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!

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?

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!