Week One 2016: Giants at Dallas

The Giants kicked off their 2016 season in a big way with beating Dallas in Jerry World. It wasn’t the best win, but it was great to beat the Cowboys in their house again.

About Last Sunday
To be honest, I had no idea what to expect from the Giants during week one. I didn’t know how the offensive line was going to protect Eli and open the running game, I wasn’t sure how well the defensive line was going play against Dallas’ offensive line, and I was excited to see what Victor Cruz could do in his first game back.


What Went Right
The Giants offensive line played well. Manning only got sacked twice, and wasn’t running for his life the entire game. Plus when the Giants needed to run the ball to close out the game, they gave Jennings room to eat up the clock like the Ninja Turtles devouring a pizza.
Speaking of the running game, it was streamlined and effective. Last year, the running game was pieced together like a platypus, but this year it looks like they are using Jennings as the main back and Vereen as the passing down’s back.
It looks like Victor Cruz is back to form. He didn’t put up stellar numbers, but it was great to see him score the 4th quarter touchdown to give them the lead, and it was even better to see the salsa dance.

I can't believe I forgot how much I missed this. I also can't believe they got fined for this celebration.

Sterling Shepard made a real tough catch for his first NFL touchdown. He's looking very promising.  
The defense was solid. You’d expect them to play well against a rookie making his first regular season start ever, but the defensive line was able to get the best of Dallas’ vaunted offensive line. They held Ezekiel Elliott and Alfred Morris to under 100 combined yards, and towards the end of the game they were able to put pressure on Dak Prescott.
Landon Collins didn’t give up on a jump ball against Dez Bryant in the end zone. Because of that hustle, Dez couldn’t complete the catch, and there was no touchdown.
The defense only gave up one touchdown to the Cowboys. Their red zone defense was on point.


What Went Wrong
Eli Manning threw a really bad interception while trying to connect with Sterling Shepard. I’m not sure what happened, it looked like Shepard gave up on the curl route when Brandon Carr cut it off. I don’t know if Eli was already throwing his way before it happened, or if it was a T-Rex brained play by Eli. Either way, it was ugly.
Despite plugging the run, it took the Giants a while to get after Prescott, and even then, they couldn’t get a sack.
Even though the Cowboys scored only one touchdown, the Cowboys still dominated time of possession and were able to drive the ball downfield at will.



This was very close to going to Cowboys’ way. While trying to approach field goal range for Dan Bailey, Cowboys’ receiver Terrence Williams didn’t run out of bounds to stop the dwindling clock. Because of this, Dallas never got the opportunity to kick a game-winning field goal. Maybe this is an issue that slips the mind of the rookie Prescott, but it would’ve been discussed by Romo in the huddle.
That seemed like a crunch-time mistake that would’ve been made by Big Blue last year. Luckily, the Giants appeared to have fortune on their side, or at very least, Ben McAdoo drank Harry Potter's Felix Felicis potion.

Harry doesn't need a good luck potion, he's got all the luck he needs from J.K. Rowling and the screenwriters. In other words, Harry doesn't earn a damn thing. 

On To The Next One
Victor Cruz and Janoris Jenkins have their eyes and words set on Josh Norman this week. They’re calling him out for only covering one side of the field. This is certainly shaping up to be a great rivalry. The only thing is that someone forgot to tell them they’re playing Washington next week, not this week.

To be fair, you don't give a cornerback $75 million to only sometimes cover your opponents top receiver.

This week, however, the Saints are parading towards us. (Sorry, there must be a better way to phrase that.) This looks to be another barn burner, maybe not to the extent of a combined score of 101, but it still has the potential of being a shootout.
This will be the first real test for the defense. Drew Brees is better than Dak Prescott, and New Orleans' receivers as a whole might be better than Dallas'. Let’s see if Big Blue can contain this C-4 offense that the Saints have.
I have no doubt that Giants' offense will be able to dominate the Saints’ defense. If the Saints have a C-4 offense, they have a sparkler defense.
The fact that this game will be played outdoors and in possible rainy conditions also gives the G-Men a really big advantage. These dome babies from New Orleans might have trouble in these adverse conditions. Will it be enough to tip the game into the Giants favor? Maybe they won't need nature's help, or a liquid luck potion. 

Preseason Wrap Up

The NFL season has officially kicked off with the rematch of Super Bowl 50, and before Cam Newton’s head stops ringing, the Giants will kick off their 2016 season in the least likely place, sorry, I mean the most likely place. AT&T Stadium in Dallas.

The fact that this is actually a thing, really bothers me.

The Giants didn’t look all that great this August. I know that it’s only preseason, and you get the same amount of facts from those four games as you do from Flat Earth "Truthers", but what I saw from the team made me a bit nervous. Like getting a call from your mom out of nowhere kind of nervous. Mostly because when your mom calls, it could be something as simple as her checking in, or your dog might be dead. It’s that kind of uncertainty that we are faced with as Giants’ fans. 



This preseason had some positives and negatives, much like Adam Sandler’s career. So using him as inspiration...
What was Billy Madison about August:
Defense overall seemed to be vastly improved from last year. This is especially true with  the defensive line. JPP, Olivier Vernon, “Snacks” Harrison, and Johnathan Hankins have shown that they can be a force to be reckoned with this upcoming season.

What was The Longest Yard about August:
The offense hasn’t exactly impressed this preseason. It wasn’t Ann Coulter at the Rob Lowe Roast bad, but maybe the Situation at the Donald Trump Roast bad? A lot of the troubles had to do with the offensive line. Ereck Flowers is still developing at left tackle, and the right side of the line has gotten desperate enough that they had to re-sign Will Beatty. Hopefully the more they play, the more the o-line will gel.

"When I'm President, you'll be the first one deported, grease ball."

The linebackers looked to have improved from last year, but they are still the weak spot of the defense. Early middle linebacker front runner, Jasper Brinkley, got cut, and Kelvin Sheppard is now running the defense. Hopefully, the front four has improved enough to cover up linebackers like a turned over couch cushion.

What was Jack and Jill about August:
Learning about Josh Brown’s domestic violence incidents, and worse, learning that the Giants knew about the incident and still resigned him, has shaken my confidence in the organization a bit. It’s not as bad as Ray Rice’s situation, or Greg Hardy’s, but it’s still something what shouldn’t be tolerated. 



Truth be told, I don’t know what to expect this season from Big Blue. They are a team with issues, but so is every team in their division.
Tony Romo, out with another back injury, is a huge problem for Dallas. They still have a good line, and an impressive young back, but unlike Cowboy's cheerleader disguised as a journalist pundit commentator, Skip Bayless, I’m not convinced that Dak Prescott is another Cam Newton or Russell Wilson. Although I think he’s a better option behind center than the Rolodex of intramural flag football quarterbacks that were used last year. Also, a few of their defensive play makers are serving suspensions at the beginning of the year. 

Congratulations on your move to FOX Sports, Skip. This is nothing like what you did at ESPN.

There hasn’t been back to back winners of the NFC East since 2004 when the Eagles did it. I don’t think Kirk Cousins has it in him to lead the Redskins to do so. Also, if they're expecting Josh Norman to replicate what he did last year, they better have one of the best front sevens in the league, because that's the only reason he was so good last year.
The Eagles are suffering a hangover from the Chip Kelly years, and it’s something that Gatorade and Advil can’t fix. Their starting quarterback is a rookie who missed most of the preseason because of fractured ribs, they don’t really have play makers on offense.

The Giants had a chance to win this division last season, but they lost too many close games and let the division slip through their fingertips. There were an unprecedented amount of screw ups which I don’t expect to see this time around. They can have the same opportunity to win the NFC east this year, and I hope they don’t blow it.

2016 Training Camp Preview

Summer vacation is over for the New York Giants. JPP didn’t blow off any more body parts, Odell Beckham played soccer in Europe and got chased around Munich like he’s one of the Beatles, Eli Manning probably read a few Goosebumps books for summer reading, while Eli Apple was most likely taken "back to camp" clothes shopping by his mom.
But now that’s all over, they are all back at the Meadowlands for training camp.

This is a magical time of year when the fans of every team can believe that their team has a shot of playing well into January. Well, every team except for the Browns. Even Lebron can’t help them there. You can use reason, and come up with scenarios that makes sense.
Here’s the case I can make for the Giants:
If Cruz is 100% this year, Sterling Shepard plays as well as anticipated, and Beckham plays like Beckham, this will be the best receiving corps in the league. This mean Eli will go all NBA JAM on defenses this year, and will most likely be his best year yet. 
Rookie running back Paul Perkins shows a lot of promise, and the running game started to shape up towards the end of the year when they used Jennings as their primary back.
Also, the Giants spent a ludicrous amount of money on free agency. Sorry, I mean a Ludacris amount of money. Let’s be honest, it would be very difficult for the defense to be worse than they were last year.

If you don't know where Luda is in this picture, I can tell you one thing, it ain't a Dave and Busters.

They got serious defensive line help with Olivier Vernon and Damon “Snacks” Harrison, secondary help with Janoris “Jackrabbit” Jenkins, and (some) linebacker help with Kelvin Sheppard.
The Giants also addressed their defense in the draft with picks like Eli Apple and Darian Thompson.

On paper they look like a vastly improved team, but things that look good on paper can often get ripped to shreds just as easily. Remember the Tortoise and the Hare lesson Vince Young learned in 2011 when he called the Eagles a "Dream Team". They went 8-8.  For what it’s worth, the Giants won it all that year, and I don’t think people expected too much from them.
You never know how your favorite team’s season is going to go. You could have Scorsese expectations, and only get Tyler Perry quality, but if you expect to see Madea Goes To Jail, it would be a pleasant surprise to see Goodfellas instead.

"In prison, dinner was always a big thing. We had a pasta course and then we had a meat or fish. Paulie did the prep work..."

But despite this lesson, I still have a Bigfoot hunter’s naivety when it comes to my optimism for the Giants every summer. I’m a glutton for punishment, I suppose.



So what am I looking for this training camp?

The development of Ben McAdoo as a head coach:
Good ol’ Bennie Macs has big shoes to fill. Although, I don’t think his team philosophy will differ all that much from Coughlin’s, I do think it will be updated to a more modern sensibility. Like going from a Zack Morris cellular telephone to a Smartphone. McAdoo even has music playing during practices. That’s something Coughlin didn’t do until the end of his tenure with the Giants.
I’m most interested in the conditioning aspect. For some reason, the Giants were always towards the top on the “most injuries” lists. According to an article by Jordan Raanan, McAdoo has implemented a new conditioning regiment, an updated weight room, and a practice schedule that will focus more on fundamentals and hopefully limit the risk of injury.
Scheme wise, I think the offense will stay the same, but I don’t think he’ll be all that “hands on” on the defensive side of the ball. He'll let Spags play with his new toys.
I'm looking forward to see how he manages a team, it is nice to know that the clocks in the facility are still set five minutes fast.

The development of the rookies:
The Giants had a pretty good draft this year. But there are few players that everyone seems to have high hopes for. Those players are Sterling Shepard, Darian Thompson, and Paul Perkins.
I’m most excited to see how Shepard develops, because I think he could make a huge contribution to the passing game. I’m not a big believer in signs from the universe, but if you take Shepard’s number, 87, and add it to Beckham’s number, 13, you get 100. I don’t know what it means, but it sounds serendipitous. It will only get better if Victor Cruz can play close to the level he was before his knee injury.
Darian Thompson will be the center fielder that the Giants' secondary need. His playing style compliments Landon Collins really well, too. These two young safeties can be a great tandem for years to come.
Paul Perkins enters a crowded backfield. I think as of now Jennings, will be the main back and Vereen will be a 3rd down, two minute drill back. I'm sure Perkins will start the season Jennings backup at first, and maybe work his way into getting a good amount of carries.  

The Health of JPP and Victor Cruz:
JPP is not much of a concern to me, considering that he was pretty effective last year with one hand. This season he’s using a customized glove instead of an oven mitt to fit over his Whomping Willow hand. Let’s see how that effects his game, he might have trouble grabbing onto offensive linemen or quarterbacks, but he’s going to come out the gate being super motivated. Olivier Vernon will also attract so much attention, that it will help make JPP’s life a little easier.
Cruz on the other hand, is still a question mark to me. After suffering a knee injury halfway through the 2014 season, and then injuring his calf while trying to return from that knee injury, it’s easy to think that he won’t play at the same level that he has in the past. The fact that he isn’t being limited at all during camp is very encouraging, also. It means that both he, and the Giants organization feel confident enough in his health to let him run wild.
I don’t think he’ll be the Cruz we all fell in love with, but if he comes close, the Giants’ passing game is going to give opposing secondaries fits.
What’s good about his situation is how he handles his new contract. He restructured his contract, and took a huge pay cut to stay with the Giants. Now he's playing with something to prove. To the fans, the team, and himself.
I don’t know how effective he’ll be, I don’t even know if he’ll play all season, but I’m hoping that he can play and make a difference on the team. I do know one thing, like JPP, he’s going to come into this year as motivated as ever.

The Improvement of the Offensive Line:
This is by far the biggest concern I have for the Giants heading into this year. If Flowers continues on the trajectory he was on last year, he can establish a solid left side of the offensive line. I also like how Weston Richburg is developing at center.
However, the right side of the offensive line scares the crap out of me. In fact, I don’t want to talk about that side of the line anymore than Bachelorette contestant, Jordan Rodgers wants to talk about his brother, Aaron. Yes, that one. Like an immensely talented brother who got famous and may, or may not have, big-timed his family, it makes me uncomfortable to think about the reality that I’m living in. But again, that’s only the right side. Hopefully in the 11th hour, the Giants can find a way to address the right side of the line, and the Rodgers family can patch up whatever problems they’re dealing with. 

"My far-superior brother got famous, and now he doesn't talk to us. Anyway, you wanna make out?

Antony Dable:
Anthony Dable has the look of a big time NFL receiver. This 6-4 220 French import, nicknamed Dablatron, was a tour de force in the Germany where in the last two seasons, he racked up 145 passes for 2,437 yards, and 32 touchdowns. Granted, it was in the German Football League, which is the equivalent to playing NHL ’94 on easy with the off-sides turned off, but it’s still impressive none the less.
I don’t think DablaTron will be an NFL MVP anytime soon, but he’s definitely someone to keep your eyes on as camp moves on. Maybe he’ll be good enough to make an impact on Sundays. You know how much Eli loves tall receivers.

"Jetez-moi la balle sacrément!"

So as training camp progresses, I’m going to see how the teams progressing while trying to keep a level head about what to expect from Big Blue. With the changes they’ve made, though, fighting the urge to be optimistic is the same as fighting the urge not to follow suit when you see someone yawning. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. All we can do is hope everyone makes it out of camp unscathed, and ready to compete at a high level in September.

2016 Offseason / Draft Preview

A lot has happened to the Giants since the last time we talked.

First, Tom Coughlin fell on the sword, and “walked away” from the Giants’ organization after another disappointing season. By “walked away” I mean that he was thrown out like two week old Chinese food.
Ben McAdoo, who looks like that uncle who is in two bowling leagues, got the promotion from offensive coordinator to head coach. You know it’s funny, when everyone was throwing names around about who would be the next head coach of Big Blue, I thought that I’d rather have Coughlin over all of the suggested names. Even McAdoo's.
It’s unfortunate to see him go. True, it can be a reflection of his coaching for the Giants to lose a handful of games in the final two minutes, but to be fair he wasn’t coaching a team that was built to win a lot of games. Try painting a house when all you have are a couple of good brushes, but mostly you’re supplied with kid’s water color brushes. That’s what Tom Coughlin was trying to do, and the house never got painted.



But the one man who was responsible for building this team, Jerry Reese, basically said at Coughlin’s firing press-conference that although the team wasn’t perfect, but it was competitive. In fact, the team was so competitive that Reese spent this off-season throwing money around like Jordan Belfort. 

Here's Jerry Reese trying to save his neck by throwing money at free agents to help his depleted team.

They paid a Steinbrenner amount of money on a cornerback, Janoris Jenkins, defensive end, Olivier Vernon, and defensive tackle, Damon “Snacks” Harrison. They all got big money, and they are expected to make immediate impacts on defense.  
The Giants acquired a few other players. A couple of linebackers, a few offensive linemen, a running back, and a tight end. The biggest impact of this group will probably be the linebackers, Kelvin Sheppard and Keenan Robinson. The position is really thin from a talent standpoint, so I won’t be surprised to see these guys get a good amount of playing time.
Along with signing some new faces, Reese resigned a few people from last year’s “competitive” roster. JPP, Jasper Brinkley, and Josh Brown will all be back with Big Blue in the upcoming season. I’m expecting big things from JPP. He showed a lot of promise when he returned last year, and the additions of Vernon and Harrison will no doubt make his job a bit easier.

But in every off-season, teams lose noteworthy players. The Giants are no different. They had to say goodbye to the oft injured Prince Amukamara. It stings to see him go, but realizing that he only has one full season under his belt makes it a no-brainer to not give him a big extension. I can say the same thing about veteran linebacker, Jon Beason, who has since retired from football.

I am so mad that I didn't think of Roomba Randle until now.

They also got rid of my favorite route runner, Rueben Randle. He showed flashes of brilliance from time to time, but most of the time his routes were no more predictable than an automated vacuum cleaner's. I hope the Eagles will enjoy the five extra interceptions that Roomba Randle will give Bradford this year.
The Giants also got rid of offensive linemen Geoff Schwartz and Will Beatty.

Here’s a stat that will restore your faith in Jerry Reese. According to an article from nj.com, after the recent cuts of Randle, Prince, and Markus Kuhn, the Giants don’t have any players from the 2011 and 2012 drafts on their roster anymore. In those two recent drafts, nobody that was drafted was good enough, or reliable enough, to get resigned by the Giants. So there’s another feather in the cap of Reese.



Speaking of terrible drafting, let’s get to the 2016 NFL Draft...

Right now here are the Giants’ biggest needs; offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, running back, wide receiver, defensive backs, and safety. In other words, the team is doing great.
The good news is that because they have so many needs that they sucked their way to the 10th pick in the draft. This means they have a lot of options to get a player that can possibly be a cornerstone of the team for years to come. I feel like I said the same thing last year...
But who will they get? Will it be a defensive lineman like Shaq Lawson, or DeForest Buckner? Will it be offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley or Jack Conklin? Maybe a corner if Jalen Ramsey or Vernon Hargreaves falls to them? Maybe they’ll wind up taking linebackers Myles Jack or Leonard Floyd? Will they do something crazy like drafting running back Ezekiel Elliott or receiver Laquon Treadwell?

I think their best bet would be a defensive or offensive lineman. I know picks like that are as sexy as gym socks, but a deep and effective offensive or defensive line is what separates good teams from great teams. Eli and the running game will benefit from talented depth on the offensive line, and it would be great to see the Giants defensive line as the revolving door of pain that it used to be.
I really can’t see Jalen Ramsey falling to the Giants, but it is possible that Hargreaves will be there. But will there be more pressing needs for Big Blue available at that spot?
A linebacker like Jack or Floyd would be a good addition, even though Jack’s knee issue is a major concern. I’d be surprised if they take a linebacker since the last linebacker they took in the first round was Carl Banks in 1984. Having said that, Leonard Floyd would be a great pass rusher for the Giants.

ROOMIES!

I can’t see them picking up an offensive weapon with their first pick, but if they pick anyone, it’ll most likely be Laquon Treadwell. Odell, who spent his off-season at Drake's house, will see a lot of coverage this year (not that it really matters), and who knows what Victor Cruz will bring to the table this year? So a solid WR2 makes sense, but I can’t see Reese pulling the trigger on it.

The truth is that nobody will know what happens until Thursday night. Not me, not you, and not the bigwig mock drafters with their fancy suits and fancy networks. Just like those countless Star Wars or Game of Thrones fan theory videos on YouTube, it’s all speculative and ultimately pointless. What’s the point of trying to figure out if Jon Snow is dead, who Supreme Leader Snoke is, or who Rey’s parents are, when you’ll eventually find out? The same idea goes for these mock drafts. We’re all going to find out soon how the draft will go, but we all still read the articles, read the mock drafts, watch the draft shows on TV, and get excited or disappointed when we disagree on a hypothetical pick. I carry the blame just like everyone else. I clearly have an idea on who the Giants could/should get, and I have my own opinions on Rey’s lineage.

...Nerds... obviously Chewbacca is Rey's father, and Snoke is Jar Jar Binks.

We can talk about who will be drafted in the first round all day, but that’s not how a draft is won. If Reese wants to earn some pelts and save his job, he has to find great value in the late rounds, some diamonds in the rough.  For most of his time as GM, Reese had some major whiffs after the first two rounds.

Jerry Reese trying to swing for the fences in the later rounds.

No matter who they pick this week, there’s one thing that mostly everybody knows for sure... the Eagles really crapped the bed with their trade. I didn’t realize Sonny Weaver Jr. was the actual GM of the Browns this year. Giving up all of these picks for a possible franchise QB doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but then again, the hiring of Chip Kelly didn’t make much sense either.

Listen, if Reese screws this draft up, the Giants season will most likely suffer, and he’ll probably get the axe. Ya know, unless he doesn’t. Again, like the bigwigs, I can’t predict the future.

"Todd! This is the can't-miss, best beach day of the year!"