Die Hard Sports Fan

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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So I know you can’t tell much from the first pre-season game but you can definitely get a basic idea of who is the consistent no matter what player on the field. My basic observation of the game begins with Derrick Ward. Not very good in the running game but great in the short pass situation. I think he’ll be a lethal weapon when used in play action plays. He seems to be more of a natural catcher and good at making strides after the catch for more gains. Eli Manning seemed very comfortable in the pocket and I can definitely see that it is all thanks to his offensive line. We’ll see great things from him this season again and spreading the ball around to different wide receivers is going to be every defense’s nightmare. Brandon Jacobs maintains sharpening up his cutting abilities which can only make him more dangerous. This guy is a beast as it is and if he develops more finesse with his run he’ll be more of a main target to defenders. Once this man gets past the second wave of defenders and is left to face the undersized cornerbacks and safeties, you know he’s going helmet to helmet with these guys. Kevin Boss is still the boss and showing why he’s the boss. The type of player who will surprise us the most is going to be this man here. Yes Shockey is gone but if you think we have a good back up, you’re wrong, this guy is a definite starter. A little more work on his blocking ability and we’ll have a well rounded tight end again, or we can depend on Madison Hedgecock. Hedgecock has become the real deal when it comes to blocking. His size is definitely aomething we can take advantage of, especially since he knows how to angle himself and push his own weight around. last but not least, Ahmad Bradshaw is looking very good once again. He has not lost a step since his outstanding performance last season and continues to look more and more like a number 2 running back. It’s amazing how the two punch has become more popular nowadays with the great talent that comes from these young players. Just like Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor from the Jacksonville Jaguars, our two headed monsters will show everyone this season the benefit of vision and power We will soon see everyone in it for some real action. I can only imagine what this season is going to be like for our Giants, but I can tell you we are well prepared for the future.

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So the New York Football Giants decided to order their Super Bowl XLII rings from Tiffany & Co., a New York based Jewelry Store, rather than from Jostens who is the typical jewelry store used by the NFL.  So what does Tiffany & Co. do?  They have the rings made in Massachussetts.  Go figure…

New York Post:

BIG BLUE’S BLING HAS MASS. APPEAL - Paul Schwartz is surprised that the Super Bowl XLII rings are being produced for Tiffany at E.A. Dion, Inc. because they are located in Attleboro, MA.  Attleboro is only about 10 miles from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA.

New York Times:

Hard Hits and Hard Work Motivate Giants Fullback - Anna Katherine Clemmons describes all of the hard work that Madison Hedgecock put in to make it to the NFL.  Hedgecock still works the farms in North Carolina during the offseason.

The Star-Ledger:

Giants to work out a few locals - Mike Garafolo wrote that the Giants will be bringing in some local draft hopefuls to work out.  Most of them are from Hofstra, and Garafolo jotted down a few notes about each of them.

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