New York Giants News & Notes: Just Who Are These Giants?
by cjmulrain on Dec 23, 2009 1:00 PM EST
47 comments
Good morning, Giants fans. This post is up a little later than usual because the Internet is screwy at my parents house, which I'm visiting for Christmas. And yes, I am currently typing this post from my mother's basement. Buzz Bissinger rejoices.
As I mentioned the other day, I went to the game Monday night and came away equal parts impressed and perplexed. Are the Giants really that good, and if so, where has that team been the past two months? Or are the Redskins really that bad, and if so, how did they almost beat the Cowboys, Eagles, and Saints?The Giants are a strange team this year, having been on both the giving (Bucs, Raiders, & Redskins) and receiving (Saints, Eagles, & Broncos) ends of 3 absolute beatdowns. Much like the similarly inconsistent 2007 team, the Giants will be defined by what they show over the next two weeks and potentialy beyond. I'm not saying I expect another Super Bowl run, but I am saying it's not out of the question. On the other hand, it's also entirely possible that the Giants will lose their next two games and go quietly into the night. With that said, onto the links:
- According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Giants 45 points on Monday was their most in a road win since they put up 51 on the Redskins way back in 1954. More interestingly, at least to me, was that Eli Manning was the first Giant to have consecutive 3+ TD, 0 INT games since Phil Simms back in 1984. Eli was fantastic on Monday. Sitting in my seats way up in the nosebleeds, I can usually see the plays as they are developing, and often am able to spot the open receiver before the QB can. On Monday, though, Eli was hitting some guys I wasn't even seeing, and he's down on the field with humongous defensive players charging at him. He also had a few plays where guys were wide open (all 3 TD passes, for example), but even on those he made great throws. Eli just seems locked in right now.
- Brandon Jacobs is claiming that his "punch" on Monday night was actually open-handed and he shouldn't be suspended. I still haven't seen any video of the fight, so I really can't weight in on this, except to say that I really hope the NFL agrees with Jacobs. He may not have had his best statistical night on Monday, but he had a few nice runs early on and opened things up for Ahmad Bradshaw, which is how the Giants running attack works best.
- The Giants have signed tight end Scott Chandler off of the Cowboys practice squad. I hope he doesn't replace Bear Pascoe, who had a nice night on Monday and has quite possibly the best name in the NFL. Still, always nice to poach the Cowboys for possible talent.
- Ralp Vacchiano says that Monday nights win brought back memories of 2007.
- Filip Bondy echoes what I said above (or did I echo him, since I wrote mine later, but before I read his article...?) about the Giants being hard to figure out.
- Joe Lapointe writes in defense of Bill Sheridan.
- Finally, the NY Times 5th Down Blog continues its countdown of the top 10 Giants moments at Giants Stadium, with the 1986-87 NFC Championship Game victory over the Redskins (the Giants just seem to be picking on the 'Skins this week, huh?.) Defined by legendary wins and a dominant defense, this is the game that sent the Giants to their first ever Super Bowl. I was only two when this game was played, so I have no first-hand memory of it, but I'm hoping I'll get to watch it in its entirety in a few days, assuming someone gets me the Giants Greatest Games DVD for Christmas!
0 recs |
47 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
+1, re: Bear Pascoe...
…how could we possibly let him go now?!? He set the pace for our offense!
by Step up and make big plays on Dec 23, 2009 1:14 PM EST reply actions
jacobs...
did swing with an open hand…it was still stupid but i noticed it.
more importantly….if he’s not suspended he’s on pace for 950 yards this year.
pretty decent #‘s considering a lot of giant fans have already written the big fella off…and considering our Oline has been a shell of it’s former self.
"If you don't know what you're doing... just rush the quarterback" - LT
Andia..Really our O-line is a shell of its former self????????
How come AB with two bad hooves is hitting holes?..that our line opened up against a very good Redskin defensive line? averaging 6.2 ypc?..and look at the protection they are providing Eli?..I don’t buy into the theory that 28-30 year-old kids are getting old.
yes bobbi...at least IMO
seubert and snee in particular. yes, they’ve been dealing with injuries…and that very well could be a big part of it, but that’s how i see it.
last year they were opening up holes big enough for an elephant to run through. last year it literally didn’t matter who our RB was….the holes were huge.
AB is hitting holes yet….primarily because he’s so much quicker than Jacobs is…they run those slow developing plays and jacobs doesn’t always have the sheer physical ability to cut back and hit those small holes. whereas AB can do that.
Also…it’s not like AB didn’t have a quite stretch this year. In fact a lot of us just wanted to chalk it up to those injuries…but looking at the way he’s running…that doesn’t seem to jive.
I just continuously see our RB’s getting met in the backfield by 2 and sometimes 3 defenders…
"If you don't know what you're doing... just rush the quarterback" - LT
Well..
I can see where your coming from, Andia..but as Ed has pointed out all season is the fact that they were giving him only 11-12 carries..he needs at least 20 per game, alot of that was due to getting behind early and playing catch-up with the pasing game..Another big problem he developed was trying to cut it outside way too much..He isn’t capable of doing that..I was a little happy on Monday seeing him run it up the gut..That is his game..and you are right about him opening things up for AB..Our running game is a far cry from where is was and where it should be..but you can’t point or pin it on the O-line..there are several factors involved…and I believe the biggest problem has been our defense…and that has been a phenomenon that started last December when Plax pulled his last stunt as a Giant..Everybody wanted to blame that..I believe and agree with those folks that saw the defense faltering..and it has carried over to this entire season.
i agree with you about the play calls.
it seems like they always want to run BJ outside the tackles…i think KG does this specifically so that when AB is running those plays it’s a total change of pace.
BJ is actually running Ward’s old plays…which also may account for all these runs outside the tackles.
maybe i shouldn’t put it all on the oline b/c i was critical of Hedgecock earlier this year as well…but i think the oline has got to take some heat. In their defense, they’ve been seeing a stacked box on a regular basis…seems like no matter how many points we score teams are still going to try to stop our running game.
"If you don't know what you're doing... just rush the quarterback" - LT
950 yards
divided by 16 that makes 59 yards per game. That, really, isn’t something to feel all that good about.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 23, 2009 2:24 PM EST up reply actions
no...
but I wouldn’t write the big fella off just yet either….like some BBVers have.
quite honestly i thought he’s been running much harder as of late….finishing runs, picking up that extra 2 or 3 yards, pounding opposing defenses…
"If you don't know what you're doing... just rush the quarterback" - LT
Not too big a difference from last year
Less yards and more carries is never good and even wayyy less TD’s but he was only getting 83ypg last year and he only got to play 13 games because of it, this year is the most games he has played in since carrying the ball 200+ times a season…. My guess is he cant be the guy he was and make it all year so he’s toned it down ALOT so he can actually make it through 16 games…
Maybe we just dont have one guy that can carry the load alone, Bradshaw is the best but sometimes he can’t get a yard versus certain defenses and Jacobs rips those defense apart.. They compliment each other..
There both tough and everyone at this point is playing with injury…
In football, you can always maim a person if you wanted to. -L.T.
playing 16 games in and of itself would be an accomplishment for BJ
by Step up and make big plays on Dec 23, 2009 3:58 PM EST up reply actions
I think we've given up on the idea
that brandon is “saving himself” and will suddenly gash a bunch of 150-yard games wunning like a rhino…
You play to win the game!
by Simms-McConkey on Dec 24, 2009 10:36 AM EST up reply actions
Given up
I’m just saying he is saving himself, not that he is going to ever have a game like he did last year at all… if he does great but as soon as he does he will get hurt he plays like shockey
In football, you can always maim a person if you wanted to. -L.T.
This is a really great article for a "Basement Writer", CJ..LOL!!!
The only disappointing thing is you yet again have reminded me how old I am..I was at that Championship game..but I was 30 years old…
Jacobs did use an open hand but he also grabbed and almost ripped the corners head off..Then he squares off amoung all people Haynesworth..In a close-fist boxing stance the idiot…As I mentioned in an earlier blog…they should hire Michael Buffer to introduce him on game days..His play might pick up..He most definitely is looking at a fine..and if they suspend him then he needs to go, because he will have destroyed our chances..He can spend his days “Tweeting” with Burress.
LOL
I’m young and now feeling old, Dang CJ only 2?? I was only 8 so dont feel bad, but I remember sitting with my dad in his dirty old recliner watching this game in our basement in Middletown, NY… Good times….
In football, you can always maim a person if you wanted to. -L.T.
Here's a sign your getting old...My wife roped me into going to a damn "Christmas Party" deal tonight..
Now when I was young my response would be: “RRRRRAAAAHHHHH!!!!Tally friggin ho!!!!..When does it start??”….Now my response is this: "How long do we have to stay?..What am I going to miss tonight on TV?..Your brother isn’t bringing those pain in the ass kids of his to it is he?..Does your Sister still have that Cold-sore problem?..Keep my ass away from the Misle-toe thing, please..You know I am suffering from “Mall Shock”..and you want me to be sociable?..I ain’t wearing that!!geezus..Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah Humbug!..Okay, so maybe I didn’t say those things..at least not most of them..It’s basically okay Dear! (Grrrr…).
That's funny gobs
Your post brings back memories,
I was 7 when I watched that game, also sitting with my dad in our basement in Middletown, NY, small world huh
How small it is
Yeah soon after we moved down to South Florida where i stay now, I always go visit my family atleast twice a year up there, middletown and pine bush. We owned an Italian resturaunt and bar up there by the old train station and my grandpa use to own the comics and cards store right there too… Wouldn’t be suprised if some how our families know each other…
In football, you can always maim a person if you wanted to. -L.T.
You guys were right across the Hudson from me..
You could have been running around the back yard throwing the ball around with my oldest boy (he was eight at the time) while me and your fathers jumped up and down hollering at the Giants…lol
Yeah you never know
I lived over on Sprague ave. Down the road from the shoprite on Dolson ave. Do you by chance remember the name of the restaurant you guys owned, I bet I at there at some point in time.
Yup not far from the resturaunt
My cousin is a firefighter at the fire house right up the street, the resturaunt was my last name Gobeo’s
In football, you can always maim a person if you wanted to. -L.T.
I just realized
that CJ is younger than my kids…..think I’ll go get a beer……a dark one……
Anytime Blue
but I’ve gotten to the point where I sometimes have to use a towel to help with the twist off beer cap….I was really workin’ hard the other day on a ‘starner until I relized it wasn’t a twist-off…..dang!!!!!
open hand, like slap?
or open hand, like, palm-heel strike?
You play to win the game!
by Simms-McConkey on Dec 24, 2009 10:37 AM EST up reply actions
“I shouldn’t get suspended,” Jacobs said on “The Brandon Tierney Show.” “It was an open hand. I didn’t throw a closed-fist punch. That’s not really even illegal, to be honest with you, if you want to go by the book.”
Let me first say that for the next 2 weeks I’m a Giants fan, and I want nothing more than to see them beat the Vikings, which of course would give the Eagles at least a chance at a first round bye. And if the Giants can squeeze the Cowboys out of the playoffs to make room for themselves, all the better.
Let me also add that I think Jacobs is a first-time offender, and throwing a punch is hardly a suspend-able act for someone with no or little record of punishable offenses. I’m sure he’ll get a hefty fine, but a suspension isn’t going to happen – nor do I want him to be suspended.
With all that said, his above quote about open-handed slaps not being illegal is maybe the dumbest thing I’ve heard all year.
Bye, Dawk :(
No offense but what the heack is that guy wearing, why and also what his he doing in your profile photo… Sorry had to ask
In football, you can always maim a person if you wanted to. -L.T.
its green man
sworn enemy of the mcpoyle’s and the philly frenetic! frenetic, not fanatic for obvious legal reasons.
Green Man
Just in case cntrlalt’s explanation didn’t clear things up for you: it’s from a TV show called “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” AKA Philly’s one redeeming quality. Other than Bye, Dawk :( of course.
by SonictheHedgecock on Dec 23, 2009 5:13 PM EST up reply actions
I thought they clinched when they beat buffalo in week 16.
"If you don't know what you're doing... just rush the quarterback" - LT
yup.
"It ain't over till its over"---
3rd down + Steve Smith = 1st Down.
"I just saw Avatar, and Sean Avery was hands down the best character!"
by FreeBradshaw on Dec 23, 2009 4:11 PM EST up reply actions
Not only did we clinch after week 16
we also were locked in at the 5 seed and playing at Tampa.
Which is why some people ...
thought TC was crazy to play the starters against the 15-0 Pats.
So, who’s crazy now ?
cuz they are below the radar...
and more then a few people think they stink and have no chance at all.
"It ain't over till its over"---
3rd down + Steve Smith = 1st Down.
"I just saw Avatar, and Sean Avery was hands down the best character!"
by FreeBradshaw on Dec 23, 2009 7:01 PM EST up reply actions
b/c they were an incredibly inconsistent team
like this one, they had one great stretch (won 6 in a row) but were up and down the rest of the season. They got hot at the right time. I’m not saying they’re similar situations, I’m saying they’re similar teams (that defense was much better, but this offense is much better)
"[The Giants] beat us down. We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. ... It wasn't even close." - Raheem Morris, 9/27/09
The comparisos to 07 are way off
for a couple of reasons
1.) yes they got off to an 0-2 start but after that they won 6 straight and were at 6-2 fightinging for the division with Dallas and had the second best record in the conference.
2.) Even after the loss to Dallas the second time they still were the #1 wild card by a long shot over Wash, Det, and Minny all they needed to do was get to 9 wins and they were in every other team was chasing them.
3.) They controlled their destiny in 07. They were 9-4 with 3 games left all they needed was one win in one of those games and they were in and even if they lost all three they still would have gotten in. They lost to Wash in week 15 had they won that game they would have clinched with two games left, a lot different than the situation this year.
4.) In 07 they never lost more than two games in a row while this season they have a 4 game lossing streak.
5.) They lost to Dallas twice who was 13-3 and very good that year in close games, they lost to the Pats who were 16-0 and they lost to GB who was also 13-3. When they lost to GB to go to 0-2 everybody got on them becasue they got hammered 35-13 and becasue nobody thought GB was going to be any good that year so it looked bad at the time but in highnsight really not a bad loss. The Minny loss and the Wash loss were very ugly but were not total team breakdowns like the losses to Philly game 1 Denver, ARZ, NO this year. Those bad losses in 07 were strictly on one guy Eli.
6.) In 07 their D made some crucial 4th quarter stops to win games that eventually got them in the playoffs. Washington Goal line stand to get their first win, Philly in Philly the D stoped the Eagles and forced the to attempt and long-shot 60 yard field goal. This year SD marched right down the field to win late and Philly two weeks ago put the game away up 37-31 they drove 90 yards for the decsive TD . . .hell the Giants won but ATL did the same thing. Think about if they had held SD this year how much better of a situation they would be in right now. The 07 team won a couple of those games to be in good position
7.) In 07 even though they were a longshot to get to the Super Bowl they were still considered the third best team in the NFC going into the playoffs and they were considered that most of the season behind Dallas and GB kinda like Philly behind NO and Minny this year. This year if they got in I don’t think they would be considered one of the top 3 teams in the NFC.
8.) In 07 they were a more well rounded team. Solid D, good rushing attack, big play WR’s, very good o-line it did not have major holes other than Eli who was the big question mark. They won a few games that year despite him in the second half of the season. This year the complete opposite, every aspect is a quesion mark and some positions, Saftey, for example are glarring holes, while Eli is steering the ship and keeping them alive.
Basically I don’t like the comparison. In 07 they needed one very talented player to play up to his capabilities and to be consistant to become an elite team which to the surprise of a lot of people happened in the playoffs. The 09 Giants need a handfull of guys who need to play up to their capablities (while some just might not have that ability) and have a lot of holes but are hanging in there because of one player (Eli) who is playing the best football of his carreer.
I thought you said a couple? lol
After reading that, it becomes more apparent of the differences, good job!
As you pointed out with the ’07 team and Eli being the question mark, coincidently, Eli had a near perfect post season, while everything else took care of itself!
its worth noting
that the past is never indicative of the future. every NFL season is completely different.
I strongly disagree that the Giants were considered the 3rd best NFC team in '07
also, take a look at the teams the Giants have lost to this year. Every single one of them is going to the playoffs.
Also, the secondary wasn’t very good at all in ‘07 until the playoffs & Corey Webster’s strange turnaround, so it wasn’t just Eli.
I don’t think this team is as balanced as the ’07 team, but I think they have a better offense, especially if Bradshaw keeps playing like he did on Monday night. I also think the NFC is stronger overall, which is why the Giants look worse in comparison.
"[The Giants] beat us down. We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. ... It wasn't even close." - Raheem Morris, 9/27/09
That 86 Redskins game
was LT’s favorite of all time at Giants stadium, according to him yesterday on Benigno and Roberts(WFAN) show. He also proclaimed Tony Romo to be gutless, and any team with him as a QB will not be a champion. I almost expected him to slip and call him homo yesterday. My dude LT!
LOL!!!..LT..He had a total disdain for any QB..
He even had total disregard for any player in the other uniform..They all feared him…The other thing about watching that ’86 game was Phil Simms conducting a passing in the wind clinic for Jay Schroeder.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Community Guidelines
Related FanPosts on Big Blue View
Related FanShots on Big Blue View
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Get Your Giants' Gear
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
