Big Blue Notes

12:00:38 PM EDT

So the last time I posted was after the Super Bowl victory over the then undefeated New England Patriots.  I meant to post more shortly thereafter, but there was too much going on in other aspects of my life.  Besides, we won the Super Bowl!  I don't have to say too much more than that.

Sure I do.

Now that five months have passed since the big win, a lot has gone on with Big Blue to comment on.  And we won the Super Bowl!

Okay, okay, I'll stop with that.  But be patient.  I'm not some trash talking a-hole.  I'm just thrilled that my team is Super Bowl Champions.

Since winning over New England...

There was on hell of a parade down Broadway.  Yes, I took the day off to go and it was incredible.  I managed to get myself into an office on the seventh floor of an office building on Broadway and the view was incredible.  I will attempt to add pictures to my blog at some point, but I'm not computer savvy enough to do it.  Hell, I'm happy I can save what I type half the time.

Okay, onto the off-season.

Michael Strahan retired.

Good for him.  He goes out having earned the missing piece of his Hall of Fame career puzzle.  He had a good season and a great Super Bowl.  Now he'll spend Sundays with Bradshaw, Howie Long and gang on Fox doing what he does second best:  talk.  Strahan has always been a great talent and I give him credit for taking advantage of playing in New York and learning how to endear himself to the media.  I always thought he talked a little too much.  But he's an intelligent guy and I love that he put Chris Russo in his place on the Bob Costas HBO special on sports media.  Russo was trying to explain that despite his having been critical of Strahan over the years, he went out of his way to tell the fans what a great game Strahan had in the Super Bowl.  Strahan's response:  "You didn't have to.  People saw the game.  They already knew."  In that response, Strahan put all of sports talk radio in its place.

He's a Hall of Fame player and he ended his career having played a great game in the biggest game of his career.  The Giants beat the Patriots because they beat up on the Patriots and Tom Brady.  Thanks Mike, now don't get all Tiki on us when you get to FOX.

 

Trading Shockey?

When I heard that Jeremy Shockey might be getting traded, might first reaction was one of relief.  Shockey is talented, but abrasive and at times stupid.  I've seen him negate good plays with over celebratory antics and I've seen him drop catchable balls in big spots.  What's more, the Giants went through their great playoff run without him. 

But Shockey has shown improvement under Tom Coughlin.  He doesn't act up as much as he used to.  He has become a better blocker.  Now that Kevin Boss has proven to be a possibly good pass catching tight end, Shockey needs to prove himself.  He may very well excel with that pressure on him.  Or he may very well implode.  I think the Giants, with Boss on the team, can take a chance that Shockey may excel, knowing that if he implodes, they can get rid of him.

Re-signing our kickers

Lawrence Tynes got a five year contract.  I watched Tynes kick this season and was not impressed.  Yes, he nailed a long field goal, in overtime, in frigid Green Bay to win the NFC Championship Game.  He had to because he missed two easier field goals during regulation.  The Giants had outplayed the Packers all night and had to go to overtime because Tynes missed those field goals.  I saw him miss extra points during the season.  Yes that's plural. 

Jeff Feagles has been around forever.  I think he started his career when the Rams were in Los Angeles and the Cardinal were in St. Louis.  He has been an excellent directional punter for his career.  But I really thought it was time to find a new punter.

I wonder if in the afterglow of a magical Super Bowl victory, if we didn't sign these two kickers because they had a couple of moments during the run.  I can live with it.  I don't mind loyalty for victory as opposed to the way Phil Simms' career ended.

 

The Draft

I don't know a lot about college football.  But the two players the Giants took in the first two rounds (Kenny Phillips and Terrell Thomas) could both end up playing safety for Big Blue.  Phillips was drafted as a safety and Thomas is alleged to be a good tackler and only a moderate cover guy.  With Gibril Wilson gone, Phillips will probably be given a shot to start, but don't be surprised if Thomas gets some playing in James Butler's spot.  The signing of Sammy Knight will give both more time to develop if necessary.  Mario Manningham looks like a steady, non-burner type of receiver.  Throw in a couple of linebackers too add to our special teams units and Andre Woodson, the quarterback from Kentucky (causing the release of former Kentucky QB Jared Lorenzen) and that's our draft.  After Jerry Reese's draft last year, I cannot be anything but optimistic about the job he did this year.

Plaxico wants more money.

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!  Burress is not my kind of player.  If the Giants got rid of him, I would not weep.  But in fairness to Burress, he proved himself to be crucial to the Giants success, especially against Green Bay.  Eli Manning, despite the wonderful Super Bowl performance, still tends to be less the perfect on his throws.  Burress' size and hands have been important to Manning's development.  He is worth more money in this market.  But, if the Giants opt not to give in to his demands, I'm okay with that decision.  I'm not a fan of receivers who take plays off.

Signings

Hey we got David Carr!  Hello?  Anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?  They also signed veteran defensive players Danny Clark and Renaldo Wynn at linebacker and  safety Sammy Knight.  These were in reaction to the loss of Gibril Wilson and Reggie Torbor.  I liked both of them very much and hope the draftees can step forward, but these veterans are good stop gaps.

Okay, that will catch us up to now with the exception of Ahmad Bradshaw's legal troubles

I'll post again soon with one more look back at the Super Bowl season and then it's all about 2008.

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1:39:40 PM EST
They did it!

Last night the Giants became Super Bowl Champions by beating the undefeated New England Patriots in an incredible football game.

The pass rush was amazing.  They hit Brady all night long.  He's never been under that kind of pressure before.  He rarely had time to throw to Moss and when he did get throws off they were often short.  His ability to hit Welker over the middle all game was a little nerve racking, but it didn't kill the Giants.  Lawrence Maroney was not much of a factor.  This is especially enjoyable given that he took time to talk into the camera after his touchdown.

Eli Manning played well all game.  He played the greatest football of his career in the fourth quarter of the biggest game of his life.  The play where he hit David Tyree on third and five after breaking free from the Patriot pass rush might be the greatest play I've ever seen in a Super Bowl.  Tyree's catch was unbelievable as was last night's game.

Thank you, Tom Coughlin.  I have been critical of the coach over the past few seasons, but he changed the way he relates to his player and it made the team better.  That's the mark of someone who leads.

Ernie Acorsi also needs to be thanked.  He took a chance on trading a lot to get Eli Manning.  That chance paid off after moments where many fans wondered if it hadn't been a big mistake.  The following year, with no first round pick, the Giants took Corey Webster and Justin Tuck.  And now Jerry Reese is in charge and his draft this year yielded more than could be reasonably expected.  Seventh round pick Ahmad Bradshaw allowed Reese to trade Ryan Grant.  Throw in Aaron Ross, Kevin Boss and Steve Smith.  That's a hell of a draft in one's first year.

Finally, thank you Wellington Mara.  This team has had it's bad moments, but it has always had a calm, steady demeanor in its decision making.  The Giants have always had class and that's what makes being a fan of the team so easy.  Yes, there have been times when that class has been tested, but it was the foundation upon which this franchise was built.

I am a Giants fan and we are Super Bowl Champions.

Thanks guys.


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4:17:31 PM EST

In about fifty-one hours, Super Bowl XLII will start.  The Patriots will look to make history as the NFL's second perfect team and the Giants will try to make history by upsetting them.

The odds are certainly against the Giants for a few reasons.

First, the Patriots are 18-0, the Giants are 13-6.  The Patriots are a better team than they Giants this year.  They beat the Giants once already.

The Patriots have been here before.  No one on this team is going to be overwhelmed by the Super Bowl experience.  The media nonsense is something they've dealt with before.

Every time the Patriots have been here before, they've won.  I'm talking about this group of Patriots not the 1985 team that didn't belong on the same field as the Bears or the 1996 team that got beat by a kick returner.  I mean the Brady-Bellicheck Patriots.  They know how to prepare for and win this game.

The Giants were on a hot streak going into the Super Bowl.  They have beaten the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers in consecutive weeks on the road.  The extra week off is no favor for them.  The momentum is stopped.  If they are going to win on Sunday, they won't do it because they are hot.

My other concern about the Super Bowl is the magnificent effort the Giants made against the AFC Champions in the season's final game.  They Giants played they "A" game and lost a close game.  Bill Bellicheck has two weeks to dismantle that "A" game.  That's what he does best.

The Giants are twelve point underdogs with good cause.

But they can win.  Here's why:

First, they are not in awe of New England.  They've played them already and played well against them.  They got lit up for thirty-eight points, but they played the best team in football tough and even had a lead going into the fourth quarter.

The Giants are playing with house money.  New England is the team that has to win this game.  The pressure is on the Patriots.  If the Giants lose, they lose to the best team in football.  If the Patriots lose, they will have come so close only to waste an 18-0 record.

The Giants have a balanced offense with a strong running game.  Success is not on any one player's shoulders.  Eli Manning must play well, but he does not need to carry the Giants to victory.

The Giants have the best pass rush in the NFL.  They have Strahan and Umenyiora on the ends and Tuck and Robbins in the middle who are all capable of getting to the quarterback.  The play of their defensive backfield, a weakness for many seasons, has improved greatly in the playoffs.  Corey Webster has stepped up significantly and R.W. McQuarters has made some key picks.

The Giants have beaten the Cowboys in Dallas and the Packers in Green Bay.  They are no fluke.  They are the champions of the NFC.  Underdogs to be sure, but they are not a weak sister. 

For the Giants to win it is imperative that they do not become a one dimensional offense.  They must never give up on the running game.  If Brandon Jacobs is averaging three yards per carry, that's fine.  Keep Jacobs and Bradshaw involved in the game plan.  The worst thing you can be against New England is predictable.

Predictability is also a sin against the Patriots when they have the ball.  Keep giving Tom Brady the same look and he'll put fifty points on the board.  I don't think it's possible to truly confuse Tom Brady, but it is important that the Giants make his life as difficult as possible on Sunday, even one late hit would be okay.  Occasionally, they might want to use the defense Bellicheck used as Giants Defensive Coordinator in Super Bowl XXV.  Rush two men and flood the passing lanes.  Not a lot, but enough to mix things up a bit.

At this point, all I can hope for is a well played game.  I cannot demand victory from the Giants.  They can win, but that would be quite the upset and I would be ecstatic if it were to happen.  They may lose and I would have to live with that.  And I could as long as they don't embarrass themselves.  They are playing the best team the NFL has seen since the great Cowboy teams of the early 1990's.  It's a tall order.

But then again, so was winning in Dallas and Green Bay.

GO BIG BLUE!

 

 

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1:53:49 PM EST

NFC Champion New York Giants.

I do like the sound of that.  At the beginning of the season I said the Giants had many question marks.  As a result, I believed if everything did not go well they could finish as low as 4-12, but if everything went well they could go 11-5.  They did finish 10-6 and are on their way to Super Bowl XLII!

What a tense game.  I can not tell you how excited I am for this team.  The defense has come together very well and played another excellent game (with the exception of the ninety yard touchdown pass).  Eli Manning has stepped up and become the quarterback the team needed him to be and Tom Coughlin will be on the Giants' sidelines for the next several years after getting this team this far.  In each of their three playoff victories, the Giants did what was needed to win.  There wasn't a lot of glamorous stats, they just won. 

There's so much credit to go around it's hard to know where to start.  Tom Coughlin deserves a lot of credit for changing the way he handles this team.  From being a "shut up and do as your told" coach, he is now listening to his players and taking their input into consideration when making decisions.  There have been calls, even in this playoff run, where I disagreed with him, but he has gotten his team to the Super Bowl and those results speak for themselves.

Eli Manning has taken a lot of crap from a lot of people about his play.  Criticism was certainly just, but there were people who had given up on him.  In the three biggest games of his life he has played his best football.  He hasn't put up his best stats, but he has played his best football.  That deserves respect, something Eli Manning has never gotten from his supporters nor his detractors.  I have been critical of our quarterback like many fans have.  I saw physical talent, but always worried about his toughness.  I won't worry any more.  Winning three playoff games on the road, the last in conditions not suited for any sport aside from ice fishing, is plenty tough.

Corey Webster was drafted three years ago to be a ballhawking defensive back.  He was a letdown.  He began the season as a starter only to lose his job.  In the playoffs, he stepped up and he shut down Joey Galloway and Terrell Owens and made what might have been the biggest play of the season in picking off Brett Favre in overtime.  Yes he gave up the ninety yarder to Donald Driver, but he got up and finished the game strong and in the end truly redeemed himself.  He might very well be the MVP of the playoffs for the Giants.

There are a lot more names to go over and I will in future blogs.  As far as the game itself yesterday, I can only say that the Giants thoroughly outplayed the Packers and overcame a lot of big plays, bad calls and missed kicks to come out ahead.  Plaxico Burress owned All-Pro corner Al Harris.  The Giants defense shut down Ryan Grant as a runner and a receiver.  The Packers had no success on screen passes.  Big Blue came out ready, willing and able to beat the home team and I give credit to Tom Coughlin and the veterans on this team in that regard.  The weather was never much a factor for the visiting Giants who were concerned about one thing:  winning the game.

I must say that the Giants overcame a lot to win yesterday.  They overcame the Packers, the Arctic weather and the officiating.

I hate to darken this celebratory post with negative thoughts, but I cannot overlook what happened in last night's game from an NFL standpoint.

First, let's talk about the thoughtlessness of scheduling this game at night.  For the sake of better television ratings, the NFL disregarded the well being of the people in the stands and the players on the field.  24 below?  Who cares!  Look at our advertising revenue!

Worse still was the officiating.  If you do not believe the NFL puts its thumb on the scales to weigh the game in favor of a given team at a given time, you did not watch the game last night or the Chargers-Colts game last week.

Last night:

On a Packer third down incomple in the first half, the refs flagged the Giants for illegal contact, a phantom call.  On the previous Giants possession (three incomplete passes) Giants receivers were looking for flags for the same infraction, none were thrown.  I didn't have a problem with the non-calls as there was no blatant pass interference.  Were the Packer defenders a hair early?  Maybe, maybe not, but they did nothing that merited a flag.  The problem occurs when the Giant defender is flagged for doing the same thing.  That penalty turned an incomplete third down pass into a first down for Green Bay which led to a field goal.

In the third quarter, the Packers were stopped on a third down play.  After the play, a flag is thrown against Sam Madison for a personal foul.  The drive is extended and the Packers score a touchdown.  Madison and a Packer were going at each other much in the same way Plaxico Burress and Al Harris were.  No flags were thrown against Harris for shoving and head butting Burress.

On a Giants third down with 3:30 remaining in the fourth quarter, KGB was clearly offsides as he got to Manning a split second after the ball did from his end spot.  No call.

Now I know Packers fans were booing the officiating too, but the Packer penalties were obvious.  Al Harris' interception that was overturned when he got flagged for holding was obvious.  He grabbed Burress, threw him to the ground and that's why he was in a position to intercept that pass.

The roughing the passer call was also legitimate. The Packer defender rammed Manning well after the Giant quarterback had gotten rid of the ball.

The offsides calls on the Green Bay defensive line at the goal line were all due to the Packer linemen jumping in anticipation of the snap.  Those penalties didn't really hurt the Packers as the Giants already had a first and goal at the one yard line, so what's half the distance going to do?

These plays are fresh in my mind because they happened last night.  But this sort of thing has gone on forever in the NFL and it shouldn't.  The Dallas Cowboys in the 1970's got a ton of calls because they were America's Marketing Department Team.  The Indianapolis Colts get a lot of calls because their quarterback is the posterboy of the league.  Watch a replay of the Colts-Pats regular season game and the Colts-Chargers playoff game and tell me I'm wrong. 

The NBA is a joke league because it has sold out the essence of its sport to marketing.  How many fundamental rules of the game of basketball have been thrown out the window to make the game more exciting?  Is traveling a violation any more?  Just how high can you dribble a basketball and not get a whistle?

The NBA should not be the model or any sport, yet every other sport is sadly following basketball's rush to sell out.  Baseball added a wild card, half of the NHL gets into the playoffs and the league has amended rules to promote scoring and the NFL continually attempts to aid the teams of its most marketable players. 

But the Giants won anyway.  So the NFL Marketing Department can go fuck itself.

I'd also like to thank Trickage, author of the Bolts Blog, whose beloved Chargers fell short in their attempt to end the Patriots perfect season.  I think we are the last two active bloggers of the season like two drunks at the bar at 2AM.  We ain't leaving.  Hell, I just put another dollar in the damn jukebox.

 

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11:02:21 AM EST
Hearing Baby It's Cold Outside

I wrote this once only to have my computer screw up on me.  So I'll try it again.

I am looking forward to Sunday's game in Lambeau like you would not believe.  No, I'm not overly confident.  I will not predict victory here.  The Giants go in as a legitimate underdog, just like in Tampa and in Dallas.  I'm excited because my team is playing a championship game in a classic setting.  Giants vs. Packers at Lambeau Field in January.  It doesn't get better than that.

Okay, okay it gets better if the Giants win.  But how does that happen?

When the Giants have the ball, they need to do to Green Bay what Dallas did last week, keep the offense on the field with long, clock eating drives.  This involves a lot of running, but with Jacobs, Bradshaw and a little of Droughns thrown in, the Giants are capable.  Eli has to complete a couple of passes early in the game to keep his rhythm and his confidence in tact and to keep Green Bay's defense honest.

When the Packers have the ball, Favre needs to get hit, a lot.  There must be pressure.  Favre's a gambler by nature and the less time he has to think about his options, the riskier his passing gets.  The secondary, though banged up, has actually been playing well.  Corey Webster has been playing great in shutting down Joey Galloway and Terrell Owens in the past two weeks.  The defense held the Dallas offense in check last week and could do the same against the Packers this week in bad weather.  I know the Packers, especially Brett Favre, are used to bad weather, but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect them at all.

Special teams will be key I believe.  They usually are in big games and bad weather games.  Here's where I think the Giants have the edge, especially with the experienced Jeff FEagles punting.  But bad weather can make for crazy conditions on special teams.  I can see the game turning on a shortened punt that hits a player from the receiving team in the back.  If this game is close, I think it will be, I think it might turn on a big turnover.

Again, I make no prediction.  The Giants are capable of winning this game.  The odds are against them, but they have been for the past two weeks.

Giants vs. Packers.  Lambeau Field.  January.

If you're not watching this game on Sunday, you're not a football fan.

 

 

 

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11:17:49 PM EST

They did it!

Today the Giants went into Dallas and ended the Cowboys' season.  It doesn't get much sweeter than that for a Giants fan. 

I hate to admit it, but the Cowboys were playing the kind of football I like to watch in the first half.  They drove the length of the field in long, time consuming drives.  Although the game was not a blowout, I felt the effect of those long drives on the Giants defense would hit in the fourth quarter.

That didn't happen.  The game started off great as Amani Toomer took a short pass, broke one weak tackle and went all the way for a touchdown.  Dallas then slowly drove the length of the field to tie it up.  Marion Barber looked unstoppable, he probably got a little winded from carry the ball so much and running his mouth so much.  He wasn't talking too much in the second half.

Dallas took the lead on an incredible ten and a half minute drive that ate up most of the second quarter.  The Giant offense wasn't going to see the ball too much so they were going to have to be effective when they did get it.

They were.

After Dallas' impressive drive, the Giants move quickly down the field.  In fact, the scored the tying touchdown in forty seconds.  Seventy-one yards in forty seconds.  That sent a signal.  Going in, I thought the game would be close, but things can get out of hand in the playoffs.  That quick touchdown assured me that the Giants would not back down and that Dallas was going to need its "A" game to win.

Dallas started the second half with an eight minute drive that ended in a field goal.  No worries.  This was the theme of the game although I was still concerned that the defense was getting worn out.  That the defense stiffened to keep Dallas out of the end zone was a promising sign even if they lost another corner when Aaron Ross threw himself at Marion Barber on an outside run.

When Damon Hixon returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield, the Giants offense had a short field to deal with and I thoughtanother quick drive was coming.  A DeMarcus Ware sacked was a key play in forcing the Giants to punt.  Then it happened.  The defense stopped the Cowboys for the first time since Dallas' opening possession.  They did that when Patrick Crayton dropped Tony Romo's pass on third down.  Had he run more practice routes during the week instead of running his mouth, maybe he would have caught the ball.  He didn't, Dallas punted and R.W. McQuarters returned the punt to the Dallas thirty-seven. 

That's when the short scoring drive came.  Brandon Jacobs scored from one yard out just a minute and a half into the fourth quarter.  Perfect.  With thirteen and a half minutes left, the Giants had a 21-17 lead and if the Cowboys put together another long drive, the Giants would get the ball back with just enough time to win with no time left.

A funny thing happened on the way to that perfect scenario, Dallas didn't score.  They ate up four minutes to go twenty-six yards and punt the ball back to the Giants. 

Then it was ulcer time.  The Giants, backed up at their own three, went ultra conservative.  After Brandon Jacobs rushed for six yards on first down, Tom Coughlin decided to predictably run Jacobs two more times.  Dallas, knowing this, stopped Jacobs from getting a first down.  Now I was worried.  With seven minutes left, Dallas got the ball on their own forty-four.  Now they could score and leave the Giants with insufficient time to score back.  My perfect scenario was in danger.

Not to fear, the Giants defense (the unit I was sure was going to run out of gas) continued to put pressure on Tony Romo.  The Dallas quarterback spent the fourth quarter running for his life from a group that had spent too much time on the field.   Three minutes and fifteen seconds later, the Giants had the ball back.  With 3:46 to go, the Giants had the ball on their own twelve.

Once again,Coughlin went predictable.  Run.  Run. Pass.  Would it have killed him to try a play action pass on second down?  Everyone in Dallas knew he was running on second down and throwing on third.  I was losing it. The team had played so hard and I was afraid this lame play calling at the end of the game was going to give the game to the hated Cowboys.

With 1:50 left the Cowboys had the ball on the Giants forty-eight.  No.  This can't happen.  We can't lose to Dallas on some last minute drive.  I don't want this game to be the highlight of the year for the Dallas Friggin' Cowboys. 

They got as far as the twenty-three yard line.  Romo ended the game and the Cowboy season as his fourth down pass got picked off by R.W. McQuarters.

Could this season get any sweeter?  First, the Giants made the playoffs.  They spent two weeks extracting a measure of revenge for the historic 2002 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.  Last week they beat Jeff Garcia and Tampa Bay.  Today, they beat Dallas and Terrell Owens.  I will scour the Packer roster for any remnant of a 2002 Niner.

Winning in the playoffs is always sweet.  Ending Dallas' season when it looked like they were the best team in the NFC is an all time great win for our franchise.  Knowing that Eli is playing next week and Peyton is not is poetic as the Chargers did to the Colts what the Giants did to Dallas. 

It is amazing how at times this season, Eli Manning has looked like a frightened child.  Yet, in the two most important games of his life, he has shown the poise of a veteran, playing mistake free football and being part of the reason his team is going to the NFC Championship Game.

What a ride! 

 

 

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2:07:33 PM EST

So the Giants did it.  They finally won a playoff game with Coughlin coaching and Manning at quarterback.  Don't underestimate how important this is to the franchise.  Had they lost the game, the Giants might have been shopping for a new head coach.

But they won.  It was a solid effort after the slow start.  The Giants did nothing offensively in the first quarter and just enough defensively to keep themselves in the game.  Once they got going, the Giants took over and played near flawlessly.  I'm not saying it was pretty, but it was error free, which was critical.

The short passing game and switching from Jacobs to Bradshaw were very smart moves on offense.  After giving up that first touchdown, the defense shut down Jeff Garica and the Bucs.

Eli Manning did not go crazy, he played a smart game against a tough defense and took was there for the taking.  I am hoping this is a big step forward in his development as a professional quarterback.  It is certainly a game he can hang his hat on, but he's had very good games before only to revert to being Peyton's nervous kid brother.

The defensive star of the game was Corey Webster who recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half and then had a drive killing interception in the end zone.  This is as encouraging as Manning's performance because Webster was drafted as a guy who was supposed to be a ball hawking turnover machine.

I'd say Tampa was hurt by the long delay between meaningful games, but that's a tough claim to make given the way they started the game.  Their offense moved the ball on the its first two drives, scoring a touchdown on the second drive.  The defense looked fired up as they forced the Giants to go three and out in their first three drives. 

When the Giants play the way they did on Sunday, they are tough to beat because they don't beat themselves.  Too often during the season, they helped their opponents by making key mistakes.  That didn't happen yesterday against a solid Tampa Bay team.

At this point, barring an absolute humiliation in Dallas, the 2007 must be deemed a success.  Coming off of a tumultuous 8-8 season and losing a player who represented about sixty percent of the team's offense, the Giants would have done well to finish 8-8 again.  To make the playoffs and win a game is a successful season.

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4:01:04 PM EST

At long last the playoffs are here.  Here's my take on what might happen this weekend:

Giants at Tampa Bay

I really like the Giants' chances in this one.  Tampa has had a good season in a weak division and took it easy the last two weeks of the season.  They are not a powerhouse team.  The Giants are very good on the road and in Tampa the weather won't be a factor.

The Bucs haven't really played since December 16th resting their players for the playoffs.  I think they'll come out a little slow at first, especially on offense.  I remember the Giants held Jeff Garcia in check in Philadelphia in last year's playoffs even though they lost.

I think the game will be relatively close, which means the Giants must avoid the really bad turnover.  This is the kind of game that can turn on a long Ronde Barber interception return.

Barring that kind of miserable occurrence, I'm going with the Giants 19 Bucs 13.

 

Washington at Seattle

This is a tough one.  The Redskins are on a roll, but they are facing Seattle in Seattle with their backup quarterback.  This is not the same Seahawk team that made it to the Super Bowl two years ago, but they should be good enough to beat Washington's backup quarterback on their own home field, something the Giants couldn't do.

Seattle 24  Washington 10

 

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh

The Jaguars beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh only a few weeks ago, so the home field advantage has been disproved for this game.  However, I think the Steelers will react to that loss by coming up big in this game.  They will not let Jacksonville beat them in the same way again.

Jacksonville is a tough team and the Steelers need their "A" game to beat them.  I think they bring that effort into Heinz Field tomorrow night and get revenge on the Jaguars in what should be a great game to watch.

Steelers 20 Jaguars  16

 

Tennessee at San Diego

From a talent standpoint, this one is a no brainer.  San Diego might have the most talent in the AFC with the exception of the quarterback position.  The Titans are a power running team out of necessity.  Vince Young has not quarterbacked very well this year and he has top receivers to throw to (why would they get rid of Drew Bennett and Bobby Wade?)

These two teams played a tight game in San Diego on December 9th. The Titans were leading but gave up a game tying touchdown with nine seconds left in regulation.  San Diego won in overtime.  It was a tough game where Shawne Merriman claimed he was set up by Titans coach Jeff Fischer to get hit and hurt.

This is a tough game to call.  My original thought was that Jeff Fischer would out coach Norv Turner and the Titans would win another tough game.  My problem with that scenario is the number of injuries Tennessee is dealing with.  Wide receiver Roydell Williams broke his ankle in practice, so unless Vince Young can throw the ball to himself, he's going to have a tough time completing passes.

If I felt Young were capable of pulling a magical fourth quarter play or series, I would pick the Titans because I have no faith in Norv Turner.

I just can't count on that. 

Chargers 20  Titans 9

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12:08:08 AM EST

Tonight the Giants lost to the best team in football.  In attempting to beat the perfect New England Patriots, the Giants needed to play a perfect game.  They did not play perfectly, but their effort tonight lends honor to the franchise and merit to the Patriots' final victory. 

Tom Coughlin decided not to have his team mail it in tonight.  It was a great decision.  The Giants had some strong moments tonight and actually held a twelve point lead in the third quarter. 

Eli Manning played well, but was not perfect.  He had an interception in the fourth quarter and he did not manage the clock well during the Giants' final drive.  But he played well against the best team in the league.  It is a game to build on as the Giants head to Tampa Bay to open the playoffs next week.

Ironically, the Giants, though not treating the game as a meaningless one, still got to look at a couple of young players.  Tight end Kevin Boss, playing for the injured Jeremy Shockey, looked good as did Gerris Wilkinson, who took Kavika Mitchell's place.  Wilkinson proved he could cover Randy Moss, even if he did get called for pass interference one occasion.

I could attempt to dissect this game, but I won't.  I am proud of the decision this team made entering this "meaningless game."  And I am proud of the effort they made on the field.  For now, I'll enjoy this moment. 

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4:14:22 PM EST

Conventional wisdom would lead us to believe that in tomorrow night's showdown with the undefeated New England Patriots, the New York Giants have nothing to play for.

Nothing to play for.  I hate that phrase.  Nothing to play for?  How about pride?  How about professionalism?  How about in a season that consists of a mere sixteen games that taking one off is just a bad idea, especially as your up and down team heads into the playoffs.

The fact that Tom Coughlin has decided to try to win this game is reassuring on more than one front.  First, the Giants are not a team that ought to take a game off.  They need to stay as sharp as possible heading into the playoffs.  Should someone suffer an injury, so be it, that risk is there every time a game is played.  Do you give a hampered Plaxico Burress a few plays off, yes because he is already banged up and a player going into the game injured is different than limiting a player's time on the field out of fear.

I also think it's great for the NFL that should New England win, that the win will come against an opponent who wasn't mailing it in.  I don't feel Coughlin and the Giants are obligated to do this for the sake of the Patriots' place in history, hell, there were fifteen previous opportunities for the Patriots to get knocked off and it didn't happen.  It does make the final game as meaningful as the other fifteen.

Finally, I'd hate to have tickets to a game where one team decided to throw in the towel before the game even started.  In so much as football games are events, there is no excuse for a team not to do what it can to win.  Yes, the object is to win the Super Bowl and the thinking is that a Giants win tomorrow would have no impact on that goal as they've already sewn up a playoff spot and their seeding.  I disagree.  Playing this game to win will help the Giants in their playoff run.  A victory would boost the team's confidence going into Tampa Bay.  An effort instead of a week off keeps the motor running.  This team cannot pretend they can turn it on and off.

I remember the 2005 Colts. They started 13-0 and everyone spoke of the possibility of an undefeated season.  Tony Dungy pretended not to care then decided he did, but it didn't matter as his team lost two of it's last three and got knocked off by Pittsburgh in the playoffs. 

There's a lesson there for both teams in the Colts' 2005 collapse.  First, for the Patriots:  Don't shy away from greatness.  The Colts were afraid to go 16-0, it was obvious and it weakened them.  To their credit, the Patriots have always taken their games one at a time and, given their propensity for not letting up, it's obvious they are going for broke.  In a league that yearns for parity and mediocrity, such a bold stride toward greatness ought to be greatly appreciated  For the Giants, who are not nearly as good as that Colts team:  Don't stop.  Bodies in motion stay in motion.  Inertia is deadly in football and should not be the goal of any team.

Again, I will make no prediction here.  The Giants have the talent to give the Patriots a game and that's all I can ask for. 

 

 

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