SB Nation User Blog: GAgiantfan

What the heck?!

GAgiantfan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:07:00 -0000

The play calling was a little better. The running game was OK. The passing game was better than it's been in
weeks (as far as taking what they gave us). The defense played better, in my opinion, than in recent games.
So what happened?

I think this week's breakdown was a result of a weaker-than-recognized offense. Here's why:

You can't give me any reasonable excuse, try as you might, that we should kick a field goal when we start
out with a 1st-and-10 inside the 5 yard line. There's just no excuse, no excuse. The defense, which has been
made fun, has been critiqued, and has been re-critiqued, stepped up and secured an important turnover. The
opportunity for the offense to capitalize was there like a Christmas gift just waiting to be opened. I'll be
damned if we just took the gift and put it back under the tree. Who in the hell does that? We do, apparently.

People might blame this loss on the defense, and many will focus on the defense because the press has done so
recently. The game ended with a defensive breakdown, so that's the impression that stays in peoples' minds.
Some of the aforementioned criticisms are deserved, but there was one point in the game where the announcers
were discussing that the Giants' possession time was twice that of the Chargers', and we had nothing to show
for it. Why? It's because we POSSESS the ball while scoring NOTHING or scoring VERY LITTLE. Mere possessions
are good sometimes, but not if they happen drive after drive after drive.

The offense can move the ball, they just can't move it once they get inside the 15 - at least on a consistent
level. You say "But the Giants scored two touchdowns!" True. So what? I've noted on several occasions that
we just don't sustain scoring drives regularly enough. And I still maintain that position. Bad play from the
defense has masked the offensive problems that we've had for weeks.

We have so little confidence in our offense that we can't get a TD with a 1st-and-10 inside the 5. To me,
that is just not acceptable. "Well, we had penalties" you say. Yes, we did. It doesn't make it any more
acceptable, does it?

To me, that field goal was more demoralizing than having the TD scored on us at the end. It was a POSSESSION
that meant nothing for us. Scoring a TD would have put it out of reach for the Chargers.

I'm not saying that the defense played with "Steel Curtain"-esque play . In fact, they couldn't be further from that. What I am saying is this: We have to take advantage of the opportunities that our defense DOES give us. People have knocked the defense for weeks, myself included, but they produced turnovers for us today and our offense
didn't get it done. When in the position to be "hero" today, we asked the offense to step up, and they didn't.

We kicked a freakin' field goal. This one took some wind out of the sails for sure. This game will be marked as a "defensive letdown" but the offense sucked when we needed them to step up.

The Recipe

GAgiantfan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:42:28 -0000

Here's what can bolster success for us in the upcoming games:

We have to be less predictable on play calling. Pass on first down sometimes, and I don't mean going for a bomb. Try the intermediate routes from time to time, or better yet, take what they're giving. Let me ask you this: If we try a run on first down and get 6 yards, then what do you think we might call for 2nd and 4? Point is, let's get them to backpeddle, unsure of whether we will pass it or run it in that situation. We can use the short-medium passes to back the defense up a bit, and then run. Or we can run, run, and run more, and then pass when everyone's playing too closely. Either way, we can't be predictable with this chess match. If we can do these things, our offense should be able to sustain long drives, thus giving the defense time to rest and prepare for their next series.

We have to win the turnover battle. The bottom line here is, we can't afford a turnover PERIOD. This will require Eli to make the best decision, as far as pass distribution. It will also require Eli to put the gun back into the holster and back down from the gunslinger mentality. Running backs must protect the ball at all times. If we win this battle, we have a great chance of getting the win.

We have to catch the passes we're supposed to catch, whether we are challenged or not. Wide receivers, you'll have to get open often and early. You'll have to catch passes that hit your hands; you may have to dive for a catch every now and then. You may have to extend for a catch with the knowledge that you may get your block knocked off. And you surely have to catch them if you're wide open. Fight to get open and stay on your routes. Look at some Kevin Boss footage if you're still unsure about what I'm saying.

Special Teams have to tighten up. We absolutely cannot punt bricks, let returners run freely, or be timid about returning kicks or punts. Get out there and make the play, and get off of the field. Quit giving the opposing team so much of a field advantage.

Stupid penalties are unacceptable. When it's 3rd and 4, could we please have at least one series where we DON'T get a false start? Quit letting other teams get into your heads, and move when the ball is snapped. Watch the holding and pass interference, but don't be afraid to coldcock someone if you have to.

The defense has to have a stop once in a while. I know the offense has been sucking lately, and I know the've put you in some tough positions recently, and I know your backfield has sucked worse than a child on a lolipop, and I know that the offense has been putting you back on the field repeatedly, but you have to keep your heads up and do whatever it takes to make Rivers antsy. Hit him often and hit him hard. Force him to make mistakes. Speaking of mistakes, we absolutely have to catch passes that hit our hands. Those are called interceptions, and we need as many of them as we can get. Do what you have to do to get into Rivers' face and cause him pain. Because you have "Can't Cover" out there, it makes it that much more important that you be in their backfield before Rivers can take his 3rd step. AP, this might also cause you to tighten your coverage at times. You will have to lead by example, and the others will follow you; however, that doesn't mean that hanging all on a running back before the ball gets there is acceptable. If we win the battle on the defensive line, we have a great chance of securing a victory. Just get mean, get pumped up, and run them over.

Focus. Put the newspapers down. Whatever your responsibility, play your "A Game" and let everything else go. Play as if your future depended on it. You never know, it just might.

3 and out

GAgiantfan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:29:02 -0000

Hey guys and girls. My job has taken me many places and I've been around some, but I think I'm back for a while - ready to share some stuff whether you like it or not!

The most alarming thing to me, especially in this last game against the Cards, is how many times our defense was put back on the field because of our offense (or lack of it). This has increased some over the past couple of games, and it is tied very closely to play calling (Gilbride) and then decision-making (Manning). Also, there are those occasional fumbles, dropped passes, weak punts, or stupid penalties that really screw things up. Let's just hope that those things remain on the "occasional" side rather than the "frequent" side.
The play calling in this last game was very predictable. It seems that there was one play that would've gotten me as an opposing DC, and I think it was a 3rd-and-2 pass play (which was unsuccessful). We have the players on offense to beat up any defense we face, but we can't decide to throw the bomb on 3rd-and-2, and surely not when we're losing. What about an intermediate route, or even a short route on that play?

Our defense really did OK in this game, and probably would have done even better - if our offense could gain 10 yards every now and then, you know, maybe put together what we call a "drive." At least then the defense, which is already nicked up almost across-the-board, could get a few moment's rest. Long, sustained drives (which we are capable of) give the offense confidence, and at the same time, demoralize the defense. Avoiding predictable calls on 1st down would be a good start in the right direction.

Having said all of that, I still believe that the Giants are mostly "in a funk" right now; though there have been bright spots intertwined with the dark. The past two games have been indicative of this intersection we have come to of "all things bad" - dropped interceptions, dropped passes, fumbles, bad punts, interceptions, stupid penalties, and the like. Time and training solve a lot of those things, but if we remain predictable on play calling, lose the turnover battle, and can't sustain drives, there's a better-than-good chance that we're staring a loss right in the face every time. Really it's Football 101. It's back to basics, guys. Just spice up the calls a bit.

Underdog?

GAgiantfan — Sat, 31 May 2008 16:13:51 -0000

Underdog or No Underdog?

One guy says the best the Giants will do in 2008/2009 is 8-8.

Another says that he believes the answer is maybe, but not likely, that
the Giants can extend the legacy began last season.

Still, another says that he thinks the Giants could have a record of 8-8,
but they also could go 12-4. Either way, he says, they'll finish second
in the NFC East.

Here's a quote from an aspiring sports journalist: "New York: Had an
improbable playoff run ending with a spectacular superbowl win. It wont
happen again."

What this leads me to believe is that many out there really do have
"IHAG", which is surely not a new brain condition, but it seems so
prevalent today. For many years, I thought this was some type of myth or
something. "Internalized Hatred about the Giants", or affectionately -
dubbed "IHAG", runs uncontrollably through the veins of many, and it
seems as if that condition will continue to spread with the "Big Boy"
analysts as they step up to make their claims for the upcoming season.

This is nothing new. We saw the emergence and the rise of this
condition last season as the Giants made their amazing playoff run and
went on to win the Super Bowl.

To me, though, it's an awesome thing to see "IHAG" spreading like a
wildfire! All it means is that we've done something right.

Many seem to repsect the great run that the Giants went on, but most
contend that it was a fluke. What that means to me is that we can dress
in our underdog clothing again. Sure, as Harry Carson spoke about
recently, we should beware because each team we play will be out to win
against the current Super Bowl Champ. (still sounds good huh)

I understand about championship teams stumbling after they win, and that's bound to happen to us. However, I don't think we have a fluke on our hands. We have a solid team with a solid coach, and best of all, we play as a team. Those things all bode well for an excellent future.

But to get little respect is a good motivator and allows us to work under the "us against the world" line of thinking. So, we're the Super Bowl Champs and what, we weren't supposed to be? We weren't supposed to win against (insert team name here) ?

Isn't it so lovely to be hated?

The Longer Arm of Big Brother

GAgiantfan — Thu, 29 May 2008 02:02:55 -0000

We live in an age where the government has, for the most part, made
jaded a large number of constituents. I'm speaking of your local and
state leaders and all others involved. For every good politician that you
can name, I'll name five who weren't so good. As a matter of fact, for
every good one you can name, I can name five who were as crooked as
pecan tree limbs (they are rarely very straight in case you were
wondering). Think of it - they use cell phones and ride in limos to go to
places where they could walk in minutes - at taxpayers' expense. They fill
their gas tanks with money put there by the taxpayer. They say that they
will do 'this' or 'that' if elected; many, however, don't follow through
on their promises. Do you need any examples? LOL! It seems as if the only
thing that everyone can agree with every year is to give themselves
raises. It's not hard to realize just how we arrived at a point where
used car salesmen and politicians are thought of as one and the same.
(No offense there, any of you used car salesmen out there). As a whole,
these guys and girls can't take care of their own jobs with efficiency,
so why would they want to branch out to handle something that they know
nothing about?

I say that to preface my disdain of the government's recent involvement
with baseball and their future involvement with football. They sniffed
around baseball for quite some time before they began threatening
baseball regarding players who may or may not have used steroids. As far
as I can tell, there is no reason for the government to get involved here.
What good can come from this? These people, who can't even pronounce the
players' names correctly, or even handle their government-related jobs in
a decent capacity, are now overseeing something well beyond their limits.
It is blatantly obvious that the government is hoping that people will
view them differently, or even more accurately, just view them at all.
And this is my two cents here - but it's all about attention. Just watch
how 'serious' our government is about 'handling' steroids.

There are blips now, here and there, of the government sniffing around
football. Heck, they did it to baseball and 'no one' was overtly pissed
off at them, so why not shoot at a much larger target? The NFL is, has
been for some time, and will be a big-profit operation. Let's see in the
coming days just how excited our own government is at taking pot-shots at the
league. If it gets them on the front page, I can assure you they will do
it.

This is truly something to be concerned about, NFL fans. These people
can't manage their own offices and yet they want to have a hand in
something that was so great LONG BEFORE THEY CAME SNIFFING AROUND.

I'm not saying that the NFL doesn't have steroid issues on some level.
What I am saying, however, is that I hope that the NFL will truly fight to
keep any issues "in - house" and refuse publicly to allow "Big Bro" to
get involved. At the least, go screaming and kicking!

They intensely and zealously pursued baseball. Now I see them sniffing
around football, and it doesn't really relate to steroids necessarily. Now ,if they would only use the same intensity in seeing that gas prices are lowered, I wouldn't be riding a freakin' scooter. Note to NFL - Keep Big Bro at a distance.

CBA

GAgiantfan — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:39:08 -0000

Has anyone heard anything substantial about the CBA?

I think they actually meet Tuesday to decide about things....

I think that if the owners don't like it and oust the plan, then in 2010 there would be no salary cap. At least that's what I've heard. It would be cool to find out some facts that might occur in the wake of a CBA rejection.

Pretty scary thought there with Skeletor Jones over in Dallas just emptying his pockets on anything that might even hint at giving the 'terds a chance at getting to the SB.

Wide receivers : WHEN?

GAgiantfan — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:01:54 -0000

Just a few facts regarding receivers and the slot at which they were drafted:

Over the last 10 years, NFL teams have drafted 43 wide receivers in the first round.

TWO (yes, 2) of those 43 had 1,000-yard seasons as rookies, which is the same number of 1,000-yard seasons produced by receivers drafted after the first round.

26 of the 43 first-round receivers never, never,never have had a 1,000-yard season. Of the 17 remaining, only 8 have had a single (A SINGLE) season in which they gained 1,000 yards.

Because of the wide range of defensive styles that the NFL incorporates, it's just too difficult to predict how any wide receiver will fare in the NFL. There is a drastic defensive jump when coming from college and going to the NFL.

With that said, we need to draft a wide receiver. It's just that we don't need to worry about it in the first few rounds. While we could sit here and debate for the next year about when we should draft a wide receiver, it doesn't change the fact that it is nothing better than a crapshoot.

Go with history on this one, guys. Take a receiver or two late in the draft.

Brett Favre retires

GAgiantfan — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:52:45 -0000

Not that it affects us directly, but Brett has hung up the cleats. I think it's odd that this comes on the heels of Randy Moss being signed by the Pats. I think he wanted Moss badly and is probably disgruntled.
I admit I am surprised. I always thought of Favre as being one of those players that they'd have to cart off of the field before he would quit.
Maybe his drive has faded. Maybe he's angry at the Packers.
Regardless, he is an NFL hero of sorts, and I will remember him as being quite the gutsy quarterback with a 'never say die' mentality - even when he was injured. Thanks for the memories, Mr. Favre.

A Giant Underdog

GAgiantfan — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:07:20 -0000

The season begins with no wins and two losses. Oh yeah, and we've had 80 points scored against us in two weeks.Questions swirl around the organization: Will Coughlin be brought back? What in the heck is up with this defense? Why bring Eli back for another season of getting to the playoffs, maybe, only to lose in the first round? At this point there surely are more questions than answers.

Fast forward to the playoffs. First of all, we shouldn't be here by most accounts. We've "stumbled in" to the playoffs - the gift was ours for the taking and we allowed other teams to potentially take our Wild Card spot. We shouldn't be here.

Let's go to Tampa. There's no way that this offense, especially because we're crippled by the absence of Shockey, can move the ball in the air against a top-rated pass defense. We won't be able to win because we used up what emotional gas we had on the last regular season game against the Pats. Three players were also injured in this "meaningless" game. To top it all off, we're playing the game in their house, so that point is yet another strike against us. And we surely can depend on the past as a model that we won't make it past this, the first round of the playoffs. We never have done it with Coughlin or Manning, so it must be an impossible task to undertake. Tiki will be on the Tampa Bay sidelines, too. And my gosh, what Tiki said about Eli's lack of leadership earlier in the year surely is the gospel truth. Is there any positive aspect about this game for the Giants? I just don't see it. How about a win? And therein, the first shock has taken place - a Giants victory. Within the circus of post-game disbelief, we see that we don't get much credit for the win. The opposing team's players would rather blow off the loss by saying that Eli just chose the easy throws and did nothing special.A few sports people notice the win, but they're already focused on the next game - round two of the playoffs - versus the Cowboys.

Let's go to Dallas. There's no way that this rag-tag group of future "dirty players" can win in Dallas. Besides, everyone remembers that Dallas has beaten us twice in the regular season. We're playing in their house, so just as it was in Tampa, that's a strike against us before we even walk onto the field. Romo is simply unstoppable according to the medias' standards; he "torched" the Giants in their two regular season contests, so he will do just that again. Eli won his first playoff game, but that's as far as he will go. He's not the typical leader. He's too quiet, he's too reserved, and it's just difficult to fathom Eli leading any team to another post-season victory, because he always has his head down. Dallas is sending a record number of players to the Pro Bowl, and the Giants are sending only one. Not many notable sports people are giving the Giants a chance in this game, so that's another strike against us. Also, Eli is due to have a bad game, and Romo is due to have a great game. The confidence of the Cowboys and their staff is overwhelming at this point. How nice it is to play a familiar foe, especially one that you have already beaten twice! The mental edge goes to the Cowboys. There's simply no way that the Giants can win, especially if the Cowboys get Barber running well early in the game. Oh, wait a minute - the second shock has now taken place. Eli has a banner day. T.O. is in tears, making soggy the popcorn he had prepared for devouring after a Cowboy win. Crayton, who ran his mouth constantly leading up to this game, is unusually quiet now. The Cowboy's coach maintains that the better team lost. And Prince Romo, poised for perfection, closed the final game of his season with an interception. "At least we had a chance to score the go-ahead touchdown", they think," instead of fumbling the field goal snap." A few more sports people notice this win, but again, most have already focused on round 3 of the playoffs versus the nearly unstoppable-at-home Packers.

Now let's go to Green Bay. Man, put on the gloves and sleeves for this one. We can't win this game mainly because it's too cold. History says that since we are playing at Green Bay, and because it is below freezing, we are at a terrible disadvantage. The Packers "dusted" the Giants earlier in the season, so once again, the chance is great for that to happen. There's no way that this dirty defense could cover the Packer's receivers. History always repeats itsself. Brett Favre is such a wylie veteran who has been in this situation before. The crowd noise at Lambeau is, alone, a strike against us. Eli's been good for the past two weeks but everyone knows that is bound to change. We've watched Eli for years and he probably had a lucky two-week run. OK, so he's won two playoff games now. He won't win his third; he's not Payton Manning, you know. And in walks the third shock. This one is the shock-of-shocks. Favre, that same seasoned, wylie veteran, has thrown an interception that seals the Packer's unlikely loss. The Packers have lost? Eli is as consistent as ever, throwing the ball as if he has no idea that the temperature is slightly under 0 degrees. One or two more people notice this win and decide to jump on the bandwagon that has recently formed; surely, however, the streak has to come to a complete dead end in two weeks versus the Patriots.

Time to head to Arizona for the Game of Games. Funny how many of the "in the know" sports people pick the Giants early on, only to recant prior to the Big Game. You know, the Giants should have lost the game two weeks ago. Heck, it took them three field goal attempts, and one of those in overtime, just to win the game. The Patriots may be taping/videoing all our practices (just kidding there, Patriots fans). The Giants are wishing that this game was being played a week earlier, because now the Giants will find it difficult to continue the week-by-week momentum that they had accrued since round one of the playoffs. The opponent has set all kinds of scoring records. This team is undefeated, and once again, we have history to guide us. The Pats beat us in our last regular season game; we let the lead go in that game, so that means that our defense can be beaten. The head coach is a well-known guru. He's like the "Yoda" of the professional football world. The opponent's quarterback is due for a great game, as he didn't play so well in their previous playoff game. There's no way that the Giants defense can get to the quarterback because they didn't do too well at it in the previous matchup. The Patriots missed so many "big scoring opportunities" in our previous contest. They are much older on defense, but that's really a plus for them because it means they have more experience. They have more players going to the Pro Bowl. The weather will be perfect for football, which will allow the Patriots to capitalize on the Giants' dinged-up secondary in the passing game. They haven't lost one single game; we've lost six. It's been forever since they've lost a game. They have too many offensive weapons, so there's no way that they could all be covered consistently. They've already won a few Super Bowls recently. The last Super Bowl that we went to, well, wasn't so good for us. Even after three unlikely playoff wins, Eli is still quiet. Plaxico says that the Patriots will only score seventeen points in a loss, a stupid comment directed at a team responsible for NFL scoring records. Vegas says that we're two score underdogs. They won their division; we didn't. In our last meeting, the only reason why we kept it close was because we had a fluke kick return for a touchdown. Eli is Payton's younger brother. He's a baby because he refused to go play for the Chargers and wanted to play for the Giants instead. Eli's older brother, a better quarterback, couldn't win against the Pats earlier this season. Coughlin is happy enough with the team's progress that he really doesn't care if the Giants win or lose this game. The Patriots have two weeks for the guru to prepare against the Giants. The changes that Coughlin made earlier in the year with regard to players/discipline/etc really elude to how "soft" he has become, which basically means he's letting the prisoners run the prison. The Patriots are a more physical team. David Tyree wouldn't even be a starter on most NFL teams. The past three weeks have spent all of the Giants' remaining emotion. Only two teams starting their seasons 0-2 went on to win the Super Bowl, which is one more checkmark in a long list of checkmarks against us. There's no way the Giants could get another "on the road" win; crap, they've already set the reocrd for that - which is an irrelevant record, by the way. Randy Moss is due to have a banner game, as he has been virtually invisible since the playoffs began. The commercial with Eli and Payton licking cookies is just stupid. The coach for the Patriots was once a coach for the Giants, you know; he knows the Giants very well. A co-worker told me that the Pats would win by at least two touchdowns. Eli would just look dumb at Disney World. The Giants team, as everyone knows, is dirty. The Giants won't be able to pick up the exotic blitzes that the Patriots will bring. Maroney is really coming on here lately. If the Giants are losing at halftime, they will lose the game; history says so. One of those ESPN Radio guys says that the Patriots are better in all categories of the game, except for one. Shockey isn't playing for the Giants in this one. Eli will choke in this game because he has no idea what range of emotions he will experience; there's no way he can prepare for that. Eli isn't too swift on his feet, so that plays into those exotic blitz packages mentioned earlier. Brady will complete a few big bombs in this game, just as he did in the earlier matchup with the Giants. Tom Coughlin didn't get this far with the Jaguars.

I'm sure you get the idea by now, and as incredibly stupid or as plausible as you find these to be, they are ALL reasons I have heard as to why the Giants will lose this game or that game. These either came from fan chatter or incessant rambling by "sports authorities".

And as you might have guessed, enter the fourth shock - the shock that really counted! Eli showed up yet again. There were actually discussions between my Giants cronies and myself about how he looked like Tarkenton on a few plays, uncharacteristically scrambling around to get free to make a play. Tyree, that guy who probably wouldn't start on any other NFL team - the guy who made few catches this season, if any - made (in my estimation) the most important catch to facilitate the unlikely victory that was ours. Plaxico showed up, as well. He made a catch that all but sealed the fate of a previously "perfect" team. The defense stood tall, put Brady on his back when necessary, and didn't give up when the going got rough. We took one of the best offensive teams in NFL history and held them to their lowest point total for the season. As a matter of fact, they had season lows in several categories, all of which escape my thoughts.

There were incredible odds against us in this game; there were incredible odds against us all season. These were the same odds that made most believe that we didn't have a chance in Hell of pulling this off. Just as in the past games, with all of the ominous predictions against us, we pulled off the upset. This reminds me of David and Goliath, a story fitting for us as underdogs. We are Giant Underdogs, known now to the long line of beaten, unbelieving naysayers as GIANT CHAMPIONS. Our guys wanted it more and decided to just take it outright from the Pats.

Erase the idea for any publication regarding 19-0, unless it reads something like this, somewhere: ".....what could have been...."

We didn't have the perfect season, but we did have the perfect ending.

TO )#%_#)% with the rest. New York Giants, Super Bowl Champions, World Champions - has quite the ring, huh?!

And the unthought of happened

GAgiantfan — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 03:24:38 -0000

Once again, we did it. It shouldn't have taken as long as it did; regardless, we did it. Looks as if, once again, the things that happened earlier in the season were not relevant in this game.
Giants win! Packers lose!

Looks like someone here earlier who said our defense was worse than Seattle's was WWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG. One who was wrong, in a long line of fans who were wrong - and losers.