Thoughts from the Armchair: Home for the Holidays Edition

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Dec 22, 2008 2:00 PM EST in News Comment 28 comments

Some thoughts from me on last night's game:

Thank God the Giants are done with night games this year. I had to pop a Xanax to go to sleep last night. Last week I was too ticked off about losing to Dallas, last night I was too wired from the win. Next week, 1 p.m. game, just the way I like it.
Antonio Pierce is becoming a liability.
Congrats to Eli Manning for setting the record for consecutive starts by a Giants QB, no small feat in today's NFL.
DeAngelo, who's quiet now? By the way buddy, you know what you can do with that finger.

Jimmy Johnson was right: The Giants can win without Burress, they can win without Jacobs, they can't win without both.
The Giants defensive backs have the worst hands in football
When I think about Brandon Jacobs' contract negotiations, I think of Peter from "The Family Guy", "Sir, I am going to hand you a blank check, please write whatever amount you feel is necessary and I will sign it."
I still don't think "with the wind" or "against the wind" applies at Giants Stadium.
Was it me or did it seem like the Panthers started almost every drive on the 50?
Over the years, there will always be Giant wins and losses that I'll never forget, last night will definitely become one of them. It's truly one of the most satisfying wins I can remember. With all of the doubt surrounding this team for the last few weeks, for them to come out and find a way to win this game, truly memorable.
To my knowledge, the Giants have only had home field throughout twice, 1986 and 2000, and both years the Giants made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
The Giants are back. It's Christmas, life is good.

Quickies from around the NFL:

I watched the entire Cards-Pats game; I can never resist a snow game. It was painfully obvious from the opening kickoff that the Cardinals wanted nothing to do with that game; they didn't want to be out there in the snow and the cold. The Cardinals may be one of the worst playoff teams of all time.
The Jets.......*snicker*. I will be rooting hard for Miami this Sunday, Chad Pennington deserves it.
So, I guess now the Eagles are the 8-6-1 team no one wants to play? I'd be curious to ask all those Eagle fans from two weeks ago if they still don't want to trade places with us.
Wow, can't wait to see next week's thrilling edition of Sunday Night Football as the Broncos travel to San Diego to figure out who sucks just a little bit less.

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Final drive

If you can’t get enough of the final drive you can watch it again at NFL.com.

by Ed Valentine on Dec 22, 2008 2:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

AP is not that frickin bad. He runs the defense. His overall value is probably more than that of an extremely athletic yet inexperienced guy. If you were to take Jerod Mayo from the Pats and plug him in there – and that guy is an animal – I’d venture to say the Giants’ D gets worse. And Athletically, he’s not all too bad either. He gets where he’s going, just not the fastest or strongest guy out there. And he seems great for chemistry and leadership.

You play to win the game!

by Simms-McConkey on Dec 22, 2008 3:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I respectfully disagree

Pierce is missing coverages, tackles, and looks very slow to me.

Giants fan from the womb to the tomb

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Dec 22, 2008 3:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Pierce has been bad

I mean, awful, for the past three weeks. He has to take a huge hit for the fact that the Giants have not been able to stop the run — aimed right at him — for the past three weeks. Also, as John Madden pointed out last night, and as we can plainly see with our eyes, AP is being targeted in the passing game. He’s not exactly dog meat, but I don’t believe he’s irreplaceable on this defense either.

by Ed Valentine on Dec 22, 2008 3:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That 3rd down play to Dwayne Jarrett

AP looked like he got lost in coverage, because there was no excuse for not giving up that much separation after Jarret flared out to the left.

by TheRagingPlatypus on Dec 22, 2008 3:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Pierce has been bad, but

he’s had bad stretches before and has bounced back to play well. I remember thinking last year that he was a complete waste of space, but he got hungry & played well at the end of the year and into the playoffs. From someone not in the know at all it appears that maybe the Plax incident took something out of him. Hopefully he can find it again.

by potroast on Dec 22, 2008 4:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I hope you're right

by Ed Valentine on Dec 22, 2008 4:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You know what

You are absolutely right, let’s hope you are right again

Giants fan from the womb to the tomb

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Dec 22, 2008 7:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Pierce

The question is how the continuity flows between Spags and Pierce. That mike in the helmet makes Pierce a conduit between the field and the sideline. The veteran leadership and sight of an experienced Antonio Pierce cannot be looked at as past. I am sure there is an overwhelming sense of pressure on Pierce by Spags to juggle signals, execution, and morale during all 60 minutes of play. I can only imagine Strahan was a great buffer for the serious nature of Pierce’s job.

by johnd134 on Dec 22, 2008 4:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

i agree

for every play he gets burned (and to be fair I can’t think of the last Giant’s LB I’ve noticed actually deflecting a pass) we’ve all seen plays where he’s shouting for another guy to get into a particular position, and that guy immediately gets a TFL

by queler on Dec 22, 2008 4:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

With & against the wind

It really infuriates me that the TV guys do not know that the winds swirl at Giants Stadium. Last night at the beginning of the game the mentioned that it was a swirling wind and then they seem to completely ignore that fact the rest of the game, especially when Kasey lined up for that field goal. Madden has done how many games there? Between both NY teams? Come on man, it’s not that hard!

by potroast on Dec 22, 2008 4:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Eli...

I was sending a harassing email to my friend, who is a Bills fan, comparing Eli to Jim Kelly through their first four years, and theyre more similar than I thought….Im just so amazed at how far he’s come in the past 18 months or so.

Pierce has looked really slow, I’ll agree, he made a few nice run stops last nite….hopefully he’s just tired and needs a week off as opposed to a total decline

Also four straight playoff appearances for Eli and Coughlin, something Tuna and Simms never accomplished.

Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

by bren on Dec 22, 2008 6:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

It's not just Pierce...

None of our linebackers are playing very well. Lots of missed tackles, bad reads, and poor pass coverage. For a team with the kind of tradition we have had at that position this is a sad situation.

None of our present crew could even be backups on the tems of the eighties we fielded. Pierce looks paunchy, small and slow and has missed a number of tackles this year. Opposing quarterbacks throw the ball to anyone Pierce is trying to cover. He does wave his arms wildly before each play with great enthusiasum but unfortunately he doesn’t scare anyone as witnessed by the fact that teams run at him with great regularity. Harry Carson at age 58 could probably still outplay him.

by giant fan since 57 on Dec 22, 2008 6:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Linebackers

Giants LB (and D-Line) corps are extremely thin right now. I think that the entire front 7 is gassed.

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by NYERinSF on Dec 22, 2008 7:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

D-Line

I agree, both units are tired. I think the decline of the D-Line is more serious and has exposed the LBs to more action than in the first half of the season.

by TerraByte on Dec 23, 2008 7:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I would also like to thank the o-line for Eli setting the consecutive starts record;)

As for Pierce: we have one of the elite defences in the league hands down. AP is a part of that. Yes, he gives up plays, but the man must be doing something to have such a successful defense. We all know that if 11 players don’t play well, if it’s more like 10, a team cannot win in this league. 1st place in the NFC speaks for itself gentlemen. That glass is more than half full.

by NYcON on Dec 22, 2008 11:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Our LB's

have been inconsistent at best. But Pierce being the leader and veteran of the squad has to be viewed as the biggest disappointment. He has looked awful out there and it all seams to have started since his involvement with the Plaxico situation. When it comes to pass defense, he seems ill-equipped when he covers a small elusive back(Westbrook, Choice), or a large TE (Witten LJ). When it comes to stopping the run, he continuously gets beat outside or suffers from poor arm tackling.

Does anybody know of any MLB available in college or at the pro ranks who we can have replace Peirce? And for that matter, is Kehl a viable long term option? Cause I have no clue what kind of player he was in college. But he sure looked like he has the ability.

by ProudYankee on Dec 23, 2008 12:44 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I'm a big Rey Maualuga fan

from USC. He’s just one of those guys who always seems to be around the ball. But there are other good LB’s coming out this year. I think the Giants need to make a commitment to the position. Having a dominant Giants team w/o great linebackers is like having a dominant Yankees team with Melky Cabrera in centerfield….yea, it’s great to be dominant, but it just feels weird to not be dominant at your bread and butter position.

by cjmulrain on Dec 23, 2008 2:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

not replace pierce

If you guys are right and AP is a worthless sack of donkey dung, the best thing the Giants could do would be to draft the best linebacker(s) they can and KEEP Pierce. He’s obviously the smartest D-player on the field, although you guys probably know better than Spagnuolo.

You play to win the game!

by Simms-McConkey on Dec 23, 2008 7:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

what I mean

is The young guys would greatly benefit from AP’s presence, Like Jerod Mayo has from Bruschi & now Seau

You play to win the game!

by Simms-McConkey on Dec 23, 2008 7:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not saying I know better

I’m just calling it as I see it. He has been woefully out of position on many big plays by the opposition the last few weeks, and has missed coverages and tackles. Be it age or whatever, something is not right with Antonio Pierce.

Giants fan from the womb to the tomb

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Dec 23, 2008 8:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

No reason to be bitter

Some folks just disagree with your assessment of Pierce. By the way, no one is questioning Pierce’s smarts or leadership. What is being called into question is his physical ability to carry out his own assignments, which he has not done well for the past few weeks.

by Ed Valentine on Dec 23, 2008 8:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

In Spags we trust

My point, which I think is being missed, is simply that if Steve Spagnuolo thinks AP is the defensive heart of this team, do you really disagree? And secondly, do you think the Giants defense is bad? The No. 5 defense in the league that gives up average less than 100 YPG on the ground?
This is why we should dump the D-Captain, Pierce, who happens to lead the team in tackles and is second in assists and forced fumbles?
I’m not being “bitter” it’s just that the heart of my point is that if you think AP has gotta go, you think you know more about defense than Spags! Here’s the real question: DO you think the Giants would have a better shot in the playoffs if we replaced Pierce with a faster linebacker with better pass coverage?

You play to win the game!

by Simms-McConkey on Dec 23, 2008 8:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

My final thought on this

Of course, we trust Spags. And we all know that right now the Giants need AP, they have no real replacement (remember Blackburn fans, he is already starting on the outside). It’s simply this — AP has not played well the past few weeks. Teams are picking on him in the pass game, and in the run game some of his miscues have led to big plays. Replacing him long-term is a discussion for another day. Right now the Giants need AP to step up and play better than he has in recent weeks. That’s pretty much the bottom line.

by Ed Valentine on Dec 23, 2008 12:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Also

noone has mentioned how much better Eli has looked in bad weather conditions, except for the Philly game (where he didn’t RECIEVE much help).

by ProudYankee on Dec 23, 2008 12:46 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Eli

I agree, he’s been solid the last few weeks.

I love that stat on home field advantage.

And re: resting guys next week, yeah – maybe the horses (Tuck, Kiwi, Jacobs, Robbins) don’t need to play that entire game. I’m ok with them going to the bench early in the 2nd half.

by Cody K on Dec 23, 2008 10:14 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Every Panther drive on the 50???

I don’t remember the Panthers returning a kickoff past the 35. The Giants penned them in the 5 at one point. And the Giants had great field position many times. And to DeAngello (the nicest guy you will ever meet)… “you know what to do with that finger”?

I see cockiness is already setting in. That is great for Panther nation. Because when we meet in the playoffs, the Giants will come with the attitude that they already beat them once. The Panthers will come with a new look and a chip on their shoulder. It happens all the time! Beware the revenge factor!

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Dec 23, 2008 4:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs