Running Diary: Draft Day Edition

22 04 2010

It’s the Official Running Diary of the 2010 NFL Draft, coming to you live from my couch. Get excited! We’re kicking off the broadcast from Radio City Music Hall in New York City with all of the usual suspects: Steve Young, Chris Berman, Mel Kiper Jr., Mel Kiper Jr.’s Hair, the gang is all here folks. The one ongoing subplot that I’m really going to miss from this year however, is trying to figure out which pick Jets fans are going to boo. With the 29th pick in the first round, it’s a safe bet that the Jets organization has a free pass this year, meaning that no matter who they pick, they can count on only a fraction of the boos they would normally get. With their recent offseason acquisitions of Antonio Cromartie, LaDainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes and Jason Taylor, I’d say that Jets fans are pretty content with where they are right now.

But hey, you never know. That’s why they play the game, and that’s why I’m doing a running diary. I’m planning on going for at least the first 15 picks tonight, or more, depending on how everything unfolds. The Giants are slated for the 15th pick as of right now, but there is a possibility that they may try to trade up for Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain. We’ll see. Aaaaaand we’re off!

7:15 p.m. – This year’s top prospects, at least the ones who have chosen to show up, are being introduced to the crowd at Radio City Music Hall. Luckily, neither Tim Tebow nor Colt McCoy chose to make the trip to New York for the first day of the draft, avoiding an unfortunate Aaron Rodgers-type situation where they’re sitting all by themselves at pick number 30 while the camera pans over to them nervously tapping their feet and Chris Berman makes awkward jokes.

7:19 – This event just proves how football-obsessed we Americans are. No other major sport’s draft comes even close to being the spectacle that the NFL Draft is year after year. The NHL and MLB drafts aren’t even televised and even the NBA Draft, which is the closest in comparison, only lasts one night and two rounds. The NFL Draft is now being spread across three separate days, with pretty much wall-to-wall television coverage. Astounding. It’s almost like the Super Bowl of the offseason now.

7:21 – ESPN returns from commercial to show us Oklahoma quarterback and possible #1 overall pick Sam Bradford sitting at his table and trying his hardest to avoid eye contact with the camera. Right now, Jon Gruden is continuing his assault on Bradford and the rest of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft. I agree with him 100%. A quarterback like Bradford that ran out of a spread offense in college is a complete crapshoot in the NFL. I know the Rams will probably blow their #1 pick on him, but I don’t know if it’s the right pick. Personally, I would take Ndamukong Suh. I don’t run an NFL team though.

7:26 – Tom Jackson agrees with me. “The best player in this draft, in my opinion, is Ndamukong Suh.” I knew I liked Tom Jackson. He’s tied with Mel Kiper Jr.’s hair right now for my favorite panelist. The Rams are on the clock in less than 4 minutes. I like that for the first time in at least a few years, we don’t really know who the number one pick will be. At least St. Louis has saved us some kind of suspense. It’s the least they could do.

7:28 – My new favorite subplot for this year’s draft is seeing what moves, if any, the Pittsburgh Steelers make in an attempt to dump Ben Roethlisberger off on another team. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping to hear Roger Goodell get up to the podium and say “With the number one pick in the 2010 NFL Draft….WE HAVE A TRADE! The St. Louis Rams have traded their pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Ben Roethlisberger and his shady bodyguards.”

7:31 – And the broadcast has officially begun. The tension is palpable. Chris Berman says, “I”m excited! THIS IS A FOOTBALL DRAFT!” Thanks Chris, I’m excited too. Goodell is headed to the podium to kick off the proceedings. I think he’s been taking speech lessons from President Obama during the offseason. After a moving speech, he announces that the St. Louis Rams are now on the clock. Ten minutes and counting. If they take more than 7 minutes to make this pick, they should have it taken away. They’ve been on the clock for three months now.

7:35 – Gruden: “The Rams need a quarterback….they were one win away from winning zero games last season.” Bradford is on the phone with someone right now. I have a feeling it’s Dan Rooney. “Hey, how would you like to have Ben Roethlisberger’s job this year son? Some quick questions first…”

7:37 – Here we go…..and it’s Sam Bradford! The number one overall pick….guys….what a surprise, right? The first pick, not surprisingly, is booed by the New York crowd. They love booing at any chance they get in New York. I guess it was the Rams that Bradford was on the phone. Hey, anytime you have the chance to draft a quarterback that missed his entire senior year due to injury and plays in one of the most quarterback-friendly offenses in college football, you have to do it, right? I mean, there’s never a risk in taking a quarterback number one overall. Just ask the San Francisco 49ers.

7:41 – On the clock right now, the Detroit Lions. I think Suh is a perfect pick for the Lions. He’s a perfect pick for any team actually. His impact alone will be good for at least two wins during the season. The guy eats offenses alive. Plus, they improved from 0 wins in 2008 to 2 wins last year. That means they’re due for 4 wins this season.

7:44 – “With the number two pick in the NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select….Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle, Nebraska.” I called that one. With the first two obvious picks out of the way now, we can start getting to the interesting part now. By the way, the crowd isn’t booing as Suh walks on stage for his photo-op with the commish, they’re just saying, “SUUUUUUUUUH!”

7:46 – Suh is a very well-spoken young man. Chris Berman enlightens us by explaining that Ndamukong means, “House of Spears,” after his brief interview with Suzy Kolber. By the way, good ol’ Suzy is aging pretty well. Just saying….

7:49 – Now on the clock, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They shipped Byron Leftwich to Pittsburgh a few days ago. So who is their starting quarterback for 2010? Josh Johnson or Josh Freeman? Which Josh is it? Will they take Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy with the third overall pick? We’re going to find out soon…the pick is in!

7:51 – With the third overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select….Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle, Oklahoma.” So, we’ve had three picks already, two of them have been defensive tackles from Big XII teams, two of them have been from Oklahoma, and one of them is a McCoy, and it’s not even Colt! What a turn-of-events this evening folks! Oh boy.

7:54 – I wonder how Colt McCoy feels right now. Not only was he not the first quarterback taken in the draft, but he wasn’t even the first McCoy. Poor kid, that’s what you get for taking your team to the BCS Championship game and then getting hurt on the third play.

7:55 – According to Chris Berman, this is the first time since 1966 that the first three picks have all come from the same conference. Interesting fact nugget. Now on the clock…the Washington Redskins. They’ve certainly made a big splash during this offseason, snatching Donovan McNabb from Philadelphia and adding the Ghost of Willie Parker to a backfield that already features the Ghost of Larry Johnson. Certainly a much-improved football team that will almost definitely start out the season 5-2 and then end up with an 8-8 record.

7:58 – And the Redskins take….offensive tackle, Trent “Silverback” Williams. Wait, what? I didn’t know that we were throwing nicknames in there too now. What is this, a UFC draft? Trent Williams is from….quick, take a guess….Oklahoma! How about this: four picks now, and three of them are from Oklahoma. Unbelievable. Were there any other teams in Division I football last year? Are we sure of this? All four players from the Big XII. I want to see this streak kept alive now. Kansas City is going down the 2009 Oklahoma Sooners roster right now going, “Damn, they took all the good ones!”

8:05 – We’re back, and we see Tennessee safety Eric Berry on the phone with someone. Then he turns to the camera and we hear him say, “I’m gonna be a Chief!” Thanks a lot guys. Are we going to completely throw out the element of surprise this year? Why are we doing Roger Goodell’s job for him? LET HIM DO HIS JOB, ESPN. STOP RUINING THE FUN.

8:07 – Sure enough, Goodell announces that the Chiefs select Berry less than two minutes later. A safety going 5th overall is almost unheard of, but according to Gruden, he “blew the combine away with his ball skills.” No jokes here. No really, I’m good.

8:09 – The Seahawks are now on the clock. I’m thinking Russell Okung…let’s see if I’m right. The pick is in and Goodell is heading to the podium now. I also just remembered that the Mets are playing. No score in the bottom of the 4th. Thanks for reminding me.

8:11 – Let’s see what Pete Carroll does in his first NFL Draft in over a decade. Tell me it wouldn’t be funny if he took someone from USC here, just as a joke. You’re right, it wouldn’t be that funny. Is Mark Sanchez still available? Under two minutes on the clock now, it’s crunchtime for the Seahawks.

8:14 – I just checked the box score of the Mets game. It’s the 5th inning and they don’t have a single hit. Again. They had 1 hit until the 7th inning last night. This team cannot hit. Anyway, the Seahawks take Russell Okung, offensive tackle from Oklahoma State. Yes, that’s yet another player from the Big XII. If you’re scoring at home, that’s now 5 Big XII players in the first 6 picks. Four players from the state of Oklahoma. I know, enough already. Cleveland Browns on the board right now for the 7th pick. This draft is flying by!

8:20 – Are the Cleveland Browns really considering taking Jimmy Clausen? Aren’t they tired of drafting overrated Notre Dame quarterbacks about 50 picks higher than they should be drafted? Come on Cleveland, don’t make this mistake again. Brady Quinn, version 2.0.

8:23 – Oh look at this, Joe Haden is on the phone with someone, tears of joy streaming down his face. I wonder who the Browns are going to pick. YOU RUINED THE SURPRISE AGAIN?!? You have got to be kidding me.

8:24 – Yup, it’s Joe Haden taken 7th overall by the Browns, cornerback from Florida. He looks extremely happy, actually a lot happier than someone who just got drafted by the Cleveland Browns should be. Good for him though. By the way, Cleveland Browns fans, welcome to the Jake Delhomme Era! That should be fun.

8:27 - The Oakland Raiders….here we go! Always exciting and unpredictable when Al Davis is making the decisions. Trade for Ben Roethlisberger? Come on Al, you know you want to….

8:28 – Al Davis: “Can we draft JaMarcus Russell again? No? Are you sure? Damn.”

8:29 - Damn you Oakland Raiders! They took our player! Rolando McClain would have fit in so well in Giants blue. That is deflating. Okay, I’m moving on now. Actually a good pick by Oakland for a change. Is Al Davis still alive?

8:31 – Uh oh, the Bills have their pick in already. And it’s…..C.J. Spiller! My favorite player from this year’s draft. I loved watching him play at Clemson, actually got the chance to see him light up Florida State in person last November. What an electrifying running back, he completely rewrote the ACC record books. I’m excited to see how he adapts to the NFL, although admittedly I’m not that excited to see him stuck in the forgotten snow drifts of Buffalo. Very surprised to see him taken this early. I knew he was good, but didn’t think he was top-10 good. Maybe it’s the shortage of quality running backs in this year’s draft. Either way, I’m going to enjoy watching him torch the Jets.

8:33 – Only an hour into the draft and we’re already getting set for the 10th pick. The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock. We’ll be back after these commercials that are most likely going to make me hungry, even though I can’t get up to eat anything because I’m afraid I’ll miss something important. Can I get delivery to my couch right now?

8:37 – Top of the 6th inning now, Mets still only have 1 hit. I’m glad we’ve gone back into our “Let’s Not Break the Baseball” mode after that brief two-game winning streak.

8:38 – And the Jaguars take Tyson Alualu, defensive tackle from California, our first real surprise of the draft! Mel Kiper Jr.’s Hair says, “It’s not a surprise he went in the first round, but it is a surprise that he went 10th overall.” So that basically means that he’s good, but not worth a top-10 salary. That’s it.

8:41 – We have our first trade of the night, as Denver ships its number 11th pick to the San Francisco 49ers. The Broncos will only move back two spots to the 13th pick. The Niners’ pick is in, so let’s see why they decided to trade up….

8:43 – With the 11th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select….Anthony Davis, offensive tackle, Rutgers! Alright, a fellow Rutgers alum goes 11th! I’m ecstatic, although not all that surprised. Davis was far and away one of the best offensive tackles in the nation for the last few years. I mean, anyone that can make Mike Teel look good, has to be worth an 11th overall pick. Let’s see if he can do the same for Alex Smith/Shaun Hill/whoever starts for that team.

8:46 – Now the Dolphins have given up their number 12 pick to the San Diego Chargers. No details on the trade yet, but the Chargers have their pick in already, so they apparently know who they want. They need a running back…let’s see what the Bolts do.

8:48 – I know we’re talking about football right now, but how many times are we going to put our ace out on the mound and then not support him with any runs, or even any hits for that matter. His last start against St. Louis, we had 0 runs and 1 hit in 9 innings. Today? Zero runs and 1 hit through 5 innings. Poor Johan.

8:49 – And the Chargers select….Ryan Matthews, running back, Fresno State. Clearly the second best running back in the draft behind Spiller. I think this is a good pick. They need a running back after sending Tomlinson to the Jets and Matthews fits the Chargers offense very well, he has a similar style to Tomlinson and will compliment Sproles perfectly as a pass-catching back.

8:52 – Denver sends its 13th pick that it just got from San Francisco to Philadelphia now. Hey look at this, it’s our first “EAGLES SUCK!” chant of the night! I knew the New York fans had it in them. Philly is most likely going after Earl Thomas to fill the hole at safety that Brian Dawkins left when he went to Denver last year. Chris Berman tell us that Earl Thomas plays piano in church. I knew there was a reason why I tuned in to watch the draft. The knowledge just flows like wine!

8:55 – So, with the 13th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Donovan McNabb-less Eagles select….Brandon Graham, defensive end, Michigan. OH WHAT A TWIST! We just spent 5 minutes listening to everyone at ESPN explain why the Eagles were taking Earl Thomas, and then they go ahead and they…don’t pick Earl Thomas! That’s why we watch, for the suspense and the drama. Goodell is booed throughout his entire announcement, and then the anti-Eagles chants start up again.

9:00 – Seattle is on the clock next at number 14, barring more trades. The Giants haven’t traded up, so I guess they are content with their 15th pick, which is coming up sooner rather than later…and that means that this running diary is coming to an end. Somehow, I’ve cranked out almost 3,000 words in an hour and a half and I’m quickly running out of gas here folks. The Seahawks are now set to make their second pick of the first round already.

9:03 – Hey, the Mets are on the board! David Wright doubled to bring home Reyes and then Francoeur drove him in with an RBI single two batters later. 2-0 Mets, and finally someone decided to step up and save Santana from another No Decision.

9:06 – The Seahawks swoop in (see what I did there?) and take Earl Thomas with the 14th pick, the guy everyone was convinced that the Eagles would take with the 13th pick. So now we get to hear more facts and tidbits about Earl Thomas. It’s like he was picked twice!

9:07 – And here is the moment we’ve been waiting for…the New York Giants are on the clock. The “Let’s Go Giants” chants are starting up at Radio City Music Hall and all the Giants fans (and probably the Jets fans too) are saving up as much air in their lungs as possible in preparation of booing pretty much anyone that we pick. I’m excited for this pick, and also excited to end this running diary and get something to eat, because I’m starving and these Taco Bell Tortadas are even starting to look good at this point.

9:11 – Here we go, getting ready for the Giants pick now at number 15. Two more minutes left on the clock. Who will it be? Mike Iupati, guard from Idaho? Jason Pierre-Paul? We’ll see soon enough. Steve Young: “How embarrassing…HOW EMBARRASSING…for the New York Giants to be 30th in defense.” Thanks, Steve. Thanks a lot buddy. Keep twisting that knife.

9:13 – And the Giants select…Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive end from South Florida. I love it. Love this pick. First of all, anytime you can improve on a category that you finished 30th in last season, that’s making strides. I love defense, and I love this guy’s talent. I watched him play in the Big East, and watched him even terrorize Rutgers a few times. Great pick, and I hope to see him have an immediate impact on the defensive line, especially in stopping the run and closing down the gaps. I see him being very similar to Justin Tuck a few years down the road.

All in all, I’m pretty satisfied with the way the first round has gone so far. Spiller went 9th, Rutgers tackle Anthony Davis goes 11th and we pick up a quality defensive end from South Florida in Jason Pierre-Paul. That’s all for me, I’m going to call it a night. It’s been real, enjoy the rest of the draft.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Sports

The 2010 Schedule Is Here!

21 04 2010
NCAA Lacrosse: BIG CITY Classic - North Carolina vs Virginia APR 10

Hey look, it's the "New" Meadowlands Stadium.

Last night, the NFL (that’s the National Football League for those of you out of the loop) finally released the 2010 regular schedule in preparation for Thursday night’s draft. Earlier in the day, Roger Goodell leaked the season-opening Thursday night match-up in an online chat. That game, a much anticipated rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game between the Vikings and Saints will hopefully kick off the 2010-2011 season with a lot of excitement and a lot less Black Eyed Peas (Please NFL, I beg of you, can we just stop the pregame “concert” that usually goes with this event? I guarantee you that a good 80% of NFL fans couldn’t care less about Fergie or Rihanna. And if I even so much as catch a whiff of Justin Bieber at any NFL-sanctioned event this season, I swear that we will be having a serious talk).

Anyway, I have for you, right here in this column, an exclusive look at the Giants 2010-2011 regular season schedule. I use the word “exclusive” rather lightly here, because I’m sure that every single major sports news outlet and blog on the internet has the information already. Take it from me though, very few sports blogs care about a random arrangement of opponents, dates, and times more than I do, for every April I patiently await the release of the new NFL schedule like Christmas Day. That would make today the day after Christmas, where I swear that I will not eat anything until after New Year’s and that I will not watch A Christmas Story again for another 364 days.

Week 1

September 12th, 1 p.m. FOX

Giants vs. Carolina Panthers

It’s only fitting that the team we closed out the old Giants Stadium with is the team we’ll be playing to open up the New Meadowlands Stadium, although I’ve tried as hard as I could to keep that last game against the Panthers deeply repressed beneath memories of Dave Brown and that snowball game against San Diego. By the way, is there a worse name for a stadium than the one we have now? I mean, we know it’s new, right? Why don’t we just call it “Meadowlands Stadium” then? Why do we need the “New”? Besides, are they going to change it after a few seasons to “Lightly-Used, But Still Smells Like It’s New Meadowlands Stadium”? I’m all for keeping the name out of the hands of a corporate sponsor, but if we’re going to do that, let’s think of something a little more creative then.

Week 2

September 19th, 8:20 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football

Giants at Indianapolis Colts

Manning Bowl II! I absolutely cannot wait for this game, much like I couldn’t wait for the first Manning Bowl. I was at that game back in 2006 when we opened the season against Peyton and the Colts (who would ultimately go on to win the Super Bowl) and I remember thinking about how much more confident Peyton was in running the offense than Eli was. Even though little brother held his own in that game and we only lost 26-21, I remember thinking how great it would be if Eli became even half as good as his big brother one day. Then the next year we ended up winning the Super Bowl and it was Eli hoisting that Lombardi Trophy just like Peyton. I guess that wish came true.

Week 3

September 26th, 1 p.m. CBS

Giants vs. Tennessee Titans

The last time we faced Vince Young and the Titans was a total nightmare. I’m sure everyone remembers that game back in 2006. I believe it was November 26th. We jumped out to a 21-0 lead and everything was right with the world…until the defense completely collapsed, Vince Young started playing like Randall Cunningham from the early 90′s and then Rob Bironas kicked our hearts out with 2 seconds left in regulation to give Tennessee a 24-21 victory. That one still stings. The last time we hosted the Titans? Almost as bad. We squandered a 26-14 lead in the fourth quarter and lost in OT to the late Steve McNair 32-29 on December 1, 2003.

Week 4

October 3rd, 8:20 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football

Giants vs. Chicago Bears

So, this will be our second primetime game in a three-week span. Giants fans know that we either look incredible or absolutely awful in primetime games. Take last season’s stinker against Denver on Thanksgiving night and then the game we played on Monday Night against Washington later in the season. It was like day and night. I hate to keep bringing up bad memories, but the last time we played Chicago on Sunday night was November 12, 2006 and we got annihilated by the Bears. How do I remember that date so vividly? Because I had gotten back from seeing Dane Cook at the Garden and I was watching the game at a bar around the corner and when Devin Hester returned that missed field goal 107 yards for a touchdown before the half I almost threw up on everyone that I was with. However that Bears team eventually played the Colts in the Super Bowl that season, so I guess we get a pass for that one.

Week 5

October 10th, 1 p.m. FOX

Giants at Houston Texans

Funny story (or not, it depends). My friends and I have a running joke we use at Giants games when an opposing quarterback is having too easy of a day and we’re not getting enough pressure on him. Usually we’ll yell “SOMEBODY TOUCH (insert quarterback’s name)!” at least once every time that team is on offense. This started back in 2006 at the last Giants-Texans game when the Houston quarterback at the time, David Carr, was running all over our defense. The guy sitting in front of us would stand up after almost every play and yell at the top of his lungs, “SOMEBODY TOUCH DAVID CARR!” Sometimes he would switch it up, depending on the situation and add, “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SOMEBODY TOUCH DAVID @#$%&@ CARR!” Anyway, we thought this was hysterical. Maybe you had to be there.

Week 6

October 17th, 1 p.m. FOX

Giants vs. Detroit Lions

Weirdly enough, I don’t have any interesting anecdotes or stories involving any past Giants-Lions games. I guess it’s because most games against Detroit end up being mind-numbingly boring or we end up losing and I purposely have a way of forgetting about every game that we’ve lost to the Detroit Lions, for obvious reasons. Anyway, this is a nice afternoon game in mid-October when the weather isn’t really cold yet, but it isn’t hot anymore and nobody knows whether to bring a jacket to the game or not. Usually if you bring a jacket, you end up sitting in the sun the entire game and losing eight pounds of your weight in sweat. Or the weather can throw a giant wrench at your head and it can be 35 degrees with 40 mph wind gusts. I don’t know what this has to do with the Giants and the Lions, but I’m just warning you about mid-October games at the Meadowlands.

Week 7

October 25th, 8:30 p.m. ESPN Monday Night Football

Giants at Dallas Cowboys

This year will mark the latest into the season that we’ve gone without playing a division opponent since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. That’s six weeks without any games against NFC East teams. We kick off divisional play on October 25th at JerryWorld on Monday Night Football. By this point in the season, we’ll either both be going in opposite directions or we’ll both be neck and neck and this game will be an early test of fortitude. I can definitely see both teams being 4-2 going into this game and ESPN hyping it up for a full week and a half.

Week 8

BYE

The good thing about bye weeks is that we never lose.

Week 9

November 7th, 4:05 p.m. FOX

Giants at Seattle Seahawks

I’ve brought back enough bad memories in this column to give you all nightmares and flashbacks for weeks, so I’m going to leave this one alone. I could dig out a handful of bad games we’ve had in Seattle since the 90′s and every one of them would give me the chills and the cold sweats. Like the 5 false start penalties in a row? How about Jay Feely missing three straight game-winning field goals? Falling behind 42-3 in the first half? Brad Daluiso shanking a potential game-winner in the Kingdome? I’m sorry, I just said I wouldn’t do this. Needless to say, Seattle is never nice to us.

Week 10

November 14th, 4:15 p.m. FOX

Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys

We return home for the first time in almost a month and who do we find waiting for us there? Oh, it’s the Dallas Cowboys again. Twice in three games So before we play the Eagles or Redskins even once, we have to face the Cowboys twice? Tell me how that makes any sense? At least we get them out of the way early in the season, because those games tend to give me the most frequent heartburn and eye twitches.

Week 11

November 21st, 8:20 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football

Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

Speak of the devil! Here are our friends, the Philadelphia Eagles. The team who outscored us 85-55 last season. Good news though Giants fans: Donovan McNabb is gone! The wicked witch is dead! Wait, what was that….you mean he’s still in the division? We still have to play him twice a year? Oh….

Week 12

November 28th, 1 p.m. CBS

Giants vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

This here is the quintessential late-November trap game. It’s a winnable game against a weak opponent in the middle of a bunch of tough divisional games that we are supposed to win by a wide margin, yet we usually find ourselves trailing by a touchdown in the 4th quarter until we finally realize, “Hey, this is the Jacksonville Jaguars, we’re supposed to win this game!” and we squeak by in the last 5 minutes.

Week 13

December 5th, 1 p.m. FOX

Giants vs. Washington Redskins

The good news: we don’t have to see Donovan McNabb until December. The bad news: I can see us going into this game at 7-5 and really needing a win to stay in the NFC East hunt and the playoff hunt. And facing Donovan McNabb with our season on the line is something that always makes me a little uneasy. (See 2009; 2008)

Week 14

December 12th, 1 p.m. FOX

Giants at Minnesota Vikings

For the 96th season in a row, we have to travel to the Metrodome to play the Minnesota Vikings in December/January. We’ve lost the last two games in Minnesota, however neither game mattered. In 2008 we had already clinched home-field advantage and last year we had already been eliminated from the playoffs the previous week. This season the game will hopefully be a little more important. Plus, we’re still in that stage of the year where we don’t know whether or not Brett Favre will be returning or retiring! Always a fun time. I like to call this period, usually from April to August, “Favre Limbo”.

Week 15

December 19th, 1 p.m. FOX

Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles again. How will the first year of the Kevin Kolb Era turn out for Philly? I’m guessing that by this point in the season we should have a pretty good idea of whether or not the Eagles made a monumental mistake in ditching Donovan.

Week 16

December 26th, 4:15 p.m. FOX

Giants at Green Bay Packers

Eli vs. Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau on the day after Christmas. I’m anxiously anticipating this game. I think it has a lot of potential to be a great game and hopefully by Week 16 it will actually mean something. Although I won’t be complaining if we already have a playoff spot locked up by then. Even so, the match-up between Manning and Rodgers, two talented young quarterbacks, should be intriguing enough on its own.

Week 17

January 2nd, 1 p.m. FOX

Giants at Washington Redskins

We will end the 2010-2011 regular season on second day of 2011 against the Washington Redskins. What will this game mean? I’m not about to start projecting in April, it’s still way too early in my opinion. For all I know, we could be 11-4 at this point, we could be 8-7 or we could be 6-9, I have no clue. All I know is that if there is a playoff spot on the line and Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb are standing in our way, this could be another classic, old-fashioned NFC East slugfest.

On Thursday night, I should be rolling out a live running diary for the first 10-15 picks of the NFL Draft, so stay tuned for that.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Sports

The Donovan McNabb Saga

29 03 2010

The relationship between Donovan McNabb and Philadelphia Eagles fans has always been an intriguing one. Which is to say that unless you are a Philadelphia Eagles fan, you’re not likely to ever fully understand it. Ever since Day One, I have witnessed what has perhaps become the most tumultuous relationship that a hugely popular “franchise player” has ever had with his franchise and his fan-base. From the day he was taken by the Eagles with the second overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, up until the day he will inevitably be traded to the Raiders or the Vikings or the Bills, the plight of Donovan McNabb will likely remain an enigma to most.

When the Eagles drafted Donovan McNabb out of Syracuse in the 1999 NFL Draft, he was booed heavily. The first thing Donovan McNabb heard when he stood next to Paul Tagliabue and held up a Philadelphia Eagles jersey for the first time, was a barrage of boo’s from the Philly faithful. How nice of them to welcome him so warmly. Although the Eagles were mired in a period in which they went through numerous second-rate starting quarterbacks, including but not limited to the likes of Bobby Hoying and Ty Detmer, Eagles fans still believed that drafting Ricky Williams was the direction that the franchise needed to take. In hindsight, was taking McNabb over Williams the right choice? Yes, of course it was. However, this doesn’t change the way most Philly fans feel about their franchise quarterback. Needless to say, the 1999 NFL Draft would be a harbinger of things to come over the next decade.

If nothing else, Donovan McNabb is certainly a polarizing figure in Philadelphia. Over the last 10 years, he has alternated between hero, villain and complete enigma more times than John Locke in the last 6 seasons of LOST and sometimes those transformations can take place over the course of a few weeks, a few days or even one quarter of a game. For someone who is been the star player and undisputable leader of a winning football team over the course of an entire decade, he has to lead the league for the most times his team has threatened to cut him, trade him or bench him.

It’s no surprise that he and Head Coach Andy Reid have clashed over the years, and while we can watch countless puff pieces on FOX pregame shows that portray the two as being best buddies, we all know the truth: Andy Reid doesn’t trust Donovan McNabb. Benching him in the second half of a regular-season game against Baltimore a few seasons ago was a heavily criticized move at the time, but it served to light a fire under McNabb, as he eventually led the Eagles to the NFC Championship later that season where they would lose to the Arizona Cardinals.

Which brings me to my next point: Donovan McNabb knows how to win. Now, here is where the gallery chimes in, in unison, with a resounding, “What has he won?” And the answer is: nothing substantial — yet. No, he hasn’t won a Super Bowl yet, but he’s been to one. Stats are stats, and this one clearly speaks for itself: since McNabb was drafted in 1999, he has led the Eagles to the playoffs 8 times. In that same time span, only one team (and one quarterback) has been to the playoffs more than McNabb and Philadelphia. That team? The Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning has one Super Bowl ring, and he’s made two appearances, but it took him 8 years to even make his first Super Bowl, while McNabb reached the big game in his 6th season. Am I comparing Donovan McNabb to Peyton Manning? No, all I’m saying is that over the last decade, not many quarterbacks have been as consistent as Donovan McNabb. His 9 wins in the playoffs are the third best among active quarterbacks behind only Tom Brady and Brett Favre.

Now I can throw stats around all day, but they don’t really do much. Almost every off-season for the last five or six years, Donovan McNabb’s name has been floated through the rumor mills and it’s almost become expected to hear writers and analysts wonder whether he’ll lose his starting job after a bad game in Week 5. With my brother being a diehard Eagles fan, and having watched McNabb and the Eagles almost every Sunday for as long as I can remember, this is something I’m typically used to.

Not to this degree though. This time, it seems like the Eagles organization is going out of their way to dangle McNabb out there in the open, leaving him available for any team that shows interest or makes an offer. This year, they’re opening themselves up to the possibility that no team makes a trade for McNabb and he returns to the field in September as the starting quarterback knowing that his entire organization doesn’t really want him to the be the starting quarterback. Is that any way to treat your franchise quarterback? Maybe it was the Eagles early exit from the playoffs this season, or maybe it’s McNabb’s frequent injuries that make the front office unsure if they can leave the team in his hands, but whatever it is, I’m sure there are better ways to go about this.

McNabb is still only 33 years old. He has played 11 seasons in the National Football League already and has suffered his fair share of bad injuries, but 33 isn’t that old, especially when it comes to the quarterback position. Peyton Manning turned 33 last month, and no one is going to argue that he’s even remotely close to being washed up. Both Kurt Warner and Brett Favre won playoff games last season at the ages of 38 and 40 respectively. In fact, Brett Favre came within one bad pass of playing in the Super Bowl.

Donovan McNabb still has a lot left in his tank as a quarterback in the NFL, whether or not he starts the 2010 season with the Philadelphia Eagles. If they ship him away for a draft pick in the next month, I will assure you that whatever team he does end up with will be competitive. Maybe not immediately, but he will have a noticeable impact, even if he ends up in Oakland. Yes, you read that right, I believe that Donovan McNabb can turn the Oakland Raiders into a playoff team.

As a Giants fan and someone who has been tortured by Donovan McNabb year in and year out, I’ll be honest and say that I won’t miss him if he leaves the NFC East. I would much rather face Kevin Kolb’s Eagles twice a year than Donovan McNabb’s Eagles (although in Kolb’s defense, we haven’t really seen much of him yet). Will the Giants-Eagles rivalry be a little different without No. 5? Of course it will, because even though I hate him twice a year, I look forward to Giants-Eagles games because of him, because I respect him just as much as I dislike him. And, if he can get the respect of a New York Giants fan, he certainly deserves the respect of his organization and his fans.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Sports

No Cure For March Madness

11 03 2010

Really guys? Come on....

I know I haven’t written in more than a month and that’s pretty irresponsible of me, but I do have a fairly valid excuse. I’ve been working on my first novel during the past few weeks, and so I haven’t had much time to balance both things. Okay, that’s a complete lie. I have nothing but time. Actually, time is about the only thing I’ve had a lot of lately. Either way, the novel is coming along pretty nicely. It’s funny because it’s like I’m having a competition with myself to see what I can make less money doing: blogging or writing a novel. Right now, they’re both tied at $0 a piece. We’ll see how that turns out.

A lot has happened during the past month, and so here’s a quick Cliffs Notes recap of what I think are the most important sports stories of the last month:

- The New Orleans Saints stunned the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Miami on Feb. 7th to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Drew Brees was named the game’s MVP and showed the world that not only does he have what it takes to be mentioned among the top QB’s of his generation, but also that he has a really, ridiculously adorable son.

- Tiger Woods entered rehab for his “sex addiction”. Upon hearing this, men all over the country immediately deleted their internet history out of fear of also being placed in rehab. He then held a 15-minute “news conference” in which he fielded zero questions and spoke with about as much sincerity and emotion as HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

- The Nets kept losing.

- The Knicks also kept losing. Then they dumped even more salary by unloading the contracts of Darko Milicic, Nate Robinson, and the corpse of Jared Jeffries and acquiring Tracy McGrady’s expiring $22 million contract from Houston. In the process, the Knicks created almost $30 million in salary cap space heading into this summer’s free agent free-for-all and now apparently have enough money to sign two superstars. It is likely that neither of these superstars will be LeBron James, despite the collective prayers of the Knickerbocker faithful.

- Spring Training started. The Yankees went to an arcade to show us how much they like each other and how well they all get along. We were all supposed to feel happy for them, despite the fact that they….are a baseball team….and that’s kind of the point.

Tell me this doesn't make you wet your pants a little.

And that was about it. Nothing happens in February, so even the most mundane of stories turn into front-page headlines in the sports world. Thankfully though, the cold, uneventful winter months are behind us and we’re staring right in the face of arguably the most exciting one-month stretch of the year, at least when it comes to sports.

If you look at the next month/month and a half, we get treated to the following:

1) The NCAA Tournament starts next Thursday, which is no doubt, hands-down my absolute favorite sporting event of the year. Why? Because it gives me a reason to really get behind teams that I normally couldn’t care less about. Can you think of anything better than almost having an aneurysm on a Thursday night in March because Syracuse edged out Portland State by 2 points and you came within seconds of tearing up your bracket that had Syracuse in the Final Four? No, there is nothing more exciting than that, I’m sorry. I’ve tried the NCAA Tournament without putting any money on it. I think the last time I did that was 6 years ago. It wasn’t fun. I found my interest drifting away in the early rounds. When you’re in a pool with a $400 pot and you absolutely need West Virginia to beat Texas to have a shot at winning, tell me that it doesn’t make that game about 100,000 times more exciting. That is, if gambling was legal. My favorite thing about the tournament? When we start to get down to the Sweet Sixteen and I’m spending upwards of 8 hours a day playing around with all of the different possible combinations of teams in the Yahoo! Scenario Generator. As the number of teams left in the tournament decreases, the number of hours I spend on the Scenario Generator increases, exponentially.

2) The start of the baseball season on April 5th. With the start of a new season just around the corner, I have realized that the only way to forgot about the unrelenting nightmare that was the 2009 baseball season is to start a new one. What’s worse than the Mets losing two-thirds of their starting lineup to injuries halfway through the season and then having to endure a postseason that ranked somewhere between The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and all 40 Saw movies on the horror scale? Having to go through that for a second year in a row. What’s worse than watching a Yankees-Phillies World Series that made me want to pull out my own tongue? Watching the Yankees win another World Series. So things can only get better from here, right?

3) The NFL free-agent free-for-all. The Giants already got off to a pretty decent start with their signing of safety Antrel Rolle from the Arizona Cardinals. The thought of him and a healthy Kenny Phillips in the secondary next year makes me a little excited. There’s still a ton of questions to be answered though before free-agent season wraps up. For example, where will LaDainian Tomlinson end up, and will anybody care? How about the question of whether or not Donovan McNabb will be wearing a Eagles uniform next season? What team will Terrell Owens destroy next? Gripping storylines will unfold in the coming weeks and months and as usual, everyone will drool over the Chicago Bears until they start the season 1-4 and we remember that they still have no wide receivers. Oops!

4) The NFL Draft in late April. I don’t really have anything to say about this other than these quick points:

- Sam Bradford will be drafted wayyyyy higher than he should be.

-Tim Tebow will be drafted wayyyy lower than he should be.

-Suh should be and probably will be the #1 overall pick.

-The Giants need to draft some linebackers, maybe.

-The Jets finally can’t screw up a top-10 pick because they won’t have one.

So, as you can see, I’m pretty excited about the coming month(s) and I won’t let anyone bring me down from this cloud of sports bliss that I will be floating on until May when the Mets are 7 1/2 games out of first and LeBron is leading the Cavs to an NBA title that will all but guarantee he stays in Cleveland.

See you next week, sports fans and loyal readers.


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Uncategorized

Ready or Not, It’s Time for the Playoffs (And Why I Think The Packers Will Win It All)

5 01 2010
Green Bay Packers v Arizona Cardinals

Aside from the NCAA Tournament in March, the NFL Playoffs are probably my favorite postseason event in sports, even when the Giants aren’t playing. Do you want to know why I love the NFL Playoffs? If you don’t, just skip the next few sentences, because I’m going to tell you anyway. I love the NFL Playoffs because you get one chance, and that’s it. There are no best-of-5 series, there are no brutally long best-of-7 series that drag out for a week and a half. There is one game and one game only. If you’re unprepared, it will show. Typically in best-of-7 series, the team that is supposed to win, will win. In the NFL Playoffs, anything can happen. Often enough, anything does happen. That’s why I love the NFL Playoffs, because you can have a team like the 2008 Arizona Cardinals get hammered in Week 16 against the Patriots and lose by 40 points but then suddenly get hot at the right time and be in the Super Bowl a month later. I love the NFL Playoffs because a 10-6 wild-card team that everybody wrote off two months before can beat the number 1 and 2 seeds in the NFC in back-to-back weeks on the road and then stun an undefeated team to win the Super Bowl. Do I need to explain myself anymore?

If you’re getting deja vu from looking at the games slated for this weekend’s Wild Card playoff round, that’s because three out of the four match-ups are repeats from last week, and two of them are even being played on the same field. If I was the Elias Sports Bureau I would probably be able to tell you if that has ever happened before, but I don’t have those kinds of statistics in front of me, so for now I’m going to have to go out on a limb and guess that it is a pretty rare occurrence. Both the Packers and Eagles will return to the scene of the crime from Week 17 for a playoff rematch. The Packers easily handed the Cardinals a 33-7 loss in Glendale on Sunday, and will hope for a repeat performance this weekend. Meanwhile, the Eagles are hoping to actually show up in Arlington this Saturday night, because from what I saw they sure as hell didn’t show up on Sunday, losing 24-0 to the Cowboys and also losing out on a chance for the #2 seed in the NFC. In doing so, they dropped from the #3 seed all the way down to the #6 seed, ensuring that they will not have a home game in the playoffs. Going from possibly having a first-round bye and a home game in the Divisional round to being the #6 seed in the span of a few hours was probably just as disheartening for Eagles fans as remembering that they’ve lost 4 NFC title games in the last 7 years.

As for the Cardinals, I think we’ve all learned our lesson about writing off teams that look like a bunch of ghosts with uniforms on in Week 17. Last year’s Cardinals team taught us that lesson, and maybe they’re trying to reteach it again this year. All I know is that Sunday’s Packers-Cardinals game will certainly be a lot closer than 33-7.

So two exact, carbon-copy rematches from Week 17 in the first-round of the playoffs for the first time ever (yes, I’ve actually done the research now, so I can say that with confidence), and that’s just the NFC. What about the AFC? Well, there’s the remarkable story of the New York Jets. Even Rex Ryan wrote this team off a few weeks ago, but now they’re suddenly the toast of the town. How did this happen? I have no clue. I can take a shot in the dark though and attribute their sudden and inexplicable success to a few things:

1) Their cream puff of a schedule. The Jets won 9 games this year against Houston, New England, Tennessee, Oakland, Carolina, Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis*, Cincinnati*. Three of those wins came against playoff teams, including Indy and Cincy in the last two weeks, but I’ll explain the asterisks in my next point.

2) They beat Indy and Cincy teams that were pretty much only on the field to collect a paycheck the last two weeks. Peyton Manning was out of the game by halftime in Week 16 allowing the Jets opportunistic defense to take advantage of a terrified Curtis Painter to the point where I was about to call DYFS on Jim Caldwell. And then on Sunday night, they trampled a Cincinnati team that clearly didn’t have any incentive to put on a show. I mean, Carson Palmer was 1/11 for 0 yards before being replaced by J.T. O’Sulli-beard. If those stats don’t scream, “The Football Felt Like a Frozen Brick, Somebody Give Me Coffee and Get Me Out of This Game Before Kimo Von Oelfhoffen Comes Out of Nowhere and Dives At My Knees”, then I don’t know what does.

3) Every single thing that the Jets needed to happen in the last two weeks in order to make the playoffs, happened.

But hey, I’m not bitter! So let’s move on to the next AFC Wild Card match-up featuring the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. Ironically, the Patriots, one of the only teams that I have been able to consistently figure out for the past 4 or 5 years is turning out to be the only team that I really don’t understand this season. Are they good? Are they a shell of their former selves? I can’t even tell anymore. However, if Wes Welker’s injury is as bad as they say it is (and they say it’s pretty bad, trust me), then I fear for New England. And if Tom Brady really has been playing with broken ribs for the last month like Bill Simmons says he has, then I fear for New England. I can see this game going either way though, it’s like the Tila Tequila of playoff games.

So, with all of that said, here are my Wild Card playoff predictions:

Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST

Bengals 27, Jets 17

I didn’t watch all of Sunday night’s game, I’ll be honest. Most of what I got out of the game, I got from glancing over my shoulder at the TV while I sat at a blackjack table at Showboat. What I saw was this: J.T. O’Sullivan’s beard, Mark Sanchez not throwing many passes, really cold fans, Brad Smith, J.T. O’Sullivan’s beard, Mark Sanchez looking confused. Somehow it was 37-0. It’s going to be a whole different sequel in Cincinnati on Saturday with the Bengals hosting a playoff game in front of their home crowd for the first time since the 2006 playoffs when Kimo Von Oelhoffen simultaneously ended Carson Palmer’s season and the Bengals’ season on the second play from scrimmage.

Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EST

Eagles 31, Cowboys 23

You can’t say the same about the Eagles Week 17 performance as you could about the Bengals. The Eagles had a lot to play for, probably just as much as anyone else playing last week. They just didn’t show up, simply enough. Now, they have to avoid the dubious distinction of losing to the same team three times in one season, and twice in consecutive weeks. JerryWorld is going to be packed to the gills for it’s first playoff game and it’s going to be up to Donovan McNabb and DeSean Jackson to quiet the crowd and get the Eagles on the board early. If the Cowboys build an early lead like they did last week, it’s going to be Blitz City for the Dallas D and the Eagles injury-depleted offensive line.

Sunday, 1:00 p.m. EST

Patriots 20, Ravens 17

This game is going to be about how well the Patriots defense can calm down the Ravens potent two-headed beast at running back of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee and it’s also about how many times Randy Moss can get open against the Baltimore secondary. If Randy Moss has a big day, then so too will New England. I think that the Patriots should be able to get it done against the Ravens on Sunday, but with Welker gone and Brady not 100%, they’re going to have trouble after that, especially against San Diego and Indy, should it come to that.

Sunday, 4:00 p.m. EST

Packers 36, Cardinals 33

I like Aaron Rodgers and I like this Packers team just about as much as any other team in this year’s postseason. I have a good feeling about Green Bay and I think they’re one of the hottest teams in the league right now, and I love Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, and this Packers team is my playoff team for 2009. They seem to me like the most complete team in the NFC, and yes, even more so than the Saints. Their defense, the new 3-4 system implemented by Dom Capers this season, as proven to be effect as it’s one of the best in the league. Their balanced offense is a perfect fit for the gunslinging Aaron Rodgers, and I finally think that it’s time for a coming of age for A-Rod. Beating Brett Favre in the playoffs for a ticket to the NFC Championship is probably the sweetest justice he can have. As you can probably tell, I like the 2009 Green Bay Packers. I like them to beat Arizona on Sunday and then I like them to beat Brett Favre and the Vikings next week and then it’s on to DALLAS, OR PHILADELPHIA, OR NEW ORLEANS! THE PACKERS ARE GOING TO TAKE THEM ALL DOWN!

Since I’m already all worked up I just wanted to add one more paragraph about something that happened yesterday in the Giants organization that excited me more than anything else having to do with the Giants since Week 15: Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan was fired. As I watched the latest 44-7 embarrassment this past Sunday in Minnesota, I hoped that Sheridan would be out no later than Monday, and I (along with most of Giants Nation, I would imagine) got my wish yesterday afternoon. So thank you, John Mara, for standing up for your fans and for being an owner with guts, and for doing what the Wilpons will probably never do: FIRE PEOPLE THAT CAN’T DO THEIR JOB (*cough* Omar Minaya *cough*).


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Uncategorized

Shootout!

16 12 2009

‘Tis the season for giving, and the Giants were in the holiday spirit on Sunday night. They gave and they gave and they gave to the Eagles until their little hearts could give no more. If Sunday night’s shootout between the Giants and Eagles ends up being the last game I ever watch inside Giants Stadium, the only way I can picture it being any better is if the Giants came out on the winning end of that 45-38 circus that I witnessed from section 128, row 31. Before I talk about the game and why it turned out the way that it did, let me get a few things out of the way first. I go to a pretty fair amount of Giants games, I’d say around 4 or 5 each year. Never, ever have I been to a game that was as much of an emotional see-saw as Sunday night’s game. Even last year’s Sunday night finale against the Panthers for home field advantage in the NFC, when we overcame a 21-10 deficit to win 34-28 in overtime, could match it. From the opening drive of the game, you could immediately tell that it was going to be a unique night. There are a few reasons why this was evident:

1) It was a Sunday night game. Even though it was raining all day leading up to the game (luckily the rain subsided about an hour before kickoff) Giants fans were out tailgating in full force from about 3 in the afternoon, proving that not even the most miserable weather can stop people from drinking outside in a parking lot for 5 hours. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: night games are a very different animal. Everyone is at least 30 times more rowdy and loud and obnoxious and innocent taunts are about 100,000 times more likely to quickly escalate to full-blown fist fights. Night games are special, night games are dangerous.

2) Combine the fact that it was a night game with the fact that it was a divisional game against the hated rival Eagles, and it’s like mixing Mentos with Diet Coke. It goes without saying that there is no love lost between New York and Philadelphia. If anything, the rivalry between the two cities has escalated ten-fold since the World Series. We hate each other, and we’re not afraid to let it show. About 80,000 people let it show on Sunday night.

3) To top it all off, this game was for first place in the NFC East. With the Cowboys losing to San Diego earlier in the day, the winner of Sunday night’s game would take over first place in the division. Although a Giants win would have pulled them into a three-way tie with the Eagles and Cowboys at 8-5, they would have held the tiebreaker over both teams (winning head-to-head both times against Dallas and having a better division record than Philly). Needless to say, this was an extremely important game and everyone in that stadium the other night was fully aware of it.

So, as I was saying, we could all feel that this was going to be a special night. I was positive that it was, at least until McNabb marched the Eagles down the field on the opening drive like he was playing against the practice squad. After Brent Celek turned his 92nd catch of the drive into a touchdown and it was 7-0, I was more than a little apprehensive. When Brandon Jacobs coughed up the ball at the Eagles’ 44-yard line on the ensuing possession and Sheldon Brown ran it back 60 yards for the touchdown to make it 14-0 with less than 6 minutes gone by, the only thing I could think of was November 1st.

Giants vs. Eagles

Like I said though, this was not going to be just another ordinary game. Sure enough, the Giants answered, and after an electrifying 68 yard touchdown pass from Manning to Hakeem Nicks (a play that came after Nicks dropped two consecutive passes and was bailed out both times by a pass interference call on Eagles corner Quentin Mikell) the Giants cut the Philadelphia lead to 14-10. The game would continue like this for pretty much the rest of its duration. Just when it looked like the Eagles had extended their lead for good, Eli would lead Big Blue right back into the game. The momentum was passed back and forth more times than Snookie on an episode of Jersey Shore.

When the Giants finally took the lead in the middle of the third quarter on a 61 yard touchdown pass to Domenik Hixon, Giants Stadium erupted in a way that I haven’t seen in a long time. The play started out as short pass that Hixon turned into the second big play of the game for the Giants, when he broke several tackles en route to his second electrifying touchdown in as many weeks. When Lawrence Tynes’ extra point sailed through the uprights in the east end zone to give us a 31-30 lead, the place went bonkers. In fact, if you didn’t know any better you would think that Oprah just gave every single person in the stadium a new car. There was the whole deal: awkward man hugs, way too many high-fives, my brother slumped in his seat like he was just assassinated, and far too many old men dancing to Notorious B.I.G. So basically, it was everything I love about football.

A few commercials and a kickoff later, and McNabb found DeSean Jackson for a 60 yard touchdown pass that looked so easy I could have sworn that the play was blown dead and I just hadn’t heard the whistle. No such luck. Eagles 37, Giants 31. I haven’t gone from utterly ecstatic to utterly devastated that quickly since that one Christmas morning 15 years ago when I found a letter from Santa on the dining room table and then realized that his handwriting was exactly the same as my mom’s.

The rest is history. Leonard Weaver from 1 yard out to make it 45-31. The Giants add the obligatory late game touchdown to pull within 7, followed by the obligatory onside kick attempt and the inevitable kick that goes out of bounds. Game, set and match, Giants are in third place. So how did we get to that point, and what is there to look forward to as we head into the home stretch of this anything-but-ordinary 2009 season? I’m glad you asked. Let’s hear the bad news first, and then the good news, since that’s the way I like to do it and this is my column.

The Negatives

- Too many dropped passes. There were drops on Sunday night and then there were drops. You know, the kind of drops where your only reaction is to put both of your hands on top of your head and remark more than once about how you “can’t believe it”. I can’t even tell you how many times this happened on Sunday night. Hakeem Nicks did it. Mario Manningham did it. Heck, even Michael Boley dropped an interception that would have been a sure touchdown in the third quarter. Fortunately, Nicks was bailed out by Quentin Mikell three times on one drive (two pass interference calls and one awful missed tackle on his touchdown), but for the most part the Giants receivers were catching like they were wearing boxing gloves on Sunday night. It got so bad that I was waiting for someone to come out with glue on their hands like the kid from Little Giants.

Philadelphia Eagles Donovan McNabb reacts after a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium

- Missed tackles. The tackling also could not get any worse. Our linebackers and secondary dove at Eagles receivers like they were trying to pull a flag out of their pants, not make an actual tackle. On his 72 yard punt return in the second quarter that give Philly a 24-10 lead, DeSean Jackson actually ran backwards for a few steps to avoid tacklers before accelerating down the near sideline. He backpeddled, changed direction, and still managed to avoid even being touched. Enough said.

- The secondary. Listen, I could fill up a whole 3,000 word column about the Giants secondary, so I’ll save my time (and yours) by saying that everytime McNabb took a seven-step drop and threw the ball downfield, my hands went right to the top of my head as if I knew that someone in a white and green jersey was going to be wide open. Almost 90% of the time, I was exactly right. The worst of this was the aforementioned backbreaking touchdown pass to Jackson. Almost as bad as that: on a 3rd and 20 on the final drive of the first half, with the Giants trailing 24-17 and trying to hang within a score heading into halftime, McNabb found Jackson for a 44 yard gain in the middle of the field to the Giants’ 24 that led to Michael Vick’s 1 yard touchdown run and a 30-17 lead. There is no way that NFL receivers should be that wide open that often. Yet somehow, it happened on Sunday night.

The Positives

- Eli Manning. He did everything he had to do to win. You could not possibly ask of anything else from a quarterback. He put 38 points on the board. In the NFL, when you score 38 points and outgain your opponent 512-374, you’re supposed to win the game. His defense let him down, and that’s it. His numbers (27/38, 391 yards, 3 TDs) marked a career-high in passing yards, breaking the mark he set a few weeks ago against Atlanta, and prove that he kept the Giants in the game and gave them a chance to win up to the very last moment. That’s all you can ask of him.

- Run defense. Although we got absolutely shredded through the air, we held the Eagles backs to only 77 yards on the ground. Furthermore, Jacobs and Bradshaw combined for 133 yards on the ground. Even if it’s not the best we’ve seen from the two, they both picked up a few big first downs and did what they had to do to open up the passing lanes for Manning.

- The future. With three games left in the 2009 season and a 7-6 record, one would assume that the future is looking bleak for Big Blue. However, we know better than to count anyone out yet. After all, this is the NFL. With the Giants only one game behind the Cowboys, it is more than possible for us to sneak past Dallas in the final weeks to grab the final wild card spot in the NFC. The Cowboys will play the Saints, Redskins and Eagles in their final three games, starting Saturday night in New Orleans, and we all know that there is no such thing as a sure thing for the Dallas Cowboys in the month of December. Even the Redskins will be a test for Dallas. Two losses for the Cowboys in the their next three and two wins for the Giants will give us a playoff birth at 9-7. The Giants last three opponents: Washington, Carolina and Minnesota.

Clearly the playoffs are not yet out of the question. So the question is, can we start covering some receivers?


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Uncategorized

NFL Week 14 Picks

10 12 2009

It’s been a few weeks since my last full NFL picks column, so I’m taking the time to give you Week 14, no holds-barred. The Thursday night games have been throwing me off because now I need to have my picks done a full 3 days before I usually do them, so thanks a lot NFL Network, for throwing me off my comfortable routine, and also for providing meaningless games that almost nobody cares about. Come on, Bears-Niners? Jets-Bills, in Canada? Tonight is no better. Steelers-Browns? These games are making me feel fine with the fact that Cablevision doesn’t get the NFL Network. No complaints so far. So let’s get to the picks. As usual, home teams in all caps.

Pittsburgh (-10) over CLEVELAND

Look, I know that I’ve shamelessly name-dropped my fantasy football team so many times in this column that I’m starting to sound like Nicholas Cage plugging another bad movie on Letterman. However, I’m now in the playoffs (at 6-7, it’s a miracle) and it’s starting to get important. At this point in the year, with Michael Turner limping around like House, my most reliable player has become Rashard Mendenhall, a guy I claimed off waivers in Week 4. Tonight they’re expecting a lot of snow in Cleveland. This game has “150 yards, 2 TDs” written all over it for Mendenhall against a weak Cleveland run defense that’s among the bottom 5 in the league. Am I excited about the possibility of him racking up 30 fantasy points on a bad ankle? Yes, absolutely, especially when the team I’m going against has Drew Brees and Chris Johnson. Okay I promise, that’s enough about my fantasy team for at least another 500 words.

Denver (+7) over INDIANAPOLIS

It’s Week 14 and we still have two teams that are undefeated. Some may call it a remarkable season, I just call it the biggest piece of evidence to show that the league has more bad teams this season than ever before. It’s not that the Saints and Colts are that remarkably good, it’s that the teams they are playing (for the most part) are remarkably bad. You mean to tell me that it’s just a huge coincidence that in the 37 years since the ’72 Dolphins we’ve had only one team go undefeated in the regular season (’07 Pats, of course) and now all of a sudden we might have two in one season?

Cincinnati (+7) over MINNESOTA

The 2009 Bengals are a lot like Santa Claus in that I want to believe that they are for real. So I will, for now. I will keep believing, even when Carson Palmer throws 16 passes a game.  (sentence deleted because of content about fantasy team). The people of Cincinnati are rejoicing because this is a team that is one year removed from an 0-8 start and now they have clinched only their second winning season since 1991. That’s fascinating. They’ll have an even bigger reason to celebrate if they can hand the Vikings a second straight loss on Sunday.

TAMPA BAY (+3) over NY Jets

Why am I taking the 1-11 Bucs over the Jets? Because they are the feistiest 1-11 team I’ve ever seen. Also because Kellen Clemens will make the start in place of an injured Mark Sanchez (out with a knee). Luckily, Joe Girardi came last week and showed poor Mark how to slide correctly. Fortunately Rex Ryan was able to get Girardi, because the other option was to get Jose Reyes to come in and show Sanchez how to milk a minor knee injury for 5 months.

Green Bay (-3) over CHICAGO

Okay, I think I’m safe to talk about my fantasy team one more time. I’m excited for this game because I have the Packers defense and I know that they are all staring at a picture of Jay Cutler right now and salivating. I’m thinking of a word that starts with “inter” and rhymes with “ception”. Green Bay is peaking at just the right time for them, and just the wrong time for the Giants. The thing about the NFL is that you need to take care of your own business before you can start counting on other teams to take care of it for you.

New Orleans (-10) over ATLANTA

I don’t know whether to be impressed or confused by the Saints, especially when one week I watch Drew Brees pick apart the New England secondary, and then the next week they’re edging out the Redskins in overtime only because Shaun Suisham can’t kick field goals (don’t worry ‘Skins fans, he was cut this week). WHO ARE YOU, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS? WHO ARE YOU???

Detroit (-13.5) over BALTIMORE

I was wrong about the Baltimore Ravens, I’ll admit it. But then again, so was everyone that gushed about them for the first two months of the season. It’s was a nice honeymoon, but I think we’re seeing what it’s like when Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco come back down to Earth. All I’m saying is, let’s not wet our pants just yet. On the other hand, Ray Rice has passed my first test of stardom. When I look at my opponent’s fantasy team (seriously, I promise, this is the last time) and see him on the roster, I actually mutter “oh crap” very softly to no one in particular. That’s what I call the “oh crap” test. Ray Rice has passed that test. Welcome, Ray.

JACKSONVILLE (-3) over Miami

It’s the 2009 Battle of Florida Teams Who Might Be Relevant Again, Only We Can’t Really Tell Yet, We Just Hope This Game Doesn’t Get Blacked Out! Only on CBS! By the way, the Jacksonville Jaguars currently hold one of the wild card spots in the AFC. What I’m trying to say is, if the season ended today (thank God it doesn’t), the Jacksonville Jaguars would be in the playoffs. Their fans can’t even watch them on television at home because they can’t sell out their games. Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2009 AFC Playoffs!

NEW ENGLAND (-13.5) over Carolina

You know what it means when Bill Belichick starts kicking guys out of practice because they got their $80,000 Hummers stuck in the snow and couldn’t make it to morning meetings on time. It means that it’s Serious Time and when it’s Serious Time, Bill Belichick is serious. It’s not anything like the rest of the year when he’s happy-go-lucky and cracking jokes with the media. Not anymore. He’s cutting off the sleeves to his grey hooded sweatshirt as we speak. I don’t want to be the Panthers defense this week.

HOUSTON (-6) over Seattle

I have nothing to say about this game because I feel like it’s between two 5-7 teams who basically play the same exact game every week. I’m sorry.

TENNESSEE (-13) over St. Louis

Last week was the first time in 5 weeks that I couldn’t tweet “VINCE YOUNG WINS FOOTBALL GAMES” on Sunday night, because Vince Young did not win a football game last week. This week however, Vince Young will win a football game and I can go back to living my life the way that it should be lived. Thank you, Mr. Young.

Washington (-1) over OAKLAND

This is what I don’t get about the Raiders: they’ll beat the Eagles, Bengals and Steelers, but then they’ll get trounced at home by the Redskins on Sunday. Of course I don’t know this for sure, but I can sense it coming. If it doesn’t happen that way, then we can just conveniently forget that I ever wrote this paragraph. Okay?

San Diego (+3) over DALLAS

Around here, in Giants country, we have a name for the Dallas Cowboys in December and January: Choking Hazards. That’s right, I said it. Let’s see you win something, “America’s Team.” I haven’t enjoyed a Giants win as much as I enjoyed last week’s win in a long while. Probably since the last time we beat the Cowboys. I’m not very fond of Philip Rivers either, but you better believe I’ll be a Chargers fan on Sunday.

Philadelphia (+1) over NY GIANTS

I hate games against the Eagles. Do you want to know how much I hate games against the Eagles? I hate them a lot. First of all, my brother is a huge Eagles fan, so the tension that builds up in our house the days leading up to a Giants-Eagles game is both exciting and uncomfortable at the same time. Second, they have demolished us the last three times we played them, with one of those times being last year’s NFC Divisional Playoffs. Needless to say, I’ll be there at the stadium on Sunday night with my brother, so we’ll see how this one goes. The last time I saw a Giants-Eagles game at the Meadowlands in December, Jeff Garcia took apart our defense like he was taking apart a bunch of Lego’s.

Arizona (-3.5) over SAN FRANCISCO

What has my fantasy football season come down to? Listen, if you’ve stuck with me for this long, then you’ll have to hear me out when I say this: my starting quarterback this weekend is Alex Smith. I’ve endured a long 13 weeks going back and forth between the likes of Matt Ryan, Donovan McNabb (even after I swore I would never touch him again after last season) and Carson Palmer (don’t even get me started about him), but now going into the first round of the playoffs, Ryan is M.I.A. like Andy from Shawshank Prison, Palmer is looking at a possible stat line of 9/22, 121 yards, 1 INT this week against Minnesota’s defense and I can’t possibly start McNabb against the Giants (as important as I think fantasy is, it will never come before my allegiance to the Giants). So it’s come down to this. Alex Smith. I’ve dropped so many Alex Smith jokes in the past few years that I know I have terrible karma going into this game. It all goes to show that the fantasy football gods really, truly hate me.

Last Week: N/A (out with a swine flu)

Season Total: 101-75


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Uncategorized

NFL Week 10 Picks: Going to the Movies

13 11 2009

I didn’t get time to really sit down with this week’s picks because of tonight’s impromptu Thursday night game (that I’ve been aware of for at least 2 weeks) between the Bears and 49ers. It’s probably better off that I am making these picks on the fly, considering I was 5-8 last week and my fantasy football team is sinking like the Lusitania. In other words, I don’t know anything about football right now. So, to waste as little of your time as possible, let’s do some quick picks, with my analysis for each pick whittled down to a movie title. The NFL picks have gone Hollywood!

Per the usual, all home teams in caps…

SAN FRANCISCO (-3) over Chicago

Zombieland. Dedicated to Jay Cutler and Alex Smith. I can’t believe how many people piled on the Bears bandwagon before this season. Like Jay Cutler could ever lead a team to the Super Bowl. That would be like thinking Rex Grossman could lead a team to the Super Bowl. We all know that would never happen….wait….

*Note: By the way, I picked this game before last night, I just didn’t have time to get the column up before it was over. On a related note, I’m glad I don’t have the NFL Network after finding out what an awful game that was. 10-6, Niners. Really.

NY JETS (-7) over Jacksonville

The Green Mile. Dedicated to Jets head coach Rex Ryan. Congratulations on coaching a 4-4 team with possibly the biggest collective ego in the history of 4-4 teams. It seems like you’re miles away from that 3-0 record and all the Super Bowl talk that came with it. In Week 4.

Denver (-3.5) over WASHINGTON

The Hangover. Dedicated to the Washington Redskins. I’d rather have a massive hangover than watch a Redskins game. Also, I know the Broncos are on a slide and everything, but we’re content to make them only 3.5 point favorites over the Redskins? Really? The Washington Redskins?

Cincinnati (+7) over PITTSBURGH

Big Fish. Dedicated to the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals. If the Bengals want to convince everyone that they’re truly the contenders that Ochocinco says they are, then they have to keep taking down the Big Fish of the AFC North. They beat the Steelers in their first meeting back in Week 3 and have already swept the Ravens. With a 4-0 record within their division, a win on Sunday over Pittsburgh would go a long way in helping Cincy secure a division title. If you would have told me at this time last year that the 2009 Bengals would be in position to take over first place in the division in Week 10 I would have punched you right in the face.

TENNESSEE (-7) over Buffalo

Up. Dedicated to Vince Young’s stock. It could be because of the fact that a scarecrow could probably play better quarterback than Kerry Collins, or it could be because of one of my favorite things to say in all caps: VINCE YOUNG WINS FOOTBALL GAMES. Heck, who’s to say that they won’t roll off 10 straight wins and make the playoffs? Actually, I say they won’t, but it doesn’t matter. It can only get better from here for the Titans and Vince Young.

MINNESOTA (-17) over Detroit

Gran Torino. Dedicated to Brett Favre because he reminds me of Clint Eastwood’s character in Gran Torino: as old as dirt but still kicking ass. For now.

New Orleans (-13.5) over ST. LOUIS

V for Vendetta. Dedicated to Drew Brees and the Saints. Why? Because every week it seems like they have a personal vendetta against the league. For years everyone has talked up their offense but said that they couldn’t get the job done on defense and that’s what would prevent them from being a true championship contender. Now? Their defense is almost as strong as their offense and they are ripping through this league with a vengeance. Hell hath no fury like a Drew Brees scorned. Seriously, I’m afraid of the Saints right now.

Atlanta (-1.5) over CAROLINA

Saving Private Ryan. Dedicated to Matt Ryan. If anyone needs saving, it’s this guy. Maybe I wouldn’t notice his recent decline (more like freefall) if he wasn’t the starting quarterback on my fantasy team, but he is, so I’m noticing. It’s like he got involved with a shady mob guy who told him he would break his kneecaps if his QB rating went over 80 for the rest of the season. This is why I am now involved with my ex-QB Donovan McNabb once again. If there’s one thing I have learned from fantasy football, it’s this: try as hard as possible to stay away from your exes. Bad news.

Tampa Bay (+10) over MIAMI

The Third Man. Dedicated to Bucs QB Josh Freeman. They tried Byron Leftwich and that didn’t work. Then they tried Josh Johnson for a few seconds. That didn’t work either. Now it’s Josh Freeman’s turn. The rookie out of Kansas State looked impressive last week in the Bucs thrashing of Green Bay, and many scouts considered him the best overall athlete in the 2009 draft. Will Josh Freeman be the answer for Tampa Bay? I have no clue. And neither does Vegas, which is why they’re 10 point underdogs to the Dolphins.

OAKLAND (-2) over Kansas City

Raiders of the Lost Ark. Dedicated to…the Raiders. Not only is the ark lost, but we can count a good chunk of their fan base and pretty much most of their dignity as a franchise gone too. Can we move them back to Los Angeles after this season and forget this ever happened?

ARIZONA (-8.5) over Seattle

No Country for Old Men. Dedicated to Kurt Warner and Matt Hasselbeck. The glory days are quickly passing by for these two QB’s and I think Kurt had his last legitimate shot at another title last season. I don’t think the Cardinals have what it takes to make it back again and I don’t think the Seahawks would have a shot if they consolidated the NFC West down to two teams.

Philadelphia (+1) over SAN DIEGO

Destroying Fantasy Teams in My Sleep. Dedicated to LaDainian Tomlinson. I know that’s not a real movie, but LDT should be arrested for what he has done to fantasy owners who have taken the risk of drafting him for the last two years now. It’s obscene. He’s like the Ted Bundy of fantasy players, killing teams left and right.

Dallas (-3) over GREEN BAY

The Shining. Dedicated to the Green Bay Packers defense because I’m going to reenact that scene with Jack Nicholson and the axe in the bathroom door if they decide to allow another 38 points this week.

INDIANAPOLIS (-3) over New England

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Dedicated to Tom Brady because he is the Lord of the Rings in the NFL right now and until someone takes the throne from him, he is still the king. Although this is the perfect opportunity for Peyton Manning and the Colts to snatch the throne out from under Brady and the Pats. Peyton, in a night game at home, is almost unbeatable as of late. This will be the night when we find out whether the Patriots are back or whether the Colts have arrived. Either way, this game needs a bonus movie: There Will Be Blood.

Baltimore (-11) over CLEVELAND

This is Really the Monday Night Game? Dedicated to the people at ESPN who scheduled this snoozefest. The Brady Quinn-Derek Anderson debacle is on it’s 25th cycle right now with Quinn set to make the start on Monday night. They’ve flip-flopped QB’s so many times that I’m starting to get nauseous.

Last Week: 5-8

Season Total: 74-55


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Uncategorized

Bird Food

3 11 2009

As you may already know, I like to exaggerate from time to time. I am quite the avid fan of hyperbole, when it is used in moderation and under the right circumstances. Normally, I tend to exaggerate when I’m trying to emphasize something or make a joke, otherwise I like to stay away from it. Sometimes, when it comes to sports, it’s easier to let the stats do the talking. But not on Sunday. The Giants most recent loss this past Sunday to the Philadelphia Eagles goes way beyond what stats can explain.

This latest embarrassment had to be seen to be believed, and no matter what you read in the box score the next day, nothing can compare to actually having to sit through that 3-hour slow-motion train wreck. That, my dear readers, is not an exaggeration — it’s the truth. In fact, and I say this in all seriousness, that game may have been the worst overall performance I have seen from the Giants in the Eli Manning Era. I will not go as far as saying that it’s one of the worst I’ve ever seen because, after all, I’ve lived through the Dave Brown Era and I’m sure many of my readers out there have even been fortunate enough to see the glory days of Joe Pisarcik. So I’ll stick to the last 5 years and just as a fun exercise, I’ll put together what I believe to be the 5 Worst Performances of the Eli Manning Era (2004-Present):

1) Minnesota Vikings 41, NY Giants 17 (11/25/07)

This game tops the list mostly because of when it took place. It was a Week 12 game during the season that the Giants would go on to win the Super Bowl, and it happened during a point in the season where Giants fans and the New York media were once again questioning whether the Giants would ever be able to win a title with Eli Manning. It was perhaps the worst performance of his career, and a day when the infamous Eli Manning Face seemed to be permanently plastered on the TV screen. Eli ended up throwing 4 interceptions, 3 of which were returned for Vikings touchdowns. But the game seemed to have sparked something within Eli, as the Giants (7-4 at the time) went on to win 7 of their last 9 games on an improbable journey to their Super Bowl XLII victory.

2) Carolina Panthers 23, NY Giants 0, NFC Wild Card Playoffs (1/8/06)

In Eli Manning’s much-anticipated first appearance in the postseason, the NFC East Champs hosted the Carolina Panthers in a Wild Card playoff game that proved Eli Manning was not quite ready to lead the Giants to the promised land just yet. On a cold, windy day at the Meadowlands, Eli was picked off 3 times by the Panthers en route to their 23-0 upset over the 11-5 Giants. The game was disappointing because of the our weighty expectations after a highly successful first full season by Eli, and also because getting shut-out in a playoff game on your home turf by a wild card team is about as embarrassing as getting rejected by the bride at your own wedding.

3) Philadelphia Eagles 40, NY Giants 17 (11/1/09)

So why does this game go in the third spot and not the awful loss that happened two weeks ago in New Orleans? For two reasons: 1) This game was a divisional game. We don’t often get blown out by the Eagles, Cowboys or Redskins, and when we do, it’s almost 10 times more painful because they’re our division rivals. To see the Giants come into a huge divisional battle like this one, completely unprepared and caught off guard was shocking and embarrassing. 2) The Eagles exposed the exact same weaknesses that the Saints picked apart two weeks ago. Although the Giants suffered a disappointing loss to the Cardinals last week, it looked as if they had addressed many of the glaring problems exploited by the Saints. And then they all came roaring back on Sunday as if the Eagles had torn the stitches out of those wounds and then poured salt in them.

Every single thing that could have gone wrong for the Giants, went wrong on Sunday. The execution was poor on both sides of the football and the defense was on its heels from the minute the game started. I mean, the Eagles’ first touchdown was scored on a 44-yard run by an unknown fullback before the game was even 2 minutes old. A fullback tore through their vaunted, but apparently overrated defensive line and then scorched their linebackers and secondary. I’m sorry to say this, but from that point on I knew that we were going to be seeing a repeat of the Saints game all over again. And deja vu it was.

Even after the Giants looked like they might start to regroup and pull the pieces back together after cutting the Eagles lead to 16-7 in the second quarter, the defense once again fell apart like clumps of wet newspaper. Donovan McNabb threw two touchdown passes in a 1 minute span to give the Eagles a 30-7 lead and put a dagger through the Giants’ hearts. The two touchdown drives took a combined 45 seconds of possession time and were helped out by an Eli Manning interception.

To suck all the hope out of Giants fans, the opening kickoff of the second half was fumbled by Domenik Hixon and recovered by the Eagles and led to a 33-7 lead. Just when you thought a comeback might be possible, LeSean McCoy torched the Giants for 66 yards to make it 40-17 and Giants fans were left to wonder what exactly had happened to their team that was 5-0 and on top of the world just 3 short weeks ago.

In case you were curious, the other two dreadful performances of the Eli Manning Era to make my top 5 list were:

4) Seattle Seahawks 42, NY Giants 30 (9/24/06)

The score was a heck of a lot closer than this game actually was. Before the Giants tacked on 4 fourth quarter touchdowns in an attempt to save some of their dignity, the Seahawks actually led this game 42-3. It was like a scene from Hostel being played out on a football field.

5) New Orleans Saints 48, NY Giants 27 (10/18/09)

I don’t need to remind anyone how bad this game was.

Honorable Horrible Mention:

New Orleans Saints 30, NY Giants 7 (12/24/06)

Eli Manning: 9/24, 74 yds. 1 TD, 1 INT

Baltimore Ravens 37, NY Giants 14 (12/12/04)

Eli Manning: 4/18, 27 yds. 2 INT


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : Uncategorized


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.