Die Hard Sports Fan

The New York Giants will face the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome.

TV Info:

Game: New York Giants (12-3) @ Minnesota Vikings (9-6)
TV: FOX (Dick Stockton, Brian Baldinger, Laura Okmin)
Radio: WFAN (Bob Papa, Carl Banks, Howard Cross)
Time: December 28, 2008; 1:00 p.m. ET

Game Notes:

• The Giants are the No. 1 Seed and are only playing to finish with a 13-3 record which would be the best record by a Giants’ team since 1990.
• The Vikings are playing for the NFC North title which they can win with a victory over the Giants or a Bears loss to the Texans.
• The Vikings lead the regular season series with the Giants, 10-9-0.
• The visiting team has won the last 5 games going back to 2002.
• New York is coming into this game on a one-game win streak while Minnesota is coming into this game after losing one game.
• The Vikings are 5-2 at home while the Giants are 5-2 on the road.
• Last week, New York defeated Carolina 34-28 to improve to 12-3.
• Last week, Minnesota lost to Atlanta 24-17 to fall to 9-6.
• The Giants’ total offense is ranked seventh in the NFL averaging 355.9 yards per game. The Giants are first in rushing (158.9), eighteenth in passing (197.0), and second in scoring (27.2).
• The Vikings’ total offense is ranked seventeenth in the NFL averaging 330.7 yards per game. The Vikings are third in rushing (148.1), twenty-seventh in passing (182.5), and twelfth in scoring (23.9).
• The Giants’ total defense is ranked seventh in the NFL allowing 289.6 yards per game. The Giants are ninth against the run (94.9), seventh against the pass (194.7), and fifth in points allowed (18.3).
• The Vikings’ total defense is ranked sixth in the NFL allowing 288.1 yards per game. The Vikings are first against the run (73.0), eighteenth against the pass (215.1), and thirteenth in points allowed (20.9).
• Last week, Derrick Ward got the game ball for rushing for 215 yards. Ward had a 51-yard run in overtime to set up Jacobs’ winning score.
• Last week, Justin Blalock got the game ball for making the play of the game when he scored the first touchdown of his career. In the third quarter, quarterback Matt Ryan scrambled on second-and-goal and tried to leap into the end zone, fumbling at the 1-yard line. The ball was batted around in the end zone by both teams until Blalock finally fell on it to give the Falcons a 24-7 lead.
• The Line: The Vikings are favored by 7. Over/Under is 42.0.

Injury Report:

Giants - Out of Game: CB Aaron Ross (Concussion), LB Gerris Wilkinson (Knee).  Doubtful: TE Kevin Boss (Ankle/Concussion).  Questionable: DT Barry Cofield (Knee), RB Brandon Jacobs (Knee), T Kareem McKenzie (Back).  Probable: DT Fred Robbins (Shoulder), DE Justin Tuck (Knee).

Vikings - Out of Game: DT Pat Williams (Shoulder). Questionable: WR Bernard Berrian (Ankle), OL Artis Hicks (Elbow), WR Darius Reynaud (Foot). Probable: DE Jared Allen (Knee), QB Gus Frerrote (Back), RB Maurice Hicks (Back), CB Cedric Griffin (Illness), S Darren Sharper (Knee).

Quote of the week:

“Yeah 52 yards, it’ll be nice if I could get it. It’ll be a great testament to the offensive line to block for two 1,000 yard rushers. I’m going to try my hardest to get it and I know they are going to try their hardest to block for me. It should be exciting.”- RB Derrick Ward on being so close to 1,000 yards rushing for the season

Open Thread:

Please feel free to comment below or in the tag board in the sidebar to chat with Giants fans from around the world.

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NFL.com is full of lists right now.  Everyday, they have a new list for something.  This one is definitely worth pointing out because it’s one of my favorites.  So they made a list of the ‘Top 10 Linebacking Corps in NFL History’.  Here it goes…

1. Jim Mora’s Saints - “Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson and Pat Swilling combined for 13 trips to the Pro Bowl and helped the Saints earn respectability.”
2. 1970s Steelers - “Hall of Famers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert were integral parts of Pittsburgh’s famed “Steel Curtain,” the catalyst for four Super Bowl wins.”
3. Bill Parcells’ Giants - “Lawrence Taylor grabbed the headlines, but Harry Carson, Gary Reasons and Carl Banks were key contributors on two Super Bowl-winning teams.”
4. Hank Stram’s Chiefs - “Hall of Famers Bobby Bell and Willie Lanier, along with the unheralded Jim Lynch, dismantled the favored Vikings in Super Bowl IV.”
5. 1985 Chicago Bears - “Otis Wilson, Mike Singletary and Wilbur Marshall ran Buddy Ryan’s 46 defense to perfection as the Bears dominated the NFL.”
6. Vince Lombardi’s Packers - “Led by Ray Nitschke, and also featuring Dave Robinson and Lee Roy Caffey, this group was key to one of the NFL’s greatest dynasties.”
7. Steelers of the mid-1990s - “The foursome of Levon Kirkland, Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd and Chad Brown weren’t the “Steel Curtain” revisited, but weren’t too far off.”
8. 1980s Raiders - “Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks, as well as Matt Millen and Rod Martin, were major contributors on the last Raiders team to win a Super Bowl.”
9. Orange Crush - “Randy Gradishar, Bob Swenson, Joe Rizzo and Tom Jackson teamed up to lead the Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance.”
10. 2000 Ravens - “Led by Ray Lewis, and complemented by Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper, the Ravens defense dominated opponents en route to a title.”

I love great defenses so this is a list for me.  Some of the franchises above are defensive powerhouses historically like the Bears, the Giants, and the Steelers.  It is great to see that the original Big Blue Wrecking Crew got themselves up to No. 3 on the all-time list.  Those were the days.  In the same decade, the Jets had Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko who anchored the New York Sack Exchange which were defensive lineman not linebackers.  I would love to see the Jints put out a linebacking corps like that right now.

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No news has come out of The Swamp the last few days.  Below, you can check out the only article about the Giants today.  The 2008 NFL Schedule will be released tomorrow.  Since there wasn’t anything to write about, I checked up on the NFC East and former Giants.

Rumors about the Cowbows making a trade with the Titans for Adam “Pacman” Jones are back on, according to Adam Schefter of the NFL Network.  The two teams spent all day Saturday going back and forth on proposals.  One of Schefter’s sources believes that the trade could be done this week.  In the past, Dallas has been offering one of their sixth-round picks, but Tennessee held out for a fourth-round pick or better.  Adam also wrote that “Dallas wanted to attach conditions to the trade in which it could receive a draft pick back from Tennessee if Jones got into more trouble in his new city.”  This clause doesn’t make any sense to me.  If Dallas is stupid enough to sign a troubled player then they should suffer the consequenses of the player getting into trouble in his new city, not benefit from it.  Pacman has to apply to be reinstated in the NFL before this can happen.  The two teams are trying to get Pacman reinstated as fast as possible so they can get this deal done on Tuesday.

Down in Miami, Tim Graham of Inside the Dolphins pointed out that former Giants head coach Bill Parcells was unhappy with previous efforts of the former strength and conditioning coaches.  Last season, 16 Dolphins were on IR so he quickly fired them.  So The Tuna brought in two new strength and conditioning coaches who have The Fish working out really hard in the weight room.  Graham also found out that, “Several Dolphins have commented that this is the most strenuous weight conditioning program they’ve encountered in the NFL or college. One player, who said he always considered himself a workout fiend, admitted he had no right to think that way until now.”  While we are on the Dolphins, it is very likely that they are in contract negotiations with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, and if the two sides can agree on a deal then Long will be the first pick in the draft.

Out in Cleveland, former Giants wide receiver Joe Jurevicius contracted a staph infection following knee surgery, becoming the sixth Cleveland player in four years to suffer from staph.  According to the AP, “Jurevicius is recovering well and is expected to participate in team activities in May and minicamp in June.”

Giants.com:

Fans Take - Another Giants fan offers their thoughts on the 2007 season.

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There are a whole bunch of rumors out there.  The Giants and the Jaguars are interested in QB Cleo Lemon who started in Miami in 2007 after Trent Green got injured.  Jerry Reese is in Tennessee to receive an award so he won’t be making any deals today.  Not only are the Eagles interested in Asante Samuel, but Samuel is expected to walk out of Philly with a big fat contract.  Bill Parcells is wheeling and dealing with everybody today.  There are rumor on top of what they have done already, but The Tuna has been very busy.  Parcells is also looking to add former Cowboys to the Dolphins like Julius Jones and Jason Fabini.  The Saints want Shockey.  They called up Jerry Reese to make a trade, and he declined.

I am very upset about losing 2 out of 4 free agents half way through the first day of Free Agency.  Mitchell signed with the Bills and Torbor agreed to terms with the Dolphins.  Hopefully JR will impress us like he did last season.

Newsday:

Raiders eyeing Giants safety Gibril Wilson - Bob Glauber hinted that the Raiders may offer Gibril Wilson a contract worth between $6 million and $6.5 million per year.  The Giants won’t offer anything close to that.

New York Post:

GIANTS PREPARE FOR WILSON’S DEPARTURE

The Star-Ledger:

Needell: Don’t freak - Paul Needell tells us why we Jints fans shouldn’t freak out about losing these players in Free Agency.

Safety updates - Mike Garafolo pointed out that Big Blue is interested Sammy Knight and Eugene Wilson, and Mike asks us which one we like better.

Bye, bye LBs - Mike Garafolo reported that Kawika Mitchell signed a 5-year deal with the Buffalo Bills for an estimated $17.5 million and a $3.5 million signing bonus.  Also, Reggie Torbor agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins.

A thought about Shockey - Rumors are circling about Jeremy Shockey being traded to the Saints, but Mike Garafolo doesn’t think it will happen.

NY Giants won’t spend freely in free agency

All’s quiet - Last night, Mike Garafolo said everything was quiet on the eve of free agency.

Needell: Another lesson…. - Paul Needell reported that the Cowboys resigned Flozell Adams.  Adams can continue to commit the false start penalties.

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Hopefully you guys are keeping up with all of this Free Agent stuff around the NFL.  Teams are dumping players to get ready for Free Agency which begins at midnight as well as the Draft which is in April.  We aren’t going to cover every team, but there is some intersting things taking place.  I will let you know about the NFC East to an extent, and I will let you know about former Giants.  First, the Eagles supposedly cut Jevon ‘The Freak’ Kearse because he suffered a knee injury in 2006 and didn’t get many minutes in 2007.  Maybe Brian Dawkins will retire soon too…  We’ve heard the rumors that the Dolphins are interested in Reggie Torbor.  Bill Parcells is steering that ship, and may be able to sign Torbor as soon as tomorrow.  The Tuna always has something funny to say, and he was quoted as saying that he doesn’t want any “thugs and hoodlums” on his team.  Can he say that?

Giants.com:

Free Agency 101 - Giants.com provided a glossary of NFL Free Agency terms.

Newsday:

Giants GM Reese unlikely to chase free agents - Bob Glauber reminded us that the only Free Agent that the Giants signed last year was Kawika Mitchell, and it seems like Jerry Reese is only interested in DeAngelo Hall this year.  Glauber said that Hall is asking for close to $10 million so Reese might not go after him.  Bob wrote this about the players on the Giants that are about to become unrestricted free agents,

The Giants have only three unrestricted free agents, safety Gibril Wilson and linebackers Reggie Torbor and Mitchell, and they had hoped to keep them from reaching the open market. A person familiar with the Giants’ situation said it was virtually inconceivable that they would retain Wilson, and that it was “doubtful” they would keep Torbor and Mitchell.

That can come back and bite us in the rear if  we lose one safety and two linebackers.  If Mathias Kiwanuka has a healthy return then that will help fill one of these slots.  It seems like Reese is going to fill the holes with rookies if he doesn’t sign Hall.  The defense is what made that amazing run possible.  I hope that there is a smooth transition heading into ‘08.

Bob Glauber’s top 5 FAs - This is the top 5 Free Agents on Bob Glauber’s list, and he included a brief description about each of them in his article.

• Asante Samuel
• Randy Moss
• Alan Faneca
• Lance Briggs
• Justin Smith

New York Daily News:

Tom Coughlin to get 4 years, $21M - Gary Myers noted that this is the only thing left in Coach Coughlin’s contract, “There are only minor details and contract language to be completed, and the deal could be announced as early as next week.”

Jerry Reese’s way fine by John Mara - Ralph Vacchiano stated that John Mara is very confident in the way that Reese is assembling the roster.  At the bottom of the article, Vacchiano covered three other points as well:

Safety James Butler, a restricted free agent, got a one-year, second-round qualifying offer of $1.47 million from the Giants, who can match any offer he receives, and would get a second-round pick from any team that signs him.

QB Jared Lorenzen got a one-year, $927,000 tender. The Giants can match any offer he gets, but would get no compensation.

DE Adrian Awasom, who was arrested in Phoenix on “suspicion of extreme DUI” a few days before the Super Bowl, was not tendered and will become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow.

New York Post:

BIG BLUE MAY TURN ‘CORNER’ - Paul Schwartz reported that the Giants may or may not go after Hall because of Hall’s baggage.

New York Times:

Tyree Talks the Talk, and Also Wears the Helmet - Nate Schweber described when ”David Tyree spoke to students from Montclair High at the Yogi Berra Museum Wednesday night.”

The Star-Ledger:

Agent: Gibril to test market

Ward on his way out? - Mike Garafolo reported that it is unlikely that the Giants will resign Derrick Ward.  I’m very upset about that.  Ward was solid, and he was the best receiving RB on the Giants this year.  He added to the depth of the position.

NY Giants in search of a safety net

Coughlin to get $21M contract extension, NY Daily News reports

Giants not confident on Gibril - Mike Garafolo lets us know where the Giants and Gibril Wilson stand right now.  Garafolo also stated that Wilson is looking for $5 million per year, and how the Giants might go about replacing Gibril if he ends up leaving.  In my opinion, the Giants still have 22 hours to resign Wilson.  I believe that Wilson knows deep down that he isn’t worth $5 million per year.  Even if the Giants let him go, would the Jags or the Eagles pay that much?  So maybe he will realize that and stay with Big Blue for a little less.

Butler, Lorenzen tendered

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