Die Hard Sports Fan

The Giants flew out to Glendale, AZ where they won Super Bowl XLII and outscored the high octane Cardinals offense. I must admit that I was nervous for a few days prior to kick off. The first reason was because the G-MEN are due for a loss, and the second reason was because they have not had to defend a high-flying offense like this maybe since the Super Bowl. This victory along with a Titans loss now puts the Giants and the Titans in a tie for the best record in the NFL, 10-1, with five games to go. Who team will finish the ‘08 season with a better record? We’ll see, but I do know that Big Blue will move up to the #1 spot on all of the Power Rankings.

Offense

The Giants offense consisted of a whole lot of passing yesterday. Eli Manning had a great game as he went 26/33 which is a 78.79% completion percentage and threw for 240 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs. This is the first time he threw for over 200 yards since the Seattle game. Every time the Cardinals scored, Eli marched the team right down the field for a score never giving the Cardinals the opportunity to take the lead. Manning spread the love by throwing his 3 TD passes to 3 different receivers which included Amani Toomer, Madison Hedgecock, and Kevin Boss. Domenik Hixon replaced Burress after the first series and led the team in Receptions and Receiving Yards with 6 and 57 respectively. Earth, Wind, and Fire were not able to show themselves off as a trio to the Cardinals defense because Jacobs was inactive. Ward and Bradshaw were not as successful without the big man. Derrick Ward led the ground game with 20 touches for 69 yards and 1 Rushing TD. The running game only amassed to 87 yards on 27 carries. The Giants’ offense put up 28 of the 37 points.

Defense

The Giants defense was solid even though they gave up 29 points. The defense came out and pressured Kurt Warner throughout the game and the defensive backs were extremely physical with the Cardinals’ receivers. Justin Tuck got the only sack of the game as well as a forced fumble. Rookie Kenny Phillips had his best game yet with 7 Tackles. It seemed like Phillips was involved in every play, and his best play of the game was when he punched the ball out of Larry Fitzgerald’s hands in the end zone for what would’ve been a TD. Ross was also playing very physical, but too physical for the Refs because they kept throwing flags out on the field. The other rookie, Terrell Thomas, got a pick. The Giants have been allowing an average of 17 points per game so they were fortunate that they got the win after allowing 29 points. The Giants’ defense put up 0 of the 37 points.

Special Teams

John Carney returned and was 3/3 (perfect again) in Field Goal Attempts. I already mentioned how Hixon filled in really well for the injured Plaxico, but he was even better on special teams. Domenik Hixon had 201 return yards which constantly gave the Giants’ offense great field position which they took advantage of. Most of Hixon’s return yardage came on a 83-yard return and a 66-yard return. Hixon left the game with 269 total yards so props to him. The Giants’ special teams put up 9 of the 37 points.

Heading into this weekend, I felt like all four NFC East teams were going to win because there were not any head-to-head games or really challenging opponents. The three teams with the better records won while the Eagles with the worst record lost. I was hoping that either the Redskins or Cowboys would’ve lost rather than the Eagles. The Giants won their tenth game which makes them 10-1. How will Big Blue fair in the next 5 games? They have the toughest schedule remaining of any team in the NFL. I predicted them to be 9-2 after the first 11 games, and they are 10-1. I got 3 games wrong so far because I had the Giants beating the Browns but losing to the Steelers, and then I had the Giants and the Eagles splitting the season series with each of them winning at home. I predicted the Giants to be 3-2 down the stretch giving them a 12-4 record. The Giants will make a trip to the nation’s capitol to take on the Redskins on Sunday.

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The Giants and the Cardinals came into the game as the first and second best scoring teams in the NFL, but it was the Giants who won the shootout in the desert giving Big Blue their tenth win of the 2008 Regular Season.

Note: Brandon Jacobs was inactive due to a knee injury.

1st Quarter

Note: Plaxico Burress left the game after the first possession by the Giants and his return is questionable.

The Cardinals kept converting on third and long as they went 79 yards on 13 plays during their opening drive, and Neil Rackers made a 34-yard Field Goal Attempt giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead with 6:18 remaining.

On 2nd and 6, Bertrand Berry sacked Eli Manning for a loss of 8 yards with 5:08 remaining on the Giants’ second possession which ultimately led to a punt.

2nd Quarter

The Giants converted on a 4th and 1 play which kept the drive alive as they went 62 yards on 11 plays, and Derrick Ward capped it off with a 1-yard Touch Down run up the gut with 11:38 remaining giving the Giants a 7-3 lead.

A 55-yard kick off return by Arrington gave the Cardinals great field position in Giants’ territory, and they took advantage of that when Tim Hightower ran up the middle and into the end zone for a 2-yard Touch Down run. The snap on the Extra Point Attempt was mishandled so the Cardinals have a 9-7 lead with 7:51 remaining.

An 83-yard kick off return by Hixon set the Giants up at the Cardinals’ 17 yardline, but they were only able to walk away with a 33-yard Field Goal Attempt made by John Carney with 6:51 remaining giving the Giants a 10-9 lead.

Warner hit Urban over the middle for 41 yards to begin the drive, and Neil Rackers finished the drive by connecting on a 20-yard Field Goal Attempt giving the Cardinals a 12-10 lead with 3:49 remaining.

A 66-yard kick off return by Hixon set up the Giants at the Cardinals’ 32 yardline, and Eli Manning threw a 12-yard Touch Down pass to Amani Toomer who caught the ball at the 7 yardline and ran it into the end zone with 1:08 remaining giving the Giants a 17-12 lead.

3rd Quarter

During the opening drive of the Cardinals, Kurt Warner was scrambling on 3rd and 9 when Justin Tuck knocked the ball lose and it was recovered by Mathias Kiwanuka at the Cardinals’ 40 yardline with 12:39 remaining.

Manning aired out a 28-yard pass to Smith along the right sideline which gave the Giants 1st and Goal at the 2 yardline, and then Eli Manning threw the ball to the left to Madison Hedgecock who ran it into the end zone for a 2-yard Touch Down catch giving the Giants a 24-12 lead with 10:35 remaining.

A bunch of Giants’ penalties assisted the high flying Cardinals offense to a 90-yard scoring drive which was capped off by a 1-yard Touch Down run by Tim Hightower as the Cardinals tried to cut into the Giants lead 24-19 with 0:49 remaining.

4th Quarter

The Giants immediately responded with an 80-yard scoring drive of their own, and Eli Manning hooked up with Kevin Boss for a 9-yard Touch Down pass giving the Giants a 31-19 lead with 11:15 remaining.

On 2nd and 7, Kurt Warner threw an interception to Terrell Thomas who returned it 13 yards to the Cardinals’ 29 yardline with 10:30 remaining.

The Cardinals’ defense was able to keep the Giants out of the end zone which led to a 27-yard Field Goal Attempt by John Carney with 6:17 remaining giving the Giants a 34-19 lead.

The potent offense of the Cardinals would not quit as they assembled a 55-yard scoring drive, and Kurt Warner threw his first Touch Down pass of the game to Anquan Boldin making it a 34-26 lead with 4:02 remaining.

The relentless Giants failed to get into the end zone again so John Carney connected on his 33-yard Field Goal Attempt with 1:55 remaining giving the Giants a 37-26 lead.

The Cardinals had to settle for a 44-yard Field Goal Attempt made by Neil Rackers on their final possession of the game which was not enough.

Wrap Up

Eli Manning went 26/33 and threw for 240 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs.

Derrick Ward led in Rushing Attempts and in Rushing Yards with 20 and 69 respectively.

Domenik Hixon led in Receptions and Receiving Yards with 6 and 57 respectively.

Derrick Ward had 1 Rushing TD, Kevin Boss had 1 Receiving TD, Amani Toomer had 1 Receiving TD, and Madison Hedgecock had 1 Receiving TD.

John Carney went 3/3 in Field Goal Attempts.

Kenny Phillips led the team in Tackles with 7.

Justin Tuck had 1 Sack.

Terrell Thomas had 1 INT.

Justin Tuck had 1 Forced Fumble.

The NFL.com Game Center: Post Game is attached.

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It seemed like the coaching staff of the Giants sat around and determined that the best way to game plan against the Ravens was by attacking their strengths rather than exploiting their weaknesses. I figured that the G-MEN would’ve increased the ratio of passes knowing that the Ravens have been one of the best at stopping the run for nearly a decade, but the Jints developed a game plan to win the hardest way possible. Boy, did that work out for them. I guess it isn’t that crazy because the rushing attack is the Giants best weapon. So what happens when the #1 rushing team in the NFL goes up against the #1 team at stopping the run? This dominant New York Football Giants team bullied the Ravens as they rushed for 207 yards and went on to beat the Ravens 30-10. As soon as Jacobs gained 36 yards on the second play of the game, I knew this game was over.  The thing that impressed me the most was how much the Giants rushed for because the Ravens were only allowing 65.4 yards per game. Baltimore did not allow any team to rush for more than 100 yards all season, and New York amassed over 200 yards.

Offense

The Giants offense consisted of a whole lot of running. Eli Manning had another Eli outing as he went 13/23 which is a 56.52% completion percentage and threw for 153 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. Manning threw his only Touch Down pass of the game to yet another weapon in Darcy Johnson early in the 2nd Quarter. Derrick Ward finished the game with 4 receptions for 54 yards. The O-Line was outstanding as they allowed Earth, Wind, and Fire to rush for 207 yards on 33 attempts which is an average of 6.27 yards per carry. It was the 3rd consecutive game in which the Giants rushed for over 200 yards so props to them. Brandon Jacobs rushed for 73 yards and 2 TDs in the first half alone, and then he was taken out of the game since he was banged up. It was actually Ahmad Bradshaw who led the team in rushing yards with 96 because he broke one open for 77 yards on one play. The Giants’ offense put up 20 of the 30 points.

Defense

The Giants defense was solid even though they did not exactly fill up a stat sheet. The Giants were harassing Joe Flacco throughout the game, but the Giants were unable to sack the rookie until Mathias Kiwanuka chased him down midway through the 4th Quarter. That was the only sack of the day for Big Blue. I was surprised that Flacco was able to run around on the Giants’ D, and he ended up leading the Ravens in rushing yards with 57. Aaron Ross was the defensive player of the day for getting 2 interceptions, and one of them was a pick 6 which he returned 50 yards to the house late in the 3rd Quarter. That was when the Giants said checkmate. It was bizarre watching the Ravens run so much in the 4th Quarter being down three scores like time is not a factor in football.  Baseball is the only sport I can think of which does not have a clock so maybe Flacco thought he was playing baseball. Did the Ravens quit? The Giants’ defense put up 7 of the 30 points.

Special Teams

Lawrence Tynes was 1/1 in Field Goal Attempts. It went threw, but it was not pretty. It is also worth noting that Tynes missed an Extra Point Attempt. Carney has been perfect this season except for the one blocked field goal so it may not be the best idea to put Tynes out there until Carney gets cold. The Giants’ special teams put up 3 of the 30 points.

I guess Big Blue got a little bit of redemption as they took revenge on the team who dominated them in Super Bowl XXXV. The Giants won their ninth game which makes them 9-1. How will Big Blue fair in the next 6 games? They have the toughest schedule remaining of any team in the NFL. I predicted them to be 8-2 after the first 10 games, and they are 9-1. I got 3 games wrong so far because I had the Giants beating the Browns but losing to the Steelers, and then I had the Giants and the Eagles splitting the season series with each of them winning at home. I predicted the Giants to be 4-2 down the stretch giving them a 12-4 record. The Giants will make a trip to the desert to take on the Cardinals on Sunday.

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Before I begin, allow me to provide you with this disclaimer…I hate the Cowboys more than any professional sports franchise. Jerry Jones flew his pathetic, injured team to New York, and the Giants showed America how small his Cowboys are. When it rains, it pours…and it’s pouring in Little D. The Cowboys began the game with their second string quarterback, Brad Johnson, and finished it with their third string quarterback, Brooks Bollinger. Johnson was unable to put together a successful drive, and Bollinger only put together one successful scoring drive in the 4th Quarter when he found the wide receiver that was crying after Giants beat the Cowboys in the Divisional Playoffs, yeah T.O. Do you remember when Troy Aikman said the Cowboys have a “great defense” during the Cowboys-Cardinals game? Of course you do. This “great defense” was ranked 10th in the NFL in yards allowed (298.6) and 17th in points allowed (23) prior to kickoff. When was the last time you saw a “great defense” give up over 20 points per game? I guess the last time you watched a game through the eyes of Troy Aikman. I have no idea how Aikman is able to not only keep his job when speaking in absolutes without anything to back it up. FOX Sports doesn’t even remove him from their #1 team. The Giants’ offense put up all 35 points on the Cowboys’ “great defense”. Now the team that was already crowned the Super Bowl Champions before the season began already has 4 losses, it forces them to have to go at least 6-1 after their bye week to have any hopes of winning the NFC East. It doesn’t look like that is happening. Oh well…I cannot wait to hear what Jerry Jones has to say to his pathetic team this week. I absolutely loved how the Giants never let up when they were down, and I hope that Big Blue can continue to dominate the rest of their opponents in ‘08.

Offense

The Giants offense was extremely productive yesterday, but they did have a few miscues worth noting. The offense found the end zone 5 times, but they turned the ball over 3 times. Eli Manning had decent statistics as he went 16/27 which is a 59.26% completion percentage and threw for 147 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT. I was really pissed off when Eli threw the interception because of where they were on the field which made it way to easy for Mike Jenkins to return it 23 yards to the house. Besides the interception, the Cowboys’ defense had 3 Sacks and 2 Forced Fumbles which were recovered by them. WR Steve Smith had 5 receptions for 29 yards while WR Plaxico Burress had 3 receptions for 34 yards. Eli threw his 3 Touch Down passes to Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, and Amani Toomer. The Cowboys didn’t want any part of stopping the Giants’ rushing attack because the Giants rushed for 200 yards on 34 attempts which is 5.88 yards per carry. Brandon Jacobs led with 117 yards on 17 carries. Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward each had 1 rushing TD. The Giants’ offense put up 35 of the 35 points.

Defense

The Giants defense put on another show for America yesterday. They were just nasty for all four quarters. The Giants’ defense had 4 Sacks, 3 INTs, and 1 Forced Fumble. Justin Tuck had 2.5 Sacks, Mathias Kiwanuka has 1 Sack, and Jay Alford had a 0.5 Sack. Corey Webster had 2 Interceptions during the game, and James Butler had 1 interception. Antonio Pierce stripped the ball out of Terrell Owens’ hands which made me laugh. I was surprised that AP did not give T.O. any popcorn. You cannot ask for better stat lines than this against one of the best teams in the NFL. The Giants’ defense put up 0 of the 35 points.

Special Teams

Carney was 0/0 in Field Goal Attempts which shows you how much of a lead the Giants had. The Cowboys also didn’t have any field goal attempts. Domenik Hixon along with the defense gave the Giants great field position all day. The Giants’ special teams put up 0 of the 35 points.

So the Giants won their seventh game which makes them 7-1. How will Big Blue fair in the next 8 games? I predicted them to be 7-1 after the first 8 games, and they are 7-1. I got 2 games wrong so far because I had the Giants beating the Browns but losing to the Steelers. I predicted the Giants to be 5-3 down the stretch giving them a 12-4 record. The Giants will travel to Philly to take on the Eagles on Sunday Night Football.

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The Giants devoured the Cowboys who came limping into Giants Stadium today giving Big Blue their seventh win of the 2008 Regular Season.

1st Quarter

The Giants scored on their opening drive as they went 75 yards, and Eli Manning capped it off by throwing a floater to Kevin Boss who was along the right sideline at the 1 yardline and ran in for a 13-yard Touch Down with 8:47 remaining.

On 1st and 10 at the Giants’ 25 yardline, Brad Johnson threw an interception to Corey Webster who returned it 57 yards down the right sideline to the Cowboys’ 27 yardline with 2:48 remaining.

The Giants capitalized on the Cowboys’ turnover as Eli Manning completed a 5-yard Touch Down pass to Steve Smith who was in the middle of field at about the 1 yardline and ran it into the end zone for a Touch Down with 0:41 remaining.

2nd Quarter

On 3rd and 7, Justin Tuck sacked Brad Johnson on the first play of the quarter for a loss of 5 yards with 14:56 remaining which led to a Cowboys punt.

On 3rd and 12, the ball came out of Eli Manning’s hands as he brought his arm back, and DeMarcus Ware recovered the football at the Giants’ 16 yardline with 11:25 remaining.

On 2nd and 11, Johnson fired a 5-yard pass to Owens over the middle, but Antonio Pierce stripped the ball out of Terrell Owens‘ hands and Michael Johnson recovered it at the 6 yardline with 10:40 remaining.

On 2nd and 8, Mike Jenkins jumped the route as Eli Manning tried to hook up with Burress along the right sideline, and Jenkins returned it down the sideline untouched a 23-yard Touch Down return with 8:38 remaining.

On 2nd and 6, Bradie James sacked Eli Manning for a 6-yard loss with 7:43 remaining. Ward reception for 17, Ward for 9, Jacobs, . Later on during the same drive, Chris Canty also sacked Eli Manning for a loss of 12 yards on 3rd and 10 with 4:58 remaining which led to a Giants punt.

The Cowboys were marching down the field as Barber kept moving the chains, but then Brad Johnson threw an interception to Corey Webster along the right sideline and he ran it out of bounds at the 48 yardline with 2:48 remaining.

The Giants ate up 1:20 as they went on a five play scoring drive before the end of the first half, and Eli Manning found Amani Toomer in the middle of the end zone for a 11-yard Touch Down with 1:28 remaining.

As the Cowboys were trying to put some points on the scoreboard before Halftime, Brad Johnson got sacked by Jay Alford and Justin Tuck for a loss of 7 yards on 2nd and 10 with 1:09 remaining.

3rd Quarter

The Cowboys replaced Johnson with Bollinger, and Brooks Bollinger threw an interception to James Butler on his first pass attempt as Butler returned it to the Cowboys’ 18 yardline with 14:06 remaining.

It only took the Giants two running plays by Jacobs to reach the end zone, and Brandon Jacobs ran up the middle breaking three tackles for a 12-yard Touch Down run with 13:16 remaining.

Bollinger handed the ball off to Barber who gained 3 yards before Barber lost 12 yards on the next reception which set up a 3rd and 19 where Justin Tuck and Fred Robbins sacked Brooks Bollinger for a loss of 9 yards with 11:51 remaining which forced the Cowboys to punt from their own 2 yardline.

The Giants second possession resulted in a Punt.

The Cowboys third possession resulted in a Punt.

With 7:31 remaining, DeMarcus Ware knocked the ball out of Eli Manning’s hands on the first play of the drive and James Bradie fell on it at the 25 yardline.

4th Quarter

The Cowboys were finally able to put a successful scoring drive together as they went 75 yards, and they capped it off when Brooks Bollinger hooked up with Terrell Owens in the left side of the end zone for an 8-yard Touch Down pass with 14:07 remaining.

The Giants immediately retaliated on their next possession as Jacobs had a huge 31-yard run which moved the Giants into Cowboys’ territory, and Derrick Ward ran 17 yards up the middle for a Touch Down on 2nd and Goal with 8:20 remaining.

The Cowboys fifth possession began at the 33 yardline. With 7:32 remaining, Mathias Kiwanuka came around and sacked Brooks Bollinger from the blindside for a loss of 4 yards on a drive which ultimately led to a punt.

Wrap Up

Eli Manning went 16/27 and threw for 147 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT.

Brandon Jacobs led in Rushing Attempts and Rushing Yards with 17 and 117 respectively.

Steve Smith led in Receptions with 5 and Plaxico Burress led in Receiving Yards with 34.

Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward each had a Rushing TD, and Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, and Amani Toomer each had 1 Receiving TD.

John Carney went 0/0 in Field Goal Attempts which shows you what kind of game it was.

Sammy Knight and Justin Tuck led the team in Tackles with 5.

Justin Tuck had 2.5 Sacks while Mathias Kiwanuka had 1 Sack and Jay Alford each had 0.5 Sacks.

Corey Webster had 2 INTs, and James Butler had 1 INT.

Antonio Pierce each had 1 Forced Fumble.

The NFL.com Game Center: Post Game is attached.

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The Giants went into the Steel City and beat the Steelers at their own game…hard nosed, old school, smash mouthed football. The NFC East is historically known for that as well so it is no shock, but I loved every minute of it. All year, I’ve had to listen to the media say that the Giants haven’t beaten anyone yet. Now we did and came out with the same result. On top of that, we did it on the road in one of the most hostile stadiums in the country…again. The Giants completely lost momentum until John Carney kicked the field goal cutting the deficit to 14-12 with 8:18 remaining in the 4th Quarter. That’s when the Terrible Towels were being waved a little less. Then emergency long snapper James Harrison snapped the ball over the punter’s head which resulted in a safety tying the game at 14-14. The Terrible Towels were being waved even less. Then came the Giants only TD of the game when Eli found Boss in the back of the end zone with 3:07 remaining, and the Giants silenced the stadium. I absolutely loved this game, and I hope that Big Blue can continue to dominate the rest of their opponents in ‘08.

Offense

The Giants offense was average yesterday even though they only got into the end zone once. They came out strong in the 1st Quarter but could not regain momentum until the 4th Quarter. Eli Manning did not have a good night statistically. He went 19/32 which is a 59.38% completion percentage and threw for 199 yards, 1 TD, and 0 INTs. New York was able to move the chains, but Pittsburgh’s defense was able to stop the Giants from reaching the end zone. The Giants’ defense constantly gave the offense great field position, but the offense did not capitalize on as many possessions as they should have. The Jints offense only put up 7 points, but they were playing one of the best defenses in the NFL. Since the Giants were able to move the chains and get into the red zone, they did make 4 Field Goals. On one occasion, Coach Coughlin decided not to kick a field goal on 4th and Inches early in the 2nd Quarter which could have came back and bit them in the buttocks. RB Derrick Ward had 5 receptions for 43 yards while WR Steve Smith had 3 receptions for 45 yards. Plaxico Burress sat the 1st Quarter for missing treatments for his sore neck on Friday. Burress keeps on pissing me off with this crap, but I guess Coach Coughlin feels the same way. As I said last week, I wouldn’t care if this was a one-off incident, but his behavior is reverting. After getting his mega-contract, he has acted like a fool. Instead, he should be helping his teammates improve. The more Burress acts like T.O. or Chad Johnson, the faster the Giants will let him go like they did with his best friend Jeremy Shockey. Kevin Boss was the only Giant to find the end zone yesterday. Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward only compiled 84 yards on 31 touches which is only 2.71 yards per carry, but that is a lot more than the Steelers defense gives up. The tandem was also able to wear down the Steelers’ defense in the 4th Quarter which led to the Giants winning this game. The Giants’ offense put up 7 of the 21 points.

Defense

The Giants defense put on a show for America yesterday. They were just nasty for all four quarters. Not only that, they got better as the game went on. The Steelers were able to score on their first drive when Roethlisberger handed the ball off to Mewelde Moore who ran it 32 yards to the house. The Giants missed a tackle which cost them 7 points. The Steelers opened up the 2nd Half by Ben Roethlisberger throwing a 65-yard bomb to Nate Washington for a TD. This was the only play were the Giants’ defense broke. Besides those two bad plays, the defense dominated the Steelers’ offense all day. The defense sacked Ben Roethlisberger 5 times. Mathias Kiwanuka got to him three times, and Justin Tuck and Dave Tollefson got to him once. Add 14 knock downs to that. Kenny Phillips, Corey Webster, James Butler, and Bryan Kehl each had 1 pick yesterday. Mathias Kiwanuka and Antonio Pierce each forced 1 fumble. These stats are similar to what to what they did last week against the 49ers. There’s a big difference between the talent level of these two teams. You cannot ask for better stat lines than this against one of the best teams in the NFL. The Giants’ defense put up 0 of the 21 points.

Special Teams

The bes play of the game took place on Special Teams when the Steelers snapped the ball to high giving the Giants a Safety. John Carney was 4/4 in Field Goal Attempts. The Special Teams unit needs to improve on returns and coverage. The Giants’ special teams put up 14 of the 21 points.

So the Giants won their sixth game which makes them 6-1. They now will face the Cowboys and the Eagles back-to-back which are huge games to set the tone. I’m can’t wait to watch these games. How will Big Blue fair in the next 9 games? I predicted them to be 6-1 after the first 7 games, and they are 6-1. I got 2 games wrong so far because I had the Giants beating the Browns but losing to the Steelers. I predicted the Giants to be 6-3 down the stretch giving them a 12-4 record. The Cowboys are next on the schedule.

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My expectations of what the Giants would do to the 49ers in the week following the giant embarrassment on Monday Night Football were not fulfilled, but a win is a win is a win. This was also the last opponent on the Jints schedule that was considered relatively easy. The final 10 games on the schedule are much more difficult, and we will see just how good the G-MEN are once they start playing better competition. We’ll discuss the schedule later on in the week so let’s get back to yesterday’s game.

Offense

I was not impressed by the offense yesterday. Eli Manning did not have a good night statistically. He went 16/31 which is a 51.61% completion percentage and threw for 161 yards, 1 TD, and 0 INTs. The Giants defense constantly gave the offense great field position, but the offense did not capitalize on as many possessions as they should have. The Jints offense only put up 21 points on a not so good team which doesn’t leave a good taste in your mouth as the G-MEN are about to face the Steelers, the Cowboys, and the Eagles. My confidence going into these games would have been much higher if Big Blue played a nice, crisp game on offense. Even Brandon Jacobs wasn’t thrilled with how the offense played yesterday because he said, “I felt like we bounced back well enough to win the game but as far as production with our offense, I think it could have been better.” The receiving corps was not very productive either. WR Steve Smith had 4 receptions for 39 yards while RB Derrick Ward had 3 receptions for 50 yards. It isn’t necessarily bad when a running back has more receiving yards than a receiver, but it is when the top receiver only has 39 yards. Plaxico Burress was the only receiver to catch a touch down, but he only had 3 receptions for 24 yards in the game. Also, Burress got heated after being called for a questionable offensive pass interference penalty. He began screaming at the Referee, and then received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the following play. As he walked off the field, he was caught shouting 4-letter words at Cough Coughlin. Coughlin responded, and then Eli Manning and Antonio Pierce tried to calm Burress down as he was sitting on the bench. Plax is really starting to get on my nerves again like he did prior to 2007. I wouldn’t care if this was a one-off incident, but his behavior is reverting. After getting his mega-contract, he has acted like a fool. Instead, he should be helping his teammates improve. The more Burress acts like T.O. or Chad Johnson, the faster the Giants will let him go like they did with his best friend Jeremy Shockey. Speaking of Shockey, he had a big fumble yesterday which wasn’t his fault. He blamed the coaching and the doctors for that one because nothing is his own fault. Pathetic. Earth, Wind, and Fire compiled 116 yards on 29 touches is only 4 yards per carry. Jacobs had 2 rushing TDs. That number isn’t bad, but it is low for this group who average more than 6.0 yards per carry. The Giants’ offense put up 21 of the 29 points.

Defense

The Giants defense was outstanding yesterday. They 49ers scored 17 total points, but they only scored 10 points on the Giants defense. The defense sacked J.T. O’Sullivan 6 times. Justin Tuck got to him twice, and Chase Blackburn, Dave Tollefson, Fred Robbins, and Barry Cofield got to him once. Michael Johnson had 2 picks yesterday, and one of the biggest plays of the game was when he intercepted the pass in the end zone right before Halftime which stopped the Niners chances of tying the game. Tuck also forced 2 fumbles, and Blackburn forced a fumble. The defense came back and played like they are capable of. The Giants also had a safety. We know that the Giants can rush the passer, but you know that they had a great day when they add 2 picks, 3 forced fumbles, and a safety to that. The Giants’ defense put up 2 of the 29 points.

Special Teams

The worst play of the game took place on Special Teams when the 49ers blocked the field goal and returned it for a touch down. John Carney was 2/3 in Field Goal Attempts. The blocked field goal gave Carney the first missed field goal attempt of the season. The Special Teams unit needs to improve on returns and coverage. The Giants’ special teams put up 6 of the 29 points.

So the Giants won their fifth game which makes them 5-1. They now head into the real season. I’m can’t wait to watch these games. How will Big Blue fair in these next 10 games? I predicted them to be 6-0 after the first 6 games, but they are 5-1. I predicted the Giants to be 6-4 down the stretch giving them a 12-4 record. The Steelers are next on the schedule.

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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.

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The best part of yesterday’s game between the Seahawks and the Giants was when the G-MEN roughed up Matt Hasselbeck on the first drive of the game making him ineffective and providing him with an early exit. It was similar to the last Giants game when they roughed up Carson Palmer, and the Cowboys should thank us for that since they squeaked by the Bengals yesterday. Imagine what a healthy Palmer would’ve done to the poor Cowboys defense. The Cowboys should also thank us for ending Drew Bledsoe’s time in Dallas because who knows when Tony Romo’s opportunity would’ve came if not for our nasty defense. The Road Warriors won their third home game in as many games in the early 2008 season. These are the Road Warriors that could barely win at home in ‘07.

Offense

Eli Manning had a pretty good game statistically. He went 19/25 which is a 76.00% completion percentage and threw for 267 yards and 2 TDs…in only 3 Quarters. David Carr was able to come in lead the team to a 4 Quarter Touch Down as well. The last time we saw Carr was against the Rams for a couple of minutes, but he played an entire quarter today. We knew that Eli was not going to have his favorite weapon in Plaxico so everybody needed to step up, and they did just that. Domenik Hixon, Amani Toomer, and Steve Smith led the team in Receptions. Hixon had 104 yards in the 1st Half before leaving the game at Halftime due to a concussion, and I would’ve loved to have seen what he could’ve done by playing the entire game. Surprisingly, Sinorice Moss had 2 TD Catches, and Domenik Hixon had 1 TD. Earth, Wind, and Fire had an outstanding day as they steamrolled the soft Seattle defense for 241 yards on 33 attempts which is an average of 7.3 yards per carry. WOW! Jacobs led in rushing yards with 136 and 2 TDs. The Giants’ offense put up 35 of the 44 points.

Defense

Mike Holmgren developed a pretty good game plan because Big Blue was only able to get 2 Sacks which is the lowest since the Giants opened up the season against the Redskins. With that said, the hit that Justin Tuck laid on Matt Hasselbeck on the first drive of the game, which wasn’t even a sack, was enough to make him a non-factor as the Seahawks didn’t score any touch downs. Mathias Kiwanuka and Dave Tollefson were the two players that actually got to Hasselbeck. I was extremely impressed with Kevin Dockery’s pick and 46 yard return. That was the last we saw of Hasselbeck. The Giants’ defense put up 0 of the 44 points.

Special Teams

John Carney was 3/3 in Field Goal Attempts, and he hasn’t missed a field goal yet this season. It will be interesting to see what the coaches do when Lawrence Tynes is healthy and ready to return. I would suggest that they ride out it out until he misses and then put Tynes in. The Giants’ special teams put up 9 of the 44 points.

So the Giants won their first four games which makes them perfect through the first quarter of the season. I picked them to do exactly that. The last time the Giants went 4-0 was in 1990 when they won Super Bowl XXV against the Bills. This game was over after the 1st Half. When was the last time you saw both starting Quarterbacks taken out of the game after the 3rd Quarter? The team that has so much trouble coming off of the bye week had no problem in 2008. The Giants travel to Cleveland next week to take on the Browns on Monday Night Football.

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The best part of yesterday’s game between the Giants and the Bengals was the simply the fact that the G-MEN won by a score of 26-23 in overtime. The Road Warriors won their second home game in as many games in the early 2008 season. These are the Road Warriors that could barely win at home in ‘07.

Offense

Eli Manning did not have a good game statistically. He went 26/43 which is a 60.47% completion percentage and threw for 289 yards and 1 TD. Even though Eli may not have helped out your fantasy team, he was able to counter every scoring drive that the Bengals had. If not with touch downs then with field goals. The Bengals played a much better game then I thought they were going to play, but I guess that’s how NFL teams are going to come to play the Champs. The Giants did not score on their opening drive in OT, but they did not go 3-and-out either. Manning was able to move the chains a bit before they were forced to punt. Eli also marched the Giants down the field when it mattered most during their second possession in overtime which set up the game winning field goal. Steve Smith and Amani Toomer both were key contributors in the Giants aerial attack as they combined for over 120 receiving yards. Manning hooked up with Kevin Boss for a TD to give the Giants the lead before the Bengals tied the game at the end of regulation. In OT, Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer made huge catches for gains of 30+ yards which allowed the Giants to attempt the game winning field goal. Earth, Wind, and Fire had a decent outing as they combined for 115. Derrick Ward had 80 yards on only 9 carries. The Giants’ offense put up 14 of the 26 points.

Defense

Big Blue was able to apply pressure on Carson Palmer all day, but Palmer kept on fighting to get the Bengals points and stay in the game. Fred Robbins was the beast of the day and finished the day with 3 Tackles, 2 Sacks, and a few batted balls at the line of scrimmage. Corey Webster, Barry Cofield, Mathias Kiwanuka, and Dave Tollefson were all able to get to Palmer as well. The Giants defense had 6 sacks for the second game in a row which is sweet. Antonio Pierce was all over the place as he ended up with 10 tackles. Even though the Giants were able to get to Carson all game, the Bengals were able to put up a bunch of points. Palmer took the hits and kept on going kind of like Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLII. The Big Blue Wrecking Crew were able to make some keys stops at the right time which made it easier for the Giants’ offense to keep pace with the Bengals. The Giants did not allow the Bengals to score in the 3rd Quarter, but you can see how hard they were trying to force the Bengals to punt. The Giants’ defense put up 0 of the 26 points.

Special Teams

John Carney was 4/4 in Field Goal Attempts. Reuben Droughns was effective on kickoff and punt coverage. Domenik Hixon was solid returning Kickoffs and Punts. The Giants’ special teams put up 12 of the 26 points.

So the Giants won their first three games. The last time the Giants went 3-0 was in 2000 when they lost Super Bowl XXXV to the Ravens. Do you remember last year when nobody knew if the Patriots got the good Randy Moss or the bad Randy Moss? After the Pats went 3-0, all of that undefeated chatter began. I haven’t seen a Sports Illustrated cover stating that the Giants are going undefeated. Our boys in blue get less respect than Rodney Dangerfield. This game was a back-and-forth offensive showdown that Big Blue was able to pull out in overtime. The Giants have a Bye Week in Week 4 so next on the schedule are the Seattle Seahawks.

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