Big Blue View: FanPosts

The Recipe

2009-11-06T02:30:08Z

Here's what can bolster success for us in the upcoming games:

We have to be less predictable on play calling. Pass on first down sometimes, and I don't mean going for a bomb. Try the intermediate routes from time to time, or better yet, take what they're giving. Let me ask you this: If we try a run on first down and get 6 yards, then what do you think we might call for 2nd and 4? Point is, let's get them to backpeddle, unsure of whether we will pass it or run it in that situation. We can use the short-medium passes to back the defense up a bit, and then run. Or we can run, run, and run more, and then pass when everyone's playing too closely. Either way, we can't be predictable with this chess match. If we can do these things, our offense should be able to sustain long drives, thus giving the defense time to rest and prepare for their next series.

We have to win the turnover battle. The bottom line here is, we can't afford a turnover PERIOD. This will require Eli to make the best decision, as far as pass distribution. It will also require Eli to put the gun back into the holster and back down from the gunslinger mentality. Running backs must protect the ball at all times. If we win this battle, we have a great chance of getting the win.

We have to catch the passes we're supposed to catch, whether we are challenged or not. Wide receivers, you'll have to get open often and early. You'll have to catch passes that hit your hands; you may have to dive for a catch every now and then. You may have to extend for a catch with the knowledge that you may get your block knocked off. And you surely have to catch them if you're wide open. Fight to get open and stay on your routes. Look at some Kevin Boss footage if you're still unsure about what I'm saying.

Special Teams have to tighten up. We absolutely cannot punt bricks, let returners run freely, or be timid about returning kicks or punts. Get out there and make the play, and get off of the field. Quit giving the opposing team so much of a field advantage.

Stupid penalties are unacceptable. When it's 3rd and 4, could we please have at least one series where we DON'T get a false start? Quit letting other teams get into your heads, and move when the ball is snapped. Watch the holding and pass interference, but don't be afraid to coldcock someone if you have to.

The defense has to have a stop once in a while. I know the offense has been sucking lately, and I know the've put you in some tough positions recently, and I know your backfield has sucked worse than a child on a lolipop, and I know that the offense has been putting you back on the field repeatedly, but you have to keep your heads up and do whatever it takes to make Rivers antsy. Hit him often and hit him hard. Force him to make mistakes. Speaking of mistakes, we absolutely have to catch passes that hit our hands. Those are called interceptions, and we need as many of them as we can get. Do what you have to do to get into Rivers' face and cause him pain. Because you have "Can't Cover" out there, it makes it that much more important that you be in their backfield before Rivers can take his 3rd step. AP, this might also cause you to tighten your coverage at times. You will have to lead by example, and the others will follow you; however, that doesn't mean that hanging all on a running back before the ball gets there is acceptable. If we win the battle on the defensive line, we have a great chance of securing a victory. Just get mean, get pumped up, and run them over.

Focus. Put the newspapers down. Whatever your responsibility, play your "A Game" and let everything else go. Play as if your future depended on it. You never know, it just might.

Things Have To Change Right?

2009-11-05T02:01:20Z

Why isn't the defense playing up to our expectations???

Bill Sheridan wanted to coach the defense from upstairs in the booth, but coach Coughlin demanded that he be on the sideline like Spags. I don't know if he was up in the booth as the LB coach (nor remember what his previous title was) but if the guy wants to see the field from a bird's eye view then maybe that's the way HE needs to coach.

I have sat in the middle section of the endzone at GIANTS stadium and saw the other teams format and said "Oh Shit" before the ball was even snapped, just because it's a completely different view than that on the field.

This teams defense needs to play on a brand new level from here on out
and maybe seeing it from a different angle will help solve some of the alignment problems.

BBV Week 9 pool

2009-11-03T15:27:06Z

Close picks so far: Chi-Ari, 8-5; Phi-Dal, 8-5; all other picks at least 10-3 so far...

XLII and GiantRB27 got some distance from the pack this week, as they came into week 8 tied for first and both went 10-3.

Week 8 results:

10-3: XLII, GiantRB27, ianwestpalm, Mr. Met

9-4: Tito8-0, hocke26, GiantsReignSupreme

8-5: Simms-McConkey, FreeBradshaw, Meigs1414, LostinJersey, brisulph, Woogie526, willgfass, G-Brit

7-6: cjmulrain, njGiant, Wangstu, shenkthetank, Shofner85, Nck228

6-7: Phildo, M.

I think this was the overall toughest week for everyone collectively so far.

YTD:

83: GiantRB27, XLII

80: Simms-McConkey

79: brisulph, ShenktheTank

77: hocke26

76: G-Brit

75: ianwestpalm, lostinjersey, Phildo

74: GiantsReignSupreme, Tito8-0, Meigs1414, njGiant, M.

73: Mr. Met, willgfass, FreeBradshaw, Shofner85

72: Wangstu

71: Nck228, cjmulrain

70: Woogie

65: Mahmoodzaky (missed week 8 picks)

Week 9 games:

ARI @ CHI:

WAS @ ATL:

MIA @ NE:

HOU @ IND:

BAL @ CIN:

GB @ TB:

KC @ JAX:

DET @ SEA:

CAR @ NO:

SD @ NYG:

TEN @ SF:

DAL @ PHI:

PIT @ DEN:

BFTB Answers Your Chargers Questions

2009-11-03T13:51:42Z

Hey fellas. My name is John and, much like Ed does here, I manage Bolts From The Blue (SBNation's community for Chargers fans).

Each week this season, I've been putting up a FanPost at the upcoming opponent's community and offering to answer any Chargers-related questions in the comments. Some weeks it's been a fantastic conversation, with lots of knowledge being passed back and forth. Some weeks it has turned into nothing but trash-talking (which is the opposite of what we're aiming for). Either way, it's usually fun. So if you have any questions about the Chargers, fire away in the comments section and I'll be sure to answer them ASAP.

A few notes about the upcoming game:

I live in Philly, and since this is as close as the Chargers get to me this season....I will be attending and tailgating. I am not loud and I am not obnoxious. Please don't throw batteries at me.
I grew up in central NJ, so just about everyone I know is either an Eagles or Giants fan. Many of my close friends will not talk to me this week to avoid a big argument.
For the record, I think Eli Manning is a very good quarterback. However, I think Philip Rivers is better. Accorsi and Reese have just done a better job of building the team around Manning.
I am a HUGE Ernie Accorsi fan. I read his book and admire his work. His recommendation of Jerry Reese for the next GM was a classy, and very smart, move.
Despite the Giants record for the past 3 games, I am very afraid of them. The Chargers have had a hard time stopping big, bruising RBs this season.
I hate Jeremy Shockey. I always have. When Giants fans try to tell me that Eli was working with a weakened team in 2007 because he had Kevin Boss in the playoffs instead of Shockey, I know they're stupid.

Please Rec this FanPost to keep it at the top until Sunday. And let's hope for a good, competitive game.

I've tried to remain optimistic

2009-11-02T20:53:26Z

I was still optimistic after the Saints loss where we had a total defensive collapse and chalked it up to a bad week - everyone has them

I continued to be optimistic after the Cardinal loss as our offense looked out of sync, but still had a chance despite playing horribly.

It is hard to remain optimistic after a third week in a row. I can't write it off anymore as just a bad game, our team has serious issues that need to be addressed:

Defensively, something HAS to be done.

1) I think giving Aaron Rouse more snaps with the first team in the middle of the week will prepare him better to jump in on Sunday and contribute more than he did yesterday. He covers better than he whose name we shall not speak of and can help more in the secondary.

2) Other than that we just have to wait for Michael Boley and Aaron Ross to come back to the lineup - Chris Canty would be nice too, but I am not as concerned there as I am about our LBs and DBs.

Offensively, we need to shake things up a bit

3) Domenik Hixon is NOT a receiver, he is a return man. Look at the difference between Hixon letting Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie take the ball from him on the deep post and Hakeem Nicks going up and getting the ball when covered one on one -receivers go get the ball and return men let the ball come to them.

4) Regardless of the score we need to play our game. For two weeks we were screaming about how we got out of our game too quickly offensively - too much passing, not enough running, but towards the end of the third quarter we got just that - running ball controlled scroing that took time off the clock and everyone is in an uproar. If we took the field goal the previous possession instead of going for it on 4th and 8 we would have only been down 13 with a whole quarter to play. Kill clock and let the defense rest...that is how we can win games and come back in games.

5) Let's change our audibles and signals. Defenses have studied us and know what they are getting. Let's switch up the audible calling and signal calling and throw a few fake calls in there. Chris Collinsworth pointed out last week that when Eli Manning yells "Omaha" the real snap is coming. The Eagles listened as they were off the ball quicker than our O-Line on too many occassions. Next game yell "Omaha...hut, hut" and watch everyone jump off sides and get some free plays.

6) Lastly, Eli needs to see the field better. On more than one occassion over the last few weeks, receivers have been wide open, but he is zeroed in on the other side of the field and we aren't taking advantage of the opportunities that are there. He needs to go through his reads and throw it away if nothing is there.

This is a list of 5 things just off the top of my head that should be easy to fix (the exception being the injuries) and can hopefully make an impact. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results (mistakenly credited to Einstein, Mark Twain, and Benjamin Franklin, but actually written by Rita Mae Brown), if we don't change some things WITHOUT changing our fundamentals, I think the Giants will cause insanity for us all.

BBV Week 8 prelim. results

2009-11-02T14:28:15Z

Yesterday was the worst football day of my life since 2001. And I stunk it up in the pool to boot!

Week 8 results:

10-2: Mr. Met

9-3: XLII, GiantRB27, ianwestpalm

8-4: FreeBradshaw, Tito8-0, hocke26, willGfass, GRS

7-5: Simms-McConkey, cjmulrain, Meigs1414, LostinJersey, brisulph, woogie526, Shofner85, G-Brit

6-6: NJGiant, Wangstu, ShenktheTank, Phildo, Nck228

5-7: M.

Mahmoodzaky didn't get picks in, I think, and We can drop 5GRCL after 3 weeks of no contact.

I will post the year-to-date standings tomorrow. And avoid making eye contact with football fans until Saturday.

Giants get picked as the Stone Cold Lock of the Century....of the Week

2009-10-31T04:13:47Z

http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=8a250aae24829297012482a951c10005

This is a series I've had my eye on for a while now. It's pretty fun to watch, always good for a chuckle. Last week was the Patriots vs the Bucs, and he ripped the Bucs a new one, calling the match "A secret conspiracy from Roger Goodell to relocate the no good Browns, Bucs, and Rams to England, cause that's a no good country."

Bradshaw has broken bone in foot

2009-10-30T00:16:56Z

according to Ralph Vacciano, Ahmad Bradshaw has a crack in the outer part of his foot, a place that a more serious break could occur easily. bradshaw is not planning on having surgery immediately, but ultimately it will probably happen. this is not good news, bradshaw has been very effective spelling Brandon Jacobs, and without him the Giants rushing attack would take a serious blow. the injury bug has bitten hard and still has its hold on the New York Football Giants, hopefully they'll be back to full steam at the end of the season when the games really start to count.

George Wrighster's Week 7 Review and Week 8 Preview

2009-10-29T18:19:58Z

http://tightend.blogspot.com/2009/10/week-7-blowouts.html

The Giants should rebound against the Eagles this week after two consecutive big losses. The Eagles have been struggling on offense so the Giants defense should have a good day. The big problem is going to be keeping an eye and 2 men on Desean Jackson at all times because he can hit a homerun every play. Even if the Eagles offense is struggling he is very capable of making plays.

3 and out

2009-10-28T15:06:33Z

Hey guys and girls. My job has taken me many places and I've been around some, but I think I'm back for a while - ready to share some stuff whether you like it or not!

The most alarming thing to me, especially in this last game against the Cards, is how many times our defense was put back on the field because of our offense (or lack of it). This has increased some over the past couple of games, and it is tied very closely to play calling (Gilbride) and then decision-making (Manning). Also, there are those occasional fumbles, dropped passes, weak punts, or stupid penalties that really screw things up. Let's just hope that those things remain on the "occasional" side rather than the "frequent" side.
The play calling in this last game was very predictable. It seems that there was one play that would've gotten me as an opposing DC, and I think it was a 3rd-and-2 pass play (which was unsuccessful). We have the players on offense to beat up any defense we face, but we can't decide to throw the bomb on 3rd-and-2, and surely not when we're losing. What about an intermediate route, or even a short route on that play?

Our defense really did OK in this game, and probably would have done even better - if our offense could gain 10 yards every now and then, you know, maybe put together what we call a "drive." At least then the defense, which is already nicked up almost across-the-board, could get a few moment's rest. Long, sustained drives (which we are capable of) give the offense confidence, and at the same time, demoralize the defense. Avoiding predictable calls on 1st down would be a good start in the right direction.

Having said all of that, I still believe that the Giants are mostly "in a funk" right now; though there have been bright spots intertwined with the dark. The past two games have been indicative of this intersection we have come to of "all things bad" - dropped interceptions, dropped passes, fumbles, bad punts, interceptions, stupid penalties, and the like. Time and training solve a lot of those things, but if we remain predictable on play calling, lose the turnover battle, and can't sustain drives, there's a better-than-good chance that we're staring a loss right in the face every time. Really it's Football 101. It's back to basics, guys. Just spice up the calls a bit.

Let's run fewer plays from the shotgun formation

2009-10-28T09:36:02Z

Ok, I adimit it. I am always on edge when Eli stands back, tries to guess what the defense is giving him, while all our players fidgit and sqirm while they try to figure out in the last four seconds before the snap what they are suposed to do. Inevitably the clock winds down to the last two seconds and everyone on offence is struggling to get set and prepare for the things Eli pointed out while the defense, under no such posture restrictions gets a good running start since with two seconds left they know exactly when to start their rush.

When the shotgun first came into vogue, teams like the Cowboys used it primarily when they had to pass and both teams knew it. Defenses weren't all that sophisticated then and guys like Staubach used the quick look at the field while they were taking the snap to determine what coverage he was up against.

Now that Peyton has taken the shotgun to it's highest level everyone wants to imitate him. Don't get me wrong. I think the shotgun has it's place in the game plan. I just think there is good reason to stay under center more often and these are the reasons why I think that.

1. Play action passing. There is no better way to execute a play action pass than from under center. Since the quarterback is running away from the defensive players they get less of a look at the ball and are more easily fooled. In the game against the Cardinals I don't remember seeing one good play action fake in the entire game.

2.Time management. When you just walk up to the line of scrimmage and have 15 seconds or so to snap the ball it gives the offense the edge. This is true because inevitably the defense against our shotgun faints and dictates our plays by moving into what appears to be a certain look, then changes as the count runs down. Suddenly Eli decides to change the play or (futily) point someone out who is setting up to blitz. This gives the defense the edge since they might as well know the snapcount when the clock is nearly zero.

3. Offensive mindset. I think we are often tentative while in the shotgun, trying more to finess the defense rather than making them reacdft to us. In Sunday's game aginst the Cardinals my favorite series was the one where we put in two tight ends and blasted the run at the defense. This resulted in two good runs and left us a third and two. As I recall we didn't run for the two yards and endied up punting one more time. As good as the Cardinal defense is against the run, I think we could have run the ball enough had we tried to make our passing game more effective. Personlly I think we can run against any team in the league if we just commit to it.

Well, what do you think?

Alright let's start talking about next wk's game

2009-10-28T01:24:17Z

Two teams who are struggling in certain areas and both fighting for a top spot in the NFC E. This game could turn out to be pivotal down the stretch.

Eagles

a) Awesome young talent at the skill posistions

b) Solid defensively aside from covering TEs

Our Weaknesses

a)Shoddy O-line play

b)Shoddy play from McNabb

Only got a chance to catch 2 G-men games this year and so far I gathered:

-Eli is struggling with the high throws

-Jacobs is off to a slow start

-Young WRs are playing well

-O-line play is good

-D-line not playing up to it's accustomed standards.

-Secondary is weak.

What else am I missing here?

Who our new OC should be

2009-10-27T17:16:12Z

Sherman Lewis! Its so obvious. I can't believe we let the Redskins get such a great signal caller! Kevin Gilbride sucks. Did you see what Sherman lewis did last night? I mean 17 whole points against the Eagles! And you know what else? Why not get shanahan out of retirement to replace Coughlin! I mean, we've lost two straight games. Thats sacrilegious. I can't believe more Giants fans aren't calling for Jerry Reese's head. The Mara's should sell the team to Jerry Jones, a great owner. There's no way we will go better than 5-11 this year!!!

(Note this is all sarcasm. Everyone should chill out. As much as I love football, its only a game. Unless we lose next week. Then we should panic. /jk)

That Steve Smith Slant

2009-10-27T15:51:42Z

We have all discussed this issues with the long pass plays on 3rd and short. Especially with Hixon. Anyways where is Steve Smith in the slot running a slant where the blitzing LBs used to be. That has always been our bread and butter play. After getting so many balls thrown his way in the first 4-5 weeks he has been targeted alot less. I say throw it to Smith short pick up the first down and then, go long on 1st down.

Maybe Eli just wants to give these guys a shot to make plays. I mean if Mario or Hixon or Nicks catches a deep ball on 3rd and short the past few weeks the game could have changed drastically, but it didnt happen. Lets see if we play a little more conservative against the Eagles and stay with a short passing game.

Giants will be 5-4 at the bye!

2009-10-26T20:56:11Z

Beating 4 teams that would be hard pressed to compete in the Southeastern Conference got everybody excited about this edition of the Giants. I believe this team will have to beat Minnesota on the final week of the season to finish 8-8! Thank God for the Redskins or this team would end up last in the NFC East. The Eagles are going to put a "beatdown" on this bunch, next week. Then, watch Phillip Rivers come to the Meadowlands and prove, once and for all, what a foolish mistake the Giants made trading him for Eli Manning!

BBV pool Week 7 prelim. results

2009-10-26T13:42:57Z

Finally, a game in which the officiating did not directly cost the Giants any points! But like myself, I'm sure meigs1414 and G-Brit, whom like me brilliantly picked the Vikings, watched the refs steal 7 from the Vikings near the end and subsequently watched the whole Farving game fall to pieces. We were right, dammit!

10-2: XLII

9-3: Tito8-0, njGiant, ShenktheTank, brisulph, shofner85

8-4: Simms-McConkey, FreeBradshaw,GiantRB27, LostinJersey, Phildo, M., G-Brit

7-5: cjmulrain, Wangstu, hocke26, Mahmoodzaky, willgfass, Nck228

6-6: Meigs1414, ianwestpalm, GiantsReignSupreme, Mr. Met

YTD:

72: XLII, GiantRB27

71: Simms-McConkey, ShenktheTank

70: brisulph

68: Phildo

67: hocke26, M., G-Brit

66: njGiant, LostinJersey

65: FreeBradshaw, Wangstu, Meigs1414, Shofner85, WillGFass

64: Tito8-0, ianwestpalm, mahmoodzaky, GiantsReignSupreme

63: cjmulrain, Nck228

62: Mr. Met

56: Woogie526 (Missed Week 7)

52: 5GRCL (Missed weeks 6&7)

The Difference Between Championship-Caliber Football (the New York Giants) and Perpetual Mediocrity (the Washington Redskins)

2009-10-22T11:42:48Z

Your GM. Seems really obvious, and thats because it is. Every bad and mediocre team's fans want its head coaches to be fired. The only two teams I believe have a case of poor coaching and great talent are Dallas and San Diego--- otherwise ownership and the front office are squarely to blame for poor performance. Zorn could be a bad coach, but Snyder and Cerrato are the true, long-term issues in Washington which directly cause and sustain mediocrity. Let me give you a five-year history of two teams that took completely different tracks based on ownership and general management:

To end the '03 season, the Giants and Redskins respectively had 4-12 and 5-11 records and we both chased the Eagles for the NFC East title. In the ensuing 5 seasons, the Giants reached the postseason each year, winning 2 NFC east titles, a #1 NFC seeding, and a Super Bowl victory (victory dance.... ok, done). The Redskins, on the other hand, were simply mediocre. Not quite bad, not quite good, with a couple losing records, a couple wild-card berths, and one postseason victory over Tampa Bay. What happened? Lets take a look at the drafts shall we...

New York Giants Drafting. 04-09

04: Eli Manning- Round 1, Pick 1, trade w/ the Chargers obviously. Chris Snee- Round 2, '04 also: (Torbor, Gibril Wilson)

05: Corey Webster- Round 2, '05 Justin Tuck- Round 3, '05 Brandon Jacobs- Round 4, '05 (also: James Butler, Ryan Grant)

06: Mathias Kiwanuka- Round 1, '06, Barry Cofield- Round 4, '06

And now, while the head coach and QB remained the same, a new GM, a guy by the name of Jerry Reese, takes over the chains in January '07. In April '07, the Giants add these guys to the bunch.

07: Aaron Ross, Round 1 Steve Smith, Round 2 Jay Alford, Round 3 Zak DeOssie, Round 4 (haven't seen his LB skills developed yet, but a pro bowl long snapper nonetheless) Kevin Boss, Round 5 Michael Johnson & Ahmad Bradshaw- Round 7

This draft class propelled us to a Super Bowl title, after which we experienced the loss of Pro Bowl DE and TE Shockey and Strahan. The following draft class contributed to a 12-4 #1 NFC 2008 Campaign.

08: Kenny Phillips, Round 1-- everyone knows how much I love this guy, future Pro-Bowler IMO. Terell Thomas, Round 2, Mario Manningham, Round 3, Bryan Kehl, Round 4 and Jonathan Goff, Round 5- like DeOssie, excellent special teams LBs whos LB skills are not there yet, Lawrence Tynes- Acquired in a trade for 7th round pick

09: way to early to judge so I will omit all but Hakeem Nicks, Round 1, and Bruce Johnson, UDFA, who have seen extensive playing time and have performed well.

Ok, so?

Maybe we wouldn't be a successful team without Tom Coughlin, but without a whiz GM and talented scouts to procure all this talent for us, we would surely be nowhere, much like the Washington Redskins.

Instead, ,we see a trend for supplementing the current teams of the time with talent as well as ensuring success in the future. In these 5 draft classes, the Giants have around 25 notable players spread on both offense and defense:

Starting CBs, Starting FS/SS, Starting DE and DT, Starting WRs and #3 WR, Starting TE, Starting G, K, and obviously QB. Of these players, Corey Webster, Kenny Phillips, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka (although not a starter), Steve Smith, Chris Snee, and Eli Manning all play at a Pro-Bowl level, with Tuck, Snee and Manning all having been elected to pro bowls.

My main point:

Because of excellent general management and an eye for talent, this team has withstood the losses of Pro Bowl DE Strahan, Pro Bowl RB Tiki Barber, Pro Bowl TE Jeremy Shockey, and its all-time leading receiver Amani Toomer and elite wideout Plaxico Burress and has earned a playoff berth from the 2005 season onwards with 2 division titles, a #1 NFC seeding, and a Super Bowl title to boot. Through these 5 drafts, this team has remained talented and well-rounded at all positions and has thus been transformed from that 4-12 team into a perpetual winner with a winning mentality and culture.

Meanwhile, over in Washington....

Since '04, the Redskins mildly successful to excellent draft picks have been:

Sean Taylor- RIP, Chris Cooley, Carlos Rogers, Jason Campbell, Rocky McIntosh, Reed Doughty, LaRon Landry, and of the '08 draft class Davis, Thomas, and Kelley (Rounds 1-3) have all done virtually nothing while Chad Rinehart, G has played well but Chris Horton (S) has been recently demoted from starter in favor of Reed Doughty, and the best 1st Round Skin pick since Sean Taylor, Brian Orakpo this year.

These draft selections are very telling: These generously 'good' draft choices amount to 12 players, meaning the majority of the Redskins draft choices have been busts or non-factors, while the strengths of their drafts have been on the defensive side of the ball, where they are among the top in the NFL. Sean Taylor (again, RIP), even Carlos Rogers, underrated Rocky McIntosh and Reed Doughty, LaRon Landry, Horton, and Orakpo are all good to excellent defensive players. The defense, even under the poor coaching of DC Greg Blache plays well.

On the offensive side of the ball, with the exception of Rinehart and Cooley, in the past 5 years the Redskins have not added a good or great offensive player. Jason Campbell is decent at the QB position but has suffered from the Redskins' drafting ineptitude at the positions of RB and the entire O-Line. Now they face the issues of an aging and falling apart o-line, an over-the-hill RB who is no longer nearly productive enough to sustain a successful running game, and there are no viable replacements for them on the Redskins roster. At the WR position, they have old trusty ARE and Santana Moss with young receivers in Kelly, Thomas, and Davis (TE) who could possibly be more talented then any of us know yet-- much like we did not know with our own group of WRs. However, any potential that group may have does not change the gravely serious issue of their abysmal running game that has no clear future on the roster and their aged and falling apart O-line which now stands to lose Pro Bowl OT Chris Samuels, now 33 years old, to injury-induced retirement. Washington has no young talent at the position to replace him and are now forced to use Pro Bowl TE Chris Cooley, their best offensive weapon, increasingly as a blocker. This situation perfectly illustrates the bottom line problem of this team, which is that poor general management has failed to fill this team's needs through the draft and have made them into a perpetually mediocre and seemingly worsening team that is incapable of contending in the NFL, while the exact opposite is true for our New York Giants.

Poll

How would you rate the Washington Redskins' drafts from 2004 to 2009?

A

1 votes

B

1 votes

C

22 votes

D

28 votes

F

19 votes

71 votes | Poll has closed

W e need bradshaw to start!!!!!!!

2009-10-21T22:20:50Z

I think that coach should make the change at half back!!!! bradshaw brings the spark that we need in big games ! he is always fired up and i love that!! dont get me wrong I love jacobs but it seems like something is wrong with him!!! coach C please make the change!!!!!!!!!!!! oh yeah and what happend to the #1 reciever in the league sunday!!!!!! smith you need to step it up when you play the good teams!!!!!

Ask Revenge of the Birds

2009-10-21T16:21:09Z

Hello Big Blue View, Andrew from Revenge Of The Birds here to answer any questions you might have about the Arizona Cardinals and our upcoming game this Sunday night. This season hasn't been easy but we've bounced back after getting killed by the other Manning and we're now 3-2. Feel free to ask as much questions as you have and I'll answer them as quickly as possible. Also, if somebody here could do the same at our site, I know some of the guys have some questions. Thanks.

Positives to take away from the Saints game.

2009-10-20T15:10:12Z

I know it might not seem like it right now, but there were some things I took as positives from this game. It was obvious from the beginning that in this game, everything that could possibly go right for the Saints would, and the Giants were gonna have to scratch and crawl for every inch. With the momentum garnered from this game. I think the Saints will be regular season champions, and you know what? I'm just fine with that. We don't play well with that moniker anyway.

You might feel ashamed, you might feel dejected, but do not feel defeated. Here are some things we can focus on while we get back on the horse and slap around Arizona this week.

1. It's week frickin' 6.

As far as week six games in the NFL go, this Giants v Saints game was indeed billed as a big one, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't even close. When I looked at the schedule at the start of the season, I said to myself "Wow. if we play solid Giants football we can get off to a 5-1 start." I said 5-1 because I honestly thought there was no way we'd beat Dallas in their house for the opening of Jerryworld. But we did. I ask you now would you trade that win for a win against the Saints? I think not. If I asked you at the beginning of the year would you be happy with a 5-1 start with two divisional wins? You would say, "But of course." In other words, six weeks into the season, we're in really good shape, but I think most of us knew that already.

2. A crazy thought...byes help a team.

One of the biggest things that we really did not put too much focus on is that the Giants are beat up, battered, tired, and have played four out of their last five games on the road. The Giants are definitely Road Warriors, they just happen to be human as well. I'd like to see how the Saints would fair if they just finished playing three out of four on the road and had to come into the Meadowlands to face a Giants team that had two weeks to prepare for them. I'd be willing to bet the Giants could make them look just as silly.

3. Hakeem Nicks

Steve Smith is becoming one of the best slot recievers in the game. Mario Manningham has already had one breakout game this season, and has proven to be a reliable target. But look at Hakeem Nicks...five receptions 114 yards and a touchdown. Garbage time or no garbage time, it's clear this kid can play. He's been a YAC machine, and even though it was too late for him to be a force in this game...it's still very early in the season, and it looks to me like he's going to be a big target that Eli can rely on for the long road ahead. One more headache for defensive coordinators to lose sleep over, Hakeem Nicks has been in the end zone every week he's been healthy, and there's no reason to believe he'll slow down. As the season progresses, so should his chemistry with Eli. And if Smith, Ham, and Nicks all continue to play at this level, this defense might not have to be so stellar...although a PASS RUSH WOULD BE NICE.

4. Brandon Jacobs.

I don't know if you guys were seeing the same thing I was, but based on the comments during the game, I think we can agree on one thing...we abadoned the run way to early. Isaw a Brandon Jacobs that was running like Brandon Jacobs. I know he only had seven attempts, but with the 4.7 yard average he gained on those attempts, I feel confident in saying that our boy is back. I kept thinking to myself that Jacobs has to be hungry for a big game, and this would have been it...had we stuck with the run. He hit the holes the way we're used to seeing him hit the holes, he moved piles back they way were used to seeing him move piles back, and given different circumstances, this more than likely would have been his breakout game. Next week the league's leading rushing defense comes to town, but I have a feeling Jacobs is going to have a big day. As long as we don't dig ourselves into a 14 point defecit before the end of the first quarter, I think Jacobs will feed off the home crowd and keep his momentum going forward, taking some Cardinals down on the way.

5. Madden

The most obvious positive to take away from this game is my pre-season Madden Simulation. Madden had the Giants losing to the Saints, after a 5-0 start, only to finish the season 12-4 (splitting with the Eagles and Redskins, sweeping the Cowboys, and losing to the Chargers.) gaining the second seed in the NFC and eventually a re-match with the Patriots in the Super Bowl (which I have yet to simulate). So far, so good, Madden. The Saints can take this one, but when they lose to the Cowboys in the Divisional round of the playoffs, we'll be laughing last.

Poll

After our week 6 performance, where do you see the Giants finishing this season?

12-4 (or better). We respond like the true Champions we are and nab the second seed. Just like Tito's Madden Simulation said.

45 votes

11-5/10-6. The defense will continue to struggle, but Sheridan will figure it out just in the nick of time, getting us a tight Division Championship.

30 votes

9-7/8-8. There are far too many injuries on defense, but our offense will kep us in games...maybe a Wild Card.

6 votes

7-9 (or worse). This team is clearly a farce. We can't compete with anyone outside the AFC West. No playoffs.

5 votes

86 votes | Poll has closed