Another example of the NFL fleecing our pockets is the monopoly they have created with Directv.

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  Let's review our strengths and weaknesses in light of our recent injuries.

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I didn't know he was playing for Tennessee.  I guess he must have transferred. 

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I feel sorry for anyone who never got to watch the old AFL in the early sixties.  These teams were all offense all the time.  Today we lost one of the greats of the AFL who played well into the seventies.

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In reading the comments about the players from the Giants (Simms, Anderson, Bavaro) the many who seem to think Phil should get in have prompted me to wonder if we at BBV would chose Phil in his prime over Eli, who most of us feel is near his prime this year. 

I've been contemplating this for a while now and this is how I personally think they stack up against each other, though obviously they played in different eras and therefore difficult to compare.

Accuracy.....To me Eli has the edge. 

mobility.....A tie.  neither one has ever shown any real moves scrambling.

Leadership....No contest.  Phil wins hands down in my opinion.

Toughness....Again no contest.  Every time Eli gets sacked I fear for his life. 

ability to read defenses.....In fairness to Phil in his day quarterbacks didn't have as many options to change the plays.  Eli is much more cerrebral and I think we will all agree is much quicker reading the defense.  Eli wins.

Emotion.....Phil played with great emotion and determination and I swear I think he willed us to victory a few times.  Eli, on the other hand is very mentally disciplined and seldom shows his temper. Nothing seems to get Eli excited enough to motivate his teammates.  Personally I liked Phil's way better.

Pure passing ability....Got to give it to Eli, though after looking at a few old clips of Phil I admit he could rifle it down the field with the best of them.  Eli is just more accurate in my opinion.

I think you guys see where this is going.  I like Eli but my vote is for Phil.  I just liked his spirit better and his will to win.

What do you think?

I think you've got to hand it to Pittsburgh.  They dealt Holmes to the Jets for a 5th round pick and the word is that this afternoon they are reaching out to teams who have a top ten pick to see if they want the guy who can't seem to keep it in his pants.  Even though Ben is a franchise player they are still holding him to the same standards they used to deal Holmes.  The fact that he wasn't criminally charged doesn't change the fact that he has twice put himself in this ridiculous position.  If all the other teams would live up to these standards ( I think the Giants organization does) the league would be a better place, and our kids would have better role models.

Comments? 

Well, actually he didn't say that but I'm sure he wanted to... LOL. 

But it was a good interview.  Eli looks and talks more like a leader these days.  In answer to Jim Rome's question about what the hell happened in the second half of last year's season he admitted that the team got used to winning and forgot how to play "Giants Football."  He didn't play the injury card but simply said that there is enough talent to play much better. He dlid mention that the loss of Antonio Pierce and his play calling and intensity on defense will be difficult to replace.  Eli didn't offer any excuses he just said that the whole team didn't produce, but that the attitude of the team is great right now and the Giants are dedicated to making sure last year was an anamoly.

I think that this might just be the year the Giants break a lot of offensive team records.  It's been a long time since I felt this good about our receiving crew.  Do you agree?  

Let's face it. Our defense is in a transitional period. If we assume (and I think we can) that some form of the Tampa two defense will be implemented our defensive philosophy will change. Speedy, smaller linebackers and a lot of zone coverage may be in our future. The idea is to prevent the big play and make the opposing offense plod down the field in small increments, hopefully making a mistake along the way. It certainly has worked in the past, but even if it is successful it might take two years or so to find out. 

The Tampa two offers our opponents a chance to defeat the defense bit by bit as they use up the clock. Manning, Brees, along with most of today's quarterbacks can pick a zone apart faster than you can say cover two. That's because most quarterbacks fear pressure more than coverage. In today's game more than ever, teams are using the short pass as a run, especially to big tight ends who outweigh speedy little linebackers by 30 or 40 pounds.  I don't know about you, but I don't enjoy the prospect of Jason Witten turning a 5-yard pass into a 15-yard play as he drags one of our undersized linebackers along for the ride.

So in the end I think it's going to take a year or two to get our defense tuned up. That's why I'm suggesting we stock up on offense so we can become a scoring machine like the Saints and Indy are. They won on offense first and let the defense catch up later. Maybe we should  focus on offense for at least the first two picks. I'm thinking Spiller and an offensive tackle. With just a little better blocking and the threat of a guy like Spiller on a screen pass (we haven't had a decent screen pass play since Tiki retired) our offense could be extremely high powered, maybe enough to make up for whatever shortcomings the defense may have. Our receivers have the potential to be the best in the league.

So, am I crazy? Or could this be a winning strategy?

When I watched the Jets Chargers game yesterday the thing that jumped out at me was how much the Jets defense looked like our defenses of old.  Ryan is using the 3-4 like Parcells used to, making the opposing quarterback rush his throws and make bad decisions.  The pass happy trend in the league these days rips most secondaries apart if there is no pressure.  Anyone who watched that game yesterday saw a classic application of bringing heat from everywhere to negate multiple wide-out sets.  It's also the best way to defend against empty backfields, and is almost guaranteed to break down blocking assignments, often at key times of the game.

So you say, "But we don't have the people to play the 3-4."  Well we had better damn well find some or we can look forward to more disappoining. defensive performances.  It's not a matter of not fixing what is not broken.  It is broken and the sooner we face up to that the sooner we can start taking charge of games again.

Here are some links.....

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2193799/34_defense_in_nfl.html?cat=14

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/196116-tracking-the-trend-the-resurgence-of-the-3-4-in-the-nfl

Ok, I adimit it.  I am always on edge when Eli stands back, tries to guess what the defense is giving him, while all our players fidgit and sqirm while they try to figure out in the last four seconds before the snap what they are suposed to do. Inevitably  the clock winds down to the last two seconds and everyone on offence is struggling to get set and prepare for the things Eli pointed out while the defense, under no such posture restrictions gets a good running start since with two seconds left they know exactly when to start their rush.

When the shotgun first came into vogue, teams like the Cowboys used it primarily when they had to pass and both teams knew it.  Defenses weren't all that sophisticated then and guys like Staubach used the quick look at the field while they were taking the snap to determine what coverage he was up against.

Now that Peyton has taken the shotgun to it's highest level everyone wants to imitate him.  Don't get me wrong.  I think the shotgun has it's place in the game plan.  I just think there is good reason to stay under center more often and these are the reasons why I think that.

1. Play action passing.   There is no better way to execute a play action pass than from under center.  Since the quarterback is running away from the defensive players they get less of a look at the ball and are more easily fooled.  In the game against the Cardinals I don't remember seeing one good play action fake in the entire game.

2.Time management.   When you just walk up to the line of scrimmage and have 15 seconds or so to snap the ball it gives the offense the edge.  This is true because inevitably the defense against our shotgun faints and dictates our plays by moving into what appears to be a certain look, then changes as the count runs down.  Suddenly Eli decides to change the play or (futily) point someone out who is setting up to blitz.  This gives the defense the edge since they might as well  know the snapcount when the clock is nearly zero.

3.  Offensive mindset.  I think we are often tentative while in the shotgun, trying more to finess the defense rather than making them reacdft to us.  In Sunday's game aginst the Cardinals my favorite series was the one where we put in two tight ends and blasted the run at the defense.  This resulted in two good runs and left us a third and two.  As I recall we didn't run for the two yards and endied up punting one more time.  As good as the Cardinal defense is against the run, I think we could have run the ball enough had we tried to make our passing game more effective.  Personlly I think we can run against any team in the league if we just commit to it.

Well, what do you think?

I just watched the PTI interview a few minutes ago with Mike Tomlin and I was impressed.  Many times when you see an interview with a head coach he mouths the words that we have come to expect from these types of interviews.  Not Mike.  He invited  Jerome Bettis to put the helmet back on and show the Steelers what he's got.  And you know what?  he just might be able to still do it!

Of course I like our coach too.  Tom coughlin has overcome adversity to become one of the premier coaches in the league.  But it wouldn't surprise me if your guy has a hall of fame career in Pittsburgh

It looks like Toomer will be playing pitch and catch with Matt Cassel this year.  He will bring a great veteran attitude to a team that needs some life in it's offense.  Frankly I'm surprised he didn't find a home sooner.  If I were a Chiefs fan I would be extremely happy about the deal.  Over on Arrowhead Pride they are comparing Toomer with great veterans like Zack Thomas and Mike Vrabel.  The young receivers he will compliment would do well to learn all they can from the old "well dressed" Amani.

It seems like yesterday when I saw this live.  It's as good now as it was then.  What a personality that team had.  Please note that in 1986 we had no big name wide receivers.  The spirit of that team was incredible.  I can't begin to tell you how excited I was in 1986.  Especially after the 85 debacle against the Bears.  I wonder how many of us saw the game live.  Enjoy it one more time. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kn8b4l6T3Q&feature=related

ESPN has just reported that Brandon Jacobs signed a four-year deal for $25 million.  This is a good deal for both parties and ensures that our #1 back is here to stay and happy.   With Bradshaw and Ware as backups our running game should be able to survive the loss of Derrick Ward. 

In other developments the Bucs have released just about all their big name veterans, including Dunn, Brooks, and Galloway.  I guess they figure it's time for a youth movement.