gibril Wilson, who got roasted multiple times) and scores 7 in a heartbeat, so amazingly the Dolphins actually have time to put a drive together, but clock management was abysmal and the Dolphins lost. The replays of the game all focused on the clock management, but the Dolphins sin was on the previous possesion when they conceded.

Enjoying this win one more day

2009-09-22T06:00:00.005-04:00

I know a lot of you hate Dallas, making this a particularly sweet win. So let's enjoy this one a little more before moving on.

So many great comments yesterday.. we'd need 3 blog posts to recap them all.

1) I liked Dallas to win the game on Sunday, especially if Kenny Phillips could not play. Thankfully we did not see a lot of CC Brown. Given how important Phillips was (even playing HURT!), is there anyone who thinks we win that game WITHOUT him?!

2) The two things that held me back from calling for a Cowboys victory were:
(a) the road warriors. One blog commenter emailed with a remark that Eli Manning's 5 best games have come on the road. This is just a guess, but I'll hypothesize that this is indeed logical because Eli is the un-QB, the guy who is so laid back that you have to check to see if he has a pulse. Maybe when he is on the road he has to focus more on running the team, crowd noise and all. Remember him playing the Chargers in Qualcom 4 years ago, to all of the venom and noise from the crowd that did not take well to being spurned at the Draft Altar? That was his first whale of a game. Lambeau field in the playoffs? He just seems to focus more in the hardest playing conditions.
(b) Wade Phillips. If you flipped a coin a week before the game and gave this guy his pick of either team to coach, he could lose it for either side you gave him. When was the last time you felt his team overachieved? Simply stated, you are never out of it when he is on the other sidelines. Right now he seems inexorably tied to the misfortunes of Romo, but maybe it is the other way around.

3. The crew at ESPN (Chris Berman, Tom Jackson, Ditka, Johnson and Carter) had a little bit of a lovefest for the Giants last night. But this is where you have to appreciate the national perspective. They noted how the Giants got ripped to shreds on both sides of the line of scrimmage, but were stepping over themselves to point out how the Giants know how to win. This was a hallmark of the Parcells teams. They talked about the "look" of Eli on that last drive, that you just knew he was going to take the team down the field. I'll tell you who else "knew" ... Marvelous. He sends an email to three people as the final drive is beginning: "We have 2 plays to make 6 yds. Giants will NOT kick if we are stopped on 3rd down. NOTE--Giants are GOING to WIN this game." Sometimes you just know.

4) A few words on the good teams finding a way to win. How many times were we on the losing end of that kind of game where we win everything EXCEPT the game? You take these games and YOU MOVE ON. How many of you remember a game the 1990 Giants played against the Cardinals in Week 6? The Dominant Giants were 5-0, playing the 2-3 scrubs of Phoenix. Except the Giants came out as flat as a pancake, working so hard to be 5-0 and then about to lose to schtick dreck, at home no less, 19-10. It was ugly, pathetic. But out of nowhere with very little time left the Giants drive down the field and score to make it 19-17. They need the ball one more time, somehow they get their hands on it and make a 40 yarder with ~no time left on the clock to win the game. The Giants had NO BUSINESS WINNING THAT GAME, yet they did. The Giants got whooped for the first ~55 minutes and somehow pulled it out. Far be it for us to draw too many parallels between that game and this one two nights ago. We'll leave it with the understanding that teams that win championships will win games like this along the way.

5) Defense wins championships. Is Sheridan going to be able to fix it, coach these guys up? As long as you are winning now and improving, you can get into the playoffs and hopefully be playing the best football at that time. The Indianapolis Colts in 2006 had a garbage defense but won enough with Peyton to get to the playoffs.. then Sanders came back just in time to help fix the defense and the rest is history. We need our players back/healthy and then we'll see if they can gel.

6) The play-as-you-go payment plan is still in effect. We now play 3 teams that are 1-5 (and the one win coming from 2 of the teams playing one another). If anyone saw the destruction that the Saints delivered to the Eagles, you'll know that Week 6 is where this season really begins and we can start truly assessing what is under the hood.

7) The question posed by Nature on (who is all around better than Osi at) Defensive End is answered by Wonder:
Justin Tuck, Mario Williams, Julius Peppers, Jared Allen, Schobel (BUF)...REAL underrated...John Abraham, WHEN HEALTHY, is a STUD...Ogunleye (CHI), and so far Odom (CINC) has been a BEAST...Avril is "on his way" in another year or two...love Freeney's motor... Ty Warren MUCH BETTER RUN STUFFER and can pash rush if in a 4-3...still like SEYMOUR better all-around...also, Vandenbush is REALLY GOOD...and Jason Jones is Titans' "next up and coming stud DE."

Abraham is not my guy, he disappears too much. Schobel was on TV last Monday night vs NE, he is stuck in that no-name market; if he were in NY he would be Knighted. So interesting to see Wonder single out the 3-4 DEs who would have such an easier time as a 4-3 end. Playing anywhere on the DL in a 3-4 is the most thankless job. Speaking about DL, did you guys see how NT Jay Ratliff roasted us alive on Sunday night? He could not be stopped, he took our OL to school. The Giants have trouble with these disruptive NTs. If it starts at the DL, then the DL starts at NT.

8) Eli brilliance was worth revisiting. Wonder asks us- how many times did Brady get sacked on Sunday? Zero. How many times did Eli get sacked? Zero. But look at how Eli had no happy feet, completely calm, confident. Wonder could not stop raving about how well Manning played. In this blogger's opinion, some of the Eli over Brady comparison from W2 is a Wade Phillips vs a Rex Ryan blitz. Ryan has that unpredictable 'Ravens' scheme. Mike Martz broke down the film and compared Eli's calm leadership of the offense to that of Kurt Warner. We'll throw one last bone to Bradshaw- look at how he picks up the blitz perfectly on this drive.

NY Giants 33 Dallas 31

2009-09-21T01:00:00.007-04:00

This was a great win, warts and all. Yes, there are a multitude of problems that need fixing, but there were MANY positives gained from this victory. We have been saying since the middle of preseason that the defense needed time to come together- they are buying time with wins. Phil Simms said before the game that the Giants defense gives up the big play and that that would cost us the game. Well, he was right, but he did not know that the Giants would have a +4 turnover ratio. Dallas beat themselves with those turnovers, so DO NOT try giving back this win with all the warts we had. Collect a nice win, move on to next week, fix the problems, get PEOPLE BACK HEALTHY and improve the defense.

The GOOD
1) The Giants have their #1 Wide Receiver, his name is Mario Manningham (10 catches for 150 yds) and to quote Al Michaels, he is their "budding star." Look over to the right side of the blog and give yourselves a pat on the back- you saw Mario Manningham as the breakout WR for the Giants this year, LONG BEFORE ANYONE ELSE. (Okay, let's throw a bone to Peter King, he was there too.)
2) Eli Manning (330 yds, 2 TDs) was tremendous. Cool as a cucumber in the 2 minute offense. Evaded pressure with poise in the pocket all night. He did it all.
3) Steve Smith (10 catches for 134 yds) is the Rock of Gibraltar. You can lean on him, clutch, reliable, money. Did you see that move he put on Scandrick for the TD? He left him in a different zip code.
4) The Bruce Johnson INT for a TD is how you win on the road. Make impact plays and make the home team pay for their mistakes. That was a huge lift for the team because this game could have been a rout early, the way that Dallas was dominating. Antonio Pierce is slowing down on defense but he changed the defense when Romo audibled and that set up Johnson.
5) Pass protection was good. Wonder and I disagree on this one. Wonder felt the protection was not good and that Eli Manning's pocket presence did it all, that there were plenty of times Dallas guys were getting through. There were no sacks, that is GOOD enough for us.
6) PLUS FOUR TURNOVER RATIO.
7) Ahmad Bradshaw was a jack of all trades. Picked up blitzes, pushed the pile, got respectable yardage when Jacobs was having trouble.
8) The defensive secondary did enough things well to be on the other side of Romo going for 13 for 29 with 3 INTs. Romo may have been tied with Eli for the Giants MVP, but the DBs played well in pass coverage. Phillips was playing hurt or else this unit will look better in run coverage. We could have used Gibril Wilson out there to clean up all of the run defense mistakes.

The Bad
1) OL run blocking did not get the surge. Wonder asks aloud if these guys have lost something from last year. Jacobs likes getting the handoff about 28 yards behind the line of scrimmage so that he can have a running start and a head of steam, but the problem is that he was getting greeted at the line of scrimmage too often and the plays look too slow-devloping.
2) Kickoff returns
3) Kickoff coverage

The Ugly (aka "warts")
1) RUN DEFENSE was GASHED repeatedly. The DL was blown off the ball, Osi overpursued (creating wide gaps), our LBers are too slow. Boley was gassed and was out there far longer than he should have been, considering it was his first game back. Yes, it was hot and hurt both DLs, but there is no excuse for 251 yards. Would we have been aided by rotation with Tuck and Canty? Yes. But it has to improve.
2) This game, like the Redskins game, could have been over much earlier in the evening if the Red Zone offense could do better that 0 for 3 for 2 FGs.
3) Gilbride did not call Kevin Boss's number ONCE in the red zone. Instead, in this mission critical area, we get balls thrown to Hedgecock and pitchouts to Bradshaw
(See Rule #5, AGAIN!). Brilliant. NOT.
4) If Tuck's injury is serious.

Yes, the Giants were dominated at the line of scrimmage. When you have difficulties running the ball AND you give up 251 yards at the point of attack, you will not survive for very long if that does not get straightened out.

We have been complaining about the inadequacies of Kevin Gilbride for over a year now, but it has gotten so bad that even Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth now are talking about it on National TV.

Re kickoffs, each team was getting a runback of ~22 yards per kick. But their kicker makes us start from 2 yards inside the endzone while ours (thanks to Tynes' weak leg) makes our coverage of kicks start from the +10 yard line. So we get out to the 20 and they are at the 32. Bad.

With all of this, the game is still in the WIN column. GOOD FOR THE GIANTS. COLLECT THE "W" and move on to the next game. Thankfully the playoffs do not start for another 16 weeks, so there is PLENTY OF TIME TO IMPROVE. We need time to heal. We need time for Boley to get his legs. We need time for Canty, Ross, Dockery and Sintim to get back. This win was well deserved and well earned in a great fight. The most exciting part of the game is watching Mario Manningham grow up before our very eyes. This has very good long term implications for the team.

NYG-Dallas Intragame comments

2009-09-20T20:00:00.002-04:00

Phillips will start. Look at the list of inactives.. they are almost all hurt:
Ross, Dockery, Canty, Nicks, Sintim, Ware. Koets also inactive (hurt?). I believe Whimper is the only inactive player who is not hurt.

Phil Simms 9/20/09

2009-09-20T10:00:00.002-04:00

1) NYG vs Dallas: The Boys got pushed around on defense when they played TB. (Gilbride said the heat had a lot to do with it.) That is the game. You can push around that Dallas DL. The Giants can and need to do that. On offense, the Dallas pass protection was not up to the standards they are used to. On both sides of the ball the Giants have the advantage and you would think that the Giants can win. BUT, the new stadium, the Giants have shown they are capable of giving up the big play on defense.. "Cowboys will find a way to win a close game."

2) Chi-Pitt: Steelers w/o Troy Polamalu is a big deal. His speed and versatility are the essence of why the Steelers defense can confuse a team. He has such big range that you do not know where he will end up on the field. Similarly, Urlacher is a big loss for the Bears because of his PASS defense. Urlacher is one of the few LBers who is tall with long arms- he does a lot in the middle of the field. The Bears were missing 2 DBs or else they beat the Packers last week. Cutler grief is in this moment.. he'll work out well for the Bears by the time the season is done. The Bears already racked up 6 BIG plays on offense last week, how many big plays did they have ALL SEASON?!! #1 key to the game: can the Bears "average" (at best, he was being kind) protection stop the pressure from the OLBers of the Steelers.

3) NE-NYJ: NE not a fast defense, and unlike the Ravens (and now the imported Jets defense a la Rex Ryan) and Steelers, they do not disguise their looks. So Sanchez will not be facing a tough defense. Sanchez should do well vs the Pats today.

4) Phil Simms the teacher (this is why Ultimatenyg loves listening and sharing his thoughts, keep learning): when you are playing against a team that disguises their looks, you need to spread out your formations. This forces the defense to declare their intentions. (Think about that also on 3rd and 1 when the Giants are going into a very tight formation, where Banks gets to the same conclusion in reverse.. that it is harder to pass out of that formation, so it gives the defense an advantage because they can crowd the box and then go into coverage if needed.)

Wonder NFL predictions

2009-09-20T09:59:00.001-04:00

Short version: Wonder sees all else equal, that the Giants lose 27-20, but does NOT rule a win out by ANY means. He sees the Saints beating the Eagles EASILY in the Linc, assuming Kolb starts.

These picks for division winners are not a surprise

WEST- Seattle
South- Saints
East- Jints
North- Minn

Wild Card: Phil, Atl, GB (2 of 3)

SLEEPER TEAM: 49er's or ARIZ

West- SD
South- Colts maybe!
East- Pats
North- Pitt

Wild Card: Jets/Balt/Tenn (2 of 3)

Sleeper: NONE....IF FORCED, Jags

Back to today's games: "I have Brees...they have Kolb..?? What's that you say ?? But 2-7 on the road ?? and Phila is a REALLY good team, right ?? True, but that's why they make this RIDICULOUS LINE*....the NFL is about QB's !!!! and Saints' D is getting better...this MAY be a rout after the iglets' pack it in after Kolb's 4th turnover....soooooooo, If jints can HANG IN THERE until after their adrenalin dies down, they may be the only unbeaten team in the NFL EAST after the day is out."

* Ultimatenyg ridiculous line warning. Thanks Wonder, just saw what you were referring to, the Eagles are ONLY laying 2 points? Whaaattt?! This is a classic TRAP game if I ever saw one. So easy to take the Eagles at home. This is why the Saints should win the game outright.

In CC Brown We Do Not Trust

2009-09-19T06:00:00.004-04:00

Thursday: Phillips was back to practice (even making a few INTs).
Friday: Phillips misses practice; status for Sunday questionable.

NY Times: Among the injuries to the secondary, the most worrisome seemed to be the one to Phillips, who could be hampered all season. “We are going to manage this for the year, yes,” Coughlin said of Phillips’s knee injury.

When asked if he would play Sunday, Phillips said: “I hope so. It kind of gets you down a little bit. It’s up in the air right now. I want to make sure, if I play, I’m 100 percent.”

If Phillips is out and we have to rely on CC Brown as a starter against a fairly potent passing attack led by Tony Romo/Jason Witten et al, this will definitely be a MAJOR obstacle to winning on Sunday.

As we stated 2 months ago, depth at Safety was one of the 5 issues this team faced this season. Now that Coughlin has disclosed that Phillips has an injury which will need attention all season, it means Safety depth is now a season-long reality, no longer just a blip on the radar. Master of the obvious- Reese is looking everywhere for roster help at Safety.

Alford, Canty, Boley, Phillips, Ross and Dockery. ENOUGH ALREADY!

There is good news: Osi is back in 2007 form, Boley is practicing well, Bernard is contributing and the knee guys at DT (Robbins and Cofield) seem to be doing well.

Tomorrow night's keys to the game.

Dallas Preview

2009-09-18T06:00:00.008-04:00

1) Read it and weep: Canty (calf) is out for the game on Sunday.

2) Dallas Game Preview

Wonder Game Plan for the Giants defense:
a) Do NOT let WR's get "over the top"
b) Treat WITTEN as a WR
c) POUR in on ROMO...he does NOT like pressure
d) RUN BLITZES should also do well
e) ATTACK CONSTANTLY; their Oline is not as good as it was

And Ultimatenyg will add one more:
f) Maintain pocket integrity because if you let Romo out of the pocket he buys time and is far more effective.

As far as the Giants offense is concerned:
a) Give help to Diehl on DeMarcus Ware
b) Exploit a vulnerable Dallas defense that will try to stop the run

Mike Francesa points to the limping Giants secondary for why he likes Dallas to win the game. Considering the Boys are home and favored in their new stadium, that is not an outrageous call. Phil Simms likes the Cowboys. Add that weaker handicapper Warren Sapp likes the Giants, and it is not particularly encouraging. Simms is not infallible, but all else equal we'd rather have him on our side.

No forecast from us, but two reasons why you should not count the Giants out: the road warriors and Wade Phillips.

3) Did you ever ask yourself why sportswriters, during the game, have TWO recaps being written, one for each possible result of winning and losing?

How convenient it is to have two versions of the game, one dialed in for a view with rose-colored glasses when they win, one with a coroner's autopsy glasses when they lose. How come no one rips these journalists for that bs? At least around here, we take shots at the Offensive Coordinator, win OR lose! Today we'll just let Banks do the dirty work for us instead. Take it away Carl...

4) Papa and Banks Show on Giants.com- Carl Banks on why the team struggles and is 10% below league average on short yardage/red zone (see minute 12:30):
a) spread out your formations so that you are not predictable
b) pass more

Meat and Potatoes Football, bullbrown rules

2009-09-17T06:00:00.001-04:00

1) Patrick Crayton hates the Giants. Brandon Jacobs hates the Cowboys. DeMarcus Ware hates the Giants. Chris Canty is being asked to hate the Cowboys. What else is new?

2) Lots of turnover in the Giants roster. Gone are Douzable and Reyes. The Giants have flopped a set of Johnsons (Michael, Bruce, Gartrell). Wonder color on the new roster addition:

RB Gartrell Johnson: a STEAL off the waiver wire..solidly built 5-10 or so 220-225....quick and strong...was a FOURTH round pick... Chargers SCREWED UP trying to "store him" on practice squad...like Jets did with Derrick Ward...hope he does as well !!

Separate and independent confirmation from Cody:

"I love this G Johnson kid. GREAT addition; I remember watching him @ Colorado St. He can run straight through people. I think this is a total steal. GMen were at the right place, right time with this one. Reese is a total stud. He isn't the fastest guy out there - but he is a one cut runner (perfect for the Giants run blocking scheme) and will absolutely run through people. He might be a factor and I think he can definitely play the Brandon Jacobs bone-crusher role for those inevitable weeks that B.J. is nicked-up. The lesson as always: In Jerry R we trust."

We have noted this before. It is not as if the Giants need a RB and then look at who is out there. They are constantly evaluating other team's rosters and practice squads so that they are ready when (a) a player goes down on their team or (b) someone else cuts a player of interest from one of the other 31 rosters. It shows in the way they got Hedgecock, Hixon, Ward and now Gartrell Johnson.

We play the Chargers later this season. Ya think Johnson is going to be fired up and have something to prove? He needs plenty of carries that game.

The Giants also added two new players to its practice squad..
TE Bear Pascoe: rookie "journeyman" type TE who won't amount to anything...but maybe gives them some blocking depth if needed
CB Michael Coe: 190 lb... mediocre...played some for Colts...won't provide anything

3) Oh yah, I forgot. Will someone pls explain to me the insanity of the ruling/rules where Louis Murphy (where did you hear that name before?) catches his first of two rookie TD passes on Monday night, only to have it disallowed? You catch the ball with possession, you get two feet in bounds, that is a catch. This is ludicrous. It is enough to drive Al Davis insane. Oh wait, he already is.

4) Speaking of insane, Michael Crabtree needs his head examined. He drops from where he is expected to go, ~3rd to 5th in the draft, to the 10th spot and gets selected by the 49ers. So now he wants Heyward-Bey 7th-draft-pick money. YOU WERE PICKED 10th! Get over it. This is right in line with Jerry Rice's rant on the state of the WR in professional football. Nothing professional about it.

If Crabtree keeps cutting his nose to spite his face and re-enters the draft in 2010, he'll blow all the countless millions he would have made this year and will not even be able to work out for any of the other 31 teams. PLUS, and this is where it gets really browned up, he'll drop in the draft FURTHER next year and then... he'll want SOMEONE ELSE'S MONEY ABOVE HIM AGAIN?!!! He and Plaxico should compare notes- they're both WR divas without a team, out of football, trying to save themselves thousands when it ends up costing them millions. Our free advice to Crabtree, a la Adam Schiff (Steven Hill) of Law and Order: "Make the deal."

5) Don't look now, but here comes Shockey in Week 6. I'll never forget the quote he made after around 3 or 4 seasons in NY when asked about his latest injury. Paraphrased, he said that you were not playing hard enough if you were not playing hurt. Whereas everyone else in the NFL was trying to take care of their bodies, Shockey was looking to pound on enough opponents to make sure he was not. Maybe Brees and Payton have been reprogramming that pea brain: "I've come to realize that being healthy in this game is a privilege," he said. "You've got to work on it to earn that privilege." I was always a big proponent of Shockey while he was here. He was not coached properly. Where was the coaching staff to knock some sense and discipline into someone who openly admitted he needed to be playing hard enough to assure he was hurt? Yah, and I could see Parcells tolerating that, as well as those 1st down celebrations. Not. The revamped TE hosts the Giants Week 6.

Wednesday Morning QB

2009-09-16T06:00:00.009-04:00

1) Hat's off to Jim Zorn on the Fake FG at the end of the half. He's down 17-0, the argument you always hear from the broadcasters (ie Madden) is that you have to get those first points, they'll kick the FG and be happy to go into the H2 with something to build on. Instead they faked and scored a TD. Rule #8, Do the Unpredictable. There were 77,000 people in the stadium that were completely faked out. Half of our section was already filing out to the bathroom. If the fake does not work, you can rest assured that everyone will be questioning it, but you know on this blog that one of the things we like is shooting the moon. Taking chances. You can only lose the game once. Zorn was smart enough to know his offense was going to need a little help. He gets his team to within one score and an onside kick in part because of this fake.

Parcells faked the punt with Gary Reasons vs the 49ers, or else I am afraid there are probably only two Super Bowl titles up there at the top of this blog instead of three. You can only lose the game once.

Doing the unpredictable, taking a gamble.. has other side benefits. It tells the team you are there to win. It tells the team you as a coach have skin in the game. Every player has to know that Snyder is watching Zorn. So if that does not work, Zorn is going to have a lot of egg on his face. Or does he? Maybe because it was the right thing to do, he earned himself some respect. Now as for that offense of his, that is another piece of egg..

2) One great way to learn is (as an example) listen to Michael Strahan on the voiceover of the Super Bowl DVD. The entire set is worth it just to be able to hear his commentary. He noted how the coaches emphasized to the players to "do the ordinary" things... collectively if they all did those things it would amount to something extraordinary> winning the Super Bowl! What ordinary things? BLOCKING AND TACKLING. Staying in your lane, not abandoning your assignment.

3) Notice how (in the same link above) Umenyiora fessed up on the opening 37 yard running play by Portis. Do you think that mistake happens because, in part, it is Osi's first game (not counting preseason) since the Super Bowl?! You have to give him that. And the defense too. Look at Chris Canty: "It felt like I played 50 plays and I only played 20. I was a little gassed," Canty said. "It's hard to simulate game action in practice. It's something I was glad to have an opportunity to experience. If I had my preference, don't miss preseason. Preseason is important." That was fantastic giving Canty enough plays to tire him but not enough to injure him. The coaches will step up Canty's plays again this weekend. Pierce wants to see a lot of Canty against his old team.

4) We noted yesterday that the Jets had won only one game. So did Simms. Simms is the trusted voice of reason amidst the hyperbole.

5) The Giants picked up RB Gartrell Johnson off of waivers (Chargers). They released Allen Patrick from the practice squad.

6) Is it me, or are there plenty of poor decisions on fielding punts inside the 10 and returning kickoffs from inside the end zone? Go to minute 1:50 and watch McKelvin return the kickoff. The setup is even more important, because with ~2 minutes remaining the kickoff team of the Bills has a number of players up at the 40 yard line IN CASE OF AN ONSIDE KICK. So why is your return man taking the ball out when 6 to 8 of his ten men will clearly not be set up properly for a normal return AND the kick is 3 yards deep in the end zone? Of course we get to Wednesday morning QB that one, but with two minutes left in the game you have to be protecting the ball and the game.

7) Another big loss for the Eagles.

8) Giants are +3 this weekend in Dallas.

9) Justin Tuck- NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He was saddled with injuries on the back end of the 2008 season, so this is nice to see. Is there anyone on this team (on either side of the ball) who is able to play at a higher and more consistent level than Tuck? I don't think so. If you do, pls share. Guys like him do not even get much discussion because you know what you are going to get. When we discuss how great the defense can be, it ASSUMES that Tuck will be his typical disruptive self and that we just need the others like Canty and Boley to come around and assist.

10) Speaking about getting the defense to be dominant, healthwise we still need Ross, Sintim and Dockery back. Ross is (99%) out again this weekend. Between Coughlin being pleased with Bruce Johnson, Thomas aok and the chances for Dockery coming back, it seems rather reasonable to let Ross heal that hamstring.

They'll walk through a wall for you

2009-09-15T06:00:00.002-04:00

1) We talk about how the difference between teams #1 thru #26 in the NFL is not very large. Intangibles like coaching and emotion can make a #26 play like a #1 and we have numerous examples of coaches who turn good teams into underachievers in crunch time (think Marty Schottenheimer, Wade Phillips). It is only Week 1, it does not mean anything YET long term, but they are playing for Rex Ryan so far.

2) Wonder and I discussed the red zone problems. Everyone knows this is not a new problem. Remember the Steelers game last season? 1 for 6 in the red zone, the lone success at the end of the game on.. PLAY ACTION?! The Giants were 0 for 3 on Sunday vs the Skins. SAME STORY.

So what is going on? When the Giants are down by the goal line in 3rd and 1 from the 1 or thereabouts, Wonder reminds us of Marino to Bruce Hardy. The Dolphins would play action OFTEN. Fake handoff into the line.. Marino would hit one of his plethora of putrid and slow Tight Ends in the back of the end zone for a (usually) wide open TD. The Dolphins LIVED on this. And it made their run attempts more effective because it created doubt in the minds of the opponent about what they were going to see.

Part of the problem here is (my apologies for being redundant) predictability. You are not making the job of the OL any easier by using play action infrequently. Wonder swings to the other side of the coin... USE IT OFTEN. PRACTICE IT OFTEN. PLAYERS LOVE ROUTINE. They get comfortable executing it and they want to do it. It should be a staple of your offense, not an exception. Use play action with Nicks, Smith and Boss. And you benefit Eli too, because he needs to be comfortable executing this OFTEN. Wonder is so right about this.. Eli gets very good when he is comfortable back there. You can see a player like him who is long on smarts being every bit as effective as any other QB with this kind of play.

Manning offered this on the topic of 3rd and short: "Coach talked a little bit about it today - we just assume that on third and short we are going to be able to run and be able to get it. We have to throw the ball a little bit more possibly in some of those situations. But down there, we're a team that is going to be physical, we have a big back, and we should be able to get that surge and should get a first down in those situations."

3) As for short yardage woes of the Giants to run for 1 yard, be it red zone or otherwise, Wonder suspects it is scheme. Where is the design trap? He puts half the blame on the OL and the other half on Gilbride. He does not put the blame on the RB.

3a) When I asked him about the (Rule #5) pitchout in the red zone, he completely agreed, but noted one minor exception which actually bolsters the rule even more. He said the one time it actually works is when you have a two back set, you fake handoff the ball to Jacobs going right and then very quickly pitchout to Bradshaw on the left side. Everyone including the safety are frozen on the right side and the other RB can usually walk into the end zone. Fwiw, the Giants do not have Jacobs and Bradshaw in a 2 back set.

4) I was ribbing Wonder on Manningham; he is not conceding that one so quickly. But he did tip his hat to Corey Webster. "Impressive" job on Moss.

5) Injury update: "Coughlin said rookie wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (foot) and running back Danny Ware (dislocated elbow) will probably be sidelined a minimum of two weeks and then be evaluated week-by- week."

6) The Gatorade bath of Sheridan at the end of the game was good to see. Pierce: "He (Sheridan) was deserving of it. (He) called a great game and we went out and executed well."

7) The fake FG that the Skins scored a TD was Coughlin's fault. He called for an all-out block.

Giants 23 Redskins 17

2009-09-13T22:10:00.007-04:00

For those of you who watched, you know the final score was not indicative of the way the Giants outplayed the Redskins. This was a very good win for the Giants in every way except the injuries.

1) Just like the Giants lost to Philadelphia last year in W14 20-14, the Skins got beat by the Giants in much the same way. Both games saw a special teams TD at the end of the half (punt block by Giants, Skins fake FG), both teams got off the schnide at the half after getting outplayed, both teams scored a late TD w/o much hope of winning and both teams lost by 6. This time we were on the other side of that type of game, a nice win.

2) Every win is a good win early in the season while the defense comes together. We're buying time.

3) Did Mario Manningham look like Plaxico Burress out there, or what?!! He looks so good against single coverage. He has the separation. He has the moves. 3 catches for 58 yards. Eli Manning on Manningham: "He has a lot of talent, a lot of ability."

4) How many times have we mentioned what great hands Kevin Boss has, that he is the secret weapon for the entire season?!!! 3 catches for 62 yards. 1 of those catches was an improvised checkdown from Eli, so Gilbride DOES NOT get points for dialing this guy up. HE NEEDS MORE THAN 2 CALLS OF HIS NUMBER. If Manning and Boss have to go over Gilbride's (vacuous) head to get it done with more checkdowns, more power to them. At least Gilbride had him out in a route, that is an upgrade from chaining him to the line of scrimmage every play.

5) The Rules For Winning in the NFL... Rule #5- Pitchouts do not work in the red zone. So there it is, the pitchout to Bradshaw on 3rd and short, stopped for no gain. Red zone efficiency was a problem last year and it will continue to be a problem when you make blatantly BAD playcalls like this one. Folks, this was written years ago, the observation has been made from over decades of anecdotal evidence. It is a slow-developing play that is being called in an area of the field that has no luxury of time. Next.

6) DeAngelo Hall taketh and giveth away. He is an opportunistic Cover 2 cornerback that is in the right place at the right time for his INT, but he missed the tackle on Mannngham's TD and he gets roasted by Steve Smith for the big catch (3rd and 5, 26 yard reception) in Q4 that seals the game.

7) Eli Manning was very good today. He had one delay of game when he got to the line with 10 seconds left on the playclock that was his fault. The fumble turnover was a face mask 15 yarder that the refs conveniently missed. The INT was reminiscent of him throwing off his back foot in the end zone of the Eagle playoff game last year to Asante Samuel. This time a tip was needed to cause the INT, but it still was a floater which started the same problem. (Even Eli himself notes how he has to step into that throw. See transcript link in (3) above.) Otherwise, he did a great job everywhere else and was the leader of a strong offensive performance. You can't put the red zone woes on Manning. The score is a much wider margin of victory if he has help there (see points 5 and 12). Marvelous said before the game that he loved Eli today, and boy was he right on the money. Eli was particularly sweet on the Smith 26 yarder when he looked off the safety before threading the needle on a great pass. That pass was money and the setup was just as important.

8) Let's throw a bone to the USC boys. Terrell Thomas got nicked on one Randle El play but did fine otherwise. Steve Smith was 6 for 80, a big part of this win.

9) Defense Wins Championships. We saw a lot of uneven play from the defense, but this was EXACTLY WHAT WE EXPECTED. We KNEW the defense was not going to be air tight today by any means. Simms also alluded to it this morning. This is a work in progress. But in the meantime, we will single out three players who were noteworthy:
a) Tuck, who stopped the Redskins after the Hall INT set them up at the 11 yard line. A loss of 6 on a run play on 1st down. A sack on third down. That is how you win games and win championships, with impact plays like that. That is LT-glory-days defense.
b) The Osi-Trifecta. The sack-strip. The fumble recovery. The TD. We were transplanted back to 2007's 49er win. A good omen. We miss those plays. Nice to have him back.
c) Corey Webster. Let's read Santana Moss's line stat from today: 2 receptions for 6 yards. I do not give a rat's a** who goes to the Pro Bowl at CB, I love Webster, the silence from his corner of the field is deafening.

10) We'll talk about the injuries as we get more definitive information. As we understand it right now, Ware is the serious one and the rest do not look as serious but need more eval.

11) Cooley 7 receptions for 68 yards. You have to know that the Giants are vulnerable to a good TE. We see Witten next.

12) Let's not get too crazed this early in the season about the playcalling. We'll make it very simple for now- get Boss more involved in the red zone.

13) Canty is going to see more work next week. He did fine this week in limited snaps.

14) CC Brown was garbage on the last TD. Is there anyone better out there we can get at Safety? We threw out some ideas of Bernard Pollard, Emanuel Cook, Kevin Kaesviharn and Brian Russell. I'd bring them all in for tryouts and put one on the roster to compete with Brown. At the moment we have ONLY three Safetys. Why does this guy have a free pass?

15) Osi, this may sound like nitpicking, but pls no Leon Lett's with the ball as you are about to cross the goal line.

Giants Redskins Intragame Comments

2009-09-13T16:00:00.003-04:00

It's a swan song appearance today for Andy at the "old" Meadowlands in Section 307.

Is our OL able to get to the second level (LBers) on run plays with Haynesworth and Daniels potentially blowing things up? Is the DL of the Giants playing cohesively, keeping Campbell inside the pocket, staying in their lanes and winning that battle? How well conditioned are the Skins and Giants in Q4? (Big break for these big guys to be playing at 415PM instead of 1PM.) How is Bruce Johnson doing, are the Skins picking on him? I'll leave it to Nature to police our friend Gilbride. See you after the game.

Phil Simms Comments, and Marvelous too

2009-09-13T11:00:00.003-04:00

Phil Simms was blunt with his (paraphrased) comments:

1) GIANTS- "Very curious" (to see) about this team. I saw them do a lot of good things in the offseason, they looked good on paper. But I did not see it, not even a glimpse of it in preseason. I saw big passing plays against them, I saw lots of time, too much time, for the opposing QB. This team still needs that big play WR and I do not see it there yet. Eli Manning needs that. This is a tough matchup for the Giants later today vs the Skins. "I have more concerns for the Giants at this point than I thought that I would." (Note that Simms picked the Giants to win the game on Showtime... this is why I am thinking the Giants can somehow eek out a narrow win.)

2) Sanchez- the real deal. Franchise QB. VG thrower of the football. Good feet. Good character. Not surprising that he won the job from Clemons, he was not handed it, he earned it. Simms thinks he is going to have a very good career.

3) Upticks and positive comments on: Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Matt Hasselbeck, Gerrard, Brady, Cutler, Seattle team, Patriots team.

4) Negative (neutral at best, which was not perceived as positive) comments on: Jake Delhomme, Brett Favre, the rest of the Bears offense helping Cutler enough (singled out Pace), the Panthers offense.

5) Believes we will see more wildcat early this season but that it will fade (again) as the season wears on.

Marvelous comments:
"Giants 24-14 today. The Giants have a lot to prove. We will be tested. It is up to us to take this game to the Skins. We must be aggressive out of the gate in Q1. If Gilbride gives Eli a chance and plays to Eli's strengths, we will be ok. One way to do that is to give Eli the 2 minute drill at the beginning of the game, he is very good with that. If the Giants come out with a sense of urgency we win 24-14. Re Mario Manningham, I know him from (seeing a ton of him in) college, he is a special kind of player. He is going to be very good. Get him involved. I am sold on Nicks. Do not pussyfoot around, get these kids in the game- I'd start Nicks and Manningham. I am not sold on Heyer and I think Samuels has lost a lot, so the Giants can eventually get to Campbell because the OT position of the Redskins can be a battle we win. I love Eli today."

Ultimatenyg comment:
The poll for breakout WR is closed, the winners are Manningham and Nicks. Play these guys. Only one team wins the title, the other 31 lose, so shoot the moon, by the time the end of the season is here you'll have answers instead of more questions.

Carl Banks comments on the Giants

2009-09-13T06:00:00.003-04:00

Carl Banks was on WFAN Friday with Roberts and Benigno. Go to the middle (~55% or 60% of the way through) of the audio clip to start listening to the section on the Giants.

Quick summary: Giants should be a playoff team, the back 7 of the defense has the question marks and the upside to determine the fate, good or bad, with the team.

Banks believes the WR issues are overblown. He specifically singled out Nicks and Manningham as having breakout potential.

On Hakeem Nicks: "He's a fighter now. I like the way he fights back and makes tough plays."

On Mario Manningam: "Mario Manningham is a guy who Eli Manning HAS to get adjusted to... If you watch Ocho Cinco- the best route runner in football. He gets in and out of cuts great. This Mario Manningham has the potential to be that because he is in and out of his breaks. He is ..starting to run crisp routes, but he's got quick feet and he runs a screen or an out cut.. ELI HAS TO TRUST THAT THIS KID IS GOING TO BE OUT OF IT. He's got to throw the ball, can't wait, because he'll be behind him."

On the Linebackers, very positive remarks on Wilkinson IF he can stay on the field. Wilkinson can play all three LBer positions and is MORE ATHLETIC, smart. Especially with Boley still out, who do you want covering the TE or the RB in passing situations? Carl Banks trusts Wilkinson's speed. The LBers are younger, but they are better than last year.

Xtian correctly remarks that technically speaking, yes, the LBers are not 'younger' with Clark and Pierce out there. The assumption here is that Clark is a placeholder and Pierce is slowing down (especially as each season continues).. the very near future of the LBers will be looking something like Sintim/Boley/Wilkinson/Kehl. The Giants need this move toward the younger and less experienced LBers because they have more range.

Is Bruce Johnson ready?

2009-09-12T09:11:00.003-04:00

Kind of scary that with Dockery looking to be out, Rookie Bruce Johnson will be the nickel back. You still want to lay -6.5 points and say this is going to be an easy win? I hope the Giants win 30 to nothing, but anyone who thinks tomorrow should be an easy meal ticket game is not paying attention. This is also Terrell Thomas's first start. While we are high on him and believe he is ready, he will not be spotless. Add a young LBer corps and this defense will have breakdowns tomorrow. How many? Do not draw conclusions about the Giants from Game 1.

Uptick

2009-09-12T06:00:00.005-04:00

1) Good news yesterday from Tom Coughlin.

a) Nicks is going to have a very big role in the WR rotation

b) Hixon, Smith and Manningham will be the other 3 that are used actively in the WR rotation.

c) Hixon is expected to return kickoffs.

Sounds logical. Sounds good. Sounds GREAT.

2) What do the following players all have in common???
Clint Sintim (minicamp)
Sinorice Moss (minicamp)
Travis Beckum (minicamp)
William Beatty (minicamp)
Chris Canty (training camp)
Rocky Bernard (training camp)
Aaron Ross (training camp)
Kevin Dockery (post training camp)

THEY ALL HAD OR HAVE HAMSTRING INJURIES. Coughlin called injuries a cancer. Well, Tom, if injuries are a cancer, what do you call strength and conditioning coach Jerry Palmieri?

We spoke with our Doctor friend, you know, the one who alerted us to the seriousness of the Alford injury by politely saying that you better wait until Sunday or Monday for confirmation that it was just a sprain. When we asked Ultimatenyg Doctor about the rash of hamstring injuries, whether it could be the staff not giving the players proper instruction, the answer was "VERY POSSIBLE, TOTALLY POSSIBLE." So we have no evidence, other than 8 players (did I miss any?.. ya have to know we needed an abacus to keep track of them) who all mysteriously have the same problem. Add that guys like Canty have never missed a game (before putting on a Giants uniform), add that three rookies all got it very early, and it sounds like poor professional supervision. We were not the first ones to suggest this. We first read about the notion on the nj.com blog from a commenter. It has been there in the open. Coughlin better take care of this 'cancer,' because it is man-made.

3) 1 or 2 months ago, a friend (one of the original Giants email group which predates this blog) gets informed by his wife that they will be going out to San Diego on Sept 10-14 to visit her mother. He told his wife, no, that he will not be going out that weekend to San Diego. The wife replies with a look.. Why Not? The husband matter-of-factly explains that the Giants are opening the season that Sunday and that he'll be watching the game. The wife went to San Diego without him. The husband is distraught (wink ; ) about missing an opportunity to be with his mother-in-law...!! Talk about hitting the exacta.

4) Assuming Phil Simms has signed on for another year of the NFL Now, we'll be bringing you a recap of his commentary as often during the season as we can. Phil Simms is an unofficial guru of the Ultimatenyg NY Giants Blog for a very good reason- he knows football and shares his insights with a frankness that respects us as listeners. The guru likes the Giants over the Skins tomorrow.

5) Vacchianno (yesterday): I get the sense from the defensive players that they don’t know yet what their identity is, and that it may take a few weeks to establish it.

6) Jeter

The regular season is here!

2009-09-11T06:00:00.003-04:00

It is the Friday before Week 1. All this talk, now it is time to play the games. THE REGULAR SEASON IS HERE! God, I love football.

The Skins game. We chatted with some folks over at DC Pro Sports Report to get a sense of what we will be seeing on Sunday. Here are the answers to our questions.

1. Why should we expect the Redskins offense to be better than it was in 2008, when it was anemic? Who is going to make the difference?

A: Maybe you shouldn't. The Redskins offense is a big unknown. The offensive line should be better, with the addition of Derrick Dockery at guard and some health at offensive right tackle. However, the depth is young and completely unproven. Any injury could be a disaster and the only offensive line I know lucky enough to go a full season [or more] without a serious injury is the Giants offensive line -- which is both lucky and good. If Washington's offense improves in 2009 it will be because the offensive line does not collapse under age and injuries, as it did in the second half of 2008.

2. Everyone knows and respects Haynesworth and Daniels. What should opposing offenses do to attack the Redskins defense?

A: Attack the linebackers in pass coverage. London Fletcher is a tackling machine and a real stud against the run, but he's not a speed demon and quicker running backs can really exploit him. WLB Rocky McIntosh isn't great in pass coverage either. SLB Brian Orakpo is extremely quick, but he is still learning the position after starring as a defensive end at Texas, and he looks a bit stiff in pass coverage. The more the Giants can make Orakpo play pass defense instead of rushing the quarterback, the better off the Giants will be. Rookie or not, the Giants must watch Orakpo carefully in all passing situations. He's scary fast.

3. Is Kelly good enough to play opposite Moss? How do you beat a defense that gives help over the top against Moss and lets the other WR get singled?

A: Kelly fell in the draft last year because of well-known concerns about a history of knee injuries and those concerns were justified when he missed 11 games to injury. He's healthy now, though, and his decent speed, good hands and great size [6'4" and 220 lbs] make him an ideal complement to Santana Moss. Of course, whether or not Kelly can stay healthy long enough to do some real damage is another matter entirely. The Redskins can move the ball through the air, even with Moss doubled, with TE Chris Cooley, who caught over 80 passes last year. However, they can't beat a good team like the Giants with just Moss and Cooley. Someone else will have to step forward -- a wide receiver like Malcolm Kelly. If the Redskins receiving options are Moss and Cooley again, Washington's 2009 offense will look a lot like the 2008 edition.

4. Clinton Portis has had his share of injuries. Will he last the season?

A: Who can say? Portis is still only 28 [hard to believe], but he's had a ton of carries. If he's healthy, he's a top running back who can do everything. The Redskins plan to spell him more this season with Ladell Betts who ran for over 1100 yards in 9 starts in 2006 when Portis missed half the season. The idea is for Portis to get the ball about 300-315 times this year instead of 350 or more. It would help Portis a lot if the offensive line could stay healthy. When the OL was healthy last year, Portis was leading the NFL in rushing. When it fell apart in November, Portis' health and productivity went with it.

5. Who wins? What score?

A: Washington has more weapons offensively and defensively than it did last year. The offensive line didn't allow a single sack of Jason Campbell in the preseason, but let's see how they do in a real game against a big-time defensive line. The Giants are a good team and are playing at home. They should win. I don't expect a romp like the season opener last year, but I think the Giants win in a close game, something like 20-17. I expect a hard-hitting NFC East battle.

Ultimatenyg back here again. I think the Redskins are fortunate to be playing the Giants in Week 1. It is not who you play but when you play them. And the Giants are vulnerable here early in the season because the defense has not played together. All it takes is ONE miscommunication on defense or one play where CC Brown is subbing in for Johnson/Phillips and all things can go south. If we know Gilbride is dialing up Bradshaw and Boss as an important part of the passing game, if we know that our defensive players are healed, if we know that Wilkinson's speed is going to be used over Blackburn (who will be "starting") on passing plays to neutralize Portis/Cooley.. the Giants can roll easily. But if the Giants make a few mistakes and Daniels/Haynesworth wreak havoc, the Skins will be in the game and have a shot. I'll predict the Giants win a tight one. Wonder likes the Giants to win and cover.

Schedule Preview and Prediction

2009-09-10T06:00:00.005-04:00

One of the things to do OBJECTIVELY when ascertaining what kind of record your team will have in the coming season is to look at your team's OVER/UNDER + all the oppositing teams' OVER/UNDER.

Giants 10 wins over/under

The way the objective system works is that you add 1.5 games to whoever is playing at home and whoever has the higher total wins the game. As an example, when they play WASH at home, the Giants have 10 + 1.5 = 11.5, which is > than Washington's 8 total wins this season, hence a win.

OPPONENT O/U W/L
WASH 8 W
at DAL 9 L
at TB 6.5 W
at KC 6 W
OAK 5.5 W
at NO 9 L
AZ 8.5 W
at PHL 9.5 L
SD 10 W
ATL 8.5 W
at DEN 6.5 W
DAL 9 W
PHL 9.5 W
at WASH 8 W
CAR 8.5 W
at MIN 9.5 L

Using this metric, the Giants collect 12 wins, in part because they are playing TB, KC, DEN and WASH on the road, and they do not lose a game at home. Is that realistic? We know that Eli is not necessarily a force at home, so perhaps he loses one in December that the system is inking a win for, making the team go 11-5. Considering Las Vegas has them winning 10 games, 11-5 is plausible. So this objective system is not bad in getting to a ballpark estimate.

At this point making a prediction on the number of games the Giants will win this year is full of too many question marks. We simply do not know about the health and effectiveness of their two most important offseason acquisitions: Boley and Canty. Remember that Reese saw a need to open up the wallet and go after his first two high profile free agents in 3 years as GM. That should tell you how important these two players are in addressing needs he felt the Giants had this offseason.

THESE TWO MEN HAVE YET TO PLAY A SINGLE DOWN FOR THE GIANTS!

Anyone that can tell us unequivocally how the gmen will do this season is guessing about the impact these guys make. Did these guys heal? If so, do they gel with the defense? When do they gel? If anyone knows the answer to these questions, pls do share. We can see scenarios where the Giants are anywhere from 9-7 to 13-3. Wonder has them subjectively at 11-5 or 12-4. As was mentioned earlier in the week, Week 6 vs the Saints is the first test, and you can see how the numbers also verify that... the Saints are 9 +1.5 = 10.5 which gives them a win 'objectively' over the Giants. We will learn about Boley and Canty in the first 5 weeks, so Week 6 is the first big test. Of course we will learn plenty about the team vs their 2 divisional rivals too, but those datapoints will not mean as much because those 2 players will not be making an impact. (Boley does not even dress in W1.)

Summary: 11-5 or 12-4 is plausible, but Canty and Boley will determine a lot more as the season unfolds.

Extras:
(1) Terrell Thomas to start on Sunday. Were you surprised???
(2) "Loaded box" "opportunity" "GOOD", didn't we just say this?!

Ahmad has it right

2009-09-09T06:00:00.003-04:00

The national view of your team is sometimes valuable because they take a step back and put things into more perspective. You have to see the forest for the trees. Sports Illustrated does a good job of focusing the offense's success on the running backs.

Offense> Running Game
Defense> Loads the Box
Offense> Bust the Box

There is a book called 'Who Moved My Cheese.' A fifth grader can read this book. The message of the book is simple- things are always changing, adapt to the change and find new answers. When we lost Burress, our cheese got moved.

Here are 5 specific ways to find new cheese:

Box Buster #1
PLAY ACTION BY ELI MANNING

Box Buster #2
SCREEN TO BRADSHAW (AND WARE)

Box Buster #3
MIDDLE SCREEN TO BOSS

BOX BUSTER #4
SLANT TO HIXON and/or SMITH

BOX BUSTER #5
MANNINGHAM IN SINGLE COVERAGE

Note how each one of the prescriptions above leverages DIFFERENT talents of DIFFERENT players. Eli Manning excels in play action. Even the rookie Nicks can get in on some crossing routes here, says Wonder. Bradshaw and Ware have both shown great skill in the open field on screens. Boss has the hands and the big target. Hixon and Smith each have big play ability but you can set that up by using them in slants, where they also do very well. Last but not least, Mario Manningham has shown great skill in getting separation from his defender.

There are more than enough ways that the roster can keep opposing defenses honest. It all starts with the success of the running game and it ends with the effective utilization of this team's skills to exploit the OPPORTUNITY of 8 men in the box. Yes, it is an opportunity. Most teams and head coaches would die to have an OL and running game that was so good that it would force defenses to overweight the run. This leaves so many ways that an offense can further exploit a defense. This is a GOOD problem to have. Ahmad has it right, it starts with the running game.

Bill Sheridan

2009-09-08T06:00:00.006-04:00

You have to know that this NY Giants blog hates puff pieces. Here is a piece on Sheridan that has some of the puff but does help us to understand what we'll look like this season.

A few takeaways:

1) There is no substitute for motivation. If Sheridan thinks he can figure it all out and let the X's and O's do all the talking, he is in for a rude awakening. The last time we heard this kind of laid back X's and O's w/o the motivational element, it was none other than Ray Handley. Keep in mind that Handley was a head coach, not a coordinator, so there is room in there for the defense to get their motivation from others like Coughlin. But there is no getting around the fact that the players loved playing for Spags. You saw him on the sidelines with all of that energy he was feeding his players. Never underestimate the importance of motivating these professionals. There is little to separate 45x32=1440 players on game day. Every ounce of motivation puts you over the top or else it leaves you shy. Coughlin, to his credit, wanted Sheridan on the field, down and dirty, there with the players. Good. No remote control detachment.

2) "Sheridan said his linemen and linebackers would charge ahead more to stop runs and passes and not be responsible for as much coverage of receivers." Did you notice the comments made by Wonder last week on how he would attack the Giants defense? He said "Opp teams max protect and air it out against the D...plus run screens, bubble screens, quick slants." Max protect thwarts the pressure and the screens and slants are exactly what OUR offense needs to do to other teams to stop the loaded box. If the Giants defense is going to be using more pressure at the line, they must get there. There is a great deal of faith in Phillips, Webster and Thomas as part of this plan to handle their responsibilities inside this scheme. That confidence drops off a little with Johnson and it drops off a ton with CC Brown.

Do not forget that Thomas will have growing pains- he'll get beat from time to time. All CBs do. Since we keep seeing more and more improvement from Thomas, there is the expectation that he can be solid back there. And dare we say, very solid by the end of the season if his improvement continues. You can get away with more pressure when guys in your secondary are handling their assignments well.

One of the ways the 'Sheridan pressure plan' will work better as the season wears on is by having guys like Canty, Kiwanuka and Boley helping the pressure and by having guys like Thomas covering better. As 2007 taught us, it is not how you start, it is how you finish. You have to expect the defense to be disorganized at the beginning, making breakdowns, not getting to the QB and getting exposed. But by the end of the season, you have to see the pressure working better and the defense getting stingy.

The way the schedule unfolds, do not read into the first 2 games vs WASH and DAL. And the next 3 vs garbage opponents (TB, KC and OAK) will give the defense the time to come together. The measuring stick for whether this team is really ready to be contenders for a Super Bowl title will come AT NEW ORLEANS. They will be going against an improved team that plays well at home, with a veteran QB that WILL rip the team to shreds if the pressure is not working OR if the secondary is not excellent.

Yes, we need to take one game at a time. The Giants need only think about Week 1 vs the Skins. But for us as fans, do not get too negative OR too positive until we see what we have in Week 6. That will be the first true test of how Sheridan and his defense is doing.

Extras:
Pat Hanlon notes that Hakeem Nicks led the NFL in receiving yardage in preseason.

Bomar epilogue, Safety, The rich get richer

2009-09-07T00:00:00.006-04:00

Bomar made it through to the practice squad. Good for the Giants. GROOM HIM for 2010 backup if Carr cannot be re-signed reasonably.

Enough of the future, back to the present...

The Giants need a Safety. Bernard Pollard, Emanuel Cook, and Kevin Kaesviharn are mentioned as three possibilities. The highest profile Safety cut on Saturday was Brian Russell. At this point I am willing to suit up Moe, Larry or Curly back there as our 4th on the depth chart. 3 Safeties will not do it unless these guys stay very healthy, because Spagnuolo was always rotating them in and Sheridan to our knowledge has not indicated any significant changes to that general approach. If they are tightening up the rotation, we'll find that out in six days. Then, they could bring one of their two Safeties held up on the practice squad (Anderson, Rashad) onto the roster on an as-needed basis. But given the (lack of) progress to date of CC Brown, a new body would at least bring more stability AND some competition for Brown.

Last item: the rich Patriots get richer. The Raiders traded a #1 in 2011 to the Patriots for Richard Seymour. (1) The Raiders paid a hefty price, considering Seymour is seeing more injuries in recent years and has only one year remaining on his contract. When is the NFL going to step in and declare Al Davis mentally incompetent? Just to name a few more insanities, picking

(2) Heyward-Bey at #7? If you like a guy looking to go in the 20’s, TRADE DOWN and pay him A LOT less too

(3) DeAngelo Hall for a #2 draft pick (#34 in the draft), MONSTER contract, then released after ~8 games

(4) Gibril Wilson MONSTER contract, then released after first year

(5) Randy Moss for a 4th Round Pick

LOL- Seymour from NE for a #1, Moss to NE for a #4. The Patriots are fleecing Al Davis. In broad daylight.

The Raiders organization is self-destructing. Correction- it already self-destructed. Maybe Jerry Reese can get Al on the phone and offer him a third rounder for Asomugha. Wait, that is too high, see if he'll just take a 4th rounder in 2015. If Goodell is going stand idly by while the Raiders get systematically taken apart, the Giants might as well get in on the looting.

The Rhett Bomar cut

2009-09-06T08:30:00.001-04:00

Rhett Bomar was cut from the NY Giants. First let's listen to the words of Tom Coughlin: "I think you have to make a very difficult call when you decide to go with two (quarterbacks). That roster spot can be utilized by a worthy player, a player that deserves to be on your team. We’ve found, as we go forward with 32 teams, that it’s very difficult later on to find a quality player, a guy that can come in and help if you need one. So you are much better off to try to protect those that you have that are currently on your squad that can play the game at a high level. You’re more inclined to try to do whatever you can to take care of your roster and keep as many good players as you can."

This is the era of free agency, salary caps, resources, roster spots, WIN NOW. The operative word in the explanation from Coughlin is "currently." Everyone understands that Bomar was not going to be contributing to the team in 2009 in any meaningful way, especially considering that Manning has played in 71 straight games and that Carr is a capable backup.

But consider these words from a very knowledgeable contributor to this blog, Marvelous, who said early yesterday (before the cuts): "He has it ALL. I LOVE his arm, guts, talent. Do you see his running? Like a wounded BULL. Power, speed, authority, gumption. The full package. He is going nowhere. Carr has one thing on him-experience. Other than that, NOTHING. He is a talent, the Giant scouts knew it. He throws, releases quicker than MOST NFL QB's NOW. Sturdy, confident and raring to go. He's a keeper."

Except the Giants did not keep him. Make no mistake, the Giants want him back on the practice squad. IF the Giants are able "sneak" (a word chosen by more than a few media accounts) him back onto the practice squad, they will do so.

So the real question is: is it worth the risk to expose a guy you like just to have that extra roster spot? The Giants answer was yes. They enjoyed the fact that they could carry only 2 QBs on the roster last season. It certainly is a strategic advantage. And if Bomar clears waivers it is a great move. This NY Giants blogger feels that the risk was too great, because you must make a commitment to a QB like this, to groom him. If the position were different, like a WR or an OL or what have you, we could certainly understand and not bother discussing it. But QB is different. QBs can make or break a franchise.

Why is Bomar different? What makes him worthy of protecting? The answer here is that quick release. You cannot teach that. Either you have it or you do not.

Carr is under a 1 year contract and he may look to go elsewhere next season. Everyone knows how important QB is to a roster- these guys do not grow on trees. Bomar is a cheap call option. Parcells: "It’s a very easy thing to say, ‘Go get a backup quarterback.’ Now tell me where to get them. You just can’t dial them up."

Roster Cuts-updated sporadically throughout the day

2009-09-05T11:53:00.007-04:00

David Tyree, Andre Woodson, Rhett Bomar (ps?), Robert Henderson, Maurice Evans (ps?), Sha'reff Rashad, Anthony Bryant, DeAndre Wright (6th round pick, ps?), Cliff Louis, Kenny Ingram, Jeremy Clark, Travonti Johnson, Orrin Thompson, Vince Anderson, Shaun Bodiford, Dwayne Wright, Tommie Hill, Allen Patrick, Terrance Pennington

ps?= practice squad possibility if clears waivers

Traded: Michael Matthews (to NE for conditional draft pick)

Results of roster cuts: at this moment in time Moss and Hagan are still on the team, BUT DO NOT EXPECT THIS TO BE FINAL. AT THE MOMENT THERE ARE 53 + Boley. That means they have to cut one more when Boley is added and because they are with only 3 RBs and 3 Safeties, you would expect the Giants to be trying to pick up 2 of those from other teams, meaning 3 more cuts coming.

Update: trade rumors with Moss.

THE GIFT

2009-09-05T06:00:00.007-04:00

Two items today, the roster cuts and AN IMPORTANT OBSERVATION.

1) Roster- Today they will make some cuts that some people will like and some will not. The only cut today that would not make sense is Bomar. Every other cut is a numbers game. Coughlin on Bomar after the Patriots game: "a gutsy performance."... "He made some nice plays, pulled the ball down and ran. It was a good night for Rhett."

2) Now onto much more important things. It's the 3 day weekend, no one is even online except you because everyone else is at the beach (me too tomorrow), but this may be the most important comment before the season starts...

THE GIANTS CATCH A HUGE BREAK BY PLAYING A LOT OF WEAK TEAMS EARLY. THIS ALLOWS THE WALKING WOUNDED TO HEAL AND TO COME TOGETHER ON DEFENSE WHILE WE PLAY.

Canty hamstring. Boley hip flexor. Cofield knee. Osi MCL. Ross hamstring. Robbins knee. Pierce foot. Alford knee (season-ending IR). Heck even Phillips did not suit up vs the Pats, although he should be fine. But the point is that these guys need to get into season shape, they need to play with each other AND they need to make sure they are on the same page with their new defensive coordinator.

Here comes THE GIFT:
WASH
at DAL
at TB
at KC
OAK

Forget that Dallas is going to have trouble with their defense this year and that that game is winnable. Even if the Giants lose to Dallas, they rate to be 4-1 before the schedule accelerates. WE PLAY THE AFC WEST, a gift that will keep giving, especially when we are less than stellar early on yet win vs the likes of KC and Oakland. TB just fired their offensive coordinator, they have a rookie Head Coach, so we are not worried about them. Ditto KC, the OC was let go there too. And while we are at it, the rookie head coach Cable Guy threw a punch at one of his coaches, so that is more of the same. If we cannot beat Washington at home (-6.5), well we have bigger problems. So we can be 4-1 or 5-0 and allow this defense to get its act together.

At this moment in time we have way too many (HEALTH) question on defense. We can get answers by getting guys like Boley and Canty on the field and getting a little cohesion. On the job training. This does not mean the team is out of the woods. It means the defense has the chance, the OPPORTUNITY, to buy some time and find its rhythm. We need to be 4-1 or 5-0 AND IMPROVING. If you can tell us that all of the above mentioned players recover and are all playing at 100% of their abilities by Week 6, I will tell you we are in great shape to vie for a Super Bowl title.

Note how we do not even mention the offense in this context. Sure, we want to see Manning get more rhythm with his WRs etc. But let's remember the LAST RULE, Defense Wins Championships. If this team is going to have a chance to win ANYTHING, it starts with defense. As more than a few commenters have noted here, what was our strength on paper is now in flux. In the end it is always about defense. People like to remember that it was Manning to Tyree and Plaxico (and SMITH ON 3RD AND 11!) to win the Super Bowl, but it was the defense that held the 18-0 offensive juggernaut to FOURTEEN POINTS which enabled the Giants to still be in the game.

This (relatively) easy start is what the doctor ordered. Coughlin is very good at getting across the message of always building on what you have done and improving the level of play every game. This will be necessary, as NO, AZ, PHL, SD and ATL are waiting immediately thereafter. How would you like to have those 5 games first?! Ya think Brees, Warner, Rivers, Ryan and McNabb would have problems scoring points against us right now? Ya think? Time heals all wounds. Let's hope it heals the Giants'- it could be a huge positive for this team's chances. It's not who you play, it is when you play them.

Patriots 38 NYG 27

2009-09-04T00:00:00.003-04:00

The Giants were up 21-0 in Q1 and they lost 38-27. So what does that tell you? Once the Giants 1st string units were out, it got ugly. There was no depth on defense. A lot of the players left out there will not make the team.

On the bright side, the first string Giants offense operated efficiently vs the second string Patriots. Manning hooked up with Boss for 44 yards. Moss collected 2 TDs. Nicks made a nice adjustment to the ball and then scored. Pretty. Bradshaw had a blitz pickup to enable that TD.

Nicks went out in Q3 with a hip flexor injury. Did not see the play, not sure how serious it is. Nicks said he was fine after the game was over.

Manningham looked good again. He gets separation play after play. On one play he runs an inside slant, the ball is thrown behind him by Carr, he makes a great catch and gets tackled for a 9 yard gain. When Montana hits Rice on the same exact play it is in stride and you tack on another 10 or 20 yards. It's preseason and this is starting to get redundant already. Manningham gets separation when he makes his break. And because he does it so quickly, Carl Banks is practically drooling. He starts commenting how these Giants WRs are all very different, each one having different skill sets. TRANSLATED: Manningham has natural ability to get free in his route because he is so fast on the break, so if you are the QB you better know it is HIM you are throwing to because everyone else is in one spot and Manningham is already in the center of the field. On one play Manningham gets a 35 yard pass reception, goes back out on the very next play and splits two defenders with a step on each of them for another bomb but it is overthrown. Tom Brady or Peyton Manning would be having pitch and catch with this guy all day long. I do not want to hear how we do not have Wide Receivers. Manningham is a Wide Receiver.

Quick extras from the game:
-Wilkinson, Travonti Johnson and Terrell Thomas had nice open field tackles before the 8th stringers led the swiss cheese assault on our senses
-Woodson and Bomar both threw picks, the first gave the Pats 6 and the second cost us 6. But I'll still take Bomar because he is spry, "flicks" the ball out so fast, give him time. If the Giants put him on the practice squad it is a mistake because someone will pick him up. Reese is smarter than that.
-another uncovered punt that is allowed to fall in with terrible field position
-poor kickoff coverage

Summary- first team Offense and Defense (2 sacks) did fine vs the Pats scrubs, scrubs NYG defense did miserably.

Box Buster Recipe #5:
Step 1> Manningham needs to play
Step 2> Manning needs to get his timing with him
Step 3> Other teams will get roasted if they leave Manningham alone one on one

NYG-Pats Intragame comments

2009-09-03T19:55:00.002-04:00

Out:
Phillips, Diehl, Boley, Canty, Ross, Tyree, Ware, Whimper

Back:
Pierce

Wonder on the Giants and the NFL

2009-09-03T06:00:00.010-04:00

Guest commenter Wonder throws in his remarks on developments with the Giants and around the league.

1) Recap of Giants-Jets preseason game: "DON'T look at stats...Eli played GREAT...best I've seen him look in AGES...Nicks is NOT the answer THIS year...in spots, yes..but Smith still the most solid...and yeah, I know he dropped a PERFECTLY thrown bomb...Hixon MUST catch that ball..terrible..sh*t happens but NOT THAT..your QB will get "cold feet" throwing that pass to you...and Boss is not "awesome"...he's a good player who is often the beneficiary of being in the right place at the right time...O-line and D-line will be great...BUT, they MUST get SOMETHING out of their LB's..and their secondary is a real issue...Phillips...as I stated, he'll be ok-good..but "really good-great" ? NEVER...any plays he makes will be due to DL pressuring the QB....if I were Jints, 2 things worry me:

1. Opp teams load up the box and dare the WR's to make plays; and
2. Opp teams max protect and air it out against the D...plus run screens, bubble screens, quick slants

I think the Jints need a GAME PLAN that includes screens, short circle routes and dumpoffs to Bradshaw and Ware...I also don't believe they run NEARLY enough play action with crossing routes to take advantage of opp LB's "creeping up" to protect against the run..of course, they executed perfectly the play action post bomb to Smith that he dropped..but don't give up on that..."

2) Andre Smith INJURED: "Gee, what a shock...that a FAT, OUT OF SHAPE PIG would get hurt trying to do something "athletic"....do you think he was working with a kick*ss personal trainer the last 5 months?? duh, I don't think so...I can't think of ANYBODY who thought that he was "overrated" in the draft..can you???"

3) When I commented to Wonder about wanting Maualuga but did not know about the 'roid use, he had an interesting comeback: "You WANT guys who HAVE already "roided up"...so they don't NEED TO DO IT IN THE PROS SO THEY DON'T TEST POSITIVE !!!!!....as long as they keep "working out", they keep MOST of their built up muscle mass...BUT, they can't just stop or take a vacation..or they might "lose it"...soooooo, I think MAU would have been a stud classic 4-3 MLB TACKLING MACHINE....critical in a good 4-3."

Ultimatenyg here. MORE screens. MORE play action. To Gilbride's credit, he uses play action, but NOT ENOUGH. You cannot overuse it if the defense is loading the box as much as they did late last season and as much as you know they will be doing again this season.

Osi mea culpa

2009-09-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

1) Osi Umenyiora beat a hasty retreat, admitted this AWOL incident was entirely his fault and conceded that this whole thing should never have happened. This was about the best outcome we could have hoped for. Please let that be the end of it. Next.

2) On Monday night this blogger let loose on Wide Receivers with a remark in the comments section of the post. It is nothing most of you have not already heard before. Just go to Rule #3 of The Rules for Winning in the NFL. Then on Tuesday night, I got some good company from none other than the Dean of Wide Receivers, Jerry Rice. The good news for the Giants is that our crop of WRs are pretty grounded and not totally infatuated with themselves. Diehl raves about Nicks. Manningham is a fallen (3rd round) angel. Smith is a 2nd round piece of steak, hold the sizzle. No more Plaxico. Do you really want a player like Marshall who will drop a ball on purpose? Just give me a meat and potatoes LBer in the first round, for crying out loud.

Umenyiora bails on Sheridan/practice

2009-09-01T00:00:00.002-04:00

1) Osi Umenyiora stormed out of practice. It may be over but where there is smoke there is fire. The last thing this team needs is a coordinator/head coach whose authority is questioned. That authority has to be unquestioned. A Pro Bowl player cannot do this. He is a leader. This incident has a chance of disappearing. Let's hope it is not any bigger than it already is.

Is it me or does this entire situation feel like the 2004-2006 Coughlin era is back? Players vs the coaches. IF the relationship between the coaches and players is anything less than 100% supportive we do not have a chance.

2) Carl Banks on WFAN yesterday.
a) these WRs are able to get open
b) Lack of veteran leadership at WR can be a negative for the young WRs (drops)
c) Giants: "a long way to go and a short time to get there"
d) the NFC East is too strong, the Giants have no choice but to get there

3) Boley is back.

4) 7th round draft pick CB Stoney Woodson was cut.

Sunday Tom Coughlin Conference Call

2009-08-31T06:00:00.001-04:00

Here is the transcript to Tom Coughlin's Sunday Conference Call.

Coughlin's Positives:
1) Run Defense
2) 3rd down defense (1 for 9)
3) punt coverage.. and physical on kickoff coverage
4) Eli cadence to draw penalties on opposing DL
5) Guys are getting open downfield
6) David Carr, Hakeem Nicks
7) first string OL
8) penalties (4 for NYG, 12 for NYJ)
9) Boley progressing well, perhaps we see him this Thurs(?)
10) Good to see Bernard out there, did some good things

Coughlin's Negatives:
1) Defense still giving up big plays, altho there were less
2) Offensive kickoff return
3) Punt Return ball drop-in (Crazed Giant Fan correctly alluded to this one)
4) Two minute drill
5) The Hixon tip for Jets INT
6) No turnovers for Giants defense

Kudos to Mitch for being ahead of the game on Nicks. He wanted Nicks (and Manningham) to start and Coughlin spelled out that Nicks was going to be moving up the depth chart. Good.

NYJ 27 NYG 25

2009-08-30T01:30:00.011-04:00

There were some good things, there were some bad things, but in the end this game was not enough to make us feel that we have something special brewing this season. Not YET at least. Coughlin echoed this sentiment with a VERY MIXED review of the team's performance.

1) Mitch commented last evening that he'd rather see Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks line up wide and put Smith in the slot and take our chances. Interesting. VERY INTERESTING and thought provoking, to say the least. Of course we would never see that because that would require "stones." And as we have seen from the Giants too many times, they do not roll the dice. They are deliberate and patient. Riverboat gamblers they are not. They'll leave that to Rex Ryan and others to do the dice rolling.

But what of the notion of MM and Nicks? Each of these guys dropped a pass this evening. The Giants WRs dropped 6 passes that I know of. Mario Manningham may be RAW but he has the most talent of all of the Wide Receivers by a "wide" margin. We have been pointing to his play in the prior 2 preseason games:

"Good" Versus the Panthers>"Manningham- executing, got behind coverage on bomb"

Versus the Bears>"Some positives: Manningham is going to create opportunities with his separation."

And now this evening, Manningham is getting busier once again. His one drop was bad, but he looks like a bonafide threat out there. He can do major damage to a team in one on one. You cannot "teach" that.. either you have it or you do not. And Manningham has IT. What he can be taught is to correct the many mistakes we see him still make. Carl Banks was not complimentary of Manningham on one play, saying he needs to use his body to box out, not his arms. This is the raw part of Manningham. But that does not concern me. And it does not concern Mitch. He'll just get better each game and let his skills explode on the upside. The intriguing part is the break in his route- it looks like Plaxico Burress out there. The Mitch plan is bold. It is aggressive. The Giants won't do it. But they should. The reason why is that you play to win championships. Mario Manningham is a bonafide WR with star skills that can make your offense powerful. In a regular season game he will make that catch and then we will all be going gaga over him.

Hixon and Smith are 'capable.' I voted for Smith in the poll on the right. Now there is not even a question in my mind that Manningham is the one with the ability to have a breakout season. Yes, Hixon and Smith will probably start and contribute, but these guys are like Buicks compared to Manningham the Sports Car. To be fair, Smith did get behind the defense. But he pulled a Hixon, dropping the TD pass. I'd rather take my chances with the 2nd year and 1st year player dropping passes and growing big time through the season than see Smith and Hixon dropping the same passes. It seems that on almost every play I see Manningham getting separation. Smith is reliable enough- keep him in the slot and shoot the moon with your horses.

Hixon could not make one catch, it bounced off his hands into the hands of a Jet defender on the deflection. Not good. Not inspiring.

As for Nicks, same theory. Let him play. He has been making progress at the end of training camp and made more 'strides' this evening (2 TDs). On the first one, he looked like Amani Toomer, slowing down and boxing out so that he could get underneath the ball. It took Toomer three years to learn that maneuver and Nicks just pulled it off in his 3rd game of preseason. Good for him. Does he know all of the playbook and is he ready for the load of a starting job? Doubtful. WR is a very hard task for any rookie to manage. Regardless, he deserves more time.

Other quick comments:
2) We were worried about CC Brown before the game and saw only more things to be worried about. Considering that Michael Johnson is average, our safeties are thin. Absolutely no safety help on this play?
Addendum: transcript of Coughlin: "We gave up some plays in the secondary that we just shouldn't give up. The one touchdown on the crossing pattern should not have happened. It was a heck of a play by the young quarterback just to stay alive, but the receiver never should have been that open."

3) OL and Eli Manning did fine. This was a good recovery after the Bears game.

4) Carr has REGRESSED into the Texans Carr. GET RID OF THE DAMN BALL! If he is not careful the Giants will cut HIM and keep Woodson and Bomar. WOOF! Coughlin feels differently, but there continue to be some very disturbing tendencies, including taking too many sacks.

5) Gilbride/Manning threw 3 times that I saw to Boss. We see how great the Bossman is when he is thrown to in the same zip code. The offense needs to give this man so much load, it is frightening. Until opposing defenses start doubling Boss, the Giants should be using him to break the box.

6) Tynes looked good. Not worried about the miss from 50, at least he was accurate. Coughlin knows his range.. that FG kick was done intentionally to see the range.

7) Any predictability in the preseason playcalling should not be a concern just yet.

8) The Giants still have red zone woes. They got one TD because of Eli drawing DL players offsides enough times to cure what ails us. The two Nicks TDs were beyond the red zone, so it was more like the offense was 0-3, because we stalled at the 20 and 8 yd lines in Q2.

9) No big injuries as far as we are aware of. "Ware nicked up."

Summary: WR misses were troubling. Defensive backs looked out of position on a few big plays. The Giants bounced back and played a better game but Sheridan needs to iron out a few things. The Giants still have questions to answer. Like which WR to play.

Around the NFL

2009-08-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

1) Inactives tonight: Canty, Boley, Pierce, Tyree, Ross, SWoodson, Thompson

2) Brandon Marshall Headcase was suspended for the last two games of preseason. He wants out. He may get his wish. This is a talented WR, but the Giants will not show interest if he ends up hitting the trade block. It is simply too close to Plaxi-show and the Giants are done with divas for the time being.

3) Speaking about Brandon Marshall, here is a pretty good wrapup of the NFL-preseason. Wait till they get to the Vick segment, LMAO.

Jets Saturday night

2009-08-28T06:00:00.001-04:00

I'll be missing this preseason game, but will catch it on tape thereafter. Please everyone.. give color on what happened. Some of the important things to watch vs the Jets:

1) Boss has the Blutarsky (0.0 receptions). Please correct.
2) Manning should play into Q3. Let's see rhythm, accuracy, YAC.
3) How is the execution of the screen pass? This is the box-buster, practice makes perfect, KG.
4) Diehl and McKenzie should be back to their old selfs, reliable, seen and not heard. Correct?!
5) Snap from center after O'Hara is taken out of game.
6) Of course, WR progress.
7) How many of the walking wounded on Defense play this preseason game?
8) Lane control on run and pass rush addressed and corrected?!
9) Goff/Wilkinson/Kehl MegaMillions LBer sweepstakes.. any winners?!!
10) Tynes adventures in groin babysitting.
11) Improvement by CC Brown needed immediately.

Is Manning Bedrock?

2009-08-27T06:00:00.004-04:00

There is no escaping the injuries now. With little more than 2 weeks and 2 more preseason games before Week 1, the injuries are now centerstage. Of course the finality of Andre Brown and Jay Alford is known. But what of Robbins, Boley, Canty, Ross, Pierce, et al. What of the others who have missed enough practice time like Webster, Snee, Seubert, Phillips? If the Giants do not heal up quickly and get ready for primetime, then 2009 will be like 2008. That would be sad, because there is every reason to believe that the pieces are there to go all the way. We said after the Bears loss that there is no need to panic, it is just preseason. Believe that. Believe that the Giants will clean up their execution issues in preparation for the Jets. Believe that enough of these pros who are hurt will do whatever is necessary to be ready Sept 13. Believe that the losses of Alford and Brown, while larger than most Giants fans realize (DEPTH, PREPPING FOR EVEN BIGGER CONTRIBUTIONS THAT GET DELAYED BY A YEAR), will not be harmful to a Super Bowl run. Believe that this team's bedrock (Webster, Jacobs, Tuck, Umenyiora, Snee, and yes .. Boss and Bradshaw) will be there.

Notice the trouble in putting Manning in that category. What do you get with Manning? 2007's postseason or 2008's postseason? 2007's regular season or 2008's regular season? Manning continues to be an enigma. If he can play with the consistency of 2008's regular season and 2007's postseason, wow! Still others will argue he just needs the latter, that the Giants are good enough to get into the playoffs, let'm squeak in and then go on the road so that we keep the guy OUT of the Meadowlands. Is this season going to boil down to the play of Eli Manning? Is it fair to say that the "ultimate" reason we won and lost in 2007 and 2008 was always about Eli?! We'd like to think that that is utterly simplistic in a team sport with numerous coaches and too many other invaluable contributions. But that is not entirely clear. The one thing that is clear is that we need everyone healthy first before Manning can then decide our fate. This sounds like a poll question- does Eli deliver for the Giants in 2009? The answer may very well determine the outcome of this season. If you have the answer to that question, please do share.

Movie Review: Big Fan

2009-08-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

"Big Fan" is not a story about a big Giants fan. It is the story of a compromised 35 year old named Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt) who is obsessed with football. Everyone of us knows of a Paul in our lives - a relative, a neighbor, a friend's neighbor or relative. He's part of a group of lost souls who are missing something that connects them with the rest of mainstream society.

Patton Oswalt delivers a strong performance as the kid who never grew up. Imagine an adult who never got past the beginning of adolescence and you have Robert Siegel's screenplay. The backdrop of football is perfect for this character, since his passion for a professional sports team knows no age boundaries. Paul is safe in this world wearing NY Giants Blue until he gets a little more attention than he bargained for.

One day per week we are unable to distinguish between the rabid adult and the mentally compromised. When life resumes during the other 6 days, we see behavior that is as uncomfortable as it is real. Siegel dishes out "uncomfortable" in large portions, which makes the movie difficult to watch. "Big Fan" does not give us exhilaration because it is too busy giving us truth. Give Siegel credit for finding the lost soul; if you're up to the discomfort of finding it with him, it is worth going to see.

MM

2009-08-25T06:00:00.002-04:00

Mario Manningham gets out of his break quickly and gets that separation that you crave. So it is time for the QBs to make practice perfect and start hitting this guy in stride. Those WR fears will melt away IF that happens. Watch the replay of Manningham on that pass that Payne breaks up in Chicago Sat evening. It is only one play, but it is part of the problem and represents part of the solution when corrected and executed.

From Garafolo on his initial writeup:
Coughlin might breathe easier when he sees Eli Manning's numbers: 7-for-10 for 62 yards. But he's just as likely to throw down his remote control when he looks at the tape of the first drive and sees how Manning missed Mario Manningham on third-and-7.

"Yeah, that's me," Manning said. "He ran a good route, we had the good coverage, I just didn't throw it far enough near the sideline."

The Giants need Eli Manning more than ever. Maybe when the DL is healthy and the defense is dominant, Eli does not have to carry the team. But with Robbins and Cofield trying to come back from injuries, with Canty nursing a hamstring tear, Alford gone, this team needs execution and fast. LIFT THESE YOUNG WRs UP, Eli. They may not be Plaxico but they are good enough for a consistent passer.

Jay Alford- Torn MCL

2009-08-24T00:00:00.002-04:00

On Saturday night, we noted re Alford that "they said it was a sprain but it looked worse" and we said to wait for confirmation. It was worse. Torn MCL and partially torn ACL. One of the original email guys (from the precursor to this blog, pre 2006) is an MD and said he was fairly confident it was a torn MCL. And he reminded me that they said the same thing about Osi before revealing the full extent of the injury.

Alford is not a loss on the scale of Osi Umenyiora. But this is the first MAJOR injury of 2009. Remember, DL is not like any other unit. Every person on the roster who is on the DL is a starter. Everyone. They ALL play. Every time you see tongues hanging out it in the Q4, every time you see Osi or Tuck on the sidelines wondering why they are there.. it is because these guys get exhausted getting pounded on by 325 lb. linemen and then chasing after QBs play after play for 60 minutes. So Alford is a big loss.

We also found out yesterday that Canty's injury is a hamstring tear. This from the DL who has not missed a single game in his 4 year career. It is worth noting that the 3 prime (high profile) free agent signings of Boley, Canty and Bernard have not yielded a single snap so far. Bernard is on the mend and Coughlin hopes that he'll get practice and minutes this Saturday night, but this is not like any of them are "game ready."

Coughlin and Motown (last night) remind us we are not deep anymore at DL. How true. Alford: season-ending IR? Not the DL roster solution we were looking for.

One more item.. Alford was a long snapper, so this makes Zak DeOssie's chances for a roster spot significantly greater. After all, who else on this team is a long snapper?! DeOssie did not add anything to our LB corp, so we were quietly hoping he would not make the squad so that another LBer would.

Bears 17 Giants 3

2009-08-22T23:00:00.003-04:00

The score was not indicative of how one-sided this loss was. The Giants got their butts kicked.

The bloom is off the rose. Good. Plenty of work for this team to do. We specifically wanted to see how the LBers would handle Forte and the verdict was not good. Carl Banks singled out Blackburn on the 33 yd TD run, where our backup MLB (Pierce out for game) was roasted on the play.

Cross and Banks had this team's flaws noted well. On Defense, lack of lane integrity meant the Giants got gashed up the middle, taken to school. And that same lack of lane integrity on pass rush meant Cutler carved up the Giants when he ran out of time, quickly going out of the pocket and buying plenty of time to reset plays and kill the pass defense. These are the fundamentals Cross and Banks highlighted as being absent. On offense, McKenzie and Diehl made enough mistakes (2 sacks and 1 penalty) to essentially kill 3 drives. Manning did not have time to throw. Ugly.

Woodson hit Nicks on a 55 yd pass play, but could not finish the drive with a TD. Considering he could not help the team finish the previous drive either, this is not going to help his roster chances.

Jay Alford was carted off the field. They said it was a sprain but it looked worse. Let's get more confirmation in coming days on that one.

Some positives:
1) Manningham is going to create opportunities with his separation.
2) Tollefson saved a TD and created a FG, so 24-0 instead of 17-3 at the half w/o him
3) Bradshaw behind the 2nd team OL once again looks like he can break it whenever he touches the ball
4) Jacobs looked great behind the sloppy first team OL
5) Ware looked good

Do you want excuses or not? The Giants played poorly. Coughlin wanted to have more than 5 days in between preseason games and the team seemed disorganized. No need for panic. It's preseason. The Giants won the Super Bowl after getting ripped apart for 80 points in the first two regular season games. Back to fundamentals. Blocking and tackling. Keeping your lanes on the run, keeping the edge contained on the pass rush. It will be nice to get guys like Snee, Seubert, Pierce, Tuck, Bernard and Canty back.

Intragame comments Bears vs Giants

2009-08-22T19:45:00.000-04:00

Aaron Ross

2009-08-22T06:00:00.002-04:00

From Garafolo Thursday:
1) Bernard practiced.
2) Out Saturday: Pierce, Seubert, Canty, Snee, Phillips, Ross. Possibly Out:Tuck, Webster, Bernard.

This makes it two games for those players in bold.

From Vacchiano Friday: positive comment on Hixon.

Of particular note is Aaron Ross. We have mentioned in past posts during training camp and even before camp that Ross was potentially at risk for losing his starting job to Terrell Thomas. Now he has lost TWO OF THE FOUR PRESEASON GAMES. We'll go on record here and say that Thomas is now ahead of Ross and it is HIS JOB TO LOSE. Why? Because
(1) Thomas is practicing and playing well
(2) Coughlin does not like rewarding players who miss too much of camp
(3) the edge that Ross had over Thomas was not that large before camp started.
(4) Maybe this is the kick in the pants that Ross needs to get refocused, a la Webster in 2007. Let Ross lose the starting job for even one game and make him earn it with good play.

If the pass rush is as good as the early billing, both Thomas and Ross will be fine back there. But when the pass rush is NOT there (which is going to happen sporadically), who do you prefer after the jam is over? Thomas looked good on Monday night. He is going to get beat, just like ALL CBs get beat. Thomas is not a finished product. He has not been tested game in and game out. But he has worked himself into a very good place and deserves the opportunity to show us even more.

Note how we're not making the same distinction with Webster. He has missed a lot of camp too, yet the alarm bells are not ringing there because he is solidly entrenched as the #1 CB on this team. It's his job. Unless he keeps missing camp and is out of practice so long that he has clearly lost skills, he is going to start. In the Vacch link at the top, Webster is reported in team drills, so that is a positive.

For tonight's game, look for more of the same we discussed before the Panthers game. Watch how the LBers deal with Matt Forte. Cutler will not have the rhythm with his WRs that we will see later on this season, but let's see how our DBs do against better passing than we saw from Delholme. For a more detailed discussion of what we'll be seeing tonight from the Bears, visit Windy City Gridiron.

Plaxico Burress sentenced to 2 year prison term

2009-08-20T18:48:00.003-04:00

The end to such a sad story with no winners, except maybe the Super Bowl XLIII champion Steelers.

Takeaways:

1) We agree with the Defense Attorney, that he was given a harsher sentence for being a celebrity.

2) We have said previously (and little has been said which would lead us to believe otherwise) that the DA had more leverage in this case because of the obstruction of justice. We have no proof but we nonetheless believe that since no one from the hospital was brought up on charges, that those involved were used to roll on Burress.

2a) A jury would have been at least mildly sympathetic to a person w/o a criminal record. That Burress took a 2 year PLEA w/o going this route makes us more willing to believe in the leverage from possible obstruction.

2b) An explanation for why obstruction did not make it to the media was because the DA wanted to look as good as possible under the PREVAILING circumstances. And the Burress camp had no interest in discussing this facet of the case because it could only damage the accused further. Once again, just our take, nothing concrete to substantiate this.

3) The timing of this is VERY LOGICAL. Burress tried to delay this forever under the mistaken theory that he was going to get picked up by someone else and play a la Keith Hamilton. Goodell got wise to this strategy and leaked it out to the remaining teams that Burress was facing a suspension this season. Interest by the few teams seriously considering the free agent WR quickly dissipated and Burress realized he had no other choice but to serve the time asap so that he could get back on the field.

4) That this sentence can only get reduced to 20 months with good behavior is another joke. HE SHOT HIMSELF.

4a) Vick got 2 years, the same amount of time as Burress?

5) The way this all went down is why the Giants cut bait in April. They probably knew how much DA prison time was being asked for and realized it was going to take too long to end. Great move by the Giants. Next.

6) Thankful that Pierce not involved. He's playing with all of this behind him, he must feel reborn. Good for him and good for the Giants.

7) From same link above: Plaxico Burress is not under contract to an NFL team. In light of his plea today, Commissioner Roger Goodell has suspended Burress and informed him that he is ineligible to sign with any team until he completes his jail term," the statement reads. "Commissioner Goodell said Burress will be reinstated and eligible to sign with an NFL team upon the completion of his sentence."

8) Burress will be 34 years old when able to hit the football field again. How many millions and how much of the prime of his career did this man blow because he was worried about getting mugged for hundreds or thousands of dollars? Insane.

You guys are smarter than me...

2009-08-20T06:00:00.004-04:00

After the draft was over, we asked: "Which draft pick do you like the most?" The winner was 93 people out of 214 taking Ramses Barden. This was in MAY. It was only ONE (preseason) game, but clearly you guys did a very impressive job. Sintim had the best rookie evening, but Barden looks the part. And you guys did not flinch this past week when asked which WR was going to breakout this season, going for Barden again. Smith did not play, but if anything was clear from Monday night, Barden is certainly out of the blocks faster than Nicks. THIS IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT. So do not think for a second that Nicks is not going to be seen or heard from again. That is RIDICULOUS. What we are talking about here is the simple observation from camp (one data point) and Preseason Game 1 (second data point) that Barden looks good so far. We saw bits and pieces of good and bad things from all of the WRs... it is a work in progress but they are getting there. Moss did some good things. Manningham got separation. Barden looks so good once he gets off the line. If he put on another 10-15 lbs he could be a tremendous TE. How do you guard that?!

Kudos to Oxbay, Mitch, Craig and Wonder for nailing the idea of the Round 3 big WR ON APRIL FREAKING 7th. THREE WEEKS BEFORE THE DRAFT. Having had success with the Ed McCaffreys and Joe Jureviciuses of the world, we'd be much better served here in the third round with Patrick Turner or Ramses Barden than going for the glamour divas of Round 1. Those Round 2 (and Round 3) guys have their heads screwed on properly and they have the requisite physical tools (read: pedigree) to make it in the NFL. We're not implying that Nicks is a diva, just that WR is not worth it in Round 1. Doesn't the optimism of a Barden in Round 3 make that argument more plausible?!

Nicks can end up in the Hall of Fame. Guys like Barden and Turner can both be busts. But you want the upside if you are right. The upside in these guys?.?.?..I'd rather be good and 6'6" than good and 6'2". In 2007, how much of the Super Bowl Title that the Giants won was due to Toomer being 6'3", Burress 6'5" and Boss 6'6"?? You cannot teach genes. Remember Mike's quote on George Young: "I'll take size over speed every time. In the fourth quarter the fast guys slow down but the big guys are still big." Here is to Barden in Q4.

Lots coming

2009-08-19T06:00:00.002-04:00

1) DBerenson wisely reminded us yesterday not to get too ahead of ourselves in anointing this team or its defense. Keep improving. Something the offense did not do at year end.

2) No injuries (confirmed) was great. Some players (Smith, Ross, Webster, Snee, Seubert) looking to rejoin practice, if even just for individual drills.

3) Wonder thinks this should be Pierce's last year and work Sintim in at MLB. Right now they have Sintim rushing from the edge. He can still do that. "They need a hard-hitting MLB who can run and cover a LITTLE! Groom him!"

4) More extensive recap of the preseason game from Garafolo.

5) The punt block was caused by 10 Giants on the field. Isn't that Feagles' job?! Damn, I'm moving him from 'Good' to 'Ugly,' the man cannot be trusted to do anything right. (Guys, that was a joke.)

6) Bradshaw moving up on Coughlin's Death Chart

7) "And that's why they call me Mr. Loser!" ... How would you like to have the Panthers +3 in that game on Monday night??!!! The 2 pt conversion to TIE, and then the Douzy-able loss?!! Get me off the ledge! Or better, the Over/Under may have gone over at the end on that 15 points of insanity!

8) Wonder won't keep quiet, I have to hear about Britt getting 5 receptions for 89 yards and a TD. I didn't want Nicks OR Britt, I wanted a LBer. Old school. Defense wins championships.

Giants 24 Panthers 17

2009-08-18T00:00:00.001-04:00

Lots of good things tonight. Some of it wasn't pretty, but overall the Giants did fine, and as far as I can tell, NO INJURIES! If that happens 4 games in a row, we are in GREAT SHAPE.

The Good
1) Bradshaw- doing it all
2) Thomas- good coverage
3) Manningham- executing, got behind coverage on bomb
4) Ware- did well when the run wasn't getting stacked
5) Osi- the cat gets another sack/strip with Alford's help
6) Evans- nice sack
7) Sintim- ubiquitous, and had a sack/fumble where he looked like LT around the end.
8) Sintim- held again on pass rushing duties
9) Feagles- this guy puts it inside the 20 like a heat seeking missile
10) LBers- good work by committee, Wilkinson/Goff/Kehl all made plays
11) Tentatively, no (serious) injuries.

The Bad
1) Carr- needs to get rid of the ball when nothing is there
2) Beatty- got beat on a sack, otherwise learning, ok
3) special teams punt blocked- man untouched, safety
4) backup OL- high snaps, weak protection
5) RRPK predictability is OK in preseason, but tonight it was so excessive in H2 that it begins to hurt your OL and QBs, because the game might as well be 11 vs 13
6) Stoney Woodson- got beat badly twice on final TD drive

The Ugly
1) Gruden- calling Gilbride "one of the best in the business." LOL.

The last two TDs at the end of the game are par for the course. Happy to see the Giants escape with a win, they played a good game. The two stars this evening were Bradshaw and Sintim. Some of the LBers made some nice plays. We got beat around the edge a few times. The RRPK is allowed in preseason but it did make it hard on both Woodson and Bomar.

BOTTOMLINE: Sintim as a pass rusher is going to be scary, considering that this is his rookie preseason game combined with him playing with the likes of Osi, Kiwi, Canty, Tuck. You have to love it when a rookie jumps off the page in his first NFL appearance- a very good sign. It happens infrequently and correlates VERY WELL with future success. Lastly, #44 just gives so much juice to this offense.

Panthers preseason intragame comments

2009-08-17T20:06:00.001-04:00

Patience is a virtue. Most of the time.

2009-08-17T06:00:00.003-04:00

Watch this progression:
1) 3/12/2008: David Carr signs with the Giants, gives them high reward and low risk
2) 5/24/2008: Palmer rebuilds with Carr
3)12/28/2008: Minn 20 NYG 19 and Carr throws for 2 TDs
4) 8/15/2009: Michael Eisen updates us on Carr

Carr is really getting comfortable with the offense. He has accepted his role and relishes the balance he has achieved with his mind and body. To all of us on the outside looking in, we naturally think in terms of always competing for the starter's job, but as Carr notes, it goes far deeper than that. He needed time for his body. He needed time to learn an offense. When he came in and made some mistakes for the Panthers after Delhomme got hurt in 2007, it was easy to take shots at him. But since when does a QB learning a new system come in and execute it all perfectly in his first time out? By consensus estimates, it takes QBs SIX YEARS to fully mature. And it takes MORE THAN ONE YEAR in a new system to get comfortable. The Giants add value to their players and their franchise by understanding these elements and injecting deliberate patience into all of their processes. It started with a manageable contract. Carr has benefitted.

Players like Woodson, Bomar and Beatty are getting the benefit of this same patience RIGHT NOW. They are not being asked to start. They are being asked to learn.

When players talk about how classy the Giants organization is, they are (in some large part) referring to the loyalty to their employees. Sometimes I for one get frustrated that the loyalty means wasted time when the conclusion is obvious- guys like Tim Carter and Ron MunDayne should have been shown the door a little (okay, a lot) sooner than what took place. I also felt Coughlin should have been shown the door too. But he miraculously changed and the players really responded to the show of respect. John Mara's approach worked. The Giants always give their coach one more year than is necessary before firing them. Think about that in terms of Handley lasting all of two years. Fassel's 49er (second worst ever) playoff debacle in 2002 was the end. 2003 was just the extra year for confirmation.

The organization trusts its players/coaches and the players/coaches trust the organization. Football is a business and the Giants have to be efficient too, but it means they are going to err on the side of the player and be as human as they can be. (Fwiw, it is very puzzling how the organization treated Amani Toomer.)

Maybe it is just a coincidence, but tonight the Giants play the Panthers, Carr's last team. Carr is helping the Giants in ways that the Panthers only wished for just a year prior. The Giants have a credible backup QB because they leveraged a cheap contract and bought enough time to make it work.

Eve of Preseason Game 1

2009-08-16T06:00:00.005-04:00

1) The Vick-Eagles signing needed some time to simmer. So why did Goodell even let it come to this in the first place, letting 31 teams play the prisoner's dilemma? There is ALWAYS SOME TEAM THAT IS GOING TO DEFECT AND PISS IN THE POT. In this case, there were allegedly 5 teams with "interest." Once again outstanding grades to Commissioner Goodell (uh, NO) for letting this guy back into the league. Vick was every bit as bad as Pacman Jones, yet Goodell has decided Vick is getting another opportunity. The muted reaction on Friday's post was due to the fact that WE ALREADY HATE the Eagles, so this signing was not going to do anything to move the needle.

One of the advantages of letting this story get out more facts is that we learned afterwards that Vick drove up to Lurie's residence to get under the radar of the media. And that Vick was offered a deal without even a workout! After not playing since Dec 2006! Folks, that is classic Prisoner's Dilemma Defection. Get the lowball deal quietly while no one else is aware of what you are doing. They can say all they want about not trying to create a media circus, but in this case they did not want a bidding war to start by having their interest leaked. The Eagles are only interested in Michael Vick's rehabilitation because the price was right.

2) Things to watch on Monday night:
a) LBer speed to the ball. We play against Peterson, Sproles, Maclin, Harvin and Vick now too, so that speed in the middle of the defense is going to get tested.
b) Terrell Thomas
c) Chris Canty is out- we'll have to wait until Saturday for his debut
d) Osi's side to side agility
e) Eli's accuracy, YAC, deep ball
f) Of course, the WRs
g) backup OLs (center exchange, protection) and Safeties
h) any rookies starting? (Sintim?) anyone making an impact?
i) REPETITIONS for Boss and Bradshaw

3) How many of you remember the Hall of Fame Game in 2002? It was the Giants vs the Texans and there was this rookie named Jeremy Shockey who was shot out of a cannon, his first (preseason) game as a pro. He breaks one tackle, then runs over (former Jet DB) Kevin Williams and turns him into road kill. How many of you remember Amani Toomer's preseason in his 3rd year when he broke out? That was the year when he took karate in the offseason. He got off the jam with those skills and never looked back. So this is the game to watch to see new faces make a splash.

4) Speaking of Jets and first preseason games, how many of you saw the first offensive play from Mark Sanchez of the Jets? It was a bomb to David Clowney, a WR who Wonder has been sky high on for a while now. Clowney has had problems staying healthy, leading some to nickname him Mr. August. But at least the Jets understand what they have and are willing to use it. For the Giants, this means throwing screens, flares and checkdowns to Bradshaw. REPEATEDLY. How many times do the best teams get thwarted offensively, only to find a way to keep the chains moving on a dink and dunk? Brian Westbrook? Kevin Faulk? THESE GUYS ARE NOT GLAMOUROUS BUT THEY KEEP DRIVES GOING, THEY SPREAD THE FIELD, THEY GIVE YOUR OFFENSE RHYTHM, THEY GIVE YOUR DEFENSE REST. Everyone was happy with Ward last year, but Bradshaw can do much more out of the backfield as the scatback than Ward EVER did. That is no knock on Ward. As long as Bradshaw stays healthy and protects the ball, he can be to Manning what Faulk is to Brady. It is not pretty, watching a 'cheap' and scrappy first down, but it is football and it wins games. It is what distinguishes the boxer from the puncher. Let's see some boxing tomorrow night. Practice makes perfect.

addendum- note Canty and Ross are out tomorrow evening. This makes watching Terrell Thomas (singled out by Bob Papa for having a good camp) all the more important, as his chances of getting the starting job rise with every missed game from Ross.

Andre Brown's 2009 season is done

2009-08-15T06:00:00.002-04:00

Andre Brown tore his Achilles yesterday, the first significant loss of 2009 training camp. For those of you who dismiss this nonchalantly, that this is just a rookie, that is a big mistake. This one hurts. We felt Brown had an excellent chance to help the team. The Giants not only lose depth this year at RB, they also may lose a young man's career. This is a long recovery. At this point we can only hope he makes it back to the football field competitively.

More camp

2009-08-14T06:01:00.004-04:00

We're not going to wax nostalgic and romanticize with the Giants IN CAMP.. onto another post...

Vick signed with the Eagles. Why is it that trouble seems to always find a Weigh Station at the NFC East? Very smart by the Eagles to give this guy a ONE year deal. He is not the alpha male, he is a player trying to help his team, and (pun intended) he is on a short leash. It is not entirely clear how much playing time he will get in 2009, given his need to get in game-playing condition, his need to learn the playbook, the suspension issues etc..

Positive comments from Coughlin on Sintim. "Working with the 1's." Not so positive remarks on the offense as a whole. Is it me, or is ALMOST EVERY YEAR the defense ahead of the offense?

Kiwanuka- to be fair, this season he has the luxury of training camp AT HIS POSITION. So we like the upside. He's been able to make an impact. It has not been consistent. But this year he'll be busy. Sheridan is going to enable him to get good matchups on pass rushing, so we see no reason why he can't have a very good year. Coughlin had some very good things to say about him.

At this point Hagan seems to have an inside track to make the roster. If he plays in preseason as well as he is practicing, do the Giants keep 7 WRs? We've got some time before that question arises, but we knew there were roster issues at WR a while ago. Still have them.

Bob Papa offers up three players by name who he feels have stood out in training camp:
1) Bryan Kehl
2) Terrell Thomas
3) Kenny Phillips

If these three second year players can make that leap and not only contribute but also make impact plays, then this defense can be formidable. The DL is looking to dominate, so you want to have the guys behind them clean up and feast off of the opptys.

Inside Out

2009-08-14T06:00:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I saw a movie, Julie and Julia. Nora Ephron romanticized email in "You've Got Mail." This time she romanticized blogging.

No romanticizing this blog. It is here to serve one purpose and one purpose only- to share the ride with fellow Giants seeking out one thing, A NY GIANTS CHAMPIONSHIP.

There are three precious jewels we have, XXI, XXV and XLII. Some of the readers remember 1956 and some only have personal recollections of XLII. What unites us all now is that we are on the verge of the 2009 season. The first preseason game is a few days away. Is XLIV in the cards for the Giants? Is there ANYONE here who does not believe that the Giants have a legitimate shot to win the whole enchilada this season? Of course not.

So much of football is about luck. Crayton breaks off his route or it is quite possible that XLII is toast (not to mention about a half dozen other moments in that game, Crayton's dropped ball, Adams' Q3 injury, Romo's penalty..). If Ingram twists and turns to make any less than 5 players miss, XXV is toast (not to mention about a half dozen other moments in that game, Hostetler by some miracle not coughing up the ball on the Safety, Norwood's miss..).

There are three years of pain- Flipper Anderson, 2002 and 2008. Steeler fans, Eagles fans and Cardinals fans think they were destined to win last season. Bullbleep- the Giants were better than all of them, BEAT ALL OF THEM, but came up short when it counted. So when we hear about the 'bitter taste' in the players' mouths, the emptiness of last season's unfulfilled promise, we know it well. You can easily argue that the Giants denied other teams that same destiny, as the Bills and 49ers of 1990, Cowboys and Patriots of 2007 were certainly powerhouses who could have won the title too. We'll whistle past the graveyard on that one.

2009 is our year. Of course you need luck and good health. Other teams and their fans think that the title is possible this year. Giants players, coaches and their fans KNOW it is possible this year. Every team quietly questions whether they have enough to get by Brady or other individuals. The Giants are not worried about anyone.

2009 is there for this team. No chick flicks. No romanticized journeys. Just championships.

Paul Dottino gives color on Giants Training Camp

2009-08-13T06:00:00.004-04:00

Paul Dottino spoke with John Schmeelk of Giants.com and gave 16 minutes of video commentary on numerous player/unit developments at camp.

Although we strongly recommend that you listen for yourself, here are some quick takeaways:

Uptick/Positive:
1) Defensive Line - "having a terrific summer"
2) Bryan Kehl - biggest surprise is his leadership
3) Ramses Barden - "great hands, two spectacular catches today, I think this guy is going to be really special. Old time folks will remember Harold Carmichael of the Eagles. He kind of reminds me of him."
4) Derek Hagan - "great camp here in Albany"
5) Danny Ware - "I think he is terrific; he's got the hands, strength, maturity"

Downtick/Negative:
1) Gerris Wilkinson- It was what Dottino did NOT say. Time is running out.
2) Center depth behind O'Hara

Notes:
1) "5-1-5" Defense
2) William Beatty is "intriguing"... "he will eventually be a starter in this league."

Ultimatenyg comments: VERY pleased with early encouraging words from both Dottino and Schmeelk on Kehl. Kehl's draft comments a year ago alluded to ballsmarts and leadership. Beggars can't be choosers, so we'll take a LBer making progress from anywhere we can get it. Kehl's speed was never anything to get excited about. WE NEED SPEED. That was what the promise of Wilkinson was about. That was what the Boley free agent signing was all about. But make no mistake, if we can have Boley, chip-on-his-shoulder Pierce and Kehl out there playing good football together, then this will be a positive development. So much more information will come from the first few preseason games.

Just because Barden is making some very good catches in camp does not mean he will be making an impact this year. We were reminded by the Beckum comments on Monday's post - if a rookie wants to get on the field he NEEDS to take care of his blocking assignment, not to mention getting past the jam at the line of scrimmage. So while we hope to see Barden see snaps in the red zone, we are cautious to glean too much from the practice catches themselves. In the preseason games, look for how well (quickly) Barden gets separation at the line from his defender, NOT for whether or not he makes the catch. But we'll end this Barden note on a positive by saying that ANY comparison of a rookie to Harold Carmichael is a GREAT uptick. Good good stuff.

Separately, Q&A with Ahmad Bradshaw noted how the injury not discussed last season was his calf, which slowed him down. He was missing a gear. Wait. Let's repeat that. He was missing a gear! Good thing we had him out there running back kickoffs instead of Hixon. $%^&*(#@! If we can see more open field speed from #44, all the better.

Poll- Which WR will shine for the Giants?

2009-08-12T06:00:00.002-04:00

Russ noted how Peter King is getting out the Mario Manningham megaphone. King thinks: "Manningham is going to get every chance to be the bookend to Steve Smith at some point. That's how good Manningham's offseason was."

Which WR is going to have the breakout season for the Giants in 2009? Take the Poll at the upper right of the blog. And if you have not been keeping up with all of the upticks and downticks of camp, here is a Garafolo recap thus far to help you with your vote.

While ultimatenyg was busy rafting, Derek Hagan has been getting some attention in training camp. If the Giants keep 6 WRs for the roster, he is still going to have a hard time getting a spot.

New Jersey Vikings

2009-08-11T06:00:00.005-04:00

Ultimatenyg hits the Deschutes River in Maupin, Oregon with Erik the Red and his band of vikings.

Camp Comments

2009-08-10T06:00:00.003-04:00

1) all the flack about the exchange from center is purely because the Giants did not re-sign Grey Ruegamer. No credible backup. Giants almost 'lucky' that O'Hara was out so that the first team could see how deficient it is.

2) Defensive tackle Fred Robbins was activated from the physically unable to perform list (PUP) and participated in individual drills. Coughlin said he might begin to take part in team work tomorrow on a limited basis. “Anything we get from him will be good,” Coughlin said.

Well, this is unexpected and very good news. We felt that Robbins would be on the PUP at the start of the season, given how difficult it is to get immediate success with microfracture surgery, combined with the knees of an aging DLineman. Looks like we'll be wrong come Week 1, assuming Robbins continues to make progress. Whether this translates to Robbins making a meaningful contribution is another matter altogether, but it will be impossible for him to make less of a contribution while activated than on the PUP.

3) “Beckum has gotten a little bit better each day,” Coughlin said. “The thing I think he’s started to do a little better is the physical aspect as a blocker.” Let this remark by Coughlin be a sober reminder to all of us that these rookies (Beckum, Barden, Nicks, Brown) are not going to get on the field to make an impact on offense unless they are first able to block up their assignment. It's good news to see Beckum at least headed in the right direction. So often these guys disappear their first year because they are not fundamentally sound.

4) A little nugget on Bradshaw from Coughlin..

Q. How has Ahmad Bradshaw’s camp been so far?
A. Good.

Q. What’s the biggest challenge as his role is changing?
A. He’s caught the ball well. Obviously, if he can continue to do that, he will help us out tremendously. He runs the ball well, he’s been out there on kickoff returns and punt returns. He’s done a pretty good at picking it all up. Also, his pass protection has really improved. As we go forward, that’s going to have to continue to be a solid part of his game.

We have always felt that #44's blocking/blitz pickup was improving and that he was okay there. The Achilles.. his fumbling. It is not mentioned here in the Q&A. But without parsing out the words too aggressively, "good" means the caveat is still there- as long as Bradshaw protects the ball, he is going to have a very good season. He should be able to get the touches and this will be explosive for the team when he gets them. We need a guy like this to move the chains, to be a threat out of the backfield. He stretches the opposing defense, causing problems for them the same way that a Westbrook causes problems once the defense has dropped into coverage. Bradshaw does not need to be Westbrook. He just needs to be Bradshaw.

5) Wonder on the Eagles: WOW !! IF, IF, IF the rumors are true, Eagles lost Cornelius Ingram for the SEASON with a torn ACL...if so, HUGE LOSS, not only for this year, but for the future..he'll never be the same again..I thought he was a STEAL in the 5th round....Eagles keep losing guys...AND their OL is really IN FLUX due to injuries as well...IF so, might be able to overpower their OL and blitz the bleep out of them...and put McNabb on his big old butt...!!

Where did your draft resources go?

2009-08-08T06:00:00.001-04:00

We wanted to get an analytical assessment of which positions the Giants drafted over the past 10 years. Specifically, where did the significant (first three rounds of) resources get allocated?

1st round pick = 3 points
2nd round pick = 2 points
3rd round pick = 1 point

OL=5 pts (ie Snee and Beatty 2 pts each, Hatch 1 pt)
QB=7 pts (Eli lovers, remember he cost you two 1's and a 3, forgetting the 5)
TE=5
RB=3
WR=12

DL=12
LB=3
SEC=14

But wait, we now must divide by the number of starters on the field:
OL=5 starters
QB=1 starter..
TE=1.3
RB=1.3
WR=2.4

DL=4
LB=2.5
SEC=4.5

So we now get the final answer of number of draft points allocated to each WEIGHTED player spot over the past 10 years (sorted from highest to lowest):

QB = 7.0
WR = 5.0
SEC= 4.0
TE = 3.8
DL = 3.0
RB = 2.3
LB = 1.2
OL = 1.0

Observations:

1) First we have to note that 32 points of offense were drafted vs 29 points on defense, so overall there has no particular bias between squads.

2) OL and LB have been denied resources. It is a good thing one of the 5 picks in the first three rounds in 2009 was taken on a LBer (Sintim) or else this position would have come in at a whopping low of 0.4. That is embarrassing. OL needs more resources and this has not received much attention ONLY because of the (knock on wood) health of the starters not exposing the lack of depth.

3) Despite the fact that we have always been on record that the Eli Manning trade was overpayment, it should not bother anyone to see QB get these resources over a 10 year period. But once again, this 7.0 rating should remind everyone just how much Accorsi committed and just how exposed the franchise was if the pick did not work. There was no value and no margin for error.

4) WR got too many resources. It has gotten consistently too much attention and these numbers bear that out. About the only logical extension of this misallocation is that at least the Giants are consistent in also allocating heavy resources to the same people COVERING them- the Defensive Secondary. So if you want to observe anything from all of this, the FIRST THREE POSITIONS ACKNOWLEDGE HOW THE RULE CHANGES FAVORING PASSING HAVE AFFECTED THE GIANTS' FOCUS TO THE PLAYERS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE PASSING GAME.

Fantasy Football- Giants Edition

2009-08-07T06:00:00.004-04:00

The only link we have that has anything to do with Fantasy Football ("FF") is The Fantasy Football Librarian. It is a really good site run by a football freak named Sara Holliday that has everything you need to know about the players to pick, etc..

Ultimatenyg knows very little about FF but enough about the Giants to discuss 1/32nd of the FF drafting stock. Let's go through each position ON A FF VALUE BASIS:

Quarterback:
Eli Manning- NO. Stay away. Eli gets better each year, but he is not the kind of QB you can expect to take over a game. And since he still plays in the Meadowlands Wind Tunnel and has not made any offseason attempts to change his grip for the tight spiral, let him drop. Check his stats in late Nov/December. Nasty with a capital N.

Running Back:
Brandon Jacobs- NO. He just signed a big contract, he slows down, he gets hurt every year, his only redeeming fantasy value is that he is a short yardage pounder for TDs. Let him fall for value.

Ahmad Bradshaw- YES. On a value basis he could explode. Assuming he stays healthy and protects the ball (he did not do either very well last year), he is a secret weapon that is #2 on the depth chart behind Brandon Jacobs. That means platoon relief and plenty of touches. The Gilbride factor (see Kevin Boss below) should not be a problem. He'll be in his 3rd year, he knows the offense, he has TD ability every time he touches the ball. We're sticking our necks out here and saying he is going to be awfully good for the Giants this season. GET HIM.

Danny Ware- Maybe. When all of the RBs are gone, you take him because either Bradshaw or Jacobs will get hurt and then you'll have a lot of touches.

Andre Brown- NO. But get this guy in 2011. Remember where you read about him first.

Wide Receiver:
Smith- NO
Hixon- NO
Moss- NO
Manningham- Maybe. He's worth a gamble at the very end of the draft because he could be a sleeper lottery ticket that gets cashed if he has his s*** together.
Nicks- NO
Barden- NO. 2011 Red zone monster?

Tight End
Kevin Boss- YES. The only enemy of taking this guy is named Kevin Gilbride, the Offensive Coordinator of the NY Giants. One of these days Gilbride is going to wake up and realize that he has a 1000 yard receiving option who is not a WR. One of these days Gilbride is going to wake up and realize that he has TD RED ZONE MONEY and his name is Kevin Boss. He's big, fast enough and has great hands. All he needs is his number to be called. He has a high TD/Reception ratio because he did not get get thrown the ball enough AND still managed to get 5 TDs when Gilbride was awake. This pick has less to do with Boss and everything to do with the OC. If he's in the gameplan, you will score big with this player.

Travis Beckum- Maybe. Worth a gamble at the very end of the draft. He's a rookie who could get meaningful touches. No training camp upticks yet.

Summary- Boss and Bradshaw are off of national radar because the OC needs a lobotomy. With Ward gone to TB, this is now Bradshaw's chance. And if the OC gets Tight End religion Boss is tremendous value.

Eli Moneybags

2009-08-06T06:00:00.002-04:00

1) Eli Manning is set to get a 6 yr deal worth ~$97M. That's a lot of hospital birthing centers. Reese: "He's a good football player." But therein lies the rub. We have been saying all along, he's a GOOD player. Not great, good. Those were Reese's words, carefully chosen- "good." Someone please explain to us why "good" gets you the highest salary in the NFL. Eli is deserving of a lot, but there are ~1700 players in this league and Eli Manning does NOT deserve the #1 salary in the league.

2) Someone please order me a pizza. But is it possible to get one for less than $90? Like we said before, for this kind of money, buy your ticket without the frills and get over to Il Mulino after the game. The food is slightly better. I'm not that sure what a good restaurant is in Dallas, but it is not going to be as costly as a $90 pizza. But then again, it all makes sense. You better be selling a lot of $90 pizzas to pay for the Romos and Mannings of the world.

Terrell Thomas, Antonio Pierce, Amani Toomer

2009-08-05T06:00:00.007-04:00

1) Training camp video highlights.

2) Every now and then we are able to get it right once in a row.

July 22nd
Ultimatenyg
"Ross- ??..did he have a sophmore slump? Is it me, or did he come on like gangbusters early in 2007, only to get more yawns than impact thereafter? Yes, the Giants use a lot of press coverage, so without the DL to keep up the pressure as last season wore on, we saw Ross exposed... At this point, it is not clear to me whether Thomas can offer even greater upside, given how he came on. So let's see Ross do it, but we'd take either. Or both."

August 4
Vacchiano
"Speaking of closing fast, don’t discount the possibility that CB Terrell Thomas could eventually beat out Aaron Ross. Thomas is having a great start and closed very fast to step in front of Mario Manningham to pick off a Carr pass."

3) Can you name four prominent first round draft choices who were lost to injury for the Giants during successful championship seasons for Super Bowl XXI, XXV and XLII? Yesterday we mentioned three: Kinard, Simms and Kiwanuka. But there is a 4th player, also a first rounder, who was lost to injury for one of these three championships. And he was a Pro Bowler too. Who did we leave out?! Hint, it was Super Bowl XLII... Jeremy Shockey. Almost a trick question, given how he was wasted as an asset that year anyway. Do you see a pattern-- good TEs not getting enough touches? naah, couldn't possibly be.

4) Pierce: “I am eager to go out there,” he said. “Like every year, I always come up with ways to push myself and ways to push my teammates and with everything that happened last year with the negative play in the playoff game and things that were said about me, I’m looking forward to looking those doubters in the eyes again and, like I always say, shut them up.”

We have the utmost respect for Pierce. He is an overachiever, an undrafted LBer who made it to the Pro Bowl and earned himself a championship ring. He has been the on-field General of this franchise's defense EVERY season. As an avid studier of film, he knows formations and tendencies and will call out plays before they happen to fellow teammates, making everyone around him better. Case in point was LaVar Arrington, who was downright crestfallen when word got to him that Pierce had left the Redskins to go to the Giants in 2005. It took Arrington one year to get his tail up to NY to be with his former teammate in the middle. Before the fateful Achilles injury in Dallas that season, the Giants in 2006 had the early seeds of what could have been the most dominant defense in the league. The injury bug ripped through the team, one game after the next. Tuck and Strahan both were lost.

With all of that said, it is now 2009, not 2006. This is now the aging veteran Pierce. The one who got beat on the pass interference call to Watson which set up a 1st and goal for the Pats first TD of Super Bowl XLII. The one who could not handle Brian Westbrook out of the backfield. Spagnuolo adjusted and put a Safety on the RB on third down/obvious passing downs. Sheridan was the LBers coach, so he knows EXACTLY what he has and what he does not have in Pierce. Cold? Heartless? Age is not kind to LBers.

So Pierce has a chip on his shoulder. He's playing with something to prove. He does not have anything to prove to us, his loyal fans. He simply has to prove to opposing NFL Offensive Coordinators that he won't lose that half step in the second half of the season.

5) Amani Toomer has landed a job with the Chiefs. Hail Toomer. Warrior to the end. And just a reminder, you have not seen the last of him- we play the Chiefs Week #4.

6) Who is Vince Anderson? Garafolo reports that his stock is rising and he is competing seriously for that last Safety spot behind Phillips, Johnson and Brown:

"And finally, I mentioned Anderson up top and waited to the bottom to tell you he had an awesome afternoon. The undrafted rookie from Webber International (Fla.) got in front of Nicks on a fade and easily won a jump ball to knock it away. A few minutes later, he picked off a pass from Woodson that was badly behind the intended target. And finally, he showed good concentration to intercept a ball from Bomar that went through Moss' hands. Nice way for Anderson, who converted to safety when he arrived in Albany, to get on the coaches' radar."

The first day of camp.

2009-08-04T06:00:00.008-04:00

Kenny Phillips off to a good start
Saed Hindash/Star Ledger

1) Note that we have provided a quicklink to NY Giants camp updates in the upper right hand corner of the blog. As always, we'll try to cut through the fluff and post the salient comments and developments.

2) In yesterday's lunchtime update, we noted that Stewart Bradley, the stud LBer with 150 tackles last season, is likely gone for the season with a torn ACL. Hey, the Eagles were not holding a benefit for us when Osi went down last year, so pardon us while we do not shed any tears for them or any of the other 31 teams in the league. Every team deals with these ugly injuries, so why can't it be some other team for a change?! Let's remember that starting S Terry Kinard went out during our '86 run. That Simms went out in the '90 run. That Kiwanuka (and Ward, altho that brought in #44) went out in the '07 run. So injuries are a part of the game. Deal with it, Eagles fans. "It's a major loss," said Donovan McNabb. Yep.

3) Coughlin: "Sinorce ( Moss) had a nice spring. Steve Smith knows exactly what he is being asked to do at this point in time. Mario Manningham had a nice off-season."

4) Kenny Phillips had two picks. Coughlin: "Yeah, I was (impressed). Those were two outstanding plays, too. I was back here cheering." Good color at the end of the video link on his strong progress. If this guy steps up big he is going to make this defense hum.

5) Q&A with Osi Umenyiora:
Q. Does this team have the right pieces for success?
A. Let me tell you…I haven’t seen a team like this, as far as depth-wise since I’ve been here, we’re solid at every position, I mean every position. I mean we look real good on paper right now, but as soon as we get on the field we’ll see what we really have.

Q. Are you referring to just the defense?
A. Defense, offense…we’re solid at every position on the field.

Q. Is this deeper than the team that won it all a few years ago?
A. Deeper? I would say so. I mean from a straight depth standpoint I think we’re definitely better. But I mean are we going to be as good? That remains to be seen.

Q. When you went into camp last year, did you feel the same way?
A. I felt good about last year too. Maybe not quite as strong as every position like we have now, but I did feel good about last year too.

6) We've been arguing here on the blog that WR is not the issue for the Giants. Pat Kirwin agrees.

7) I sent an email to a few people yesterday before camp in response to someone asking aloud about who would win the battle between Bomar and Woodson for the 3rd QB spot. Those of you following this blog know what the answer is, given how Wonder was crazy for this kid Bomar two weeks before the draft. If Woodson beats out Bomar for a roster spot (barring injury related reason) I will sing "Hail to the Redskins" to my wife's Uncle Roger down in Maryland, I will sing "Fly Eagle Fly" to my wife's stepfather down in Philly, and I will tell Eddie H that the Cowboys are God's gift to the NFL. But that is Not Happening, folks. From Ralph V today: "Speaking of Bomar … Advantage: him, in the battle for the third-quarterback job. On an off morning for the quarterbacks, he seemed to have mostly crisp, straight, spiral throws."

8) I have a day job down here in NJ. But Ed Valentine at Big Blue View is there in person at practices in Albany. He is giving very good color. He offered the same strong sentiments about Bomar that Vacchiano gave.

9) Burress shoots the Giants in 2008... Pierce lifts the Giants in 2009. Is #58's exoneration going to be a metaphor for this season?

Lunchtime Special: Pierce not indicted

2009-08-03T14:03:00.003-04:00

Pierce not indicted.

EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT... BRADLEY LIKELY OUT FOR 2009 WITH TORN ACL. HUGE NEGATIVE FOR EAGLES. "Giant" uptick.

and Burress was just indicted. now that one is a shock. not.

Rocky Bernard has a "non-football injury"

2009-08-03T06:00:00.007-04:00

1) The info on the margin is that with camp starting today, Rocky Bernard has a non-football injury.

That Coughlin himself was caught by surprise is a candid admission from the coaching staff that they were blindsided by this. A guy goes away ~6 weeks ago, comes back with a non-football injury? When? How? Why wasn't it reported to the Giants medical staff? Barring the injury occurring within the last two days, the lack of communication is disappointing.

2) Coughlin referred to Pierce's legal situation as "serious." If Pierce was involved with obstruction, then that would be legitimate. But if it is not that, then it sounds like political grandstanding at its worst.

3) In case you missed it from the comments section a few days ago, a special shout out to Russ Wellen for providing a link to an article in the Atlantic Monthly from last October. Not a good article, A GREAT ARTICLE. MUST READ. Must read for Giants fans. Must read for football fans. Must read for people who want to understand where the game was and where it is. And by the way, the NFL Network and NFL Films are missing a great opportunity if they do not have one of these shows all the time on breaking down film of the classic games with coaches today. Thanks Russ.

Players Report to Camp TODAY!

2009-08-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

The wait is over. Players report to Albany today and camp practices begin tomorrow.

And what a nice job by Reese and Nicks to get a deal done yesterday, so that everyone is in on time.

Everyone is still freaking out and putting way too much attention on the situation at WR. STOP!

Reasons to 'worry NOT' about WR:
1) Moss and Manningham had a good offseason
2) This unit has a ton of pedigree-#1,#2,#2,#3,#3
3) They'll get all the reps from OTAs and camp, so improvement will continue
4) QB/TE/RB/OL are all rock solid
5) Lots of wild cards for upside. And longshot Beckum too.
6) Lots of depth when you consider that #5 on the depth chart is the 1st rounder
7) Coaches have been very happy with the speed of this unit
8) Kevin Boss can(/SHOULD) move the sticks too

And the real reasons to 'worry NOT' about WR:
9) BECAUSE 6th year pro Manning needs to/should/will take more responsibility for their success
10) BECAUSE LBer is a much bigger problem
11) BECAUSE OL is a much bigger problem as soon as someone goes down
12) BECAUSE S is a much bigger problem as soon as someone goes down

Of course there are question marks at WR. But if someone from this group does not step out and make an impact then we'll be surprised, even if it is just from a statistical perspective ALONE. Moss could have made an impact last year if the coaches would have used him more. Hixon WILL make an impact if he stays healthy. Smith will make an impact if the repetition at camp pays off, which we would expect it to. Manningham and Nicks have loads of upside and the only question is whether the timing is going to be this year or not. So relax, something will stick. And just maybe a lot more than something.

Bradshaw speaks

2009-08-01T06:00:00.005-04:00

Giants.com interviewed Ahmad Bradshaw

On the opportunity this year to be the #2 behind Jacobs: (wide smile) "one of the biggest years of my life"

On the duties of the #2, catching out of the backfield, screens: "that is one of the biggest characteristics of my game, catching the ball, running outside the backfield, and being able to get around the edge. Our offensive coordinator is helping me and our offense do that."

Preseason ticket extortion, etc...

2009-07-31T06:00:00.003-04:00

1) From Sunday, Phil Mushnick: NFL Extortion, KC Chiefs-style.

If you have an opinion to share, write a letter to

Commissioner Roger Goodell
National Football League
280 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017

All that is necessary for the forces of NFL evil to win in the world is for enough good fans to do nothing.
Edmund Burke Ultimatenyg

2) Sintim and Beatty signed, one left.

3) Andrews and Peters hurt at Eagles camp. Not major, but not a help either. Everyone has injuries, deal with them.

4) Rich Seubert:

Q) What are your individual goals for this upcoming season?
A) My personal goal for this season is for the team to win. The only way you have fun in this business is if you win games, and my goal is for the team to do well. At this stage of my career, it's all team goals. My personal goal is to stay healthy and play well, but it's really for the team to win games, and a lot of them.

Q) Who's going to be the breakout player on the team this year?
A) Everyone can predict a receiver. You know, I think everyone has proved themselves, so you have to pick a rookie probably. So yeah, one of the rookies. It better be one of the rookies.

We just love the wisdom of a lineman. Anonymous team effort. Meat and potatoes. Win.

David Tyree

2009-07-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

Someone please tell us.. how does David Tyree get a roster spot? If Smith, Hixon, Moss, Manningham, Nicks or Barden get hurt badly and go on season-ending IR, okay, we know that one. But let's assume those 6 stay healthy. How does he stick? Everyone knows his special teams play, but at his age, he needs to be doing more. I am not so sure he would have made the team last year either- w/o the PUP he was likely the odd man out last year as well. This year he'll likely be a roster casualty. Some team short on WRs and specials will pick him up.

Pierce distraction

2009-07-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

Pierce to be indicted by DA for involvement in the Plaxishmoe debacle.

John Mara defends Pierce and spars with the DA.

I am not trying to spread rumors. My only logical guess for where this could come from is that Pierce was the one who asked the hospital employee to not report the gunshot wound. It would be the only reason why the DA is not charging the worker, instead letting her roll on Pierce. "Morgenthau did specify that no New York-Cornell medical personnel would be charged for failing in their obligation under state law to inform police about Burress' gunshot wound." Why? I would have to believe the DA is after someone else. With Plaxico Burress not mentioned at all in this light, the next person would seem to be Pierce. This is PURELY CONJECTURE. We have no evidence to suggest this other than what you are reading here.

Misc

2009-07-28T06:00:00.004-04:00

1) 5 days till camp, 6 days till first practice.

2) Morgenthau wants as many as two years from Plax.

3) The NY Post says Pierce is 'still on the hook' for his involvement in the Plax mess.

4) Vick has been reinstated, and Myers thinks he will become a Redskin.

5) Westbrook out until mid August. He went under the knife June 5th.

6) The Giants top 3 picks have not yet signed. Here is a link to keep track of all of the first round signings.

7) ESPN's lack of coverage of Roethlisberger's civil rape case and Marvin Harrison alleged gun shootings?!!! The parade continues.

Ralph Vacchiano is back

2009-07-26T12:00:00.002-04:00

Ralph Vacchiano is back and he has given his training camp preview.

Just as interesting, if not more so, is Vacchiano's 5 issues:
1. "Top of the Heap"- the state of the WRs with Plax and Toomer gone.
2. "Money ball"- the state of the defense after the free agent $ignings of Canty, Bernard, Boley and Brown.
3. "Ahmad's touches"- Ward's touches last season were double Bradshaw's the past two.
4. "Rookie roles"
5. "End of the line"- make or break seasons for Sinorice Moss and Gerris Wilkinson.

The Ultimatenyg 5 issues:
1. LBer LBer LBer
2. Lack of depth at OL
3. Boss touches
4. Hixon on kickoffs
5. Lack of depth at S

Please note that we specifically did not mention WR. Two years ago we did not mention RB despite the fact that everyone and their mother was worried about the loss of Barber. We knew the Giants were loaded at RB. And that happened to be the August where Ryan Grant was traded to the Packers because of the quality overload (normally he gets cut). No, WR is not overloaded. But between Manningham and Moss having a good offseason, Tyree fighting for a roster spot, Nicks showing good hands, Hixon and Smith simply extending their play with more consistency, this will not be the bugaboo everyone worries about. #3, Kevin Boss getting the touches from Gilbride-- this is the issue to be concerned about. TE needs to make the PASSING game work. By getting Boss more involved in the passing game, the WRs will have less pressure, less Safeties and more opprtunities. Not to mention helping the crowded box running game.

Jim Johnson

2009-07-25T09:30:00.003-04:00

Competition makes you better. And taking it one step further, when the competition inside your division is raised to another level, it provides AN OPPORTUNITY for your team to win it all.

We used to think that if there were a few easy games in the season/playoffs, that this route was preferred. STOP! Think about it- since when have the Giants ever gone all the way and won a Super Bowl title with an 'easy' route?!

In '86, the Giants lost to division rival Dallas in Week 1. The 49-3 playoff win vs the 49ers was against a very good team. They also played three games of WAR vs the Redskins. That which does not kill you makes you stronger.

In '90, it was the Eagles who stopped the Giants unbeaten streak. And it would be two teams the Giants had lost to during the regular season (49ers, Bills) that the Giants would need to go through for the title. Championships are earned.

In '07, the Giants had lost to the Cowboys TWICE during the regular season. So it took a win vs Dallas in arguably their toughest playoff contest that year to get over the top. I thank the heavens for giving us a Flozell Adams injury in Q3 or else I do not think that game is won.

Contrast this with the adversity given by the Eagles last season, where they drew up the blueprint in W14 for the post-Burress recipe on how to beat the Giants. That ugly day was only made worse when the Giants were not able to answer 5 weeks later in the playoffs to the same divisional rival.

It may seem simple and almost trite, but if you cannot get past your division, you aren't going anywhere. You might as well have a tough division because championships are the goal, not the playoffs.

It is with all of this said that we have to truly respect the job that Jim Johnson has done for the Eagles defenses over the years. Nothing ever came easy playing against Jim Johnson. Those blitzes were going to come and you were going to have to earn your way when you played against him. He is fighting cancer and has stepped aside as DC. We dislike (okay, hate) the Eagles, but Jim Johnson makes the NFC East what it is by giving the division 60 minutes of adversity every single game. You may not want to admit it, but the NFC East will miss him.

Tisch and Mara speak to their customers

2009-07-24T06:00:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week the Giants reduced ticket prices on their remaining unsold tickets. Yesterday morning Tisch and Mara sent a letter to the waitlist. It was a grim reminder of how much has changed. The takeaways:

1) "Once you purchase a PSL, you will control your seat for as long as the Giants continue to play in the new stadium." Yes, that's right, suckers. In 30 years when this stadium is no longer state of the art, we'll come at you with hat in hand and do this all over again. Can't wait.

2) "We have attempted to convey from the beginning of the PSL sales process that great thought and care has been given to the pricing of the PSLs and tickets in our new home." How much can we get out of this group of people without an insurrection?

3) "After literally sitting in many of the seats, we have decided to reduce the ticket price of the outer two sections in all four Mezzanine Club B corner areas from $400 to $250 per game." These seats smelled, so we had to lower the price on them.

4) "As a reminder, the approximately 70,000 non-club seats have been sold out in the new stadium." The Club Seats are selling as fast as those Yankees seats behind home plate.

5) "Please note that the ticket prices in our club sections will remain the same for at least the first three seasons in the new stadium." The economy browns, we can't sell all of these PSLs at the current price, so we are spinning this as well as we can. Aren't we great for holding the line on ticket price increases?

6) "As waitlist members, we hope you take advantage of this opportunity to experience Giants Football in one of our new clubs." Waitlist member? What's a waitlist member? That list disappeared along with the generations of goodwill that we threw down the toilet. Oh, did we mention how many toilets there are in the new stadium that you are paying for with those PSLs? Alert- new money-raising idea: Maybe we can have naming rights for the urinals.

One Giant fan who also received the letter yesterday emailed Ultimatenyg: "Gotta love them. They are so caring and compassionate." A little sarcasm there? Ya think?!

Who's going to have a breakout year?

2009-07-23T06:00:00.005-04:00

Mike Garafolo of NJ.COM has been conducting a summer questionnaire for departing Giants players after minicamp OTAs. A lot of it is human interest, but one thing we felt was info on the margin (especially when aggregated together as a group) were the answers to the same question...

"Excluding yourself, who's going to be the breakout player on this team this year?"

Justin Tuck> "Jay Alford"
Michael Johnson> "Aaron Ross"
Danny Clark> "Sinorice Moss"
Chris Snee> "Domenik Hixon"
Kevin Boothe> "Osi Umenyiora"
Chris Canty> "Hakeem Nicks"
Mathias Kiwanuka> "Domenik Hixon"
Adam Koets> "Steve Smith"
Corey Webster> "Michael Johnson"

"The rookies" enter their 3rd year

2009-07-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

A little while back I went to check a particular play from the Super Bowl, something jumped out at me... the first TD drive of the Giants at the beginning of Q4. With the exception of Tyree's TD catch culminating the drive, every play was handled by a rookie!

Boss 45 yd pass play
Bradshaw 4 yd run
Bradshaw 2 yd run
Smith 17 yd pass play
Bradshaw 7 yd run

These guys are now entering their 3rd year, if they can all make the jump, it will be a very good year. It also underscores how all hands have to be on deck- in today's NFL you need your rookies to hit the ground running, to be able to help the team out later in the year. Rookies who start at the beginning of the year get tired by the end because they are not ready for the grind, which can be twice as long as college. But the three rookies featured above are noteworthy for a few reasons.. (1) they all saw limited action for the first ~3/4ths of the season and (2) were all on the list of players who needed more playing from Gilbride last year and certainly need it this year in order for the team to make the jump. Everyone here knows full well that the jump from 2nd year to 3rd year pro in the NFL is usually a make or break proposition. We see no reason why the tremendous rookie class of 2007 cannot and should not make a quantum leap in production for this team.

In descending order of confidence:

Boss- once Plax went down, this man needed to be the center of the offensive passing attack. We argued for it late last season, it did not happen, but we do not see any reason (other than Gilbride neglect) why this kid cannot have a huge year. HUGE. But you don't have to listen to us, just listen to Bavaro, get him the damn ball.

Smith- he'll be taking Toomer's spot at the possession wideout. Looking for big camp and big year.

Bradshaw- protect the ball and the rest is all downhill. There are no excuses for him or the coaching staff this year. NONE. Ward is gone, the snaps will be there, carry that ball high so that it does not get stripped. Run for daylight every single snap. Stretch opposing defenses the way it was done in the 2008 playoffs.

Johnson- surprised? It is more about bodies back there than anything else. Losing Wilson after 2007 and Butler in 2008 leaves a fulltime starter spot open for this guy with less rotation than the past two years.

Ross- ??..did he have a sophmore slump? Is it me, or did he come on like gangbusters early in 2007, only to get more yawns than impact thereafter? Yes, the Giants use a lot of press coverage, so without the DL to keep up the pressure as last season wore on, we saw Ross exposed. Time to make that big jump. At stake is nothing less than a Super Bowl, because with the superior depth of our DL in 2009 and the potential for bookend corners in Ross and Webster, this defense can be awfully stingy. At this point, it is not clear to me whether Thomas can offer even greater upside, given how he came on. So let's see Ross do it, but we'd take either. Or both.

Alford- That sack of Brady still has us worshipping this guy! What can we say. We did not see a lot last season, and with Cofield and Robbins playing hurt, he had an opportunity and did not exactly bust the door down. With the depth this year, does he make the team?

DeOssie- Specials guys get cut if they are not competing for starting jobs by their 3rd season. But this guy is a long-snapper; is that enough to keep him on the roster? By the numbers, he is in trouble. Alford is a long snapper too, so one of them likely stays. With Boley hurt, Sintim hamstring(?), LBer is not exactly teeming with competition for roster spots. So it is up to DeOssie to stay on the field.

Rhett Bomar

2009-07-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

How many of you saw this little nugget from June 16th?

Garafolo: "Wait til camp and the preseason, when you see how fast the ball comes out of QB Rhett Bomar's hand. He flicks the ball and it's out. It's quite something. He did it again Tuesday on a great ball over the middle for an incompletion. Yes, I said incompletion because TE Darcy Johnson dropped it. But that's not the point. The point is Bomar got it out and up the seam so quickly that the LBs didn't have a chance to get their hand up. I'm really impressed with Bomar so far."

Wonder told us about him ~ two weeks before the draft, his #1 offensive Day 2 gem. NOT because he is going to be a great QB. Because of value. Wonder loves upside. He loves potential. Bomar has the potential to be a franchise QB. Will he realize that potential? Anyone's guess. But Garafolo sees the arm, the release, he likes what he sees. He'll have the opportunity to be groomed, and then we can see what we have. No guarantees. Although Wonder the psychopath football nut believes that Manning could be out of football from injuries in 5 years and that Bomar could be the Giants' #1. With camp and preseason rapidly approaching we'll get to see first hand what he looks like.

NFLN previews the Giants

2009-07-20T06:00:00.003-04:00

NFLN video link previews the Giants for 2009.

Jamie Dukes smartly downplays the issues at WR. Between all of the talent they have, there is no reason why they cannot get it done this year. If they do not, it is either because of injuries, Gilbride or a combination of both. Moss is playing better, Manningham is playing better, Boss needs lots more touches, Nicks looks like he make a significant rookie contribution, and Hixon and Smith have already proven (when healthy) they have the game.

What is missing is a serious discussion of two items.

1) LBer. The injury to Boley sets this unit right back to 2008. Where is the speed? Where are the impact plays? Where is Pierce after midyear when he slows down? Sintim pulled a hamstring in OTAs, so he better be very healthy and very active in camp. Kehl? Waiting for GodotWilkinson?

2) Lack of depth at Safety. Knight and Butler are gone. Johnson and Phillips should be fine. But this unit always had rotation, and now there is CC Brown and that is about it folks. If they stay healthy, okay. If they do not, trouble.

And as a footnote Giants fans, if #10 can play at a consistently high level for an entire season, the Giants can collect a title 'EASY.' In 2007 Manning played at that consistently high level for 5 consecutive games. It was the right 5 games. So let's start putting some pressure on Eli Moneybag$. When he signs that contract to be the highest paid player in the NFL, he better know the responsibility needs to be there. Jerry Reese said so.

Tom Watson

2009-07-19T07:00:00.003-04:00

We watch as Tom Watson, a 59 year old player, is allowed to compete in the same tournament as the best professionals in the world. In a major championship. The British Open.

After 1 round he is in first place with a blistering 5 under and everyone is polite. Tremendous accomplishment. And everyone is thinking.. he'll fade tomorrow. Instead, he shoots another great round of golf and is tied for the lead going into the weekend. He is 59!!! Tiger Woods, the OTHER golfer from Stanford, doesn't even make the cut!

Enter Round 3 yesterday, and the winds are typically savage. They humble the best players in the world. This'll be the day that Watson crumbles. He is 59!!! He had his hip replaced last year!!! But once again we saw yet another brilliant performance from Watson. On a day that few (try 5) golfers in the entire field could break par, Watson shoots one over and takes sole possession of first place after 54 holes.

If Tom Watson wins the British Open, it will be the #1 story of 2009 in all of sports. That is why we have to acknowledge it here on a football blog. When Nicklaus won at Augusta in 1986 at the age of 46, it shook the world. To put this in perspective, it was here at Turnberry THIRTY TWO YEARS AGO that Watson was busy fending off Nicklaus in an epic battle for a major championship. It is 2009. What is Watson doing here?! I'll tell you what he is doing- he is trying to make MORE history.

We have already seen three amazing feats. Can he hold it together and pull it off?

Ray Handley

2009-07-18T06:00:00.002-04:00

I love telling the story of a dear friend.. his name was Garo Hampar. Gary, as we called him, was walking with us after lunch one afternoon, and the subject of the new Giants head coach comes up. Gary: "I don't know about this guy Handley. He said if he did not get the (offensive coordinator's) job he was going to go to law school. Now if I am calling the shots, that is not the guy I hire. Where is his commitment to the sport, to coaching? This smells of trouble."

Prescient. Two seasons later we saw the franchise take 50 steps backward. What talented players, wasted. And then I remember the words of Bob Trumpy, color analyst broadcasting one of the final Giants games of that ill-fated second season of disaster. The Giants were now playing for jobs for the NEXT head coach, so they played proud and played well vs the Chiefs. It was their only win in the last 7 games of the season. And then Trumpy makes some comments that make my stomach turn:(paraphrased)" I don't understand what the complaints are about Handley. He's a good coach, and he is getting a bum rap." Trumpy was upset at how everyone could pass judgment on a member of the football fraternity so quickly and not give him the benefit of the doubt. There is not a single Giant fan who has any positive memories of the Handley years. I like to juxtapose Trumpy's sloppy and misinformed defense of Handley with George Young's candid summary of the hire: "My worst decision."

The Meeting Room

2009-07-17T06:00:00.001-04:00

Giants.com gave us a look into one of the meeting rooms where coaches and players can use state of the art video for teaching.

Tom Coughlin used a little bit of hyperbole, claiming that the team is "in the meeting room twenty times more than we are on the field." Obviously that is a stretch, but Coughlin made his point. If the new facilities enable the team to review 5% more plays in the same period of time, then maybe that converts on the field to one more play being executed precisely by all 11 players in a game... and maybe, just maybe, that is why the Giants win. Every little bit helps.

Andre Brown

2009-07-16T06:00:00.004-04:00

"In his third year, ANDRE BROWN will be the featured back of the NY Giants," says Wonder. "He is a Giant STEAL."

Strong prediction for Andre Brown. Wonder is on record. One caveat of course whenever making a football prediction- he needs to be healthy. Brown had an issue with his foot in 2007 and 2008, but he put that behind him and finished strong in 2008.

Back to the present, it is 2009 and we're still the Bradshawlics, eagerly awaiting to see if he can make something of his opportunity as the #2 back NOW. Glauber and I (and many commenters here on the blog) are looking for a breakout year from #44. breakout year from #44. breakout year from #44. Oops, broken record.

Here is to Andre Brown's future- if Wonder is right in 2011 we are going to have to rename the official curse word.

Musical Chairs at DL

2009-07-14T06:00:00.002-04:00

9 men, 8 chairs. Round and round we go, when the music stops, nobody knows.

Those were interesting comments from Tollefson last week. He is one of the lesser known subs who certainly gets enough time in the rotation as a DE. But does he even make the team?! Let's do the math..

Assuming that Douzable, Evans, Henderson, Hill, Bryant and JClark all do not make the team...

Umenyiora
Tuck
Canty
Bernard
Robbins
Cofield
Tollefson
Kiwanuka
Alford

One of these 9 does not make it. This would imply a shorter list of Cofield/Robbins/Bernard/Alford/Tollefson. I am no doctor, so far be it for me to make a guess about Cofield and Robbins after surgery. I am going to go with Robbins on the PUP list for now so that the Giants take their time, keep him fresh on a longer timetable and have his knees (ETC!) ready for the 2nd half push and postseason. Intentionally speaking, that is a nice luxury to have. Is Robbins better than others on this list? Of course, when healthy, YES. 100% comebacks from microfracture surgery take time. If Robbins were to have a very good camp or even get a lot of reps, it would make this decision harder. Then I would suspect that 1 of these guys- Cofield/Tollefson/Alford gets cut. Normally Cofield would not be there, since he was a starter. But he had offseason surgery too. Drilling down.. Tollefson or Alford? I suspect that Reese would have a shot at getting a late round draft pick for one of them.

The one good thing about all of this is that the Giants are very deep here... nice problem to have. If the Giants stay healthy in camp and some team that is thin at DL does not, then look for the Giants to possibly deal one of them. Why? Because Defensive Linemen are grown, they are not born... another team could make one of these guys a starter and 3 years from now they could be a solid cog in their defense.

Wonder's take on the logjam at DL? "Robbins might be cut period. We'll have to see how Tollefson, Cofield, Alford, Bernard look like in camp." That sounds a little harsh to me. His salary is a reasonable $2.1M in the last year of his contract. A cheap enough call option. I would think the Giants PUP him before they cut him. This way they have an option w/o taking up a roster spot. To be fair, the Giants probably don't know exactly what they are going to do- they need to see how everyone is doing this summer at camp and then simply evaluate who makes the most sense to be on the roster.

Summary: Robbins microfracture+DL+32 years old= PUP.

Manning's payday

2009-07-13T06:00:00.002-04:00

Eli Manning enters his 6th season. Time to pay the Man.

Strengths
1) Poise
2) Stability
3) Unwavering/Unflappable
4) Calm under pressure
5) Improvement each year
6) Smart (Audibles, etc..)
7) Always maturing
8) Selfless (Team first)
9) Young
10)Championship QB

Weaknesses
1) Needs a tight spiral
2) Inconsistent accuracy

The great ones do not have weaknesses. Eli is not great. But he is good. Good enough to win championships. With 5 years under his belt, he's going to get a lot better before we're through seeing him. Eli knows his weaknesses; we just hope he can address them to become that GREAT QB. This is what Reese talks about when he thrusts more responsibility on his shoulders. Reese wants him to lead the team and bust down the door. Manning came up aces in 2007-8 and came up flat vs PHL this past winter.

Objective review of Eli by the numbers:

(Year/QB rating/Playoff record)
2004 55 none
2005 76 0-1
2006 77 0-1
2007 74 4-0
2008 86 0-1

Now that Manning is fast becoming the senior member of the huddle, he needs to take charge and demand more from his players. His nickname is 'easy' but he cannot be 'easy' on teammates when they make mistakes. He must hold them accountable.

Hold O'Hara accountable for that stupid personal foul penalty.
Hold Bradshaw accountable for protecting the ball.
Hold Diehl accountable vs the speed rusher.
Hold the young WRs accountable for running their routes well.
And hold himself accountable for inconsistent/wind play.

Like it or not, when you get paid the wallet-bulging numbers he is going to get, you cannot hide from that responsibility. Eli has the calm not to let that be a burden. But he has to realize that if he is going to get those numbers, he needs to simply accept the responsibility of his share of the JOB of winning.

Reese's job gets tougher now in re-signing players. The team has enjoyed success by keeping players like Jacobs, Webster, Snee, Diehl etc.. and by selectively going after players like McKenzie, Burress and Pierce (and now Canty and Boley) in free agency. Mathematically, paying Manning top dollar (literally!) means we would be able to get one less Boley or Canty. Is that going to be the difference in us winning a title? Perhaps. Perhaps not if Manning plays at that level he is about to get paid at.

The way this blogger sees it, Reese is the true man behind the curtain who makes it all work. Signing a guy like Tuck in January of 2008 was almost like stealing. If we have anything less than a great GM, Manning's new salary would be an albatross which would kill the team because mistakes would become magnified. Jerry Jones' mistakes enabled us to GET Canty. Thankfully we have the other Jerry in the NFC East.

Giant Illini

2009-07-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

NY Giants Left Tackle David Diehl bleeds blue, AND ORANGE. He is a proud graduate of the University of Illinois, so proud in fact that he is giving back. It is not every day that you hear about a guy who gets a free ride to college and then decides to 'pay it back.' It is a nice gesture. After a week of adultery, murder and battery, football is allowed to have stories about players making good things happen.

Dysfunctional Dallas Defense

2009-07-10T06:00:00.005-04:00

Remarkable things from former Cowboy Greg Ellis...

We knew things were pretty bad in Dallas when that team underachieved in all sorts of ways. Before the 2008 season started we projected Dallas as the best team.. but that assumes the talent on paper will be used properly by the coaching staff.

Wonder scratched his head in bewilderment at how the team was missing in action in Early October 2008: "the Dallas defense ('like I said after the W2 eagles mon night game') is over-rated. You give up 37 points to the eagles and then you let Washington control the ball like that? bad. It is not about the players. Schemes are not good."

Just three days ago when discussing our 2009 defense, we pointed out that Canty may be even better than we think because he was part of an underachieving unit with a coordinator that is now gone.

And now we get the revelation yesterday that the lights were on but nobody was home. DeMarcus Ware was playing possom on the sidelines just to get his buddy Greg Ellis out on the field for more snaps! What the Brown is going on??!! Was it THAT bad? The last time I heard of this kind of insurrection it was LT telling Steve DeOssie to call one of the old defensive setups in revolt against the Rod-Rust-read-n-react bullbrown of Ray Handley's WeaveGoldIntoStraw Days. Woof. It certainly begins to answer questions about how such a great team on paper was coming up empty.

Old Reese quote on Boley

2009-07-09T06:00:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, Reese defended both Bernard and Boley.

Reese: "It's really unfortunate that when you're in pro sports everything gets overexaggerated a little bit," Reese said. "We don't condone any kind of domestic violence of any kind in any way, so don't get me wrong on that. But Michael Boley does all kinds of community service and people never talk about that. It's really kind of a shame that people don't say, 'Wow, this guy's a really good guy. He does all this kind of community service.' But the negative things seem to always come up.

"It's just unfortunate, but when you're in a high-profile position I guess this is what happens."

Reese is in a better position to have the kind of information about the person to tip the scales in one direction or the other. None of us can sit here and judge. Just like they did with Bradshaw (or anyone else with a disciplinary history), they need it told to the new player (/in their contract) that if it happens here in a Giant uniform, then the player is gone. Bradshaw has been clean.. it is great to give someone a chance if they show a willingness to admit mistakes and a sincere interest in starting anew. Boley should be on the same notice that Bradshaw was put on.

Boley battery

2009-07-08T06:00:00.009-04:00

Michael Boley will serve a one game suspension at the start of the season.

Once we get past the shock of a new player already getting a suspension, in the grand scheme of things this does not have to be anything that affects the team greatly. For starters, it happened over a year ago when Boley was a Falcon. Second, Boley is in rehab after hip surgery and will not be effective at that (early, W1) juncture anyway.

In a larger sense, you simply cannot ignore all of this reprehensible conduct. We are reminded of the George Young quote which seems to accurately sum up football players: "We are not in the business of well-adjusted human beings." Be it Burress, Stallworth, Vick, McNair, Leaf, Ingram, Boley... the list never ends. In fact, there is one site that has a regular PARADE of players on the police blotter. So we'll casually dismiss the Boley battery in Giants terms, but we can never ever dismiss it in human terms.

Tollefson comments

2009-07-07T06:00:00.002-04:00

Q: Why is this defense going to be better than last year?

DL Dave Tollefson: "We're getting one of the most explosive defensive linemen in the league back in Osi Umenyiora. Not that we even needed him last year. (laughs) Chris Canty is, to me, everything and more than we expected. He's a great guy, No. 1, and he practices hard. Within our group, we respect that. Rocky Bernard is right up our alley as a wiley vet and he and Fred (Robbins) are those older, reliable guys. I thought Antonio (Pierce) had a great year last year, but apparently I haven't been around long enough, so I found out he's expecting more of himself. You'd have to expect a guy like that will have a better year. Bill Sheridan, I'm very happy with how he's worked out. He's very smart and very thorough. He and 'Wauf' (DL coach Mike Waufle) are very similar in that they do the work and we just go play football. And just the way last year ended. We had it in front of us and we let it get away. That's going to motivate us - and it should."

Nice color from Tollefson. Re Canty, pls remember that the Dallas defense underachieved. The coordinator is gone and so are many players. It is possible, without getting our collective hopes up TOO high, that Canty makes this defense HUM, especially after getting in rhythm with guys like Tuck and Umenyiora. If this thing can come together and Boley can get healthy, there is no telling how good the defense can be. A lot of things have to go right, but there is POTENTIAL for a great defense. LBer LBer LBer. Crazy, eh?

Tennessee 32 Giants 29

2009-07-05T07:00:00.006-04:00

2002 was an extremely important year for the Giants and for me personally as a fan. 2002 was, from this NY Giants blogger's perspective, the year which had the best Giants offense I have ever seen. 2008's offense could have possibly eclipsed it, but when Burress went down the wheels came off, so 2002 still holds.

2002 had the juggernaut. Amani Toomer was simply fantastic that year. He was the Giants' #1 WR, and wow could he do it all. He had the speed, the moves, the Toomer toe, in his prime, a Pro Bowl WR for the Giants in everything but name. There was one play that sticks out. The Giants are playing the Colts in Indianapolis, and the first play from scrimmage in Q3 is a flea flicker to Toomer, a bomb of bombs, Collins threw that ball a country mile and Toomer executed perfectly to make it a TD. Collins threw for 4000 yards that season. Tiki Barber ran for 1400 on the ground. Hilliard. And they had a rookie Pro Bowl TE named Jeremy Shockey. That offense could do ANYTHING it wanted. And it only got better as the season went on.

Steve McNair passed away yesterday. The Giants were 6-5 in 2002, playing against the Titans and an injured QB named Steve McNair. Fassel's offensive juggernaut scored oodles that day, it could have scored a lot more. With the Giants leading 20-14 in Q3 they proceed to march down the field and score a TD. We've just entered Q4, there are 14 minutes left in the game. Your team is up 26-14. There is NOTHING TO DISCUSS.

RULE #6: Repeat after me, Do not go for the 2 pt. conversion until there are 6 minutes left in the game. If there are more than 8 minutes left in the game, it is a 99% certainty that it was the wrong decision.

Fassel goes for 2 and the conversion fails. Giants still up by 12. Tenn and McNair score. 26-21. The Giants juggernaut 2002 proceeds to march right down the field and gets hung up at 1 yard line. No problem, the game is winding down, we'll kick a FG and ice the game. Except now we are up 5 instead of 6. And 5+3 makes 8 (29-21), enough for Tennessee to come back down the field (there was a little Fassel Prevent Defense here and/or in the prev Tenn drive, if memory serves), score the TD, and have McNair get the 2 pt conversion. And the Giants lose in OT. Last night Eddie George remembered the life of Steve McNair and he remembered two games which McNair led his team back to victory. This game was one of them. Funny how everyone remembers things differently.

You cannot give the good players and the good teams too many opportunities. It'll come back to bite you. The prevent works vs bad teams because they cannot execute well enough. Steve McNair, injured body and all, was a good player on a good team, and you cannot disrespect them for one moment. (The following year, McNair would be League MVP, an honor only one NYG has ever held in the modern Super Bowl era.) McNair put on a clinic, capitalizing on a ray of light left by the Giants.

It is somewhat stunning to hear of the loss of such a huge NFL warrior. Did you note how Eddie George also talked about the pain that McNair played through? McNair did not practice the week leading up to the game with the Giants. Too much pain. As fans we do not appreciate or understand the threshold of pain these men have and what they will do to play. This is such a violent sport. 250 lb. and 300 lb. missiles being thrown at you game after game, year after year. The violence seems to follow into players' personal lives... Stallworth, Burress, McNair. Sad.

After all of the stories of his career, the NFL MVP, the Pro Bowls, the Super Bowl loss at the 1 yard line, to die at 36 from a gunshot. Whether it was murder or murder suicide, it is a terrible loss.

Separately, how ironic is it that JUST DAYS AGO the NFL held its rookie symposium to warn and educate its recently drafted players of the traps and minefields awaiting them? I hope these new members of the NFL realize that class is still in session.

Steve McNair Dead

2009-07-04T18:09:00.002-04:00

Steve McNair found dead from gunshot wounds in Nashville TN.

Independence Day Tradition

2009-07-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

Each year on July 4th we post The Rules For Winning in the NFL.

1) Do not draft a "versatile" player in Round 1 of the draft. "Dominant" should be there, not versatile.
2) Left Tackle is a rare commodity. A good Left Tackle is better than a great ______ (fill in almost any other position).
3) WRs are a dime a dozen. Do not waste resources here; pick one up when you are close to the prize. They are always available.
4) "Linebackers, I collect'em." - Bill Parcells.
5) Pitchouts do not work in the red zone.
6) Repeat after me, Do not go for the 2 pt. conversion until there are 6 minutes left in the game. If there are more than 8 minutes left in the game, it is a 99% certainty that it was the wrong decision.
6a) The Mike Tomlin Rule- The only thing worse than violating Rule 6 is violating Rule 6 AFTER a penalty makes it a 7 yd (or 12! or 17 yard) attempt.
7) The Devin Hester Rule- If there is a special teams player in the end zone on a FG attempt, it is probably a good idea to fake the kick.
8) Do the unpredictable. Once you are predictable you are dead.
9) Trading down in the draft is good.
10) Investing all of your resources in one player is (now, more than ever in the era of free agency) a mistake. Eli Manning, Herschel Walker, Ricky Williams... the teams that do the best are usually giving the pick and getting multiple players.
11) "Read and react" is for losers. Set the tone, dictate terms of engagement, let others copy your SB blueprint. By the time you copy someone else's, the league has figured out how to adjust, so you are wasting your time.
12) Let the clock wind down to 3 seconds and kick your FG. I have never seen a team muff the (3rd down) attempt and kick on 4th down with the extra time that you left on the clock. I HAVE seen plenty of teams kick the FG and give the other team the oppty/win when they got their hands on the ball again. (ie Dallas Mon Night 2003)
13) The 2 week layover for the SB makes for a lousy game which improves the chances for the favorite.
14) Special teams are always underrated.
15) The only thing the prevent defense prevents you from doing is winning.
16) The only thing the prevent offense prevents you from doing is winning.
16a) The Kenny Holmes Rule- the only thing worse than the prevent offense is the prevent offense when your defense is exhausted/impaired by injury.
17) Players are told to play for 60 minutes. Yet who benches the head coach when he only coaches for 50?
18) The Fassel Rule of Prevent: It is always the coach's fault when a large lead is blown/the game is lost.
19) The Fassel Rule of December: Practice in December w/o pads- your players will appreciate it and win many more games for you with their fresh legs.
20) The Bill Walsh "Quality Win" (winning by 11+ points) is a necessary objective at all times because it enables you to win MORE games that are more hotly contested.
21) After 1st and Goal from the 1-2 yard line, if you fail to score a TD on your first three tries, kick the FG on 4th down.
22) The Carl Banks Rule- You cannot simply turn it on and turn it off in the NFL. Play every game and maintain/improve on your high level of play.
23) Second round draft picks are the best value in the draft. No sizzle, all steak.
24) # of headcases <= strong head coaches. (If you have a strong head coach you can have up to 1 head case in the locker room. If you have a weak head coach you cannot have any. A strong head coach with 2 head cases means a locker room infestation and problems.)
25) The Phil Simms Rule- You must stretch the field on offense. If you do not/cannot pass the ball >20 yards down field, LBers and Safeties will choke off your offense.
26) Defense wins championships.

Mushnick's reality check

2009-07-03T09:00:00.002-04:00

This morning Phil Mushnick, sports muckraker extraordinaire, takes batting practice against one of our favs, Bud Selig. For those of you new or passing through, that was a joke. Bud Selig has, from this blogger's not so always humble perch, singlehandedly ruined a spectacular professional sport and turned it into QVC.

Mushnick: "By now, I suppose, we're supposed to accept it, roll with it. Baseball's Selig Era cultivated a strain of shamelessness that trades common sense and common decency for, well, how much ya got? So, take it or leave it. And get over it.

I'm trying. But it's not taking."

And then Mushnick does what any self-respecting (football) fan would do- he takes a step back and sees that Goodell and the NFL are going down that same path:

"Incidentally, when the Giants and Jets don't sell out because of their PSL ticket extortions, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be forced to change the TV blackout rules rather than risk the New York market. And he'll claim that the bad economy is to blame. But Giants and Jets patrons have remained through previous hard times. The economy will be blamed for the NFL's greed."

Here, I believe Mushnick may err on a minor technicality.. The Giants (and Jets) will likely sell out. You just won't see all the seats filled. The Giants will find some corporate s**kers to pony up the dough for the remaining $20K PSLs and $700 seats that serve all you can eat. Oh, and how we wish that Mushnick will be right and somehow, some way, they all do not get sold. The embarrassment will be palpable. As it is, the Giants should be embarrassed that their hardcore fans passed up on PSLs in DROVES. And that is the reality, the perspective that Mushnick reminds us of today.

Just remember that games ending at midnight in winter time, 18 game seasons going through the month of February, PSLs, flex game schedules that hold ticket holder schedules hostage, cable pilfering.. these are just SOME of the many ways that the NFL is going to war to grab every last dollar from your wallet.

If you are reading this blog it means you are passionate about the Giants and NFL football. The voice of this blog, along with people like Mushnick, want to remind you that at a certain price, it is not worth it anymore. It was a very sad day when one of this blogger's best friends, a guy who I went to the 1986 NFC Championship with, could not stay up for the end of the Panther game this December. He had work (early enough) the next morning and smartly, that was his priority. There once was a time when games did not flex and December games were played in the sunshine at 1PM. Today, they know they'll get someone to buy the seat, so they put it on television to max out the dollar. Tomorrow? That is someone else's problem. Tomorrow they will have Selig-ed themselves out when people stop attending and even stop viewing. 500 saves? What's a save?

The Best Offensive Player of All Time?

2009-07-02T06:00:00.003-04:00

If LT is the greatest Defensive Player of all time, then this guy is arguably the greatest Offensive Player of all time. I saw highlights, I saw stats, but the most impressive thing is that many decades later, people still compare his domination to that of Michael Jordan in basketball. We even heard that from Benigno too. You can argue Jerry Rice (Wonder's pick) or one of the QBs like Unitas/Montana/Elway/Marino. But how do you argue with a guy who AVERAGED 100+ yards per game HIS ENTIRE CAREER?! Who never missed a game?! Who never missed a Pro Bowl?! I'll take Jim Brown and LT as my two (offensive and defensive) best players ever.

Eli Manning Q&A

2009-07-01T06:00:00.004-04:00

Fan Forum with Eli Manning

1) You have to be a PSL owner in order to ask questions in the forum. That changes everything! I'm getting the checkbook out and spending 20K... for my DAUGHTER'S COLLEGE.

2) Manning notes how the Giants passing game will be going to deeper throws. Is his accuracy up to the task when not throwing to the tall receiver? How many times do we see the WR make major adjustments to meet the ball? (Amani mastered the art of slowing down and then reaccelerating to catch the ball in stride at the end of the play. He smartly used his body as a barrier vs the defender. Will these young WRs know/learn how to do that?)

3) Manning made a mistake, said the ill-fated Manningham reverse was vs PHL in the playoffs, when it was in Week 14.

4) The question about Gilbride/Coughlin predictable playcalling was off the mark... it is not about flea-flickers and reverses, which we do not advocate here on this NY Giants blog. It is about play action and screen passes when they are loading the box on the run. It is about a flare to Bradshaw. It is about delayed passes to Boss just above the line of scrimmage to break tendency on his blocking assignments.

5) Hey PSL owners, next time ask Eli how he plans to improve his throwing of the ball into the wind.

Terrell Owens exit explained

2009-06-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

Jerry Jones' son Stephen made some candid remarks to Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports on why Terrell Owens was released:

"It’s hard (for Tony Romo) to take over leadership when you’ve got a strong personality like Terrell,” Jones said. “If you look back at our old teams [from the 1990s], a lot of people would say maybe Michael [Irvin] was the leader. Then you might say, ‘He was a receiver. What about Troy [Aikman]? He was the quarterback. Wasn’t he the leader?’ And the answer is, yeah, Troy was a leader. But if Michael wasn’t supportive of him, Troy would’ve had problems.

“A lot of our players thought the world of Terrell – they still do. They loved the way he prepared and how hard he played, and everybody respected his skills and what he’d done in the league. And with him here, I think he was always going to carry that kind of weight.”

For a 1 year contract, all Owens can do is one thing: play football. The Bills did fine. This is a game of hearts- shoot the moon.