I can give the Chargers credit for demolishing the Giants defense, but Ralph Vacchiano points out that the Chargers organization didn't handle itself quite profesionally:
The PA announcer told the fans Manning was the Giants' starting quarterback every time the Giants' offense came out.He must be happy that he decided not to work for an organization that is impossible to respect.The Chargers posted an "Eli's stats" graphic on the scoreboard several times listing the amount of times he was sacked, hurried or hit. The numbers were next to a photo that made Manning look somewhat drunk.
There were many anti-Manning signs and obscene signs are not supposed to be allowed.
Obscene T-shirts were available for sale in the parking lot.
Manning got hit with a shower of cups and paper as he left the field after the game.
Ernie Palladino addreses the Giants defense without answering the big question about who to blame, the Giants coackes of the players:
Now the question heading into next week's game against St. Louis revolves around the true quality of the Giants' run-stopping ability. They may well have just run into an isolated buzz saw in Tomlinson made worse by a faulty defensive game plan, about which at least one player complained privately. Or, perhaps the first two games were a mirage after all, and shutting down the likes of Steven Jackson and Dallas' Julius Jones the next two games will be just as difficult.
Chargers injuries include Finoti who is out and Phillips, a linebacker who plays on passing downs. Phillips says he is likely to play. Even if he does not, that's not the injury the Chargers will worry about. Phillips is a decent pass rusher, but losing their best offensive lineman will really hurt the Chargers. Without Finoti, look for the Chargers to have trouble running inside.
Several analysts note that the Chargers are vulnerable to blitzes up the middle because Brees is too short to see downfield without clear passing lanes. With Finoti out, the Giants have two reason to blitz up the middle: Brees being vertically challenged and Kris Dielman making his first NFL start replacing Finoti. Make that three reasons. If Tomlinson has to stay in the pocket to block, the Giants win.
Giants injuries include Webster and Strahan. Webster's injury means we don't get to see Will Allen benched again. The Chargers don't have dangerous receivers and we need Will Allen in there anyway because he is good in run support. If Webster is out the impact shouldn't be too great.
Obviously the big concern for the Giants is if Strahan can't play. I suppose if the Chargers lose their best offensive lineman and we lose our best defensive lineman things are fair on some level, but who wants the game to be fair? We want to see the Giants pound on the Chargers for 59 minutes and then take a knee with the game won.
Without Strahan, we lose some pass rush but more importantly we lose Strahan's great ability to contain running plays. There's no doubt that Tomlinson has the speed to get outside so look for the chargers to test Tuck's ability to contain if Strahan is out.
The Giants beat Arizona when most pundits picked the birds. Then they said the Saints are better than the birds so the Gaints will lose to the Saints. Wrong again. Now people think we'll lost to the 0-2 Chargers because we've got a short week, our first away game, and the other team is desperate.
I say wrong again. The Chargers can be beaten. They are not playing at an especially high level now as this poor report card indicates. Our defensive line has been playing well and matches up well against the Chargers offensive line:
The stench in the locker room wasn't from sweaty players. The run blocking here was horrible, and the pass blocking followed suit. Was the departed Hudson Houck really that good of a line coach? The Chargers pinching pennies in not bringing him back might cost them dearly as the season progresses. How these guys can look Brees and Tomlinson in the eyes is a mystery.Our offensive line should be able to handle the Chargers front:
Jake Plummer (23-of-37, 248 yards, one INT) didn't feel much heat from the line (one sack) and had more time than he needed on many occasions. And the run defense, which rocked here last year, has yet to rise up on a consistent basis. DeQuincy Scott led the unit with three tackles and a sack. Luis Castillo did OK in his first NFL start.Granted the Broncos have an excellent offensive line, but the Giants line is playing well enough to win these days.
We know the Giants stuffed the run all day against the cardinals. We know the Saints are better than the cardinals, Peter King predicts:
New Orleans 23, Giants 16If the Giants are smart, they'll force Brooks to beat them in the air by crowding the box. 8 in the box will also make it easier to spy on Brooks so he can't beat the Giants with his legs.Here's what you should know about the Saints last year. Aaron Brooks averaged 34 pass attempts per game (three more, by the way, than Peyton Manning). He had an alarmingly high 70 negative plays: 16 interceptions, 41 sacks, 13 fumbles (second in the NFL). He completed just 57 percent of his throws, with just 21 touchdowns. Too much bad. Not enough good. (For purposes of comparing, Peyton Manning had 28 negative plays last year, Brett Favre 33, Tom Brady 47, Daunte Culpepper 66. All had better completion percentages and more touchdown passes than Brooks.)
So when new offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard took over for the departed Mike McCarthy, the mandate, at least quietly, was to make this more of a running team. Smart move. Deuce McAllister and that beefy offensive line are more suited to control a game than Brooks is. Tonight in New Jersey, I expect the Saints to try to gash the Giants with a big dose of McAllister.
Stephen Edelson remids us that the Giants may find stopping the new Orleans running game tougher than stopping the Cardinals runnning game:
Last Sunday, the duo was working against center Shawn Lynch, signed off the street after three injuries at that position and cut two days after the game. This time, they'll have to do it against LeCharles Bentley, who is establishing himself as one of the game's best centers in his fourth season out of Ohio State.Things get scarier when you consider that Strahn may not be able to play. Coughlin is optimistic because Strahan has always overcome back spasms (he has a history) in 48 hours or less. But we may see Tuck taking over for Strahan earlier than expected if Strahan can't start against New Orleans.And it won't be rookie running back J.J. Arrington, making his first NFL start, who they'll be trying to corral.
Instead, it will be Deuce McAllister, a Pro Bowl-back with three straight 1,000-yard seasons and a penchant for running right over unsuspecting defenders.
"He's a powerful dude," said Clancy, a teammate of McAllister's at Ole Miss. "He's a fast guy but he's so big. It's going to be a test for us."
McAllister was limited to just 64 yards on 26 carries last Sunday, but that was against a Carolina Panthers defense widely recognized as having the best front seven in the league. The Giants still have a lot to prove in that regard.
Interesting review of NFL TV announcers from Dr. Z. It's funny how most fans complain about the quality of the shows on ESPN and the announcing at games. I guess ratings are good though because guys don't usually get the axe...
It's great to see headlines like "Giants crush Cardinals" especially after a shaky first half. Here's a quick recap of a few aspects of the game starting with good things:
Tiki Barber - Looking to have another MVP type season. Led the Giants with 122 total yards on offense, 62 rushing and 60 receiving.
Strahan - 1.5 sacks and looked real strong.
Burress - It sure is nice to see a wide receiver catch a TD pass. How many times did we see that last year?
Ponder and Morton - A kickoff and a punt return for touchdowns. Nice!
Tackling - Not many missed tackles.
William Joseph - Along with the rest of the defensive tackles terrorized the Cardinals interior linemen. There will be harder tests in the coming weeks since the Cardinals have some issues at center
But it wasn't all good...
Play calling - Is it just me or did we know the Cardinals had a great pass rush? Did we know we should establish the run? Did we know we were putting Manning in a tough situation with 15 pass plays to 10 runs in the first half? Things were better in the second half, but I just don't understand.
Eli Manning - We can't blame only the play calling. Many of Manning's throws were off. The interceptions may not have been entirely Manning's fault (missed ball by Tyree, tipped ball at the line) but those throws weren't great ones.
Pass protection - We knew this would be a tough assignment for our offensive line and it was. Manning didn't help himself much. He needs to do a better job sensing pressure and then avoiding it.
Will Allen - Schooled by Fitzgerald. Allen wasn't the only one to blame for the Giants pass defense but he gets more blame than anyone else. Deloatch was filling in for Peterson so the Giants were missing their best corner.
Seems that Chad Morton is ready to play meaning that the only real question marks for the Giants going into their opening game is whether they can keep the birds off Manning and how the defensive line (particularly the tackles) will play.
If the defensive line can get after Warner and if the offensive line can protect Manning, it should be a good day for the Giants!
TICKET POLICY
New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints
Monday, September 19, Giants Stadium
7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
1) Saints Season Ticket Holders and those people who purchased tickets to the originally scheduled Giants at Saints game will be allowed to purchase tickets for the September 19 game beginning Thursday, September 8 at 12 Noon.
a. Saints season ticket holders and those people who purchased tickets to the September 18 game in New Orleans should call 201-372-7928. Saints season ticket holders must provide their account number.
2) Giants Season Ticket Holders will have an opportunity to purchase tickets to the game from Thursday, September 8 at 3 p.m. through Saturday, September 10 at 10 p.m. Season ticket holders must have their account numbers and will be allowed to purchase the same number of tickets they have on their Giants account, up to a maximum of 8 tickets.
a. Ticket sales will be best seat available. Due to the quick turnaround required for this game, the Giants are unable to sell season ticket holders their normal seats.
b. Please note that account information will not be given out over the phone. Those season ticket holders who do not have their account number should go to the Continental Airlines Arena box office. Account information will only be given to the person who holds the account. The account holder must provide a photo ID for verification. Box office hours are: Thursday, September 8 from 3 p.m.-8 p.m.; Friday, September 9 from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; and Saturday, September 10 from 12 noon-6 p.m.
c. Giants Season Ticket Holders can purchase tickets on-line, by phone, or in person. Your account number will be required to make the purchase.
i. To purchase tickets on-line, go to ticketmaster.com. Delivery of tickets will be through either ticketFast or regular mail.
ii. To purchase by phone, call Ticketmaster at 201-507-8900 or 212-307-7171. Again, delivery of tickets will be through either ticketFast or regular mail.
iii. To purchase in-person, go to the Continental Airlines Arena box office. Box office hours are: Thursday, September 8 from 3 p.m.-8 p.m.; Friday, September 9 from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; and Saturday, September 10 from 12 noon-6 p.m.
3) The Giants season ticket waiting list will be allowed to purchase tickets on-line or by phone from Sunday, September 11 at 10 a.m. through Monday, September 12 at 10 p.m. To make the purchase, the wait list member must have their account number. Again, no account information will be given out over the phone. There will be a limit of 4 tickets.
a. To purchase on-line, go to ticketmaster.com. Delivery of tickets will be through either ticketFast or UPS.
b. To purchase by phone, call Ticketmaster at 201-507-8900 or 212-307-7171. Again, delivery of tickets will be through either ticketFast or UPS.
c. Waiting list members will be limited to on-line and phone orders. There will be no waiting list sales at either the Arena box office or the Giants ticket office.
4) Following the sale to the Giants waiting list, any remaining tickets will be put on sale to the general public on Tuesday, September 13 at 10 a.m.
a. To purchase on-line, go to ticketmaster.com. Delivery of tickets will be through ticketFast only.
b. To purchase by phone, call Ticketmaster at 201-507-8900 or 212-307-7171. Again, delivery of tickets will be through ticketFast only.
c. To purchase in-person, go to your nearest Ticketmaster outlet. There will be no sales at the Arena box office or the Giants ticket office.
5) Ticket prices will remain the same for the Saints game as they are for a regularly scheduled Giants home game. Upper and lower level: $70. Mezzanine: $80.
6) All ticket sales will be 밷est ticket available,?including those purchases made by season ticket holders.
7) For more information, please call 201-372-7928.
8) Method of payment: when ordering tickets from Ticketmaster or the Continental Airlines Arena box office, acceptable methods of payment are: MasterCard, Visa, American Express or cash.
9) An explanation of ticketFast: ticketFast is the most convenient way of receiving your tickets. When you select ticketFast as your delivery method during purchase, you'll receive your tickets via email. Not only will you get your tickets right away, but you can print them out anytime before the event.
The Giants waived Luzar and picked up Sean Berton, an excellent blocking tight end from the Vikings. He has also played H-back and special teams making him way more versatile than Luzar:
2004 Started 7 games and played in 14 after being released by Vikings during 2004 training camp...Returned to Vikings following season-ending injury to Jim Kleinsasser...Played at H-back and TE, providing a rugged blocking presence out of the backfield and on the line of scrimmage...Caught career-high 3 passes in back-to-back games at Detroit (12/19) and vs. Green Bay (12/24)...Notched career-high 24 receiving yards vs. Green Bay (12/24)...Career-long catch in regular season play was his 1st career NFL catch, a 14-yarder from Daunte Culpepper vs. Tennessee (10/24)...Hauled in 1st career playoff catch at Philadelphia (1/16/05) in Divisional Playoff game, a 16-yarder from Culpepper...Helped Vikings offense set a franchise record for total yardage at 6,339, an average of 396.2 yards per game.(from his bio on the Vikings website, soon to be taken down I imagine).2003 Picked up a squib kick at San Diego (11/9) and returned it 7 yards...Notched a special teams tackle at Atlanta (10/5)...Saw time at TE and on special teams at Detroit (9/21) and recorded 1st career stats by making a special teams tackle...Played on special teams and at TE/H-back vs. Chicago (9/14) on ESPN's Sunday Night Football...Saw time on special teams and H-back in season opener at Green Bay (9/7)...Signed by the Vikings as a rookie free agent on 5/10/03.
I'm going to start with the offensive line. Luke Petitgout, David Diehl, Shaun O Hara, Chris Snee, Kareem McKenzie, Bob Whitfield, Rich Seubert, Jason Whittle.
I was a bit surprised that the Giants kept only 8 linemen, making Lucier the odd man out. He was a valuable backup in that he could play guard or center, but the Giants must have felt that Whittle could provide depth at the same positions and be an emergency long snapper. Everyone is happy to see Seubert back and you wonder if he won't be starting soon at left guard. Nothing against Diehl, but Seubert will be better if he regains his old form. There was some concern about Whitfield after the final preseason game, but we need a backup left tackle (especially since Luke hasn't always been able to stay healthy) and Whitfield is the best we've got. It's hard not to think that Winey would have a bigger upside than Whitfield (yes I know I'm stating the obvious) but if they think Whitfield has a better chance of keeping the franchise (Manning) safe, of course they have to go with Whitfield.
We've known who the starters would be for some time: they weren't as dominating as some Giants fans expected in the preseason but you have to believe that Snee and McKenzie can get it done on the right side. Petigout has seen his share of criticism, and needs to stay healthy. If he does he has shown in the past that he can play well. Diehl seems solid at left guard and might move back to right tackle in an emergency (McKenzie injured). O Hara has been consistent.
The Saints will be playing at Giants stadium instead of New Orleans. No word yet on how to buy tickets, but some of the proceeds will go to help Katrina victims.
After J-Load's performance against the Patriots, many Giants fans are wondering if he doesn't become the #3 QB - it seems he'll get picked up off the practice squad (where he'd likely go if he doesn't make the final roster). I say keep the young guy with upside...