Tom Brokaw on the NY Knicks

This is a New York Giants football blog. But this is a New York Sports fan blog too, and the sports fan in all of us holds a lot of significance. Collectively this site is about applauding what is good and not tolerating what is bad in sports. In the spirit of being a voice for the fan, we share this interview from April in which Tom Brokaw talks Knicks with Jim Gray.

Brokaw: “The NBA, as you know I am a big fan of the NBA…or have been. I am not very happy with it at the moment. I think that they have lost their way.”

Gray: “Why not…What bothers you?”

Brokaw: “What bothers me is that a lot of the deportment is inappropriate. You know, off the court, and I think that just four or five exceptions they are not being what they ought to be to the country.”

Gray: “And you have such a large voice, I'm wondering if you have spoken to the commissioner or team officials.”

Brokaw: “No…..He certainly knows how I feel about the Knicks…and their ownership. As a season ticket holder for a long time, I won’t renew because I don’t like the attitude that that ownership has brought to the community.”

Gray: “And you have been in the front row or close to it for a long time.”

Brokaw: “I was in the front row for a while and then three rows back but not next year. I just think that they have failed their obligation to the city. I think that we have great sports franchises in New York. I think Fred Wilpon of the Mets and George Steinbrenner of the Yankees measure up and they bring to the community winning teams as best they can and make real statements about being supportive of the community. I don’t think that the Dolans have done that and I think the Garden has lost a lot of its luster as a result of their ownership and this is the first time that I have really said that out loud. But I feel very strongly about it and I think that it's the least we can expect. They get these huge prices for people to sit in those seats, all kinds of tax advantages to owning the Garden and yet they operate as if they were a sovereign country and want to play only by their own rules. So I’m not very happy about that.”

The bye hangover explained

The Giants are 4-15 after the bye. They are 1-3 under Coughlin. Why do the Giants routinely do so poorly after the bye?

My guess is urgency. In those 19 years, the coach who had the most impact on the bye history was Fassel. The stats under his regime are interesting and revealing. The Giants went 1-6 under Fassel for the bye. The lone year they actually won was 2000, the year they went 12-4 on their way to the NFC Championship. This was a total microcosm of the post bye failure. The 2000 team was good enough and had enough leadership within the lockerroom (read Glenn Parker) to not give away a game. What happened the other six years? A combination of being much more ordinary AND Fassel being a player's coach who did not work the players hard enough. Fassel was famous enough for (at least some if not all of the years) giving the players a day off for each win they got before the break. They came back happy and fat. COMPLACENCY KILLS. When players have been interviewed about the reason/s for bye troubles, the common answer I have heard is that they were not ready or adjusted to the speed of the game.

Handley was 0-2 (Once again, SHOCKING! Not.) for the bye. Reeves and Parcells were a combined 2-4.

Eagles lose

Eagles settle for FG after gtg to red zone earlier in Q4, 21-20. Bears get FG to make game 24-20.

Eagles get the ball for what will end up being the last shot at winning the game. They drive the ball down to the Bears 4, 1st and goal. 2nd and goal at the 1. Stopped 3 more times. Score holds up. Eagles 2-2.

With the Eagles and Cowboys both losing this weekend, it is a reminder that the NFL stands for Not For Long. The Bears offense is never going to scare anybody, so you have to be purposeful and get your points where you can with that Bear defense. If Tommie Harris is healthy that entire team becomes much tougher. The game was winnable for the Eagles, but obvly that was not enough- you have to convert your chances and play 60 minutes vs that team. (Duh, the obvious implied, that the Eagles without Westbrook are a completely different team.)

The Giants don't face the Bears this year, but the lessons are there. There just is not that much difference between ANYONE in the NFL. If you want to win you better play 60 minutes. I think the Skins got extremely lucky, because I did NOT see them play 60 minutes, and yet they still managed to hold on. Let's remember the Giants won their last 9 games last year by the following margins: 3, 6, 5, 3, 17, 10, 3, 4, 3. There was plenty of mental toughness alongside of the physical will, as all of those wins were on the road. (Good thing, as we did not win any at home. Scary.) The Giants play with an urgency on the road that they do not have at home. The offense does not attack all game when they are at home. That will need to change. The Giants are in better position now to stretch their lead before the schedule gets tougher. If they play with urgency and remain healthy they will be very competitive. We saw some warts this weekend from teams like the Eagles and Cowboys. The Giants had a few warts as well vs the Bengals but escaped. Right now there is an opportunity for ~ 8-10 teams to step up and grab this championship. The Giants are in the mix. That's all you can hope for thus far.

How does it feel to be in sole possession of FIRST PLACE IN THE NFC EAST?

Was very impressed with the Redskins and Jason Campbell. We were fortunate to have played the Skins in Week 1 when they were still looking like they were in preseason. I did not see a lot of the game, but what I did see was good for Washington.

Rob: In the H2, the skins shut'm down. The 7 minute drive in Q4 which put the Skins up by 9 put some nails in the coffin. Dallas got called for 12 men on the field, gave the skins an important first down on that drive. The Dallas defense is not all there yet. Portis was able to get yards behind a good offensive line. Skins slowed down the Dallas defense with dink screens to keep blitzing schemes to a minimum. Some critical holding penalties took away 4 points from a red zone possession for the Skins but it did not cost them when they got the onside kick.

I saw a little too much prevent by the Skins in this game, but they had enough for the win.

Once again, another Jerry Jones special grimace of pain at the end of the game. I'm all broke up.

NYG 3-0
WSH 3-1
DAL 3-1
PHL 2-1

Ultimatenyg featured on New York Times Fifth Down

Today the New York Times Fifth Down featured Ultimatenyg's Bye Week Update.

Giants at the Bye Week: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The Good

The offensive line. There is a reason the offense is third in the league with a gaudy 400 yards per game. It is called winning the game in the trenches. The Giants are third in the league in yards per carry, making this a very efficient and accomplished running game.

The defensive line. Who leads the league again with 13 sacks? The G-Men. Who leads them? Tuck? Nope, Robbins has four. That’s right, Giants fans — Fred Robbins is leading the team in sacks. This is a GREAT SIGN FOR THE TEAM. Along with the solid play of Barry Cofield, the interior line is very stout. When Kiwanuka is 100 percent — he had a sack Sunday despite being less than perfect — this line is still the leader in defensive impact. An interesting thing to note about the importance of defensive pressure: the top six teams in the N.F.L. so far this year (total of 68 sacks) are a combined 14-4, the bottom six teams in sacks (total of 14) this year are a combined 0-17. The Ernie Accorsi blueprint for success is alive and well: the best thing is a good QB, and the second best thing is a good defensive end/line to disrupt him.

Road Warriors, Part 2. The Giants play with focus and concentration on the road. They are the diesel that may or may not start quickly but they always finish well.

Hixon and Phillips. These two are making a difference with limited snaps.

The Bad

2-7. That is the record of the teams the Giants have beaten so far this season. If Kenny Phillips doesn’t make that tackle at the end of regulation we are 2-1 and there are more questions. So let’s not get too giddy yet.

Our linebackers, if Pierce gets hurt. Wilkinson got an outstanding vote of confidence in preseason. Not. First, when Osi went down, they moved Clark over to Strongside to fill Kiwanuka’s vacated role. Then Wilkinson couldn’t even win the weakside job. He shares it with the rookie Kehl. It is vital that Pierce remains healthy. Without him, we are extremely vulnerable. He does it all and helps cover up the weakest unit on the team. Reese — how about drafting a linebacker No. 1 for this franchise for the first time in 24 years?

The distraction that is Burress. I do not want to hear any excuses. You cried all off-season for a new contract and got one. Show up for work and stop acting like a 3-year-old.

The Ugly

Kevin Gilbride. When the G-Men won the Super Bowl, did you notice how everyone was raving about Spags and not a word was said about our offensive coordinator? His stubbornness in not adapting to the Bengals (who used eight- and nine-man fronts frequently to derail Jacobs) and simply going vertical was frightening. To quote one commenter on the blog, I now understand why Buddy Ryan punched Gilbride. He has one of the best offensive lines in all of football, a choice of running backs to use, a plethora of excellent wide receivers, a tight end with great hands and a quarterback entering his prime with supreme confidence and composure. And he wastes it. That the offense put up 16 points versus the Redskins and had 16 points against the Bengals through 55 minutes is an embarrassment. When the attack lights went on out of necessity, the offense woke up, almost too little too late. One more thing: Please start your best running back, Ahmad Bradshaw.

ESPN: Burress and Giants will make financial settlement

Chris Mortensen reports the Giants and Burress will settle their disupte. The one game suspension will remain, but the fine will get cut in half and Burress won't lose bonus clauses due to suspension/conduct detrimental to the team.

The late George Young on players- "It's about the money. And when they say it's not about the money, then it is DEFINITELY about the money."

The late George Young on agents- "Cockroaches."

I'll let you connect the dots.

Half Ironman

Is a Half Ironman like "half" of an event? Not! This being the bye week, we take a planned break from the non-stop football blogging to bring your attention to the Longhorn Ironman 70.3 Austin, being held on Sunday October 5th. I am just an insane football fan plugging insane triathletes.

A half ironman is:
Swim 1.2 miles +
Bike 56 miles +
Run 13.1 miles
... which is half ironman distance.
Consecutively one after the other.
The same day.

Go try swimming 0.2 miles instead of 1.2 miles. Then multiply that times 6. Then ride the bike for 3-4 hours. Then run half a marathon. Get the idea? These people are phenomenal athletes. And speaking of phenomenal phenomenal athletes, check out Shannon Cutting, my sister's coach. Scary good. If you ever need someone to help you with fitness or training, she's the one. Shannon holds the female course record at Silverman (Nevada), which has been branded the toughest full distance triathlon by Dave Scott - he'd know!!!!!! Go Jayne, Go Shannon. Go to Austin for the Half Ironman, it is going to be a great day.

I guess that bonus check cleared

I was wrong. I thought that Burress showed tremendous heart in playing hurt all year; he carried the offense on many a Sunday. So when he wanted a new contract, I felt the guy deserved it. But to go back to his old ways and get suspended, what kind of immature bs is that? It is but three games after getting the new contract and he disrespects himself, his teammates, the entire organization, the league and lastly us as fans. What excuses could Plax have this time? NONE. There is no defending him. In fact, he is the last player on the team who should be doing something like this. When you consider how deep this team is at WR, he will not be missed (well, ok, he'll be missed, but not a lot). What kind of example is this to the younger players? This comes from one of your star players? He is a quiet guy, so ... leadership by example..? Plax's leadership boils down to this- that bonus check cleared, kiss my diva a**.

We hear Plax is appealing, because he feels the fine is excessive. Whatever happened to missing work and calling in to explain? Coughlin did the right thing- no player is above the team. Ridiculous. No winners in this one. Except the Burress bank account.

Non-divisional NFL records

After three games we have our first look at the records of each division OUTSIDE of their respective divisions.

NFC EAST 8-0
NFC NORTH 2-6
NFC SOUTH 5-3
NFC WEST 2-4

AFC EAST 4-2
AFC NORTH 1-4
AFC SOUTH 2-3
AFC WEST 2-4

Now, it is only 3 weeks into the season. Too early to be making broad sweeping conclusions about ANYTHING. But the early returns are in and we can see some trends- the NFC EAST is clearly for real. No rush to judgement. We all want to condemn certain divisions as kaput, but the data right now is still too small. To have an outlier like 8-0 is significant for the NFC East though. We knew that with McNabb healthy at the end of last season and that team finishing at the bottom at 8-8, that that meant trouble top to bottom. Even the Redskins are playing a little better than a new head coach would normally imply. This is all good for the Giants. You want a strong division. Let three of the four teams make it to the playoffs. That would be the third consecutive year that that has happened from the NFC East. A good thing. No sleepwalking for the Giants through the division.

Keep It simple, Meathead

As much as we would like to make this game complicated, it does not have to be. 7 men in the box? 8? 9? Gilbride- if they put 11 men in the box every play do you think that maybe we should pass a little more? Sometimes you don't have a choice... last year in Buffalo the playing conditions were so horrible that we HAD TO RUN in H2or else Eli would have thrown 10 INTs. Yesterday, playing conditions were PERFECT, the announcers joked at how the Meadowlands had 3 mph winds, unheard of. Dierdorf was constantly pointing to 8-9 men in the box. Maybe we should have been passing a little more? Ya think? So instead, Lewis schemed and got Jacobs stopped for 14 carries for 35 yards. This was NOT Jacobs' fault. You have to react to what the defense gives you and PUNISH THEM for trying to derail Jacobs. It's not like we have Danny Kanell, Cab Calloway, Kevin Alexander and stonehands Cross!!! We have a good QB (who can be great if he plays with urgency), a PLETHORA OF QUALITY RECEIVERS, a TE with great hands, a RB who can catch out of the backfield (#44, hint?) and we are going against a DEPLETED SECONDARY. Rocket science? I think not. More like conservation of mass- there can only be 11 defensive bodies in 11 places, and if they are playing to stop the run, you call pass. Poor Eli, did you notice how many times he was audibling or trying to audible or running out of time constantly? Gilbride's playcalling had him batty.

The beauty of this offense is that it is capable of winning with the pass OR the run. No, we all understand that the Giants would "LIKE" to establish the run and not force Eli to throw the ball 40x per game. BUT, if guys are going to want to take away the running game, PUNISH THEM. Pass first and then set up the run when they REACT TO THAT.

GREAT ARTICLE WITH ULTIMATENYG BLOG COMMENTS

Below is a great article. Ultimatenyg blog comments in bold. See halftime post yesterday for additional comments.

Giants kept running but finally passed test late by Johnette Howard (Newsday, Monday September 22, 2008)

The Giants can put lipstick on a pigskin, as Eli Manning and the offense did by the rousing end of their escape yesterday against the Bengals with two late game-deciding drives. But the Giants didn't have to rally for their 26-23 overtime win because they underestimated the still-winless Bengals.

"Flat? Awww, don't gimme that," Giants coach Tom Coughlin justifiably growled. The Giants' formidable "power of will" - the phrase Coughlin coined a second later to better explain how they won - both saved the offense, yet nearly cost the Giants the game.

The Giants were absolutely determined to run the ball against Cincinnati. That is the understatement of the year, if that is possible. When that didn't really work, they insisted on trying to run it some more. Good Johnette, keep going, love ya babe. They ran in the first half with Brandon Jacobs, who had his first sluggish game of the season. And when that didn't work, they ran it with Derrick Ward, who started the second half in Jacobs' place to try to supply a spark.

The Giants insisted ( great choice of words!) on running the ball even though the Bengals were missing 50 percent of their starting secondary and using a couple of rookies, one at safety and one at cornerback, against the formidable receiving duo of Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer. (Hmm, maybe Johnette is onto something here?!!) Then the Giants kept emphasizing the run late into the fourth quarter because they wanted to keep Cincinnati's high-powered offense off the field as much as they wanted to score points themselves. But when the Giants didn't score, all that running the clock did was help keep Cincinnati in this game. Brilliant, Lewis. He's thinking- 'I'll be a genius because I can be dumb but not as dumb as meathead.'

You can see how it could happen. A week earlier, the Giants had shredded St. Louis for more than 200 yards rushing. The Bengals' defense had been coughing up about the same amount of yardage during an 0-2 start. But you could also see that this game didn't finally tilt the Giants' way until Manning began winging the ball late out of grim necessity as the final minutes bled away with the Giants down by four. (Please see halftime post, Johnette is putting in print what we ALL KNEW!) "It's good to know we can still do that," Manning said. "We find a way to get past my coordinator's horrendous playcalling."

The Giants' moronic game plan really was awe-inspiring for its stubbornness. Stubbornness?!! Ms. Howard is so flattering to Gilbride. How about inane? But it was frustrating for them at times, too, after dropping 41 points on the Rams, and talking the previous two weeks about taking the next step and becoming a big-play offense that strives for blowout wins.

With the talent and playmakers the Giants have, they can still get there. Just get rid of Meathead. All this game suggested was the goal remains a work in progress because the chances of Meathead getting fired are somewhere between zero and nonexistant. As good and magical as Manning and the Giants offense become in the clutch, they have a bit of a split personality at times, too. Split, as in split between all the talent wanting to explode with points versus the ineptitude of Gilbride wasting the talent. Sometimes they swagger around like worldbeaters. And sometimes, even in their own minds, they seem to revert to the heroic plodders who shocked the world by winning the Super Bowl. As Burress put it, "It's not always easy for us, and it's not always pretty." READ: Meathead- you are UGLY, let Eli throw the ball when they have 13 men in the box.

The Giants have talked a lot about not getting much respect. But if anything, the Giants might have given Cincinnati's offense a little too much for far too long. The Giants didn't look at their patchwork secondary and test them again and again - especially deep (operative word, a pass greater than 8 yards) - until late. They didn't say, "You worry about stopping us." Their approach was ambitious, all right, but in a different and more convoluted way: The Giants wanted to score some and chew up the clock and deal with their anxiety about what Cincinnati's offense might eventually do.

But when the Giants' running game didn't exactly produce the comfortable margin they would've liked, the Giants didn't abandon the plan until they absolutely had to. Frightening. But give the Bengals credit., for their coaches were genius in understanding how neanderthal Gilbride the Meathead is. Toomer and Coughlin said their defense changed a lot of things they'd shown in their previous two games. "They hardly did anything we'd seen them do before," Toomer said. "And that happens. But it took us awhile to adjust." Awhile, as in, WE"RE GONNA LOSE THE FREAKING GAME IF WE DON"T PASS IN OUR LAST POSSESSION!

The Giants did - just in time. Manning and Burress, Toomer and tight end Kevin Boss were the difference on their touchdown drive at the end of regulation, and then on the field-goal drive to win it. But the Giants struck just the right tone afterward as they looked ahead to their coming bye week and the rest of the season beyond that.

One offensive player after another (yes, the ones on planet earth as opposed to planet Meathead Neanderthal) echoed what Burress said: "There's a lot we can improve." Yah, like giving Gilbride a lobotomy.
Remaining unbeaten while they're still figuring it out isn't a bad place to be. Amen.

This article by Johnette Howard was excellent. She has to get access to the players and coaches, so she cannot directly call the Meathead a Meathead. That is our job.

New York Giants 26 Cincinnati Bengals 23

TOOMER'S TOE CATCH IN OT SETS UP WIN

3+ months from now in January when the Giants have enough wins to get into the playoffs, we won't remember or care that they won by 3 in OT like today or 28 like last week vs the Rams in a blowout. A win is a win.

BUT...
Maybe this can serve as a wakeup call that you cannot mail it in. The Giants tried to mail it in again. If this team is the road warriors, they are the home hospitality. They lack the intensity and urgency at home. We saw it vs the Skins in W1 as the home opener. Trap game? Was the Viking game last year a trap game? Manning seems to be the leader of that unevenness. Rule #23 of Carl Banks. Where was the sense of urgency? None in the first half! We were lucky we did not lose in regulation.

Let's focus on some of the positives-
1) The Giants offense can be brilliant when it wants to be. If it plays in attack mode for 60 minutes we can be in the game against any team.
2) Amani Toomer's Toes should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
3) Hixon is terrific and needs to start in front of Toomer. He willed a first down and had his man beat on overthrown ball behind the defense. He also made a very nice block for Smith when Smith scampered on the right sideline for a nifty first down.
4) Boss's hands are great. He was instrumental in this win and maybe Gilbride can use him more.
5) Ward was fantastic today, he moved as well as I have ever seen him.
6) Carney was there for the gmen and we needed every little bit.
7) Like we said before, the Giants are 3-0. They will get better too.

There was a reason why the gmen were the biggest favorites of Week 3. They are a good team. But the complacency was there and we knew back in camp that every team would be ready for us. The Bengals certainly were ready for us today. Putting a team into an 0-3 hole is tough, but the Bengals got some self-respect out of this loss. I wouldn't want to play them next week because they know they can play now and they are every bit as wounded at 0-3.

Negatives:
1) Manning burns two H2 timeouts because Gilbride has the wrong playcall and he cannot change the play at the line of scrimmage in time.
2) Where is Bradshaw?
3) WTF are you doing calling a pitchout (to Bradshaw) in the red zone? (See Rule 5.)
4) WTF are you doing calling Jacobs to run wide in the red zone on 1st and Goal from the ~3? (Wonder was apoplectic about that one as well, lol. USE Ward OR Bradshaw, either is far more competent on that playcall in close environs. NYG convert the TD on third down pass to Boss, but putrid setback nonetheless.)
5) Was Ross hurt?
6) See previous post for Meathead's ugly gameplan/playcalling, etc...

Cinc 13 NYG 10 Halftime

Sloppy first half. We could EASILY be getting beat badly in this game, as the score could be 21-10 if not for a few stops inside the red zone. Sure, in those stops we had a pretty good example of Ross releasing his man and making the open field tackle and a Kiwi 3rd down sack. But let's get right to the problems:

1) Dockery and Butler looked bad this half. The Bengals are clearly attacking these guys. Chatman has 5 receptions in the first half for a reason.

2) Gilbride's game plan has been terrible. The Bengals have injuries and are depleted in the secondary, and yet we run the ball despite consistent effort on the part of the Bengals to have 8-9 men in the box. Eli does not have the time to be audibling every play at scrimmage (there are enough penalties as it is by our team this half). WHEN WE PASS WE WIN AND WHEN WE RUN (A LOT) WE LOSE. We moved the ball easily when the ball was aloft.

3) Gilbride's playcalling has been utterly predictable. When we have been in 2nd and short after a first down pass, the chances of the gemn running is like 103%. They pile the men in the box too.

4) Plax had a bad drop early but I believe he was in bounds for the TD. Dierdorf and everyone are looking at the WRONG foot. Everyone in looking at Foot 3. Yes, foot 3 was out of bounds... Foot 2 was in AND foot 1 was already in with the ball in possession.

5) If Coughlin calls another timeout in the 2 min warning of the first half while he does NOT have the ball waiting for the opposing team to get stopped a down or two later, I am going to scream. He did the same bonehead mistake in the Super Bowl, and thank goodness for the Tuck strip and Osi fumble recovery before the end of the half. This time it gives the Bengals an extra 30 seconds and all that time to march down the field. It probably did not matter, as the same 3 goes up, but it could have easily cost us 4 more and who knows if the Robbins block of the FG makes them miss it from just a little further out.

Summary: Beware of Dockery and Butler as the un-dynamic duo. PASS TO WIN this game.
(btw, Boss has the hands, get him the ball more. Ahmad Bradshaw against this defense with pass catching out of the backfield could be lethal. So far he has played zero except specials. kudos to Fred Robbins, Boss, Cofield sack. Hixon and Smith should be ahead of Toomer on the depth chart.)

Phil Simms Week 3 Around The NFL

1) If you noticed from Friday's Q&A with Wonder, I was in a little disagreement with him on whether the offenses of the Eagles and Cowboys were that good as opposed to the defenses being that bad. Simms (who covers the Eagles today vs the Steelers)came to my side, at least on the Dallas offensive part of the story, by his remarks about Tony Romo. Simms argues that Tony Romo is a very special QB who continually makes plays. Versus the Eagles, Simms counts no less than 8 fantastic plays he made. He does it on his own, says Simms. He adds that Romo is a terrific thrower of the football, with an underrated (strong) arm.

2) Praised Roethlisberger and said the Pittsburgh offense is perfectly suited to him and his talents. Feels that Big Ben could also fit into almost any scheme, but that the situation in Pitt is perfect. Separately, he felt that Roethlisberger did great in the very windy conditions he faced last week.

3) Desean Jackson is the real deal. Very good route runner, As good hands as you will see. SO much better than he expected. Jackson puts the Eagles over the top. They now have the receiver for Donovan McNabb.

4) Francesa ripped Romeo Crennel, and Simms politely deferred but did seem to concur that the decision to go for the FG on 4th and 7 vs the Steelers was wrong. I did not see it, but checking back, I do not know what planet Madden and Michaels were on to say the decision was a good one--- to quote Simms, going for the FG "gave you one way to the win the game and going for the first down gave you two."

5) As a quarterback , YOU NEVER TRASH YOUR OFFENSIVE LINE. Holt opened his mouth, and even though Bulger was not as bad as Holt, it was not a positive at all. Damage that comes from this is irreparable.

6) If the Jets cannot throw it versus the Chargers defense, they are not going to be able to throw this year. I would not go that far, given that Favre and Coles are still learning their timing, but I would agree that this has to be a day the Jets can (and should) rip apart that defense. Favre has called this a must-win game(saying they are all must-wins), obviously sensing the opportunity.

7) And under the category of what is UNSAID by Simms and everyone else... when the NY Giants are the biggest favorites of the week there is little to say about their matchup. Play for 60 minutes and destroy this team.

WONDER ON THE NFC EAST

Ultimatenyg: The best division in the NFL?

Wonder: "The NFC East. Not even close. Are you kidding me?"

Ultimatenyg: Second best division?

Wonder: "AFC East. Bills are for real."

Ultimatenyg: "Any feelings this weekend on the NFC East games?

Wonder: "Washington on TOs, will harass Kurt Warner, he'll make a few mistakes. If even on turnovers, Ariz will win the game. But I expect them to turn over the ball and Wash will win. Pitt plays defense, the Eagles don't, I like Pitt. GB to win the game because Dallas is the better team but on a short week GB will win the game. Emotional Monday night game, tough comeback game for Dallas."

Wonder: "I was impressed with the Giants on Monday night."

Ultimatenyg: Explain.

Wonder: "Neither team (Dal or Phi) could stop the run or pass, the Giants have the best defense in the NFC East, and that will give your team an advantage. At some point they will play a close game that matters and the Giants' defense will be the difference.

Ultimatenyg: But both offenses made those defenses look weak.

Wonder: "BULLBLEEP! It's simple- great defense always will give a great offense fits. What kind of s*** is that that Desean Jackson or TO gets behind the defense by TEN YARDS! Neither team looked good defensively up the middle or on the edges. Poor tackling. Horrible! Couldn't pressure the pocket.

Ultimatenyg: But both team have excellent offensive lines..

Wonder: "Dallas yes, but the PHI offensive line is overrated, susceptible. Defensive line and defensive pressure are what separates the Giants. If DeMarcus Ware does not get to the QB then Dallas does not get to the QB. The Giants just line up and beat you one on one and that will be the difference. The Eagles defensive pressure can only beat you with schemes and blitzes. Your team is a lot better than I thought w/o Osi. They are the most well-rounded team in a very tough division."