Giants fans:

First, I want to apologize for – or at least explain – the sporadic nature of posts the past couple of years.

Beginning in July of 2007, I was working a super time-consuming job as a reporter for a local newspaper. The job required me to write full-length 10 articles per week, a heavy workload led to my dropping the blog altogether in 2007, and then petering out towards the end of 2008.

But last week, I quit my job, so I should have plenty of time for sharing my obsessiveness about the G-Men with all you fellow die-hards. So get psyched for another season, and stay tuned for more posts!

-Greg

Brad Van Pelt was before my time of G-Men fandom, but his premature death deserves attention on this blog nonetheless.  Football fans and commentators have short memories, so it’s always easy to forget the guys who starred during the lean years.

But Van Pelt had some distinguishing characteristics that cemented his place in Giants lore, two of which are highlighted by Bruce Weber in the Times obit, who wrote:

“He was especially recognizable on the field for two reasons: His rangy physique, unusual for a linebacker, and his uniform number, 10.  League rules usually reserved such low numbers for kickers and members of the backfield, but because he was listed as the Giants’ backup kicker when he was a rookie, the league allowed him to wear it for his entire tenure with the team.”

I would add one more attribute to this list: Van Pelt’s flowing blonde locks and captain-of-the-football-team good looks, which leant the G-Men a little pizzazz during a dreary era. 

I. Jacobs Will Almost Definitely Play

It really, really looks like dude will play – he even practiced yesterday on a limited basis.

To their credit, the G-Men have been super-cautious about this: Last week, Jacobs begged the trainers and coaches to let him play, but they insisted he rest, which was smart.  When Plax injured his hammy, he pushed it in a relatively meaningless game against Arizona, aggravating the injury.  Good to see the G-Men are learning from their mistakes.

Maybe if we win this game, we should consider resting Jacobs against the Vikings.  Consider how worn-down he looked in last year’s playoffs, when he averaged 3.2 yards per carry compared to Bradshaw’s 4.3 (which doesn’t include the touchdown-that-wasn’t in the Green Bay game, thanks to a ticky-tack hold on Chris Snee).  This brings up the question of whether we should rest guys against the Vikings if we win on Sunday, but I suppose we’ll cross that bridge if and when we come to it.

Jacobs had some pretty cool quotes in yesterday’s Star-Ledger.  Check these out:

“I don’t want to [have to] plead [to play] this week.  There’s kind of no choice.  I want to go.  Whoever I have to talk to to get this verdict, that’s what I’m going to do.”

And:

“We are the head honchos of the conference.  This game means a lot to our team, so I want to be out there to have a better chance for our team to win.”

“Head honchos” – gotta love it.  After Sunday, the G-Men will officially be the Big Cheese of the NFC.

II.  Getting Healthier

Via Mike Garafolo, Robbins, Ward, Hixon, and Moss all practiced today.  Yesterday, Jacobs, McKenzie, and Tuck practiced.  We’re getting healthier and we’re gonna fly around in the snow on Sunday night.

III.  Another Reason Not to Panic

As Ralph Vacciano pointed out in his live chat, a horrid performance in Week 15 does not a postseason run preclude.  Last year, we lost to the Redskins, 22-10 in a thoroughly listless, depressing games in recent memory.  This game saw the future Super Bowl MVP set a record for most incomplete passes in a game in a heinous 18 for 52 performance that made us wish Todd Collins was our quarterback.

So let’s see what happens on Sunday.  I’m expecting good things.

IV. Carney and Feagles

Most of the talk about the Pro Bowl has centered around Eli and Peyton becoming the first brother duo to make the Pro Bowl.  But I happen to think that Carney and Feagles become the two oldest dudes to make the Pro Bowl (44 and 42, respectively) is the cooler answer to a trivia question.

V. Great Move Locking Up Webster

Everyone knows that Webster has been good this year, but perhaps people don’t fully appreciate just how awesome: Although my fandom goes back only to around Mark Collins, I would venture to say his play this year is the best by a Giant cornerback I’ve ever seen.  Evidently, a light-bulb went on with this guy, and he was finally able to convert his incredible athleticism – he is quick, balanced, extremely long, and extremely coordinated – into results.

This outstanding article by Mike Garafolo backs up these claims with some statistics.

“Through 13 games, Webster has three interceptions and unofficially 22 passes defensed.  Webster also been the closest defender on 62 passes by opposing quarterbacks, — only 20 of which have been completed for a total of 238 yards and one touchdown.

“Add those numbers up, and opposing quarterbacks have posted just a 30.2 passer rating when throwing Webster’s way.”

So yeah… Webster is awesome and well-deserving of his five-year, $43.5 million contract.  Plus, he’s also only 26, so he’s a good bet to be good throughout the deal.  The following quote by Jerry Reese makes me feel even better:

“Corey has been an outstanding person and player in his short career for the Giants.  We are very happy to get this deal done.”

Outstanding person?  Sure, it’s a quote from a press release, but Reese didn’t have to say that.  If it’s true, it’s nice to know that Webster’s a character guy who can be a team leader in the future.

It sucks that Webster didn’t make the Pro Bowl, but in Asante Samuel, Antoine Winfield, and Charles Woodson, he was beaten out by some very deserving guys.  At first I was a little skeptical of Woodson, given the Packers overall defense.  But it turns out they have an excellent pass defense, so there you go.  Still, there should be Pro Bowl’s in Corey’s future.

I should mention that I had a one-on-one encounter with Webster the Saturday before he inked his deal.

I was at the Meadowlands watching the New Jersey high school football championships, having finagled a field pass through my friend.  (And yes, this was my first time on the field.  And yes, it was ridiculously awesome.)

I was standing near the tunnel – the one the G-Men come out of – when I spotted Webster coming out of the locker room and heading for the parking lot.  And although it looked like he was about to call someone on his cell, I went ahead and shouted, “Corey!” as I hustled toward him.

He was a little startled, but I extended a pound toward him and told him I was a big fan and he was having a great year.  That loosened him up, and he said something to the effect of, “Aright, man!” in a good-natured way, and we pound-hugged.

As we peeled away, I said to him, “You’re gonna get paid, you know.”

“I hope so,” he replied with a chuckle.  “That’s the plan.”

I.  Gilbride

After last night, the blogosphere is alight with angry Giants fans wondering what has happened to our vaunted offense over the past two weeks.

Andrew Furman, the proprietor of the excellent Giants blog UltimateNYG.com, points the finger squarely at Gilbride, who has long been the target of his wrath.  I think Furman has been a little tough on Gilbride in the past, but in this case, I agree with everything he says.

To appreciate the argument in its full indignant force, definitely check out his post.  In a nutshell, Furman’s argument goes thusly: Gilbride continued to call for deep drops and patterns that took way too long to develop, essentially letting Eli take the beating he did.   Instead, Furman says we should have gone with a diet “quick slants, 3 step drops, slip screens, draws, TE dumpoff checkdowns above the line of scrimmage.  Instead, we got long 7-step drops, and… shocking… 8 sacks.”

In his general takedown of Gilbride, he makes the point that the Giants have been outcoached for two straight weeks.  In the Philly game, both teams had to adjust to the wind.  Philly did, the G-Men didn’t.  In the Cowboys game, both teams had to adjust to their opponent’s ferocious pass rush.  The Cowboys did, the Giants didn’t.

So good job as always, Andy!

II. Lack of Plax

The problems with the game plan notwithstanding, it’s becoming pretty clear how much we will miss Plax – we’re really not the same team without him.  Plax is so talented that he can bail us out of a misbegotten play or gameplan with his long arms, strength, and ability to catch balls in traffic. 

The thing about Plax is that even if he’s covered, he’s still a viable option.  But if, say, Hixon is covered, Eli has to go to his next progression.  This takes time, and this becomes a significant problem if he’s under pressure, as evidenced by last night.

So I posit that beyond the offensive line’s brutal performance and Gilbride’s poor play-calling, the lack of Plax played a big role in the beating Eli took.  Going forward, this is something we have to adjust to. 

But can we?  Is it that easy?  Or was losing Plax a bigger blow than we even realized?  Yes, the Seahawks, Cardinals, and Redskins games went fine without him, but at this point, those games seem less instructive about what will happen going forward than the past two games.

So I’m worried, and I’m also very pissed.  If our offense doesn’t recover from this, we are likely in for a very disappointing ending to what had been our most promising season in ages.  And we’ll have Plaxico Burress and his stupidity to blame.

III.  Lack of Jacobs/Free Ahmad (Again)

The running game struggled yesterday, but I frankly don’t think things would have been any different if Jacobs was getting the carries that went to Ward.  Simply put, there weren’t any holes, and while Jacobs is great at charging through holes with a head of steam and running downhill for big gains, he’s not so good at creating for himself.  With the penetration the Cowboys defenders got last night, Jacobs wouldn’t have done any better.

But you know who might have?  Ahmad Bradshaw, who continues to be stashed on the bench and criminally underutilized.  When we were running for 200 yards and blowing teams out, Coughlin and Gilbride apologists offered the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” rationale for why Bradshaw was on the bench.  But after two pathetic offensive showings, it’s safe to say that this shit is broke, and it’s time to deviate from what we’ve been doing.

I’ve made this point before, but if your offense is struggling to score points, you need playmakers.  Ahmad is a game-breaker – maybe he could have broken off a 40-yard play last night that would have jump-started our offense.  But no.  For some reason, we stayed with Ward and continued to bang our heads against the wall while our offense repeatedly failed.

IV.  Hixon Needs to Return Kicks and Punts (Again)

This is related to the point I made above: If you’re struggling to score points, the need for big plays is more acute.  Having Moss (who is a terrible return-man) and ‘Dubs returning kicks and punts, respectively, takes away one of our best opportunities for big plays in Hixon’s returns.

It almost as if Coughlin doesn’t see the return game as a chance to do something positive, but rather as a liability where things can go wrong, whether fumbles or injuries.  Ever since he chose the sure-handed but slow Chad Morton over Willie Ponder in 2005, it seems like we’ve never gotten as much out of the return game as we can.

Hixon is clearly our best returner.  It’s a shame the small chance of his getting hurt has to cost us so much in the return game.  The situation is symptomatic of the philosophy that keeps Ahmad buried on the bench: It seems like there’s this assumption that everything is fine, that all parts of the Giants machine are exactly where they need to be.  But things aren’t fine; it’s time for Tom to start maximizing the roster’s resources.

That said, there’s a chance that Hixon hasn’t been returning kicks/punts because of his foot/ankle injury.  If that’s the case, fine, that’s very reasonable.  But come playoff time, he better be back there.  We can’t afford to have him not be.

V. Eli

I know there have been mitigating circumstances the past two games, and I know he hasn’t played terribly.  But look: After we lost Plax and teams officially started ganging up to stop the run, we knew our fate would hinge on Eli.  At this point, you’d have to say things aren’t going too well in that regard.

Forget the play-calling and the pass rush for a second.  Haven’t Eli’s throws been off?  A little high, maybe?  I think his mechanics are a little out of whack.  He needs to play better.

VI.  Problems on Third Down

Just came across this statistic via Trent Dilfer on ESPN (he is an excellent analyst, in my opinion): Before the last two games, we were converting at a 45 percent clip on third down.  Against the Cowboys and Eagles, we were 6 for 26, or 23 percent.

This is bad, but it’s actually encouraging going forward.  Basically, it means our offense will improve because that low conversion rate has to be considered something of an aberration.  Granted, we’ve been bad on first and second downs the past two games, but I’m pretty sure we haven’t been that bad.  Our poor performance on third down, therefore, is a bit of an outlier and one that will even out in the future.  So while our offense has been very bad over the past two games, it hasn’t been as bad as it’s looked.

VII. Tackling

Two big and inexcusable plays from last night: 1) Michael Johnson letting Witten slip out of his arms on the game-clinching first down; and 2) Antonio Pierce going high on Witten, catching a stiff-arm, and letting Witten rumble down to the 1 on the Cowboys’ second touchdown drive.

A big play in the Eagles game: Kenny Phillips taking a horrific angle and missing LJ Smith on a third-and-long, which eventually led to a touchdown.

We need to tighten things up.

I. Not Invincible

The first lesson from yesterday doesn’t have to do with “distractions” or even the absence of Plax.  Rather, we learned again that even excellent teams are capable of sometimes playing very poorly.  In brutal conditions – trust me, I was there – we turned in an awful performance against very good Eagle team that is probably one of the top five in the league right now.  And we got our asses handed to us.  It happens, even to 11-1 teams.

I’m assuming the Giants will bounce back against Dallas, although yesterday’s loss certainly raises the stakes for that one.  Once that happens, everything will be well and good in G-Men nation again.  In that sense, yesterday’s wasn’t a disturbing loss in that it shouldn’t shake our conception of who the 2008 Giants are: With all due respect to the Titans, we still have to be considered the best team in the league.

But the game reminded us that our path to another title isn’t inexorable.  In any playoff game, we can come out sloppy and get knocked off.  It has been a great season, but just being the best team in the league doesn’t guarantee a championship.  Just ask the 2007 New England Patriots.

II. Eli and the Meadowlands Winds

On the other hand, here’s what emerged from Sunday’s game that has me worried going forward:

We know that teams will stack 8 or 9 in the box for the rest of the year, especially after yesterday.  Therefore, the fate of our offense hinges on Eli, which means that we’re one bad Eli performance away from a heartbreaking playoff loss (and, even though the prospect off a post-season loss is not unlikely, anything short of a Super Bowl title will be severely disappointing.)

So it’s all up to Eli, which is fine except for this: Because we have home-field advantage, there is a chance that we’ll catch a windy-as-hell day like we did today.  And if we do, I think we’re in trouble.  Because as good as Eli has become, he is especially vulnerable to the Giants Stadium winds because he doesn’t throw a tight spiral.

Right now, this is just a theory: I hope Eli proves me wrong.  But, offhand, I can think of three super-windy days on which Eli has played poorly:  The Carolina playoff game in 2005, the Redskins home game late last year, and yesterday.

I know his final numbers weren’t all that terrible yesterday, and I know they were hurt by the Hixon and Smith drops.  But… they were also artificially aided by the garbage-time touchdown drive and the near-interception dropped by Asante Samuel.  (As I said to NYGMen commentator Dan, with whom I attended the game, Asante Samuel has a habit of dropping game-clinching interceptions against the Giants.)

So I can picture a scenario where our home-field advantage turns into a disadvantage.  Back in the ‘80s, people used to talk about how Phil Simms was uniquely qualified to be the Giants quarterback because of his tight spiral.  Isn’t it possible the converse is true with Eli?

III. Lack of Plax

Yesterday’s game answered all those who thought we’d be perfectly fine without Plax based on the Seattle and ‘Zona games.  Surely, he will be missed, especially in windy conditions when Eli’s ball takes unpredictable paths.

I have a feeling that most NYGMen readers weren’t on board with the whole “We won’t miss Plax, just like we don’t miss Shockey” thing.  But here’s why that premise is wrong anyway:

Shockey would brattily demand the ball, forcing Gilbride to draw up plays to keep him involved just so he would shut the fuck up (this according to Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News.)  But Plax, for all his off-field antics – which, in my mind, have crossed the line and demand his removal from the team – was a total team player between the lines.

It’s qualities like these that make parting with Plax – if that is indeed what we do – so fraught with mixed emotions.  It would be easy to say, “The guy was just a complete tool,” and leave it at that.  But that’s just not the case.

IV.  Free Ahmad

Can’t we get this guy on the field already?  Did we forget how good he was in the playoffs?  At this point, we can’t afford not to use him.  Without Plax, we need playmakers.

The Giants have been really great this year on a play-by-play basis, even moreso on offense than defense.  But often – possibly due to the fact that our offensive dominance is based on the running game, which will usually yield fewer points than an explosive passing game – the scoreboard has failed to fully reflect our dominance.  It’s great to pound the rock down teams’ throats, but no team is without the need of big plays.  A guy like Bradshaw can provide some; at this point, it’s criminal to keep him buried on the bench.

I can totally picture a post-season scenario in which we completely outplay the other team, but only have a 10-point lead in the third quarter.  And then they break off a big play, then Eli throws a pick on a high pass that goes off Hixon’s fingers, and then we’re in danger of an awful loss.

We need firepower.  Put in #44.

(Also on this note, can Hixon please get back to returning kicks?  I’m hoping that Colonel Tom is just protecting him from injury and that he’ll be back deep when the playoffs come.  But please, we’re really sitting on too many resources here.  It really might bite us in the ass.)

V.  The Lack of a Pass-Rush

You can live with a big game by Westbrook – he’s an awesome player who capitalized on some missed assignments to break a couple of long gains.  But to me, what’s more worrisome going forward was our total lack of pressure on McNabb.

Despite our good sack totals – we are tied for fourth in the league with 37, and are seventh in FootballOutsiders’ Adjusted Sack Rate – our pass rush has been inconsistent this year.  Without it, our defense is penetrable.

I suppose the overall theme of this post is that while we are good, we’re not so good that there aren’t scenarios under which we can lose.  At 11-1, it might have been easy to forget that.  Yesterday was a reminder.

After the Jets smacked around the Titans last week, it’s hard to dispute that the Giants are the best team in the league.  As FootballOutsiders’ advanced DVOA stats show, this isn’t merely my opinion.  By their measurements, it’s a fact.  (For more on DVOA, click here.)

The G-Men rank first in DVOA by a rather massive margin: Their 41.6% DVOA dwarfs the second-best Ravens, who pull in at 27.7%.  (What, you have a problem with the Ravens being second?  Early in the season, the Ravens choked away a 10-point second half lead to the Steelers.  The next week, they almost definitely would have beaten the Titans if not for a bullshit personal foul penalty on Terrell Suggs, which saved the Titans from a fourth-and-10 deep in their territory.)

Anyway, as Aaron Schatz points out in his weekly DVOA analysis, the difference between the Giants and Ravens is roughly equal to the difference between the Ravens and the ninth-best Packers.  They have been that much better than the rest of the league.  Their 14.0% lead in DVOA is the second best since 1995, to when DVOA stats date back. (The FootballOutsiders guys are slowly but surely making their way deeper into history with this, but it takes time to chart the play-by-play data.)

Indeed, their 41.7% DVOA indicates they are worthy of their Best Team in the League status.  After the Steelers game, NYGMen commentator Flume declared the G-Men “The worst Best Team in the League” in recent memory.  I doubt he would make this claim now, but he was wrong.  The 2008 Giants sport the seventh best DVOA after Week 12 since 1995.

Here’s the top 10 list:

1) ’07 Patriots: 71.3%

2) ’99 Rams: 50.0%

3) ’98 Broncos: 46.7%

4) ’01 Rams: 44.2%

5) ’04 Patriots: 43.0%

6) ’02 Bucs: 42.9%

7) ’08 G-Men: 41.6%

’95 Cowboys: 41.1%*

9) ’95 49ers: 41.0%

10) ’04 Steelers: 40.2%

It’s worth noting that four of the other nine teams did not win the Super Bowl – it’s obviously possible that the 2008 Giants, as good as they’ve been, will not either.  Still, whatever happens in the future should not retroactively diminish what we’ve accomplished to this point.

In his column, Schatz makes a good point about how the Giants 2008 season changes the way one views their 2007 playoff run, particularly their “major upset” over the Patriots.  He writes:

“Obviously, hindsight it 20-20, and you can’t predict games using future information.  However, now that we know that they were on their way to becoming the strongest team in the league, last year’s Giants run through the playoffs makes a lot more sense.  If we could put together a hypothetical game between this year’s Giants and last year’s Patriots, a Giants win would be a minor upset, but not a major one.”

* Note: There is a ridiculous smiley-face that keeps showing up here, and I have no idea why.  Just so you know, I didn’t put it there.  There was nothing funny or cute about the 1995 Cowboys.

A 10-1 start and a the customary day off for NFL players on Tuesday?  Sounds like a good excuse for a party.  Select members of the G-G-G-G-MEN!!! will be hanging out tonight at Branch club on 54th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.  Doors open at 11.

This is the second installment of a series of parties at Branch.  Last week’s fiesta drew R.W. McQuarters, James Butler, Kevin Dockery, and Robert Henderson.  I attended the party and talked to all of them, and they were all really chill dudes.  If you’re thinking that the players are gonna be dickish and inaccessible, you’re wrong, and you should see for yourself.

All G-Men fans 21-and-up are welcome, provided they bring an ID and abide by the dress code: button-down or collared shirts, and absolutely no work boots, baggy jeans, hoodies or hats.

I can’t make it tonight (too much work for my day-job), but I plan on attending these on a semi-regular basis.  But a word to the wise about getting into the club: If you’re a guy, you should probably show up with some sort of female accompaniment.  The G-Men appreciate your support, but they don’t like it when you fuck with the ratio.  Neither would you.

I. A Model Organization

It doesn’t always come easy in this league, and it didn’t today for the G-Men.  But once again, they showed us something: Against a good team in their place with a rowdy crowd behind them, the G-Men won in convincing, if not overwhelming fashion.  Without their most productive running back and wide receiver.

This is an obvious point which is being made everywhere, but this win underscores the amount of talent oozing out of every corner of the Giants locker room these days: Plaxico went down, but Domenik Hixon, Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, Amani, and even Sinorice Moss made big contributions in his stead.

On defense, Kenny Phillips and Terrell Thomas had their official coming-out parties.  Since we know Brian Kehl is at least a serviceable starter already, it seems like the 2008 draft class represents another smashing success for Jerry Reese, the GM with the 1.000 batting average.

At 10-1 and officially the consensus best team in the land now that the Titans have been exposed, the state of our organization has never been stronger.  The success of the rookies for two straight years isn’t just a reflection on Reese’s ability to draft players, but also our coaching staff’s ability to develop them.  All this does not represent a guarantee of another Super Bowl title, but the Giants have become a model organization.

II. Eli

Early in the game, you saw the Cardinals stacking eight guys in the box and successfully stopping the run.  And then you saw Warner catch a rhythm with those receivers and knew they would score some points.  It was then that you knew this game would hinge on Eli.

And boy, did he come through!  Last week, I pointed out that it had been awhile since Eli’s last big performance (against Seattle in Week 5).  I said that it would be unfair to say that Eli had been bad in recent weeks, only that he hadn’t shown us his best in a while, and it was something to monitor.  Today, he showed that the Giants offense is multifaceted – our passing game can hurt teams even without Plaxico.  Eli’s line was awesome: he was 26 for 33 (an amazing 78%!!!) for 240 yards, 7.3 yards per attempt, and three touchdowns without a pick.

I made this point last week, but what continues to impress me most about Eli is his poise in the pocket.  I can think of three plays off hand when this was on display: On a third- and-one in the second quarter, when Eli rolled away from pressure to hit Boss for a first down; later on that same drive in a goal-to-go situation, when he stepped up in the pocket to avoid the rush and hit Toomer on a litter crossing pattern that Amani turned up into the endzone; and on that third quarter 30-yard pass to Smith that set up Hedgecock’s touchdown, when he held onto the ball for long enough for Smith to get downfield, absorbing a big hit in the process.

In the past, Eli would respond to pressure by backing up in the pocket and making throws from his heels, often resulting in him sailing balls high.  Now, he deftly moves in the pocket and buys himself time to deliver crisp passes.  The guy really knows what he’s doing these days.

But most impressive about Eli today was the way performed when we needed it most.  After Tim Hightower’s third quarter touchdown cut the Giants’ lead to 24-19, Eli engineered a touchdown drive that saw him go 6 for 7 for 66 yards, hitting five different receivers.  The drive ended with a touchdown to Boss – and a perfectly placed throw that used Boss’ height advantage – that gave the ‘Men a commanding lead.  To their credit, ‘Zona didn’t go away, but that touchdown sort of sealed the game right there.

That drive illustrated what is so impressive about these 2008 New York Football G-Men: We are often dominant, but when we are not, we are clutch.

III. Hixon

In addition to his 248 all-purpose yards, dude even made a tackle on special teams!  What a ballplayer this kid is, and what better example of the talent up and down our roster?  NYGMen has long called for Hixon to return kicks – he finally gets a chance today and channeled Desmond Howard circa 1996.

As a return-man, Hixon’s best attribute is his ability to time his explosion through the seam.  To paraphrase Walt Frazier, Hixon displays the “uncanny knack” of knowing when to accelerate.  Watching him read and react to his blocks is night-and-day from watching Bradshaw, who never seems to work in concert with his blockers.  Why Ahmad was in there in the second quarter – before that Cardinals penalty nullified his 22-yard return, setting the stage for Hixon’s 78-yarder – is a total mystery.  At this point, it should be obvious to everyone what a weapon Hixon is, and what a squandered opportunity it represents to not have him do what he does best.

But Hixon’s talent goes beyond returns.  He ran his second end-around today, with another good result.  And his abilities as a receiver are no longer be in question.  This guy is a playmaker, and we need to get him more touches.

 IV. Boss, Smith, Toomer, and Sinorice.

How much more do you trust Boss when the ball is in the air than Shockey?  Those hands at one-tenth of the price and on one-thousandth of the bitching?  And a second-round draft pick?  Good job, Jerry.

Smith had been quiet in recent weeks going into this game, but he resumed his status as a first down machine today.  There was no bigger first-down than that 30-yard pass near the sideline that set up Hedgecock’s touchdown, the latest example of Smith’s outstanding body control.

Toomer dropped a pass on the first series of the game, but was his clutch, reliable self after that.  And do you know what was a really important play in this game?  On third-and-three on the Giants third series, early in the second quarter, when Eli hit Sinorice for a 12-yard first down that set up Ward’s touchdown two plays later.  The 2008 New York Giants: Everyone can play some ball, and everyone contributes.

V. Plax

I’m pissed about this one.  If there was a chance he was going to re-aggravate the injury, he shouldn’t have played today.  It’s that simple.  Bad job by Tom and everyone else: his long-term health is not worth jeopardizing. 

VI. Ward, Ahmad, and Hedgecock

Because the Cardinals stacked the box and made Eli beat them – which he did – Ward didn’t have much room to run today.  But despite his mediocre line – 20 for 69, at 3.5 a pop – he was actually pretty clutch in terms of picking up first downs.  Who knows what Jacobs would have fared any better against a defense designed to stop the run as much as the Cards’ was?

But with Ward struggling a bit, why no Ahmad today?  Come on, Tom, when are we finally gonna break this out this weapon, who seems to be a secret only to you?  Did we think his success in last year’s playoffs was a fluke?  I thought I wouldn’t have to say this when I found out Jacobs was scratched today, but…  FREE AHMAD!!!  For Heaven’s sake.

Moving on, give credit to Hedgecock, who rediscovered his hands after a bad case of the drops in recent weeks.  I knew the guy could catch, and combined with his awesome blocking, we can say that Hedge is officially a huge asset at fullback again.  But as much as I love the rowing dance, “rowing to the Pro-Bowl?”  How ‘bout you go a few more games without dropping passes…

VII. Spags’ Game Plan and Blitz Packages

Our strategy for this game was to take away the run, blitz the hell out of Warner, and see who he would hurt more with his passes: us or the Cardinals.  It turned out to be a good strategy.   We didn’t fully stop the Cards’ upper-upper-echelon offense, but we did contain them.  (‘Zona came into the game ranked 2nd in offensive DVOA?  Ranking first?  The NY Football G.)

Sure, their 371 yards and 29 points weren’t too shabby.  But those were helped along by kick returns, and more importantly, came at the price of two critical turnovers in their territory that positioned us for points of our own.  And given the number of tipped passes we had, those two turnovers easily could have been more.

So again, our strategy revolved around a three-pronged approach: 1) Stop the run; 2) Make sure the blitzes get to Warner with enough frequency; and 3) Hope our corners do their best to stay with their receivers.

In the first two areas, we executed about as well as we could have imagined.  The Cards had 14 carries for 23 yards, and even though we sacked him only once, we knocked Warner on his ass all game long.  So great job by both the run defense and the pass rush.

In terms of covering their stud receivers, we did well enough, particularly in terms of making tackles after catches to prevent huge plays.  Our performance in this area would have looked much better if not for some horseshit penalties – and one non-penalty on an obvious pick-play – on the Cards’ third quarter touchdown drive.

On the other hand, it would have looked much worse if…

VIII. Kenny Phillips…

hadn’t made one of the sweetest plays of the season by punching the ball out of Larry Fitzgerald’s strong hands in the second quarter, limiting the Cards to a field goal instead of a touchdown that would have given them a little more control of the game.  Phillips was all over the place – he made another great play on the sideline in pass coverage and had seven tackles, the second-most on the team. 

Who was the team’s leading tackler?  Terrell Thomas, who had eight tackles – including some big ones on special teams – to go along with an interception.  He even drew a 15-yard facemask penalty on specials as the team’s “gunner” on punts.  Jerry Reese was criticized for “reaching” for Thomas with a second round pick, but it seems Jerry knew what he was doing: the guy might not have the best 40-time, but he is a pure football player who, as Jerry said, is contributing already.

There’s a lot more to dissect about the defense, and I’ll get to the tape later in the week.

In the meantime, a couple of other points:

1)    Glad to see Carney in for Tynes, even though his kickoffs are probably a little bit worse.  In no way is Tynes a “hero” in the minds of Giants fans.  Heros are cops, firefighters, teachers, parents, and Matt Bahr.  Lawrence Tynes, you are no Matt Bahr. 

2)    But seriously, the kickoff coverage has been too big a liability for too long.  Is it because of the lengths of the kickoffs?  I don’t know.  But it’s confounding, because you would expect this deep, athletic Giants team to be good at kickoff coverage.

3)    You’ve probably already read this, but with Carolina’s loss to the Falcons, the Giants are now two games ahead of the rest of the conference with five to play.  Time to start saving up for playoff tickets in earnest.

There’s lots more discuss about the Ravens game, but I’ve frankly been swamped/fucked with my day job, so I’ll get to it later.

But a special NYGMen shoutout goes to R.W. McQuarters, James Butler, Kevin Dockery, and Robert Henderson, who I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with last night at a party.  Going into the night, I feared it would be a sleazy, uninviting club scene where the players would be dicks with no interest in talking to someone like me.  It wasn’t like that at all.  All of these guys were down-to-earth, jovial dudes just looking to have a good time.  They, along with everyone else at the party, did just that.

So those guys are awesome, and provide yet another reason to root for the New York Football GGGGMennnnnn!!!!

 

Tuesday is a day off for football players, which means Monday is party night.  Tonight, two Giants – Ahmad Bradshaw and Kevin Dockery – will host a party at the Branch Club, on 54th Street between 2nd and and 3rd Avenues.  Doors open at 11 p.m.

All G-Men fans 21- and-up are welcome, provided they bring an ID and abide by the dress code: button-down or collared shirts, and absolutely no work boots, baggy jeans, hoodies, or hats. 

In addition to Bradshaw and Dockery, Jacobs will probably be there along with some of the other guys.  And so will I, shaved and showered and, in accordance with the dress code, without my Bradshaw jersey, unfortunately.

So come one G-Men fan, and come all!  And a final word to the wise: The promoters tell me it’s probably best to show up at the door with female accompaniment.  (If you’re a female, don’t worry about bringing a dude.)  This isn’t Green Bay, so we’re not trying to make this a sausage-fest.

To RSVP, email Penetration101@gmail.com.