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Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Week 16--Well...They're In
The Giants are in the playoffs by virtue of their 38-21 win over the Buffalo Bills. That's the good news. The bad news is, Eli Manning did nothing to give us Giants fans hope with yet another sub-par performance. The other Manning went just 7-15 for 11 yards and two interceptions...not to mention his 20 fumbles and countless faces of frustration. Before fans of Big Blue even sat down with their beers, Buffalo had raced out to a 14-0 lead. Which team was the one that HAD to have the game? Which team was playing with urgency? It certainly didn't look like Tom Coughlin's bunch, that's for sure. However, as is usually the case, the Giants scraped their way back into it and actually had a lead at halftime courtesy of a couple of Brandon Jacobs runs and a Tynes FG. So, you'd figure the Giants would carry the momentum into the second half and Buffalo would be ready to pack it in having given their all in the first 30 minutes. Such was not the case. Despite running the ball effectively and despite passing the ball...not so effectively, the Giants came out throwing and sure enough, Manning threw an interception to set the Bills up with a first and ten from the Giants' 31. Obviously the defense wasn't mentally ready to begin the second stanza as Marshawn Lynch took the first down carry 28 yards, to the Giants' 3 and waltzed in for a TD on the next play. Bills 21, Giants 17. All of the work to take the lead after spotting the Bills a 14-point lead, gone. All the momentum, gone. But the Giants were set to regain the lead and that momentum on the very next drive, taking it from their own 35 down to the Bills' one yard line. However, Ruben Droughns and Ahmad Bradshaw could not get the ball into the end zone on four tries and the Giants turned it over on downs. Where was Brandon Jacobs? I have no idea. Apparently you cannot be the main ballcarrier and get the goal line carries under Tom Coughlin. I'm not sure what needs to happen for Goughlin to realize that Droughns isn't going to get it done, but one would think this embarrassing series of futile goal line efforts would do it. How can a team who runs the ball so effectively have NO IDEA how to punch it in from inside the five? EVERY time. When they DO score on the ground from close range, it seems to be a fluke. Can we get Jacobs, who is a POWER runner, in the game next time, Tom?
The Giants D held and the offense got the ball back on the Buffalo side of the field. OK--they're in good shape. Jacobs was running all over Buffalo, but on third and one, Manning fumbled. Again. Buffalo ball. I mean, are you kidding? How many ways can Eli Manning deflate this team? Interceptions aren't enough, now he's fumbling the ball like David Krieg! Is it psychological? Is it that he's never going to be more than the 13th best QB in the league? Whatever the reason, he's killing this team. It's one thing to not live up to being the number one pick...but it's quite another to look like you don't have a clue out there. Manning is fast becoming a disaster and after three seasons, it may be time to--gulp--start thinking of other options to the guy with the cool last name. I know he's under contract and the salary cap this and the fact it's ONLY been three seasons...but think about it--the guy isn't getting any better, in fact he's getting worse! At what point do you admit your mistake? At what point do you confess to your fans and yourself that a new QB is needed if this team is going to win anything? These are questions for the offseason...back to the game.
After the Manning fumble, the defense realized it needed to make a big play--that giving Manning the ball back wasn't enough...so Kawika Mitchell took Trent Edwards' pass and returned it for a TD giving the Giants a lead which they would never relinquish. Ahmad Bradshaw added a scintillating 88-yard TD dash--making all of us wonder--why he hasn't seen more action--and the game was over. It happened quickly, and only by the grace of Trent Edwards' ineptitude, but the Giants somehow got the win they needed. On the road, after falling behind 14-0. Is that all that matters? Perhaps in the short term. However, the glaring weakness at the QB position MUST be a cause for concern. There is no way Eli Manning is capable of putting three consecutive good games together, and that's what's needed right now. The defense has played well enough--they made Edwards look almost as bad as Manning, no easy task--and the running game has looked solid, even if Jacobs can't seem to stay of the field for a whole game...but it all comes back to Manning. He's got his chance--the team is in the playoffs...despite him. What will he do with this chance? If the Manning excuse-makers want to blame his horrific play on the bad playing conditions over the past few games, I'll accept that. I'll say this to those three people: what are you going to say when he screws it up in Tampa? It'll be 70 degrees and he'll be playing against a beatable defense. When he tosses another 12-27 for 140 and two INTs out there, what will the excuse be? The sun got in his eyes? I hope he can turn it around and simply keep the Giants in the game in Tampa...and when that's the most you can expect from a number one draft pick...when you cross your fingers every time your "franchise" QB drops back to pass, praying that he doesn't turn it over...that says it all.
Tampa Bay is the best possible match-up for Big Blue...can they take advantage of it? Can they run the ball effectively against a defense that will not hesitate to put eight in the box? Can Manning rise above his past performances and force the Bucs to respect the pass? All he'll have to do is look across the field at the ultimate "game manager" in Jeff Garcia. The Bucs will be in the game for 60 minutes because he won't make a big mistake. Sure, he won't throw the ball 70 yards in the air, but he will take what's given to him and the Giants will have to be patient on defense...something I think they CAN be. It will be a close game, one which I'll get into further next week after the final game against New England, and it'll be one which the Giants will be in a position to win. Will Eli Manning be able to overcome himself? THAT is the question. If he wins a playoff game or two, all will be forgiven. If he fails to do so, I fear the hole will be too deep to climb out of. More next week.
As for the other team that plays in Giants Stadium, everything happened as expected: they played hard and lost. Thomas Jones continued his season of futility by rushing for 58 yards on 21 carries. You wanna blame it on the offensive line, fine. But the bottom line is--the Jets still don't have a gamebreaker on offense and will continue to lose 10 games a season until they get one. Whether it;s a QB, a RB or a WR--they've got to get someone that instills fear on opposing defenses! Honestly--to play a game in decent conditions and not score a TD? Unacceptable. Is Darren McFadden the answer? Perhaps. But my feeling is even with a dynamic back, the offensive line needs a huge upgrade...free agent-to-be Alan Faneca would be a nice start, but why oh why would he want to go to a rebuilding project like the Jets? Good luck Gang Green, you're gonna need it. As for the Titans, once again we see that they are not to be taken seriously. Vince Young had another game with an INT and no TDs and they barely escaped with a win in a game against the Jets--a team they should have steamrolled under the circumstances. If Tennessee wins their last game in Indy, they're in the playoffs...and the three seed will be extremely happy. But who will be the three seed?
Pittsburgh and San Diego are still fighting it out for that position, and while some may say it's no big deal--as long as you're not getting that bye, there's little difference. Those who subscribe to that line of thinking are dead wrong. Who would you rather play--Tennessee or a red hot Jacksonville? Believe me when I say San Diego will throttle Oakland in their season finale, making the Steelers the four seed and sending Jacksonville to Pittsburgh for round one against a Parker-less Steelers team who lost at home to the Jags just two weeks ago. The Chargers are playing well on both sides of the ball, and will welcome whichever non-Jacksonville team they have to face...and welcome the lack of New England as an opponent until the Conference Championship game. The Steelers can look back in anger to the game they lost to the Jets for their current predicament. That game has cost them any chance of reaching the Conference Championship--for even if they somehow manage to avenge their loss the the Jags, it will come at a heavy price. The Jags physically punish whomever they play, and going into New England beaten up is not the way you're going to beat the Pats. So congrats Pittsburgh. Enjoy your off-season knowing a loss to the lowly Jets deflated your season. Guh.
Elsewhere in the AFC, the Browns may be joining the Steelers in a "kicking themselves" off-season. Losing a must-win to the disorganized enigma known as the Bengals will do that to a team. The Browns had chance after chance to win this game--Cincy didn't want it. But time and again, Cleveland QB Derek Anderson threw pick after pick until the game was over and the scoreboard read Cincy 19 Cleveland 14. What a bad loss for Cleveland and a continuation of frustration for fans in Cleveland. As if the lead squandered to the Red Sox wasn't enough, their football team had visions of winning the division one week ago...and now they're scrambling to simply make the playoffs. Make no mistake--if they DO make the playoffs, which is probable because Manning or not, the Titans don't have it in them to win in Indy, it'll be a successful season of growth for Romeo's guys by the lake. I'd love to see Cleveland play San Diego--when you play Norv Turner, you've always got a shot!
The Colts beat a pretty good Texans team, and anyone who sleeps on Indy and thinks they have no shot against the Pats in the playoffs--wake up. This is a team getting their health back and thirsting for revenge. It's a complete reversal--the Colts are the underdog, the Pats the favorite. The Pats are the team everyone is rooting against. Do you think the Colts are sick of hearing about how great the Patriots are when THEY, the Colts, are the defending Super Bowl Champs? I do. I know it's eons away, but it is nice to see each team playing well heading toward that game of destiny.
A few quick shots in the AFC: Denver is atrocious and the jury is still out on Jay Cutler. I see flashes, but nothing that makes me say, "Wow--this guy WAS the best QB in that draft." And Mike Shanahan--when are we all going to get over this guy? Without Elway, he's just a smug bastard with teams that throw nasty blocks and underachieve. Sorry Denver--you may want to call him a genius with his amazing zone blocking and ability to plug any back into his "system" but if you think about it, what exactly has this "system" done? Enough of this guy already! Nice effort on Monday night.
Speaking of so-called geniuses, do I even need to comment on Brian Billick at this point? Didn't think so.
The Tuna is back (surprise, surprise) in Miami. Can he play QB? No? Hell, he's not even going to coach, so what's the big deal? The guy is a decent talent evaluator, sure...but he's not going to turn the Dolphins from 1-15 to a playoff team in a couple of years. He'll leave before he produces anything worth mentioning...and he'll jilt a couple of more teams before he does. I'm just glad the Giants had him when they did. Good luck Miami.
I'd also like to wish good luck to Herm Edwards and JaMarcus Russell. First, Herm...wherever you end up as a defensive coordinator, I wish you the best. You, like so many other coordinators, are not a head coach. You're a coordinator. There's NO shame in that. Accept it, own it. Move on. As for the newbie, Russell. Wow. His first start HAS to be better than what he did last week, doesn't it? DOESN'T IT? I'll check out the fist couple of possessions in the Raiders/Chargers game...this guy should have been playing weeks ago. Now the first half of NEXT season is a waste. Just win baby, right?
In the NFC, things are getting interesting. Dallas won, but Romo didn't seem right and TO banged his ankle up. TO should be OK in a few weeks--yet another reason the bye week rocks...but Romo is another story. I don't like what I've seen out of him in past few games, and if it's his thumb, fine...that could heal. But if I'm a Dallas fan, I don't have the confidence I had a few weeks ago. They don't scare me the way a number one seed should. Similarly, Green Bay doesn't scare me the way a bye-week team should. Losing to Chicago is one thing...getting blown out of the stadium is quite another. This was a disconcerting loss for Cheesehead nation--I don't have the same confidence in them I had a few weeks ago. Which begs the question--what the hell is going on in the NFC? Am I left with Tampa, Seattle and the wild cards? Who is going to challenge the AFC Champ? I fear we're headed for another boring Super Bowl blowout, when three weeks ago we were all dreaming of a Favre/New England finale, or a match-up between the upstart Romo and America's team against the team America loves to hate...now? Both of those NFC representatives have been exposed. I couldn't imagine them losing to another NFC team a couple of weeks ago; now, it wouldn't surprise me at all.
However, it WOULD surprise me if the team to beat one of the top two was Minnesota. I've been screaming about this team for weeks and I'm glad I was. The Redskins went into the dome and absolutely kicked the crap out of the Vikings. Minnesota--on a big winning streak, at home, facing a backup QB, needing only to win to make the playoffs...and they lay that egg on national TV? Next case. You can't win with JUST a dynamic RB. You have to have a QB that isn't making stupid decisions the whole game. You have to have a coach who knows what he's doing. In both instances, the Redskins came up trumps where the Vikes were left scratching their heads. Those who have been crying for Joe Gibbs to step down, you need to do the stepping. He coached a brilliant game, and relied on Todd Collins to implement it. The career backup did EXACTLY that, going 22-29 with 2 TDs and most importantly NO INTs. When they needed the ground game, Portis and Betts did their jobs and the Skins defense played inspired football--easy to do when you're facing Tavaris Jackson, whose stats looked better than they were because the Vikes were running the hurry-up, playing against a soft D for most of the second half. Now, the Skins hold all the cards--if they beat a Dallas team which will surely be resting up, they're in the playoffs and will give Seattle a hard time to say the least. Minnesota had everything a team could ask for--a home game with a playoff berth on the line...and they didn't just lose, they were crushed. That says all that needs to be said about that team.
I'm sorry to say, the same can be said for the Saints. After everyting they went through this season, it was right there for them--win at home and you're in the driver's seat. But the defense once again let them down as the Eagles ran riot. Something needs to happen with New Orleans' defense--at this point, the Saints are nothing more than the Bengals without the rap sheets.
As for the aforementioned Seahawks, they destroyed the already-on-vacation Ravens. Nevermore indeed. Seattle will have its chance to shut me and my "they're soft" posse up in round one, but until then--hey Seattle! You're soft!
So it's come down to this--the Skins win, they're in. The Skins lose, and the Vikes win, the purple team with no QB is in...if they both lose and New Orleans wins, the defenseless Crescent City crew are in at 8-8. This one should be easy--the Skins should win against Dallas...SHOULD be easy. Then again, the "shoulds" are never guarantees--that's what makes it fun. Enjoy the games, and meet me back here for some fearless playoff predictions next week.
R
The Giants D held and the offense got the ball back on the Buffalo side of the field. OK--they're in good shape. Jacobs was running all over Buffalo, but on third and one, Manning fumbled. Again. Buffalo ball. I mean, are you kidding? How many ways can Eli Manning deflate this team? Interceptions aren't enough, now he's fumbling the ball like David Krieg! Is it psychological? Is it that he's never going to be more than the 13th best QB in the league? Whatever the reason, he's killing this team. It's one thing to not live up to being the number one pick...but it's quite another to look like you don't have a clue out there. Manning is fast becoming a disaster and after three seasons, it may be time to--gulp--start thinking of other options to the guy with the cool last name. I know he's under contract and the salary cap this and the fact it's ONLY been three seasons...but think about it--the guy isn't getting any better, in fact he's getting worse! At what point do you admit your mistake? At what point do you confess to your fans and yourself that a new QB is needed if this team is going to win anything? These are questions for the offseason...back to the game.
After the Manning fumble, the defense realized it needed to make a big play--that giving Manning the ball back wasn't enough...so Kawika Mitchell took Trent Edwards' pass and returned it for a TD giving the Giants a lead which they would never relinquish. Ahmad Bradshaw added a scintillating 88-yard TD dash--making all of us wonder--why he hasn't seen more action--and the game was over. It happened quickly, and only by the grace of Trent Edwards' ineptitude, but the Giants somehow got the win they needed. On the road, after falling behind 14-0. Is that all that matters? Perhaps in the short term. However, the glaring weakness at the QB position MUST be a cause for concern. There is no way Eli Manning is capable of putting three consecutive good games together, and that's what's needed right now. The defense has played well enough--they made Edwards look almost as bad as Manning, no easy task--and the running game has looked solid, even if Jacobs can't seem to stay of the field for a whole game...but it all comes back to Manning. He's got his chance--the team is in the playoffs...despite him. What will he do with this chance? If the Manning excuse-makers want to blame his horrific play on the bad playing conditions over the past few games, I'll accept that. I'll say this to those three people: what are you going to say when he screws it up in Tampa? It'll be 70 degrees and he'll be playing against a beatable defense. When he tosses another 12-27 for 140 and two INTs out there, what will the excuse be? The sun got in his eyes? I hope he can turn it around and simply keep the Giants in the game in Tampa...and when that's the most you can expect from a number one draft pick...when you cross your fingers every time your "franchise" QB drops back to pass, praying that he doesn't turn it over...that says it all.
Tampa Bay is the best possible match-up for Big Blue...can they take advantage of it? Can they run the ball effectively against a defense that will not hesitate to put eight in the box? Can Manning rise above his past performances and force the Bucs to respect the pass? All he'll have to do is look across the field at the ultimate "game manager" in Jeff Garcia. The Bucs will be in the game for 60 minutes because he won't make a big mistake. Sure, he won't throw the ball 70 yards in the air, but he will take what's given to him and the Giants will have to be patient on defense...something I think they CAN be. It will be a close game, one which I'll get into further next week after the final game against New England, and it'll be one which the Giants will be in a position to win. Will Eli Manning be able to overcome himself? THAT is the question. If he wins a playoff game or two, all will be forgiven. If he fails to do so, I fear the hole will be too deep to climb out of. More next week.
As for the other team that plays in Giants Stadium, everything happened as expected: they played hard and lost. Thomas Jones continued his season of futility by rushing for 58 yards on 21 carries. You wanna blame it on the offensive line, fine. But the bottom line is--the Jets still don't have a gamebreaker on offense and will continue to lose 10 games a season until they get one. Whether it;s a QB, a RB or a WR--they've got to get someone that instills fear on opposing defenses! Honestly--to play a game in decent conditions and not score a TD? Unacceptable. Is Darren McFadden the answer? Perhaps. But my feeling is even with a dynamic back, the offensive line needs a huge upgrade...free agent-to-be Alan Faneca would be a nice start, but why oh why would he want to go to a rebuilding project like the Jets? Good luck Gang Green, you're gonna need it. As for the Titans, once again we see that they are not to be taken seriously. Vince Young had another game with an INT and no TDs and they barely escaped with a win in a game against the Jets--a team they should have steamrolled under the circumstances. If Tennessee wins their last game in Indy, they're in the playoffs...and the three seed will be extremely happy. But who will be the three seed?
Pittsburgh and San Diego are still fighting it out for that position, and while some may say it's no big deal--as long as you're not getting that bye, there's little difference. Those who subscribe to that line of thinking are dead wrong. Who would you rather play--Tennessee or a red hot Jacksonville? Believe me when I say San Diego will throttle Oakland in their season finale, making the Steelers the four seed and sending Jacksonville to Pittsburgh for round one against a Parker-less Steelers team who lost at home to the Jags just two weeks ago. The Chargers are playing well on both sides of the ball, and will welcome whichever non-Jacksonville team they have to face...and welcome the lack of New England as an opponent until the Conference Championship game. The Steelers can look back in anger to the game they lost to the Jets for their current predicament. That game has cost them any chance of reaching the Conference Championship--for even if they somehow manage to avenge their loss the the Jags, it will come at a heavy price. The Jags physically punish whomever they play, and going into New England beaten up is not the way you're going to beat the Pats. So congrats Pittsburgh. Enjoy your off-season knowing a loss to the lowly Jets deflated your season. Guh.
Elsewhere in the AFC, the Browns may be joining the Steelers in a "kicking themselves" off-season. Losing a must-win to the disorganized enigma known as the Bengals will do that to a team. The Browns had chance after chance to win this game--Cincy didn't want it. But time and again, Cleveland QB Derek Anderson threw pick after pick until the game was over and the scoreboard read Cincy 19 Cleveland 14. What a bad loss for Cleveland and a continuation of frustration for fans in Cleveland. As if the lead squandered to the Red Sox wasn't enough, their football team had visions of winning the division one week ago...and now they're scrambling to simply make the playoffs. Make no mistake--if they DO make the playoffs, which is probable because Manning or not, the Titans don't have it in them to win in Indy, it'll be a successful season of growth for Romeo's guys by the lake. I'd love to see Cleveland play San Diego--when you play Norv Turner, you've always got a shot!
The Colts beat a pretty good Texans team, and anyone who sleeps on Indy and thinks they have no shot against the Pats in the playoffs--wake up. This is a team getting their health back and thirsting for revenge. It's a complete reversal--the Colts are the underdog, the Pats the favorite. The Pats are the team everyone is rooting against. Do you think the Colts are sick of hearing about how great the Patriots are when THEY, the Colts, are the defending Super Bowl Champs? I do. I know it's eons away, but it is nice to see each team playing well heading toward that game of destiny.
A few quick shots in the AFC: Denver is atrocious and the jury is still out on Jay Cutler. I see flashes, but nothing that makes me say, "Wow--this guy WAS the best QB in that draft." And Mike Shanahan--when are we all going to get over this guy? Without Elway, he's just a smug bastard with teams that throw nasty blocks and underachieve. Sorry Denver--you may want to call him a genius with his amazing zone blocking and ability to plug any back into his "system" but if you think about it, what exactly has this "system" done? Enough of this guy already! Nice effort on Monday night.
Speaking of so-called geniuses, do I even need to comment on Brian Billick at this point? Didn't think so.
The Tuna is back (surprise, surprise) in Miami. Can he play QB? No? Hell, he's not even going to coach, so what's the big deal? The guy is a decent talent evaluator, sure...but he's not going to turn the Dolphins from 1-15 to a playoff team in a couple of years. He'll leave before he produces anything worth mentioning...and he'll jilt a couple of more teams before he does. I'm just glad the Giants had him when they did. Good luck Miami.
I'd also like to wish good luck to Herm Edwards and JaMarcus Russell. First, Herm...wherever you end up as a defensive coordinator, I wish you the best. You, like so many other coordinators, are not a head coach. You're a coordinator. There's NO shame in that. Accept it, own it. Move on. As for the newbie, Russell. Wow. His first start HAS to be better than what he did last week, doesn't it? DOESN'T IT? I'll check out the fist couple of possessions in the Raiders/Chargers game...this guy should have been playing weeks ago. Now the first half of NEXT season is a waste. Just win baby, right?
In the NFC, things are getting interesting. Dallas won, but Romo didn't seem right and TO banged his ankle up. TO should be OK in a few weeks--yet another reason the bye week rocks...but Romo is another story. I don't like what I've seen out of him in past few games, and if it's his thumb, fine...that could heal. But if I'm a Dallas fan, I don't have the confidence I had a few weeks ago. They don't scare me the way a number one seed should. Similarly, Green Bay doesn't scare me the way a bye-week team should. Losing to Chicago is one thing...getting blown out of the stadium is quite another. This was a disconcerting loss for Cheesehead nation--I don't have the same confidence in them I had a few weeks ago. Which begs the question--what the hell is going on in the NFC? Am I left with Tampa, Seattle and the wild cards? Who is going to challenge the AFC Champ? I fear we're headed for another boring Super Bowl blowout, when three weeks ago we were all dreaming of a Favre/New England finale, or a match-up between the upstart Romo and America's team against the team America loves to hate...now? Both of those NFC representatives have been exposed. I couldn't imagine them losing to another NFC team a couple of weeks ago; now, it wouldn't surprise me at all.
However, it WOULD surprise me if the team to beat one of the top two was Minnesota. I've been screaming about this team for weeks and I'm glad I was. The Redskins went into the dome and absolutely kicked the crap out of the Vikings. Minnesota--on a big winning streak, at home, facing a backup QB, needing only to win to make the playoffs...and they lay that egg on national TV? Next case. You can't win with JUST a dynamic RB. You have to have a QB that isn't making stupid decisions the whole game. You have to have a coach who knows what he's doing. In both instances, the Redskins came up trumps where the Vikes were left scratching their heads. Those who have been crying for Joe Gibbs to step down, you need to do the stepping. He coached a brilliant game, and relied on Todd Collins to implement it. The career backup did EXACTLY that, going 22-29 with 2 TDs and most importantly NO INTs. When they needed the ground game, Portis and Betts did their jobs and the Skins defense played inspired football--easy to do when you're facing Tavaris Jackson, whose stats looked better than they were because the Vikes were running the hurry-up, playing against a soft D for most of the second half. Now, the Skins hold all the cards--if they beat a Dallas team which will surely be resting up, they're in the playoffs and will give Seattle a hard time to say the least. Minnesota had everything a team could ask for--a home game with a playoff berth on the line...and they didn't just lose, they were crushed. That says all that needs to be said about that team.
I'm sorry to say, the same can be said for the Saints. After everyting they went through this season, it was right there for them--win at home and you're in the driver's seat. But the defense once again let them down as the Eagles ran riot. Something needs to happen with New Orleans' defense--at this point, the Saints are nothing more than the Bengals without the rap sheets.
As for the aforementioned Seahawks, they destroyed the already-on-vacation Ravens. Nevermore indeed. Seattle will have its chance to shut me and my "they're soft" posse up in round one, but until then--hey Seattle! You're soft!
So it's come down to this--the Skins win, they're in. The Skins lose, and the Vikes win, the purple team with no QB is in...if they both lose and New Orleans wins, the defenseless Crescent City crew are in at 8-8. This one should be easy--the Skins should win against Dallas...SHOULD be easy. Then again, the "shoulds" are never guarantees--that's what makes it fun. Enjoy the games, and meet me back here for some fearless playoff predictions next week.
R
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