The New York Football Giants

Just Plain Super

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:59:00 +0000

18-1 season -- Worthless
9 pro bowlers -- Worthless
12 point favorites -- Worthless
"The greatest NFL team of all time?" -- Worthless
XLII Ring -- PRICELESS

Is it our time?

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 04:14:00 +0000

The above picture was snapped in the waning moments of New York's 12 point lead over New England in the final game of the regular season, from my vantage point up in the cheap seats (then again, in a game like that, there are no cheap seats.)

It's funny how these things turn out - a two score 3rd quarter lead turned into a 3 point loss. Meanwhile, the Giants trailed all three of their road playoff opponents (Tampa, Dallas, Green Bay) before coming away with unprecedented road victories. And now, the team that gave up 80 points in consecutive losses to open the season is going to the Super Bowl.

My excitement is tempered by past experience. We trounced Minnesota 225-0 to get to the Big Game with all the momentum in the world back in 2001, only to be blown out ourselves. And then there was the 49ers debacle back in 2003.. and you know how that turned out. Carolina in 2005. Philadelphia in 2006.

The Giants can beat the Patriots. It's undeniable. They put up more points against New England than any other team since the Colts bumped the Pats from the playoffs last season. Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, and Ahmad Bradshaw have all emerged as rookie playmakers and go-to guys in the offense. The secondary is finally healthy. Eli is finally a Manning.

I think the line is a joke. The Pats were installed as almost two touchdown favorites, and if I had any disposable cash lying around, I'd put a small mint on New York beating the spread (if not beating New England outright.) On a similar note, statistician, odds guru, and football aficionado Paul Zimmerman (of Sports Illustrated) is picking New York to win (even if it is, in part, for the purposes of settling an old score.)

So, I apologize for my absence during this historic run. But I promise, I've been there every step of the way.

Low Five

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:02:00 +0000

Coming out of hibernation after a miserable loss to the miserable Redskins last night:

1) I have never seen a veteran receiver of Amani Toomer's caliber drop such a ridiculously wide-open floater before. So thanks for that.
2) Speaking of firsts.. I've never seen one receiver (Brandon Jacobs) drop three passes in the span of four plays before. So, again, thanks for that.
3) Continuing with the trend, Michael Matthews' drop (I hate when they hit you right between the numbers like that) and Shockey's broken leg mean that Kevin Boss needs to be the man down the stretch to inspire any playoff confidence in the passing game.
4) The collective work of the aforementioned helping Eli establish a career high incomplete passes in a single game. 52 attempts for 184 total yards. That's 3.5 yards per attempt. I dare you to find numbers like that. Ever.
5) Lawrence Tynes.

In response.. is Elijah progressing?

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 22:49:00 +0000

By the numbers:

2005 - QB Rating 75.9, 235 yards/game, 24 TDs and 17 INTs
2006 - QB Rating 77.0, 202 yards/game, 24 TDs and 18 INTs
2008 (pace) - QB Rating 79.5, 198 yards/game, 26 TDs, 18 INTs

In short, my answer would be.. not really. He has consistantly been a slightly above average QB over the past three years. There is moderate credence to the idea that aside from the numbers above, he's a "gamer", a "clutch" QB, whatever you want to call it. Consider that his QB Rating in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarter over his career is a combined 72.3 - a number that jumps to 79.5 in the 4th quarter (additionally, 21 of his 67 career TD passes have come in the final 15.)

So, has he been making huge strides? No. But he's played well enough that, surrounded by a decent supporting cast, I'm convinced he can take us to a Super Bowl.

High Five

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:06:00 +0000

1 - 6-2 last year. 6-2 this year. New York has never gone 6-2 and not made the playoffs.
2 - Tipped passes. I've seen a lot of 'em. Eli throws low over the line of scrum.. I mean, scrimmage. Maybe that's an artifact of the O-line effectively keeping the D away from Eli, but I haven't noticed any similar trend with Peyton or Brady (then again, I don't watch those games nearly as often.)
3 - Speaking of the O-line.. I'm less inclined to think Tiki deserves to be bound for Canton. I was on the fence anyway. Although one more average year, and it would have been a done deal, no matter who was playing in front of him.
4 - 3 late hits for 58 in two weeks. That's -45 yards of Total Offense. It would be more excusable if he had 45 yards worth of sacks in that same time period (when in fact, he has.. 0.)
5 - Feely. Tynes. I've had a headache the last three years. I make myself cringe when I start to think what a Good Idea it would be to Janikowski the 2007 Draft. (I don't think Oakland regrets it?)

Joey

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:36:00 +0000

Just for a laugh, I decided to look into the last time the Giants D faced off against Joey Harrington. It was back in 2004, coming off a bye (our idiosyncratic recipe for disaster.) Harrington was 18 for 22, with 2 TD, 0 picks, and 0 sacks (for what it's worth, a QB rating of 140.5.) A rare gem for Harrington in a Lions uniform, of course, at the Giants expense.

Atlanta could play big at home on Monday Night, but the Giants are easily the more talented team. 2004 aside (and despite the recurrent struggles of the secondary), I'd love to shut down Dunn and Norwood and let Harrington try to beat New York with his arm. Hook 'em, Aaron Ross!

This is a stroll through the park.

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 14:19:00 +0000

On a completely unrelated note, the Giants play a "home" game against the Jets tomorrow afternoon.

Sackreligious

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 03:07:00 +0000

Kiwanuka, Umenyiora, Strahan. This is what it was supposed to be - well, maybe the expectations weren't this lofty, but how about five or six sacks and decent pressure over four quarters? All that came in spades against Philadelphia. Six sacks for #72 - somebody send a condolence card to Winston Justice's family.

On a more worrisome note, Tynes' performance looked like shades of Feely in Seattle back in 2005. The missed extra point turns out not to be significant, but at the time, it kept NY from taking a door-slamming three score lead. I've seen enough of Tynes already this year - bring on Josh Huston. Seriously. Kickers are completely mental creatures.. once it's in their head, it's over. Just ask Mike Vanderjagt.

Back to .500, and even better, the Giants have a winning record in the division. And it's always just a little more satisfying to reach those marks against the Eagles.

Week to Week

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:34:00 +0000

What a difference a half makes.

I had been all set to post the "Sam Madison Goat-Watch" on an 0-3 Monday morning, chronicling each first half gaff (1st quarter, illegal contact, 2nd quarter, beat by Moss on a deep route, etc.) Then, without warning, a different team took the field to start the 3rd quarter, and I had to flush my idea down the drain. Madison and Mathias Kiwanuka, two of my four "Guys That May Keep Us Out" from last week, played the best half of football either of them have ever played in a Giants uniform. Kiwanuka had two sacks and a forced fumble, and Madison jumped the snap count flawlessly on a punishing corner blitz. And then, just like that, the entire D as a whole rose up on a 4th quarter goal line stand.

I dunno what possessed them, but they better stay possessed facing a Philly team that put up about 277 points against Detroit last week. And speaking of the Eagles, maybe it's time to start cycling the D-line to give Mathias more snaps at the position he was clearly ordained by God to play.

Misery Loves Company

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 21:32:00 +0000

The Dolphins, Bills, Jets, Chiefs, Raiders, Eagles, Falcons, Saints, Rams, and of course, the New York Football Giants. Those are the teams in the NFL right now that are winless going into Week 3.. that's more than a third of the league. Someone in that group is going to end up going to the playoffs. Why not us?

The guys that might end up getting us there..
Derrick Ward
Plaxico Burress
Fred Robbins
Eli Manning

The guys that might end up keeping us out..
Sam Madison
Corey Webster
Mathias Kiwanuka
Eli Manning

I don't buy the Redskins. At all. Jason Campbell is going to hit a rough patch and Clinton Portis is one bad cut away from the IR. If the Giants do end up taking one in DC on Sunday, it's worth noting that they started last season 1-2 as well.

0-2 and 80

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 20:05:00 +0000

That's New York's record after this week, and the number of points they've given up in the opening two games of the season. I don't know how many times one guy has to be the goat in the secondary before you cut him, or at the very least, bury him in the depth chart, but Sam Madison is testing the limits of that question. He got beat on one touchdown pass, and then perplexingly pushed off on a guy that was already falling down in the end zone to give Green Bay 1st and Goal on the 1 later in the game.

The linebackers have been decent against the run but awful dropping back into coverage. Brett Favre essentially threw every one of his passes underneath, and no one on the Giants D looked interested in jumping short slant or curl routes, regardless of how telegraphed they were. The respectable play of the offense was completely offset by a comical interception, a brain-dead delay of game call, and a 15 yard taunting penalty (although I learned today that apparently, you can taunt the other team after getting totally shut down on a passing route. I kind of assumed that you taunt someone when you make them look like a jackass.) And oh yeah, Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled a kick return for the second consecutive game.

I feel slightly better that the Saints are also 0-2.

Less Doom & Gloom

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 16:12:00 +0000

They sky is not falling quite as rapidly as it seemed last week. Eli has confirmed that he will start today against Green Bay, and BJ should only be out about two weeks.

Insult and Injury

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:31:00 +0000

For every optimistic prediction about Brandon Jacobs' numbers for 2007, there were an equal number of warnings about his susceptibility to lower-body injuries due to his upright running style and tendency not to shy away from contact.

That didn't take long, did it?

The early word on the street is a torn MCL, but the extent of the injury should become clear later today. Not to be outdone, Osi Umenyiora also suffered a non-specific knee-injury and his status is uncertain. Elijah banged up his shoulder and yielded the last drive of the game to the Hefty Lefty, but he's fine.

This entire game was like everything awful about the 2006 season all rolled into sixty minutes - a slew of devastating injuries and a flaccid secondary. Seriously, you're not supposed score 35 points and lose the game (although this time, none of it was really Sam Madison's fault.) On the plus side, Eli and Plax look like they could play catch in the dark, and Derrick Ward filled in admirably, although I remember last year when Ward broke his foot during the preseason while he was (and I'm quoting here) moving between two rooms. So I don't know what to expect from him in terms of durability.

My fingers are crossed on Jacobs, but I'm prepared to hear that he'll be missing the entire 2007-2008 season, par for the course for a Giants team that's placed more players on the IR in the past five years than anyone else in the NFL. Ward splits carries with Dreughns, and as if it wasn't entirely on Elijah's shoulders already, he will almost single-handedly determine whether or not New York can salvage this season. It's scary seeing the word salvage in Week 1, isn't it?

Okay, I lied.

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 17:13:00 +0000

I'm a dirty, lying liar. For the first time since I've been out in Albany, I missed Giants Training Camp this year, despite living less than a mile away and having about a month of opportunities to go. I was caught up at work most of the time. Lay off.

The season kicks off in less than a week against T-Ro, TO, and the Dallas Cowboys. There's a lot I wanted to say about New York coming into this season but never had a chance. Here's the quick and dirty summary:

1) Of course Strahan came back. He got taken to the cleaners in divorce court. You don't make 4.5 million managing the night shift at Denny's.
2) Love Kiwanuka at LB. He needs to be on the field as much as possible. He'll be everything Mr. Nickles was supposed to be in 2006 and more (although he was guilty of some blown coverage in the preseason. He still needs to feel out the position.)
3) Calling it right now: Brandon Jacobs, 1,350 yards, 13 touchdowns, 30 receptions, 275 yards, 1 touchdown. Please reserve your "I Told You So"s now, as they will be in very limited supply by Week 16.
4) If you haven't seen the Aaron Ross highlight video yet, get excited. I hate Sam Madison.

In summary, football football football football football football football.

Long Time Coming

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 15:31:00 +0000

It's been about seven months since any new content has appeared here, punctuated by this quick promise that I'll be back on Tuesday, July 31st, reporting live from Giants training camp at the UAlbany campus. Then we can talk all about Michael Strahan, Reuben Droughns, and Sinorice Moss. Seriously.

Purgatory, Continued

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 04:27:00 +0000

We've all been waiting to see who was going to have Tom Coughlin's job next season. The wait is over. The answer.. is Tom Coughlin.

The most outcoached man in football (according to his own loyal troops, anyway) was offered a one-year extension, rather than the pink slip and swift kick in the pants that most of us expected. This followed unsuccessful attempts (and/or rumors, depending on who you talk to) to lure Scott Pioli, Bill Belichick, and Bill Parcells into a whole shmorgesborg of GM/Head Coach combinations. In the end, Coughlin keeps his job for at least another year, and frontrunning insider Jerry Reese (the man who brought you Brandon Jacobs from out of left field) will assume Ernie Accorsi's former position.

Maybe the Giants figured there were no significant upgrades to Coughlin on the market - which may be true, but his locker room cred is nonexistent. Which may mean that they're going to pursue Bill Cowher heavily in 2008 and don't want to tie themselves up in a marginal coach who'd only be in it for the short term.

Who knows. I don't like this move for three reasons:

One, this team (for the most part) just plain doesn't like Tom Coughlin, despite the mandatory lip service he occasionally receives when shifty journalists corner role players into a sound bite.

Two, there's no guarantee Bill Cowher will be looking for a job next season, and even if he is, he will no doubt command the heftiest price tag we've ever seen at the coaching position (eat your heart out, Steve Spurrier.)

Three, Elijah was essentially stagnant this season. What is this going to mean for his development? Or, for that matter, Brandon Jacobs? I get the feeling Coughlin doesn't trust Jacobs as an every-down back (a role in which, I'm sure, he'd excel.) I really, really, really don't want to see a Jacobs/Derrick Ward platoon next year.

So, there it is. We've officially secured bad vibes throughout the 2007-2008 season.

Game Over, Man

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 01:00:00 +0000

What really amazes me is how much the 4th quarter of Sunday's game was a microcosm of New York's entire season.. a team battered by penalties, with its offense struggling throughout much of the contest, manages to put together a dramatic scoring drive to tie the game in the waning moments - only to watch the defense give it all back on the final possession. When the offense is up, the defense is down. When the defense is up, the offense is down. When yardage is scarce, there's yellow laundry all over the field.. and when it's all said and done, the Giants are a day late and a dollar short.

Imagine the things we'd be saying about Eli Manning if New York can hold Philadelphia on that final drive. First and 30 (first and 30! It might have become part of the New York vernacular in and of itself!) off of three consecutive penalties before clawing their way to a game-tying touchdown late in the 4th quarter. It would certainly have done wonders for Plaxico's image, as he complemented Elijah with several spectacular plays to keep the offense moving. And what about the little guy, putting up 150+ from scrimmage in a gutsy effort to keep his career alive for one more week?

In the end, however, what we've suspected all season long turned out to be the case - that this team would eventually collapse under the weight of all the season-ending injuries and all the locker room strife. It just so happens that there was enough magic in this world to will New York into the playoffs before the wheels came off for good.

After getting over the initial disappointment, I admit that a lot of what I'm feeling now is relief. There's no one to blame. There's no sense in pointing fingers. There's no feeling that you've just been kicked in the stomach, a la last year's disaster against the Panthers. This football team has been hurting, both mentally and physically, for a very long time, and even the most credulous fans couldn't have been thinking about a championship this year - not even deep down, in their safest and most reality-proof places. A lot of forces conspired to sink this season.. and the Giants still managed to come within 3 points of advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

It's time to recuperate, and to restructure, but not to rebuild. The potential for great things is still on the horizon.. we'll just be forging ahead minus one or two familiar faces.

For Auld Lang Syne, My Dear

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 23:49:00 +0000

The New York Football Giants are going to the postseason.. by a hair. By the skin of their teeth. By thiiiiiiiiiis much (visualize index finger and thumb nestled closely together.) Last year, no NFL team made the playoffs with a record worse than 10-6; this year, 8-8 is good enough.

In 2006, the Giants were wildly inconsistent. A 6-2 start, and a 2-6 finish. And the symmetry extends beyond the numbers; really, the full Ying and Yang of on-the-field performances and off-the-field distractions, epitomized by their miracle 4th quarter comeback against the Eagles in Week 2 and their subsequently catastrophic 4th quarter collapse against the Titans in Week 12. To paraphrase from Longfellow -- "when they were good, they were very good indeed. But when they were bad.. they were horrid."

But 2006 is over, and there's an opportunity for this football team to prove that the preseason hype wasn't just a bunch of hot air. An opportunity to make some real New Year's resolutions -- isn't that what January 1st is all about? Maybe things will be different in 2007.. maybe the front four can stuff Brian Westbrook and put some real pressure on Jeff Garcia. Maybe Eli Manning can have an outing where he doesn't put a pass at Jim Finn's feet, or throw a lame duck into triple coverage. Maybe Tiki Barber can put this team on his back the way he did this past Sunday against Washington, and keep his career going for at least one more week. Maybe in 2007, we'll even dare to dream of a "Subway Series" Super Bowl..

Or maybe, like most New Year's resolutions, this one won't quite make it to the weekend.

Exclamation Point

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 05:35:00 +0000

As a follow up to the previous post, this is a quote from an anonymous Giant that appeared in the New York Daily News this week:

"We are tiring of his act," the Giant said. "He is pushing too hard. We're still in full pads for part of practice, despite all the injuries we have and the fact that it's the end of a long season. He is very 'me' oriented, always talks about doing things his way - his hard-ass, no-give approach - but we're not winning or sustaining games, so the disconnect is widening and we are tuning him out."

This comes as a surprise to exactly.. no one. And given the way the quote was articulated, this sounds like something from Tiki's mouth.

WANTED:

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 01:42:00 +0000

Experienced football coach to lead beleaguered NFL franchise out of a three-year stroll through Purgatory. Must be capable of replacing a former Jacksonville dictator and implementing the most antithetical gameplan imaginable. Interpersonal skills a must. Seeking individuals who are laid back, easy to approach, and capable of keeping penalty yardage under 250 per game - in particular, individuals who can convince offensive linemen not to headbutt the opposition. Must be capable of instilling in any starting quarterback the idea that if their QB rating is consistently hovering around the game-time temperature, they may not be guaranteed a start the following week. Applicants should have a working knowledge of what a "game plan" is, and be willing to stick to it. Particularly interested in any recently unemployed individuals with prior experiences in New York, say, leading a team to the Super Bowl in the '00-'01 season. Contact Ernie Accorsi ASAP!

Back from Hiatus, with my Head in the Sand..

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 01:01:00 +0000

I'd like not to be overly negative here.. since my last post, the Giants have lost their last two in woeful fashion, including an embarrassing drubbing by the Saints yesterday. Yet, defying all justified incredulity, the G-Men are still in the playoffs.. at 7-8. Which just about sums up the state of the NFC at the moment. I'd run through the potential scenarios that can unfold next week, but I don't have the time, the strength, or a PhD in theoretical mathematics; suffice it to say that the Giants can still grab the final wild-card spot at either 8-8 or 7-9. If so, they'd likely be playing on the road against the Cowboys.

Nothing is going right. Elijah is mirroring 2005 - strong start, fade down the stretch. The D, which stonewalled the run at the beginning of the season, is now inviting everyone and their mother to pound the ball right up the middle at will. And, of course, injuries.. Chad Morton is done for the year with a torn ACL. Does anyone keep track of season-ending ACL injuries? I'll have to touch base with Elias. We're currently going for that record, along with a slew of other inauspicious distinctions this year (like, running ZERO plays in the opponent's territory on Sunday despite scoring 7 points. Or, both blowing and overcoming 17+ point 4th quarter deficits in the same season.)

I'd like to think that after getting manhandled in Tiki Barber's last game at the Meadowlands, New York will come out against Washington with a huge chip on their shoulder. But then again, I thought the same thing at around 1pm yesterday afternoon, after losing 4 of 5 and more or less still controlling their own destiny, and look where that got me.

Strahan played a decent game coming back from a Lisfranc sprain, but reinjured his foot and may very well be done for the year. Here's how obscure the lisfranc ligament is - we never learned about it in medical school, and it's conspicuouusly absent from my Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy. Apparently, it extends from the plantar-lateral aspect of medial cuneiform, passes in front of the intercuneiform ligament, and finally, inserts into the plantar-medial of second metatarsal. Got all that? In laymans terms - a ligament between your big toe and your second toe. I get the impression that it can be a real nagging injury if not given enough time to heal, making Stray's early return a desperation move. Boy, is that one ever paying dividends.

So where does that leave us? I have no idea. This team is up, down, up, down, hurt, healthy, hurt, healthy. Every time someone progresses, two someones regress. So screw the analysis. I'm going to sit back and hope to get something entertaining out of New York-Washington. And maybe, just maybe, Santa will leave a belated playoff gift under the tree (and really, the word gift cannot be emphasized enough in this instance. GIFT.)

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Coalescing and Galvanizing.. Giants Top Carolina 27-13

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 21:33:00 +0000

Tiki broke out those two chestnuts during his postgame interview with Pam Oliver.. somebody's already rehearsing for that post-retirement stint as an NFL analyst/color commentator.

While it feels good to break out of that four game slide, this one was full of the same familiar shortcomings. Elijah did throw three touchdowns with no picks, but he also went 17 for 33 for only 172 yards, including several ugly attempts in the first half. Plaxico made a great catch for a 2nd quarter touchdown, but was openly complaining to Eli about being open in the end zone on the previous drive. A win is a win, but if the in-house fighting and Eli's inconsistency continue, New York will have a tough time running the table (the only scenario that guarantees a playoff berth at this point.)

On the other side of the ball, Fred Robbins continues to play out of his mind, and looks like a Pro-Bowl lock. Gibril Wilson had two picks on Sunday and in doing so tied Freddy for the team lead. Think about that for a minute - two picks in one game ties you with a defensive tackle for the team lead. It's pretty funny, but it's also indicative of how many missed opportunities the secondary has been responsible for this season. They certainly played better today, but that was against Chris Weinke and a one-horse receiving corps.

Next week at home against the Iggles. If the season ended right now, Philadelphia and New York would be your two wild-card teams. I had said at the start of the season that the NFC East might possibly send three teams to the postseason, but I was envisioning the Giants taking the division with Washington and Dallas taking wild card spots. Whoops. I'll take half credit instead.

Four in a Row.. Watching the Season Circle the Drain, Giants Fall to Cowboys 23-20

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 22:24:00 +0000

Eli Manning wasn't responsible for yesterday's loss - neither was Plaxico Burress. The offense played well, the defense played well, and in general the only glaring deficiency was the special teams kick-and-punt coverage. Yet New York dropped it's fourth straight game, fell two behind Dallas in the NFC East, and will now be fighting tooth-and-nail to secure a wild card spot heading into the home stretch.

So what went wrong? Well, as I alluded to above, nothing went wrong per se.. the Giants just played a streaking Dallas team that is much more dangerous with the versatile Tony Romo behind center. Kiwanuka's fumble was painful, but he made a nice play picking off the throw in the first place, so you can't really come down on him too hard (although I recognize this is the second straight week I'm giving him a pass.) The long completion to Witten was a huge blow, but the coverage wasn't awful - Romo simply made a great play and threw a strike to his tight end. Grammatica's subsequent kick was a no-doubter.. would have been good from 50+.

The Giants' overall performance was admirable, particularly the reappearance of Fourth Quarter Eli right when his team needed him the most, and so there's nothing else to sulk about other than the fact that New York hasn't won a football game in more than a month. They need to be in must-win mode from here on out to have a legitimate chance at a postseason berth. They most certainly have the talent to pull it off, but as Tom Coughlin is fond of pointing out, the execution leaves much to be desired.

Bench the Comeback Kid?

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 16:04:00 +0000

Just throwing this out there: maybe it's time for Tom Coughlin to bench Eli Manning.

Now, don't get me wrong - Elijah is the future of this organization. He's got the physical ability, the pedigree, and enough talent around him to be a Top 5 quarterback in the NFL. But lately, his cool demeanor, which has previously worked in his favor as a sort of calm-under-fire, has started progressing towards apathy. I've seen him throw more lazy, errant passes in the past month than I have during the previous two seasons combined.. I don't know if he and Plax are feeding off each other, but somebody needs to put a stop to it.

The controversy surrounding the Giants locker room the past week could be the potential spark to wake up Manning and shake him back into his previous form, but I think Coughlin should toy with the idea of starting Jared Lorenzen in Eli's place. Not as a permanent replacement, and not even with the intention of leaving Jared behind center for the entire contest, but to send Eli a message: nothing in this business is guaranteed.

While that may seem like a given, I've always been worried about Eli's sense of entitlement, dating back to the draft day orchestration that landed him in a Giants' uniform in the first place. The bottom line - if you want to act like you're too cool for school, you better start playing that way.

Total Collapse.. Giants Deserve to Lose, 24-21

noreply@blogger.com (z) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:09:00 +0000

I don't know if there's anything you can say or do to Plaxico Burress at this point to change his mentality as a football player. He's a big, open target down field who's a viable scoring option on every play - and he will quit on one or two of those plays every game. Fact of life.. his antics started in Pittsburgh and they continue unabated in New York. You can bench him, but that doesn't do New York much good, and it isn't going to "rehabilitate" his attitude.

Mathias gets a pass. He was trying to avoid a roughing the passer call, and in his mind, he had Young wrapped up long enough that the play was effectively over. It was bizarre to watch, and frustrating as all hell (considering that if he takes Young down, it's game over,) but it had nothing to do with a lack of effort. Just a mental mistake by a rookie starter.. and something you should expect when your #1, 2 and 3 DEs are hurt.

As far as Eli goes, he was absolutely terrible on Sunday, from start to finish. His first pass of the game landed at Jim Finn's feet, and his last pass of the game was essentially the game-ending interception. His mechanics, decision-making, and confidence are all in the gutter right now, and I don't think anyone knows how to turn it around. Maybe he'll have a long talk with Peyton over the next few days..

Three straight losses, including one of the biggest collapses in franchise history (horrible, horrible memories of San Francisco floating around in my head.) Getting Stray and Umenyiora back on the field may be the only way to keep this season from devolving into a total train wreck, if it hasn't already. 3-0 in the NFC East is now a very tenuous life preserver.