Following
Protocol?
By Superfan
Are they
doing this to us on purpose now? Of
course not, but you can’t fault Giants fans for feeling that way. I mean, come on. Impressive showings against San Francisco and
Green Bay, but falling apart in our own division. A huge, momentum-turning win followed by an
ugly, inexplicable loss to the Redskins the very next week near the end of the
regular season. I understand football’s
full of routines and superstitions, and I certainly have my fair share of both,
but this is getting crazy.
Then again, we’re all Giants fans,
aren’t we? As soon as the experts
started hailing the Giants as the supreme overlords of the football universe
following our demolishing of Green Bay a week ago, I think we all started
getting that uneasy feeling. That
feeling of, “uh-oh, people respect us.
We’re not underdogs. Backs aren’t
against any walls. Crap.” And that’s exactly what appeared to play out
last night in that devastating loss at Washington on Monday Night Football…
The View From Home
I was back
in California for the game, the first weekday primetime game since our Thursday
night matchup against Carolina. Remember
what a great game that was? Relaxing,
dominant, stress-free… Anyway, JJ and I
watched that one at his place. Time
Warner cable had yet to reach an agreement with the NFL Network at the time,
and JJ has DirectTV. And with the
results we got, why not try the same thing this time around?
So we did. And despite the weekday afternoon kickoff, we
both were at his place ready to go by 5:30.
All was as it was the previous time.
I had two hats, neither worn, side-by-side on the couch next to me,
facing JJ’s kitchen. The last time I had
come straight from work, and had my laptop open on the couch. Not the case this time around - no laptop. Doubt that had anything to do with it, but it
was one noticeable difference from the last time.
Still, the first half ended and
things were going smoothly. Took the
lead late, were getting the ball to start the second half, and like the time
before we had our half-sausage, half-anchovies pizza delivered and ready for
halftime devouring. All was right with
the world.
And then the second half happened. I can’t get into too much detail, for the
sake of everyone involved, but let’s just say the viewing arrangement changed
somewhat in quarters three and four. By
the time the ship was righted, it was too late.
Our defense continued not remembering how to cover or tackle, they got
the first down they needed to run the clock out, and I was out the door before
the clock hit zeroes. I know I’m
absurd. But aren’t life’s
disappointments much easier to take when you find yourself blaming it all on
the superfluous?
Playing to the
Level of Our Competen-- err, Competition…
Which isn’t
really fair to the Redskins, because this isn’t the same group that
inexplicably swept us last year. These
guys can play. But so could San
Francisco and Green Bay, yet we didn’t seem to have any trouble wiping the turf
with them. I really don’t understand
what it is with this team. The Redskins
were lucky we were only up by three at the half. Our first two drives totaled twenty-four
plays, yet we managed just three points out of them. While Tynes has had a great season, I
wouldn’t blame the missed field goal entirely on DeOssie’s bad snap (but man,
how many chances is this guy gonna get).
Weatherford got the ball set in time, Tynes shanked it. (Though I should watch myself…criticizing the
kicker is what got me in trouble with the Giants in the first place…sure hope
Lawrence isn’t scanning the blogosphere to check if anyone’s saying mean things
about him. He’s a little defensive, even
if he has missed at least one field goal at some point of nearly every game
he’s ever hit a “game winner” for us.)
Before I go any further, I have to
talk about Jon Gruden for a bit. Could
you fans believe what you were hearing from this guy? You’d think we were watching the game on
mute, with the Redskins radio call playing over it. That absurdly lucky first touchdown
Washington scored, when an RG3 fumble bounced right into Josh Morgan’s hands to
be run in for a touchdown, sounded like it was drawn up that way according to
Mr. Gruden. RG3 made a mistake on that
play! And you’re giving him credit for the
TD? I get it, ESPN - you rarely only get
a player like RG3 on Monday Night Football each season, so you want to make the
most of it. But come on. Let’s not put the kid into the Hall of Fame
in his rookie season. He can run a
triple option, I get it. Wonderful. So can anyone who’s ever played quarterback
at Navy. Again, I don’t want to knock
RG3. He’s extremely talented. Mostly because his arm is just as dangerous
as his legs. I just wonder if ESPN gave
Gruden some mandate that he had to say “RG3” at least 20 times per minute. Because that’s what it felt like. (On that note, what is it with everyone
having to say either RG3 or Robert Griffin the third? Is there any other quarterback in the league
that needs his entire name or acronym said every time he’s referenced? I could be wrong, but I don’t think I’ve
heard anyone refer to him as plainly Griffin, Griffin III, or Robert. Osi called him Bob early in training camp,
but that was as a joke. Anyway…) Not to mention most of their big yards came
from Alfred Morris, not RG3. But Gruden
would never give another offensive Redskin player any credit.
And it’s not just this game. I’ve never seen a commentator who was more
hyperbolic in my life. I could only
imagine the things he’d say in a meaningless late-season matchup of backup QBs
--
“You
know, Mike, watching these two tonight…
They’ve been holding clipboards since training camp. They’ve been practicing with the 2’s all
season. But here, now, given their shot
(with the rest of the field also filled with backups), to give these
performances here tonight? Is there
anyone in the country braver than backup quarterbacks? I don’t want to hear about the Army, the Navy,
the FDNY, or any of it. These guys are
my heroes. These backups have more
tenacity, more spirit, more heart than any Marine I’ve ever met. God bless backup quarterbacks, Mike. Each and every one.”
To
reiterate, that’s not a legit quote, though I don’t blame you if you thought it
was. Bottom line - the guy’s terrible in
the booth. And Jon, it’s Monday Night
Football. Primetime, meaning more
average NFL fans than die-hards. So save
your nonsensical insider-football comments for an analysis show. Hate on Madden all you want, but America
loved him because he was simple and easy to listen to. He didn’t sound like an insane person
wandered into a booth and found a microphone to use as his own soundboard. Well, actually… Though it does make you appreciate guys like
Collinsworth, to be honest.
Okay
tangent over. Back to the game. It really felt like the refs didn’t do us any
favors, but at the same time, it always feels that way. The refs didn’t blow the call on Locklear’s
false start that turned a promising opening TD drive into just 3 points. The refs didn’t give up 52 yards in just three
plays on the Redskins following drive, setting up the absurd fumble-recovery
touchdown. And yet, we were still ahead
to start the second half.
I don’t
know what it is with Gilbride, but sometimes he gets so complacent with a lead
it drives me crazy. Three times in the
first half we came THIS CLOSE to hitting a receiver on a deep route after he’d
burned Washington’s secondary. And
outside of the first play of the second half being an incomplete deep ball to
Nicks, we never seemed to go back to it.
AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP CALLING HB SCREENS ON THIRD AND
TWENTY! I don’t know if it was called,
or audibled into, or simply checked to by Eli, but it has to stop. What Ray Rice did was special, but not
common. As Mike Ditka would say - STOP
IT!
Ahmad ran the ball well. The offensive line, banged up though it was,
did its job well for the running game and Eli.
Without Andre Brown, Bradshaw saw a bigger workload, and responded with
over 100 yards rushing. Still, our
offense couldn’t do enough. Hate on the
defense for giving up that first down to let them kneel out the clock, but
all-in-all they played well. They gave
up only 17 points to a talented, well-coached offensive unit. And six of those points came on a wild, lucky
play. Our offense had the ball twice in
the fourth quarter, and we didn’t move it into their territory once (I just got
that. Trying to move into their territory. We were playing the Redskins. Ha! Race
joke.) The only first down we got that
quarter came via a horse-collar tackle against them. To have that time of possession with only 16
points to show for it is UNACCEPTABLE.
We had the ball for more than half the game! And only one touchdown? Embarrassing.
No awards this week.
Or Non-Gmen Thoughts. Too
frustrated.
Looking Ahead…
As negative
as this all may seem, we’re still in first place in the division and control
our fate. We’re heading into the (real)
final stretch of the season - the last quarter.
And it won’t be the easy. We host
the Saints next week, then are in Atlanta and Baltimore, and finish at home
against Philly. Don’t let the opponents’
records for those bookend home matchups confuse you. Those will be very tough games. We all remember the last time we hosted
Philly in the last game of the season, don’t we? Then again, doesn’t this schedule seem ideal
for the Giants? Our backs are against
the wall (in a sense), and we’re the inconsistent team you can’t rely on to win
each week (once more). Just where we
want to be, right? I wonder how much
longer before they start including blood pressure medication with season ticket
packages. Better be soon… To talk all things Giants, you can send an
e-mail to gmensuperfan@gmail.com,
find me on Facebook under the name “Gmen Superfan,” or follow me on Twitter
using the handle “@gmensuperfan1”. Until
next week, GO GMEN!!
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