NFL-Giants: NY Giants football news

Like most of us, he has nice things to say about the offense but not as much to say about the defense. Some individual players get praise, including Aaron Rouse.

He criticizes Bill Sheridan quite a bit, arguing that defensive ends should not be in coverage and that Spags was able to stop teams late in the game while Sheridan is 0-2.

Nice article here on Chris Simms and the comeback he has made. I especially like these quotes from Coach Josh McDaniels:

“I have a great deal of respect for what he’s overcome now to come back to do this. And I can also see every day why he’s overcome it,” McDaniels said Thursday. “He works as hard or harder than anybody we have on our team. His attitude is phenomenal. He’s got a great work ethic. He lives in the weight room. He runs after practice when nobody’s looking – when he doesn’t think anybody’s looking.

Sheridan and the Giants defense got toasted. Sheridan seemed to have no answers. No pass rush and no coverage is a bad combination – you generally need one or the other. Otherwise you give up 500 yards like the Giants did to the Saints.

I’ve said several times before after bad defensive efforts that this is the one thing I can’t stand as a Giants fan. I love defense, grew up watching LT, and it just hurts me to watch our defense get outclassed to the point of being humiliated.

I asked yesterday if we’d miss Boley and Phillips. Yeah we missed them and looked awfully slow.

I asked if Manning could carry his team. Not today he couldn’t. Pretty bad game when the Giants needed an MVP effort against one of the better teams in the NFL.

And this will sound silly because the Giants were clearly outplayed but man the refs sucked. Why we do we have to watch the Giants get abused by the Saints and the zebras?

Unlike the past few weeks, the Giants will probably have to fight to beat the Saints. Their offense is very good and the Giants defense will be tested. Will our lack of speed at linebacker be exposed? With Boley out the Saints ought to try to go over the middle. Not having Kenny Phillips hurts our ability to take care of receivers going through the middle as well. And you know Jeremy Shockey wants to have a big game – who’s gonna cover him?

On offense, I predict a big day for the Giants. The Saints have talent on defense to be sure but how much? They haven’t been tested by an elite QB yet. Can Eli Manning beat the Saints?

I think he can but it’s no sure thing so this will be an exciting game today!

Why do the Panthers have only one Steve Smith? Because they passed over the Giants Steve Smith in the 2007 draft to take Dwayne Jarrett.

In hindsight, an obvious mistake but I remember some draft articles back in 2007 saying that the Giants got the better USC receiver.

Well I say it’s an obvious mistake. Some Panthers fans are saying Jarrett is fine and they have a QB problem instead. Could be a Jarrett not as good as our Steve Smith problem and a QB problem…

The Giants outplayed the Raiders to the point where it’s hard to comment on individual players. Everyone seemed to beat their guy. Most Giants starters got to rest in the second half so their stats aren’t going to shock anyone (with the possible exception of Manning’s perfect QB rating).

Hakeem Nicks got involved and that was great to see. Bradshaw looked all-world. Jacobs ran for a much smaller average – you have to wonder if he’s going to break out and start seeing the results he had last year or what.

I say sloppy cause of all the penalties but considering how badly the refs sucked today I need to watch again before commenting on them. But for example look at the unnecessary roughness against Smith they called and the one they didn’t call and you’ll a terribly inconsistent crew that is an embarrassment to the NFL.

But as annoying as the refs were, this was a nice win because the Giants pretty much controlled the Chiefs – just like a good team should. We had plenty of offense, great defense (until the final minutes) that got some sacks, and good special teams (fumble recovery on kickoff, recovered an onsides kick to start the second half).

Did I mention the announcers were as annoying as the refs? And as stupid?

There is some concern over Eli Manning’s heel, but it does sound like everyone’s saying he’ll be fine. Mario Manningham also regressed a bit – missed some catches he should make – but he’s only played a handful of NFL games. Steve Smith was amazing and Hakeem Nicks looked good so they picked up any slack…

You know the Giants and Chiefs don’t have much in common when reporters are stretching to find weird connections like: Giants strength coach Jerry Palmieri coached at Kansas State (’87-92).

The giants are 3-0. Kansas City is 0-3. They went 2-14 last year. We made the playoffs (and then got knocked out early after Manning had a terrible game in Philadelphia).

This comparison from KC is a little better. They talk about how badly the Chiefs played against the Eagles and how the Giants have been successful. I’ll be honest – I think we win big against Kansas City. In theory, that’s the way it should go down. Sometimes things work out differently in real life than they do in theory, but let’s not let today’s game be one of those times. Go Giants!

We ran the ball at will and our defense was dominant. Sweet game. Except for the injuries. McKenzie and Seubert both had to leave the game at some point. They say McKenzie is getting xrays on his knee and that is a big concern.

Gotta appreciate what their head coach said: “They beat us down,” said Tampa Bay’s first-year coach Raheem Morris. “We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day,” the NFL’s youngest head coach added. “They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. … It wasn’t even close.”

Sporting news predicts the Giants to finish 12-4 and 1st in the NFC East. They predict that the Giants will beat Philadelphia in the Divisional Playoffs, beat Atlanta in the NFC Championship Game and beat New England in Super Bowl 44.

Here are the “7 Reasons”:

1) Championship Pedigree: The Giants have been there, done that. Many key players already own Super Bowl 42 rings. They still have the swagger of champions. Last season made them even hungrier. Until Plaxico Burress’ gun incident derailed them, the Giants looked ready to repeat. They feel cheated, as if their season went up in smoke when a gun went off in a nightclub. Burress is now gone and will not stand in their way. Nothing will.

2) Depth: This team is well equipped to handle injuries. Significant players have gone down over the past two seasons – Jeremy Shockey, Mathias Kiwanuka, Osi Umenyiora. Yet the Giants kept winning. General Manager Jerry Reese has assembled a formidable roster. The Giants are toast if Eli Manning goes down for the long term. But overall their roster is rock-solid.

3) Offensive Line: Guard Chris Snee and Center Shaun O’Hara are coming off Pro Bowl seasons. David Diehl and Kareem McKenzie are excellent tackles, and Rich Seubert is a dependable guard. The Giants led the league in rushing last season, as their backs were provided with gaping holes. Few backs run with Brandon Jacobs’ power and Ahmad Bradshaw’s game-breaking speed. Derrick Ward, who signed with the Buccaneers, will miss the Giants offensive line more than the Giants will miss him.

4) Ferocious pass rush: Justin Tuck became a star last season after Umenyiora suffered a season-ending injury. Together, they will make sandwiches out of quarterbacks, while Mathias Kiwanuka will rarely see double teams, making him even more effective. The Giants will miss defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, now head coach of the Rams. But the franchise was smart to promote former linebackers coach Bill Sheridan to defensive coordinator. Sheridan sat in meetings with Spagnuolo, and knows best how to deploy personnel. Remember Super Bowl 42, when Patriots quarterback Tom Brady spent much of the game on his back? The Giants have the personnel to do that again.

5) Tom Coughlin (in Iraq): The longer he coaches, the more the Giants reflect his tenacity. One of Coughlin’s heroes is former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. After the league meetings in March, Coughlin drove up the California coast to meet Wooden for the first time, and they talked for three hours. Like Wooden, Coughlin never thinks he knows it all. Late in his career, Coughlin had evolved into a players’ coach, without being too lenient. Hiring young head coaches has become trendy, but the league’s oldest head coach (Coughlin will be 63 in August) is still one of the best.

6) Eli Manning: It seems like this guy has been around for a decade, but he’s only 28. Manning has his supporters and his crtics, but has yet to reach his prime. He already wears a ring, and often plays his best in clutch situations. Quarterback is the most important position in team sports. In the fourth quarter, the Giants have a quarterback who makes plays.

7) Special teams: The punter (Jeff Feagles) is superb at pinning teams inside the 20. The placekicker (Lawrence Tynes) is reliable. The kick-coverage units are excellent. The Giants usually win the battle of field position and rarely waste scoring drives.