Giants vs. Packers (12/28/10)

Taking Stock

By Superfan

Since about 7:45 pm (east coast time) Sunday night, I haven’t spoken a single word about this past Sunday’s Giants game to a soul. Until just before I sat down to write this article. Partly because I couldn’t quite grasp what had just transpired in Green Bay, and partially because my laptop crashed and I just got it back from being repaired. I haven’t watched a second of ESPN, NFL Network, or any of the games that have been played since. I haven’t looked at a single sports section, I haven’t listened to a second of sports talk radio, and I even gave away this week’s Sports Illustrated as soon as it arrived. I’ll tell you what – it actually felt pretty liberating.

But of course, when I got back today from the Apple Store, I was forced to sit down and remember everything. All of it. Every bit of anxiety, hope, stress, confidence, doubt, bewilderment, confusion, terror, frustration, and betrayal that passed through my head last Sunday when we went in to Green Bay and got spanked (yes, SPANKED) by the Packers.

This was the game we were going to make a statement in. To show the world that what Philly did to us the week before was a fluke, and the Gmen were still in fact the real deal. This was a MUST WIN, a game where we had to come out swinging, needing to show the rest of the football public that the Giants were a bounce-back team. A team that could win with our backs pressed against the wall. A team that knew how to put shocking disappointment in the past, confident in their ability to beat any team, any day, in dominating fashion.

On Sunday, the Giants were not that team.

Safe-Haven Turned Battle Ground

I was visiting home for the holidays on Sunday, so we got the old band back together. The same group from the good ol’ days of 2007 – a few family friends who are also die-hard Giants fans, their kids, my dad, my brother, my buddy Jon, and I. All should have been right with the world, except for one big problem. One of our family friends has a son who’s a die-hard Green Bay fan. I figured my dad, this being his house, would have at least set up some sort of rule that if he wanted to be cheer for Green Bay and wear a jersey, he’d have to watch in another room (and preferably another floor). Or he could watch in the living room with us, but he’d have to take his jersey off and be quiet. Despite my incessant protests, this was not the case. The damn kid came into our house, donning a Dorsey Levens Packers’ jersey, and sat right down on our living room couch.

How the hell are we supposed to create positive, untarnished must-win energy with a Packers jersey being worn in the living room??? All of our different rituals – from throwing the ball outside at least ten times without a drop to our seating arrangements, were all moot points with that ugly green jersey in the room. I was the only person to really say anything about it, but my dad felt it wasn’t right to do that to a family friend, and if the Giants were winning it wouldn’t matter anyway. THAT’S NOT THE POINT!!! The fact remains, we could’ve done something to change the negative vibes spewing from the inside of our living room, and the one person with the power to do something about it sat idly by and let it happen. I know it sounds ridiculous, but dad, this will be a sore subject for quite a while. It’s going to take a lot to reassure your dedication to the Gmen, as far as I’m concerned.

I don’t need to go into the rest of the viewing experience. Let’s just say I left the room somewhere near the end of the 3^rd quarter and watched the remainder of the game in the kitchen, sitting at the island with my head in my hands and my hat falling into an empty pizza box.

To Ugly to Go Into Detail…

And for that exact reason, I’m not going to write anything about the game itself. We all know what happened. Let it live where it belongs – the past. No film work to be done on this end. Good riddance.

Clearing the Fog

Now that it’s all said and done, it’s time to take stock of our current situation. And it’s pretty cut and dry – we need to beat the Redskins next Sunday, and we need the Bears to beat the Packers. If both those things happen, we’re in the playoffs. Not one or the other. Both. We lost a must-win game last weekend, and therefore no longer control our own destiny. Still, given how I’m sure everyone feels after these last two beatings, it feels like things should be a lot worse.

I don’t know what the future holds for this Giants’ team, its coaches or its players. I know that we’re still very much in the hunt, and regardless of recent events, one should never think a 10-6 team is underserving of a playoff spot. Especially when you look at the NFC West. We all had incredibly high hopes for this final stretch of the regular season, and so far it’s been the exact opposite of what we wanted. However, we currently stand at 9-6 (so no matter what we’ve improved on last year’s mark), with a fairly realistic shot at making the second season. I mean it’s not like we’re hoping the Panthers can go take down the Packers, assuming we take care of business with the Redskins. Did everyone else see Jay Cutler pick apart the Jets’ D on Sunday? All Giants’ fans better pray he stays hot.

All that being said, by no means is it a foregone conclusion that we’re going to beat the Redskins handily. Just because we’ve done it in the recent past doesn’t mean it’s a given to play out the same way. All the Gmen can control is the outcome of their game in Landover. That should be the most important game of every member of the team’s careers up until this point, as far as I’m concerned. I hope they feel the same way, and come out swinging.

We know what the Giants can do if they get a big spark in the final game of the regular season and sneak in as a wild card seed. If any fans out there really believe all hope is lost and the Gmen shouldn’t bother, that sentiment is understandable, but not allowable. We have to have faith in our team. If we win, and get a little help from the Bears, we’re in the playoffs. All that matters in the NFL, all season long, is making it to the post season. A higher seed, home-field advantage, and a bye are all different kinds of icing on the cake. Bottom line, you just have to make it to the second season. From there, anything is possible.

So pick your heads up fans! I know it seems like the walls are closing in, but they haven’t yet. We have to keep the faith! To talk all things Gmen, you can e-mail me at gmensuperfan@gmail.com, and you can find me on Facebook under the name “Gmen Superfan.”

That’s all for now. Hope everyone had a great holiday, and I wish you all a very safe, happy, and healthy New Year. Until next year, GO GMEN!

Superfan: Giants vs. Eagles (12/20/10)

I Can’t Believe What I Just Saw Either

By Superfan

Once the shock and disbelief subsided, that was probably the worst I’ve ever felt after a Giants’ game. To blow a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter is one thing. To do it at home against the Eagles, well, that’s something entirely different. Not since our loss to the 49ers in the playoffs back in 2003 have I gone from such joy to such misery so quickly.

Being at the game, with some friends (Jon included) who drove from Massachusetts for the day just to go to the game only made it hurt that much more. But we survived the night. The players, coaches, and fans are all still with us, and the sun still rose this morning, despite what many fans might have thought. What I’m getting at is, while circumstances are very bleak, all is certainly not lost. But I’ll get to that, after reliving with you fellow die-hards one of the worst losses I’ve ever seen:

I Know It Hurts, But Keep Reading Anyway

It started like every other magical football Sunday for a Giants fan. I woke up, having barely slept the night before, and the morning ritual began. Turned on the Sunday morning football shows, showered, grabbed breakfast, dawned my Giants’ blue, and waited for Jon and his friend, Josh, show up. They did, we did some necessary “GMEN!!” shouting, jumped around for a bit, got each other psyched up, then got in the car and headed for the stadium.

The atmosphere at the Meadowlands was ELECTRIC! Big Blue World Order was there in full force, with people going crazy with anticipation. We were in our seats minutes before they ran onto the field, and I swear our voices were all but gone by the middle of the second quarter.

In the stands, the first three quarters were about as much fun as you could possibly have as a Giants fan. Into the fourth quarter, after Kevin Boss’s incredible touchdown reception off a strike from Eli, you could see all around the stands green shirts lining up the aisles, signifying countless Eagles fans leaving the game early in disgrace.

Then the wheels fell off.

Before those Eagles’ fans could reach the top of the stairs, Philly drove the ball in two plays, scoring on a deep touchdown pass over the middle from Vick to Celek. Fine, a touchdown. Not great, but not the end of the world either. We’re still up by two scores. But then they tried a trick-play onside kick, and RECOVERED IT.

Come on, Gmen. Don’t look past this Eagles’ team. They scored quickly and somehow recovered an onside kick. You have to make a BIG STOP HERE.

NOPE. Instead, the Eagles took two minutes off the clock and scored a touchdown. 31-24 Giants, 5:28 remaining.

Alright, can’t spin out here. We’ve still got the lead, and we’re getting the ball back. If we can drive the field, and at least force them to use up all their timeouts, we’re in good shape. It couldn’t hurt to maybe get a score on the drive too, and really put this thing away again.

We did part of that, killing two-and-a-half minutes while forcing Philly to use all of their timeouts. Plus, we gave them the ball back pinned at their own twelve-yard line. Just need our defense to make a stop, and we’ll be fine. But they didn’t. Instead, Vick drove Philly down the field to tie the game up, leaving us one minute and change to try and avoid overtime.

We avoided overtime all right, only not the way any team would want to. After two straight incompletions, Eli took a big sack on 3^rd and ten. With fourteen seconds on the clock, Coughlin took a timeout. He pulled Matt Dodge aside and asked him to punt the ball out of bounds, away from Desean Jackson, and we’d go into overtime. But Matt Dodge didn’t punt the ball out of bounds. Instead, he punted it to Desean, who after fumbling it initially picked it up and right it back for a game-ending touchdown. OF COURSE HE DID.

The Meadowlands was the quietest it’s ever been. And I was about as upset as I’ve ever been.

No talking in the car during the ride home. After Jon and Josh dropped me off, I heard in the background, “Well, let’s go back and study for finals.” I wish those two the best of luck this week. Poor guys. We didn’t even have the heart to say, “tough loss” or anything. It just hurt too much to think about, and I think if anyone did say anything, it would have been instantly followed by vomit. Just because.

The Immediate Aftermath

When I got home, I posted on Facebook (and I’m paraphrasing) that I was pissed about the loss and didn’t want to talk about it until Monday. Then I read some of the responses the post was getting. Some of the negative energy that was brewing from what fans everywhere had just witnessed. Most of whom at halftime I’m sure were dancing and hugging and screaming about how Eli’s the greatest quarterback on earth, we were FINALLY going to give the Eagles the spanking they so deserved, and how grateful they were that the Giants have a coach who’s probably going to lead the Gmen to the Super Bowl for the second time in his coaching tenure. When I read the posts, it was like a collection of hate mail. Now there were definitely many fans defending the Giants, explaining that its not the end of the season, but the fact that fellow Giants fans would post so negatively in the first place just disgusts me. Folks were saying Coughlin got lucky with the first ring, but has no idea what to do with the talent he’s given. Others wrote that the Giants aren’t a good team, and need to clean house and start from scratch. Some even wrote we’d be lucky to see the playoffs this year.

Fans like that make me sick to my stomach. In case everyone wasn’t aware, as of Monday afternoon the Giants’ are currently the #6 NFC playoff seed. And Coach Coughlin didn’t let Michael Vick beat him around the corner on 3^rd and ten when a stop will get us the ball back or force a fourth down try, and probably end the game. He wasn’t the one punting the ball to one of the most dangerous return men in the NFL when it was supposed to go out of bounds. Tom Coughlin didn’t get stuffed in the running game, and he wasn’t out there unable to make any scoring drives happen when we needed to later in the fourth quarter, or at least run the ball successfully to take loads of time off the clock. And Tom Coughlin didn’t jump offside on 2^nd and six after Philly had burned their final timeout, throwing off what was a very promising drive and pushing back from their 38 to their 43, and eliminating most chances of at least a field goal try, which then would have put us up 34-24. But it was Tom Coughlin’s great coaching, as well as Perry Fewell’s great pressure, which gave us a three score lead after the first three quarters. The coaches did their jobs just fine, but the players got tired, sloppy, and let a very quick, hungry and opportunistic division rival sneak out of our house with one of the most painful and unlikely comebacks anyone’s seen in quite a while.

The Bigger Picture

Yes, it was one hell of an ugly loss. It really hurts, and it’s going to hurt for a long time. Definitely for those of us who are forced to be in contact with Eagles fans on an almost regular basis (you know who you are – STAY AWAY FROM ME). But the season is far from a lost cause. We’ve backed ourselves into a corner, but the road to the postseason isn’t an impossible one to travel. As I mentioned earlier, if the season were to end today, we’d be in as a wild card seed.

Despite our gut-wrenching loss, we still found ourselves pretty fortunate regarding the other games played yesterday. New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Green Bay all lost. We still control our own destiny, and have two very winnable games ahead of us.

The comparisons have obviously been made aplenty since the loss as a silver lining, so I’ll go ahead and reiterate. In 2007, we got swept badly by the Cowboys during the regular season. Then, in the playoffs, we went into their house and won when it mattered most, making Jerry Jones just a stepping-stone on our path to a Super Bowl victory. Well, Philly swept us in 2010, and when we get into the playoffs, we very might see them along the way. The game would be in their house. What better way to get redemption? If any team knows how to do it, the Giants have proven they’re that team.

So stay positive, fans! Let’s make this most recent loss just a part of the Super Bowl DVD that you fast-forward through quickly. Obviously, try to stay away from the highlight shows, the “Inside the NFL”s, etc. if it helps keep your mind off of it. I’m still extremely proud to be a Giants fan, and every one of you should too.

Let’s get past the loss and get ready for the pack! Two huge games coming up. The plot’s always bleakest just before the storybook ending occurs! We’ve still got this Giants’ fans! To talk all things Giants, you can send me an e-mail at gmensuperfan@gmail.com, and you can find me on Facebook under the name “Gmen Superfan.” Be upset all you want, but there are still two more games to be played. They’re going to happen, so why not be ready for them? No more time to mope! Happy holidays everyone, and until next week, GO GMEN!!

Superfan: Giants vs. Vikings (12/14/10)

On the Road Again…and Again…

By Superfan

While the rest of the football world cares only about the fact that Brett Favre didn’t play, there actually was a Giants-Vikings game this past Monday night. And, for the second straight week, we ran away with the win (pun intended). After all the travel madness our Gmen had to endure over the weekend, they came out a little flat (to be expected), but turned things around pretty quickly. A quick little rant I’d like to get out of the way early – during the post-game analysis last night, I heard several people say that we won in dominating fashion, despite having little offensive production. Yet again proving that all NFL “experts” deem worthy, when it comes to offensive success, is a team’s ability to throw the ball. According to them, having two separate players with over one hundred yards rushing and a touchdown each doesn’t count as a productive offensive output. Wow.

Although I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that the Giants’ victory was even mentioned. I get it – the streak’s a big deal. Which it is. But the season’s still going on, the guy’s not even playing, and his team was just eliminated from the playoff race. Can’t we wait for all the “Brett Favre’s the greatest thing to happen to pro football since they put laces on the ball” hoopla to go on once the season’s over? On that note, based on what he said about Tom Brady last week and Brett Favre Monday night, I think Trent Dilfer must give amazing best man speeches.

Facing the Elements…in a dome?

By now I’m sure everyone’s seen the clip of the Metrodome roof collapsing under the snow’s weight early Sunday morning. Unbelievable footage. What’s more unbelievable is that this isn’t the first, but the FOURTH time that it’s happened! So that means that three previous times this has happened, and someone must’ve said, “Well, we probably should do something about this. But until somebody ponies up the dough to build a new stadium, we’ll just leave it alone. I doubt it’ll happen again.” Shame on you, Minnesota, for caring so little about your team and its fans by allowing them to continue to play in a joke of a stadium. For that matter, I wonder what the support was initially when they pitched the idea for the Metrodome to the city of Minneapolis? “I realize you guys play in a cold-weather city, but we feel that an inflatable roof would be perfect! Wait, you think accumulated snow will be a problem? Come on, it’s just frozen water! Has rain ever hurt a dome? Snow’s the same thing, only colder!” Yikes. Now for the fourth time you’ve proven that the city doesn’t deserve to keep that team. Ziggy Wilf should be embarrassed. And thanks to your incompetence and indecisiveness, fans outside of the teams’ markets weren’t able to watch the game.

And while the Vikings’ organization was fumbling, the Giants showed us all how professional and classy organizations carry themselves in times of great adversity. They got diverted from Minneapolis to Kansas City, and spent the night in an airport hotel, hoping to maybe play in the afternoon but most likely Monday night. The next day, they found out they weren’t going to play in Minnesota after all, and instead would face the Vikings at Ford field Monday night.

And we hardly missed a beat. Forget about Eli’s two early picks. They were really bad throws, and big mistakes. But we made up for them quickly. With the defense playing as well as it did, they became moot points. With a more mobile quarterback under center and arguably the best running back in the game lined up behind him, our defense held them both down all game, intercepting Tarvaris Jackson once, sacking him four times, and holding AP to just twenty-six yards on fourteen carries. Forget about Brett Favre not playing – THAT should be the story of the game. I’ve heard Big Blue Wrecking Crew, and I overheard Justin Tuck, during his post-game interview, refer to the D as “QB killers.” Don’t know if either or both of those nicknames will stick, or if they’ve been used before, but this year’s defense DEFINITELY needs some sort of cool nickname to be remembered by. On that note, while it may have been overlooked, we once again knocked the starting quarterback out of the game last night (ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS).

We’ve been doting on them, so let’s continue – our offensive line is ON FIRE. Yes, Eli got sacked Monday night. Once in six games. I’m okay with that. David Diehl’s presence was definitely felt, and our rushing game, for the second straight week, amassed over 200 yards. Looks like Earth and Fire are back, and even without Wind, look to be all the running elements we need to succeed. They’re helping us do exactly want we do best – grind out the clock and punish opposing defenses. This is exactly the kind of dominating play that helped lead our magical run a few years ago. And remember – Eli wasn’t exactly lights-out until it mattered most. Let’s hope he gets hot at the right time again this year. Finally, I take back many of the bad things I said about Matt Dodge earlier this season. He’s come into his own in the last few weeks, and has been absolutely BOOMING the ball when he’s had to, and has also done a nice job of placing punts when he’s had to.

For the most part, that was a great team win. Let’s not forget – when it counted, Eli fired in some great passes, especially his strike to Boss in the end zone at the end of the first half. What a brilliantly run two-minute offense to end the second quarter.

A Mess of a Viewing Experience

Trying to watch Monday night’s game was one of the more stressful and taxing experiences of my life. At work, around 4:00 pm (pacific time), I began searching all sorts of websites I might be able to use to watch the game on. The popular one, which I can’t name for obvious reasons, requires some sort of plug-in to watch anything. So I was stuck going between the gamecast on nfl.com and texts and instant messages from friends and family. But no office with a TV on to run into, since Fox would rather air a repeat of House than show the Giants-Vikings game nationally (or maybe ESPN threw a stink about not wanting their national audience messed with…who knows – bottom line, someone dropped the ball). So, with work going on in the background, not really able to pay attention to any of it, I found out they finished early. Around 5:30 my time I BOLTED OUT OF THERE! This was about three minutes after Brandon Jacobs scored on 3^rd and goal.

From work, I raced over to Beth’s place. She has Sunday Ticket. I was driving from downtown Hollywood to Brentwood. There’s no fast way to do that. Regardless, I managed to find the game on the radio, listened to our epic two-minute drill to end the first half, and made it to Beth’s just as the second half got underway. Literally, JJ opened the door for me as soon as Bulluck made the pick.

The rest of the game was pretty fun to watch. Beth made us tacos, and the Gmen made us smile. Of course, there’s the burden of having to listen to Troy Aikman announce the game, and its amazing how, even though we blew them out, he looked for every possible avenue to put us down. Amazing. To keep things fair, can’t he just go to CBS and do AFC games, and let FOX take Phil Simms? Even when Phil announces Giants’ games, at least he’s unbiased. Troy’s just awful.

But I digress. The game was great to watch, and I don’t just mean seeing Brett Favre on the sidelines in street clothes before and after EVERY SINGLE PLAY. Ahmad’s run that put the game away was huge, and I couldn’t get over how impressive our defense looked all game long. Even though the game was all but over near the end of the fourth quarter, they still didn’t take a bit of pressure off. If you’re a Giants fan, you should feel pretty excited about them right now.

Non-Gmen Thoughts of the Week:

· In case you weren’t in a New York or Minnesota market, or didn’t have Sunday Ticket, and missed last night’s game, you can watch the game in its entirety for free on demand on nfl.com. Just in time!

· I can’t believe what happened in the Cliff Lee circus. What a turn of events. Screw you, Philly.

· No excuses for what Sal Alosi did on Sunday. Strange that the Jets took so long to make a statement and take action, even stranger that he still has a job.

PHILLY WEEK IS UNDERWAY

I don’t have to tell any of you what a huge game we have coming up on Sunday against the Eagles. We’ve gotta make a big statement at our house, and I think we will! Unfortunately, it looks like we’ll be without Steve Smith the rest of the way. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him in the hopes of a safe and complete recovery. Regardless of who’s out there, the Gmen will be ready. We have to be. It’s Philly week!!!! GET READY!!!! To talk all things Gmen, you can e-mail me at gmensuperfan@gmail.com, and you can find me on Facebook under the name “Gmen Superfan.” I’ll be at the game on Sunday, and can’t wait to add to the home field madness!! Until next week, GO GMEN!!

Superfan: Giants vs. Redskins (12/7/10)

Capital Punishment

By Superfan           

 

            I realize I’m probably jinxing us, but I can’t get it out of my head that our offensive line hasn’t given up a sack in FIVE STRAIGHT GAMES.  Correction – our depleted, banged-up, and disassembled offensive line.  To join the love fest, there’s not enough good you can say about the job Pat Hagerty has done these past few weeks.  Not only in pass protection, but our running game has exploded recently.  You can be like everyone else and say, “oh, Haynesworth didn’t play,” or, “big deal, it’s Jacksonville.”  Yeah, the rest of the sports world loves nothing more than coming up with excuses for why the Giants perform well in a given period of time.  Except those of us who actually know and study football understand that no one wins because another team “lets them” (excluding the 1919 White Sox), and those who say otherwise are usually biased and/or bitter.

            Right now the Giants (injuries aside) are in the perfect position right now.  We’ve won two big games in a row at home, are tied for the division lead with Philly, control our own playoff destiny, and despite being in the biggest sports market in the country, are flying comfortably under the radar.  Just the way we like it!

            Speaking of injuries, did anyone notice them on Sunday?  Neither did I.  Tom Coughlin and Kevin Gilbride knew exactly how they wanted to attack Washington’s defense, compensating for our temporary weak spots, and the players executed their game plan to near perfection.  Despite our patchwork offensive line, and Eli finishing the game with a quarterback rating of just 62.3, we still blew them out.  Granted the Redskins aren’t exactly the hottest team in football right now, but they’re still a team that’s beaten Philly, Green Bay, Dallas, and Chicago this season.  So let’s not call them the Panthers just yet. 

 

Now let’s delve into the beautiful win that was, shall we?

 

Serving Up A Lucky Charm (not plural, please don’t sue) for Breakfast

            This week, JJ and I watched the game at his girlfriend, Beth’s, place.  I was a little hesitant to try a new (non-Sports-bar) location against a divisional opponent this late in the season, but he assured me all would be well, and that he watched last week’s epic comeback against the Jags there.  Good enough for me!

            There is absolutely one advantage about watching an early game at a girl’s place – she made us French toast!  An early touchdown run by Jacobs to start the game, accompanied by delicious apple-coated French toast, washed down with cold milk.  What a way to start a Sunday!  The only concern I might’ve had about watching the game there, as would be the case in any number of apartment buildings (including my own) was having to worry about being too loud while screaming at the TV.  Fortunately, when we jumped out to a 14-0 lead early, that worry all but vanished.

            When a great, nearly six-minute drive in the second quarter looked certain to end with a touchdown, Eli threw one of the ugliest looking interceptions I’ve seen since his shovel-pick earlier this season.  As if that weren’t enough, the ‘Skins then took over and completed a huge 18-yard completion on 2^nd and 10.  After Cofield then stopped Davis for a two-yard gain on 1^st down, Beth decided to plop herself down on the couch with us, if only to shake things up a bit.  Sure enough, on the very next play, we recovered a fumbled reception.  It was challenged, but the fumble held.  Plus, we got an extra five yards tacked on to it from a Washington Delay of Game penalty.  That drive ended with the touchdown we should have gotten the drive before.  But, all’s well that ends well!

            She got up at halftime, and, sure enough, sat down just before Donovan McNabb coughed up a fumble, which Corey Webster promptly recovered.  Yet again, the Giants went on to convert the fumble recovery into a rushing touchdown.  “Whatever, that’s just coincidence,” you might say.  Well, think again!  As Beth was getting ready to leave us to watch the rest of the game alone for a bit (we were up 28-7 at the time, felt safe for her to depart), we pleaded she stay just a few minutes more.  This was as the fourth quarter began.  She agreed, and sat down for a brief moment.  In that brief moment, after McNabb completed a 21-yard pass to Cooley to convert on 3-and-7, Terrell Thomas stepped up and made a clutch interception in the end zone on a pass intended for Santana Moss.  Unfortunately, this turnover did not turn into any points.  Still, coincidence is one thing, this was something else.  New lucky charm?  I’d say so.  Beth – clear your calendar for January!

            It’s always fun to see wild moments like that repeat themselves several times in one game.  Thanks again Beth for the hospitality, the food, and all the turnovers!

 

Power Backfield Back in Action

            I can’t get over how well our offensive line looked on Sunday.  I know Haynesworth wasn’t playing, but so what?  Did you see the fit Brian Orakpo threw on the sidelines?  We absolutely manhandled their defensive front all game long.  Oh, by the way, Shaun O’Hara, David Diehl, and Shawn Andrews didn’t dress.

            It’s official – Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are back.  Clearly Coughlin knew exactly what he was doing benching Jacobs earlier in the season, because since he renamed Brandon the starter, he’s been playing with a fire in his eyes we haven’t seen since 2008.  IT’S AWESOME!  On that note, they mentioned during the telecast at some point during the first quarter that Brandon Jacobs had surpassed 4,000 career rushing yards.  Congratulations!  And he’s only three rushing touchdowns away from fifty for his career.  Not to mention Ahmad Bradshaw went over 1,000 yards rushing for the season during the fourth quarter.  While it doesn’t necessarily mean what it used to, it’s still a noteworthy achievement.  Speaking of Ahmad, despite every defender and their mother trying to strip him of the ball on first contact, he has clearly made great adjustments these past two weeks and his play has reflected it.  We harp on him when he fumbles, so the least we can do is recognize him for making adjustments.  Keep it up, baby!

            I said it last week, but I’ll repeat it – our secondary deserves a whole lot of credit this season.  We’re second in the league against the pass so far, and still are only one of two teams this year that have managed to eliminate Philadelphia’s big-play opportunities.  The secondary continued that trend this past weekend, intercepting two passes and forcing two fumbles (the D-line forced the other four). 

            Special teams looked (and has looked) incredible.  Devin Thomas had a great revenge game against the team that drafted him, deflecting a punt and downing another on Washington’s five-yard line.  Matt Dodge has finally settled in nicely, bombing several punts, including 2 that were downed inside their twenty.  And how about some of the hits we delivered on kickoff coverage?  All our cylinders are clicking, and we’re currently “devastated” by injury.  Just keep on licking your chops for when we get back back to full health, then watch out NFC.

            Finally, how great was it to watch a Giants game on FOX and not have to listen to Troy Aikman?  I love it.  Regardless of the fact that he used to be a Cowboy, I really do enjoy listening to Daryl Johnston broadcast games.  He’s got great insights, notices things that matter to what’s going on in the game (not just off-field filler), and distributes his analysis evenly between whichever teams are playing.  For example, in the first half the cameras caught Pat Hagerty coaching up William Beatty briefly on the sideline on how to “get away with a hold,” so to speak, and Daryl immediately caught Beatty using that very lesson in the game several plays later.  Those are the intricate little in game nuances we as fans love to see.  Keep up the good work!  Of course, Beatty got called for a hold several plays later, but hey – nobody’s perfect. 

            One incredibly funny moment of the telecast – in the second quarter, when Mike Shanahan’s challenge of a fumble got overturned, the referee announced, “Denver will be charged a timeout.”  Classic.

 

Non-Gmen Thoughts of the Week

• After watching the Patriots beat the crap out of the Jets on Monday night, I too was very impressed with Tom Brady’s performance.  But its one thing to commend a player on a great performance, and another to do what ESPN did during their post-game coverage.  I mean you might’ve thought the guy just cured cancer the way they were talking about him.  I mean come on Trent – if you love Tom Brady so much, why don’t you marry him?  But in all seriousness, I’ve heard less cheesy Boyz II Men songs.
• Yeah, Denver firing Josh McDaniels was a big deal, and maybe unwarranted (depending on your stance), but the fact that they let him go isn’t what bothers me.  It’s how they did it.  So, how does a professional sports franchise announce to the waiting public that they’ve fired their head coach?  Twitter.  TWITTER!  Yes, the same “news outlet” that gives middle school kids an easy way to break up with each other is now being used by the Denver Broncos to announce personnel decisions.  Is there any way for the league to impose a fine on the team for “personal conduct” in this case?  Probably not, but its definitely a low point for this league, in my opinion.  Way to be classy, Denver.
• I noticed an article this week on a major sports website with the headline “Is Peyton Manning responsible for the Colts’ struggles?”  Wow.  Nothing more to say except its amazing how spoiled people have gotten.  Three games.  Would it be so hard for you to think before you write?  Come on, now. 
• R.I.P. Don Meredith.  Yes, you were a Cowboy, but you were a great, great football player and one of the pioneers of sports broadcasting.  Thoughts and prayers go out to your family.

 

Looking North

            We started December off with a huge W, so let’s keep it rolling!  As I write this, Brett Favre’s status for this game is still uncertain.  Personally, I hope he plays.  At this point in the season I think Tarvaris Jackson is a much more dangerous opponent to face than Old Man River, plus its always fun to beat Favre up a bit.  It’s the least we can do since he repeatedly refuses to respect the game and whatever team he’s on year after year.  I don’t know about all of you, but I’m licking my chops for this game.  Let’s not forget the beat down they served us in their house last season.  Not this time!  To talk all things Giants, you can e-mail me at gmensuperfan@gmail.com, and you can find me on Facebook under the name “Gmen Superfan.”  It’s December, baby!  The final stretch of the regular season is upon us!  Until next week, GO GMEN! 

Superfan: Giants vs. Jaguars (11/30/10)

The Turning Point We’ve All Been Waiting For

By Superfan

No longer are we on the brink of obliteration, as far as the rest of the sports world is concerned (not that we really were to begin with, but don’t let any football analysts find out – they’re really committed to their delusions). In all seriousness though, that was a huge win for us last Sunday. HUGE. We were undermanned in a must-win game at home against a division leader, and we found a way to scratch out the W. Yes, the first half was ugly. Like many fans out there, I was really starting to question how much our guys cared. Evidently, so did a few of the team’s leaders (most notably Justin Tuck). After what must have been one hell of a halftime speech, they came out a completely different team. It was the turning point fans have been waiting for these last few weeks, and hopefully it will spearhead our final push for the playoffs in the next month.

Finding A Way To Win

When our offense is clicking, you tend to forget whatever issues they’re facing (in the case last weekend, it was missing a whole lot of starters) and expect every drive to end in a touchdown. Which we as fans should, because the coaches and players certainly do. At the same time, it also means whenever something goes wrong, you focus solely on that and none of what went right. Case and point, the opening drive of the game. Without David Diehl, Shaun O’Hara, or Shawn Andrews on the offensive line, newly appointed starter Brandon Jacobs ran all over the place guiding the offense pretty smoothly down the field. All hope seemed lost when a dropped pass by Derek Hagan was ruled a fumble on the field, but that was fortunately overturned. However, the drive stalled, and we had to settle for three. Everyone in attendance at that moment, myself included, was infuriated that we weren’t able to finish the drive off and get six. What people didn’t realize was, without Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith, or the previously mentioned offensive lineman, Eli and company still managed to orchestrate the Giants’ first game-opening scoring drive of the season. Yet, despite another well-orchestrated drive, we only scored another three points in the first half.

Then the second half happened. Jacksonville started with the ball, and on their first play from scrimmage, David Garrard threw a ball a little behind Mike-Sims Walker. It went off his hands and into the waiting arms of Terrell Thomas. That was the big play we needed to turn the tide, and that’s when it hit me that this game would be ours.

We’d all expected our offense to struggle slightly, but our defensive struggles in the first half surprised everyone. It’s a good thing they reminded everyone how dominant they could be in the latter part of the game. After Eli and Brandon Jacobs orchestrated a drive down the field late in the fourth quarter, we finished it on a beautiful touchdown pass to Kevin Boss, taking a lead we wouldn’t relinquish. Jacksonville took over and immediately starting driving, making probably every Giants fan alive think “not again,” yet our front four promptly woke up and showed the dominance opposing quarterbacks have been fearing all season. Three sacks and one fumble recovery later, and Eli was finally able to kneel out the clock, giving us the win.

One more huge note to take away from their performance, and I can’t overstate this enough, is the number zero. That’s how many times we turned the ball over on Sunday. It’s no coincidence that we also won the game.

The Gift of Gum

Having been home for Thanksgiving weekend, I was able to go to the game this past Sunday (well, at least most of it). Thanks to Continental’s fantastic holiday travel schedule, the latest flight available from Newark to LAX was at 6:00pm. But we’ll get to that later.

My friend Jon and I got to the game nice and early, with another friend of ours, Ethan. Poor guy’s lived in Philly for a while, but he’s been back in Jersey for about a year or so I think. True to form, he still repped the Gmen well while living down there. Ethan actually drove, and my dad drove separately and met us there, since he would have to take me to the airport well before the game ended.

After parking, we blasted “Proud To Be” from Ethan’s car stereo for a while (the closest thing I can remember to a psych-up Giants theme song, though they stopped playing it in the stadium years ago for some reason…hint, hint – BRING IT BACK!), got ourselves plenty amped for the game, and made our way to our seats.

The first half was pretty hard to watch, and for all the wrong reasons my voice was nearly gone by halftime. I met up with my dad, and we stayed as long as we could before having to depart for Newark. Once the Gmen fought back and tied the game up at 17 apiece, we felt comfortable enough to take off.

I might’ve mentioned this in my week one article, but for those of you who haven’t been to the stadium yet, its coolest aspect is that even if you leave your seats, as long as you’re on the grounds you’ll know exactly what’s going on in the game. They have WFAN’s radio call playing everywhere, and even when you walk outside the building the game is played on all the monitors lining the exterior of the stadium. Very cool, and especially accommodating for those fans who pay to park and tailgate, but couldn’t get tickets.

We managed to catch Jacksonville’s ensuing field goal drive as we walked out to the car, but both my dad and I weren’t too worried about it. I think we sensed that our offense would answer. There was little traffic on the turnpike headed to the airport, so we were able to get close enough where we could pull over on one of the exits to listen to the rest of the game on the radio. We pulled off just in time to listen to Bob Papa call Kevin Boss’s game-winning touchdown reception. As Tynes kicked the ball off to Jacksonville after our go-ahead touchdown, my dad offered me a piece of gum. I was a little skeptical, since neither of us was chewing gum when we scored. But I took the gum anyway, and was chewing away as Jacksonville started their drive. They promptly began driving the ball right down the field, and it wasn’t until Aaron Ross got called for defensive holding on a third and ten that I turned to my dad. “Is this really happening?!?!” He turned right back to me, “You were right. Let’s spit the gum out.” We did, and on the very next play, Rolle and Tuck blasted Garrard on a huge sack. And the rest of the game is history. It won’t make any of the highlight reels or post-game notes, but my dad and I both know, deep down, that win was in part a gift of gum. Thanks again to Newark’s horrible flight scheduling for making that wild experience possible.

Non-Gmen Thoughts of the Week:

• A little bummed out regarding the film selection this past holiday weekend. I’d already seen the new Harry Potter, and wasn’t really in the mood to see a guy de-limb himself on a big screen. Aside from that, not many attractive options in theaters. Can’t wait for Tron: Legacy to get here.
• I love how this week, people are saying that you can’t blame Philly for losing a tough game against a good NFC team on the road. Yet, when they beat us in a close game last week, we were suddenly hopeless. There really needs to be some sort of regulations committee to keep contradictory/biased sports writing to a minimum. Especially on national publications.
• Instead of everyone making fun of Lebron and all the drama surrounding him and the Heat, can’t we all just stop caring? I think that would bother those premadonnas more than anything. Of course, that’s just my opinion.

Okay, we’ve got another huge game this week. A home game against the Redskins. It’s looking more and more like we won’t be back to full health until the Philly game, but the next two are still definitely winnable. We just have to keep fighting. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to talk about any and all things Giants. My e-mail is gmensuperfan@gmail.com, and I’m on Facebook under the name “Gmen Superfan.” Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, get ready for the ‘Skins, and GO GMEN!