NFL Kickoff

Well, all of the summer beer has been replaced by a million different Oktoberfest and Pumpkin beers, Halloween stores are popping up all over the place, and the days are getting shorter. This could only mean one thing... the football season is upon us. So grab your old and ratty, but somehow “lucky,” Jason Sehorn jersey because Giants’ football starts on Monday night. It’s time to see how this team is coming together. Will they die like dogs, or will they fight like lions?

Sehorn is on the left. Next to the animatronic Bruce Jenner.

Now, if you read my previous post, I talked about how I was optimistic about this upcoming season. I explained how it can sometimes be a fool’s errand because success is so hard to achieve in the NFL. And judging by how Big Blue looked this pre-season, it looks like I was a bit foolish to be as optimistic as I was.

Here’s a list of why I was stupid to be optimistic:

The Offensive Line: It really doesn’t matter what system is in place if the quarterback is running for his life whenever he drops back to pass, he won't be that effective. Especially when the quarterback’s running is equivalent to a drunk girl in heels trying to catch a taxi. I thought the line would have made a big step forward, but it seems like they just stood still.

I really hope I don't see this face too much this season.

Eli Manning: I know the offensive line is in trouble, but Eli hasn’t done himself any favors either. He was sacked five times, you could put some of the blame on the offensive line, but the fact that he lost fifty-seven yards on those sacks have to be blamed on the jelly-legged quarterback.
Sometimes he’s looked fine, other times he looked as sharp as a bean bag. It looks even worse when you look at how well his second year back-up, Ryan Nassib, played. Hell, the goofy bastard was even outplayed by Curtis Painter.

Rueben Randle: Ohh Rueben “Wrong Page,” you’re doing it again, aren’t you? Last year I thought the issue with Randle was his inability to understands Gilbride’s offense. I thought he would take to this new offense like Batman takes to vigilante justice, but instead he’s taking to this offense like Bruce Wayne takes to emotional stability. True, he did catch that one touchdown against the Jets, but he ran a few wrong routes at crucial times that have killed drives.

Odell Beckham Jr.: It’s almost impossible to find holes in Odell’s game. And that’s because he’s been more of a spectator than a participant since he’s been drafted. The hamstring pain for Odell has been a real pain in the ass for Tom Coughlin. We’ll have to see how long it’ll take for his hamstring to feel better. You can be damn sure they won’t force his recovery and risk another set back.

Here’s a list of why I was right to be optimistic:

Steve Weatherford: The pumped-up punter, Captain Leg Day, is having a terrific preseason. Out of his thirty-two punts, eleven landed inside the twenty yard line, and only one was a touchback. It’s good to know that if the offense stalls, which let’s face it, it’s likely to happen, the Giants have someone reliable to improve their field position.

The Running Game: Despite the issues with the offensive line, Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams have really been effective in their first years with the Giants. Thankfully, the running game can be used to give Eli more time in the pocket to make better decisions. Maybe this West Coast offense might have to turn into a ground and pound offense.

Cruz before CRUUUUUZZZ!

Corey Washington: This undrafted rookie wide receiver has set the world on fire this preseason. He was even named NFL.com’s “Preseason MVP”, so we might as well get him a gold jacket now. Washington, who is 6’4”, can become the tall receiver that Eli needs. My only issue is that Washington didn’t get first team looks this preseason. That leads me to believe that he won’t get much work this year. Who knows? Maybe McAdoo will fit Washington’s skill set into this under construction offense for some immediate help.
I know it’s kind of a stretch to think an undrafted rookie can just burst onto the scene and become an integral part of the offense, but it has been done before. See: Cruz, Victor.

Damontre Moore: Coming into his second season, Moore really needs to step up and be a cog in the Giants’ pass rushing machine. So far this preseason, he has been playing like one of those cogs racking up nine tackles and four sacks. Also, Michael Strahan has been helping to mold him during the offseason. If Strahan is the Yoda to Moore’s Luke, we could expect big things from this guy.

"Much to learn, you have. A huge gap in your teeth, you need."

The rest defense I’m not too sure about yet. Overall they looked okay this preseason. The G-Men’s defense really depends on three people; JPP, Jon Beason, and Stevie Brown. If the three of them play to their fullest ability, the D will be just fine. If not, it’s going to put even more pressure on this troublesome offense. And considering it’s harder to start this offense than an old lawnmower, they need the defense to play well.


So what have I learned?

If Jerry Reese had access to a time machine, I bet he’d definitely reconsider drafting Zack Martin over Odell Beckham Jr.. Especially since Beckham’s leg is the injury equivalent to the state of the offensive line.

The officiating really needs to get their act together. I know the penalty calling is so much softer in the preseason, but this is ridiculous. I’m hoping for this to change, because football really might become unwatchable.

It will probably take a few weeks for it to happen, but the offense will eventually click. There will be one game where all the pieces will fit together like a puzzle. I just hope that game comes early in the season. I mean, they can't start off 0-6 again. Can they?

Let’s face it. This is the NFL. Anything can happen. Could the Giants only win six games? Sure. Could they somehow make the playoffs and make a run? Sure. I mean they’ve done this whole thing before, right? Getting completely dismissed and then pulling a great season out of their asses.
In a league full of teams that are hard to peg, Big Blue is probably the most difficult to figure out. I wouldn’t be surprised if they die like dogs or fight like lions.