Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Superfan: Giants vs. Bills UNCUT (12/25/07)

I’m Dreaming of a Blue Christmas by Blue-Blooded

Hello, Giants fans. Allow this high-spirited Jew to be one of the first people to wish you all a very Merry Christmas today (this couldn’t be too surprising – I’m working on Christmas, after all). And what a Merry Christmas it turned out to be! I love being wrong, and it feels incredible not having to worry at all about the outcome of next week’s game.
After last Sunday night’s travesty, I was honestly starting to wonder whether the fans cared more about this team than the players. And I was more than pleased to be proven wrong. I could really start noticing it on the defensive players’ faces, towards the middle of the third quarter, that they were going to make sure we won this game whether the offense could do it or not. If this playoff berth was our Christmas gift, then Steve Spagnuolo is Santa Claus. You’re the man, coach.
There were a few more fan-based details that helped make this Giants’ victory a reality. My buddy, Jon, showed up late to watch the game. Around the time that Eli completed a bomb down the field to Amani Toomer. I realize no points were scored on that drive, but it was still the first true signs of life showed by the Giants offense on Sunday. Also, later that drive, we decided to take the Shockey jersey off of the dog. This credit goes to my younger brother Robby, who says that when he’s around, it’s bad luck for her to be wearing it. If he wants the credit for the win, he’s more than welcome to it.
As much as I may love being wrong, being right feels even better. Now, if you will, let’s take a quick glimpse back at something I wrote a few weeks ago:

(Superfan 12/4/07): “And, like I said before, DON’T SLEEP ON AHMAD BRADSHAW. The guy’s really quick.”

And the week before that:

(Superfan 11/27/07): “And look out for Ahmad Bradshaw in the backfield.”

Now, I don’t like to brag or anything, but man did I call that! I could see it in his speed coming out of kickoff returns. If you think about it, a return is a run without the quarterback. The return man is still back there, looking for his blocks to be set up, and then exploding through them. And Bradshaw sure did just that out of the backfield the other day. I mean, it was like it he was somehow going full speed as soon as the ball was handed to him. Plus, as a Miami University (OH) alum myself (go Redhawks), I know a thing or two about MAC attacks (yeah Big Ben). And this former Marshall runner is all that AND a can of beans.
Best of all, for him at least, Eli can take a sigh of relief knowing that he finally has a solid replacement for Derrick Ward, has the full-on three-headed monster going on behind him, and his defense is playing as hungry as ever. Not that I’m saying it’s okay for him to not play well, but it’s nice knowing we have reliable options.
So, fans, enjoy this holiday season. You can watch the G-Men next week without worrying about triggering any heart conditions. We’re now 7-1 on the road and staying on it for the playoffs. Was it me or did it seem irrelevant that Shockey wasn’t there (pretty good run-blocking by Boss and Matthews)? We’ve got a lot to be cheery about now this holiday season, and a whole lot of cheering to do when it’s over.

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