The NFL is filled with myths and unsolved mysteries. Today I play Robert Stack/the nerds from "Myth Busters" and attempt to dispel these myths and solve these mysteries. Plus I'm feeling very arrogant and judgmental today, so why not.
1) A good defense blitzes as mush as possible -- False. Actually what you really want is to get pressure with the front four and not have to blitz at all. In fact, a blitz is often meant to cover up a flaw in some part of the defense. A good offense, with a smart quarterback and a cohesive offensive line welcomes the blitz, in fact they invite it. That said, a defense with a skilled secondary can put their corners in one-on-one match-ups and get pressure with extra rushers.
2) Zone is bad -- False. If you have corners and safeties with good ball-hawking skills you will come up with far more interceptions in zones. Unless your name is Darrelle Revis. Uggh!
3) Your coach has to be fired up for the team to be fired up -- Undecided. I can't do anything with this myth except to say as a fan it's easier to watch a coach who seems to care externally. That said Bill Belicheck has done just fine for over a decade without any signs of a personality.
4) Kevin Gilbride has to go -- False, and I ask why? He is one of the better coordinators in the NFL. Or at least the stats say he is. Since he has been with Big Blue he has been in the top 15 of total offense every year. More importantly, this is Tom Coughlin's offense and Gilbride seems to be on the same page. Cohesion is a key.
5) Be aggressive on defense -- False. While being aggressive is good, it can also run you out of plays. I think the term "assignment strong" is something fans should be more aware of. It takes a very special player to be able to aggressively free lance, but if everyone on your defense holds their specific assignment you will have a special defense.
6) Dominos is good pizza -- False. Dominos isn't even pizza, it's a different category of food altogether. Just like a McDonald's cheeseburger is not an actual cheeseburger and Taco Bell's tacos are not actual tacos. I enjoy Dominos every now and then but it's just not pizza.
7) Fan rituals and traditions have nothing to do with a teams wins or losses -- Yeah, right. If I actually debunked this myth we'd have to start up thousands of support groups for lost fans everywhere. For the record I did 150 push ups last night instead of 100 because I was convinced it would somehow help the GMEN in 2011. Prove to me it won't help ... see, can't be done.
8) LT is one of the greatest running backs of all time -- Ummm, who? I know of only one LT and he was the greatest linebacker EVA. I call that other guy "unfortunate initials" and the real LT would never cry on the sidelines, although he may have tackled you and the eaten your arm off. Would you really have been shocked if they panned over to LT on the sidelines and a half-eaten arm was sticking out of his mouth?
9) Bill Sheridan was a scape goat -- False. He was awful and deserved the axe. Actually he deserved a guillotine.
10) The off-season is for signing free agent studs -- False. Free agency is certainly a huge factor in today's NFL, but it seems like adding a few smaller pieces is better then going after one or two studs. Football is won and lost with 11 players playing together, not one man rising above the rest. This isn't the NBA (zing, the NBA will be feeling that insult for years to come). Oh, and this myth has already been debunked by the Washington Redskins. Good work Dan Snyder.
11) C.C. Brown is a good tackler -- False. In fact "Cant Cover," cant tackle, either. He is listed in the top seven for Giants missed tacklers. Uggh! Mentioning his name just sent me in to a red rage. I think I killed my cleaning lady. Nope, she was just sleeping.
12) Tom Coughlin is on the hot seat -- Maybe, but Coughlin has been at the center of one of the best runs in Giant history.
13) Ramses Barden and Clint Sintim are busts -- False, and stop talking to me. You clearly have never watched a football game or a team run by Coughlin (wow, that was judgy). Rookies take time to develop, and Barden was a known project. If both players haven't produced in the next two years you may have a point, but right now you just sound silly, so stop it.
14) George Lopez is funny -- What? Who says? What's wrong with them?
15) The Jersey Shore is the greatest show EVA -- No myth here, this is 100% true.
16) Madison Hedgecock has hands made of iron cast steel -- Also true, fact.
17) Eli Manning isn't worth a 100 million dollars -- False. That is simply the going rate for a franchise quarterback in this market. He will never be Peyton, but when big brother's contract comes up he too will be paid a king's ransom (Did people used to ransom kings often? I don't recall ever hearing about a king being ransomed in history class).
18) 107 receptions, 1,220 yards receiving and seven touchdowns do not make a Pro Bowl year -- False. Congrats to Steve Smith, the first Giant pro bowler since Homer Jones in 1969. Smith got the call a couple days ago after Larry Fitzgerald bailed due to injury.
19) Dropping a lineman into coverage is an awful decision -- False. Coaches don't send 280-pound lineman into coverage just to get a good laugh. Although I'm fairly certain that's why Sheridan did it. The truth is most coaches do it to give quarterbacks more to think about, and occasionally it results in a quarterback throwing it to a lineman he never expected to be there. In Sheridan's case it resulted in large linemen chasing smaller faster receivers, which resulted in two broken plates and 22 different jerseys worn in 2010 in the Jacks household.
20) I just dispelled 19 facts -- False. As usual, what do I know?