Antonio Pierce talked to Mike Francesa and Evan Roberts of WFAN about the Giants and their dissapointing performance in Cleveland. In the interview, AP said that he may miss next week’s game which sucks big time because he is the leader of the defense. To hear the interview in its entirety, click here.
There were not many positives about last night’s game between the Giants and the Browns. I have been thinking and thinking about what happened last night, and I have various ideas as to what may have caused the embarrassment that we witnessed.
Prior to the game, the only thing that I thought could’ve motivated the Browns was playing the Super Bowl champions at The Dog Pound on Monday Night Football. With that said, I still expected the Jints to come out with a ‘W’. I recall games like this in the past. Off the top of my head, I can go back to last season when the Bills were beating the Cowboys on MNF at Ralph Wilson Stadium in the 4th Quarter. The Cowboys came back to win that game, but the Giants did not. Time and time again, I’ve seen these teams that don’t get much publicity get all pumped up when they are in their city and on national television.
Simply put, the G-MEN took the night off. The Giants did not show up with any sense of urgency. The Browns dominated the physical battle on both sides of the football. The offense was awful and the defense was equally bad. I’m not sure if there was a problem with the coaching or if the players were not executing. After seeing Steve Spagnuolo successfully adjust to some of the best offenses in the NFL so many times, did he not figure out how to stop the Browns or did the team not want to do what Spags had to say? What amazed me the most was that the entire team took off on the same night. It wasn’t one of those nights were the offense played well, but the defense played poorly or vice versa.
One of the biggest things that happened is the fact that the media finally termed Big Blue as the best team in the NFL. The Giants have been playing with a chip on their shoulder for so long because nobody believed that they were the best team in the NFL. Last week, as the Giants were heading into last night’s game they answered the media regarding their status by saying things like, “but no, the media said we were the 6th best team in May.” It seemed like the Giants were trying to create an imaginary chip on their shoulder because that was so long ago. Did the G-MEN finally buy into the fact that the media finally crowned them? It’s possible because this is the first or second week that the media has been saying this, and it is the first time the Giants lost a game since Week 17 to the Patriots. Not only did they lose a game, but they lost a game that they shouldn’t have lost. If this is the case then it should be easy to fix because they got humiliated on national television in October. Coach Coughlin has every right to remind his team how much work they have ahead of them to make the Playoffs and try to repeat. The Giants did not lose a road game since Week 1 last year to the Cowboys. Did they think that they can just show up and win games? If this is the problem then the Giants have plenty of time left to figure out how to win as the favorite and not the underdog. The proof is in the pudding, the Giants will show us that they are for real if they rebound immediately and win the next four games which include the 49ers, the Steelers, the Cowboys, and the Eagles. Are three out of those four game difficult? Of course, but the Giants missed an opportunity to beat up on a weaker team so they are going to have to come out on top over the really good teams.
The most positive spin I can put on this loss is that the Giants have been playing at such a high level for so long and they are bound to lose a game. They won 4 straight Playoff Games and 4 straight regular season games before suffering a loss. How they lost is humiliating because it wasn’t even close. Maybe the fact that they got humiliated will have a positive effect on the team for the remainder of the season.
Offense
Eli Manning was horrible statistically. He went 18/28 which is a 64.29% completion percentage and threw for 196 yards, 1 TD, and 3 INTs. Every time the Giants were about to catch up, Eli threw a pick. Steve Smith was the only effective receiver, and he led the team in Receptions with 9 for 94 yards. Our running game was the best offensive weapon for the Jints last night. Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward ran for 168 yards on 24 carries, but Ahmad Bradshaw never got any touches. So Jacobs and Ward were able to average of 7.0 yards per carry, but nothing else was clicking on offense. The Giants’ offense put up 14 of the 14 points.
Defense
Romeo Crennel developed a pretty good game plan because the Big Blue Wrecking Crew did not get any sacks which is two lower than they got last week against the Seahawks. The reason for this was because the Derek Anderson took 3-step drops and got rid of the ball immediately. This is something that the Giants have not seen before, and it caught them offguard. Crennel also sprinkled in some trick plays which threw the Giants’ defense offguard. Steve Spagnuolo needs to have this issue resolved immediately because other teams are going to look at tape and try to do the same thing. Spags needs to smart enough not to allow it to happen again. The defense did not do anything right so there is not much to say. The Giants’ defense put up 0 of the 14 points.
Special Teams
Did the Special Teams unit fly out to Cleveland? We know Jeff Feagles did since he kept punting the ball away, but where in the world was John Carney. Coach Coughlin didn’t even call his number last night. It was all or nothing. The Giants’ special teams put up 0 of the 14 points.
So the Giants lost their first game which makes them 4-1. They blew a perfect opportunity to go 2 games up on the division since they already knew that the Redskins and Cowboys lost. I picked the Giants to win so that gives me my first loss. Will Big Blue rebound? The 49ers will travel cross country next week to take on the Giants.
Osi Umenyiora talks to ESPN about his rehab and the Giants’ loss to the Browns.
The Browns decided to play the Giants like it was their Super Bowl on Monday Night as they overcame a ton of penalties to shock Big Blue giving them their first loss of the 2008 Regular Season.
1st Quarter
During the Browns opening drive, Anderson connected with Edwards on the left side for about 4 yards, but Edwards ran 49 yards down the sideline. Anderson handed the ball off to Lewis a bunch of times which set up a 28-yard Field Goal Attempt which was made by Phil Dawson with 10:08 remaining.
The Giants were moving the chains during their first possession, but Eli Manning threw an interception to Brodney Poole who returned it to the Browns’ 29 yardline with 6:12 remaining.
Anderson marched the Browns down to the Giants’ 42 yardline where they were stopped, and Dawson missed a 51-yard Field Goal Attempt with 0:33 remaining.
2nd Quarter
Manning immediately made up for his mistake by marching the Giants down to the Browns’ 7 yardline before handing it off to Brandon Jacobs who broke a little to the left and ran it into the end zone for a 7-yard Touch Down run with 12:09 remaining.
Anderson aired it out 70 yards to Edwards in the middle of the field which set up the Browns at the Giants’ 5 yardline, and then Anderson handed it off to Jamal Lewis who ran it up the gut for a 5-yard Touch Down run with 11:10 remaining.
Derek Anderson continued to catch the Giants’ defense off guard as he led the Browns on another scoring drive, and he capped it off by gunning it to Darnell Dinkins in the middle of the end zone for a 17-yard Touch Down pass with 2:15 remaining.
Manning hit Smith over the middle a few of times along with a few other plays which was enough to get the Giants into the red zone where Eli Manning lofted a 3-yard Touch Down pass to Plaxico Burress in the left corner of the end zone with 0:12 remaining.
3rd Quarter
The Giants got the ball first at the 20 yardline, and Eli Manning threw an interception on the first play of the half to Brandon McDonald who returned it to the Giants’ 46 yardline with 14:48 remaining.
The Browns ran a trick play to pick up 33 yards, and then they ran the ball a few times before Phil Dawson made a 26-yard Field Goal Attempt with 11:58 remaining.
With 8:21 remaining, Alex Hall sacked Eli Manning for a loss of 4 yards which ultimately led to a punt.
4th Quarter
The Browns overcame multiple penalties as they had an 88-yard scoring drive, and Derek Anderson gunned a 11-yard Touch Down pass to Braylon Edwards with 14:55 remaining.
Eli Manning countered by marching the Giants all the way to the Browns’ 9 yardline before throwing an interception to Eric Wright who returned it for a 91-yard Touch Down with 8:07 remaining. The Browns converted on a 2-point conversion to take a 21-point lead.
Wrap Up
Eli Manning went 18/28 and threw for 196 yards, 1 TD, and 3 INTs.
Brandon Jacobs led in Rushing Attempts with 14, and Derrick Ward led in Rushing Yards with 101.
Steve Smith led in Receptions and in Receiving Yards with 9 and 94 respectively.
Brandon Jacobs had 1 Rushing TD, and Plaxico Burress had 1 Receiving TD.
John Carney went 0/0 in Field Goal Attempts.
James Butler, Bryan Kehl, and Justin Tuck led the team in Tackles with 5.
The NFL.com Game Center: Post Game is attached.
The New York Giants will face the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Game: New York Giants (4-0) @ Cleveland Browns (1-3)
TV: ESPN (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Tony Kornheiser)
Radio: WFAN (Bob Papa, Carl Banks, Howard Cross)
Time: October 13, 2008; 8:30 p.m. ET
Giants - Questionable: LB Antonio Pierce (Quadricep). Probable: T Kareem McKenzie (Concussion), WR Domenik Hixon (Concussion), DE Jerome McDougle (Knee).
Browns - Questionable: S Sean Jones (Knee), DE Shaun Smith (Hand), T Kevin Shaffer (Concussion), TE Kellen Winslow (Illness). Probable: DT Shaun Rogers (Shoulder), G Ryan Tucker (Hip), S Mike Adams (Foot), WR Donte’ Stallworth (Quadricep), RB Jason Wright (Knee).
“Don’t forget that (Donte’) Stallworth has been injured and hasn’t played. They have really, really outstanding weapons, whether it be (Kellen) Winslow, (Braylon) Edwards, Stallworth. Whoever you want to talk about. (Syndric) Steptoe. All of those people can certainly do an excellent job. So they do have a lot of weapons.” - Coach Tom Coughlin on the Browns offensive threats
Please feel free to comment below or in the tag board in the sidebar to chat with Giants fans from around the world.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel talks to Mike Francesa of WFAN as his team prepares to face the Giants on Monday Night. To hear the interview in its entirety, click here.
The New York Giants beat the Cleveland Browns by a score of 34-37.
1st Quarter
The Giants won the toss and elected to receive on the opening possession. The Giants first possession resulted in a Punt.
With 13:24 remaining, Anderson dropped back and completed a pass to Winslow on the right side for a 10-yard gain. On 1st and 10, Anderson handed it off to Lewis who ran up the gut for a gain of 9. On 2nd and 1, Anderson handed it off to Lewis who ran up the middle for a 3 yards. On 1st and 10, Anderson scrambled to the right side and connected with Ali for a 5-yard completion. On 2nd and 5, Anderson handed it off to Lewis who ran up the gut for no gain. On 3rd and 5, Anderson from shotgun threw an incomplete pass to Stallworth in the middle of the field. On 4th and 5, Phil Dawson made a 56-yard Field Goal Attempt making the score Browns 3 - Giants 0.
With 9:59 remaining, Manning dropped back and aired it out down field to Moss, but Pass Interference was called on the play which advanced the Giants 53 yards. On 1st and 10, Manning handed it off to Jacobs who ran to the left for a gain of 6. On 2nd and 4, Manning overthrew a pass to Hixon near the left corner of the goalline. On 3rd and 4, Manning scrambled to the right for a 10-yard gain. On 1st and 10, Eli Manning from shotgun fired an 11-yard Touch Down pass to Domenik Hixon in the right corner of the end zone. The Extra Point Attempt by Lawrence Tynes was good making the score Browns 3 - Giants 7.
The Browns second possession resulted in a Punt.
With 7:22, the Giants third possession began at the Browns’ 49 yardline due to a 15-yard Interference penalty committed by the Browns during the punt. On 1st and 10, Manning completed a short pass to Moss on the right side to for an 8-yard gain. On 2nd and 2, Manning handed it off to Jacobs who ran to the left and Jones knocked the ball lose, but the ball bounced forward and it was recovered by McKenzie one yard shy of the first down marker. During the play, the Browns were called for a 15-yard Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty which advanced the Giants 15 yards. On 1st and 10, Eli Manning from shotgun fired 24-yard Touch Down pass to Domenik Hixon in the back of the end zone. During the play, the Browns were called for an Offsides penalty which was declined. The Extra Point Attempt by Lawrence Tynes was blocked but still made it through the uprights making the score Browns 3 - Giants 14.
The Browns third possession resulted in a Punt.
The Giants fourth possession resulted in a Punt.
The Browns fourth possession resulted in a Punt from their own 1 yardline. Joshua Cribbs ended up kicking the ball into his own teammate Thomas so the Giants ended up with a Safety making the score Browns 3 - Giants 16.
With 0:21 remaining, Domenik Hixon returned the Kick Off 82 yards for a Touch Down. The Extra Point Attempt by Lawrence Tynes was good making the score Browns 3 - Giants 23.
With 0:09 remaining, Steptoe returned the Kick Off 90 yards to the Giants’ 9 yardline to set up the Browns with great field position to begin the 2nd Quarter.
2nd Quarter
With 15:00 remaining, Anderson connected with Ali on the right side for an 8-yard gain. On 2nd and Goal, Anderson handed it off to Jamal Lewis who fumbled the football, and James Butler picked it up and returned it for a 98-yard Touch Down. The Extra Point Attempt by Lawrence Tynes was good making the score Browns 3 - Giants 30.
The Browns sixth possession resulted in a Punt.
The Giants seventh possession resulted in a Punt.
The Browns seventh possession resulted in a Punt.
The Giants eighth possession resulted in a Punt.
With 6:04 remaining, Quinn fired it to Heiden along the right sideline for a 9-yard gain. On 2nd and 1, Quinn handed it off to Ali who ran up the gut for 3 yards. On 1st and 10, Quinn dropped back and overthrew the pass to Wilson along the right sideline near the goalline. On 2nd and 10, Quinn handed it off to Harrison who ran up the middle for a 23-yard carry. On 1st and Goal, Brady Quinn threw a backword pass to Syndric Steptoe on the right side who ran it in for a 7-yard Touch Down run. The Extra Point Attempt by Phil Dawson was good making the score Browns 10 - Giants 30.
With 7:02 remaining, Wright from shotgun launched the ball to Moss for a 46-yard gain on the right side. On 1st and 10, Wright handed it off to Bradshaw who ran it up the gut for a gain of 3 yards. On 2nd and 7, Wright fired it to Hixon over the middle for a 12-yard gain. On 1st and 10, Wright threw an incomplete sidearm pass to Matthews near the right hashmarks. On 2nd and 10, Wright dropped back a lobbed the ball to the right side of the end zone, and Hixon made the catch but came down with only one foot in bounds. On 3rd and 10, Wright from shotgun threw the pass through the hands of Bradshaw in the middle of the field. On 4th and 10, Lawrence Tynes made a 33-yard Field Goal Attempt making the score Lions 7 - Giants 3.
The Giants ninth possession came to an end as Anthony Wright threw an Interception into the hands of Eric Wright who ran it into the end zone for a 14-yard Touch Down. The Extra Point Attempt by Phil Dawson was good making the score Browns 17 - Giants 30.
The Giants tenth possession came to an end as the First Half came to an end.
Halftime
3rd Quarter
With 14:54 remaining, Quinn threw an incomplete pass to Heiden in the middle of the field. On 2nd and 10, Quinn tossed it back to Harrison who ran it to the right side for a 3-yard gain. On 3rd and 7, Quinn from shotgun gunned it to Heiden on the right side for a gain of 9. On 1st and 10, Quinn dropped back and connected with Ali on the left side for a gain of 7 yards. On 2nd and 3, Brady Quinn off play action aired it out to Steptoe along the right sideline, but Dockery got his hands on it first and somehow Syndric Steptoe got it back and ran it into the end zone for a 44-yard Touch Down. The Extra Point Attempt by Jason Reda was good making the score Browns 24 - Giants 30.
With 12:47 remaining, Ware returned the Kick Off 58 yards to the Browns’ 41 yardline. On 1st and 10, Carr threw it sideway to Thorpe on the left side, and Thorpe picked up 9 yards along the left sideline. On 2nd and 1, Carr handed it off to Bradshaw who ran up the middle for a gain of 2. On 1st and 10, Carr gunned it to Jennings along the right sideline for a 7-yard gain. On 2nd and 3, Carr handed it off to Bradshaw who ran up the gut for 5 yards. On 1st and 10, Carr handed it off to Bradshaw who ran to the right for a gain of 3. On 2nd and 7, Carr dropped back and connected with Bradshaw near the right hashmarks for a 10-yard gain. On 1st and Goal, Carr handed it off to Bradshaw who ran left picking up 3. On 2nd and Goal, Carr handed it off to Bradshaw who ran to the left for a yard. On 3rd and Goal, Carr overthrew Thorpe in the right corner of the end zone. On 4th and Goal, David Carr handed it off to Ahmad Bradshaw who jumped over the pile at the goalline and into the end zone for a 1-yard Touch Down run. The Extra Point Attempt by Lawrence Tynes was good making the score Browns 24 - Giants 37.
The Browns eleventh possession resulted in a Punt.
The Giants twelfth possession resulted in a Punt.
The Browns twelfth possession resulted in a Punt.
4th Quarter
The Giants thirteenth possession resulted in a 42-yard missed Field Goal Attempt by Huston.
With 10:03 remaining Dorsey passed the ball to Thomas on the left side for a yard, but the Browns were called for a Holding penalty which backed them up 10 yards. On 1st and 20, Dorsey dropped back and aired it out to Hill along the right sideline for a 34-yard completion. On 1st and 10, Dorsey hit Dinkins over the middle for a gain of 18. On 1st and 10, Dorsey hit Thomas on a screen in the middle for no gain. On 2nd and 10, Dorsey tossed it back to Thomas who ran it up the middle for 3 yards. On 3rd and 7, the Browns were called for a False Start penalty which backed them up 5 yards. On 3rd and 12, Dorsey from shotgun threw it incomplete to Dinkins in the middle. On 4th and 12, Jason Reda made a 44-yard Field Goal Attempt making the score Browns 27 - Giants 37.
The Giants fourteenth possession resulted in a Punt.
With 5:18 remaining, Dorsey from shotgun fired it to Dinkins over the middle for 23 yards. On 1st and 10, Dorsey from shotgun had his pass batted down at the line of scrimmage. On 2nd and 10, Dorsey from shotgun connected with Hubbard on the right side for a gain of 8. On 3rd and 2, Dorsey handed it off to Thomas who ran it up the gut for 3 yards. On 1st and 10, Dorsey from shotgun completed the pass to Dinkins on the left side for a 9-yard gain. On 2nd and 1, Dorsey threw an incomplete pass to Thomas on the left side, but the Browns were called for a Pass Interference penalty which backed them up 10 yards. On 2nd and 11, Dorsey from shotgun aired it out to Leggett along the left sideline for 28 yards. On 1st and 10, Dorsey from shotgun connected with Sanders on the right side for a gain of 5. On 2nd and 5, Ken Dorsey from shotgun connected with Lance Leggett in the left side of the end zone for an 8-yard Touch Down. The Extra Point Attempt by Jason Reda was good making the score Browns 34 - Giants 37.
The Giants fifteenth possession came to and end as the Second Half came to an end.
The NFL.com Game Center: Post Game is attached.
The New York Giants will be hosting the Clevand Browns at 8:00 p.m. at Giants Stadium. The game will be aired on ESPN.
It’s the first time that the Road Warriors will play at home since the final week of last season when they almost beat the Patriots. This is a busy week for Big Blue because they play tonight, and then they play the Jets on Saturday. After that, there’s only one more week of Preseason before Kickoff Weekends. Week 2 is another week where the starters barely play. Again, Preseason means absolutely nothing except for the fact that we get to check out the backups and the rookies. I just hope that tonight’s game is much more exciting than last week’s game…or as exciting as a Preseason game can be. I also want to see what the Browns are all about since they almost made the Playoffs last year. I never got to see them play.
PS - Remember this…they went 0-4 when they went to the Super Bowl in 2000, and they were 1-3 in 2007 when they won the Super Bowl. However, the Giants went 4-0 in 2006. Then Giants finished ‘06 with an 8-8 record, and lost to the Eagles in the Wild Card Round.
Make sure you guys give Champs a huge ovation!
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.
The NFL announced the opponents that the G-MEN will face in the 2008 Preseason which gets me a little giddy because it’s a sign that football is coming. Even though we know the opponents that the Jints will face in 2008 already, the Regular Season schedule will be released in a few weeks. Once we see the order of the teams that they have to face, we can start breaking it down.
Giants.com:
Preseason Opponents Announced - Michael Eisen listed the Giants 2008 Preseason opponents:
The Week 2 game against the Browns will be nationally televised at 8:00 pm on August 18, and the game will be televised on ESPN. Regarding the other three games, the dates and times are yet to be determined.
New York Daily News:
Tom Coughlin’s changes fit for a title - Gary Meyers discusses the changes Tom Coughlin made prior to a season where Big Blue won the Super Bowl. I was watching the Jets show on SNY last night, and I heard Eric Mangini say that he needed to make changes too. In the copy-cat league known as the NFL, it seems like the Jets may win the Super Bowl if Mangini makes the necessary changes. LOL.
New York Times:
Redskins Are the New Adventure for Zorn - If you want to know more about the enemy, Greg Bishop talked to Jim Zorn about becoming the Head Coach of the Washington Redskins.
The Star-Ledger:
Are you ready for some (preseason) football? - Mike Garafolo discusses the Giants 2008 Preseason opponents.
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