This is getting ridiculous. Scratching around looking for stuff to write every day, just waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting, impatiently for training camp to start.
Of course, as luck would have it the Giants will be the last team to start training camp this season. So, anyway, here are some Giants-related stories making the rounds of the Inter-Google.
Who rules the NFC East?
A pair of ESPN writers debated this the other day, and here is how it turned out.
Jeremy Green (whom we now like): The Giants' defensive line is simply the most dominating group of any positional unit and having that luxury will make New York extremely difficult to beat every week of the year and against every opponent they face. You match that with a superb power running game and their ball control offense and the Giants should dominate the line of scrimmage, time of possession and pace of the game. I also feel like New York has the superior quarterback and coaching. When the chips are down, the Giants are a better team than Philadelphia, which has never proved to be able to get over that hump when it matters most.
Matt Williamson (whom we now despise): This summer, I was asked to do a piece on the biggest weakness of every NFL team. It wasn't hard to do -- except for the Eagles. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots are superior teams to Philadelphia in my opinion, but no one in the league has fewer holes. The Giants have a superior defensive line, but I will take the Eagles' linebackers and defensive backs without hesitation. I do concede that New York has the superior running game, but the offensive lines are now closer than ever and I trust Philadelphia's passing game by leaps and bounds over the Giants'. Throw in more superb return men than any one team should have and I think the choice is obvious.
Seriously, we know which side of the debate Giants' fans are on. And Eagles' fans. Each side can talk all it wants. I just can't wait until the games start -- that's when this debate will be settled.
2009 Training Camp Guide: NFC Team-by-Team
ESPN has a guide to the NFC training camps, including the Giants' camp in Albany. I will try to put together something a little more extensive before camp starts. I ought to be able to manage that, since I live here.
The New York Times' Fifth Down blog takes a look at the production of Jeremy Shockey and Kevin Boss, and concludes that trading Shockey turned out just fine for the men in blue.
My take: I think we knew that already. Shockey has a past. Boss has a future. Those are the kind of players the Giants have built with.
"The rookies" enter their 3rd year
Experts say it takes at least three years to properly judge a draft. Well, Jerry Reese's first draft helped the Giants win a Super Bowl, and those players are now entering their third seasons. Ultimate NYG takes a look at where the players from that draft stand entering training camp.
Why is the Giants' offensive line so good?
NFL Touchdown looks at the line, and winds up comparing the Big Blue Blocking Crew to the cast of Seinfeld. Here is part of NFL Touchdown's comparison.
Since the end of the popular sitcom none of the actors who portrayed Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine have had comparable success as a solo act. The Seinfeld Theorem postulates this is a result of the group being stronger than the combined strengths of the individuals. To put it more simply, sometimes the whole is greater then the sum of its parts. In the football world, the Giants offensive line, likewise, has also proven that good players playing together can be great.
My take: Believe it or not, I have never been a big Seinfeld fan. The article correctly points out, though, that this Giants line is a classic case of the whole being better than the sum of its parts.
Here's a little something for you Seinfeld fans. And, yes, I did watch it. And, yes, it is funny.
NOTE: Trying a little something different with the formatting of the notebook. Hope you like it.