NFC Conference Championship: Giants at 49ers

The 49ers don't miss tackles. Holy crap they were a tough team. They were resilient and hard hitting. Just ask Eli who got hit twelve times and got sacked six times. Seriously, at times he looked like a bullied 5th grader. But he never got rattled. Even after being under constant pressure he kept his cool and didn't make mistakes, even after attempting fifty-eight passes. Eli Manning is a machine and I'm not afraid to say it. He has proven that he is the heart of this scorching hot Giants team.

"Eli Manning is not afraid to kill a sucka."--Eli Manning

However, Eli wasn't the only quarterback being hit. Alex Smith got reacquainted with the Giants defense getting sacked three times and getting hit six. However, Alex Smith is not a machine. He was a human that got beat up by bigger and stronger humans. Just like the undercover SF police dressed as Giants fans, the Giants pass rush kept things reasonably in check. Vernon Davis had two big catches but there isn't much you can do to stop him. Not even penicillin can stop this VD. 

After a bunch of punts and a few scoring plays the game was tied at 17 and the contest headed into overtime. After a few possessions of watching the two defenses dominate their opponents I thought, this game will be decided on a screw up. It's either gonna be the Giants or the 9ers. Then it happened... Kyle Williams loses the football because of a tackle by Jacquain Williams. This was the second fumble from Kyle Williams. The first being a bouncing ball that hit off his knee. Sometimes a team needs to get those breaks. Some call it luck... and others call it luck. But I've heard luck be defined as, "When hard work meets opportunity." (Yes that was Lee Corso in the NCAA Football games.) But the Giants were able to capitalize on these mistakes. That you cannot take away from this team.

"I hate New York."- Joe Buck

So with one great snap adjustment by Weatherford and one good kick by Tynes the Giants are heading to the Superbowl again (much to the dismay of Joe Buck). And surprise, surprise they are facing the New England Patriots again. Thank God it's on NBC so we don't have to listen to Buck's riveting commentary. "Manning under pressure. Escapes pressure. Throws downfield, and caught by Tyree." 

So what have I learned?

-The offense and defense are both playing with so much intensity and heart. They are feeding off of one another and have created a winning atmosphere that motivates everyone on the field.

-I also learned that this mind set comes directly from Coach Coughlin. The players never lost faith in him, They never stopped playing for him.

Luckily the Patriots defense if much more flexible than the 49ers. This means we should be able to see the high flying Giants offense that has been around all season. Hopefully, this results in some much needed salsa dancing.

The Pats do present some problems, however. Those problems being Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. This two headed monster did some damage against the Giants last time they met in November. I think they key is to contain those guys. They also have hit Brady early and often. If he's on his ass every set of downs it will rattle his cage a bit. Maybe mess his hair up a bit. The Giants also need to unleash the offense that was bottled up against the 9ers, which will not be difficult on the Pats defense.

The Giants have a very good shot of winning the entire thing. The most unlikely of seasons is coming to a close on February 5th. Not bad for a 20/1 shot in July. 

Divisional Weekend: Giants at Packers

The Giants have taken out the 15-1 defending world champion Green Bay Packers. They are on their way to San Francisco to play the 49ers for the NFC Championship and a ticket to Indianapolis.  It looks like JP2 was right when he said about the Packers, "We're going to win. 100% percent we're gonna win, because we're the best."

"This is my touchdown dance. Michael Boley did it on Sunday."

On Sunday they were better than the Packers. The Giants only allowed 20 points to a powerful Packers offense that averaged 35 points a game this season. They also beat the Packers in the turnover battle with 1 turnover to 4. It should have been by more but trust me I'll get to that. Manning out threw Aaron "Discount Double Check" Rodgers, and he was only sacked once to Rodgers' 4. I'm not sure what the actual Discount Double Check gives you but I bet it doesn't provide coverage from getting crushed by the Giants defense. I'm also pretty sure the insurance doesn't cover B.J. Raji's mouth that called out the Giants O-line. Especially since he only had two tackled and got stiff armed by Bradshaw.


It's never a good sign when the team's leading rusher (by over 20 yards) is a white quarterback, and it's also counter-productive when the Packers receivers drop 8 passes. I would say the Giants got lucky but the fact is that the Giants got screwed so many times by the officials. They got screwed so many times even Joe Buck was defending the Giants. The world must be coming to an end.

Good call. Looks legit.

In a previous post I said that complaining about the officials was pointless, coincidentally it was after the first Packers game, but this takes the (cheese?)cake. The fumble that we all knew was a fumble but it was ruled not a fumble, that was bullsh*t. Osi's helmet to helmet hit which wasn't late and didn't make any contact with Rodgers helmet, that was bullsh*t too. Actually I wouldn't mind if they called that penalty if they called a few of the late or helmet hits on Eli. It's a good thing he's so manly and tough. Fortunately, the Giants overcame the NFL's attempt to make the Packers champions again. Suck it, Goodell.

So what have I learned?

There actually isn't much I learned this week that I haven't learned the last few weeks. They are playing physical football and taking advantage of what the other team gives them.

The secondary had some issues tackling that can hopefully be fixed for the 49ers game.

I learned that the turning point of the game was Nicks' Hail Mary catch at the end of the first half. He looked like Dennis Rodman grabbing a rebound.

All Nicks needs to do it kick a cameraman on the sidelines. (or Toni Kukoc)

Hakeem Nicks has been on a tear this post season because of all the attention Cruz has been getting.

Hopefully Cruz will get less attention so we can all see some Salsa dancing.

I'm also very happy that Chase Blackburn's back. He lacks some of the physical tools but he's a tough, smart player who constantly finds himself at the right place at the right time. 

Looking ahead to San Francisco... I'm glad the Giants are playing them instead of the Saints. The last time these teams played, the Giants were depleted and were nowhere near as hot as they are now. Even with all that the game went down to the wire.

It will be a knock-down, drag-out fight but I like the Giants chances on Sunday. The G-Men are on a roll and I think that will continue into Indy. I just hope that the officials don't have a personal interest in who wins the game.

Wildcard Weekend: Giants vs Falcons

There really isn't much I can say about this game, in fact the only thing I can say is "BALLIN!". The Giants took the Falcons out of the game mentally early and then piled onto the score in the second half. It turns out that the Falcons are worse away from home than a nervous fat kid at sleep-away camp. Their powerful offense couldn't get into a rhythm mostly because of the Giants dominant front four. In fact, the front four was so dominant they shut them out. The only Falcons points scored were because of an awful Eli penalty.

This might be the most intimidating thing ever.

Imagine if the Giants played this well all season long this season would have been far less frustrating. However it is nice seeing the team come together at such a critical time. It was the entire team that got the credit for the win, not just Eli of JP2. The running game stepped up big time and had their best day running all season. The secondary kept the lid on Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzales. So much so that a frustrated Roddy White get in the face of Corey Webster. The Giants defense also kept Michael Turner under wraps only letting him run for 41 yards.

So what have I learned?

I learned that the Giants are the ultimate team. I don't mean this in terms of ability, I mean in that they feed off of each others energy. When the D plays well, the offense plays well. And vice versa. Another point along the same lines is that the defensive line is a catalyst to the Giants success. When they play well it seems to inspire the entire team.

I also know that Osi better savor this year and leave it all on the field because it may be his last wearing big blue.

Rex Ryan, Rob Ryan, Matt Ryan: you've been targeted for Termination.

Do you remember in the first Terminator movie when the Terminator killed every Sarah Connor in the phone book just to make sure he got the right one? Well I learned that the Giants are doing that with the name Ryan. Rex and Rob pissed them off so much that anyone unfortunate enough to bear that name will be in for a world of trouble. Luckily there is a Ryan on the Packers. Ryan Grant.

Speaking of the Packers, the defending world champions, I wouldn't be surprised if the Giants leave Lambeau Field with a ticket to the NFC Championship Game. Now, I'm not ready to crown them Super Bowl Champs just yet but I was very impressed by how they played on Sunday. If they put together that same effort I really like their chances to win the game. The Giants only lost by three the last time they played and they appear to have gotten better as a team.

Let's keep it going G-Men! "We fly high, no lie, you know this."

Week 17: Giants vs Cowboys

It wasn't easy. In fact, sometimes it was downright infuriating. But despite all of that, the Giants are the NFC champions and they are going to the playoffs. All of the pre-season (and regular season) worries were washed away as quickly as Coughlin's Gatorade shower. Since it's been a few years and it feels so good to see the Giants back in the playoffs, I'd like to thank a few people. I'll try to keep it brief and avoid the "wrap-up music."

First off I'd like to thank the Ryan brothers, both Rex and Rob a.k.a Homeless Rex. I want to thank them for being loud-mouth zeppelins. I say zeppelins because they are full of hot air and both went down in flames this year. (See Hindenburg disaster). If it wasn't for their foolish bravado the Giants might have been packing up their lockers.

I'd also like to thank the constant "Coughlin's going to get fired" talk around the media. The team seemed to rally around their coach and essentially play for his job. (It's a good thing the players like him so much.)

Thirdly, I'd like to thank the defensive line for getting healthy and being the disruptive force that was always supposed to be. When they are on their game they improve the entire defense. Which can be seen because when the D line was at their best, the first half, the Cowboys only had 81 yards of offense. Including five punts and a missed field goal.

The receivers deserve some credit for not making any deflating drops. Whoever is in charge for the sounds at Giant game deserves an honorable mention for playing Salsa music when Cruz scores. (I start getting emotional)

And of course Eli for putting together a great season and keeping this team in the hunt when the rest of the team was falling apart. (cue orchestra music)

I know there are way more people to thank but I've run out of time. I love you all!

So what have I learned?

I learned that Giants keep on finding out what makes this team great. Playing smart, physical football seems to be the formula that works for them. It took them a while but it looks like they finally get it.
I'd like to see more of an impact with the running game. I know that Eli is dangerous when he's in the zone but a solid running game will be useful with the cold weather games coming up.
The defensive line needs to stay healthy and mean. As I said before in my Halle Berry like speech they are the catalyst for the entire defense.

So looking ahead they have a tough road ahead of them to Indianapolis. Atlanta is a tough team with a great running game. It will be interesting to see if the Giants can keep this fire going through January.

I know it's a technicality, but the Giants are undefeated this year.