Sunday, February 05, 2012
ELI-te Prediction
Thank goodness there aren't as many pre-game polls for football games as there are for presidential primaries and caucuses! Though, I guess, if you factor "predictions" into it, they come out about equal. In any event, I've avoided sports prognostication in recent months, but since there's a New York (Jersey?) team involved, I will break that streak. Especially given that there's a hated Boston-related squad lining up on the other side today.
Conventionally speaking, I think this actually won't be a close game. I'm thinking it will be about a two-touchdown margin (though it could be larger). And it's going to go the Giants way.
If anything, this match-up reminds me of one of the old late-80s, early-90s games where powerful AFC teams go storming into the Super Bowl and find themselves rather outmatched by their NFC counterparts. Remember three Denver blowouts? Remember one close Buffalo loss -- followed by three consecutive blowouts?
Things those Denver/Buffalo teams all had in common were great quarterbacks, explosive offenses and "finesse" defenses whose sins were often covered by the aforementioned QB/offenses. Frankly, that's what I see in this year's New England team -- which gave up more passing yardage this year than any team other than....drum-roll...the Green Bay Packers.
Yes, that would be a Green Bay team that lost to the New York Giants. (And yes, statistically, the Giants were only a few notches better, however they made up for it with a ferocious pass-rush -- especially later in the season when banged-up members returned). The Giants beat the Patriots earlier this year, in Foxboro, when Big Blue had several key contributors not playing -- and the Pats were at full strength. Today, the Giants are healthier than the Pats (sorry, Gronk) and they are playing better.
Arguably, more significantly, there's also a psychological factor at play here. All the pundits are talking about Tom Brady's "legacy" and the possibility of getting a fourth ring that puts him in a class with only Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana. Well, there's the other quarterback there -- the guy whose played forever in the shadow of his older brother. Indeed, even in a year where Peyton didn't play, he was one of the enduring storylines. Even into the post-season, all the headlines have been about Peyton's future in Indianapolis.
Tonight, Eli Manning has the opportunity to win a second Super Bowl, taking him past his forever-shilling brother and into the rarified air of multiple winners. Suddenly, Eli's no longer being compared to Peyton. Instead, pundits will have to compare him to Brady (who he'll have beaten 2-0 in the Big Game), Roethlisberger (whose 2-1 in Super Bowls) and Rodgers (who he's already beaten this playoff drive). Oh, and winning it all in Indianapolis? How sweeter can it get?
New York Giants 31, New England Patriots 17.
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Conventionally speaking, I think this actually won't be a close game. I'm thinking it will be about a two-touchdown margin (though it could be larger). And it's going to go the Giants way.
If anything, this match-up reminds me of one of the old late-80s, early-90s games where powerful AFC teams go storming into the Super Bowl and find themselves rather outmatched by their NFC counterparts. Remember three Denver blowouts? Remember one close Buffalo loss -- followed by three consecutive blowouts?
Things those Denver/Buffalo teams all had in common were great quarterbacks, explosive offenses and "finesse" defenses whose sins were often covered by the aforementioned QB/offenses. Frankly, that's what I see in this year's New England team -- which gave up more passing yardage this year than any team other than....drum-roll...the Green Bay Packers.
Yes, that would be a Green Bay team that lost to the New York Giants. (And yes, statistically, the Giants were only a few notches better, however they made up for it with a ferocious pass-rush -- especially later in the season when banged-up members returned). The Giants beat the Patriots earlier this year, in Foxboro, when Big Blue had several key contributors not playing -- and the Pats were at full strength. Today, the Giants are healthier than the Pats (sorry, Gronk) and they are playing better.
Arguably, more significantly, there's also a psychological factor at play here. All the pundits are talking about Tom Brady's "legacy" and the possibility of getting a fourth ring that puts him in a class with only Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana. Well, there's the other quarterback there -- the guy whose played forever in the shadow of his older brother. Indeed, even in a year where Peyton didn't play, he was one of the enduring storylines. Even into the post-season, all the headlines have been about Peyton's future in Indianapolis.
Tonight, Eli Manning has the opportunity to win a second Super Bowl, taking him past his forever-shilling brother and into the rarified air of multiple winners. Suddenly, Eli's no longer being compared to Peyton. Instead, pundits will have to compare him to Brady (who he'll have beaten 2-0 in the Big Game), Roethlisberger (whose 2-1 in Super Bowls) and Rodgers (who he's already beaten this playoff drive). Oh, and winning it all in Indianapolis? How sweeter can it get?
New York Giants 31, New England Patriots 17.
Labels: Eli Manning, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Super Bowl, Tom Brady
Monday, September 21, 2009
A Very Good Sunday
New York, New York!!
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On any given Sunday, both New York football teams could win games against hated division rivals -- and both be 2-0!!
The Jets holding a Brady-run Pats team without a touchdown (first time since December '06) -- and ending Brady's personal 21-game regular season winning streak. Sweet!
And for the night game: The Giants went into Dallas and beat Jerry "Ozymandias" Jones in the new palace! Extra sweet!!! Oh, well, a billiion-dollar venue will pay for itself in no time!!! Heh. It was also good to seee that Tony Romo was in full playoff form. Heh-heh. (Conversely, I will take Eli Manning over any other QB in the NFL to orchestrate a game-tying/winning drive in the final two minutes; he becomes the Iceman when the game's on the line.)
And for the channel-switchers out there, the Emmys were actually great tonight as well -- proving that I didn't follow the request of very funny Neil Patrick Harris' opening number, "Don't Touch That Remote":
(The above video may self-destruct because of copyright issues before you see it. Take my word for it -- funny.)
Labels: Emmys, Neil Patrick Harris, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL
Monday, January 12, 2009
Blue Sunday Over Big Blue
I'm seriously hating Plaxico Burress today.
Yes, I know he wasn't solely responsible for the New York Giants' wretched performance Sunday. It wasn't his fault that Eli Manning was overthrowing open receivers. It wasn't his fault that the Giants defense -- for the third game this season -- couldn't sack Donovan McNabb once (though they did force one intentional grounding/safety). It wasn't his fault that Tom Coughlin reverted to the ultra-conservative style that had bedeviled him and the team so many times in the past (What? After realizing that the Eagles weren't giving up any short-term yardage, why not try a trick play involving your quarterback passing -- and no, not the dumb "wildcat" snap to Derrick Ward in the fourth quarter?) It wasn't his fault that kicker John Carney, near-perfect all season long missed two long, but makeable, field goals.
No, there were plenty reasons on the field that caused the Giants to lose (they didn't get the ball into the endzone once). But, it can't be ignored that the Super Bowl champions weren't the same after Burress' self-inflicted shooting and subsequent arrest. As many people have said, he was Eli's security blanket -- having the height and large wingspan to bring in Manning passes that less-talented (and shorter) wide receivers just can't get to (there were at leasst two passes that were an inch away from a receiver, where one thought, "Burress would have gotten that ball."
And, for that matter, even if Burress wasn't getting the ball, he was being double-teamed enough that it opened up passing and running lanes for other players.
That's a significant weapon to lose -- like the Steelers losing a Hines Ward down the stretch.
And besides that, arguably, neither Antonio Pierce nor Ahmad Bradshaw (in the club with Plaxico that fateful night) were the same down the stretch.
Thus, the epitaph for such a truly promising season for the New York football Giants this year: A foolish wide receiver shot himself in the leg and helped inflict a fatal wound to his entire team.
Thanks, Plax. Literally, couldn't have done it without you. And, disappointing as the end of this season was, this isn't such a great idea either.
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Yes, I know he wasn't solely responsible for the New York Giants' wretched performance Sunday. It wasn't his fault that Eli Manning was overthrowing open receivers. It wasn't his fault that the Giants defense -- for the third game this season -- couldn't sack Donovan McNabb once (though they did force one intentional grounding/safety). It wasn't his fault that Tom Coughlin reverted to the ultra-conservative style that had bedeviled him and the team so many times in the past (What? After realizing that the Eagles weren't giving up any short-term yardage, why not try a trick play involving your quarterback passing -- and no, not the dumb "wildcat" snap to Derrick Ward in the fourth quarter?) It wasn't his fault that kicker John Carney, near-perfect all season long missed two long, but makeable, field goals.
No, there were plenty reasons on the field that caused the Giants to lose (they didn't get the ball into the endzone once). But, it can't be ignored that the Super Bowl champions weren't the same after Burress' self-inflicted shooting and subsequent arrest. As many people have said, he was Eli's security blanket -- having the height and large wingspan to bring in Manning passes that less-talented (and shorter) wide receivers just can't get to (there were at leasst two passes that were an inch away from a receiver, where one thought, "Burress would have gotten that ball."
And, for that matter, even if Burress wasn't getting the ball, he was being double-teamed enough that it opened up passing and running lanes for other players.
That's a significant weapon to lose -- like the Steelers losing a Hines Ward down the stretch.
And besides that, arguably, neither Antonio Pierce nor Ahmad Bradshaw (in the club with Plaxico that fateful night) were the same down the stretch.
Thus, the epitaph for such a truly promising season for the New York football Giants this year: A foolish wide receiver shot himself in the leg and helped inflict a fatal wound to his entire team.
Thanks, Plax. Literally, couldn't have done it without you. And, disappointing as the end of this season was, this isn't such a great idea either.
Labels: New York Giants, NFL, plaxico burress
Monday, December 08, 2008
Two Football Thoughs Thots
Following a rather all-around pathetic gridiron performance Sunday from the New York metropolitan teams, one can make these observations:
1) Obviously, the Giants would have been better off if Plaxico Burress had shot Eagles running back Brian Westbrook in the thigh. (One extra note: Burress' replacement at starting wide receiver -- Dominick Hixon -- had as much butter fingers on a sure-fire long-bomb touchdown as Burress had on his Glock).
2) The New York Jets played like the entire team was stoned -- not just recently-arrested driving-under-the-influence-of-MJ DE Shaun Ellis.
So much for that "all-NY Super Bowl" talk from a couple weeks ago (hey, if the Carolina Panthers win tonight, they conceivably can get home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, since they play the Giants later in the season).
UPDATE: Obviously, after running this blog for three and a half years (and having had some version of "Ragged Thots" in literary existence for more than ten years), it's now impossible for me to spell the word t-h-o-u-g-h-t-s properly, thus the nice typo in this post's headline! Sigh.
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1) Obviously, the Giants would have been better off if Plaxico Burress had shot Eagles running back Brian Westbrook in the thigh. (One extra note: Burress' replacement at starting wide receiver -- Dominick Hixon -- had as much butter fingers on a sure-fire long-bomb touchdown as Burress had on his Glock).
2) The New York Jets played like the entire team was stoned -- not just recently-arrested driving-under-the-influence-of-MJ DE Shaun Ellis.
So much for that "all-NY Super Bowl" talk from a couple weeks ago (hey, if the Carolina Panthers win tonight, they conceivably can get home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, since they play the Giants later in the season).
UPDATE: Obviously, after running this blog for three and a half years (and having had some version of "Ragged Thots" in literary existence for more than ten years), it's now impossible for me to spell the word t-h-o-u-g-h-t-s properly, thus the nice typo in this post's headline! Sigh.
Labels: New York, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Michael Strahan, Political Comic
This will undoubtedly be the last football-related post at the site for a while (at least from me). I just couldn't let this little nugget pass. It's from the Giants post-parade victory rally at the Meadlowands on Tuesday:
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Strahan brought the house down when he did a Howard Dean imitation recountingSorry, but you don't usually find this sort of politically-aware wit in your average football player (forgive me if I'm trading in stereotypes). For that matter, how many non-political geeks remember the Dean Scream? Guess that means Strahan is a political junkie, something of which I was not previously aware. Anyway, this little riff makes me want even more for him to return next year -- or at least have him signed up for "Hardball"!
the Giants' amazing string of road wins that led to the Super Bowl.
"We went to Tampa, we went to Dallas, we went to Green Bay, we went to Arizona," Strahan yelled. "Aaaaahgh."
Labels: Michael Strahan, New York Giants, NFL
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Perfect Game Beats Perfect Season
"18-1...18-1....18-1..." was the chant going through the streets of New York tonight.
(Along with that always-dependable standby, "Boston sucks!")
Sorry about that, Pats.
My friend David Bernstein called this the best Super Bowl of our lifetimes. He may be right. I can't think of a better one recently. Hey, it's the first time in the modern era that an unbeaten team has been knocked off in the Big Game.
This was a game very reminiscent of Super Bowl XXV, when the Giants beat the offensive juggernaut Buffalo Bills, 20-19.
In a nice bit of irony, the Giants also did to the Patriots what the Pats did to the Rams during their first championship run: They kept the offense off the field and off-balance. They kept the ball out of Randy Moss' hands (though it looked for a while like Wes Welker was going to be the Giant-killer). They pressured Tom Brady like he hadn't been all year (and as they did to Jeff Garcia, Tony Romo and Brett Favre previously). Five sacks.
Eli Manning had the ball twice in the fourth quarter and delivered touchdowns twice. (Wow. Is this Archie Manning's revenge on the NFL, or what? After suffering with the horrific New Orleans Saints his entire career, his two sons win consecutive Super Bowls -- and consecutive game MVPs, to boot!)
Brady, meanwhile, had the ball with the game on the line and couldn't deliver. (Does he dump Gisele in the next couple of weeks -- or does she dump him?)
14-6>18-1
Wow.
UPDATE: Ten things we learned from the Giants' Super Bowl win. The Manning-escape-from-Pats-rush-and-throw-to-Tyree-who-made-insane-sky-high-catch is a play for the ages. It's that play that solidified the MVP for Manning. As two friends mentioned, otherwise, a great case could be made for Justin Tuck who had two sacks, a forced fumble and was in Brady's face all night.
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(Along with that always-dependable standby, "Boston sucks!")
Sorry about that, Pats.
My friend David Bernstein called this the best Super Bowl of our lifetimes. He may be right. I can't think of a better one recently. Hey, it's the first time in the modern era that an unbeaten team has been knocked off in the Big Game.
This was a game very reminiscent of Super Bowl XXV, when the Giants beat the offensive juggernaut Buffalo Bills, 20-19.
In a nice bit of irony, the Giants also did to the Patriots what the Pats did to the Rams during their first championship run: They kept the offense off the field and off-balance. They kept the ball out of Randy Moss' hands (though it looked for a while like Wes Welker was going to be the Giant-killer). They pressured Tom Brady like he hadn't been all year (and as they did to Jeff Garcia, Tony Romo and Brett Favre previously). Five sacks.
Eli Manning had the ball twice in the fourth quarter and delivered touchdowns twice. (Wow. Is this Archie Manning's revenge on the NFL, or what? After suffering with the horrific New Orleans Saints his entire career, his two sons win consecutive Super Bowls -- and consecutive game MVPs, to boot!)
Brady, meanwhile, had the ball with the game on the line and couldn't deliver. (Does he dump Gisele in the next couple of weeks -- or does she dump him?)
14-6>18-1
Wow.
UPDATE: Ten things we learned from the Giants' Super Bowl win. The Manning-escape-from-Pats-rush-and-throw-to-Tyree-who-made-insane-sky-high-catch is a play for the ages. It's that play that solidified the MVP for Manning. As two friends mentioned, otherwise, a great case could be made for Justin Tuck who had two sacks, a forced fumble and was in Brady's face all night.
Labels: New York Giants, NFL, Super Bowl, Super bowl XXV
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Holy S#*%!!!
The New York Giants are going to the Super Bowl!!!
After the Giants own missteps combined with at least three "I thought it was the NBA refs who were fixing games" questionable penalties, it looked like Coughlin's not letting the offense get another ten yards as time ran out in regulation was going to be the final straw and cost the Giants the game (Following a bad snap, Tynes missed the 37-yeard field goal).
Two friends and I watched the game a bar in Hell's KItchen (Manhattan 38th-48th Sts/7th -10th Aves). The reaction of nearly everyone in the place when the Giants brought the field goal unit on 4th down-and-5 in overtime at the 30 was, "WTF is Coughlin doing!?!?!??" We were all in shock. Then Tynes hit it. (We thought the Giants should have gone for the first down).
The Blue Men did it -- in all phases of the game:
For the third consecutive time in the playoffs, Eli (Peyton who?) Manning was the best quarterback on the field.
The Giants defense completely shut down the Packers running game.
The G-Men held the ball for an insane 18 more minutes than Green Bay.
Plaxico Buress had the game of his life, leaving All-Pro corner Al Harris gasping for air.
Though the weather was the big story before the game, it didn't play that much of a factor after kick-off -- at least for the Giants. Yes, it was cold, but that was it. There wasn't any of the crazy winds that bothered Eli Manning and the Giants in the December Redskins loss or the snow in the Bills game they won.
One question: Didn't anyone on the Giants sideline think to suggest to Tom Coughlin that he put some covering on his face? He looked like he was about to collapse from frostbite several times.
Bring on the Pats!!!
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After the Giants own missteps combined with at least three "I thought it was the NBA refs who were fixing games" questionable penalties, it looked like Coughlin's not letting the offense get another ten yards as time ran out in regulation was going to be the final straw and cost the Giants the game (Following a bad snap, Tynes missed the 37-yeard field goal).
Two friends and I watched the game a bar in Hell's KItchen (Manhattan 38th-48th Sts/7th -10th Aves). The reaction of nearly everyone in the place when the Giants brought the field goal unit on 4th down-and-5 in overtime at the 30 was, "WTF is Coughlin doing!?!?!??" We were all in shock. Then Tynes hit it. (We thought the Giants should have gone for the first down).
The Blue Men did it -- in all phases of the game:
For the third consecutive time in the playoffs, Eli (Peyton who?) Manning was the best quarterback on the field.
The Giants defense completely shut down the Packers running game.
The G-Men held the ball for an insane 18 more minutes than Green Bay.
Plaxico Buress had the game of his life, leaving All-Pro corner Al Harris gasping for air.
Though the weather was the big story before the game, it didn't play that much of a factor after kick-off -- at least for the Giants. Yes, it was cold, but that was it. There wasn't any of the crazy winds that bothered Eli Manning and the Giants in the December Redskins loss or the snow in the Bills game they won.
One question: Didn't anyone on the Giants sideline think to suggest to Tom Coughlin that he put some covering on his face? He looked like he was about to collapse from frostbite several times.
Bring on the Pats!!!
Labels: New York Giants, NFL Playoffs
