Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Phil Simms Super Bowl Recap
From Simms:
1) Brady was valiant. He took a beating and fought through to the end. He gave the ball to the defense with a 14-10 lead before the 2 minute warning.
2) A lot of NFL current QBs who were at the game were quietly and privately just a little more than happy that Brady got put on his a**. (They are a little tired of being compared so poorly to the anointed one, who so often has much better protection than they do.)
3) The Patriots CANNOT let the Strahan sack happen- it puts them out of FG range. Simms did not single out any one player/coach.
4) The lightning-fast playing field helped the pass rush.
5) Tuck was the unsung hero. Giants got a bargain in their new contract that he just signed.
6) The playcalling when the Pats are about to score at 10-7 to make it 14-10 was not good enough. You have to work the clock down and use the fact that if you fail to get a TD that at least it is 10-10. I think Phil was thinking that if you threw underneath (for a sure completion) or ran, that you could push the ball closer and burn clock-- too much time was given to the Giants.
7) The Giants' run thru the playoffs was unbelievable... Phil thinks it was the hardest run ever.
8) The Manning pass and catch by Tyree was one of the greatest plays in football ever.
9) Re the pass rush in this game, it is important to understand that hidden in the W17 game was that the Giants were VERY CLOSE to getting to Brady. Brady was just barely getting the ball off and Simms felt if the turf speed or any of a number of variables changed, that the Giants would get to Brady easier this time. The pass rush affects so many things- you cannot get to Moss downfield anymore. Lack of run means the playaction is not going to work, and w/o playaction you cannot buy the extra time to freeze safeties and allow runners to go longer routes. The longest pass play was 19 yards.
10) On the final Burress TD catch, CB Hobbs is not to be faulted.. it was a blitz and they teach the CB to go for the first move on the blitz because you have to assume the QB will not have enough time for the second move's route. The Giants did great because they picked up the blitz and Eli went exactly where you have to go to on that defensive play call.
11) Giants controlled pace of the game and outplayed the Patriots.
12) Boss play broke the tempo of the game.
13) The Giants and Cowboys are the two most physical teams in the league. Old Time Giants Football.
14) They do not do instant replay of the scrum on a fumble because they do not know when the whistle blew. (Today we heard that the Patriot who fell on the ball lost by Bradshaw admitted he did not have control of the ball when Bradshaw went under his body and popped the ball out to regain possession.)
15) The stock of TB, DAL and GB rises because of how the Giants played NE.
16) 20-20 hindsight: the drive before the end of the half vs Dallas to tie the score defined the Super Bowl run of the Giants.
Fran Tarkenton, the original Houdini
Fran Tarkenton Video Clip- The Most Mobile QB in NFL History
When Manning gets away from the grasp of a number of Patriot rushers, it does look like luck. But when I think back to my youth about how Fran Tarkenton used to do that kind of maneuvering on an almost regular basis… there is obviously a tremendous amount of intangible skill involved.
The clip on Tarkenton is a great show, even in 2008. He had eyes behind his head. Deacon Jones' and Merlin Olsen's remarks had me roaring in laughter. When Tarkenton went to the Vikings, it was a very bad day for Giants fans. The play by Manning to Tyree heals that wound too. There was plenty of redemption going on on Sunday night.
One more thing- Tarkenton and Manning both are #10..!!
PHIL SIMMS IS JEALOUS!
Of course he is NOT jealous of the Giants. But he is JEALOUS that today the team gets a parade down the CANYON OF HEROES. If memory serves, the '86 and '90 teams did not get such treatment because the team moved out to Jersey in the 70's and the mayor/s of NYC did not exactly greet them back for a parade in open arms. Celebrations took place at the stadium instead. This one will be a little better. (addendum- Len Berman said that '86 was rejected by Koch because of 'NJ' and '90 did not happen because of the Gulf War.)
A few members of the ultimatenyg contingent were at the game...
Monday, February 4, 2008
"The Helmet"
Simply the biggest play in NY Giants history... "The Helmet"
Phil Simms: (paraphrased) 'One of the greatest football plays ever.'
Peyton Manning: "Eli's pass to Tyree, I think, was one of the greatest plays of all time."
Bob Golic and Mike Greenberg: #1 Super Bowl Play of All Time.
This was an incredible play defining an incredible game. It had Manning scrambling, it had him getting sacked, then a miraculous Tarkenton-esque escape, followed by a heave to David Tyree, met by a Pro Bowl defender, a jump ball, a catch pinned against the helmet, and the ball somehow stays caught despite Harrison pulling at Tyree's arms to rip apart the ball (not to mention the additional impact with the ground) from his hands. All taking place in a 2 minute Super Bowl drive for a championship.
Trying to put this Super Bowl win in perspective
Eli's place in Giant and NY sports is set for life. I am having a somewhat hard time comprehending it all. I know it happened, but this is larger than anything we could imagine as fans of this team.
We think of other events in sports that are similar... Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. I was 6 years old when the great NY sporting events of '69 occurred, Willis Reed, Miracle Mets, Joe Namath. So I cannot compare those events. My first Super Bowl that I watched and understood was Dallas beating Miami (24-3), so the only true comparison I have for this is Montana to Taylor when the 49ers beat Cincinnati. For this to happen to OUR team in those similar circumstances is somewhat amazing. And let us remember Montana and the 49ers were favored, and they did not need Manning (slipping out of the grasp) to Tyree's Helmet to survive. Beating the Bengals was not beating the Goliath of Belichick and Brady. I think I will only begin to comprehend the scope of this win in the next few days.
The 1990 Championship Season's analog is alive and well. Carl Banks had this one pegged MANY weeks ago. As glorious as the 49er NFC Championship was, as amazing as the triumph over the Bills was in Super Bowl XXV, somehow it misses. This year had even more. THREE ROAD PLAYOFF WINS. Overtime versus the Pack IN Lambeau. Followed by the insanity of this comeback with ~2 minutes left against an 18-0 team that was huge favorites. Incredible. SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!
ONE MORE THING- Please read Phil Simms' comments on the game BEFORE IT WAS PLAYED, posted yesterday at ~1PM. He NAILED IT right here.
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP!
Strahan- sacks, pressures, run stops, smelling out flat pass, giving this team the message that they were there in Arizona to WIN the game.
Toomer- Not satisfied with getting to the SB again. Returning from ACL surgery and making an impact on a regular basis. Yet another amazing toe catch from the sideline master.
Manning- FREE PASS FOR LIFE! He has delivered a Super Bowl Championship to us and can throw 4 INTS every game for the rest of his career and I will not care. He was Joe Montana tonight, his line should have read 3 TD and 0 INTS if not for a deflection. His scramble out of a potential sack and subsequent pass to...
Tyree- THE GREATEST PLAY IN GIANTS HISTORY. 3rd and 5, Manning about to get sacked and make 4th and long and the end of our Super Bowl hopes. THE HELMET. An earlier TD. He was the miracle. This eclipses Mark Ingram's 3rd and 12 and Bobby Johnson's 4th and 17. Not even close.
Burress- playing all season hurt, and then catching the final TD for the Super Bowl. If he is healthy he is getting 100+ yards per game for us and completely changing the game.
Pierce- the General on the playing field, making all the calls, always having the defense in the right place, making everyone around him better.
Smith- clutch catch after clutch catch. 3rd and 11 tightrope first down to the 13 yard line sets up Burress TD heroics.
Boss- what hands?!! 45 yard catch and run ignited our offense en route to the win!
Bradshaw- fighting and scrapping for yards wherever he could find them. I still do not understand how he got back his own fumble.
Jacobs- 4th and 1 carry on 'the drive' instrumental. This player's blitz pickups this evening were the UNSUNG HERO OF THE GAME.
Webster- He slips on the Moss TD. But then he bats away a long pass to Moss on the final drive to effectively seal the win. Against all odds he is arguably sharing the MVP of the entire playoffs with Manning.
Tuck- 2 sacks, a fumble strip of Brady, constant pressure on Brady. The MVP of the game if Manning does not lead the final drive.
Umenyiora/Cofield/Robbins/Alford- in the trenches, controlling everything.
Diehl/Seubert/O'Hara/Snee/McKenzie- in the trenches, controlling everything.
Wilson/Johnson/Butler/Ross/Dockery- holding one of the most potent offenses to 14 points, bending but not breaking. TEAM.
The Sports Books in Vegas ...
From one of the Las Vegas Strip's managers at a sports book: "Congrats to all believers. You can forward to Dr. Rob and all other Giants fans. The books got slaughtered. Not only was the money right but the moneyline bets came in too. I knew we had a chance when the two biggest bets today were $100k -12 and $60k at -420 on the moneyline for the Pats. You might wonder how the book got slaughtered? The majority of the bets today and all week were on the Giants. A special shout out to Ron. Great call!"
Sunday, February 3, 2008
SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!!!! Pt. 2
I thought Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV were sweet. Super Bowl XLII's victory is beyond anything I could have imagined. It is a figure of speech to ask someone to pinch you when you are having doubts imagining that reality is indeed exceeding anything you could have dreamed about, but I found myself doing that because the win was so surreal. We thought the Giants had a chance, but did any of us truly KNOW that we were going to come out winners tonight?! And when we went ahead 10-7 we thought it was possible. And when it was 3rd and goal for the Patriots at the 8 and a stop forces a possible OT, are we thinking win when Moss gets the TD? There is enough time left, 3 timouts. But can we go down the field? I just saw the replay and it was a Brandon Jacobs falling forward on 4th and 1 or else we are thinking of what could have been. Miracle play after play kept the drive alive. Manning getting out of that sack and then the scramble for....The catch by Tyree on the helmet?!!!! That play was better than Mark Ingram on 3rd and 12 in 1991! I never thought I would hear myself say that. And then the Steve Smith (okay, you are forgiven for the INT) catch for 11 yards and a 1st down. And then Burresssss in the end zone for TD!!! Comfortably NUMB! The rookie Alford sacks Brady to put them in the hail mary and the game is sealed!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!! ELI MANNING GETS A FREE PASS FOR THE REST OF HIS CAREER!!! THE GIANTS ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!!!!
PHIL SIMMS AND FINAL THOUGHTS ON XLII
I am not a very big Mike Francesa fan, but he did a beautiful job articulating all of the storylines for this Super Bowl. In a nutshell, this matchup has the ability to live up to the hype for the first time in a long time because of the 18-0 season of the Patriots. And if the Giants were to somehow pull off an upset, it would also imply an epic game and one of the biggest upsets in all of sports. So we are going to see some form of history tonight, and if the game is competitive it will be very special.
Phil Simms was on for an hour. Newer blog readers know that I think the world of Simms for too many reasons to list here, but suffice it to say that I respect his opinions and views immensely. Phil can be wrong- he picked the Raiders over the Bucs in the Super Bowl ~5 years ago. He also contended that the Giants were fine for being conservative on offense in Q4 vs Dallas, something I disagree with in a HUGE way.
Against Dallas (3 weeks ago) he thought the Giants would be competitive and had a chance at possibly winning the game. TODAY HE THINKS "THE GIANTS CAN HAVE A CHANCE TO BEAT THE PATRIOTS." So his sentiments are eerily similar. What does that mean? It simply tells us that we are not completely subjective and biased for thinking that the Giants have a chance.
* Almost everyone he has spoken with thinks the Patriots are going to score in the 40's and and are going to win easily, but that he is not of that opinion.
* It will be a lower scoring game than most think and it will be more competitive.
* The NYG are on an emotional high that he has not seen in sports.
* Two keys are (1) can the Giants DL be disruptive (2) can the Giants be more physical on offense.
* Has heard this fast turf is in excellent condition and will be even faster, which benefits speed.
In terms of the players who benefit from speed, this means Moss, Welker, Umenyiora and Bradshaw.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Win the game, win it ALL, win the SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP. Are we underdogs? Yes. But if we have that small chance to win, I want to win. I will leave it with the final thought from Michael Strahan after the Patriot loss in W17:
"It's frustrating because when you have a team like this up against the ropes, you can't afford to do that," Strahan said. "I guess I am supposed to be happy that we are going to the playoffs and we played well and we came almost close but that is not good enough for me. I'm not out there to play and be fish food," Strahan continued. "I'd rather be the fish. I want to eat it." Beat the Patriots tonight and win the title!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
What others are saying about Bradshaw
Mike Vrabel: "He is a great back and he is one of those guys who is gaining confidence each time he carries the ball. Bill (Belichick) loves him. He shows film of him, he gets his helmet knocked off and runs through three guys and says: 'That's a pretty good 6-yard run.' He's right."
Junior Seau: "He's not showing all his game. He's got a great upside. He hasn't played a full season. There's more to his game than you think. He's going to be a great player."
Bill Belichick: Bradshaw is a "key player to stop. He gives them a spark when he touches the ball. He has good quickness, he has good power, good vision. He's a good cutback runner. He made a huge play there in the draw play against Green Bay. I know it got called back, but they had him for no gain, he broke a couple tackles, used his quickness to break out of there and went the distance – 50 yards or whatever it was. Bradshaw is a good back. … He's a threat to go anywhere on the field."
Jim Brown, Hall of Fame RB: "(Bradshaw) could be the guy who decides the game."
Ronde Barber: “That kid is going to be great. We kept on hitting him and pounding him and he kept going forward, fighting for yards."
Reggie Torbor: "It might sound crazy, but in some spots, he's harder to tackle than Brandon (Jacobs)."
For the Giants and Bradshaw, the Future is NOW. Speed kills. Use it or lose it. Get this guy the ball as much as possible and win the game.
THE ROOKIES
The rookie draft class of 2007 will be remembered for a long time.
Ross- starting CB
Smith- #3 WR behind Burress and Toomer
Alford- backup DL seeing plenty of time to keep everybody fresh
DeOssie- special teams, long snapper
Boss- starting TE for injured Shockey
Koets- special teams OL
Johnson- started at Safety midyear when secondary was hurt
Bradshaw- THE MAN (see next post)
Video linked.. they are supportive of one another and are not rookies anymore. To say these guys have been instrumental in the success of this team is an understatement.
Second video supplement by Steve Sabol on "Reese's Pieces"
Friday, February 1, 2008
Super Bowl quick takeaways
A list of reasons for why the Giants will lose the Super Bowl:
1) The Patriots offense is as good as the '99 Rams, maybe better.
2) Tom Brady is one of the best QBs of our generation.
3) Bill Belichick is one of the best coaches of our generation.
4) The Patriots have too many ways to win a ball game.
5) Umenyiora and Burress- talk is cheap.
6) A Pats win means the '72 Dolphins crybabies can finally go away.
7) Is Coughlin/Gilbride ready for primetime?
A list of reasons for why the Giants will win the Super Bowl:
1) The Giants played NE already and know what it will take to win.
2) Toomer and Strahan: The Giants are here to win the game.
3) You cannot plan a ring. Seau and Barber both get denied.
4) The road warriors are on the road.
5) Confidence.
6) 18-0. The bigger they are the harder they fall.
7) The Patriots defense is the chink in the armor.
8) This team is resilient. Bruschi on the gmen: "...incredible mental toughness."
9) 1990 analog.
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