Preseason Halfway Point

So the Giants are halfway through their preseason and you know what that means, knee-jerk reactions to two games where the starters only played a percentage of them. But I have to write about something right?

Reaction #1: The running game needs some work. After two meaningless games the Giants are ranked 21st in the league in rushing with an average of 92 yards a game. Bradshaw is still perfecting his Michael Vick impression by proving that he has problems staying healthy. And his backups, D.J. Ware and David Wilson, aren't proving they can pickup the slack by only averaging 3.2 and 1.4 yards a carry. I still have high hopes for Wilson, but I don't know if that's only because he's a first round pick and the Giants need him to work out. It's like having a reliable spare tire when your most effective tire is covered with adhesives and pieces of tape.

Save your strength, 44. You're gonna need it.

Reaction #2: Eli Manning and Victor Cruz look to be in mid-season form. Although I don't think he'll match the numbers he put up last year, Victor Cruz will still be a force to be reckoned with this season. I am very excited to see how the passing game will adjust when Hakeem Nicks comes back.

Reaction #3: The front four looks ridiculous. Tuck, Osi,  JPP, and the rest of the defense are already displaying their dominance as they already have thirteen sacks in two games. When they are firing on all cylinders, they rip through offensive lines like how a kid rips through Christmas wrapping paper.

Honestly, I'm too creeped out to say anything remotely clever about this.

Reaction #4: Those Quinton Coples arm brandings are the worst thing I've ever seen. I know he's not on the Giants and I should have zero concern about it but it is something that cannot be unseen and ignored. I also know it's common amongst the NFL players but it looks like he was branded by Muhammed Ali using a George Foreman Grill. Nicholas Cage agreeing to be in the Wicker Man (or Drive Angry, or Season of the Witch...) was a better decision than that branding.

"Look at this photograph, JPP threw us in a bath.."

Reaction #5: DO NOT UPLOAD LOCKER ROOM VIDEOS ON TWITTER:  If you've been a art of the Giants organization for any period of time you should know how your coach or how the the Mara family feels about stuff like that. Yes, hazing goes on in every locker room, and yes, it can be stupid and neanderthal-like, but it shouldn't be broadcasted for everyone to see. Also, it was potentially dangerous. We need all the help we can get in the secondary and it would be a kick in the groin if our nickle back got hurt by being thrown into an ice bath. Which reminds me, can JPP please throw Nickleback in an ice bath? Weatherford can put that on his Twitter page and everyone would understand why. 
What bothered me most was the backlash of the video. Skip Bayless says about the video, "I found the video extremely unsettling... this was ugly to watch. This was locker room bullying at it's worst." At least try to act like you've been around athletes your entire career. Whats next? Are you going to accuse Derek Jeter of taking Perfor-... wait. Oh he did? Nevermind then.
Please, Steve, I hope Coughlin giving you a verbal powerbomb will be enough to scare you straight. If it didn't just keep in mind that you are a punter. Feagles wouldn't have done it and neither should you.

So what have I learned? Not much of anything, actually. It's only halfway through preseason.



 

Preseason 2012

Sometimes watching preseason is like REDRUM.

Hello again, everybody! It's the most wonderful time of the year. Well, almost. We still have to watch training camp and preseason football games like an eight-year-old watching The Shining; through our fingers absolutely terrified about what terrible things we might see. I'm not talking about twin girls down a long hallway or the woman in room 237, I'm talking about ACL tears and other season ending injuries. Seeing T2 tear his ACL during a cornerback blitz in a preseason game last year and to have him re-injure the knee during camp was worse than an elevator opening and a river of blood poring out through the hallways.

Aside from being worried about players injuring themselves like a overbearing mother, there are plenty of things that I can focus on. Although it's hard to find stories on the Giants in a Jets-saturated market. I can't tell you with great confidence how everyone is feeling or who is impressive during camp. However, with great confidence I can tell you how many chest hairs Tim Tebow has. 107 if you were wondering.

In case you have been in a coma and missed this picture, here it is.

But the Giants relish in this sort of thing. They love flying in under the radar. Especially their two-time Superbowl MVP quarterback Eli Manning. In an ESPN interview Manning said, "I told David Carr to take his shirt off while we're running sprints after practice to see if we get the same coverage," He added, "I'm not jealous. I'm not looking for extra attention. I'm not looking to do more interviews than I have to or be on TV more than I have to."

So sifting through Jets stories I managed to find a few things that could be used here. For example, the Giants and their DE Osi Umenyiora have finally put their Real Housewives of East Rutherford drama aside and made a deal that makes everyone happy. And a happy Osi is a dangerous Osi for other teams.

Also the Giants have lost some well-known players like Brandon Jacobs, Mario Manningham, and Deon Grant. Not to mention the weaselly swoop of Jake Ballard by the Patriots. It's tough but that's just nature of the business. But I am curious about what Jacobs will say when he gets pissed off at the fans in San Fransisco. 

But there is a revolving door in football. Players leave and new players come in. Players like TE Martellus "Comes into camp 30 lbs overweight and calls himself a 'black unicorn'" Bennett, DT Shaun Rogers, and LB Keith Rivers are all wearing big blue. There are also the rookies to look forward to. First round pick David Wilson out of Virginia Tech who will be something that we haven't seen in a long time, an elusive, speedy running back. Also wide receiver Reuben Randle from LSU will fill in nicely with the rest of the receiving core. People are also expecting big things from TE Adrien Robinson.

"When your quarterback is crying, you have my permission to die."

But for the most part the core group of the Superbowl Champions are still together. The young linebacking core has gotten a year of experience under their belt. Players like Mark Herzlich, and Greg Jones will step up to add to the depth of this position.
The defensive line will continue wreak havoc for the quarterbacks this year. Not to mention Justin Tuck's new face mask. That Bane looking mask will cause nightmares for opponents. Literally.
Luckily,  Terrell Thomas won't miss this season and even worse the rest of his career. Nobody is sure when he'll be back but hopefully when he gets back he'll be ready to make an immediate impact. Until then the pressure is on Prince Amukamara and Corey Webster to make plays. What will help make their job easier will be the pressure from the Giants front four. 

The offensive line has changed a bit with losing Kareem McKenzie but the stronger players of the line from last year is still there.
The backfield has been modified a bit and it should be interesting to see the new dynamic of the running game.
The receiving core still has their top two guys in Hakeem Nicks who vows to be back by mid-August, and the explosive Victor Cruz.
The tight end position has changed quite a bit but they still have Coach Mike Pope that has coached up all the tight ends for the past couple of years, turning no-names into fan favorites. Oh yeah, Eli Manning is also back to defend his championship.

The face of an elite, two-time Super Bowl MVP.

So what have I learned? It seems that most people are already counting the Giants out. A lot of people are predicting either the Cowboys or the Eagles to win the division. But that's okay, the Giants play their best ball when they are disrespected and counted out. Even after coming off a Superbowl win, they were not satisfied with their nine wins. They are still out to prove something. 

Overall I know the Giants well enough to never count them out. But for now,  I'll still be like little Danny on his Big Wheel,  anticipating horrible things while only looking through the cracks of my fingers.

Super Bowl Sunday: Giants vs Patriots

With five seconds left in the game Tom Brady throws a hail Mary to the endzone hoping to score a last second touchdown to give the Patriots another Super Bowl victory. The ball gets batted around for what seemed like an hour, it almost gets caught by Caveman Gronkowski. But the ball hits the ground and the Giants win Super Bowl XLVI.

Since August it has been an up and down season for the Giants. Great players were lost. Rival teams picked up better players. News breaks out that Eli has confidence in himself and thinks he is an elite quarterback (the nerve). Injuries to Goff, Thomas, Tuck. Osi's contract dispute. Osi's surgery. The first lost to the Redskins. Cruz's emergence as a premier receiver. The loss to the Seahawks. The amazing comebacks. Beating the Patriots in Foxboro. Losing a heartbreaker to the 49ers and the Packers. Getting killed by the Saints. Beating the Cowboys in Dallas. Losing to the Redskins again. Talks of Coughlin getting fired. Cruz's 99 yard TD catch and run against the Jets that turned the entire season around. Beating the Cowboys to win the NFC East. Then that momentum continuing through the playoffs beating the Falcons, Packers, and 49ers. After all of this the Giants kept a level head and won the Super Bowl.

Well, at least your wife won't trash your receivers... 

This was a competitive game through and through but what the key for the Giants victory was that they made the big plays when they needed to. Whereas the Patriots couldn't execute in those crucial moments. For instance a Cruz fumble that was negated because they had twelve players on the field. Also, the Welker drop comes to mind. Not only did those drops hurt the team's chances for glory, but it made supermodel wife, Gisele, mad. How dare they! Doesn't everyone know that her opinion is valued over everyone elses? Even if that opinion violates "the code of the brotherhood".


Eli's beautiful throw down the sideline and "Super" Mario Manningham's incredible catch was the play of the game. It was those kinds of plays that gave the Giants the edge they needed. It wasn't anywhere near as good as the helmet catch but it was still one of the best balls in Super Bowl history. 

The Giants defensive line wasn't as dominant as I expected they only had two sacks and eight QB hits.  However, they did force an intentional grounding which resulted in a safety, and they forced a jump ball which was picked off by Chase Blackburn.

The Giants secondary also kept up the good work and did a great job covering the Patriots "playmaker" receivers. By playmaker I mean they force Brady to be a playmaker. 

We may be in Indy. But this looks like a Cleveland steamer.

The running game opened up a bit because of the Patriots defensive plan but Bradshaw and Jacobs did a good job picking up yards. Even though he wasn't really supposed to, Bradshaw scored the game winning and looked like he took a dump on the field while doing it. Maybe it was a subconscious demonstration of him dropping a deuce on the Patriots.

The Giants kept their collective heads on a swivel and recovered two Giant fumbles in big moments.

So what have I learned?

Unless he completely falls apart, Eli should never be questioned as a quarterback. Yes some of his decisions are suspect and they can be questioned. But the discussion about him being a great quarterback, being a great leader, and being a winner should stop after Sunday night's game.

Same goes for Coughlin.

Steve Weatherford, a.k.a. the Ed Hochuli of punters, was the best free agent pick up this year. His performance this year was downright Feaglesesque and his assault on field position helped the Giants defense all year.

Chase Blackburn was a close second. Since he re-joined the Giants he has made great plays.

But here is the most important thing I learned. There is no other team that is equally rewarding as it is frustrating to be a fan of. But I wouldn't trade it to be fans of any other team.

Congratulations, Giants it has been one hell of season and an even better finish. I hope they celebrate this win like Rob "Rocket Scientist" Gronkowski "uhhhh... Yo soy fiesta! Huh-huh-huh."

Look! Gronk have shirt! Make Gronk Laugh! Huh uhh huh huh

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.