Die Hard Sports Fan

The Baltimore Ravens will face the New York Giants at Giants Stadium.

TV Info:

Game: Baltimore Ravens (6-3) @ New York Giants (8-1)
TV: CBS (Greg Gumble, Dan Dierdof)
Radio: WFAN (Bob Papa, Carl Banks, Howard Cross)
Time: November 16, 2008; 1:00 p.m. ET

Game Notes:

• Baltimore is the final AFC opponent the Giants will face during the 2008 Season.
• The Ravens lead the regular season series with the Giants, 2-0.
• The Ravens also hold a 1-0 advantage over the Giants in the Postseason which was in Super Bowl XXXV.
• This is the first meeting between these teams since Dec. 12, 2004 and the first at Giants Stadium since Sept. 14, 1997.
• Both teams are coming into the game on four game winning streaks.
• Last week, New York defeated Philadelphia 36-31 to improve to 8-1.
• Last week, Baltimore beat Houston 41-13 to improve to 6-3.
• The Giants’ total offense is ranked fourth in the NFL averaging 374.7 yards per game. The Giants are first in rushing (168.9), seventeenth in passing (205.8), and third in scoring (29.1).
• The Ravens’ total offense is ranked seventeenth in the NFL averaging 323.1 yards per game. The Ravens are third in rushing (149.7), twenty-eighth in passing (173.4), and thirteenth in scoring (23.6).
• The Giants’ total defense is ranked third in the NFL allowing 264.8 yards per game. The Giants are seventh against the run (87.7), second against the pass (177.1), and sixth in points allowed (17.8).
• The Ravens’ total defense is ranked second in the NFL allowing 258.4 yards per game. The Ravens are first against the run (65.4), ninth against the pass (193.0), and fifth in points allowed (16.7).
• Last week, Brandon Jacobs got the game ball for his resolve even more than his impressive gaudy statistics. He lost a fumble for the first time this season in the second quarter but did not let the mishap deflate him as he wore down the Eagles defense, rushing for both of his touchdowns and 58 of his 126 yards in the second half.
• Last week, QB Joey Flacco got the game ball after finishing the game 15-of-23 for 185 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The rookie has not turned the ball over in 111 straight pass attempts.
• The Line: The Giants are favored by 7. Over/Under is 40.5.

Injury Report:

Ravens - Out of Game: WR Terrance Copper (Shoulder). Questionable: T Willie Anderson (Ankle), WR Derrick Mason (Shoulder), S Ed Reed (Thigh), CB Samari Rolle (Neck), TE Daniel Wilcox (Thigh), S Tom Zbikowski (Thigh).

Giants - Out of Game: LB Gerris Wilkinson (Knee). Questionable: LB Jonathan Goff (Concussion), CB Corey Webster (Groin), S James Butler (Knee), CB Kevin Dockery (Back). Probable: RB Reuben Droughns (Neck).

Quote of the week:

“They are talented and patience is something. They are great against the run, I think they are the best team against the run right now, and they do a good job on blitzes. Nothing comes easy against them, so you can’t force things. They make plays on defense, they cause turnovers, and it can be tough at times moving the ball, so you just have to stay patient, play smart football, don’t give their offense a short field, and just try to make plays when they are there.” - QB Eli Manning on the Ravens run defense

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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On February 3rd, 2008, after the Giants won Super Bowl XLII I finally wrote a post to all of you explaining how I was rocking the Dirty, Stinky Manning Jersey during the Giants’ hot streak in 2008 which led to a Super Bowl victory. It went something like this…

Just so you know…I have been wearing my filthy dirty Eli Manning jersey for every game since the New England game in Week 17. So many times during the season, I rocked his jersey and he let me down in every way. So I stopped wearing his jersey at some point in the season. But, I knew that if Big Blue was going to try and go toe-to-toe with the Patriots, it was Eli that had to step up…and step up he did. Since then, I’ve worn an unwashed Eli jersey when the G-MEN beat the Bucs, the Cowboys, and the Packers. It still isn’t washed and I will wear it today when they face the Patriots again in the Super Bowl. Feel free to comment on anything you have been doing out of the norm since Eli and the Giants have elevated their level of play.

Basically, I disowned Eli after the Buffalo game when he fumbled the ball like 5 times basically trying to eliminate the Giants’ chances of making the Playoffs. The rest of the team did not allow the Road Warriors to lose the game. After Coach Coughlin stated that the G-MEN were going to play to win versus the Patriots in Week 17, I knew that Manning was going to have to have a great game to keep pace with the Pats’ potent offense as they were trying to go undefeated. We all watched Eli grow up in front of our eyes as he began assembling crucial drives at critical moments and eliminating turnovers during the Giants’ Super Bowl run. I’ll admit that I was dead wrong about Eli as long as I can admit how right I was about how the team would improve without Tiki, Strahan, and Shockey.

I did not write the original post until the Giants actually won the Super Bowl because I didn’t want to jinx anything. I washed the jersey during the offseason, and I began the whole process over again in ‘08. The Giants are 8-1 this season and looking so dominant. I will continue to wear the Dirty, Stinky Manning Jersey as the Champs defend their crown. If the Jints actually win back-to-back titles then this Dirty, Stinky Manning Jersey may become legendary. The timing of it all is amazing. The Giants only lost two games since then. They lost in Week 17 of ‘07 to the Patriots, and they lost in Week 5 of ‘08 to the Browns.

Do any of you have similar stories?

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ESPN made a Ravens vs. Giants Preview.

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Tom Coughlin talked to Mike Francesa of WFAN today about this weeks game with the Ravens and the success of the team so far. To hear the interview in its entirety, click here.

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I sat on the edge of my seat for hours as I watched the Giants leave Philly with a ‘W’ over the Eagles, but I was not impressed with the efforts of either team. The Eagles deflected a pass by Eli which set up a Touch Down in the first 90 seconds, and the stadium was rockin’. I was nervous as soon as that happened thinking we would be in for a long night, and I was correct even though the G-MEN won the game. The lead went back-and-forth, and the game was excessively long for a game that did not go into overtime. The only thing that matters is the result. I have to credit Tom Coughlin and his staff more than any of the players for this win because they did not make any mistakes. Many of the players did many good things, but almost all of them made at least one mistake as well. Coach Coughlin had the team prepared to play the Eagles in a hostile environment, and he out-coached Andy Reid last night. The most noteworthy would be the challenge when Eli was on the line of scrimmage and flicked the shovel pass to Boss which ultimately gave Big Blue the lead in the 3rd Quarter. Props to whoever informed T.C. to challenge that play because I thought he was across the line.

Offense

The Giants offense put up plenty of points but got stopped in the red zone three times. Eli Manning had decent statistics as he went 17/31 which is a 54.84% completion percentage and threw for 191 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT. I already discussed how disturbed I was when Manning threw the pick to Mike Patterson in the first 90 seconds of the game. Eli led the offense on a scoring drive on the next possession where he found Plaxico Burress in the end zone to tie the game. That was Burress’ only reception of the game. Manning threw his second Touch Down pass to Kevin Boss during the first play of the 2nd Quarter. Kevin Boss had 6 receptions for 69 yards. Boss hurdled over an Eagles’ defender which he should not have done after he saw Jacobs do the same thing but turned the ball over. The O-Line was outstanding as they allowed Earth, Wind, and Fire to rush for 217 yards on 44 attempts which is an average of 4.93 yards per carry. Brandon Jacobs had 2 rushing TDs, but he also fumbled the ball while hurling an Eagles’ defender. Jacobs led the ground game with 126 yards on 22 carries. The Giants’ offense put up 27 of the 36 points.

Defense

The Giants defense was not as impressive as they were in the previous two games, but they got the job done. The Giants were not able to sack Donovan McNabb, but Sam Madison got the only Giants’ turnover which was an Interception in the 2nd Quarter. The Giants were able to stop the Eagles on multiple drives without racking up a pretty stat sheet, especially in the 4th Quarter when the game was on the line. The Giants’ defense put up 0 of the 36 points.

Special Teams

John Carney was 3/3 in Field Goal Attempts. The Giants had trouble on their coverage after placing David Tyree on IR earlier in the week. The Giants’ special teams put up 9 of the 39 points.

So the Giants won their eighth game which makes them 8-1. How will Big Blue fair in the next 7 games? I predicted them to be 7-2 after the first 9 games, and they are 8-1. 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 5-2 down the stretch giving them a 12-4 record. The Ravens will travel to New York to take on the Giants on Sunday.

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Antonio Pierce talked to Mike Francesa of WFAN today about taking care of business in Philadelphia. AP insisted that the Giants plan on winning all seven remaining games on the schedule. To hear the interview in its entirety, click here.

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Antonio Pierce talks to ESPN about the Giants’ victory over the Eagles.

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After keeping fans on the edge of their seats for a few hours, the Giants came out of the City of Brotherly Love with a victory over the Eagles giving Big Blue their eighth win of the 2008 Regular Season.

1st Quarter

The Giants were able to get one first down on their opening drive before Eli Manning threw a pass that was deflected at the line of scrimmage, intercepted, and returned to the Giants’ 9 yardline by Mike Patterson with 13:30 remaining.

The Eagles quickly capitalized on the turnover on 2nd and Goal as they direct snapped the ball to Desean Jackson who broke to the right side and dove over the right pile on for a 9-yard Touch Down run with 13:18 remaining.

The Giants evened up the score on their next possession going 80 yards on 10 plays, and Eli Manning threw a bullet to Plaxico Burress who was in between two defenders in the middle of the end zone for a 18-yard Touch Down reception with 8:21 remaining.

When the Giants kicked off, Quintin Demps caught the ball at the 5 yardline and returned it to the 25 yardline where Ahmad Bradshaw knocked the ball out and Chase Blackburn fell on the ball at the Eagles’ 14 yardline.

The Eagles were able to stop the Giants from getting into the end zone after giving them great field position, but John Carney made a 27-yard Field Goal Attempt with 6:48 remaining giving the Giants a 10-7 lead.

2nd Quarter

A few runs by Ward along with a few passes to Toomer helped set up the Giants on 1st and Goal at the Eagles’ 1 yardline, and Eli Manning capped it off by throwing a 1-yard Touch Down pass to Kevin Boss in the back of the end zone giving the Giants a 17-7 lead with 14:55 remaining.

On 1st and 10 at the Giants’ 43 yardline, Eli Manning got sacked by Trent Cole and Mike Patterson for a loss of 9 yards with 11:04 remaining on a drive which ultimately led to a punt.

On 1st and 10 at the Giants’ 35 yardline, Manning handed the ball off to Brandon Jacobs who broke towards the left sideline and jumped over defenders near the first down marker but had the ball stripped out of his hands by Chris Gocong and recovered by Mike Patterson at the Giants’ 44 yardline with 6:39 remaining.

The Eagles took advantage of the great field position again as Donovan McNabb found Jason Avant at about the 5 yardline who ran it into the end zone for a 10-yard Touch Down catch with 4:01 remaining cutting the deficit to 17-14.

On 3rd and 12 at the 13 yardline, Donovan McNabb threw an interception to Sam Madison who returned it 19 yards to the Eagles’ 14 yardline with 2:05 remaining.

The Eagles kept the Giants out of the end zone again, but John Carney made his 26-yard Field Goal Attempt giving the Giants a 20-14 lead with 1:49 remaining.

McNabb led the 2:00 offense to the Giants’ 11 yardline with 0:05 remaining so David Akers came out to try a 29-yard Field Goal Attempt which he made with 0:00 remaining cutting the lead to 20-17 before the half.

3rd Quarter

McNabb was spreading the love during the Eagles’ opening drive of the half, and Donovan McNabb lofted an 8-yard Touch Down pass to Hank Baskett who came down with the ball in the left corner of the end zone with 11:24 remaining giving the Eagles the lead 24-20 .

The Giants gave the Eagles’ defense a big dose of Jacobs who kept moving the chains to the Eagles’ 21 yardline before Manning scrambled and threw a shovel pass to Boss at 3 yardline which was ruled a penalty initially, and then the play was challenged and overturned. On 2nd and Goal, Brandon Jacobs bulldozed his way into the end zone for a 3-yard Touch Down run giving the Giants the lead 27-24 with 5:56 remaining.

4th Quarter

The Giants continued to wear down the Eagles’ defense as Earth, Wind, and Fire got them to the Eagles’ 6 yardline before getting held out of the end zone for the third time, but John Carney connected on his 28-yard Field Goal Attempt making the score 30-24 with 13:28 remaining.

Hixon returned the ball all the way to the Eagles’ 15 yardline, but a holding penalty backed them up to the Eagles’ 40 yardline. Bradshaw had a 23-yard run which immediately got the Giants into the redzone. On 2nd and Goal at the 3 yardline, Brandon Jacobs with the help of his blockers broke the plane of the goal line while losing the football which was initially called a Touch Down, and then it was challenged and the ruling on the field was upheld. The Giants failed on their Two Point Conversion Attempt so their lead is now 36-24 over the Eagles with 9:30 remaining.

The Eagles opened up their passing attack on the Giants prevent defense marching all the way down to the Giants’ 2 yardline, and Donovan McNabb rolled to the right and threw a 2-yard Touch Down pass to Kevin Curtis in the back of the end zone on 4th and 2 with 5:30 remaining cutting the lead to 36-31.

The Giants held the Eagles on 4th and 1 at the Eagles’ 45 yardline forcing the Eagles to turn the ball over on downs with 1:48 remaining.

The Giants picked up a first down on 4th and Inches to run out the clock.

Wrap Up

Eli Manning went 17/31 and threw for 191 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT.

Brandon Jacobs led in Rushing Attempts and Rushing Yards with 22 and 126 respectively.

Kevin Boss led in Receptions and Receiving Yards with 6 and 69 respectively.

Brandon Jacobs had 2 Rushing TDs, and Kevin Boss and Plaxico Burress each had 1 Receiving TD.

John Carney went 3/3 in Field Goal Attempts.

Antonio Pierce led the team in Tackles with 7.

The Giants had no Sacks.

Sam Madison had 1 INT.

The Giants had no Forced Fumbles.

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

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The New York Giants will face the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

TV Info:

Game: New York Giants (7-1) @ Philadelphia Eagles (5-3)
TV: NBC (Al Michaels, John Madden, Andrea Kremer)
Radio: WFAN (Bob Papa, Carl Banks, Howard Cross)
Time: November 9, 2008; 8:15 p.m. ET

Game Notes:

• This is the first time the Giants will face the Eagles in the 2008 Season, and it is the third division game of the season.
• The Giants lead the regular season series with the Eagles, 78-66-2.
• The Giants swept the season series in 2007.
• The Giants also hold a 2-1 advantage over the Eagles in the Postseason.
• Last week, New York defeated Dallas 35-14 to improve to 7-1.
• Last week, Philadelphia beat Seattle 26-7 to improve to 5-3.
• The Giants’ total offense is ranked fifth in the NFL averaging 371.4 yards per game. The Giants are second in rushing (162.6), sixteenth in passing (208.8), and second in scoring (28.2).
• The Eagles’ total offense is ranked sixth in the NFL averaging 368.4 yards per game. The Eagles are twenty-fourth in rushing (97.4), fourth in passing (271.0), and sixth in scoring (27.5).
• The Giants’ total defense is ranked third in the NFL allowing 260.4 yards per game. The Giants are seventh against the run (85.4), second against the pass (175.0), and fourth in points allowed (16.1).
• The Eagles’ total defense is ranked fifth in the NFL allowing 280.5 yards per game. The Eagles are eighth against the run (89.0), eighth against the pass (191.5), and sixth in points allowed (18.0).
• Because of a knee injury to James Butler, first-round draft choice Kenny Phillips will make his first NFL start.
• Last week, the Giants’ Offensive Line got the game ball for being the driving force behind the Giants’ productive outing. The unit dominated the line of scrimmage and opened gaping holes for a Brandon Jacobs-led backfield that averaged nearly six yards a carry, while also giving QB Eli Manning plenty of time to stand calmly in the pocket and find receivers.
• Last week, Eagles backup tight end Brent Celek stepped up with a career game, finishing with six receptions for 131 yards since starting tight end L.J. Smith was sidelined with a concussion.
• The Line: The Eagles are favored by 3. Over/Under is 43.0.

Injury Report:

Giants - Out of Game: CB Kevin Dockery (Back), LB Gerris Wilkinson (Knee), S James Butler (Knee). Probable: LB Zak DeOssie (Back/Flu).

Eagles - Out of Game: G Shane Andrews (Back). Questionable: CB Lito Sheppard (Groin), CB Joselio Hanson (Hamstring). Probable: RB Brian Westbrook (Knee), WR Jason Avant (Trap), WR Desean Jackson (Groin), DE Juqua Parker (Knee), TE L.J. Smith (Concussion), S Brian Dawkins (Hamstring).

Quote of the week:

“It has been a nice, steady increase in the way they have been playing and a lot of that has to do with the two coaches there. Peter Giunta and Dave Merritt do a great job, and then I have always said this a lot, Sam Madison, Sammy Knight, R.W. McQuarters, having that kind of experience working with guys that are actually playing in the game, I am not so sure there are many teams that have that. I think that has a lot to do with it.” - Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on how well the secondary has been playing

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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