Giants vs. Jets: The Battle for New York

It's official.  The Christmas Even matchup between the Giants and Jets is upon us.  Was anyone surprised that its comes with colossal stakes attached?  The game is on Christmas Eve! Of course, the stakes is high.

But what we need to look at, is who has arrived at this point prepared.

Unfortunately, my practice field pass was revoked because I just couldn't stop barking to the guys about playing tight coverage.

Here's the thing, from what I heard this week, the Giants don't agree with Perry Fewell defensive scheme.  Not a good sign.  But I agree with them.  The Giants have never been known as a loose cover team. They have always been (in the good times) an in-yo-face pass-rushing, man to man coverage sacking force to be reckoned with.  It's high time they get back to that style of play.

The Jets? Who knows with these guys. The same thing essentially goes for the Giants this season.  Who the heck knows what kind of team is going to show up come game time.

The only way the Giants pull this thing out is if, by some strange chance, one or two New York Giants defensive players take a real leadership role this week and make it clear that if guys don't pull their weight, they might get beat up at halftime.

There you have it folks, motivation by fear of being beat up by a big ol' defender is the key to Giants victory.  Let's see if we can spot that dynamic on the field.

Go Big Blue!

Giants vs. Packers: What They're Saying...

In anticipation of Sunday's matchup between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the stories coming out of both camps in order to see how both sides view their opponent and what they see when they look in the mirror.

Here's what I found:

Out of the Big Apple: 

Giants getting Michael Boley back...Big Blue writers seem to understand his importance -- http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/vet_linebacker_likely_to_suit_up_9DGM5dyR0j8NmxunLsbl7O

Strahan tries to motivate the D -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/michael-strahan-pays-a-visit-to-the-struggling-new-york-giants-defensive-line/2011/11/30/gIQA9jt7DO_story.html

Bradshaw feels ready to go -- http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/good_news_for_big_blue_ailing_bradshaw_noCercI1znyhFlX7Nal27M

Perry Fewell is fired up -- http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/giantsblog/giants_assistant_says_defense_will_6HWPma5B4AZnHOi24Fba9L

Much respect for Aaron Rogers -- http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/aikman-theismann-quaterback-experts-analyze-greatness-packers-aaron-rodgers-article-1.986308

From the land of brats:

Respecting Bradshaw and the Giants D-Line -- http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20111203/PKR01/312030130/Packers-vs-Giants-3-keys-game?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CGPG-Sports%7Cs

Packer LB arrested and bailed out after assaulting his girlfriend....Will start vs. Giants -- http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20111129/PKR01/111129138/Notebook-Teammates-accept-Walden-apology-look-move-on?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CGPG-Sports%7Cs

Packers starting two rookie LBs this week...Continue to win in spite of injuries -- http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article_ketchman/article-1/Packers-Giants-in-test-of-wills/6051b0d8-0bc2-4334-ae29-d1a9b6c3628e

Packer Nation is Growing -- http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/Packers-Everywhere-free-pep-rally-in-New-York-area-accommodates-for-more-fans/61064068-9111-4493-a5e8-2c9e56effb8a


So there you have it folks. Giants seem to be getting some important cogs back into their machine this week and the Packers couldn't care less that their starting linebacker hits women.

I have no idea what's going to happen on Sunday.

Go Big Blue!

MAKE IT HERZ SO GOOD

That's right, there's a player on the New York Giants set to get his first taste of NFL action tomorrow on defense against the Philadelphia Eagles.  And his name ain't Prince.

Actually, he's a Giant among men and his name is Mark Herzlich. Don't worry, I'm not sure myself how it's pronounced.  But, boy do I wish good ol' John Madden could be telling us for sure on Sunday.

If you're not already aware, Herzlich was once considered a great football talent in college.  In fact, he played for the same college Tom Coughlin coached (BC).  Then something tragic occurred.  He was diagnosed with cancer. Didn't get many looks from the NFL after that...Until that is, The NY Giants said, "Hey Mark, if you want to work, we got plenty to keep you busy over here in the marshes of East Rutherford, New Jersey."



I mean, sounds like a tough offer to pass up.  Though, I'm pretty sure Mark became a Giant because of the all you can eat egg sandwich agreement from the TD Express.

Kegs and eggs, I believe that was the clincher.




At any rate, Mark Herzlich is playing tomorrow.


Antonio, you better buy all of your old jerseys now, while you can still get a #58 with Pierce on the back of it.

Go Big Blue!

I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING...GIANTS VS. EAGLES

That's right, it's me! Transmitting live from 1982, right here at the famous Big Barry's in Rocky Point.








And I know what you're thinking...






How can the Giants blow this one?

"Say it ain't so!"

Here's how, and this one comes from your local AM sports radio caller, which reminds me of a thought I once had about what's worse...Being one of those guys who's a regular caller on sports talk radio shows, like Jimmy from Baldwin something like that, or being one of the guys who's always calling but never gets on the air?

Giants all week say they're preparing for Michael Vick.  Hey, here's an idea, how about preparing for all of their QBs?  Perhaps because the Giants always get torched by back-up quarterbacks.

Vince Young may get even younger thinking about the magical comeback he had way back when he convinced Mathias Kiwanuka, during the play mind you, that William Joseph had said all kinds of rude stuff about Kiwanuka's mother on the last play at the line of scrimmage.  See for yourself (Hint: It's at the :35 mark).

And what about this Mike Kafka guy?  I see he's averaging 1 INT a season.  Still, The Giants need to watch out for these guys. They have barely any film on the guy.  I'm just saying...That's when the eagles utilize all of their other weapons.  They have a ton of guys who can run the ball.  Steve Smith is looking for redemption (or maybe a job back with the Giants).

Also, the last time I checked, DeSean Jackson is pretty good at returning kicks.  How about not kicking it to him?

Now I just got the word from one of the Big Barry's bartenders that Young is definitely starting on Sunday for the Eagles.  Coughlin, Fewell, please tell me you're preparing for this guy AND Kafka too. Chances are you're going to see both of them.

Now, Gilbride.

You're my next victim.

I know what you're thinking...




"How am I still here?"




I'll tell you how...

By every now and then pulling out a few dazzlers that wow the crowd.  You may know nothing of consistency or you may know it all too well, but the one thing you do know about, is timing.  Hey, sure, it wasn't your crew that blew that lead last year, or have let running backs rush on the Giants all year long thus far.  How about we take a look at what works and make that happen in an unpredictable manner.

Pump Fakes...Work -- Use them sparingly [do i have to spell it out Kevin?  On first down or a crucial third down.  they're good for goal line stuff every once in a while too].

Cruz....Works -- Just not on ordinary plays, that's what Manningham, Barden and Nicks are for.

Da-Rel Scott screen passes....Work -- Incorporate them into the game plan

Ballard up the middle....Works -- So don't use it too often, instead throw him the out routes to continue a drive.

Here's a thought, why not run a two man backfield set with Ballard at the TE spot, Nicks on one side and Manningham on the other side every once in a while?  Seems pretty unpredictable.

This one is going to be some kind of game.

Go Big Blue!

THAT'S RIGHT, GET FLYERED UP!

The Giants and Eagles don't care for each other much.  There's a history brewing on every snap of the ball.  Fans glance a little harder at other fans wearing the other jerseys.  A fire stoked by the New York Metropolitans superbly executed lack of winning, further heightening the stakes for Giants fans, determined not to allow two division crowns to fall atop the Wiz-wit-ful staches of Philly fans.

Speaking of Cheesesteaks...

When you're in the neighborhood, be sure to pay homage to the now-defunkdafied Explorer's Den and then mosey on down to LARRY'S STEAKS!


HOME 
OF 
THE 
BELLY FILLER

And while we're on the subject of these two tough NFC East-don't- matter-what-place-we're-in-we-still-wanna-mash-heads kind of teams, you deserve to know what plays helped define all these years...

TOP 10 MOMENTS FROM THEIR PAST

Ouch – Giant’s lose a tough one. And it hurts!

For those of you who read my game review, I said Giants were more talented than the 49ers and that is Giants limited turnovers, they would win the game. So what happened…Giants outplayed a good 49ers team, but made too many mistakes. The Giants out-gained the 49ers in first downs (21 to 16), third-down efficiency (50% to 27%), total net yards (395 to 305), net yards rushing (93 to 77), net yards passing (302 to 228), and time of possession (34:37 to 25:23). But the Giants were only 1-of-4 in the red zone, they lost turnover battle with one interception by the 49ers and two by the Giants.

Good News….Giants hung in a game that they could have been blown out in after an early 4^th quarter turnover led to a 49ers TD and a 2 score lead. Eli and the offense drove down the field late in the game and had a good chance to tie it up. Giants ran the ball against a tough run defense and did a lot better against the run. They also made a lot of big 4^th down conversions on that last drive and were a Mannigham catch away from tying the game late.

Bad News…Giants were bad in Red Zone (1 for 4). I know SF has a tough D, but can I get a 1 on 1 jump ball for Barden? The guy did it all through college and he is 6’6”. Giants ran the ball better, but still couldn’t get the 2 yard gain when they needed it. Couple of bad turnovers (1 totally on Eli, and the 2^nd on Manningham). Manningham needs to finish his route and that 4^th quarter ball doesn’t get picked off. Giants need to get Prince on the field. I know he is a rookie and we can’t expect much, but he has to be better than Coe and Martin. Martin played terrible on Special teams and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was waved this week.

What it means for Gmen…. Giants were helped out by Eagles losing. That pretty much eliminates Eagles. The Cowboys had a big win against Bills and now the NFC East is a two team race. Giants will have their chance to win it, since they have two games left with Dallas, but with a very tough schedule still remaining, the Giants have little room for error. Cowboys next 4 games are all easy, while Giants have 4 tough ones. It is going to be very tough for Giants to maintain a one game lead through this stretch. A win yesterday would have really been huge.

What’s next…A huge game against the Eagles. I know Eagles are struggling, but you know they are going to play hard against us. Not only do Giants need to win to help conference and division record, but it is the only game in the next 3 where Giants will be favored.

What do you guys think? How bad did this one hurt? Was it a bump in the road or a crack on the highway to playoff town?

Now Is The Time

This is my first post on The Big Blue Blogging Crew and I look forward to adding my weekly insights. As some of you may know I have been extremely critical of Eli's performance in the past, but no longer. In this first half of the season he finally looks like the QB that should be owed 100 million dollars. Time and time again this season he has made the throws to win games. The New England game has cemented his status as a top 5 qb in the game. Now that said let's talk about this week. The Giants are facing a tough SF defense with incredible linebackers: Bowman and Willis. I wouldn't expect too much out of the run game. The key to the game will be how the swirling winds in San Francisco will affect Eli's ability to throw to his receivers Nicks, Cruz and Barden. It looks like Manningham might be out today, which means Ballard could be seeing some extra balls coming his way. My prediction, Giants win big, Alex Smith suffers a separated shoulder courtesy of JPP.

Week 10 Preview: Giants @ 49ers

Wow!!! What a big win last week. This time last week, the Giants were going into a stretch of 6 tough games and they were a huge underdog going into New England. It looked like Bradshaw and Nicks would be out and New England was coming off a loss. All the world was talking about how the Pats haven’t lost a regular season home game in 3 years and the Giants would be lucky to keep it close. So what do the Giants do….They outplay the Pats for 60 mins and win the game. Not only do they win it, but after Tom Brady drives for a leading score with 1:18 left, Eli takes the team down the field and wins the game. And although it wasn’t a conference game, it was huge for the Giants mentally. They won a game no one thought they could win and they started the brutal 6 game stretch with a ‘W’.

So what’s next…The 7-1 49ers. Another tough game that odds makers say Giants will lose. Good news is that the Giants are getting Nicks and Baas back. Bad news is that Bradshaw is likely to sit out another week.

If the Giants are for real, they can win this game. I just think that besides the linebacker position, the Giants have more talent than the 49ers. 49ers are well coached team and they play hard so expect this to be a battle. And those of you who hope to see Giants running game breakout…It isn’t likely to happen on Sunday as 49ers lead the league in rushing defense. If Giants want to stay on top they need to build off the momentum from last week and beat a top tier NFC team.

Keys to the Game:

• Control the run. Notice I didn’t say ‘stop’. Gore is having a hell of a year and the Giants have struggled against the run. So I don’t expect the Giants to stop Gore. If we keep him under 125 and let him run between the 20s we should be able to prevent Alex from throwing TDs.

• Let Eli be Eli. Giants go as Eli goes. Weather should be fine and it looks like Nicks will be on the field. Let Eli drop back and find his receivers. I don’t want to abandon the run, but we don’t need to force it against the 49ers stout run defense.

• Limit turnovers. 49ers usually play very close to the vest, so don’t expect them to turn the ball over. They are the type of team that takes advantage of a muffed punt of turnover in their own zone. We can’t give them opportunities. I am ok with Weatherford having another good game and pinning the 49ers deep. No need to take chances.

As I stated in previous posts, I will not predict the score due to some bad karma. But I will predict this. It should be a fun game against a tough competitor. And get use to it Giants fans…we can expect tough competition for the next 5 weeks and for most of the remaining season.

Game Balls - Week 9

Offense: Eli is obvious and he is by far the most important player on the team. So rather than give Eli and game ball after every win, I am going to pick a player not named Eli to give the game ball too. This week’s winner: Jake Ballard! This one came down to Cruz or Ballard. Both played really well and Giants needed help with Nicks out, but Ballard made an incredible catch on the game winning drive and he caught the ball with 18 seconds left to win it. Coming into the year we all thought TE would be a position of weakness, but Ballard is showing us that he can make a play which is all we need.

Defense: Kiwanuka…I thought Boley played very well, but Kiwi was a monster out there. For the first time I can remember he just looked really comfortable in the LB hybrid role. 12 tackles and an Interception fill out the stat line. But more than stats…I give him a game ball for being in great position throughout the game and for showing us what he can be in that LB role.

Other: Thought about giving this to Coughlin for preparing his team, but ultimately decided to go with Weatherford. The fact that Pats had to go a long way for all of their scores helped the GMen. He was called often and did a good job pinning the Pats deep. Last year we had a punter we were afraid of…Now are punter is a strength. What a difference that can make!

Thoughts, Feedback….Please share your comments below…Let me know who you think should have gotten a game ball. Do you agree with me or have a different opnion?

Week 9: Critical thoughts on Giants vs. Patriots

If you've watched a Giants game or two in your lifetime, you know there are two types of Giants teams you're going to see...The teams that have no chance -- I'm talking to you Dave Brown and Ray Handley -- and the teams that have a chance to win and perhaps dominate some portion of the game.

Those dominations, however, are few and far between, and sometimes completely unexpected.

There is one constant formula for winning in the NFL, and that's a quality quarterback. Without one (see 2011 Indianapolis Colts) things are generally pretty predictable, mired with QB controversies -- a euphemism for picking the lesser of two evils -- and coaches on the hot seat. With a go-to guy as your play-caller, as the Giants have in Eli Manning, you're never truly out of a game.

Facing the Patriots this week, the 2011 New York Giants find themselves in the latter position these days, as Manning is playing quality football.  That being said, they have a chance against a VERY angry New England Patriots team. If Tom Coughlin wants to prepare his guys like he did in AZ, 2008, he simply needs to point to the Patriots seemingly perfect record at home (their last regular season loss in Foxboro was on November, 12 2006), that's five years for all you high-school drop-outs -- TheBBBC says, "stay in school."

On another note, the Giants defense will be a collective fool if they think Tom Brady and the Pats won't find a way to dissect them in some way, shape or form on Sunday.  Wes Welker hasn't been the NFL's receptions leader for no reason, and Antrel Rolle is certainly no Neon Deon, and is prone to blowing coverage. The Pats could also exploit the Giants secondary with their colossal tandem of Tight Ends, which could be very dangerous come Sunday.  However, that all being said, in my opinion, it will be the Patriots three-man Running Back rotation of BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Kevin Faulk and Stevan Ridley that will riddle the G-Men this week. The Giants have proven repeatedly that they have problems stopping the run.  I see Brady handing off, dinking screens to his RBs and dunking short route completions to Welker, Branch, Price, Grontkowski and Hernandez.  Let's be real, it's the smartest way to kill the Giants. 


Can the Giants play match-game this week? Perhaps. Brandon Jacobs will have mucho motivation, especially if Ahmad Bradshaw sets foot on the playing field with a broken foot. How can a 6'4", 267 pound guy not be motivated by a guy half his size who is even considering playing, with a broken bone in his foot? The Giants, who certainly don't lack depth, could utilize Da'rel Scott and DJ Ware to mix things up.


X-Factors on Sunday could be Mario Manningham, who seems to have been forgotten amidst all the Victor Cruz madness, and Lawrence Tynes, who may be asked to come through in the clutch for the G-Men in the 4th quarter.




At the end of the day, after Gallagher (just sayin') is passed out from running the longest distance of his life, and the networks are done with all of their overblown Super Bowl flashbacks, there will be an unpredictable game between two very good football teams that don't like each other too much.  Two quality quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Eli Manning, will both give their teams chances to win, but ultimately, it will be the supporting cast that decides this one, as it's always been.


Go Big Blue!

1st Place Giants Ready for Second Half

So the giants are 4 -2 and in 1^st place in the NFC East coming out of the bye. A good place to be, but I think we all know the Giants need to be better if they hope to finish strong and win the division in 2011.

Let’s start with a look back on how Giants got to where they are today….

Giants were decimated by injuries before Week 1 even began. Thomas, and Goff out for year. Osi sidelined, and Tuck battling neck issues. Many prognosticators had the Giants struggling to a 7-9 or 8-8 like season. And there week 1 performance against Washington didn’t change any of those opinions. Gmen looked like a beaten team without an identity. Secondary and LBs played awful. Week 2 brought the St. Louis Rams and a much needed win. The weeks following this game have shown that the Rams are a bad football team, but a win is a win and the Giants needed it and got it. Week 3, the “Dream Team”. This is a game that everyone thought Giants would lose. The Eagles were coming off a loss and were the favorites to win the division. This Giants played inspired football for the first time all season and won a big game. Winning this game gave the Giants some much needed swagger. After a big win against Eagles, a lot of folks thought the Giants would steamroll the Cardinals. That didn’t happen. Giants could not stop the run(a trend that would continue). Although the Giants didn’t win, they did pull out an impressive come from behind win. Eli drove down the field when it mattered and the Giants pulled out a victory. Week 5 was a terrible loss to the Seahawks. A team the Giants are clearly better then, but Giants could not stop the run and made one too many mistakes on offense. This game may come back to bite us. Week 6 and a much improved Bills team came to town. Giants battled and again, Eli took the team down the field when it mattered. Big issue…Giants still couldn’t stop the run.

All in all the Giants are in good shape coming out of the bye. They fought through inconsistent play and a lot of injuries and should be happy being in 1^st place with a 4-2 record. That being said….Giants have been here many times before. Coughlin and Eli have had a lot of hot starts. The key is how we finish. That brings us to….

Looking forward:

Giants second half schedule is brutal. Giants are clearly better then 0-6 Miami, but after that they face 9 tough games to close out season. Giants need to play much better and more consistent if they plan on making the playoffs. They haven’t been able to run the ball or stop the run. Two things that need to happen to win big December games. There is some good news…Giants are the healthiest they have been all season. Tuck, Jacobs, Snee, Amukamara, and Barden are all practicing and expect to get some playing time on Sunday. Tuck should help with the run defense while Jacobs and Snee can help our running game get more consistent. Giants really need to get up early on the Dolphins so they can let Barden, Amukamara and the young LBS get some serious reps. These guys all have shown some talent and will be needed down the stretch. Not fair to expect them all to come out of bye and play lights out, but they will be expected to help win us big games when it counts.

My feeling is that the Giants battle all year and battle for an 11-5 or 10-6 record. That should put them in the playoffs and will have them in the mix for a division title. It is not going to be easy, but I have faith that a good head coach and good quarterback will find ways to win some of the close games down the stretch. Giants usually play up, and down, to their competition and I expect that trend to continue through end of the year.

To all of you Big Blue supporters out there…Hold on to your hats!! The second half of the season is going to be fun football filled with lots of ups and downs. And if the Giants come through itt and make playoffs…they will have certainly deserved it.