New York Giants Notes: Pro Bowl Hype (Not) Edition

This used to be the week when there were no games, as we'd wait the two weeks until the Super Bowl. But last year they decided to give us a game in between--the Pro Bowl. I love football, but I'd rather watch a Bengals-Panthers preseason game than watch the NFL all-star game, no matter how many Giants are playing in it. Still, I think they were somewhat correct for putting this game before the "end" of the season, which rightfully should be the Super Bowl. With that, here are some odds and ends for your reading pleasure....

First, check out this new feature on ESPN.com that will sure warm your Big Blue heart on a cold January morning. It allows you to click on the reaction of each player during the famous David Tyree Helmet Catch of Super Bowl XLII. I don't know about you guys, but I never get tired of watching that play.


NFL.com news: Report: Ex-NFL receiver Hilliard latest to join Dolphins' staff
The Dolphins continued to remake their offensive staff Tuesday, hiring former NFL wide receiver Ike Hilliard as an assistant coach, the Miami Herald reported. For more on the Miami Dolphins, check out the latest from our bloggers. " Blog Blitz: Dolphins Hillard, who spent eight seasons with the New York Giants and four with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring with a neck injury after the 2008 season, spent the previous two seasons coaching with the United Football League's Florida Tuskers. He was their wide receivers coach last fall.

I was wondering what happened to Ike after he didn't re-sign with the Bucs, but also surprised that he played for twelve years. That's a pretty lengthy career for a wide receiver that isn't a perennial Pro Bowler.

Jets’ Loss Means No Super Bowl for New Jersey - NYTimes.com
For enduring football frustration, our best contender may be a team that did go to the Super Bowl — for four straight years in the 1990s. But it lost every time. So near to glory, and yet so far. It is the only team that plays in New York. It is called the Buffalo Bills.

Call me a hypocrite, because I moved away from New York in 1992, but it makes me laugh when I hear a politician or sportswriter call the Bill's "New York's only team." You can see the New York City skyline from the Meadowlands. From Buffalo, you can see Canada (okay, I'm not sure about that, but I know it's closer to Canada than it is to the New York metro area). And speaking of our neighbors to the north, this was fairly interesting....

Cinderella is the new favourite | Football | Sports | Toronto Sun
It’s hard to imagine how a team that finished sixth in its conference and had to win its last game just to make the playoffs is favoured in the Super Bowl. Such is the nature of North American pro sports these days. If you make the post-season, you have a chance to win it all. There really are no also-rans. The Green Bay Packers went 10-6 in the regular season, and finished tied with two teams — the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — that didn’t make the playoffs. The Pack then went out and won three straight playoff games on the road to reach the Super Bowl, where they are now favoured to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that finished second in its conference this season. Those odds, the Packers were favoured by 2 1/2 at last check, seem kind of, well, odd.

But I have to admit, for as well as the Packers are playing, I was also surprised that they were immediately inserted as favorites for the Super Bowl.

So I got this e-mail last night from my buddy Ryan who, by the way, lives in New Jersey and is a die-hard Giants fan. The subject line was "GUILTY" and here was the text:

So, I'm at the Atlantic City Pool and Spa convention at a party at Caesars thrown by one of the automatic pool vacuum manufacturers...They hired the Eagles Cheerleaders to dance for us... It was unbelievably hot. For the first time in my life, I liked the Eagles. How do I make penance?

Rather than respond, I thought I'd pose that question to all of you. Of course, I often wonder why the Eagles, Redskins and Cowboys have some of the hottest cheerleaders in the NFL while we still have none. But we're not alone. Neither do the Steelers, Bears, Lions or Packers. That's right, there will be no cheerleaders at the Super Bowl this year. Yikes. Anyway, would you rather have three Super Bowl rings or hot cheerleaders? I'll take the former. But feel free to answer this question or what you feel is the correct penance for my buddy in the comments section below.

Enjoy Pro Bowl week, New York....I mean, New York and New Jersey and Connecticut. Yeah, that's it.