Sunday, December 30, 2012

NYG vs PHI Preview

It's Over. 

FYI- One positive thing about this article is that the Giants are bussing in 400 students/parents/family/faculty from Sandy Hook to the game on Sunday. Great move.

 Listen, I'm just as big of a Giants fan as anybody out there, but I am also a realist. I see there being a 10% chance we make the playoffs and I will tell you why.

Michael Vick and Andy Reid's last game as Eagles.
You are gonna sit there and think Vick isn't gonna go off? Guy is gonna be a free agent. Playing for a handful of other teams that need a QB. He says he won't restructure his contract, so he will have to prove to everyone that he still has some left in the tank. You need to look at what our front 4 has done thus far on defense. Vick is going to have a field day breaking contain. Oh and if he doesn't have to break contain, he has nobody covering his guys. Prince and Hosley are doubtful. So there's Webster, Tryon, and Frederick, two of them being just signed off practice squad. Not to mention a banged up Kenny, if he even plays. Guy won't even say if he is coming back next year off his expiring rookie contract. Want pressure from the inside? Canty is doubtful too.

Andy Reid wants to end his Eagles tenure on a good note. What better way to do that than eliminate the Giants chances at a playoff birth. Eagles have won 8 of the last 9 in the series. This is much more than a rivalry game to Andy Reid.

Shady McCoy and Bryce Brown.
Giants run defense is awful. 25th in the league. Shady put up 123 against the Giants in September. Giants haven't even seen all of Bryce Brown, just 4 carries. Although he has been bottled up in the last 3 games hes played, but if there is a game to go off, this is it. Only shot Giants have at stopping him is to strip the ball, something Bryce has trouble with. 

Eli Manning and Co.
Last two games Eli has put up  311 yards with 1 TD and 2 Ints combined. Blame it on the play calling, blame it on the receivers, something just isn't right. Nicks is still hurt, may need off season surgery. The Eagles have to be sick of getting embarrassed by Cruz who had 109 and 1 against them last meeting. If Eli and the WRs haven't broken out of the slump yet, what have they shown to make us believe they will Sunday?

 Bottom line is the Giants just don't have what it takes this year. Antrel Rolle said himself on WFAN that he doesn't know how the rest of the team will come out on Sunday. That is the most concerning thing. Tuck is done. Webster sucks. Bradshaw is getting too many carries. Fewell says he puts the defense in the position to make plays, Coughlin doesn't even agree 100%. There is a lot more going on in the locker room that we don't know about.

By the way, I see the Skins, Packers, and Lions all winning their games too. Alfred Morris is going to run the ball down the Cowboys throats (Owls Up). Packers want that 1st round bye regardless of what happened last year. Stafford needs 300 to break 5,000 for the 2nd consecutive year, not to mention Megatron only needing 108 for 2,000 on the season. So really, it is all going to be up to the Giants, and they will lose. 

P.S. If the Giants make the playoffs - I'll be happy






Wednesday, December 26, 2012

NYG vs BAL Recap

Ha. Ha. Ha.


To be fully honest, I am not even sure I want to see this team in the playoffs. I do not think the team has the will to win like they have in the past. They looked god awful. Just pathetic.

Corey Webster. What on gods green earth are you doing? It seemed like every time Flacco dropped back he threw it to Webster's side. Made Torrey Smith look like Calvin Johnson. There was a god damn rookie corner on the opposite side of the field. Hosley got burned all last week against the Falcons. How big of a slap in the face is it that Flacco wouldn't throw over there and just kept going at Webster? I can only laugh at it now. Sunday, I wanted Webster dead. Best part is, there was a TD taken away that was against Webster, the numbers against should have been worse than what they are.

So about Prince being healthy and coming back, yeah nice one play out there dude. The hell is going on. Kenny Phillips saying all week that he is going to play and doesn't. Not saying that they would have made much of a difference with Webster on the field, but come on.


Ravens had 202 yards passing in the first half alone. Thanks Corey



Like I said, we would lose the game if there is no pass rush. Game before the Giants, Ravens O Line let up 10 QB hits and 3 sacks. This game? 0 sacks and 2 hits. That is absolutely ridiculous. With the season on the line, you expect the defensive leaders to at least come out of the locker room. Even if we make the playoffs, no pass rush will get us blown out in the Wild Card game.
 
533 total yards allowed. Do you understand how many yards that is? Second highest allowed by Giants in Coughlin era. Worst was 577 in last years Saints loss. 

11-18 on 3rd down for the Ravens, pretty much automatic. Regardless of the distance, just throw it to Corey Webster's side. .

Forget Ray Rice. Giants let Bernard Pierce run for 123 yards. Both backs had over 100 yards. If you aren't going to rush the passer, you would think the DLine would stop the run, haha nope. 

Eli was getting hit left and right. Hit 9 times, sacked 3. The offensive line is just bad.  

Hakeem Nicks was only thrown to 3 times and didn't have a catch for the first time in his career. Once again, the guy isn't healthy.

Victor Cruz got WHACKED by Ed Reed. Would have looked even worse if there wasn't another Raven behind Cruz. Guy got up though, impressive. 

David Wilson showing that speed for the TD. Fun to watch him run. Thought they would go with the hot hand but they just continued to put in Bradshaw who missed blocks time after time. If he didn't miss them, he would get run over. Just a pathetic effort from a back that gets praised for his PassPro ability.

Gotta win, and hope for a few other things to happen to make the playoffs. Again, I am not sure I want to see this team get embarrassed if they do make it. I'll talk about how we get to the playoffs in the Eagles preview. 




Saturday, December 22, 2012

NYG vs BAL Preview

This is it.

Do or die. Win two and we are in. Lose even one, and you can pretty much kiss the playoffs good bye. It's just so unfortunate that this team has to put us through the heart and headaches down the final stretch of the season. Just win earlier on, don't let the last 2 regular season games be elimination games. Not worth the stress, I promise.

To the game, for all of those freaking out about Ray Lewis coming back, he's not. Probably wont be for the regular season. Good call there.

I will tell you this much though, if the D-Line doesn't get pressure and lets Flacco have time, we will lose. I don't care about Ray Rice from New Rock. Until he proves otherwise, Justin Tuck has lost all passion for the game. I mentioned in the recap of the Atlanta game about Osi looking like the only one who tries, look at this stat: Tuck has just three sacks and 25 quarterback pressures this season. For comparison, Osi Umenyiora has six sacks and 33 pressures in nearly 100 fewer snaps. Antonio Pierce has even come out and questioned Tuck's heart, and how much he wants to win. I'm telling you, he may be fine with just two rings. He may not even play with a bummed shoulder. Adrian "Yosi" Tracy will step in if Tuck cannot go. Had a great preseason. Will be interesting to see what he can do.

Harbaugh stated earlier this week that they don't fear the Giants pass rush, huge slap in the face to this squad.

Whats wrong with JPP?  15.5 sacks total this year for the 3 DEs. Last year at this point JPP had 13.5 on his own. Again, I question the heart of this line. We all know they have the skill, its the desire that is in question. 

But to be honest, the Giants can't let Ray Rice do what Turner did. You stop the run, you eliminate the threat of a play action. DLine can get their jump off the ball and go straight for the QB. Ray Rice is a beast, there is no doubting that. Giants are giving up 123.7 per game on the ground this season. Canty will need to step up. Blackburn will have to fill the gap and tackle, because apparently being slow isn't his only problem, he now misses tackles. Linebackers will have to be aware of Rice's ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. We have the speed out there with Rivers and Jacquain. Spy him with Hill or Rolle.

Torrey Smith missed some practice this week with a concussion. Not even sure if he is going to play, questionable to be exact. It would be huge if he was not on the field. Taking him away as the deep threat is fine with me. 

Prince is coming back, along with Kenny. Huge boosts to the secondary. God it was horrible to watch this secondary try to function with the personnel that was out there.

Bradshaw is going to play, how much is to be determined. Giants will probably just go with the hot hand throughout the game. Wilson will add some speed against a defense with an ailing Suggs and no Ray Lewis.

Eli needs to come out on fire. No first pass picks. Ed Reed is going to be lurking in that secondary all game, maybe shoot in for a few blitzes. He is the scariest on the defense. If Eli and the receivers are not on the same page all game, Reed will have at least one INT.

Bennett needs more work. The more targets he gets, the more respect the defense has for him, less doubling Cruz. Nicks is still not 100% and won't be. Deep balls are pretty much worthless until he is good again, timing is just off.

There is no one on this Ravens team that really scares me. I think we match up well, and players know what time it is. I hope Wilson doesn't get shut down on kick returns again, last week he didn't get one ball worth returning. Eli with a bounce back game, 300 and 3. DLine with 4 sacks. Giants are one win away from the playoffs by the time Sunday Night football starts.









Monday, December 17, 2012

NYG vs ATL Recap

Or We Can Get Blown Out

2 INTs, a missed field goal, a rookie corner, and 18 missed tackles later, the Giants are on the verge of not making the playoffs. I was THIS close to just turning the game off in the 3rd quarter. I refused. There was just so much going wrong in this game. If you looked at the match up beforehand, you could have sensed the loss coming. My gut told me it was going to be rough, but as a true fan, you can never think like that. 

You know what I found interesting? The beat on Asante Samuel is that he goes for the big play, always wants to be on the highlight reel and jumps routes. Eli knows this, played against him for years when he was in Philly. Why oh why would Eli test Asante like that first pass of the game? Eli has been picked off 3 times on his first pass 2 have now been Asante Samuel. Run a double move, do something. Asante reads QBs eyes, he plays an unconventional corner. He gets burned, but also makes plays like he did against us. 

Why didn't Eli go to the Black Unicorn more often? Guy has a game against the Saints then Eli decides ehh I won't throw to him today. They were all over Cruz and Nicks. Bennett had to have some space somewhere.

Lawrence Tynes. 2nd drive was impressive, 68 yards, and he misses a 30 yard field goal. Seems to be a little shaky recently. Missed one last week, and went 3 for 4 against Washington. People are up in arms about Coughlin going for it on 4th down. Is his confidence in Tynes shaky as well? He says it was for momentum, but I am not buying it. Tynes has proved before he can be clutch. Just going through a rough patch. Need him for the playoff run.

Everyone had these astronomical expectations for David Wilson. I said it was his time to prove he's a true running back. He showed nothing of the sort. He had a long run of 25, and then nothing. There was a play where he was completely destroyed by a blitzing linebacker. Just was not the coming out party everyone was expecting.

Lumpkin did okay to be honest 9 for 42 is not bad. Obviously because we were down all game, there were not many carries going around. Here I was, excited about Torain, but they use Lumpkin. Wonder if there is something up with Torain. Hurt? Or just not proving himself in practice. Interesting to keep an eye on.

Nicks will not be at full strength till next season. Healthy Nicks would have gotten to the deep ball. A healthy Nicks would have turned it on during that reception that he barely got tackled. Different story with a healthy Nicks.

Remember when there wasn't really a problem with the secondary? Yeah, that was when the D-Line showed up. I've preached practically all season about this D-Line, they just are not coming to play. I don't get it. Is two rings enough for Tuck? JPP set on just having one? The guy hasn't had a sack in 5 games. I write about how I want Osi gone before the season started, but he seems to be the only one trying. It seemed like they could just run the ball up the middle for days. Is it an effort thing or is this group of players not what we thought they were? Does Fewell deserve blame? It's one of the leagues biggest mysteries.

Now to the secondary. Hosley says all week he will be tested. How he is going to be a hot stove that Matt Ryan wouldn't want to touch or something like that. Guess what buddy. How did Julio Jones taste? You knock away one deep pass in the middle of the field with Stevie coming over to help and start wagging your finger. A couple plays later you get burned down the sideline for a TD. Our corners aren't good to begin with, but with Prince out, its just unfair.

Matt Ryan threw five incompletions for the game. Direct result of no pressure and a weak secondary. Also a result of having the best pass catching trio in the league. Forget about the WRs. Tony Gonzalez is ridiculous. His TD catch was absurd. Will Hill had picture perfect coverage. Yes the ball was well thrown, but Tony somehow out jumped, outstretched, outplayed Will Hill for the ball. Guy is special.

It all comes back on Eli Manning. He has been called elite for his clutch play and his two rings. This is the time in the season where he should be turning it on. This game was not an example of that but these next two weeks have to be. Win 2 and we are in. 

If you want a playoff berth just from the results of this coming week: 1) NYG win + WAS loss or tie + DAL loss + MIN loss + CHI loss OR 2) NYG win + WAS loss + NO tie + MIN loss + CHI loss

If you want to know how our playoff chances are crushed with the results of this coming week: NYG loss + WAS win + DAL win + SEA win or tie.

What was it they said last year? "All In" ... ??? ... yeah that.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

NYG vs ATL Preview

A Break From Tragedy

What happened Friday was awful. Being so close to my hometown made it hit even harder. I know this isn't going to go away anytime soon, with new details emerging every day, but at least the NFL can supply a much needed distraction for a few hours. A Sunday afternoon is perfect for being with family and watching the greatest sport in the world. Cherish what you have today, because you may not have it tomorrow. I was thinking about not even writing this today, with so many emotions running through my head, but writing about what I love will sure help.

As you can see in the picture, the Giants will have a S.H.E.S decal on their helmets Sunday for Sandy Hook Elementary School. Just an act of pure class, all NFL games will have a moment of silence. Athletes in all sports had something to say. LeBron James was tweeting, Kevin Durant wrote on his shoe, and many others made their voices heard. They know sports are needed at a time like this. 

To the preview. Antrel Rolle says the dogs are hunting for birds Sunday, but the pack may be a little thin. We are flying to ATL without RB Ahmad Bradshaw, S Kenny Philips, CB Prince Amukamara, and S Tyler Sash.

Time for David Wilson to get the lions share of the carries. My concern about kickoff returns was thrown out the window when Coughlin stated that the field position was too important to take him off of them. Falcons ranked 22nd in rush yards allowed with 127 YPG against. We've seen Lumpkin with Eli in the shotgun multiple times already this season. Will be interesting to see when Torain will get in, goal line? Bottom line, it's time for Wilson to prove he can carry the load as a RB on this team.  Hope to see what celebration he has up his sleeve now that he won't be doing those ridiculous backflips anymore.

Eli has had an easy time with the Falcons the last four times hes played them. Won all four including last year’s  wildcard blow out. In past 2 games against the Falcons he  has 661 yards passing with 6 TDs and only 1 INT. Falcons pass defense ranks 14th in the league against the pass. They give up 235 a game through the air but they are 3rd in the league with passing TDs allowed. Will be fun to see the balance that KillDrive comes up with. 

Biggest threat to the Giants defense is Matty Ice and his triple threat J.Jones, R.White and the ageless wonder Tony Gonzalez . Matt Ryan has won 32 out of his first 36 starts at home, the best of any QB in the Superbowl Era. The dome helps significantly in the passing game and he takes advantage of that with a NFL best 10 straight wins at home. I assume the Giants will play Tony like they played Graham last week. He will see a mix of Jacquain or Rivers along with Rolle and Hill. His speed isn't what it used to be, but he is a wise veteran that always finds an opening. 

With a banged up secondary, Hosley has come out and said he knows he will be tested, but refuses to back down. Coughlin said we may see Rolle at the outside CB position with Prince out. Played CB in college and would be good for press to knock the 2 main threats off their routes. To bolster a hurt secondary, Giants signed a CB from the practice squad. Terrence Freaderick is a pure zone corner, if he plays, he will be on ST or in the slot. Expect Will Hill to be out there again in 3 safety looks. Fewell needs to be on his A game with a weak secondary.

Talking about Fewell, he said the gameplan for the DLine last week did not put them in position to get sacks, but to disrupt Drew Brees' launch point. All fine and dandy cause we got the win. Our DLine wants to get after the QB. Let them loose.

Falcons will be hungry after that blowout last year in the Wild Card game. They say they aren't using it as fuel, but lets be serious. Yes they are. Just like last week with Wilson, I can see a unlikely hero emerging this week for the W. At this point in the season the Giants are the biggest threat to themselves.






Monday, December 10, 2012

NYG vs NO Recap

The Dogs Came Out to Play


The Giants knew the pressure was on after hearing/seeing the Skins and Cowboys pulling out wins in the final seconds of their games. 

A couple days after the loss to the Redskins, Antrel Rolle came out saying the Giants defense needed to be "nasty" and "get a little bit more dog" in them. The secondary responded. 'Trel himself came out and forced a fumble while recovering another, also lined up over Graham in the slot and tipped the the pass intended for him creating one of Stevie's INTs. Stevie Brown ended up with 2 INTs, his 6th and 7th of the season  and his return yards put him at 259, a new franchise record. Previous record was 251, set in 1949 + 1961. My boy Will Hill came out to play as well! Kid forced a fumble with a big hit on Colston, was everywhere on kick coverage, and absolutely destroyed Elbert Mack on Jernigan's 60 yard kick return. Who's Elbert Mack? He plays the slot on defense, he was held out after the hit and was not on the field for Cruz's TD.

What I say about Jimmy Graham? You'd see a lot of Jacquain on him, maybe some Rolle in the slot, with Will Hill mixed in. We got all 3. Graham was held to just 2 catches for 9 yards in the first half. He finished 5 for 56 and 0 on 10 targets. Only catching half of the balls thrown his way is the result of the effort put forth by the defense. All 3 cover guys played him well, wherever he was lined up. Both of Stevie's INTs were on passes thrown to Graham.

Why is it so hard for the defensive line to play consistently? 1 sack by Osi is not going to be enough down the stretch and into the playoffs. Brees still torched the defense for 354 yards. If you do not get to the QB you will not win in this league. Lucky Eli & Co. helped out.

Now to the biggest story of the week. DAVID WILSON. It is ridiculous how I stated in the preview that maybe if I don't say he is going to break out, he finally will. Boy did he ever. I mentioned how Dominik Hixon put up the franchise record for total yards last year against the Saints, well Wilson did it this year. 327 all-purpose yards, 227 of them on kickoff returns and another 100 rushing. Not only did he show his speed, he showed some power as well with the goal line plunge, and taking Vilma out of the game on a separate run. As I also stated in the preview, a back with Wilson's speed can take advantage of the weak outside run defense, and his 52 yard TD on a sweep proved my point.

It is so nice to have a threat like Wilson on kick returns as well. Literally every time he catches the ball, he can go the distance. Finally got his first TD, a 97 yarder. That's the first kick return TD since Hixon ran one in from 74 yards away in 2007. Wanna pop up kick it? That's okay we have Jernigan there to take it 60 yards. It will be interesting to see how the Giants balance out the kick return duties for Wilson. If he is slated to get more carries on offense, will they start to pull the reigns a little on kick return? I think he will be fine doing both with Bradshaw still getting the lions share of the carries. Stat: Wilson and MJD the only guys since the merger with 2 rushing TDs and a KR TD in a game. Also, Wilson is the first player in NFL history with at least 200 kickoff return yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game

Overall great special teams day besides Tynes missing the FG. Franchise record for kick return yards at 287, previous was 274 put up against the skins in 1966. When Weatherford had to punt, they were all inside the 20. Sproles, usually a very dangerous return man was held to 5 PR yards on 2 tries. Hixon was put on PR duty like I said would happen. 

 Eli had two miserable INTs, one taken back to the house. However 259 and 4 is perfectly fine with me, as long as we win. Nicks looked good. Not great, but good. Cruz with 8 for 121 and 1 puts him over 1,000 yards in back to back seasons. People were calling him a one year wonder, but he continues to produce. No drops vs the Saints. Consistent play from him and the rest of the receiving corps will determine how far this team goes. 

Rueben Randle had 1 offensive play. Jernigan and Ramses Barden got in more than he did. Also taken off of punt return. Something to look into? Never can be sure with this coaching staff. 

After the game, Rolle tweeted, "Who let the dogs out??? Roof roof roof. NYGiants let the dogs out and they will be out until Feb." Lets hope its true, because the dogs made this game the most fun to watch all season.


EXTRA: Brandon Jacobs suspended from the 49ers for the last 3 games of the season. He has been very frustrated with his playing time in SanFran and was not released because it is so late in the season and they do not want to risk him going back to the Giants with their injuries at RB and hurting them in the playoffs. Also, Prince got banged up, hurt his hammy a little. Michael Coe who was released by the Giants, and signed by the Dolphins was just cut by Miami. A Coe reunion is possible.

UPDATE: Never mind, Giants were not allowed to put a claim on Coe because of IR rules. Picked up by Cowboys, interesting. 

Saturday, December 8, 2012

NYG vs NO Preview

The Start of a Must Win Streak

Are the last 4 games of the season absolute must wins? No, but have a look at the schedule comparison between the Giants, Skins, and Boys. It is going to be hard for the Skins to lose. Cowboys, who knows what they are going to do any given week. Bottom line, when the pressure is on the Giants, they usually come up with diamonds.

Giants got manhandled last year against the Saints in the Superdome. 49-24, and to be fully honest it felt like 49-7. They were up 21-3 at the half. Boley was out for the game. Osi ended up getting hurt during. Perry Fewell has stated, “they kicked the shit out of us.” It's true. Everybody knows it. Time to get some vengeance.

The one positive about facing the Saints,  they aren't the Redskins. What I mean by that is, no triple option stuff. Just a very good pass heavy offense. Kenny Phillips being doubtful hurts. Yes he was doubtful before the Skins game but he did not look good during the loss and all signs point to him sitting this one out. With Sash out as well, look out for number 31. Will Hill. Kid is an athlete that we need on the field against all the weapons the Saints have. Another huge relief is the fact that Jacquain is back. The man has been out since week 6 after spraining his PCL. When healthy, he can be the best athlete the Giants have. Put him out there as a hybrid safety/backer role. 

Stop Jimmy Graham. Bottom line. 84 yards with 2 TDs in last years contest. The guy is a beast coming in at 6'7" 265. You can maybe throw Rolle on him when he lines up in the slot, or have Jacquain shadow him all game. Williams is not as big but has some size to pair with his athleticism. At 6'3" 224, he may be the best chance we've got.

The Saints passing game is not the only thing to worry about. Although they 27th in the league in rushing, their four running back attack has averaged nearly 120 yards in the last five games. Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles, and Mark Ingram know how soft the Giants defense looked while they let the Skins put up 200 rushing yards on them, and will try to do the same. Chris Ivory, the 4th running back is doubtful. As a Giants defender, you cannot sit on your heals waiting for the pass or they will pound it right through you on the ground. 

Another good thing, even though they held Atlanta to only 283 yards, the Saints are the leagues worst defense YPG wise.  Hidden fact is that Spags, the Giants D coordinator before Fewell is now the Saints DC. Knows tendencies. Knows more than other opposing DCs. Saints are dead last in rush defense. Apparently, they are terrible containing outside runs. Speed backs have no problem getting to the outside and taking it up field. I'm tired of saying David Wilson is going to break out, so maybe the week I don't, he finally will. Bradshaw is quick enough to get to the outside, but a back with even more speed should be able to take advantage.

Nicks knee has flared up again and if he plays, he will be hurt. Saints are 30th in the NFL in pass defense. Bennett had a solid game last week, look for him to continue the trend into this week. Cruz is Cruz, drops drive killing balls, still puts up 100 yards. With Locklear out, Diehl is back in. They will need help over on the right side, Eli will have to be careful, but he should continue his upward trend.

Look for Hixon to have a PR/KR role. Maybe its because he put up a franchise record 303 total yards against the Saints. Maybe it's because they want to rest Rueben and Wilson a little with their expanded roles in the offense. 

Backs against the wall. Need the win before the road trip to Atlanta and Baltimore. Lose, and there is a big chance we are not 1st place in the NFC East. Must Win.


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

NYG vs WAS Recap

All too Familiar

Well there you have it, our backs are now, once again, against the wall. Lost 3 of 4. Coughlin is preaching we win out, and I do not disagree. We have a 1 game lead on the Skins and Boys. Next 3 games we have the Saints, Falcons, and Ravens. Skins have Ravens, Browns, Eagles. Boys have Bengals, Steelers, Saints. Take a look guys. Skins could easily come away with this division. Although the Saints have had a poor season, they are always an extremely dangerous team, I still cant get the image of last years game against the Saints out of my head. The other two opponents speak for themselves. Skins have a more favorable schedule. That's the way the cookie crumbles I guess.

Now to the game. I hate saying that we gave a win to a team, but we handed the Redskins this victory. 9 penalties for over 70 yards. 2 holds on kickoffs by Cordle making us start inside the 10. A 4th quarter hold on Beatty negating a Bennett first down on a crucial drive. Missing a field goal which included an awful snap (Tynes says miss was on him anyway).

I mean look at their one touchdown. Stevie strips RG3 while he is going down and it pops right into the pitch man's hands at practically full stride. To me, the defense did all it could do.

This pistol option bullshit fucking offense is the worst thing that can happen to this league. I know I am not alone on this, but it is just boring to watch. Same movements every play. Turn to hand the ball off, actually hand it off, or don't. Defense then has to guess if its a hand off or play action. That's it. It belongs in college, where quarterbacks don't have to be real quarterbacks and all they need is speed. However, I have a feeling if we had a healthy Jacquain, he would have made a difference. He is probably our fastest linebacker. Chase is just SO slow. Great hustle on the forced fumble, but he is too slow. 

There was one Killdrive play call in this game, after the Beatty hold that had me absolutely furious. 3rd and 20, late in the game, need a manageable 4th down conversion. The Giants run a screen pass that gets 4 yards. Let's look at what else we have to play with. Eli Manning, top 5 QBs in the league,  loves 4th quarter comebacks. Hakeem Nicks/Victor Cruz arguably the best receiver duo in the NFL. Martellus Bennett, having a very solid game up to this point. But no, a screen pass, and we punt. Good call.

With all that being said, we still could have had a chance at the end of the game if we could make a stop. Alfred Morris decided he was not going to let that happen and his tree trunks for legs barreled through the arm tackles. Unfortunate.

Eli had a few missed deep throws, but other than that, a pretty good game. The Black Unicorn came to play. With all the skill we have on the offensive side of the ball, 16 points will not fucking cut it.

Skins run defense being 3rd in the league definitely bottled up David Wilson a little bit. His time will come. 

Cedric Griffin was suspended Monday for performance enhancing substances. Wish it was before the 
game. 

Interesting to see Kregg Lumpkin get in the game. Granted his two plays on offense had him running an out pattern out of the backfield. Like I said in the post about signing him, he can catch a few out of the backfield. Something to keep an eye on. 

Worst news is the Locklear injury. Seeing that knee bend the way it did was devastating. Out for the year. Coughlin was pretty upset about it, would not go into further detail, just saying its a knee injury that requires surgery. Looks like we are stuck with Diehl who has a shoulder/neck issue and sucks to begin with.

Bottom line, win the next 4 to finish the season. Backs against the wall. Rolle is calling for more intensity on defense, did the same thing last year before the Saints game, we all know what happened in that one.



Saturday, December 1, 2012

NYG vs WAS Preview

Can He Be Stopped

Here's the deal, RGII is an absolute beast. In his past two games, RGIII has had 4+ TD passes and a 146.2 rating. Realize though, these are not the numbers he put up against the Giants. He dropped 258 for 2 and 1int when they played at Metlife. There's one way to stop this, a pass rush. Our D-line needs to play like they did against the Packers every week until the Monday after the Super Bowl. You pressure RGIII and keep him contained, he doesn't have time to scramble around, and find the deep threat.

Speaking of deep threats, the Skins didn't even have Pierre Garcon for the Giants game in October. Against the Cowboys, he had 4 receptions for 86 and 1. That's an average of 21.5 yards per catch. Guy is pure speed. Can Corey keep up? Lock the more physical corner, Prince on him? Get physical with him at the line, he can be stopped.

That 3 safety look from last week, with Rolle covering the slot is in jeopardy. While stating all week long that he will be fine for the game, Phillips is now ruled doubtful for Monday night. Does Fewell trust Hill in the safety spot enough so that he can bring Rolle down? That look is nice, it only needs 2 linebackers, bringing Kiwi down to the line, a spot that he feels the most comfortable at.

However, RGIII can be taken out of the equation if Alfred Morris goes off. Morris rushed for 120 yards last time out against the Giants. Luckily he didn't have a touchdown and lost a fumble. Helped us win.

Talking about that win, we were 1:13 away from losing that game. If it wasn't for a blown coverage and a perfect read by Cruz and Eli, the NFC East would have a very different picture.

DeAngelo Hall still stands by his "Rocket Scientist"quote from after that game. Giants say they will not use it as fuel, but I see Eli going after him again and again. Last meeting Eli threw for a respectable 337 yards but only that last minute TD and 2 Int. He looked MUCH better last week, hope to see it carry over to this game against a terrible Skins secondary.

Diehl and Baas are still both hurt on the OLine, barely practiced. I do not care if Diehl plays or not. Baas is a bigger deal. Too much shuffling around of lineman if Baas can't go.

Will this be David Wilson's breakout game? Guy is finally getting his shot with Andre done. Has something to prove and should be running with a chip on his shoulder. Coaching staff hasn't given him any respect, needs to take that anger out on the Skins.

Nicks looked much better last week; let’s see it carry over to this game. They threw multiple end zone fades to Nicks against GB. A healthy Nicks would have gotten them, but apparently he is not there. Gotta see Rueben Randle continue what he’s been doing, Hixon is still a little banged up with the ankle.

Rattle RGIII a little bit and we get the victory. FedEx Field is going to be loud Monday night. Eli should silence the crowd and put the Giants ahead for good in the NFC East.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Giants Grab Two RBs

A Little Depth, or Something More?



Sideways blog today I guess.

With Andre Brown going down with a broken leg, Da'Rel Scott already on the IR, and D.J. Ware in Tampa, the Giants needed to add some depth. Even before the Brown injury, they were working out a group of veteran running backs just in case Bradshaw wasn't healthy enough to go, and good thing they did. Apparently, they have decided that Ryan Torain and Kregg Lumpkin. 

To be honest, I've never heard of Lumpkin. Interesting thing is, he played at Georgia and got hurt, making way for D.J. Ware. Lumpy has not played a down yet this season but during his 2 year time in Tampa he  had 33 carries for 124 yards and 45 receptions for 325 yards. Sounds like the guy can catch a few out of the backfield, always a good thing. Apparently will be used primarily as Brown's replacement in kick coverage unless something whacky happens.

Now Ryan Torain. I really liked Torain's running ability back in 2010 when he racked up 742 and 4 on 164 carries. Last year, he broke his hand in training camp and was never the same.  With Shanahan's system at running back, if you are not consistent you do not play, so he was a goner. I can see Torain getting those goal line touches that Andre was getting. There is no reason to bang a fragile back like Bradshaw down near the goal line if you don't have to. We have the Skins coming up Monday night, could Torain get some reps to show the Skins what they let go?

To make room, the Giants terminated the practice squad contract of running back Joe Martinek, and Selvish Capers was released. If Capers clears waivers, he'll probably rejoin the team on the practice squad.

Bottom line, Tom Coughlin has stated it's time for David Wilson to prove himself. I have an infatuation with speed and that is why I love Wilson so much. Just waiting for that big game.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

NYG vs GB Recap

Big Win Comes With A Big Loss

Great win tonight. Defense played great, Eli was throwing darts all over the field, but we may have lost a key player for a while due to injury.

Andre Brown broke his fibula late in the game, Coughlin himself said the injury takes a lot from the win. The guy is an absolute workhorse out of the backfield. Perfect for goal line carries, barely ever goes down on first contact. His loss opens the door for David Wilson who got some reps at the end, garbage time no doubt, but nice to see him get reps.

Mentioned Rodgers being sacked the most out of any QB in the league going down 32 times this season, add another 5 onto that. The D-Line came to play tonight. The NASCAR package gave the GB line fits all night. Kiwi got in there multiple times, Rodgers was never settled in the pocket. Osi with the strip sack was huge. Saw a lot of press on the outside, Antrel being physical with Cobb all night in the slot.

That 3 safety look was nice as well. saw some 4 safety looks with Hill in there with the core 3. Knew Fewell would take advantage of this extra week. Kenny has a bruised meniscus on that same knee that has been bothering him. However, he said he feels alright and would have gone back in if the game was closer.

Corey Webster gave up that huge play to Nelson in the beginning but after that seemed to be okay. I would be interested to see how many big plays he has given up this year, guy needs to be a lot more consistent.

No Clay Matthews in there helped greatly as Eli had all day to throw. No Woodson or Shields is practically an early Christmas gift for Eli and the gang. The Cruz drop in the beginning had me questioning his toughness yet again, footsteps seemed to have rattled him. After that though, he was the Cruz we know.

Nicks looked close to 100%. Some plays he could have put more effort into but 5 for 77 and 1 is just fine with me. 

Eli Manning, just slide man. I love to see the toughness out of a QB but we have seem time after time Eli fumbling trying to dive for extra yards. Lowering the shoulder is not Eli's forte. Huge night through the air though 249 and 3 looks like the Superbowl MVP Eli.

It's interesting, a fully healthy Bradshaw scores on that screen play.  But again, 58 and 1 is fine as long as the passing game is going. Brown with 64 and 1 will be greatly missed.

Coaches love Rueben Randle, and I have started to see why. Kid has got some skills out there. That hook he ran then broke a few tackles, a few jukes thrown in, fun to watch and will be huge down the stretch.

Again, with Eli having a clear head on his shoulders, and the defense playing up to their potential, this is a scary team. We can not get too cocky with this W though. We have RG3 next and he may be the scariest QB we play all year. Beat him the first time around, gotta do it again.

 PS - A fan fell out of the stands into the tunnel while the Giants were going to the locker room. Apparently the Black Unicorn caught him. Bennett is fine, fan was dragged out.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

NYG vs GB Preview

Must Stop Angry Aaron


You gotta know that Rodgers is gonna come into Metlife all pissy about the NFC Championship Game last year. How bad they looked when receivers were dropping balls left and right. He's smelling blood in the awful secondary the Giants have. But that doesn't matter.

Osi is looking for more 3 step drops from AR12, and so am I. He doesn't want to get planted. How to counter this? Press. Press. Press. Fewell had a whole extra week to prepare for Rodgers. He has been sacked more times than any other QB this season (32). Reason for this? Not making stupid Eli mistakes and just taking the sack. Press coverage on the outside, send stunts, blitzes, anything to get him out of his comfort zone. Rodgers is also a duel threat, the guy can run around. Keeping him in the pocket is a huge deal as well.

Nice little stat: Rodgers in 2 regular season games vs Giants 773 passing yards, 8 TDs and 1 INT for 121.2 rating. 

Stop Randall Cobb is what everyone is saying, a threat as a receiver and returner. Jennings says hes ready to go, but who knows.  Watch out for Finley. Hes a great athlete and our linebackers are not the quickest especially since Jacquian is out AGAIN.

Our secondary is bad, and everyone knows it, but have you looked at the Packers secondary recently? The Packers defense is 21st against the pass (244.4 per game), and has given up 43 plays of 20 yards or more. Not to mention both Sam Shields, Charles Woodson, and Clay Matthews are all out. 

Is this finally the week Kenny Phillips comes back?  He's questionable as of right now. We need all the speed in the secondary that we can get. He not only brings skill, but emotion back to the group. Again, Fewell has had 2 weeks to put in a 3 or 4 safety look. 

Eli needs to stop with this time warp back to the beginning of his career. He has looked retarded recently. The increase in defensive pressure could attribute to this, but again just go down, take a sack. Nicks should be healthy with that extra rest. Cruz is a big play guy, and like I stated above, the Packers like to give those up. With Shields and Woodson out, it leaves the Pack with corners that are barely 6 feet tall, if that. Send in Ramses, the man is 6'6", throw em' high. 

Ahmad Bradshaw is still barely practicing. Still not helping him with timing for hitting holes. Still not helping the team. If the carries do not go at least 60-40 Browns way, there is a problem. Also think about this, what if the Giants bring out Wilson this week in some sort of different package. Like what the Dolphins did that year they brought out the Wildcat against the Pats. Not saying be that extreme with it, but give him a significant role.

Bottom line, the only way we win this game is if Eli has his head on straight. Good decisions, take your time, we get a victory, Giants always play up to their competition.


Friday, November 16, 2012

Bye Week

Oh How We Needed You


You know, normally I would be upset about having a bye week. No Giants football is usually one of the worst times of the year, but not this week. This team is in a skid. It is not just Eli, it's Cruz dropping balls, Bradshaw fumbling, Diehl letting defensive ends run through him like water. That's just the offense.  Defense is banged up. No Kenny. No Jacquian to cover the tight end. Corey Webster giving up on plays. Justin Tuck saying hes healthy but having a miserable year. Time to regroup.

Losing in November is the Giants forte. We start off strong, lose at least 2 of 4 games in the middle, and then have to finish on fire. Luckily, we have been blessed with the terrible play from the rest of the NFC East. Rest of the schedule looks like this (home games in bold) Packers, Skins, Saints, Falcons, Ravens, Eagles.

To be honest I am worried about every single one of those games. I would almost feel more comfortable with playing the Packers and the Saints away from home. The Giants love Lambeau, and with everyone against them in 'Nawlins, they would play strong. I'm afraid of the Falcons home or away. They want payback in a bad way after the Giants held them to 3 POINTS in last years playoff game. Big plays have killed the Giants all year and the Falcons have one of the best, if not THE BEST receiver duo in the league. Ravens have a banged up D. Ray Rice, and Torrey Smith are manageable. Eagles/Skins are divisional match ups. Anything goes, records and past results are thrown out the window.

We have this bye however to fix things. Tom has time to seriously think about starting Locklear over Diehl. 6 of the Giants 13 sacks given up this year have come since week 9 when they put Diehl back in the starting spot. Nicks has time to get to 100% which he has NOT been playing at. Fewell should be getting a healthy Kenny back and MAYBE a Jacquian. This gives him the ability to draft up that 3 safety look. When I was in a live chat with Jenny Ventras, the Giants beat writer for the Star-Ledger, she said that the secondary coach also hinted at a 4 safety look with Will Hill thrown on the field with Brown, Kenny, and Rolle. We need all the speed and coverage we can get against the Packers. Should be interesting to keep an eye on.

Do you remember Ahmad Bradshaw's rookie year? He started to play later on in the season, as a change of pace back. Completing the "Earth, Wind, Fire" trio. What also happened that year was a Super Bowl victory. I know the Giants just brought in a bunch of running backs to work out, but we have 2 good healthy backs on the roster already. Obviously Bradshaw is more hurt than what was coming across. Now going for tests on his neck. I have faith in this coaching staff to get David Wilson more involved in this offense, especially towards the end of the year. Fresh legs are always a good thing, especially with his speed.

Great time for a bye, and with news permitting, I'll talk to you next week before the Packers.

Monday, November 12, 2012

NYG vs CIN Recap

November Woes Continue

The Giants really love November. Not even gonna look up the numbers but they have had countless seasons under Coughlin starting off hot and doing miserable in the 4 middle games. 2 of those years have a Superbowl win at the end of them so I am not too worried about it.

There is one thing I am worried about though, the coaching staff. I know every year it seems people want Coughlin out, and that is not at all what I am asking. What I am asking, is for him to get his head out of his ass. David Diehl is a cancer to this team. I was specifically watching the right side and pressure was there all day. Eli continuously had to step up and be hit by Geno Atkins. 4 sacks is completely unacceptable, especially against the Bengals. 

Also David Wilson being in the game for 2 offensive snaps is ridiculous to me. I get we were down early but Bradshaw is not healthy, and is fumbling away great drives. For the love of god just sit him, decrease his snaps, something. Andre Brown is still running perfectly fine. Spell him with David Wilson and we will be alright. If you are worried about David Wilson's pass protection ability, then why the fuck are you starting Diehl? Pass protection and fumbling are the only things keeping Wilson off the field, but you start a running back who is not healthy and fumbling, and a right tackle that can't pass protect, smart Coughlin, real smart.

Kevin KillDrive just can not seem to figure it out. Not sure he ever will. These redzone catastrophes need to stop.  Great for Lawrence Tynes putting up career numbers but I am getting sick and fucking tired of field goals. Maybe that's why Bradshaw fumbled on the 15 or whatever it was. He's just tired of field goals too.


Wish I could have gotten the chance to write a preview for this game. I was reading about Gilbride eluding to a little no huddle. It looked a little sloppy to me anyway, but I liked the change of pace. 



Eli's decision making. He has stated that he has to just hold onto the ball and go down, but just saying something isn't worth shit to me or anyone else. Guy has all the talent in the world, showed it all last year. Slumps like this may separate the Eli from the Elite. He is starting to look like Eli in the beginning of his career. Not what we want to see in the second half of the season.


Victor Cruz is shaken. He is shaken from that hit against the Steelers. Ryan Clark said he was pulling up and whatever and it showed on the dropped TD this week. He definitely saw the defender closing in from his left side and got distracted. 8 drops this season? Pathetic. 

 Hixon high sprained ankle makes room for Ramses who made a couple of catches. Love to see Ramses on the field.

Fresh off of his suspension, Will Hill with the nice fumble recovery on the punt coverage. Actually had half the tackle, Chase came in with a big hit and somehow Will ripped the ball out from under the runner. Guy has great instincts.

It was so interesting to see AJ Green call out the secondary and proceed to shred them apart. I understand he scored on a blown coverage by Stevie Brown (he was supposed to be over top of Webster) but the secondary has to know the ball is coming to him, how can he still put up those numbers? My opinion is that he may be the best WR in the league. Get him a better quarterback and AJ Green's numbers would be even greater. Remember, the Bengals do not have another real threat to take eyes off of Green like a Julio Jones for Roddy White.

Kuhn tore his ACL, likely out for the season. Unfortunate to hear, great story, was clocking a lot of minutes. Let's see what the Giants do to replace his presence.

The Giants need the bye to regroup. Maybe it will bring health to everyone missing including Phillips and Jacquian Williams. If they come out flat against the Packers then all bets are off really. The Giants are known for playing up to their competition. Need a win in two weeks to get back on track.

Monday, November 5, 2012

NYG vs PIT Recap

Poor. Poor. Poor.


Apparently I didn't knock on enough wood. Mentioned in the preview that the Giants have never been 7-2 under Coughlin, and that streak stays alive with this miserable performance.

The softness of our run defense is an issue. I said it in the preseason, we just do not have a good run defense. Terrible tackling led to Redman looking like Jim Brown out there putting up 147 yards. Isaac Redman. Pathetic.

4 sacks by the defense. Would enjoy more, but that strip (and it was a strip) by Osi is the only reason we were in this game.

Kenny Phillips was a game time scratch so there was no 3 look safety that I was raving about. May have helped on that Wallace rumble that Rolle took a TERRIBLE angle on.

I was confused before the game, and I am confused now. David Diehl looked awful. Constant pressure from the right side. Legs still aren't under him, why put a man who is not fully back out there against the Steelers defense? Why can't you wait until the Bengals game? Terrible decision by Tom. Hope he isn't playing favorites.

Why isn't Ramses Barden playing? Randle and Eli are not there chemistry wise. You saw it on the fade route in the endzone with a miss timed jump, and you saw it on the back shoulder throw. Team is desperately struggling in the red zone. Throw a big bodied Barden in there and lay it up. It is absolutely ridiculous.

Ahmad Bradshaw 48 yards on 15 carries. Really? That's half of the average rushing yards given up by the Steelers per game this year. Take a rest. Apparently you need more than just not practicing all week long.

Cruz looked knocked out on that hit by Clark. Body was curled, there was serious whiplash. Could have been much worse, and a huge blow to this team. Officials were dead wrong calling a helmet to helmet. Maybe call a defenseless receiver if anything.

Need to realize how important Eli is to this team. When he is in a slump, the whole team suffers. People say our defense carries the team, take a look at Eli's numbers recently. The whole team is in a slump and Eli is the lead dog.

Herzlich looked lost at times. Missed a few tackles. Maybe a little winded? The man played 69 of 70 defensive snaps, add on 20 more special teams plays. Would LOVE to see Chase play that much and make plays.

 Special Teams killed us. With the exception of Coe reading the fake, and Weatherford making a great play to save a TD, the special teams could not stop anything. A team like the Steelers will take advantage of good field position all day.

 If Gilbride does not change up this offense I will shoot my TV. If viewers at home know what is coming, what does that mean for the professionals on the other side of the ball. Add something. Make a package for David Wilson to at least get him in space. Us fans are watching Doug Martin run all over defenses and we have Wilson sitting on the bench. We have a bye week after the Bengals game. Perfect time to put something in with the difficult schedule after.

Will Hill's suspension ended today. They have till next Monday to reactivate him. Tom Coughlin says maybe, but you have to think that he will be back.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

NYG vs PIT Preview

Not Just A Game

Listen, it's not just a battle of the 2004 Draft Class elite. Not just a battle of the two most historic franchises in NFL history. It's a battle for victims of Hurricane Sandy. People, especially in the tri-state, need a distraction and the Giants (and maybe the Knicks) are the best distraction there is. Sports brings everyone together, takes their mind off what is going on around them, and puts them in a different world for 3 straight hours. Something that is desperately needed at a time like this. Players and fans alike were impacted.  Multiple players experienced flooding, forcing them to live with each other for a day or two. Bottom line, the game needs to be played, and needs to be played at MetLife. 

Biggest area of concern is getting to Big Ben and bringing him down. He is not only a good pocket passer, but a good passer on the run. He is probably the hardest QB to bring down in the league, but I think we have the size and strength to do it.  The Giants defense has 13 sacks over last 3 games. Starting with only 8 in the first 5, I say we are finally on the right track.

Dave Diehl taking back the right tackle spot, moving Locklear to jumbo tackle. For those who do not know what that means, the jumbo set comes in on short yardage situations. Putting the bigger guys in to run the ball. But the interesting part here is, the running game was most productive in the 3 games Diehl missed. They failed to crack 100 rushing in first two Diehl played and there was just one 100 yard game with Diehl as jumbo tackle. My stance is, if it isn't broke, don't break it. Locklear has been doing very well. But we shall see. 

Kenny Phillips is coming back, and here's what he had to say about Stevie Brown in his absence,

“In my mind, I’m thinking like, ‘If I was there, they probably wouldn’t have threw it. I don’t get that lucky.’ You know what I’m saying. But like I said, he’s making the plays and he’s catching the ball, so my hat’s off to him.’’

Interesting. Look for the 3 safety package this week. Brown is getting the start, Phillips is getting worked back in. Jacquian Williams was the guy that was supposed to be that 3rd safety/Bison Role, but he has not been healthy.

Tuck stated this week that the Steelers O-Line gets away with murder. I am sure every O-Line in the league gets away with murder, it is how the game is played these days. If he wants to add fuel to the fire, that's fine, but I'm getting annoyed with the Giants complaints. 

Troy Polamalu is out again for the Steelers which won't help them out with their 7 total takeaways this season. The Giants lead the league with 24. This alone will help. 

Mendenhall and Dwyer are both doubtful, which is good. Dwyer has had 229 rushing yards in the past 2 games. Issac Redman should get the start.

Again, Blackburn out, Herzlich will start. Time to prove me right Herzlich. Rivers is doubtful. Bradshaw should start once again despite not practicing ALL WEEK.

Knock on wood, but the Giants have never been 7-2 under Coughlin. Do not expect the Steelers to lay down like the Heat did last night at MSG even though they are flying in on game day. It should come down to late game heroics by Eli. He has not played well recently, and I hope to see he takes advantage of the Steelers defensive captain out of the game.