Thrash, pummel, trounce, flog, lambaste, pound, or just plain old beat down.
None of the above adequately describes the Giants 45-12 complete domination over the Redskins down in D.C. on Monday Night Football.
In a game Big Blue absolutely had to have to keep a realistic shot at the playoffs alive, the Giants took control on the opening drive and never looked back.
On a 16-play march that took 9:13 off the first-quarter-clock and covered 80 yards the Giants fired the opening shot of a battle that never materialized.
Ahmad Bradshaw scored the TD on a three-yard run and the game may as well have been called over.
Washington's first three drives were all three-and-outs. 'Skins QB Jason Campbell was under constant harassment being sacked five times -- four times by the rejuvenated defensive line.
Eli Manning had another 250 plus yards passing while completing 19 of 26 passes before sitting out most of the fourth quarter.
The Giants converted close to 75% of third downs to sustain numerous long drives.
Even with two of starting offensive linemen out for most of the game, Manning was well protected. Brandon Jacobs and Bradshaw also had plenty of room to work with.
Ten different Giants caught a pass and three separate receivers -- Steve Smith, Derek Hagan and Mario Manningham -- each found the end zone.
Even when the Redskins did punch in a TD, the ineptness was displayed by missing the extra point.
Now, the Giants must take the positives from this shellacking and bring them north for next Sunday's matchup with the Panthers.
Week 15 was loaded with surprises -- one helping and one hurting Big Blue.
The Cowboys upset of the Saints in New Orleans keeps Dallas a game ahead of the Giants in the playoff race. While the Steelers reawakening against the Packers gives the Giants a second team to gun for.
Big Blue needs help to get into the postseason but that's not for Tom Coughlin's club to worry about.
Taking care of business in the nation's capital was all the Giants could do this week, and, oh boy, did they ever accomplish that task.
Showing posts with label Giants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Giants. Show all posts
Monday, December 21, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Big Blue, Big Win vs. Big D
With its back to the wall and down 10-0 in the biggest game of the season against the rival Cowboys, the Giants responded.
Midway through the second quarter, Ahmad Bradshaw lost a fumble on the Giants' side of the field. Seven plays later, Tony Romo hit Roy Williams in the end zone and the Giants season was left for dead.
The Giants resuscitated the season by moving down the field on three consecutive 16-yard gains before Eli Manning found Hakeem Nicks for a TD to give Big Blue some life.
Just a minute-and-a-half later the Giants would once again find the Promised Land after a big play by two key members of the much-maligned D-line. Mathias Kiwanuka forced a fumble that was recovered by the recently-demoted Osi Umenyiora.
The game would be won through big plays.
Brandon Jacobs, still not running the ball to expectations, had a 74-yard catch and run for his second TD of the evening.
The contest was put out of reach by a Domenik Hixon 79-yard punt return late in the fourth.
The D-line showed glimpses of why it was considered one of the NFL's best going into the season. Although Romo threw for nearly 400 yards, he was constantly harassed.
Cowboys' running backs Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice combined for 45 yard on 23 carries.
The Giants did not dominate the Cowboys, but did enough to come away with a much-needed W.
While Tom Coughlin's club did not exactly escape with the win, it did leave room for doubts going into another enormous game vs. the Eagles on Sunday night.
Big Blue must prove it can beat a quality opponent other than the Cowboys.
A loss to Philadelphia would eliminate any chance of taking the East Division -- the Eagles would be up two games and have the tie-breaker. Big Blue was embarrassed in Philadelphia on November 1.
On the other hand, a win at the Meadowlands evens things out in the overall and head-to-head record against Philly. Combined with Dallas' December struggles and the Cowboys rough upcoming schedule, Big Blue would quickly turn into the favorites to win the Division.
After the Eagles, the Giants face two inferior opponents -- at Washington then home for Carolina.
The final game of the season, in Minnesota, may not mean anything for the Vikings. The Giants may be playing for a spot in the playoffs. Such a circumstance would turn the odds in New York's favor.
An old maxim says, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." The Giants took that step on Sunday.
Against the Eagles it will be determined if that step has a true landing that can send the Giants scurrying towards the postseason.
Midway through the second quarter, Ahmad Bradshaw lost a fumble on the Giants' side of the field. Seven plays later, Tony Romo hit Roy Williams in the end zone and the Giants season was left for dead.
The Giants resuscitated the season by moving down the field on three consecutive 16-yard gains before Eli Manning found Hakeem Nicks for a TD to give Big Blue some life.
Just a minute-and-a-half later the Giants would once again find the Promised Land after a big play by two key members of the much-maligned D-line. Mathias Kiwanuka forced a fumble that was recovered by the recently-demoted Osi Umenyiora.
The game would be won through big plays.
Brandon Jacobs, still not running the ball to expectations, had a 74-yard catch and run for his second TD of the evening.
The contest was put out of reach by a Domenik Hixon 79-yard punt return late in the fourth.
The D-line showed glimpses of why it was considered one of the NFL's best going into the season. Although Romo threw for nearly 400 yards, he was constantly harassed.
Cowboys' running backs Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice combined for 45 yard on 23 carries.
The Giants did not dominate the Cowboys, but did enough to come away with a much-needed W.
While Tom Coughlin's club did not exactly escape with the win, it did leave room for doubts going into another enormous game vs. the Eagles on Sunday night.
Big Blue must prove it can beat a quality opponent other than the Cowboys.
A loss to Philadelphia would eliminate any chance of taking the East Division -- the Eagles would be up two games and have the tie-breaker. Big Blue was embarrassed in Philadelphia on November 1.
On the other hand, a win at the Meadowlands evens things out in the overall and head-to-head record against Philly. Combined with Dallas' December struggles and the Cowboys rough upcoming schedule, Big Blue would quickly turn into the favorites to win the Division.
After the Eagles, the Giants face two inferior opponents -- at Washington then home for Carolina.
The final game of the season, in Minnesota, may not mean anything for the Vikings. The Giants may be playing for a spot in the playoffs. Such a circumstance would turn the odds in New York's favor.
An old maxim says, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." The Giants took that step on Sunday.
Against the Eagles it will be determined if that step has a true landing that can send the Giants scurrying towards the postseason.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Big Blue Bust
That sound you heard late on Thanksgiving night was the Giants' season going POP!
After Sunday's brief reprieve from the slide down the 5-0 mountain, Big Blue looked more like Big Bust against the Broncos in Denver.
Denver's 26-6 demolition of the Giants is not fatal but it's certainly more than a flesh-wound.
Thoroughly dominated in every facet of the game, Giants fans have little to be thankful for after watching the pathetic-looking bunch.
"We laid an egg," said Kevin Boss being brutally honest about his team's performance.
Although the Giants beat the Falcons on Sunday, the victory was not quite convincing that the losing ways were over. Especially on defense after that unit blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead.
In Mile High the offense and defense were equally inadequate.
The Giants have always prided themselves on being physically tougher than most, which is why Thursday night's loss is that much harder to comprehend.
The weakness in the secondary is nothing new, a superior defensive line can cover up such problems. But when the front seven are being obliterated at the line -- as they were by the Broncos -- it's going to be a long evening.
The running game that hasn't found its way all season was supposed to get healthy in Colorado. Broncos' opponents averaged 168.7 yards on the ground during their four-game losing streak.
The Giants ran for a measly 57 yards. Brandon Jacobs averaged a pitiful 2.5 yards per carry.
Beaten at the point of attack on both sides of the ball is certainly not Giants Football.
The Giants now have a week and a half to lick their wounds and see if they can pull themselves together.
The season has not yet been decided, that will happen in the two upcoming home games against the Cowboys and Eagles.
This group under Tom Coughlin plays its best football when it's the underdog, with the "us against the world mentality."
"We're not a bad football team, we just played bad today," Osi Umenyiora insists.
The Giant have two weeks to prove Osi correct.
After Sunday's brief reprieve from the slide down the 5-0 mountain, Big Blue looked more like Big Bust against the Broncos in Denver.
Denver's 26-6 demolition of the Giants is not fatal but it's certainly more than a flesh-wound.
Thoroughly dominated in every facet of the game, Giants fans have little to be thankful for after watching the pathetic-looking bunch.
"We laid an egg," said Kevin Boss being brutally honest about his team's performance.
Although the Giants beat the Falcons on Sunday, the victory was not quite convincing that the losing ways were over. Especially on defense after that unit blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead.
In Mile High the offense and defense were equally inadequate.
The Giants have always prided themselves on being physically tougher than most, which is why Thursday night's loss is that much harder to comprehend.
The weakness in the secondary is nothing new, a superior defensive line can cover up such problems. But when the front seven are being obliterated at the line -- as they were by the Broncos -- it's going to be a long evening.
The running game that hasn't found its way all season was supposed to get healthy in Colorado. Broncos' opponents averaged 168.7 yards on the ground during their four-game losing streak.
The Giants ran for a measly 57 yards. Brandon Jacobs averaged a pitiful 2.5 yards per carry.
Beaten at the point of attack on both sides of the ball is certainly not Giants Football.
The Giants now have a week and a half to lick their wounds and see if they can pull themselves together.
The season has not yet been decided, that will happen in the two upcoming home games against the Cowboys and Eagles.
This group under Tom Coughlin plays its best football when it's the underdog, with the "us against the world mentality."
"We're not a bad football team, we just played bad today," Osi Umenyiora insists.
The Giant have two weeks to prove Osi correct.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Giants Seek To Answer Questions
By 4:30 on Sunday many Giants questions will have answers.
Is the four-game losing-streak an aberration? Or has Big Blue been overrated all along and beat-up on a soft early schedule?
In today's parity-loving-NFL every team goes through a rough spot at some point in the schedule. The Patriots of 2007 were beating opponents with high school-type scores during an undefeated regular season. Yet, come playoff time, the games were competitive eventually losing to the Jints in the Super Bowl.
Last season, at approximately the same time of year, the Giants and Titans were favorites to face-off in Tampa on Super Sunday. Yet, neither team won a postseason contest.
The Super Bowl-winning Colts of several years back lost four of the final seven regular season match-ups. All the incredible seasons to that point ended in disappointment, but the year the Colts struggled most turned out to be the greatest triumph.
This is not to say the Giants are on the way to another championship, but a mid-season struggle is no reason to panic and give up hope.
Did the bye-week come at just the right time for Tom Coughlin's club? Was the week off all that was needed to get healthy and get the bad football out of the system?
During the time off, everything broke right for the Giants: the three teams battling for an NFC playoff spot -- Cowboys, Eagles and Falcons -- all lost.
Once written-off as done, the Giants control their own destiny.
Each of the next four games is of monumental importance. The first is Atlanta at the Meadowland on Sunday. The Falcons are struggling and the winner of this contest will hold an important head-to-head tiebreaker.
A Thanksgiving-night game vs. the surprising Broncos will be a difficult road test, but a win would re-establish credibility across the country.
Dallas and Philadelphia visit New Jersey in the following weeks. The importance of these two divisional match-ups cannot be exaggerated.
Did the Big Blue defense simply need to get healthy to return to championship form? Will the return of cornerback Aaron Ross boost the secondary? Was Justin Tuck's shoulder-injury inhibiting his play on the field?
The Giants' secondary was hit hard with early-season injuries. Safety Kenny Phillips will not play again in 2009. Ross has yet to take the field during the current campaign. Tuck's injury had been nagging since Week 2.
Big Blue holds the script to the season now. The knockout blow has been thrown and the Giants were out for the count.
Can Coughlin scrape the team of the mat? Can the defense regain its teeth? Will the offense get back to Giants-football?
Will the team regroup and bounce back? Or stagger to the finish-line without much fight?
All these questions will be answered on the field Sunday.
Is the four-game losing-streak an aberration? Or has Big Blue been overrated all along and beat-up on a soft early schedule?
In today's parity-loving-NFL every team goes through a rough spot at some point in the schedule. The Patriots of 2007 were beating opponents with high school-type scores during an undefeated regular season. Yet, come playoff time, the games were competitive eventually losing to the Jints in the Super Bowl.
Last season, at approximately the same time of year, the Giants and Titans were favorites to face-off in Tampa on Super Sunday. Yet, neither team won a postseason contest.
The Super Bowl-winning Colts of several years back lost four of the final seven regular season match-ups. All the incredible seasons to that point ended in disappointment, but the year the Colts struggled most turned out to be the greatest triumph.
This is not to say the Giants are on the way to another championship, but a mid-season struggle is no reason to panic and give up hope.
Did the bye-week come at just the right time for Tom Coughlin's club? Was the week off all that was needed to get healthy and get the bad football out of the system?
During the time off, everything broke right for the Giants: the three teams battling for an NFC playoff spot -- Cowboys, Eagles and Falcons -- all lost.
Once written-off as done, the Giants control their own destiny.
Each of the next four games is of monumental importance. The first is Atlanta at the Meadowland on Sunday. The Falcons are struggling and the winner of this contest will hold an important head-to-head tiebreaker.
A Thanksgiving-night game vs. the surprising Broncos will be a difficult road test, but a win would re-establish credibility across the country.
Dallas and Philadelphia visit New Jersey in the following weeks. The importance of these two divisional match-ups cannot be exaggerated.
Did the Big Blue defense simply need to get healthy to return to championship form? Will the return of cornerback Aaron Ross boost the secondary? Was Justin Tuck's shoulder-injury inhibiting his play on the field?
The Giants' secondary was hit hard with early-season injuries. Safety Kenny Phillips will not play again in 2009. Ross has yet to take the field during the current campaign. Tuck's injury had been nagging since Week 2.
Big Blue holds the script to the season now. The knockout blow has been thrown and the Giants were out for the count.
Can Coughlin scrape the team of the mat? Can the defense regain its teeth? Will the offense get back to Giants-football?
Will the team regroup and bounce back? Or stagger to the finish-line without much fight?
All these questions will be answered on the field Sunday.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
My Two Cents Worth III
As far as I'm concerned this year's NBA playoffs are very similar to College Football's Bowl games. While an individual series may have some excitement and drama, there are only two teams who have a chance at winning a championship. If the Lakers and Cavaliers are not there when the conferences are decided it will be a major upset.
Give the Jets and Mike Tannenbaum credit for getting Mark Sanchez. They wanted Sanchez from the start, and had the conviction to do whatever it takes to bring him in. Now, they have to hope they turn out to be right about the Q.B. or Tannenbaum will be looking for a job.
I'm a bit disappointed that the Giants didn't end up with Anquan Boldin. I hope the reason they didn't pull the trigger has to do with the salary cap and not the Draft picks. Receiver is the only glaring weakness on the team, a third round pick wouldn't mean a whole lot for a team with that much talent.
With that said the first pick of WR Hakeem Nicks is a good one. Eli Manning is not exactly the most accurate thrower, and needs someone who can catch the ball even if it's not between the numbers. Hicks has huge hands - glove size of 4XL - so he can reach out and catch anything in the vicinity.
Apparently the Mets' issues from last year had nothing to do with the Manager or Stadium. As a club they still can't hit with runners-in-scoring position, and the starting rotation has one reliable pitcher in Johan Santana.
There have been an unusual amount of home runs hit to right field in the new Yankees stadium, and many people have been screaming and yelling "how could the Yankees let this happen." Will everyone please calm down. Number one we only have a week to judge by. Two if it is a long term issue don't you think the team will do something to cut down on the wind in that direction. What does need to be fixed is the fact that the fans sit right up on the wall and can easily interfere with a ball still in play.
As far as the Yankees on the field are concerned, the team will go as far as the pitching carries them - A-Rod or no A-Rod. Both the starting and relief pitching have been terribly inconsistent. Brian Bruney going on the DL is going to hurt. And no, there is still no reason to be worried about Mariano.
The Devils and Hurricanes are going to Game 7 which is exactly where the series belongs. It has been such an even match-up and both goalies have been so good, it would have been a shame had this series not gone the distance.
However, Game 7 is not where the Rangers should be. With a 3 games to 1 lead, the team has been flat for games five and six. This has been a one man team all year, if Henrik Lundqvist is on top of his game there is a chance otherwise it is all but an automatic L.
Is John Tortorella the epitome of do what I say not what I do? Torts benches Sean Avery for Friday night's game for being undisciplined, sure enough in the third period of that game the coach squirts a fan with water and then throws a bottle into the stands. The NHL suspended him for game 6 and rightly so, no league can afford its players, coaches etc. to interact with fans that way. We have all seen what happens when it gets out of hand.
Give the Jets and Mike Tannenbaum credit for getting Mark Sanchez. They wanted Sanchez from the start, and had the conviction to do whatever it takes to bring him in. Now, they have to hope they turn out to be right about the Q.B. or Tannenbaum will be looking for a job.
I'm a bit disappointed that the Giants didn't end up with Anquan Boldin. I hope the reason they didn't pull the trigger has to do with the salary cap and not the Draft picks. Receiver is the only glaring weakness on the team, a third round pick wouldn't mean a whole lot for a team with that much talent.
With that said the first pick of WR Hakeem Nicks is a good one. Eli Manning is not exactly the most accurate thrower, and needs someone who can catch the ball even if it's not between the numbers. Hicks has huge hands - glove size of 4XL - so he can reach out and catch anything in the vicinity.
Apparently the Mets' issues from last year had nothing to do with the Manager or Stadium. As a club they still can't hit with runners-in-scoring position, and the starting rotation has one reliable pitcher in Johan Santana.
There have been an unusual amount of home runs hit to right field in the new Yankees stadium, and many people have been screaming and yelling "how could the Yankees let this happen." Will everyone please calm down. Number one we only have a week to judge by. Two if it is a long term issue don't you think the team will do something to cut down on the wind in that direction. What does need to be fixed is the fact that the fans sit right up on the wall and can easily interfere with a ball still in play.
As far as the Yankees on the field are concerned, the team will go as far as the pitching carries them - A-Rod or no A-Rod. Both the starting and relief pitching have been terribly inconsistent. Brian Bruney going on the DL is going to hurt. And no, there is still no reason to be worried about Mariano.
The Devils and Hurricanes are going to Game 7 which is exactly where the series belongs. It has been such an even match-up and both goalies have been so good, it would have been a shame had this series not gone the distance.
However, Game 7 is not where the Rangers should be. With a 3 games to 1 lead, the team has been flat for games five and six. This has been a one man team all year, if Henrik Lundqvist is on top of his game there is a chance otherwise it is all but an automatic L.
Is John Tortorella the epitome of do what I say not what I do? Torts benches Sean Avery for Friday night's game for being undisciplined, sure enough in the third period of that game the coach squirts a fan with water and then throws a bottle into the stands. The NHL suspended him for game 6 and rightly so, no league can afford its players, coaches etc. to interact with fans that way. We have all seen what happens when it gets out of hand.
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