Week 16 & 17 Media Gaffe(s)
- Russ Salzberg of the UPN network was apparently so excited to interview defensive tackle Ted Robbins after Saturday Night's game that he announced the final score of Patriots vs Giants as 25-23.
- For the record Keyshawn Johnson - The Cowboys and Packers play in the NFC, not the other conference. I know that can be confusing.
New England @ New York Giants
The New York Perspective
"There's nothing but positives about tonight, no negatives come out of this game.'' - Coach Tom Coughlin
I agree with the sentiment, and the sentiment alone of Coach Coughlin's quote. Moving forward to the first round of the playoffs the Giants can take a world of positives away from playing the now 16-0 Patriots as tough as any opponent has played them all season. And the confidence gained from those many positives may prove to be invaluable when the Giants face-off against the Buccaneers, in a little under a week.
But there were negatives, albeit negatives we who watch the Giants week in and week out already knew, but nevertheless negatives. There's also the fact that 3 Giants starters were injured against the Patriots - but I certainly will not fault Tom Coughlin in that I believed playing New England with the intent of winning was in the best interest of the team and the game of football.
But as a neutral observer that has thought about the implications of this game as thoroughly as possible, I'm afraid to say that this game did not change my opinion of the Giants chances in the playoffs, at all.
My critique of the Giants in a nutshell has essentially been that they have an extremely talented roster that in the end, is ultimately doomed by their tantalizing quarterback and a defense that has a history of disappearing when the chips are down. In other words, this roster is good enough to play with any team in the NFL - and they proved that Saturday night, but is just too flawed to ever accomplish their ultimate goals, as they proved Saturday night.
Beginning with the quarterback, I chose the word "tantalizing" in the previous paragraph for a reason. We know Eli Manning can make every throw. We know that when Eli Manning "puts it all together" he looks as good as any quarterback in the NFC. But sadly, we know he cannot be trusted for extended periods of time and that he will kill the collective hopes of Giants fans at the drop of the hat. He's like the subjects of the A&E documentary show Intervention. At each episode's conclusion, when the audience is given the follow-up of the drug addict or alcoholic's progress after the intervention, nine times out of ten we find out that the person has checked themselves out of rehab and is living in a car some place, still using crystal meth. Similarly, just as Giants fan think they're franchise quarterback has had some type of personal epiphany and figured everything out - Manning "relapses" back to throwing terribly timed interceptions, wounded duck passes, or fumbling snaps.
Eli Manning was brilliant for 90% of the Saturday's game. He was playing so well in fact, that I was on record during the game believing that this was the night the perfect season was going to be derailed. It just felt that way. And how good did Manning look running the no-huddle offense? But quietly, Eli - though not totally culpable for the Giants loss - played a major part in killing the Giants chance of a historic victory. It wasn't just the interception he threw to Ellis Hobbs, though that was a killer. It was his horrendous clock management in the 4th quarter. It was taking sacks late in the game for tremendous losses. It was fumbling a snap on the final drive. All the mistakes that Tom Brady DOESN'T make. The irony is that this was actually an uncharacteristic game for Manning by his standards. He was terrible at the end of the game and brilliant for most of it, when usually he makes up for 3 quarters of incompetence with a solid 4th quarter effort. Now the defense.
I certainly cannot praise Giants defense after Saturday nor can I give them a pass for allowing 38 points, because they treated the Patriots like a playoff opponent. In other words, at least from my perspective, this was a HUGE game for the Giants - a game that they wanted desperately to win from both an egotistical and historical standpoint. So then I guess you can say that the chips were down. And when the chips were down in a big game the Giants defense folded - to the tune of 22 2nd half points allowed and 38 points total - just as they have always folded in the most pivotal of situations throughout the last decade. But really, its not the fact that the Giants allowed 38 points that is disheartening. It's the fact that they couldn't get a single stop when they really needed one - that difference, and that difference alone is why I can praise the New England defense in a lackluster effort and chastise the New York defense. When the Patriots need a stop at the end of a game they get it. Just watch their near defeats to Indy, Baltimore, Philly, and of course The Giants.
I understand the Giants were playing the most statistically dominant offense in NFL history. BUT it is almost unfathomable to me how
- Randy Moss can run untouched down the sideline and score a 65 yard touchdown AFTER he dropped a bomb the previous play. Fool me once shame on you, Fool me again shame on me. You'd think the Giants would pay more attention to the greatest deep threat in NFL history bolting down the sideline than little Wes Welker camped 11 yards down the field next to the 1st down marker.
- The vaunted Giants defensive line managed just ONE sack of Tom Brady in a game where he dropped back to pass 42 times and where the crowd noise was at times, deafening.
Listen.
I applaud the Giants for their effort against the mighty Patriots. I am grateful they gave the football watching nation such an extraordinarily exciting night of football during a lackluster end of the season.
But it's not the fact that the Giants lost that irks me or should scare any Giants fan. It's the fact that the Giants played at their highest possible level and lost NOT necessarily because their opponent was playing better BUT because of the same fatal flaws that have been hampering this team all season:
Manning showed his #1 overall pick potential but ultimately came up short. (Sidenote: He looked completely defeated on the sideline after his interception.)
The secondary was again, horrendous.
The most dominant pass rush in the NFC WAS NOT A FACTOR - A flashback to Week 10 against the Cowboys.
The only thing that was missing off the annual Giants checklist of disappointment was an abundance of killer penalties and dicey coaching decisions - unless you call not sticking with the no-huddle offense and not giving a speedy Ahmad Bradshaw a single touch against a slow New England defense dicey.
Again, the way I interpret Saturday night's game was that I didn't see anything from the Giants that would give me more or less hope for them heading into the postseason. That's not to say that this game was not a huge confidence builder and/or step in the right direction. It's not to say they won't defeat the Bucs in the first round of the playoffs. I just think that at this point, they are what they are and we'll see how far it gets them in January.
Looking Forward - Finding The Silver Lining
Because the Giants didn't change my mind about their chances of advancing (deep) into the playoff, that doesn't mean it didn't change theirs. They should have their confidence bolstered by the fact that:
They had a 16-0 team on the ropes. The Giants now know for certain that they have enough talent to compete with any team in the NFL, especially the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The running game behind Brandon Jacobs has the potential to be dominant. It amazed me how often he was able to bounce off the initial would-be tackler and continue for extra yardage against New England.
Plaxico Burress hadn't looked as good as he did Saturday since Week 1. When he's healthy, this giraffe is a top-flight deep threat and bona fide Pro Bowler. The offense just isn't the same without him at the top of his game.
Kevin Boss is providing Eli Manning something that Jeremy Shockey hasn't been able to - a dependable safety valve down the field, almost like Amani Toomer. Manning seems to benefit more from Boss's aptitude for getting open when the play breaks down than from Shockey's potential for big plays.
Eli Manning DID throw for 4 touchdowns against the Patriots and engineered a few beautiful drives. If he can forget his shortcomings, maybe, just maybe he can carry this team beyond the Tampa Bay game.
Setting the Record (Book) Straight
As we all know, Tom Brady broke Peyton Manning's record of 49 touchdown passes in a single season. Brady's mark of 50 TD passes is now 1st all-time and his 117.2 Quarterback Rating for the season is the 2nd best all- time to Peyton Manning's 121.1 rating in 2004.
SO why are Brady's 2007 statistical achievements considerably more amazing than Peyton Manning's 2004 season? Because Brady achieved his record setting year under much tougher conditions. Peter King actually touched on this in his Monday Morning Quarterback column and I would to take the the opportunity to expound.
Tom Brady plays 8 games each season in a bad weather stadium (Gillette Field), but in 2007 he also played 2 games in the treacherous Meadowlands, a game in Cincy, a game in Buffalo, and a game in a blizzard-ridden Ravens Stadium. He played 3 games this season (vs. Jets, @ Ravens, vs Miami) in virtually un-throwable conditions. And he still managed to throw 50 touchdown passes!
On the other hand, Peyton Manning plays 8 games each season in a controlled environment (RCA DOME) and also plays in a warm weather division - the AFC South, where road games are hosted by Jacksonville, Houston, and Tennessee.
This is not to take anything way from Manning's brilliance. He can throw for 30+ TDs on the Moon.
But the difference in the conditions Brady and Manning play in is similar to the difference between Miguel Cabrera hitting in the spacious Dolphins Stadium and Ryan Howard hitting in Citizen Bank Ballpark. Both are great hitters - but one's numbers are inflated by a ban-box while the other's are mitigated by the sheer size of his now former, home park.
You have to love how even in an NFL column, a Mets fan can still get his digs in against the Phillies.
My 2007 NFL Awards Section
MVP - Tom Brady
Runners up - #2 Bret Favre, #3 Tony Romo, #4 Peyton Manning, #5 Randy Moss, #6 LaDainian Tomlinson
Defensive Player of the Year - Albert Haynesworth
Runners up - #2 Mike Vrabel, #3 Bob Sanders, #4 Jared Allen, #5 Kerry Rhodes
Offensive Player of the Year - Tom Brady
Runner up - Randy Moss
Coach of the Year - Bill Belichick
Runners up - #2 Mike McCarthy, #3 Wade Phillips, #4 Romeo Crennel, #5 Jack Del Rio, #6 John Gruden
Offensive Rookie of the Year - Adrian Peterson
Runners up - #2 Joe Thomas, #3 Marshawn Lynch, #4 Dwayne Bowe
Defensive Rookie of the Year - Patrick Willis
Runners up - Amobi Okoye
2007 - Against the Spread Totals
Week 16 & 17 (14-16-2) - Season Total (127-114-12)
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