The New York Football Giants

Just Plain Super

2008-02-04T05:59:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-01-29T20:14:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-17T07:02:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-11-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-28T17:06:00.001-07:00

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

2007-10-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-10-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

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

Sackreligious

2007-09-30T20:07:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-10T04:31:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-09-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

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

2007-01-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-28T21:35:00.000-08:00

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:

2006-12-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

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..

2006-12-25T17:01:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-10T13:33:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-04T14:24:00.000-08:00

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?

2006-12-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

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

2006-11-26T16:09:00.000-08:00

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.

For Your Consideration..

2006-11-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

On this most excellent day of large, bountiful meals, a little reminder why the Giants should be feeding their opponents a steady diet of Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs:

- When Tiki has 19 or fewer rushing attempts in a game, the Giants are 1-4.
- When Tiki has 20 or greater rushing attempts in a game, the Giants are 5-0.

Certainly, some of this is a product of leaning heavily on the pass when trailing (or flat-out abandoning the run, as Coughlin and co. did against Jacksonville.) But it also shows how important it is not to give up on Tiki and Brandon, especially when the going gets tough. Barber, obviously frustrated, was critical of the pass-first playcalling in the second half of Monday night's game against the Jaguars. Rightly so.

It's time for seconds. Happy Thanksgiving!

Giants Woeful Again, Jacksonville wins 26-10

2006-11-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

I don't know what's gotten into Elijah the past month. He has played the worst football of any starting quarterback in the league, to the tune of four fumbles, five picks, a 50% completion rate, and a 2-2 overall record for the G-Men. Now, the competition hasn't been easy - three of those defenses he's come up against have been Chicago, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay. But beyond scheduling difficulties, he looks flat-out frustrated, and last night the running game couldn't bail him out.

The Giants offense has a lot of ugly sides, and lately they've all been showing: Eli's inaccuracy, Plaxico's apathy, Shockey's indignation.. somebody stop the bleeding. I'd say a trip next week to Tennessee would do the trick, but after the Titans trounced Philadelphia on Sunday, even that might not be a given.

State of the Division: The NFC East Heading Into Week Twelve

2006-11-19T20:09:00.000-08:00

..excluding New York-Jacksonville, which will unfold tomorrow night.

The ebb and flow of the NFC East continues. Philly loses to the Titans at home, and to add injury to insult, #5 is done for the year - torn ACL. He can spend the rest of the season hanging out with Amani Toomer. The Eagles' season basically ended today.. they drop to .500 and they're now the proud owners of a Jeff Garcia-led offense. Winning the division is almost out of the question, and squeezing in as a wild-card team is going to be tough with so many other teams vying for one of those two spots. And then there were two.. Dallas stays in contention by ending Indy's perfect season. It's amazing how much better that team is with Tony Romo behind center. He's got legitimate wheels.

The Redskins.. well. They're a shell of whatever team they were in the first place. Seeya in 2008.

Giants Fall at Home, Chicago Wins 38-20..

2006-11-13T07:15:00.000-08:00

Understatement of the year: New York let this one get away from them. It all started with an improbable 3rd and very long conversion, followed by a last minute Bears touchdown to make it a 3 point game. Then - and I really don't understand Coughlin's thinking here - the Giants let the clock run out on the half, despite the fact that they start with the ball on their own 40, with 30 seconds left on the clock and two timeouts left. Really? You don't event want to try for the field goal?

And injuries.. more of them. Tiki sprains his left thumb, but he'll probably be good to go next Monday Night against the Jaguars. Luke Petitgout breaks his leg and is done for the season. How many consecutive weeks can you read the words "..and is done for the season" before you start to get that uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach? And finally, Sam Madison.. I hate Sam Madison. I enjoy hating Sam Madison. He was a liability on two legs all season, and now he's a liability on one leg after going gimpy on a critical Grossman touchdown pass. McQuarters saw a lot of game time in nickel packages and now (mercifully) will see extended time starting opposite Corey Webster.

I need something explained to me. Brandon Jacobs puts the ball under his jersey during a touchdown celebration and gets nailed with the unsportsmanlike 15-yarder. Using the ball as a prop - fine, throw the flag. But two quarters later, Muhsin Muhammed dribbles the football between his legs celebrating a touchdown of his own. Where are the flags? Consistency, please. Certainly not the difference maker, but it gets under my skin.

And finally, Devin Hester. You've all seen the play. In a four point 4th quarter game, that's a back-breaker.

So, the Giants are 6-3, and with the Eagles win over the Redskins and the Dallas win at Arizona, the NFC East becomes a tight little squeeze once again. The current 3-0 division mark may turn out to be New York's saving grace.. circle December 3rd, 17th and 30th on your calendar. The season will likely come down to those final three division games, with the two tougher contests against the Eagles and the Cowboys at the Meadowlands. Continue to look for those silver linings.

Jints Topple Texans 14-10, Injuries Starting to Mount..

2006-11-08T15:41:00.000-08:00

The Giants beat Houston 14-10 on Sunday, and a catastrophic loss at home to the Texans was avoided courtesy of a late game-winning Eli-to-Shockey touchdown. 4th Quarter Eli strikes again.. business as usual.

Unfortunately, devastating injuries are also business as usual for this football team, and this week was no exception. Michael Strahan may miss up to a month with a Lis Franc sprain.. with Umenyiora and Tuck still hurting, that leaves Kiwanuka as the team's #1 DE. I've got all the faith in the world in our young #1 draft pick, but the sooner Stray and Osi get back on the field, the better. Adrian Awasom was signed off the practice squad to help out at the position, and there's talk of moving Fred Robbins to the end.. but I'd rather see Freddy stay put. There's nothing like doing serious damage at the tackle position to take a little pressure off a few inexperienced ends.

And on a more serious note.. Amani Toomer is done for the year. Finished. Tore his anterior cruciate ligament against the Texans. (Medical school side note: one of the four major knee ligaments, along with the PCL, MCL and the LCL. Ah, to be learning material with practical applications.) It's a real shame considering how integrated he's been in the offense this year (tied for the team lead with 32 receptions,) and I'm not sure who's going to replace him. The most likely scenario is that Shockey becomes even more involved in the passing game (no complaints there) and Tim Carter steps in as the #2.

Here's the silver lining: if, at the beginning of the season, I told you that LaVar Arrington and Amani Toomer would both suffer season-ending injuries, and that Strahan and Umenyiora would both miss multiple games with various sprains of their own, it'd be pretty hard to peg New York as a 6-2 team going into Week 10. Yet that's where we stand. First place in the NFC East and undefeated in the division. So, yeah. Silver lining.

Giants D Red Hot, New York over Tampa Bay 17-3

2006-10-29T20:21:00.000-08:00

Funny enough, the Barber Bowl didn't end up hinging on the play of the Barber Brothers.

Tiki racked up his fewest yards from scrimmage in a game this season, and Ronde didn't have any picks or big plays as the Giants rolled to their fourth straight win - and it's no coincidence that this was the fourth straight game dictated by the New York D. Umenyiora sat (as expected) and Kiwanuka didn't miss a beat (as expected,) picking up a sack and overpowering the Tampa O-Line. As a team, Tampa had only 40 yards rushing and 174 yards of total offense.. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Giants' defense As Advertised, the defense that was conspicuously absent during the first three games of the season. During the subsequent four game winning streak, New York is allowing a scant 10.5 points per game.. that's more than enough breathing room for Elijah and company to do damage on the other side of the ball.

RW McQuarters finally got the starting nod, but only because Madison is nursing a hammy.. and was pretty much a no-factor. No word on who will start next week against the Texans.

Umenyiora Hurting.. Mathias to Start?

2006-10-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Osi Umenyiora is nursing a hip injury suffered during Monday's 36-22 win over the Cowboys. Kiwanuka may very well start alongside Michael Strahan next week as New York takes on Tampa Bay in, you guessed it, the "Barber Bowl." I'm not particularly worried.. the injury doesn't look that serious, and Kiwanuka is capable of stepping in and making an immediate impact against the Buccaneers. Make no mistake, he will be anchoring this defensive line opposite Osi long after Michael Strahan has hung up his cleats. There's something really encouraging in looking at guys like Kiwanuka and Brandon Jacobs and knowing that these two are capable of filling shoes that belonged to Stray and Tiki Barber.

The Giants are officially first in the East. 4-2 may be precarious, but 3-0 is beyond reproach. Take that one step further -- the next games against Dallas and Philly will be at the Meadowlands, and with the way the Redskins have been playing lately, finishing perfect in the division is a distinct possibility. If only we could dodge that whole "get blown out in the Wild Card Game" bullet..

Staying Perfect in the East.. Giants over Dallas 36-22

2006-10-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

Mr. Nickles went to Hollywood, dropped Bledsoe for a Safety, deflected a would-be touchdown pass, then ruptured his Achilles tendon. Done for the year. Disappointing, but up until this game, you would have been hard pressed to notice that he even played for this football team. Torbor steps in and picks up a sack of his own -- circle of life.

Across the board, the Giants continued their ridiculous defensive turnaround. Six sacks, four picks, a safety, a touchdown.. Strahan tied LT on New York's all-time sack list. His first thoughts when ESPN showed him the stat graphic? "He looks a lot meaner in that picture than I do."

I've been RW McQuarters' personal cheerleader the past few weeks, but he made both of us look pretty foolish tonight. On one play, he gives TO enough room to make the catch, get in the end zone, stretch his legs, think about what he's having for dinner after the game.. etc. On another, a personal foul late hit, also on #81 (which is mildly satisfying, but still.) Earlier in the year, RW had a red zone brain-freeze against Seattle that resulted in an easy touchdown.. and Sam Madison, who's head I've been calling for, has a pick for the second straight week. Alright, I'll shut up. For now.

Coming up next.. the Barber Bowl. Honestly, I think the two of them could swap positions without missing a beat. Ronde went pick-six twice against the Eagles this week. I'd love to pry him away from Tampa Bay when his contract is up. No one in the history of the NFL would be embraced faster than Ronde Barber in a Giants uniform -- Tiki retires and we replace him with a genetic clone? Dynamite stuff, even if it is on the wrong side of the ball.

Life Without Tiki?

2006-10-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

Tiki Barber confirmed this week that he is considering retiring after the end of this season. This doesn't strike me as a huge surprise, although it would be about a year sooner than I would have anticipated. At 31 years old, he's already on borrowed time as far as starting running backs go, and he's got too much pride to play a backup season before fading into forced retirement a la Marshal Faulk or Eddie George. The announcement probably caught a few folks off guard - I mean, he is less than a year removed from racking up the second-most yards from scrimmage all time in a single season (almost 2400.)

Giants fans should be saddened, but not worried. Brandon Jacobs is the real deal. He has the speed to get to the outside and he has the raw power to lower his shoulder and go up the middle (although he isn't nearly as big a threat as a pass-catching back.) Still.. things just won't be the same without Barber in the backfield. The NFL won't be the same without him.

If the Giants win the Super Bowl, I think he'll be out for sure. If they get tantalizingly close and fall short.. well, maybe he'll think about giving us one more season.

State of the Division: THE NFC East Heading Into Week Seven

2006-10-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

It's a three horse race right now. Philly's lose to the Saints really evens things out - and was anyone else unbelievably impressed with that game-winning New Orleans drive that ate up more than eight minutes of clock? So much for the Eagles defense. Okay, so they're starting Joselio Hanson at corner. But that's part of what makes it so funny.. especially if you're a Giants fan. Remember how Eli abused Hanson during The Comeback?

Big Blue will be under Monday Night Lights this week against Dallas for the first of two this season; they square off against Jacksonville on Monday night in a few weeks. TO never ceases to amaze. The story this week is that he wants to be "involved sooner" in the offense, two days after catching three TDs against the Texans. I know the media is at least partly to blame for making every off-color remark headline news, but still. Parcells is gritting his teeth so hard my jaw hurts.

Washington inexplicably ate it against the Titans, and they're in a pretty big hole at 2-4 (0-2 in the division.) I guess I just totally misread this football team. Before the season started, the Moss-Randle El-Lloyd trio looked like one of the best in the game, but in retrospect, that's just not enough variety at the position. It puts a lot of pressure on Chris Cooley to pick up the tough yards. The injury to Portis didn't really help matters either.

Giants D Flattens Vick, New York Wins 27-14

2006-10-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

It's strange to watch a defense look so helpless for the first three games of the season, and then to look so fearless over the next two. Seriously, whatever drugs they're putting in the water fountains over at the Meadowlands, keep 'em coming. Up the dosage. Go nuts.

The Giants sacked Michael Vick 7 times and forced two turnovers en route to the win; previous to Sunday's contest, Vick had never been sacked more than 5 times in one game. Even Sam Madison, my favorite scapegoat, came up with a red zone pick off a tipped pass (although the ball was practically deflected into his numbers. Sorry, but I still don't buy him as a starter over RW, who made a great read on a quarterback keeper and stuffed Vick at the line of scrimmage in the second half.) Osi had two more sacks, but I'm more impressed by the continued tenacity of Fred Robbins at tackle. If he keeps this up, and Barry Cofield contributes (1.5 sacks today,) that front four could open up a lot of options for LaVar, as well as ease pressure on the secondary.

And oh, by the way, Tiki Barber had 185 yards rushing and over 220 from scrimmage. Ho hum.

Jeremy Shockey caught 6 balls for 55 yards and two touchdowns. I'm not sure you're going to see many signatures up on the Bench Shockey - Start Shiancoe petition this week, although in all fairness, Jeremy did pick up another holding call. Much love to Visanthe, though.

Just What the Doctor Ordered, Giants over Redskins 19-3.. Breaking the Bye Week Blues

2006-10-08T15:57:00.000-07:00

Coming into Sunday, the Giants had the worst record in the NFL following the bye, a woeful 3-14. Unfortunately for Washington, 2 of those 3 came against the Redskins.

Elijah and company rolled over the 'Skins, 19-3, and in doing so they made almost every adjustment I was looking for, save for starting McQuarters at corner over Sam Madison. I split this game into two smaller yet incredibly important victories: the first being a 2-0 division record, and the second being the D stonewalling a Washington offense that came in ranked 3rd in the NFL in total yards. Robbins, Stray and Umenyiora pressured Brunell all day, each picking up a sack (after combining for 2 through the first 3 games) and giving him little time to let Moss hurt New York deep. Big Blue stifled the running game as well, holding Portis to 76 yards on 19 carries, and the Giants have yet to allow any one back to pick up 80 or more yards on the ground this season.

Cue the collective sigh of relief. 2-2 was more than just a good way to bounce back -- it was downright necessary, with the G-Men playing the next two on the road at Atlanta and Dallas. Following the win, and Philly's shootout victory over the Cowboys, the Giants sit behind the Eagles second (and more importantly, undefeated) in the NFC East.

Shockey followed up his "outplayed and outcoached" remarks by catching exactly one pass for thirteen yards and drawing an offensive pass interference call that brought back an Eli-Amani touchdown. That's one way to spell contrition. But I'll curb the sarcasm, and soak up the win instead.

State of the Division: The NFC East Heading Into Week Five

2006-10-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

Well, what a difference two weeks makes. The Giants are now playing the worst football in the division -- hands down -- after the performances of the Redskins, Cowboys and Eagles this week. Dallas and Philly won convincingly, while Washington pulled off a comeback against the best defensive unit in the league. The G-Men have now gotten absoultely pasted in three straight games, and the only thing holding the season together is a miraculous 4th quarter against Philadelphia (although they inched realistically close to an even more miraculous 4th quarter against Seattle.)

What can I say? Everything is going to depend on how New York comes out against Washington. The Giants need to go no huddle, put something on the board during their first possession, and then put Washington three and out.. it would really do wonders in the morale department. If we end up getting into and losing a grudge match against the 'Skins, I'm not sure this team is going to the playoffs. I know it's pretty early to start talking that way, and I know my temperment was a lot more upbeat as few as two weeks ago, but a lot his changed.. 1-3 and a divisonal loss would be a major obstacle to overcome. I know the G-Men are past that rough Indy-@Philly-@Seattle stretch, but it really doesn't get much easier, and it's going to be that way for the entire season.

Something's gotta give, and by the time New York kicks off against Washington next Sunday, Tom Coughlin and company will have had two weeks to figure out what that is.

Atrocity By and Beyond The Numbers

2006-09-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

First, the cold, hard facts: the Giants are 27th in average overall yards allowed, 30th in average passing yards allowed, 30th in first downs allowed, and 31st in both points allowed and third down conversions allowed. Granted, we are only three weeks into the season, but as I've stated before, those sort of numbers are inexcusable for such a talented defensive roster. Tim Lewis was allowed to speak with the media this week, and expressed his frustration over how the unit has played so far. Lewis blamed both himself and the defense as a whole, saying that he was "trying to do something that they aren't doing well," but ultimately, "..from a responsibility standpoint, it's my defense.. if there are people running free.. it's my responsibility to get it corrected."

Here are five things that need to be corrected, defensively, if New York is going to rebound from their 1-2 start:

5) Find a role for LaVar Arrington.
Mr. Nickles was New York's biggest free agent signing this offseason, but he's been a ghost so far. He's been dropping back into coverage often but lacks the quickness (particularly with his ailing knees) to really be effective at breaking up plays in that regard. Time to start sending him on the blitz more often. It's true that Giants have played against three very good offensive lines, but the four man rush has been impotent. I might be more worried about gaping underneath routes if I thought that they could possibly get any bigger -- but they can't. Which leads to..

4) Cycle in Matthias Kiwanuka more often.
While Strahan and Umenyiora have been solid against the run, they've been totally ineffective at pressuring the quarterback. Kiwanuka has been tenacious in his few opportunities, and was a beast during the preseason. There's no reason why you couldn't give all three of those guys ample time on the field, similar to the way Philadelphia cycles their entire defensive line. Collapsing the pocket a little faster, particularly with how well Fred Robbins has been playing at tackle, would do wonders for this secondary. And speaking of which..

3) Start R.W. McQuarters at corner.
I've been harping on this a lot, and I'm going to continue to do so. Sam Madison has played poorly this year, and got particularly torched by Donte' Stallworth last week in Philadelphia on consecutive passing plays. Although McQuarters had a brain-dead moment on Sunday when he failed to cover Seahawks TE Will Heller in the end zone, he's already got two picks this year despite limited playing time. You can bring Madison in for nickel coverage, but Corey Webster and RW should be starting on the corners.

2) Do something on third down.
Admittedly, there's nothing too constructive here. But the Giants are the second worst team in the league in allowing third down conversions, particularly third and long. Every time the opposing team converts, this already-listless defense is left out on the field for at least two or three more minutes, and it's really been one of the Giants' most damning faults this season. There are times when it looks like they're playing prevent defense on third and short -- for the love of god, play aggressive football!

1) COMMUNICATE.
I don't think I've ever seen as many blown coverages that directly resulted in touchdowns as I did this Sunday against Seattle. It's totally insane watching Matt Hasselbeck drop back to pass, casually scan the field for about five seconds, then hit a man so ridiculously wide open it makes the secondary look like they're playing shorthanded. With all of their previous success and big-play potential, Will Demps and Gibril Wilson need to be a lot more aware of what's going on around them, particularly with the rest of the defense struggling as much as it has.

On offense, the only suggestion that I (and everyone else with two eyes and a brain) have is to let Elijah call plays from the no-huddle more often. Granted, the tremendous success in that regard has come mostly while opposing defenses are sitting back on their heels, but I think the potential is there. Eli's got the tools and the talent at his disposal, and there's no reason to think he can't pull it off as well as Peyton does. I think this is something that Coughlin can't help but implement, and I would be very surprised if the Giants offense goes into the huddle during their first possession against Washington.

Giants Pathetic Early, Downed 42-30 .. 27 More 4th Quarter Points in the Loss..

2006-09-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

There isn't much I want or need to say about this game, aside from another entertaining 4th quarter. Through three games, the Giants have the worst defensive unit in the NFL. That's a pretty hard fact to wrap your head around, considering the talent on the roster, but there's no denying the numbers.

Against the run, they've been strong, but every other facet of the defense has been inept. The defensive line has generated zero pressure on opposing quarterbacks, leaving an already marginal secondary to get burned on virtually every passing play. Sam Madison has been a step late on every coverage. LaVar Arrington has been a total non-factor. Strahan and Umenyiora have combined for one sack over three games. When Fred Robbins is the best player on a line that led the league in sacks at the DE position last year, you know you're in trouble.

The only positive thing to take home is the continued persistence of this squad down big in the 4th quarter and the way Elijah orchestrates the offense through the no-huddle. While I don't expect any team to come back from a 42-3 deficit in the 4th, I think it's remarkable that the Giants made this one as close as it was. My admiration is tempered, however, by the stark reality that you're not going to make the playoffs in the league if you're only interested in playing hard for 15 minutes of every 60 minute contest. I'm also not sure what the repercussions will be following the decision to bench Plaxico Burress in the second half, after he directly accounted for two momentum-killing turnovers. To be continued.

New York goes into the bye at 1-2, and considering how close they came to 0-3, it isn't the end of the world. Tom Coughlin, and particularly defensive coordinator Tim Lewis, are going to have a lot to think about over the next two weeks.

State of the Division: The NFC East Heading Into Week Three

2006-09-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

This entire division is a mess.

The Redskins, formidble in the preseason, now look inept at 0-2. The Cowboys, at 1-1, are vulnerable, and will be playing their next game in Philadelphia in what will arguably be one of the most hostile road environments the franchise has encountered in a long, long time. The Eagles pulled an all-time choke job against New York, and depending on how they play next week against the 49ers, their season could be totally derailed before it even has a chance to hit full stride. In the midst of this collective train wreck, we have the New York Giants, who are feeling pretty goddamn good about themselves following their miracle last sunday and a narrow loss in Week One against one of the best teams in the NFL.

Clearly, New York is the only team right now with momentum on their side. The Cowboys, despite coming off their first win of the season, face the uncertainty surrounding TO's hand injury, as well as the disconcerting play of Drew Bledsoe. Although he rebounded from his woeful performance in Week One, he still completed just 50% of his passes against a mediocre Washington defense.

It all looks up in the air this point -- which is pretty much how it looked before the season even started.

Manning vs. McNabb - Upon Further Review..

2006-09-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

At first glance, it's hard to criticize Donovan McNabb after the Eagles' 4th quarter collapse against the Giants on Sunday. He threw for 350 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, avoided virtually all of the pressure that New York's defensive line tried to generate, and built his team a comfortable 24-7 lead into the second half. You can certainly point to Philadelphia's weakened corners and Correll Buckhalter's ineffectiveness in running down the Giants late, and you can put plenty of blame on Andy Reid's timid and mismanaged game plan as the Eagles began to slip.. but a lot of it is justified falling on the shoulders of Philadelphia's beleaguered quarterback.

When the Eagles are playing well around him and momentum is on his side, McNabb is a top five quarterback in this league. That's easy. But what is also easy to see, at this point in his career, is that when the chips are down and the Eagles need a man to carry their offense, Donovan McNabb does his best Johnny Cash impression: "..no, no, no, it ain't me, babe." You'd have a hard time figuring it out if you lived under a rock and only had access to box scores, but the dark side of #5 -- a side that Eagles fans must be getting used to seeing by now -- made an appearance on Sunday. It didn't help that he drew a bizarre false start with 4 minutes left in the game and his team up by only 10 points deep in Philadelphia territory.. but more than that head-scratcher, McNabb looked helpless and complacent as he watched the game come undone around him. He went 4-8 and threw for a meager 32 yards in the 4th quarter and overtime combined; Eli Manning racked up 225 yards and accounted for three TDs during that same span, despite being sacked 8 times overall and being pressured on more than a dozen other instances. While it's true that the Eagles were more concerned with running the ball and eating clock, it's also true that McNabb suddenly became incapable of bailing out the running game when their conservative strategy stalled in its tracks.

Eagles history is chock full of similar examples. McNabb threw consecutive season ending interceptions in 2001 and 2002 during NFC Title Games, and in his third time around in 2003, he threw three picks and finished with a QB rating of 19.7. Millions of people watched in 2004 as a sick and dazed McNabb was unable to muster any urgency with his team down 10 and less than six minutes remaining in Super Bowl 39. While he did throw three TDs during that affair, he also threw three more INTs, including yet another interception that effectively ended the Eagles' season.

Now, Eli Manning is a pretty easy target for ridicule. There's no doubt he's received the golden treatment for most of his life, and the terms under which he dictated his draft-trade to the New York Giants certainly rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. But there's also no doubt that in the most urgent and downtrodden situations, young Elijah has already demonstrated a focus and intensity that Donovan McNabb will likely never display. During both of New York's first two games this season, Eli led come-from-behind attempts that resulted in a victory on Sunday and a tight 5 point loss in the opener against Indianapolis. While his play for the full 60 minutes certainly leaves something to be desired (understandable for someone who hasn't yet played two full seasons in the NFL,) his last-minute heroics this year are really a microcosm of his short career. Since he entered the league during Week 7 of the 2004 season, no other quarterback has led his team on more 2-minute drill scoring drives than Elijah Nelson Manning -- not Carson Palmer, not Tom Brady, not Brett Favre or even big brother Peyton. The numbers don't lie: his QB rating during a given contest jumps, on average, almost a dozen points in the 4th quarter. Vince Lombardi once said that a player's "finest hour.. is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious." Eli has already proven to the Giant faithful that when the clock winds down, he's got nothing left in the tank. Can you really say the same for Donovan F. McNabb?

Eli is clearly a work in progress, and his performance during the Giants embarrassing shutout loss to the Panthers in the 2005 NFC Wild Card Game is an indicator of that more than anything else. But the most difficult traits to develop in a young quarterback -- poise, intensity, and quick decision-making under fire -- are all traits that he has already demonstrated in spades. To put it bluntly, Eli is a gamer, and as much as you can poke fun at baby brother, you can't deny the pedigree.

When my team is flying high, I'm willing to admit (a rather stout admission from a diehard Giants fan) there aren't many players I'd rather have behind center than Donovan McNabb.. but when it hits the fan, I'm not even sure I want to see him pacing the sideline.

Return of the Cardiac Kids.. Giants Go Down to the Wire, Steal a Win from Philadelphia, 30-24.. Following the Prophet Elijah

2006-09-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

For the second consecutive game, Eli Manning prepared to lead the Giants down the field in the waning seconds of the 4th quarter with the game on the line -- and this time, there would be retribution.

In order to discuss this one, you really have to understand that it's a tale of two entirely different football games - 45 minutes dominated by Philadelphia, and 15 minutes in which the Giants capitalized on enough mistakes and established enough momentum to tie the game with seven seconds remaining in the 4th quarter.

There are way too many things that went wrong during the first three quarters to point the finger in any one direction and say, this is what kept us down. The D-Line failed to record a sack and pressured Donovan McNabb maybe two or three times during the contest, something the Giants can't afford after having their secondary exposed against the Colts in Week 1. Sunday looked like more of the same, with Eagles TE L.J. Smith setting up camp in the middle of the field. Sam Madison got burned on consecutive plays by Donte' Stallworth in the 1st quarter, and it's really time to sit down and evaluate whether or not R.W. McQuarters and Corey Webster should be the starting corners on this defense. Clearly R.W.'s on Tom Coughlin's good side, as he split kick and punt return duties with Chad Morton, and he has the speed and explosiveness that the defense needs if it's going to rebound from yielding 275+ passing yards in consecutive games.

On the other side of the ball, the O-Line was completely helpless in protecting Eli from an unrelenting Philadelphia pass rush. The Eagles effectively cycled through eight men on their defensive line, a bizarre and hockey-esque tactic that paid dividends all game, as they constantly had fresh legs on the field. The O-Line also failed to clear any room for Tiki Barber, who had perhaps his worst outing against Philadelphia of his long career. Brandon Jacobs saw limited action, as the Giants trailed for most of the game and Coughlin obviously felt uncomfortable giving the occasional touches to anyone other than #21.

The first drive of the game was the lone exception, ending in a beautiful naked bootleg to a wide-open Amani Toomer to put the Giants up early, 7-0. From there, it was all downhill, with New York incapable of getting anything going on either offense or defense.

Then came the fourth quarter.

Down 17, and with things looking all but decided, Eli Manning put the game on his shoulders. He found Plaxico Burress deep for a bizarre play that resulted in Plax fumbling the ball forward into the end zone, only to have it recovered by the fleet-footed Tim Carter for the touchdown. From there, the Eagles came apart at the seams. Donovan McNabb was flagged for a false start after hot-dogging on the line with 4 minutes remaining in the game deep in Eagles territory, and on the following play, the Giants recovered a Brian Westbrook fumble to set up their second touchdown of the quarter, with Eli throwing a strike to Amani Toomer in the back of the end zone. The comeback was capped off with another great drive from the Giants 20 with less than a minute on the clock and no timeouts remaining, including a spectacular 22-yard pass to Tim Carter as Eli was being hauled to the ground. Jay Feely punched the 35-yarder to tie it at 24 all.

Overtime was no less dramatic. With the Giants taking consecutive penalties to put them to the edge of Feely's range late in the extra session, Eli laid one out for Plaxico Burress at the goal line after picking up the all-out blitz by the Philadelphia defense. Plax came down with it and tumbled into the endzone for New York's first win of the season.

What really strikes me about this game is the persistence that the Giants demonstrated, down late in the game and having been thoroughly manhandled for three quarters. With everything on the line, Eli Manning shook off his frustration and played twenty minutes of football that showed all of us his capabilities as both a quarterback and as a leader for this offense. He finished at a monster 31-43 for 371 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, picking apart an Eagles secondary that went soft in the second half. Although the Giants were manhandled for the majority of the contest, there are way too many weapons on this football team to show such a blatant lack of respect in a game that was by no means decided. And the fact that all of this transpired in a division match makes the victory that much more important.

This is one to remember down the line, as we move towards January. If the Giants make a playoff push and are able to advance through the NFC, it'll be important to remember the game that looked all-but decided and an 0-2 start (including a division loss) that seemed a lock. Instead, New York is heading into a game against the Seahawks at a very confident 1-1. The only question that remains is which Giants team - Jekyl or Hyde - will we see in Seattle?

State of the Division: The NFC East Heading Into Week Two

2006-09-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Bizzaro World.

The Giants, Skins, and Cowboys are all 0-1 - and the only NFC East team to pick up a win in the first week was the previously 6-10 Philadelpha Eagles (granted, they beat the Texans, but I'm told that it still technically counts as a win. I'm having my people look into it.) While the Giants' loss to the Colts was foreseeable, the Skins and Cowboys were handed surprising losses at the hands of the Jaguars and Vikings, with the Minnesota road victory being particularly inexplicable (can you name anyone on the Vikings aside from Brad Johnson?) I'm a little surprised that both of those two offensive juggarnauts could stumble so mightily during week one.. Washington certainly wasn't helped by the preseason injury to Clinton Portis, who saw limited action on Monday night, and perhaps that contributed to the unimpressive debut of the Moss-Randle El tandem. On the Dallas side of things, the loss falls entirely on the old and immobile shoulder of Drew Bledsoe, who threw three picks and already looks like the washed-up caricature we all jokingly make him out to be.

The Giants head to Philadelphia next weekend in a game that should set the pace for the division. The Eagles technically have a wide receiving corps now that they nabbed Donte Stallworth from the Saints, making Brian Westbrook that much more dangerous in short yardage situations. The secondary is going to need a much more disciplined approach to this game than they did against the Colts, although the fear of the Peyton bomb is what had them ceding underneath routes all night. The Eagles have always been soft against the run, and Tom Coughlin will probably pound away with Tiki and Brandon as needed. Tiki usually has a field day against Philadelphia, including a monstrous 200 yard outing the last time the two teams met up. Sunday will be more of the same.

Dallas and Washington will also square off, and I really have no idea what to expect out of that one. Give it to the Cowboys in their home opener, but I don't know if this will be the shootout I was expecting.

Misplays, Missteps, Miscues: Giants Outplay Colts, Lose 26-21

2006-09-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

This game gave us a lot of overwhelmingly positive things to walk away with - and a lot of overwhelmingly frustrating ones, too.

The Giants lost their home opener against the Colts, 26-21, and any glance at the box score might lead you to believe that this affair was dominated by Big Blue - and quite frequently, it was. The Giants had 186 yards rushing to the Colts 55, with Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs picking up first downs at will and the Giants D-Line absolutely shutting down Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes. Eli Manning outplayed his older brother, going 20 for 34 with two TDs and a pick versus Peyton's 25-41, 276 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Plaxico Burress made a spectacular catch to put the Giants on the board, tipping a high pass back to himself and coming down with it in the endzone. Eli wasn't sacked once during the contest, and the O-Line took Freeney and Mathis out of the equation entirely. Even what seemed bad news at the time - an injury to Osi Umenyiora (which doesn't appear to be serious) - turned to gold, as Kiwanuka picked up right where he left off in the preseason, hassling the Colts O-Line and putting constant pressure on Peyton Manning.

And yet, the scoreboard tells a different tale.. L26-21. It offers no explanation for such a disparity. So.. what went wrong?

For starters, the Giants committed a slew of penalties on offense, constantly stalling drives and bringing back huge plays. Three of those gaffes came on Plax's behalf, and although his touchdown acrobatics certainly made up for some his hot-headedness. we can't afford having to move the ball 100 yards on every 60 yard scoring drive. I am not, however, referring to the offensive pass interference called against Tim Carter in the waning moments of the fourth quarter - a call so obviously erroneous that it requires no further mention on my part. If we're fortunate, the officials will offer a brief statement tomorrow morning, acknowledging that the call was ridiculous, but that'll be the end of it. Sorry guys! Our bad! Better luck next time!

But by far the biggest collective groan of the night came when Jay Feeley, who is quietly establishing himself as unreliable in the clutch, missed a pedestrian 40 yard field goal in the 2nd half. Had he nailed it, the Giants would have held onto a one point lead during the 4th quarter - instead of trailing by two and desperately trying to push the ball down field. And with the way the running game absolutely dominated the Indianapolis Defense, it would have been game over, easy.

The only other dark spot on the evening was the play of the Giants defensive backs in third down situations. The Colts went 11-16 on third downs, including an unforgivable 4-8 on 3rd down and 10+ yards to go. The Offense, on the other hand, moved the ball at will. The G-Men are primed to steamroll through Seattle and Philadelphia, and head into the bye at 2-1. From there, the sky's the limit.

Move Over, 1860.. This is the Brothers' War

2006-09-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

Step right up, folks - this may be the only time you'll ever see Manning vs. Manning in the regular season.

With the Giants and Colts not scheduled to play each other again until 2010, and certainly without any guarantee that Peyton will still be in the NFL four years from now (he would be 35 at that point,) this may be the only chance to watch Peyton and Eli go head-to-head - unless, of course, both squads go to the Super Bowl (not a wholly unimaginable scenario.)

Of course, the greatest brother v. brother matchup in the world of professional sports went down in 1997, when during an NHL game between the Sabres and the Whalers, Keith Primeau (of Hartford) and Wayne Primeau (of Buffalo) dropped the gloves and started pummeling each other - with their mother watching on in horror! (They later had to apologize to her and promise that it would never happen again.)

Nothing so dramatic here - they'll never even be on the field at the same time - but the Freeney-Eli and Strahan-Peyton matchups mean that this contest between the Manning brothers may be decided at the DE position. Prediction - the cameras will cut to a shot of a concerned Archie Manning at least five times in each quarter.

Are you ready for some football?

Primed to Start Strong.. Giants Topple Pats, 31-23

2006-09-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

The New York Football Giants are now 4-0 in the preseason for the first time since their Super Bowl run sixteen years ago.

Big Blue took down New England yesterday, 31-23. Brandon Jacobs truly sparkled, rushing for 130 yards and two touchdowns, including an impressive 57-yarder and yet another goal line score. The running game is looking very strong this year, my friends. Very strong indeed.

Stray gave us a little bit of a scare after getting kicked in the groin in the 1st quarter and limping off the field, but it doesn't look like anything serious (although this is a bit of an understatement to anyone who's ever been kicked in the groin before.) Kiwanuka picked up another sack in the affair and threw in three tackles, and continues to impress at the loaded DE position.

The Giants wrap up the postseason on a very strong note, and they are in a good position to defend the NFC East this year - provided they can tip-toe through the three game minefield that starts off the season. I still think one 12-4 team and one 11-5 team are going to come out of this division, and both will obviously go to the playoffs. If the Giants end up losing 5 and taking the Wild Card (the likely scenario, as I see it,) I won't mind ceding the division title. Just as long as we see a little more in the postseason this time around.

Exodus

2006-08-29T15:41:00.000-07:00

Everyone who will be a player for the New York Football Giants during 2006-2007, please step forward.

Not so fast, Rob Johnson.

RJ was cut by the G-Men on Monday, paving the way for Sta-Puff Lorenzen to be the primary backup and Tim Hasselbeck to be the third stringer. Johnson was cut along with the following players: Travis Dorsch, Triandos Luke, Harry Williams, Little John Flowers (and I was really, really looking forward to having fun with his name,) Greg Hanoian, Brandon Williams, Jason Shivers, Vontez Duff, Ben Herrell, "Sir" Henry Anderson, Thomas Carroll, and exiled Saint Boo Williams. So much for the Boo Birds.

In addition, talented CB E.J. Underwood was placed on IR following a shoulder injury in the preseason win over the J-E-T-S.

Preseason Recap.. Giants Down Jets, 13-7

2006-08-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

The Giants are now 3-0 in the preseason.

While Eli and company did little to impress, the D was solid, picking up five sacks and two picks against the J-E-T-S. Sta-Puff played the second half as advertised, and was respectable, setting up a Feely 39-yarder. Brandon Jacobs picked up yet another 1-yard TD run.. the Ron Dayne Experiment Mark II is officially in full swing.

Former Nittany Lion Brandon Short had two fourth quarter sacks in a spot start for the injured Carlos Emmons and added five tackles; Antonio Pierce added a sack and seven tackles. The D has now allowed just 23 points over the first three preseason contests, including a shutout against the Chiefs.

Friday Night Lights.. Melee in the Meadowlands

2006-08-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

The Jets and Giants square off tonight in the third of four NFL preseason contests.

Coughlin has indicated that Eli will play the first half, and Sta-Puff Lorenzen is expected to see significant time in the second. LaVar Arrington will suit up tonight despite leaving practice on Monday with swelling in his right knee - a recalcitrant issue in the past month or so. Carlos Emmons is still out with a pinched nerve.. I think the Giants led the NFL last year in games lost at the linebacker position, and this feels a lot like getting off on the wrong foot.

Shaun O'Hara is done for the preseason following an MCL injury, and his status for the opener against the Colts is up in the air at the moment. He'll be replaced by Grey Ruegamer for the final two preseason contests.

Preseason Recap: Giants blank Chiefs, 17-0.. Positive Trends Continue

2006-08-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

The Giants shut out Kansas City in the second of four preseason games on Thursday night, 17-0. The first string offense worked efficiently, with Eli leading two scoring drives in the first half. Tiki saw his first action of the preseason and looked good; more importantly, Brandon Jacobs also looked sharp, picking up his second goal line TD in as many games and accumulating 40 yards on just 9 attempts.

Michael Jennings had another solid outing, and he is clearly making a case to become the #3 wideout behind Plax and Amani. If the Giants finish at 11-5, as I believe they will, Jennings may very well play a part in the success of the offense/special teams. Kiwanuka picked up his third sack of the preseason and a forced fumble in the second half, and he is quietly forcing those who didn't understand The G-Men picking up a DE with their first pick to reconsider their position.

Rob Johnson played the third quarter, as advertised, but in a rather surprising move Jared Lorenzen played the entire 4th. It's looking more and more like he will be Eli's primary backup during the regular season, as Coughlin and Company have obviously liked what they've seen from Sta-Puff so far. He's probably the only quarterback in the league who could seamlessly camouflage himself amongst his own Offensive Line.

Center Shaun O'Hara left the game with a sprained knee but didn't appear to be in too much pain; an MRI will be performed Monday. For his part, O'Hara wasn't particularly concerned - "I'll be back working at Albany," he said, a reference to Giants training camp in upstate New York.

All in all, things are looking up.

Preseason Notes.. Starters to Go Deeper, Lunacy to Continue

2006-08-16T04:08:00.000-07:00

Tom Coughlin, in a desperate attempt to prove that the injury to Clinton Portis was the result of the inescapable hand of fate, has announced that the Giants starters will begin the next preseason game against the Chiefs and "likely play into the second quarter.. depending on the number of snaps they get." Given that the general trend is to play your starters more extensively as the final preseason game approaches, I hope this doesn't mean Eli and Tiki are going wire-to-wire in Game 4. Coughlin has also indicated that Rob Johnson, who saw no time during the 17-16 win over the Ravens, will play the second half.

On other fronts, rookie speedster and preseason no-show Sinorice Moss is having his strained quad examined by doctors to determine the extent of the injury. Moss hasn't practiced since the first day of training camp, nearly three weeks ago. A more thorough evaluation may be a little overdue.

Chiefs, tomorrow night, 8pm.

NFC East Update.. Portis Out Indefinitely.. Joe Gibbs is a Fool

2006-08-14T04:53:00.000-07:00

If this were Tiki Barber, I would be furious.

Clinton Portis separated his shoulder during an extremely important 19-3 preseason loss against the Bengals last night, and is out indefinitely. I'm not really sure where to begin. Part of me should enjoy this, because a significant injury to Portis almost insures the Redskins won't win the division - I had them finishing at 12-4 and at the top of the NFC East. But it still leaves me with an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Thank the Good Lord that Tom Coughlin had more sense than to play Tiki during the first preseason match against the Ravens, and hopefully this incident scares him enough to keep Tiki out of action entirely until the opener against the Colts (on a side note, I think this probably makes Tiki the consensus #4 Fantasy Pick this year. )

I had just finished a rant about the idiocy of playing starters for any amount of time in preseason games.. maybe I jinxed Portis by invoking the spirit (you can have a spirit if you're not dead yet, right?) of Correll Buckhalter. In either case, throw my predictions about the 'Skins out the window, pending further updates on Clinton's condition. I just don't think Ladell Betts is going to get it down.

Preseason Recap: Giants Win, 17-16.. Six Ravens Out with Broken Ankles, Courtesy of Michael Jennings

2006-08-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

The Giants kicked off competitive football in Baltimore with a 17-16 win - the first stringers looked alright overall, despite struggling during the first two drives of the game. Eli finally hooked up with Plax on a deep ball in the first quarter, and the drive was capped off by a 1-yard Jacobs TD. Brandon was average, but in all fairness, the Ravens D started the game pretty filthy - just ask Wade Fletcher, who briefly caught a short pass from Eli and turned around only to be greeted by a freight train named Ed Reed. Needless to say.. he dropped the ball. Jay Feely missed a 43-yard field goal early, which is troubling; we'll find out soon enough if it was just a fluke. I had bad Seattle flashbacks. He atoned for the earlier miss with a game winning 29-yard attempt, for whatever it's worth.

The play of the night came on a Michael Jennings punt return in which he side-stepped, juked and spun around about six different Baltimore special teamers (now if only we could do something about his team photo.) Along with speedy Willie Ponder and veteran Chad Morton, the G-Men won't go for want of special teams performers this year. First round draft pick Mathias Kiwanuka also looked sharp and picked up two sacks.. he won't see much time during the season unless Osi or Stray go down, but at least Coughlin will be able to confidently sub him in to give either of those two a rest. Hasselbeck played the majority of the game after Eli went out, which surprised me a little (although Lorenzen did lead the game-winning drive in the 4th quarter.) No action for Rob Johnson.

And best of all? No serious injuries. One down, three to go.

Arrington Will Not Play Vs. Baltimore.. Does Anyone Really Care About the Preseason Anyway?

2006-08-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

LaVar is being kept out of tomorrow's game against the Ravens as a precaution, following knee soreness throughout the week. That's totally fine with me. On a larger scale, I'd prefer for every Giants starter to be kept out of each preseason game, or at most, participate in one drive. There's a long season ahead, folks, and preseason wins mean nothing. A major contact sport like football shouldn't even have preseason games in the first place, but if they must, then let it be open tryouts for third and fourth stringers. There's nothing more nauseating than watching one of your starters go down for the year in what amounts to little more than a scrimmage.. just ask Correll Buckhalter. I'd love to watch Jared Lorenzen and Boo Williams shine tomorrow, but that's about it. In fact, scratch that. I'd prefer not to even recognize a single player in a Giants uniform tomorrow... Jimbo Johnson connects with Herbie Schwartz for the 25-yard touchdown pass, and the Giants jump out to a 7-0 lead..

Banged Up.. Training Camp Casualties as Old Fears Resurface

2006-08-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

Worrying injuries continue to plague this football team.

Shockey was bad enough; he's still not cleared to play in contact drills and might not see a lot of action this preseason. But it gets worse. LaVar Arrington's knee problems have returned, and he has missed his third straight practice with knee swelling (Arrington had arthroscopic knee surgery twice in Washington, in 2004 and 2005.) Backup RB Derrick Ward sustained a broken foot while, and I'm quoting here, "walking between two rooms." We've all been there. You go from the living room to the kitchen to make a sandwich, and BOOM, broken foot. God speed, Derrick. While this might bode well for Brandon Jacobs, the big boy was also held out of morning practice on Monday after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, and while he returned for the afternoon session, he's being closely monitored. This may not seem particularly serious if he's cleared to practice, but based on the workload I expect Jacobs to carry this season, it makes me anxious. All of this leaves 31 year-old Tiki Barber as the only healthy Giants RB at the moment. Guard Chris Snee is also out indefinitely with a sprained knee, and DT William Joseph has not practiced in a few days due to a leg bruise.

Let's all just take it easy against Baltimore.

2006 Season Preview and Predictions

2006-08-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

Five days removed from the first preseason contest against Baltimore, here is your New York Giants 2006 Season Preview and relevant predictions.

Offense

Elijah is looking to build on a solid sophomore campaign and has virtually all of his offensive weapons returning this year. Despite sputtering down the stretch in 2005 and looking positively green during his first playoff game, there are still a lot of reasons to be very optimistic - chief among these is the fact that in the past two seasons, no other QB in the league has led his squad on more two minute drill scoring drives than Eli. Jared Lorenzen will likely back him up if necessary. Plaxico Burress and Well-Dressed Amani Toomer will lead the WR position along with Special Teams Pro-Bowler David Tyree and much hyped draft pick Sinorice Moss. Questions about Plax's effort on the field were raised sporadically throughout the season and significantly during the playoff debacle; those questions will need to be answered in a hurry as he his still the undisputed #1 target of the passing attack. Shockey will start his 5th season at TE (barring any recent concussion setbacks) and will be backed up by Visanthe Shiancoe and the oft-maligned Boo Williams. Tiki is coming off a season in which he ran and caught for almost 2400 yards, tops in the league by leaps and bounds, but he's 31 years old and questions regarding his durability will resurface. He will be spelled more often by Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward but will easily break 1200 yards rushing and 400 yards receiving in 2006. The O-Line is serviceable and the starters will be Luke Petitgout, David Diehl, Shaun O'Hara, Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie.

Defense

The Giants look to lead the league in sacks this year thanks to the terrorizing combination of Strahan and Umenyiora at DE (the two lead the league in DE sacks during the 2005 season.) By far the biggest defensive issues last season occurred when linebackers started dropping left and right; LaVar Arrington was brought in to anchor the position but questions about his knees abound. Carlos Emmons and Antonio Pierce round out the position. Sam Madison and Corey Webster will start at the corners and sandwich Gabril Wilson and newcomer Will Demps at strong and free safety. The starters at defensive tackle will be Fred Robbins and the underachiever from "THE U", William Joseph.

Special Teams

Special teams were generally strong during 2005 save for a few Jay Feely gaffes, but I'm convinced it's out of his system. Jeff Feagles returns for punting duties; speedster Willie Ponder and old-timer Chad Morton will be in charge of kick and punt returns, respectively. Ryan "You-Couldn't-Pick-Me-Out-Of-A-Crowd-If-You-Tried" Kuehl is the long snapper.

Schedule and Predictions

While some people believe Strength of Schedule isn't a useful statistic with all of the turnover and parity in the NFL, no one can deny that it won't be easy for the Giants in 2006, who enter the season with the #1 ranked SOS. Here is my game-by-game breakdown for the 2006 regular season:

Week 1, vs. the Colts: Loss, 17-20

Week 2, at the Eagles: Win, 31-10

Week 3, at the Seahawks: Win, 14-10

Week 4, BYE

Week 5, vs. the Redskins: Win, 28-24

Week 6, at the Falcons: Win, 20-14

Week 7, at the Cowboys: Loss, 28-21

Week 8, vs. the Bucs: Win, 17-10

Week 9, vs. the Texans: Win, 24-6

Week 10, at the Jaguars: Loss, 14-13

Week 11, at the Titans: Win, 28-10

Week 12, vs. the Cowboys: Win, 38-28

Week 13, at the Panthers: Loss 17-7

Week 14, vs. the Eagles: Win, 21-13

Week 15, vs. the Saints: Win, 24-16

Week 16, at the Redskins: Loss, 21-10

2006 Predicted Result: I have the Giants finishing at 11-5 and taking a wild-card spot; I believe the division will go to the offensively dangerous Redskins at 12-4. After that, it's anyone's guess. The NFC East is easily the toughest division in the NFL and the G-Men will have their work cut out for them.

Dazed and Confused.. Shockey Day-to-Day.. A New Giants Cheering Section: the Boo Birds?

2006-08-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

Jeremy's still seeing stars after taking an elbow to the face during Monday's practice by ex-Raven and potential double-agent Will Demps, sending Shockey to the turf head-first. The good news? It's the first concussion of Jeremy's career. The bad news? He's still sensitive to light, his motor skills are shaky, and he suffers from insomnia. "Don't get too close, I might get sick," Shockey told reporters on Wednesday. Yeah, me too.

On the bright side, this opens the door for Visanthe Shiancoe and ex-Saint/third string backup Boo Williams to make a bigger impact at camp. Honestly, I didn't even know Boo Williams was still playing in the NFL after being run out of New Orleans until I saw him at camp. Who knew? And how can you root against a guy named Boo? He's probably spent his entire career not knowing whether people loved him or thought he was a bum. Okay, so he hasn't caught a touchdown pass since 2004, a year in which he fumbled the ball (twice) as often as he saw the end zone. But those are just numbers.

Live From Giants Training Camp, Part I.. or, If You Can't Take the Heat, Get Off of the Practice Field

2006-08-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

The heat index was 110 in Albany today, but things had mercifully cooled off to around 90 when the Giants took the field for the afternoon practice session at SUNY-Albany. This monstrosity is the first thing you see when you get out of your car - if possible, I'd like to sign him. Nevermind that he's inflatable and completely immobile - just think of how many field goals we'd block.

Lavar would not reciprocate several attempts at WE ARE.. I won't hold it against him if he at least plays as if he were back in Happy Valley. Stray thanked everyone for showing up - you're welcome. Sinorice Moss walked past me and I swear he's shorter than my little sister. Speed is one thing, but I'm concerned about his ability to catch anything other than burning the D for the deep ball. You can argue it's worked for Santana and I'd remind you that even the diminutive big brother's got a good two inches on Sinorice - to be continued.

Elijah trudged down to the field with Rob Johnson and the Sta-Puff Marshmallow Man in tow. I mean, Jared Lorenzen. Sorry, how could anyone confuse the two? Tim Hasselbeck walked alone - backup quarterback controversy in the making.

Tiki looked good running short routes and spent more time in practice catching the ball than he did running it.. that's fine. He's going to be spelled more often this year by Jacobs, although hopefully not just in goal-line situations. The Ron Dayne Experiment ended several seasons ago, alright? Let's try to move on with our lives.