Well I haven't had the interwebz on my Imac in almost 2 and a half months. Nov 29th-Feb13th... Basically been without it until I got to Japan on the Imac at least. I did have a little access for around 2 weeks while I was on leave in Colorado. I have had it while in Japan for about a month on my cell phone. So what am I getting at here...

Well my Imac remembers everything for me so I dont have to...it logs into Facebook, SBnation my Email...yada yada yada. So I just hooked up my interwebs about 10 minutes ago and yall know whos logging on BBV to see what the scoop is...Well the last page it remembered was still on there for about 2 seconds until it loaded the new one. It was the title of my fanpost. We just got crushed by the Saints and I had no internet so I never got to even read this post by Ed. I didnt have internet when we lost to the Skins the second time, in fact I chose snowboarding over watching that game because we don't get snow in Okinawa and I knew it would be a long time before I could ride again. Plus there was no way we would lose to the Skins right...Ah bad times... I guess... but I didn't have to live the agony on BBV as much as few of you guys around here cause I had no internet access.

Well I have learned one thing this past season.

YOU DON'T DOUBT ELI MANNING AND YOU NEVER COUNT THE GMENNNNN!

The sad end of yet another talented artist done in before her time. Sadly, it's just over 21 years since she gave us this.

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I don’t know about all you other Big Blue Viewers but I still can’t come down for the Super Bowl high. I mean the offseason is so much more fun when you have the Lombardi trophy. This was a great week but also a bit of a tough one for me because the day after the Super Bowl I had to fly out to San Diego for a work meeting so I missed a lot of the hoopla and I was not able to get to BBV nearly as much as I would of liked. The only positive parts of this painful trip was going through security at Newark Airport and seeing NY Giants Super Bowl Champion T-shirts all over the gift shops and the in-flight direct TV that allowed me to watch 6 hours of the NFL network the morning after the game. Instead of going to the parade I had to listen to empty corporate suites drone on about “mission statements” and “strategic visions” all the while us corporate lemmings got are balls busted about our TPS reports. Some of the lemmings drank the kool-aid and sold their souls for positive “exposure” with the new corporate brass. I on the other hand chose not to degrade myself, so instead of being “proactive” and holding myself “accountable” for a profitable 2012 I decided to come up with a position by position breakdown of the greatest Giants players of their four Super Bowl winning teams. Since this will be the first weekend without football I thought I’d post it this weekend to help us through our football hangover. It will give us something to argue about while at the same time it will allow us to celebrate our four, yes I said four, great Super Bowl winning teams.

Criteria

They had to be on the 1986, 1990, 2007, and 2011 teams. My decision was based on the following three things: Overall career with the Giants, how good each player was in their respective Super Bowl winning season, and how well they played during each team’s playoff run. I probably weighted the players overall career with the Giants slightly more than the others but I definitely have some inconsistencies in there that I’m SURE will be noticed and debated by some of you. For each position I will give a little synopsis of how I came to my conclusion and I will mention guys that were tough to cut out. Remember I’m taking individuals not entire positions so for example the o-line will not just be the 1990 O-line it will be a position by position choice. There will be 12 offensive players, (three WRs) 12 defensive players (four LBs and four D-linemen). A punter, kicker, holder, KR/PR, Special Teamer, Head Coach, DC, OC, and GM. I have also taken a couple liberties at a few positions to get the best players on the team. Now on to the team!!!!!

Offense

QB – Eli Manning. It’s weird that this was such an easy choice considering Phil Simms played the best game in Super Bowl history back in 1987 (22 of 25) but between the two game winning drives in the Super Bowl and his amazing 2011 season Eli is the choice here. Throw in the fact he’s one of only four men to win multiple Super Bowl MVPs Eli not only is an all-time great Giant but he is also one of the all-time great Super Bowl QBs.

C – Bart Oates. Was a little tough because I gave Shaun O’Hara strong consideration but Oates was the final choice because of his strong 9 year tenure with the G-Men. He was the only constant on both the 1986 O-Line and the 1990 team and was a three time Pro-Bowler in 90, 91, and 93.

RG – Chris Snee. Pretty easy choice here. He’s been a grinder on the Giants O-line since being drafted in 2004. Snee has been the Giants best and most consistent player on the offensive line since entering the league in 04. He’s a 3 time Pro Bowl selection and a 3 time All-Pro and is a big reason why the Giants have won two out of the last five Super Bowls.

LG – Brad Benson. Remember some of those liberties I discussed earlier? Well here is the first one. Before he was known as the guy with the inappropriate yet hysterical car commercials that run every five minutes on WFAN, Benson was an All-Pro LT on the 1986 team but he played multiple positions on the offensive line during his 10 year career including guard. He was the David Diehl of the 1980s but a little better. He was such a good player over the course of his career and in particular 1986 that I had to find a way to get him on the team.

LT – John “Jumbo” Elliot. This guy is the reason Benson is the guard and not the tackle. I mean an O-line man with the nickname Jumbo has to be on the team. Jumbo was fantastic in 1990 and his ability to beat up on Bruce Smith all night allowed the Giants to control the clock for 40 plus minutes which was the key to their Super Bowl 25 victory.

RT - Kareem McKenzie. What! What! What! I know he was not very good this year but in 07 he was fantastic and he was a solid player for most of his Giants career. KMack along with Snee had a lot to do with the success of the run game from 05-10.

TE – Mark Bavaro. No brainer. If you want to debate then just You-tube Bavaro dragging Ronnie Lott and you’ll realize there is nothing to debate.

WRs – This was brutally tough between guys from 07 and 11. With all due respect to fan favorites like Phil McConkey, Mark Ingram, and Stephen Baker these guys don’t compare to what we’ve seen at this position in 07 and 11.

WR1 – Hakeem Nicks. Plaxico caught the game winner in 07 , ate up the Packers in the Championship game that year, and we don’t win a SB without Plax but Nicks was even better this post season. Nicks dominated both ATL, and GB in the playoffs then had 10 balls in the Super Bowl. In three seasons he has been a very good player and is on the verge of becoming an awesome one.

Slot WR – Victor Cruuuuuz. Steve Smith was vital in the 07 run. He had a very nice career with the Giants and was their first Pro Bowler at that position in about 100 years but in 2011 Victor Cruz was the most explosive, clutch WR I’ve ever seen in Giant’s blue. Not only that his 99 yard TD vs the Jets was the turning point of the 2011 season. Tough not to put Cruz on this list.

WR2 – Amani Toomer. Tough tough call here between “The always well dressed” and “Super Mario”. I mean Mario has one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history along with big TD grabs in the three playoff games leading up to this Super Bowl. If I was picking an entire unit I’d say the 2011 WRs > than the 2007 group and Mario would be on it but Toomer is the most productive WR in Giants history and was great in the 07 playoffs with his 3 TD catches, (two vs Dallas), while making a handful of unspectacular yet clutch grabs for Eli in every playoff game during that run.

FB – Maurcie Carthon. The 1986 Super Bowl highlight video, “Land of the Giants”, describes Carthon as a Guard in a fullbacks uniform. That about sums up Carthon’s career.

RB – Joe Morris. You can probably go in a few directions here. OJ Anderson, Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw are all compelling cases but Morris’s 1,500 yard 14 TD season in 1986 gets him on this team.

Defense

The D-Line was brutally tough and will be fiercely debated by you folks but that’s what happens when you have so many great players.

DE – Michael Strahan. The only easy one. Arguably the greatest D-Lineman in Giants history and future Hall of Famer.

DT – Justin Tuck. I know! I know! He’s a DE but again I’m trying to put together the best team and he played DT extensively in 07 and has lined up at DT many times since he broke through in 07. Bottom line he’s a guy that played a lot of DT in Super Bowl 42 he ruined that game for the Patriots. He then played it at times this past Sunday and recorded another two sacks. 4 Sacks in two Super Bowls plus what he’s meant to the G-Men since 05 means he’s getting on this team.

DT- Erik Howard. I could not go full NASCAR package here so I needed one true DT and Howards the choice. You can make solid arguments for Jim Burt, Fred Robbins, Barry Cofield, and even Chris Canty but Howard had a very good 9 year career with the Giants. He was on both the 86 and 90 teams and was a Pro Bowler in 1990. He also forced the fumble of Roger Craig in the 1990 title game.

DE – Osi Umenyiora. This was by far the toughest decision and I know will be debated a bit. JPP was the team’s MVP on D this season and had one of the greatest defensive seasons in Giants history but Osi has had a tremendous 9 year career and was the team’s best player in 2007 while making a huge impact this past season. His ability to strip sack QBs is uncanny and his strip of Aaron Rodgers in the divisional playoffs this year was as big of a play in recent Giant playoff history. This position was tough not only because of JPP but also because of guys like Leonard Marshall and George Martin who were great D-Ends in their own right and would normally be any all-time type of team. JPP might be the choice down the road but right now it’s Osi

El Beeeez – This position was very easy for three of them the fourth spot was tough.

OLB – LT. The greatest defensive player to ever play the game.

OLB – Carl Banks. He’s a bit unheralded but was a fantastic player for nine years with the Giants. Outplayed LT in the 86 playoffs and Super Bowl. He had 10 tackles vs the Broncos in SB 21.

ILB – Harry Carson. The Hall of Famer is the Captain of this great team of Super Bowl superstars.

ILB – Pepper Johnson. I really thought hard about Antonio Pierce in this spot. AP was the feisty leader of that 07 team and was a big part of that teams attitude and identity. Honking the horn at the media when they're 0-2 and the black suits for SB 42, it was tough to go against him. But Pepper was an All-Pro in 1990 and was a fantastic player in his own right who had a distinguished Giants career. He gets the nod.

CBs– Corey Webster and Mark Collins – I’m putting these two together because they are as eerily similar as players as the 07 and 11 Super Bowl runs are similar. Both of these guys were Pro Bowl caliber players that never got the recognition they deserve because of the great font sevens that played in front of them. Collins was a fantastic player in 1990. He shut down Jerry Rice both times he faced them in 90 and then he did a number on the Bills WRs in the Super Bowl. He could of made the Pro Bowl numerous times but never did. The same holds true for Webster. It took his career a while to get going but once he replaced Sam Madison in the 07 playoffs he’s never looked back. His pick in OT vs the Packers set up the game winning FG in the 07 title game and he has become an excellent cover corner who routinely matches up with the other teams top WRs. He could have been a Pro Bowl selection numerous times as well but he’s never gotten in.

Safteys – This was tough. This year’s group and 1990’s held a clear advantage over the 86 and 07 teams but neither group was drastically better than the other. I think I’ll get some arguments here as well.

FS – Greg Jackson. He got this over KP because he was more of a ball hawk. He had 5 picks in 1990 and overall was a fine player in his 4 years with the GMen. People forget that the 90 Giants relied on the back end of the D a lot more than the 86 team and Jackson was a big reason for that.

SS – Antrel Rolle. I could of gone Myron Guyton here but I think Antrel’s leadership and attitude made me pick him. His 96 tackles this year as well as playing multiple positions on D to make up for the injuries also helped me when making this decision.

Special Teams

K – Matt Barr. I could go Tynes for twice kicking the G-Men in the Super Bowl but let’s be honest he blew 2 shots vs GB before he finally got it right and even his two FGs in last week’s Super Bowl were a little too close for comfort. Barr kicked five FGs vs the Niners in 1990 and the game winner to send the Giants to Super Bowl 25. Throw in the fact he made the tackle on the opening kickoff in Super Bowl 25 and he’s the number 9 I would want kicking for me.

P – You know where I’m going. Sean Landeta. He was a Pro Bowler in both 86 and 90. He could coffin corner with the best of them and his yearly average was usually in the mid 40’s. Frankly he’s the best punter in Giants history.

KR – Dave Meggett. I guess you could consider Hixon but to me little Dave Meggett was the best KR I’ve seen where Giant Blue.

Special Teamer – David Tyree. Yes Catch 42 is influencing me on this one but he was an excellent Pro Bowl special teamer for the Giants in his years with New York. Reyna Thompson was also excellent in 1990 as well as Devin Thomas this year. But Tyree gets the nod.

Holder – Steve Weatherford. This guy cracks me up I just wanted to put him on. He did make a great play on a low snap in the title game vs the Niners so without him the Giants might of blown another big game with a special teams gaff so I created a spot for him.

Coaching staff

OC – Kevin Gillbride. I know a lot of you guys don’t like him but he’s done a solid job while he’s been in NY. The Giants passing O has evolved into one of the best in the league and he sticks to the run to keep teams honest. He might not be Sean Payton but he’s pretty good and is the best OC the Giants have had in a long time.

DC – Bill Belichick. Spags and Fewell did some good work but Belichick is one of the best defensive minds ever and did marvelous work with the Giants D in the 80’s. Another no-brainer here.

Head Coach – Tom Coughlin. Tough, tough call here between Coughlin and Bill Parcells. The similarities are striking. In eight years with the Giants both coaches led the Giants to 5 playoff appearances, 3 division titles, and two Super Bowl wins in their 4th and 8th seasons. They’re both 8-3 in the playoffs as head coach of the Giants. Parcells has a few more regular season wins, that’s the only difference. So why am I taken Coughlin over Parcells? Simple, I like him more. Parcells was great but his ego rubbed me the wrong way a bit. He flirted with Atlanta after his first Super Bowl win and I was not thrilled about him waiting until May to leave the Giants back in 1991. He also has a few strikes in my book for coaching both the Jets and the Cowboys. TC is a lot more loyal and does not make it about himself the way Parcells did at times.

General Manager – George Young. Years from now it might be Jerry Reece but for now its Young, here is why. Outside of Carson, Martin, and Benson the entire 1986 Giant roster was drafted or acquired by George Young including LT and Simms. Not only that George Young inherited a mess in 1979 when he took over while JR inherited a playoff team. JR did an excellent job in 07 but he put the finishing touches on a team that was close to championship, Young built a championship team. Both men did an excellent job reshaping the Giants between Super Bowl wins. Young rebuilt the O-line, D-Backs, and WRs between 1986 and 1990 while JR did the same for the Giants WRs, LBs, Safeties, and D-Tackles. Young replaced players like Harry Carson and Brad Benson with players like Pepper Johnson and Jumbo Elliot, while JR replaced guys like Michael Strahan and Plaxico Burress with JPP and Hakeem Nicks. The other reason why I take George Young over JR is Young had an imprint on the 07 Giants as well. He drafted Strahan in 1993 and he drafted Amani Toomer in the second round of his last draft in 1996. Young had an impact all the way to 07, that’s pretty impressive.

Well that’s its fellas. Let me know what you think. I’m sure there will be some debate, but what the hell there is no Football this Sunday so why not spend our time arguing about this.

Now, I know this is kind of off topic but I am just starting to catch the NBA (honestly, I'm not much of a follower until this) and watching Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks light up the Lakers tonight for 38 points. This guy's come up now with some of the greatest games for a new starter in NBA history.

Here's a stat: Jeremy Lin is the only player since LeBron James in 2003, and only 6 others since 1970, to have more than 20 points and at least 8 assists in his first 2 starts in the NBA. Everybody has made excuses thus far...he's played against bad competition, nobody knows him yet, etc. Now, they can't really say anything anymore.

This is a lot like what people said about Victor Cruz. It wasn't until the Philly game that he was tested by one of the league's best corners in Asomugha and still performed highly (2 TDs I do believe) that people started to recognize some greatness. As with Lin, people dismissed his starts but they're starting to run out of excuses as to why this guy has set the league ablaze. He just chalked up 38 on a team favorited to win the NBA championship.

The parallels are pretty uncanny. Both of these guys only started playing because of injuries depleting what they had in reserves. Both organizations realize how lucky they are to not cut or drop these guys because of what they THOUGHT they had in their talents. Both players turned in some exquisite performances to start their careers. Both of these players are playing in the best city in the world...NEW YORK!

Man, it's great to be a part of this town this year!

I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you on another very impressive run through the playoffs to capture the Lombardi Trophy. With this victory comes the elimination of any doubt that Eli Manning is an elite quarterback and that you made the right move in trading for him with San Diego. It all comes down to the ultimate prize and you have 2 to their 0!

Big changes are probably on the horizon for your team but all of that is in the future. Live in the now and enjoy this victory as long as you can. You have reached the summit of the mountain for the second time since 2008 and you once again get to look across at the devastation at your feet. Once again you met the Patriots and once again you crushed their dreams. It is an impressive feat and one that many of you are not shocked about.

The confidence that your fans consistently show in the Giants is commendable. There is not much more pressure that a team has put on them than what the New York Giants go through. Yet year in and out your team not only battles through that pressure but thrives upon it. Last year hurt with the late season collapse costing you the playoffs and letting the Packers into them, but you immediately bounce back with this year's run. That is a heart and passion that any fan should be proud to see from their team.

Being an Oakland Raiders fan I have never gotten to experience the thrill of my favorite team winning the Super Bowl. The closest I came was watching them get annihalated by their beloved former coach and it is a memory that still haunts my football fanhood today. I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you on reaching the pinnacle that the NFL has to offer again and to tell you to cherish every moment of it. I am sure each and every one of you already are doing that but it is always good to get a reminder that not every fan is so lucky to get moments like these!

Poll

Which Super Bowl Victory was More Satisfying?

• 2011
• 2008

  121 votes | Results

At various times throughout the season Perry Fewell went to a three man rush, which was met with almost universal scorn from Giants fans. However, I'm here to tell you that with the defense teetering on the brink in the Super Bowl, Fewell fearlessly dialed up the three man rush which may have saved the game and the season.

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Hey there, just wanted to take some time out and look at our salary cap situation. Understanding the salary cap can give us fans a more realistic idea about how much we can spend and who we can go after. I think it also gives us a greater appreciation for Jerry Reese and the rest of the front office financial wizards that can twist and manipulate the dollar like the best of them.

I did a post just like this for last year. It's here if you'd like to check it out: Salary Cap Game 2011

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I have been thinking about this for a couple years actually, and most recently

after our beloved G-Men made it to the SuperBlow with a 9-7 record.

If you folks recall, so did Kurt's Cardinals, they lost we didn't!

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There is this constant demand to trade Osi, or even just get rid of him in anyway possible. If anybody defends him then they get blasted for wanting to waste money or whatever. I don't think people realize just how good the guy has been for the Giants. I hope to shoot down some of the arguments as to why this guy should be given up for just about nothing.

All stats obtained from:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/

1. Durability

Supposedly Osi is injury prone. The numbers just don't reflect that. Osi has played in 8 seasons, which means he has been eligible for 128 regular season games. He has played in 113 of those games, which is 88% of the total games. He only missed significant time in 2006 and 2011, and missed the 2008 season. Justin Tuck has played for 7 seasons that is 112 games. He has played in 96 of those games or 86%. Strahan played in 90% of the games in the seasons he played. Yup Osi has a durability issue doesn't he.

2. Giants career numbers.

Have any of you check Osi's numbers? Well I have.

Sacks - Osi is 4th on the Giants career sack list behind Strahan, LT, and Leonard Marshall. He has 69 Sacks. Tuck has 45.5 and is 7th on the Giants all time list.

Fumbles - Osi has 30 forced fumbles, #1 all time for the Giants. Granted those numbers have only been recorded for a little while, but that is still awesome.

3. Numbers vs his peers

Osi is 13th on the active list for sacks. I couldn't find a place to figure out how he ranks in sacks from 2003-2011.

Those numbers show he deserves to be payed. I know people will say, "he is the 3rd DE on this team". WHO CARES!! He is a top flight, close to elite DE that the Giants need to find a way to keep. Why would you ever show this guy the door when he is still at or very near the top of his game?

Disclaimer: This is going to be a long article and while I would love it if you guys read it, my thoughts on who we should draft will be at the end.

We have a pretty solid bead on what the Giants look for out of prospects at the various positions, and what qualities they demand on a round-by-round basis. The question is which prospects fit what the Giants want to DO on the field. Let's start with the offense.

In 2007 and 2008, the Giants featured an absolutely dominant run-blocking offensive line, a couple of excellent run blocking tight ends, an array of running backs with a wide variety of skills and a few good-but-not-great wide receivers with SIZE. Most importantly, we had a quarterback that was still developing as a passer. It made sense that we were a power running team, leveraged our strengths and to an extent, hid our weaknesses.

It's 2012. Our offensive line was piss-poor in the run game, and only slightly better in the passing game (and a lot of that is on Eli Manning). We have (had?) a couple of serviceable tight ends. We have two dominant wide receivers under contract, both of whom can make plays in the deep, intermediate and short parts of the field. Most importantly, our 2-time Superbowl MVP quarterback has become excellent under pressure, and astoundingly accurate. As an economist would say, big plays are our comparative advantage. This isn't the Eagles though; we don't rely on just talent to find the big play. As long as Tom Coughlin is the coach, we'll use the run to draw those safeties in and get our outside threats the single coverage that they just eat up.

What does that mean? What kind of players are we looking for?

RB: The Giants don't want a guy whose presence indicates to the defense what the play is going to be. Any running back we draft better be a solid runner AND an asset in the passing game, both as a receiver and a blocker. Unless the value is there, I don't see us dropping a first-round pick on a RB. You get a first-round running back to be the focal point of your offense and we don't need/want that.

WR: HAS to be able to make that big, field stretching play. I disagree that we need a third down outlet. Cruz and Nicks are excellent on third down. Cruz is everything that SS12 was and so much more.

TE: A lot of people on this website love to say that the Giants shouldn't draft a tight end high because they'd fall into the black hole of the Gilbride offense. I agree and disagree with that statement. Unless the next Rob Gronkowski falls into our laps, tight end will not be a focal point of our offense. We do need tight ends though, and whoever we pick should be able to run block AND receive. Basically, we're looking for a guy that is versatile, but is going to be a red zone threat for us. What does that mean? Size, reliable hands and short area quickness are more important than straight line speed.

OL: We need to run the ball well, but these guys can't be one dimensional. We need dominant run blockers with the ability to pass block. The Giants have had success with guys who have been less than dominant pass blockers and they can continue to do so going forward.

So who are some guys that I like (2 players per position)?

RB: Chris Polk (2nd Round); Isaiah Pead (3nd Round)

WR: Mohammed Sanu (2nd Round); A.J. Jenkins (3rd-5th Round)

TE: Dwayne Allen (1st Round); Coby Fleener (2nd Round)

OL: Kelechi Osemele (1st round) Cordy Glenn (1st Round)

Final Note: This is my ideal draft. Not what will happen, but what I WANT to happen.

1. Kelechi Osemele, OG/OT, Iowa State

2. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford University

3. Harrison Smith, S, Notre Dame

4. (via Trade) A.J. Jenkins, WR, Illinois

4. Nigel Bradham, LB, Florida State

5. (Traded)

6. (Traded)

7. Might need to be traded to get that 4, but BPA otherwise.