Giants vs. Falcons: 'Kudos & Wet Willies' style preview
by Ed Valentine on Nov 22, 2009 7:15 AM EST
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OK, time to get serious. Our New York Giants need a win today against the Atlanta Falcons. In my usual, 'Kudos & Wet Willies' style here is how I see things breaking down this afternoon in the Meadowlands.
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Hey Kevin, try this
by Ed Valentine on Nov 21, 2009 12:00 PM EST
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5 comments
Maybe Kevin Gilbride should put this in the Giants play book.
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New York Giants News & Notes: Pierce Contract Situation & More
by cjmulrain on Nov 21, 2009 7:04 AM EST
in News
32 comments
Ed posted about Antonio Pierce's injury last night, and it's definitely not good news. Mike Garafalo reports a little more about Pierce's contract situation and that of replacement Chase Blackburn. Also from MG comes a preview of the game against the Falcons.
- Speaking of Giants' linebackers, Giants' rookie Clint Sintim is leaning on "one cool dude," aka Danny Clark. Whether that's a good thing or not I'll leave up to you.
- Giants legend (and my all-time favorite player) Michael Strahan was brought into practice yesterday to give the Giants a surprise pep talk. According to Strahan:
"They're as talented as any team in the league," he said. "It's just a matter of believing in their talent and the talent of the guy next to them. If they do that, they'll be just fine."
- The general theme out there seems to be that the next seven days will define the Giants season. It's certainly hard to say that's wrong right now.
- The Giants are going to be looking for "big play opportunities" against the Falcons. That's quite alright with me.
- Hakeem Nicks has made a list of impact rookie wide receivers. I was a little skeptical of the Nicks pick back in April, but I have been pleasantly surprised so far - next to Steve Smith he's been my favorite player to watch so far this year, and the two of them have a bright future for the Giants.
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Antonio Pierce out indefinitely
by Ed Valentine on Nov 20, 2009 10:11 PM EST
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43 comments
From the Giants:
Giants middle linebacker Antonio Pierce was diagnosed with a bulging disc in his neck this afternoon and will be sidelined indefinitely, according to the team’s medical staff.
Pierce underwent an MRI today at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan and was examined by team physician Dr. Russell Warren and Dr. Frank Camissa, Chief of the Spinal Surgical Services at HSS.
Pierce originally suffered a burner in the Arizona game on October 25 and experienced very little discomfort until practice this week, at which point the team’s medical staff scheduled this afternoon’s MRI.
"I'm shocked with what I heard from the doctors this afternoon," said Pierce. "I had no idea that what happened a few weeks ago could keep me off the field. I didn't think it was that serious. I'm going to do everything the doctors tell me to do so I can get back out on the field as soon as possible."
My take: This is one of those 'get what you wish for' moments. Lots of Giants fans have been asking for Pierce to be replaced. Now we find out just how much Pierce means, or doesn't mean, to the Giants defense. NOTE: Good job by a couple of you guys to get this posted as a 'FanPost.' I posted the official release to give you as many details as I could.
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Fantasy Football Friday: Giants vs. Falcons Preview
by cjmulrain on Nov 20, 2009 4:35 PM EST
in Fantasy Football
16 comments
The Giants get back to action on Sunday after an excruciatingly long bye week on the heels of four straight losses. While the Giants were resting up, our fantasy teams were chugging along without them (and mine suffered its worst loss of the season - I need you Steve Smith!). What can we expect from them this weekend? Here's some advice:
Start
Brandon Jacobs, RB, NYG - Fully rested after the bye week and coming off four straight good performances only limited by the Giants not giving him the ball, I think the Juggernaut breaks free this weekend. The Falcons have the #25 ranked run defense, so there should be some holes for Jacobs to exploit. The only people that will stop Jacobs this Sunday are the Giants coaches.
Steve Smith, WR, NYG - Did you know Smith is the #6 receiver in points-per-receptions leagues and only drops to #10 in non p.p.r. leagues? Even in his "quiet" weeks he's been a solid option. The Falcons have the 28th ranked pass defense, so I expect another good week from Mr. 3rd Down.
Hakeem Nicks, WR, NYG - After scoring in four straight games, Nicks has quited down a bit, but everytime he touches the ball he's a threat to take it to the house. Call it a gut feeling, but against a bad pass defense I think the Giants will be able to spread the ball around a bit, and I think Nicks could actually have a better game than Smith.
Tony Gonzalez, TE, ATL - Maybe the best tight end in NFL history, the big guy's still got it. 44 catches for 501 yards and 4 TD's through 9 games - he's no longer the best TE in the league, but he's still in the top 10 and should be starting in almost any league.
Jason Snelling, RB, ATL - Just because the Giants shut down LaDanian Tomlinson's corpse doesn't mean I'm ready to trust their run D. They always seem to struggle against backup running backs (Tashard Choice & the Eagles fullback are just two of the more recent examples), so Snelling scares me a little bit.
Roddy White, WR, ATL - He's one of the best fantasy receivers in the league, and has really only had two subpar performances this year. He's coming off of two straight games without a TD, and I wouldn't be shocked if that changed against the Giants secondary.
Eli Manning, QB, NYG - I debated this one a bit. On the one hand, Eli had three terrible performances in a row before a very good game against the Chargers. On the other hand, he looked great against the Chargers, has had two weeks to rest up his foot, and is going against the #28 pass D in the league. Ultimately I felt like the pros outweighed the cons, so I think he'd be a good bet to start and at least have a passable game this Sunday.
Sit
Matt Ryan, QB, ATL - Ryan has thrown an interception in his last 6 games, and at least two INT's in 4 of those games. He definitely seems to have regressed after his brilliant rookie year and a strong start to this season. The Giants pass D is still statistically one of the best in the league (I know: lies, damn lies, and statistics), and looked a bit better without CC Brown against the Chargers (until the final drive, anyway). They're also should be getting Aaron Ross back. Matty Ice still has a great future ahead of him, but I don't think you'll be able to tell this weekend.
Ahmad Bradhsaw, RB, NYG - He's been pretty awful lately, averaging under 3.0 YPC over the past three games. I don't trust his ankle right now, and until he proves on the field that he's healthy and can make the cuts that make him so effective, I wouldn't start him.
Michael Jenkins, WR, ATL - He hasn't caught a TD all year and has been flat-out mediocre at best. That could change this weekend, but I wouldn't bank on it.
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TC still has sense of humor
by Ed Valentine on Nov 20, 2009 2:52 PM EST
in News
6 comments
You might not be laughing about the state of the New York Giants these days. Head coach Tom Coughlin, though, showed Friday he still has a sense of humor.
Check out this exchange talking about how healthy his team is heading into Sunday's game.
Q. Everybody made it through the week healthy, all 53 guys?
A. So far. We haven’t showered yet.
Sarcastic, yes. But also funny.
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New York Giants notes: Hating the Dallas Cowboys isn't hard
by Ed Valentine on Nov 20, 2009 8:40 AM EST
in News
52 comments
Hating the Dallas Cowboys comes almost as naturally to New York Giants fans as rooting for our own team. In fact, it's pretty much a requirement.
So, when The Washington Post's football blog, The League, asked me to weigh in on why the Cowboys are one of the most loathed franchises in sports, I was only too happy to oblige.
Here is a small snippet of what I wrote for the Post.
Dallas hasn't won a playoff game since 1996. Yet, ask Cowboy fan and he will tell you his team was the best in the league each and every one of those seasons. Everybody else just got lucky. In the eyes of Cowboy fan, the team has not yet been created that deserves the privilege of stepping on the same field with Dallas.
(Read the full piece here.)
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Do you know what time it is? It's Ernie P. time
by Ed Valentine on Nov 20, 2009 7:00 AM EST
in News
19 comments
It's Friday, and that means time for my weekly swap of questions with long-time New York Giants beat writer Ernie Palladino. My answers to these same questions are over at Ernie's Giants Beat.
Ernie and I have largely been on the same page with most of our answers this season. Interestingly, The Aaron Ross question below (which was Ernie's question) is the first time I can remember where we completely disagree.
Ernie wants to see Aaron Ross at corner with Terrell Thomas moving to safety. I want Ross at safety, since Thomas is doing a good job, Ross has some experience at safety and I am afraid doing the opposite might cause problems at two positions.
I will be interested to see how you guys feel about this one.
1. We haven't seen much of the no-huddle offense this year. Do you think a return to it in spots could help the Giants' offense?
Ernie's Answer: Absolutely. This subject caused quite a spirited and divided debate at my place (http://
2. Just how big is this game with Atlanta?
Huge. Bigger than the San Diego game. Why? Because this is a conference game that could figure into a tie-breaker situation at the end of the season. Let's say the Giants finish 9-7 and are in the wildcard hunt. A win here gives them a head-to-head over Atlanta. Plus, the division tie-breaker includes conference record as the fourth criteria. In fact, if they're going to throw away any game from here on out, the Thanksgiving night matchup with Denver would be the one. All the rest are conference and division games, and they're all basically must-win games.
3. Now that Danny Ware can carry the ball, how would you use him?
Sparingly. Well, maybe that's too strong a word. I'd throw him in there in the fourth quarter when leading to kill the clock, much as the Giants deployed Ahmad Bradshaw for the most part. Look, Ware seems like a pretty strong runner. But there is still an issue with the elbow he dislocated on the first kickoff of the season. Until the coaches stop worrying about his ability to secure the ball, I'd be very cautious about overusing him. Besides, what this offense needs is not Danny Ware, but more Brandon Jacobs. I've long held that Jacobs needs to get the ball between 20 and 25 times. With Bradshaw penciled in for another seven to 10 carries at least, there would be few carries for Ware, anyway. The fact that Kevin Gilbride and Jerald Ingram just can't wait to put the kid in concerns me. They should be more worried about getting Jacobs in there more. I'm not saying Ware won't someday become a great back. But at this point, he's an extra, not a star. And he should be used as such.
4. Assuming Aaron Ross will be able to play, would you put him at cornerback or safety?
I stick him at corner. If he'd been playing all along, I'd have switched him to safety three games ago. He played a bit there in college and, to me, seems like a good enough tackler to handle the job. But there's a learning curve that goes with switching a guy over, and having been out since the summer with that hamstring problem, putting him at safety right now would be a bit of an overload. I'd rather see him work his way back at corner, with Terrell Thomas going to safety. Remember, we don't know how much Ross can play. Chances are he's going to have to start with a limited workload -- a few snaps -- to prove to the staff he's back all the way. After a couple of games and a possible return to starter, then you can think about switching him if necessary. But I have a feeling that if Thomas goes over there, Ross won't need to move, anyway.
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Giants Schedule
Washington
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Sun 09/13 | W 23 - 17 |
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Dallas
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Sun 09/20 | W 33 - 31 |
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@
Tampa Bay
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Sun 09/27 | W 24 - 0 |
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@
Kansas City
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Sun 10/04 | W 27 - 16 |
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Oakland
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Sun 10/11 | W 44 - 7 |
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@
New Orleans
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Sun 10/18 | L 27 - 48 |
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Arizona
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Sun 10/25 | L 17 - 24 |
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@
Philadelphia
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Sun 11/01 | L 17 - 40 |
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San Diego
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Sun 11/08 | L 20 - 21 |
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Atlanta
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Sun 11/22 | 1:00 PM EST |
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Denver
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Thu 11/26 | 8:20 PM EST |
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Dallas
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Sun 12/06 | 4:15 PM EST |
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Philadelphia
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Sun 12/13 | 8:20 PM EST |
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@
Washington
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Mon 12/21 | 8:30 PM EST |
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Carolina
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Sun 12/27 | 1:00 PM EST |
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@
Minnesota
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Sun 01/03 | 1:00 PM EST |
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