NFL FanHouse

With Yankees Done, Pressure's Really on the Giants Now

Dan Graziano — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Giants, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis

It's not that the Giants' three-game losing streak has gone unnoticed. It's just that, with all the excitement over everything the Yankees have been up to, New York sports fans have had other things on their minds. Yes, they're aware, vaguely, that the Giants' defense hasn't been able to stop the Saints, Cardinals or Eagles the past three weeks. And they have seen a headline or two about Eli Manning suddenly looking much more mortal than his contract and his championship pedigree say he should. But the panic meter hasn't moved too much over all of this, because New York is still one of the few American towns in which football can take a backseat to baseball. And for the past few weeks, for very good reason, New York has been a baseball town.

That all changes this weekend. The San Diego Chargers hit town -- another dynamic offense surely licking its chops over a take its turn at the Giants' battered ego and secondary. If the Giants lose again, they're looking at a 5-4 record heading into their bye week, which would mean two solid weeks of tabloid and talk show debate on the issue of "What's Wrong With the Giants?"

Right now, there are a lot of answers to that question. Injuries have left the defense extremely vulnerable to attacks in the middle of the field. Brandon Jacobs hasn't looked like his old self and Ahmad Bradshaw's been playing through an ankle injury, so the running game hasn't been as reliable as they expected it to be. And Manning, who has his own foot injury, looks skittish in the pocket.

These are problems the team isn't denying. The Giants know things are going to stay difficult. The schedule they played during their 5-0 start included games against the Redskins, Chiefs, Buccaneers and Raiders, and they knew all along it wasn't going to be that easy all year. Looking beyond their Week 10 bye, they can see the Falcons, Broncos, Cowboys and Eagles waiting -- four more strong offensive teams in a row before they get a Monday night breather in Washington four days before Christmas. If the Giants are going to get this thing right, they're going to have to do it without the schedule's help.

"You've got to be a man about the good and the bad," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said earlier this week. "When things happen like this, you just have to learn from it somehow, some way, and eliminate it, and maybe the next locker room will be a cheerful one."

Coughlin has plenty of players who have won the Super Bowl. He knows the character of his team and is counting on that to be one of the things that pulls it through this stretch. But there are other, more concrete issues that the Giants must correct if they're going to return to their preseason role as one of the league's Super Bowl favorites.

Scouts who have seen the Giants the past three weeks point to two standout issues -- a shorthanded defense thanks to injuries and the surprisingly uneven play of Manning -- as the reason they're losing. We'll take them in that order.

Major injuries to Giants defensive players include defensive tackle Chris Canty, linebacker Michael Boley, cornerback Aaron Ross and safety Kenny Phillips. None of those guys has been playing, and their absence, the scouts say, shows up in opposing game plans that are taking advantage of opportunities in the middle of the field. Canty's absence leaves them weaker in the middle of the defensive line, Boley's in the middle of the linebacking corps and Phillips' in "center field," where a safety is needed as the last line of defense against a long pass play or a breakaway running back. Or even, in Sunday's shocking first-drive case of the Eagles' Leonard Weaver, a breakaway fullback.

"Obviously there was a breakdown up front, but you certainly never anticipate the ball going that length, because that's why you have three levels of defense," defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan said of Weaver's 41-yard touchdown run. "Totally shocking. It's not that the ball is never going to break the line of scrimmage, because guys are getting blocked and stuff, but you certainly never expect it to go the distance like that."

So changes are being made. Canty and Boley have been practicing this week, and both are expected to play Sunday. That'll help, but Phillips' injury is of the season-ending variety, so help is not on the way at safety. Coughlin announced that Aaron Rouse will start at safety this week in place of C.C. Brown, who clearly has not been up to the task of replacing Phillips. And there's a chance that a cornerback (Terrell Thomas, most likely) could get some time at the safety spot, though for strategic reasons Coughlin declined to address that possibility when asked about it.

As for Manning, this is one of those cases where nobody really knows how much the plantar fasciitis he's had for the past month is bugging him because Manning's the kind of guy who plays hurt. From the scouts' standpoint, the belief is that Manning is a different quarterback when an opposing defense moves a safety into the box. They say it's as if he forgets what he's supposed to be doing, gets jittery in the pocket and begins to force throws and make questionable decisions.

This is confusing, because teams have been putting eight in the box against the Giants since the preseason, focusing on Jacobs and Bradshaw and daring Manning to beat them through the air, and earlier this year Manning and the passing game looked great. But as the scouts point out, that was against some pretty weak competition, and it's possible that the strong teams the Giants are playing now weren't scared off by the success Manning and his young receivers had against the dregs of the league in the first five games.

Coughlin said after Sunday's game that he thought Manning was having some mechanical problems, specifically pushing off that injured back foot, and apparently some work was done this week in practice to address that.

"Yeah, I think that was over the past three weeks that happened a few times with the foot," Manning said. "I don't remember it occurring last week. I was conscious of it to make sure I was pushing off. You stop using your legs, it affects your elbow, your arm gets tired or starts getting sore, so I have been better. My body feels better this week. I feel stronger and more confident in what I'm doing."

That's got to show up Sunday against the Chargers, or things are going to start getting ugly around the Giants pretty quickly. They have a couple of things working in their favor. San Diego is not a strong run defense, so they should be able to lean hard on Jacobs and Bradshaw and keep some of the pressure off of Manning. San Diego is also traveling across the country for the game, and the Chargers have a reputation as not being among the toughest of the NFL's teams. So it's possible that an angry bunch of Giants will rise up Sunday in the swamps of Jersey and take out their frustrations on another disappointing would-be contender and head into the bye at 6-3.

The Giants had better hope that's what happens. Because they don't have the Yankees to shield them anymore. If they lay an egg this week...well, it's all anybody's going to be talking about.

With Yankees Done, Pressure's Really on the Giants Now originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Football, Baseball and Brotherly Love - Philadelphia Is Sports Heaven

Dan Graziano — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, Giants, NFC East, NFL Fans

PHILADELPHIA -- Mike Alvarez is a lifelong Philadelphian with a Cole Hamels haircut and a vintage maroon Phillies cap who spent his Sunday in a parking lot. Alvarez didn't have tickets to the Eagles-Giants game in the afternoon. He didn't have tickets to the Phillies-Yankees World Series game at night. What he did have was a parking space for his truck, a seemingly bottomless supply of beer and enough slightly slurred wisdom to know that there was no place he would have rather been than this particular parking lot on this particular day, surrounded by his fellow Eagles and Phillies fans.

"They got flat-screens over there," Alvarez said, waving his beer can in the direction of a nearby RV. "Everybody's grilling food. I've made a ton of new friends. What more could you want?"

This was around 5:30 pm, an hour and a half after the Eagles had finished throttling the Giants and about three hours before Joe Blanton drilled Alex Rodriguez in the back with a first-inning fastball. It was the chilly intermission of one of the great days in Philadelphia sports history. An NFL rivalry game in the afternoon and then, across the parking lot, a World Series game under the full moon. Big, bad New York teams the opponents in both. Sure, it ended in disappointment, with the Yankees coming back to win the baseball game, 7-4, to take a 3-1 lead in the World Series. Still, for a day this city got to feel like the center of the sports universe. And the beauty part was, pretty much everybody behaved themselves.

That may be the most amazing thing about what's happened here, in a sports town famous for having booed Santa Claus and having taunted Michael Irvin as he lay injured on the artificial turf at old Veterans Stadium. Somewhere along the line, as the Eagles began consistently fielding playoff teams and the Phillies somehow turned into a mini-dynasty, Philadelphia sports fans appear to have shed some of the anger and bitterness that always defined them. Now, they find themselves able to look around on a day such as this and appreciate how special it is.

"I think the town feels like there's a lot to appreciate," said Joe Butkus, who was grilling in the drizzly morning with a mixed group of Philly and New York fans. "Look around. How can you not love this?"

Alvarez told a story of when he was a young boy at an Eagles game at the Vet. It was a cold, icy day, he said, and fans were walking the concrete ramps to the exits at the end of the game, and a woman in a Giants jersey fell and injured herself. As Alvarez tells it, the Eagles fans that day offered no sympathy -- just walked right past her and said, "That's what you get for wearing the wrong colors."

"That's what it used to be like," Alvarez said. "But we're polite now. We have that old reputation, but really, we're a lot more polite now than people say."

Of course, just as he was saying that, a guy walked by wearing a Michael Vick Eagles jersey and carrying a stuffed dog with bandages around its head and legs.

Didn't exactly help Alvarez make his point.

"You're always going to get a couple of nuts," he said.

And, of course, there were on both sides. A fan in a Yankees jersey got into a fight with two minutes left in the first half of the Giants-Eagles game, prompting loud boos and a "Yankees suck" chant from a crowd that had no reason all afternoon to be anything but deliriously happy. A guy in an Eagles jersey, lugging a cooler, tore through a crowd of anti-Vick protesters shouting obscenities and telling them to go away. And even the tamer interactions were designed to let the visitors from the Big Apple know who was boss.

"A guy with a green beard told me, 'You're in for a long day,'" said Vince Gilligo, who came from Hamilton, N.J., wearing a Giants cap.

Considering the setting and the circumstances, the proceedings leaned hard toward harmony. Gilligo was walking peacefully around the packed parking lots with his friend, Chuck Costello, who was decked out in Phillies gear. Tom Gussen and his son Maxwell parked their car early, while the lot was still somewhat empty, got out and started throwing a football around -- father in his green Stewart Bradley Eagles jersey and son in a blue Eli Manning number. Jose and Stephanie Torre, New York natives who now live in Northeast Philly, grilled side-by-side -- him in his Gaints garb and her in her Eagles wear, talking trash with smiles on their faces.

Kenny Kortright was part of a crew of Giants fans who drove in from Long Island. They were just going to the football game, not both. Kortright is a Mets fan, so this year's World Series matchup is a special sort of personal pain for him. After some soul-searching, he said he decided to root for the Yankees, because the Met fan in him sees the Phillies as "arrogant" and he likes too many of the players on the Yankees -- Teixeira, Sabathia, Jeter and Rivera to name a few.

But Kortright and his pals were in town to see the Giants, and as of 11 a.m. they were feeling pretty good about things.

"I'm gonna say 40-17, Giants crush em," Kortright seriously predicted.

And then of course the Eagles won, 40-17, dominating the visitors from the outset and turning the parking lots into a place where Eagle fans could drive by Giant fans flapping their arms out the window and taunting.

"I got the score right," Kortright said between games. "But wrong team. Very disheartening."

In a way, the lopsided football score contributed to the peace that pervaded the late-afternoon portion of the tailgate extravaganza. With an outcome so decisive, what arguments were there to have? What, exactly, was there for the Giants fans to say?

"Go Yankees?" Larry Riefenberg offered.

Oh yeah. Larry Riefenberg. Of Danbury, Conn. If there was a dude who summed up this day, it was our man Larry. He and his friends rented an RV, hired a driver and left at 6 a.m. They hit no traffic and pulled into the parking lot between Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park around 9:30. They set up their grills and their beer coolers and their washer-toss game and settled in for a tailgate with their Philly-based attorney friends, who got them the tickets. As of 11 a.m., Riefenberg and Co. only had tickets to the football game, but they were at work on making it a doubleheader. As soon as they arrived, they connected with a ticket broker and began negotiating a price on some World Series Game Four tickets.

"Got to," Riefenberg said. "How many times do the stars align to where you're going to have a football game here and a World Series game 100 yards away?"

At 5 p.m., with the sun starting to go down and the chill starting to bite, Riefenberg snapped his cell phone shut and said, "We're in. We got 'em." He and two of the other guys in the RV had scored their Series tickets. They knew they were going to the game.

They didn't know much else, though. Like, where they were going to stay after it was over. Or how they were getting home. See, the rest of the RV crew was heading home. The vehicle pulled out of the lot at 6 p.m., bound for Danbury, with three of its original passengers grinning happily as they swigged Bass Ale and marveled at their good fortune. Riefenberg's friend, Arnie, was bemoaning the fact that he was now required to spend as much ($350) on his wife's birthday (Tuesday) as he did for his ticket. And there was some chatter about those little nagging issues of how they were going to find their way back to Connecticut. But all of that was drowned out by the fact that these guys were going to the World Series, and they were fired up about it.

"How can you not?" Arnie said, open arms raised to the red brick baseball stadium across the street from the RV's spot. "I mean, it's right here!"

Right here in the sports complex section of South Philadelphia. Which, for this Sunday at least, was the sports capital of the world.

Football, Baseball and Brotherly Love - Philadelphia Is Sports Heaven originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Eagles, Donovan McNabb Dismantle Struggling Giants

Matt Snyder — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, Giants, NFC East

Next week there will be a game between the two best teams in the NFC East, and it's not going to involve the defending division champion New York Giants. In beating the Giants to a pulp Sunday, 40-17, the Eagles -- and the Dallas Cowboys, who beat Seattle at home -- have sent the G-Men back to third place. New York has now lost three straight games, while the Eagles won their second in a row after an embarrassing loss in Oakland.

Leading the way for the Eagles was Donovan McNabb, who barely broke a sweat in destroying the Giants' patchwork secondary. He completed 17-of-23 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns. He continues to show a strong chemistry with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek, who combined for 11 catches, 186 yards and three scores.

More: Check Box Score | Cowboys Batter Seahawks | Rams Get It Done

Not having starting running back Brian Westbrook wasn't a problem for Philly, either, as fullback Leonard Weaver got loose for a 41-yard touchdown and shifty rookie LeSean McCoy added 82 yards and a 66-yard touchdown on 11 carries.

Eli Manning had a rough day for the Giants, completing just 20 of his 39 passes while throwing two interceptions. He was missing Mario Manningham and you have to give the Eagles' defense credit for playing a nearly flawless game against a quality opponent. Still, Manning was clearly the second-best quarterback on the field Sunday.

As I alluded to earlier, the Eagles square off against the Cowboys next week in a battle that will determine the division leader in the very competitive NFC East. The Giants will look to stop the bleeding against the Chargers at home.

So, let's see: the Eagles beat the Giants, Pearl Jam is playing The Spectrum and Game 4 of the World Series are all in one day in Philadelphia. While it may not always be sunny there, Philly is a pretty solid place to be on November 1, 2009.

Eagles, Donovan McNabb Dismantle Struggling Giants originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

NFL FanHouse Week 8 Chat Recap

Bruce Ciskie — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, Lions, Giants, Packers, Rams, Vikings, NFL Live Blogging

He's back, and it's stealing all of the headlines. It's going to be a highly emotional Sunday for many NFL fans, as former Detroit Lions defensive lineman James Hall makes his return to the Motor City as a member of the St. Louis Rams.

Oh, and Brett Favre is back in Green Bay. Not sure if you've heard about that one.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=8769b3a7a6" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;NFL FanHouse Week 8 Chat&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

NFL FanHouse Week 8 Chat Recap originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Studious Hakeem Nicks the Early Star of Rookie WR Class

Dan Graziano — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Giants, NFL Analysis

It was the fluke catch of the week. Sunday night at the Meadowlands, Giants rookie receiver Hakeem Nicks caught a tipped pass that had been intended for Mario Manningham and carried it all the way to the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown against the Cardinals. It was a shake-your-head play -- the kind the defense can write off as an excusable miracle, a bizarre bounce, nothing more than pure luck.

But they say luck is the residue of design, and the people who know Hakeem Nicks say that design is a huge part of his game. Coaches and teammates past and present describe Nicks as an intensely studious, hyper-prepared player who obsesses over his playbook and game scripts and would rather talk about route-running than anything else. Knowing Nicks means knowing that the seeds of that Sunday night play were planted years ago at Independence High School in Charlotte, N.C., where a coach named Tommy Knotts drills 16- and 17-year-old kids on something even NFL coaches struggle to get across -- the importance of film study.

"I was fortunate enough to play for a high school that was No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation," Nicks said. "And our coach, that was his big thing -- understanding the importance of the film. I didn't look too far down the line with it, but it definitely prepared me for the college game. I felt like I had a head start when I got there."

A starter as a true freshman, Nicks blossomed into a superstar at the University of North Carolina. This past April, the Giants selected him with the No. 29 pick in the NFL Draft. At the time, Giants coach Tom Coughlin said the team had received positive reports about Nicks not just as an athlete but as a hard off-the-field worker and a leader in the meeting room because of his study habits and his knowledge of the game.

"He's an attentive young guy that wants to be good," Coughlin said last week. "Anybody that wants to be good and is willing to pay the price, I normally like."

Since overcoming an early season injury, Nicks has moved quickly up the Giants' depth chart, emerging as a reliable target for Eli Manning and something of a co-No. 2 receiver with Manningham behind Steve Smith. He's caught a touchdown pass in four straight games, and among a rookie WR class that includes six guys taken in the first round, he's creating a blueprint for how to succeed in the NFL as a rookie receiver.

"It's about going out there and doing everything perfectly at full speed, and he's learned that already," Manning said. "That gets you on the field."

Wide receiver is not a position at which it's easy to have success right away in the pros. Giants fans remember the frustration of watching Amani Toomer take two or three years before he knew his routes. No less a light than Jerry Rice struggled to adjust at the beginning. But when you watch somebody like Michael Crabtree sit out for months over a contract dispute and then have the debut he had Sunday, or somebody like Jeremy Maclin have the impact he's had already in Philadelphia, you can identify the common thread and the keys to speeding up the learning curve. These guys are playbook savants with killer study habits and an appreciation of the extent to which preparedness can help them success. Hakeem Nicks is the ultimate example.

"Hakeem has the passion and the drive to be good," North Carolina head coach Butch Davis said in a phone interview this week. "So it's easy for him to buy into the mindset that if you want more, you have to do more. He really embodies all that stuff, and you see it in the mindset that you've really got to be a film-room junkie."

The biggest problem rookie receivers face in making the jump from college to the NFL lies in the deceptiveness of the defenses they face -- the length of time for which secondaries will disguise coverages, giving away as little as possible until the last split-second before the snap. Speed, athleticism, great hands ... first-round WRs have all of these things. The physical part of the game isn't the toughest part of the adjustment. It's figuring out what defenses are going to try and how to attack them once you have the information. The thing that makes Nicks successful is that he has the information.

"He's big on knowing what the defender's going to do, because he's studied it and he can tell you in a New York second," North Carolina receivers coach Charlie Williams said in a phone interview. "Hakeem is going to be on the same page as that quarterback, and he knows he's going to be able to beat you."

Example. Two weeks ago, in garbage time of a blowout loss in New Orleans, David Carr had taken over for Manning as quarterback. Nicks ran a go route and found the defense in a Cover 2. Carr said most receivers, finding that, will give up on their routes. But he and Nicks had been talking all game, watching the Saints' defense and realizing that the safety was "tight" in the Cover 2 -- meaning he'd be late in getting over to the numbers to cover Nicks if he kept running as fast as he could. Which he did, and Carr hit him for a touchdown.

"He was flying, because he knew he had a chance," Carr said. "And that's something a lot of guys wouldn't do, even older guys."

For Nicks, that touchdown came right out of a midweek film room.

"That definitely came from film," Nicks said. "The coaches put a lot of emphasis on that when we watched (the Saints) on film."

The trick, of course, is to remember it on Sundays. But when you're the kind of guy who walks out of the film room and keeps talking -- all week -- about what you learned in there, you're the kind of guy who remembers on Sundays.

"This guy, every time you walk up to him off the field, the initial conversation is about some kind of route he ran that day," Carr said. "You have to get through that, then you can talk to him about what's going on in his life. But he'd rather talk about something he saw on the film. It's almost like it's ingrained in him somehow, like he learned at an early age that he's got to do his job right."

He did. And as he's grown older, Nicks has maintained and strengthened his belief in the connection between the work he does off the field and the success he has on it. His teammates and coaches marvel and appreciate.

"It reiterates to the other guys on the team how important it is," Williams said. "Now some of our young guys are starting to get it -- what it takes to be a pro -- because they have a living example of somebody who did it the right way, who paid attention to the right things and now he's playing for the New York Giants on Sundays. That's invaluable for a coach."

Back at Chapel Hill, Williams and Davis would tell their kids to watch the tape of Nicks' miracle catch from Sunday night. The play was for Manningham, half a field away from where Nicks was running his route, and Nicks knew that. He knew where all of his teammates and all of his opponents were supposed to be on the field, and he raced over toward Manningham's side, thinking he could maybe make a helpful block. As he ran over, he saw the ball in the air, and so he took it, and he ended up with a touchdown. Lucky play? Sure. But a receiver who hadn't paid attention all week might not have been in position to be so lucky.

"He's got great football instincts, and that's mainly the result of the work he puts in," Davis said. "That doesn't surprise me, that he got a touchdown because he was hustling over to make a block."

Didn't surprise Nicks either. He's just doing what he's been doing since high school. It's still working because Nicks never stops working.

"I think I'm just me being me out there," Nicks said. "It's just built in me to go hard every play. I like working hard and outworking my opponent."

Studious Hakeem Nicks the Early Star of Rookie WR Class originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Suddenly Slumping Giants Slip Back to NFC East Pack

Dan Graziano — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:05:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, NFL Analysis

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- This was to have been the Giants' get-right game. Sure, New Orleans beat them up last week, but the Saints are an undefeated team that was coming off a bye week and playing at home. The Giants spent the week shrugging off that loss and promising to be better this week at home against the Cardinals. The defense promised more blitzing and less trepidation. The offense promised to be sharper. To a man, the Giants were certain they'd come up with a big win Sunday night over the reigning NFC champs...and then they lost.

"For whatever reason, we've had two weeks in a row now where one area has not performed very well," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "So, back to the drawing board."

And back, whether they like it or not, into a three-team NFC East tussle where there's no clear favorite -- not even them.

More: Cards Flip the Script on Giants | Eagles Look to Close in on First Place

Through five weeks, the Giants stood 5-0 and appeared to be in control of the division. Preseason predictions about the Eagles as a serious threat and the Cowboys as sleeper faded. The Giants weathered injuries, showcased their depth and simply crushed second-rate opponents such as Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland. Safety Kenny Phillips went down. Defensive end Justin Tuck played hurt. Brandon Jacobs dealt strangely with some confusing an undefined emotional issues regarding his running style versus Ahmad Bradshaw's. But it was all okay, because the Giants looked like a team built to handle all of it.

But with Week 7 just about in the books, the picture looks a lot different. The Giants are now 5-2. The Cowboys are 4-2. And once they plaster the sad-sack Redskins tonight in the Eagles will be 4-2 and ready to host the Giants next Sunday in the first game of a NY/Philly football/baseball doubleheader sure to set records for profane Northeast sports fan trash talk.

"Am I concerned?" Tuck asked. "I'm not the kind of guy who gets concerned in Week 7. The last time we lost two games in a row this early in the season, we ended up being Super Bowl champs."

There remain enough players in this Giants locker room from the 2007-08 title team that they feel they can trade on that. The Giants carry themselves with a champion's confidence because, well, a lot of them are champions. They're entitled to the perspective that comes with that.

The problem is, this year's Giants team has yet to prove anything. The 5-0 record was a mirage. They opened with a shaky win over a terrible Washington team. They gave up 250 rushing yards to the Cowboys in Week 2 and would have lost but for a couple of dumb late Dallas decisions. And then they rolled three of the worst teams in the league. Now that they're playing teams like New Orleans and Arizona, the shortcomings are showing up:

-The young receivers, Mario Manningham in particular, still drop too many passes. Teams continue to crowd up front to stop Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, daring Eli Manning to beat them in the passing game. Sunday night, Manning couldn't do it. Sometimes he struggled with his reads with safeties in the box. Sometimes he hit a guy in the hands and saw him drop it. Three times, he couldn't get the play off in time and got called for delay of game. Other than a miracle play on which rookie Hakeem Nicks caught a deflected pass and ran it in for a 62-yard touchdown, the passing game did nothing Sunday night. And the running game, thanks to an aggressive Arizona defense that was determined to stop it, remained stuck in the mud.

-Teams are able to gain yards down the field against the middle of the Giants' defense. Phillips' absence is being felt, as are those of defensive tackle Chris Canty, linebacker Michael Boley and cornerback Aaron Ross. The defense made more plays Sunday than it did the week before in New Orleans, but it didn't do enough to stop the Cardinal receivers and, perhaps more distressingly, rookie Cardinals running back Beanie Wells.

-The punting game was off! 84-year veteran Jeff Feagles had a rotten game, averaging just 34.3 yards per punt. Coughlin took the blame for that, saying he instructed Feagles to make sure to kick the ball out of bounds and away from Cardinals return man Steve Breaston, but Feagles said he always tries to kick the ball out of bounds and needs to do a better job.

It's all part of a weird and surprisingly substandard vibe the Giants are giving off the past couple of weeks. After two years as a dominant NFC force, they have looked lately like a team that still has a ways to go before we can call it a Super Bowl contender.

"We have to find a way to rebound and get back to where we were at the beginning of the season," defensive end Osi Umenyiora said. "This was a game we should have won."

The Cardinals, who have won the NFC title more recently than the Giants have, beg to differ. And the Giants' next six games are against the Eagles, Chargers, Falcons, Broncos, Cowboys and Eagles again -- teams whose combined record is 20-9. The Giants suddenly look vulnerable. They've succeeded in turning the NFC East into a real race when they didn't have to. And they enter Week 8 of the NFL season with just as much to prove as any other team in the league.

Suddenly Slumping Giants Slip Back to NFC East Pack originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Cardinals Flip Script on Giants

Dan Graziano — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:18:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona Cardinals, Giants, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- They flew all over the field all night, racing to the ball, harassing the opposing quarterback with a variety of aggressive blitzes. The defense was disruptive, deep and energetic, and the main reason its team won the game. All of this was to be expected, of course...just not from this particular team.

On this night, it was the Arizona Cardinals beating the New York Giants at the latter's own game, forcing four turnovers and out-muscling Big Blue 24-17 on national TV in the swamps of Jersey.

"We definitely fed off our defense tonight," Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner said.

More: Check Box Score | Standings

Teams that go to the Super Bowl don't generally fly under the radar, but these particular defending NFC champion Cardinals seem to have done just that in 2009. They lost two of their first three games, dumping a division game to San Francisco in their opener and getting throttled by the apparently invincible Colts in Week 3. Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said last week he felt his team struggled in the early part of the season with their own expectations -- that his players felt too much pressure to live up to the title of NFC champs.

But since the Week 4 bye, things have gone extremely well for Arizona. The Cardinals have won three in a row, the last two on the road, each win more impressive than the one that preceded it. This one Sunday night against the Giants moved the Cardinals back into first place by themselves in the NFC West and stamped them as a legitimate threat to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl for a second year in a row.

"When something bad happens to us," Warner said, "we respond."

Most impressive, though, is the fact that they seem to be better now at the areas in which they were deficient last year. Sure, they still live to throw the ball. They are a pass-first team, and they dare you to try to outscore them. But with star receiver Anquan Boldin banged up and an angry Giants defense staring them down across the line, Arizona knew it would need to be multi-dimensional to win this game.

Enter the defense, anchored by linebacker Karlos Dansby and aggressive, opportunistic safeties Adrian Wilson and Antrel Rolle. They intercepted Eli Manning three times, sacked him three times and hassled him all night, forcing delay-of-game penalties and keeping the Giants' offense from ever getting on track.

"We have to give credit to them," Manning said. "We had too many third-and-longs and not enough positive plays. Too many three-and-outs."

Music to the ears of a Cardinals defense that's used to playing in the shadows of a high-flying offense -- and doesn't feel it should have to.

"Everybody wants to talk about how much we score, how much we pass, but we really feel like we have one of the best defenses in the league," Boldin said. "They're aggressive and they make plays when the plays are there for them to make."

Last week in Seattle, the Cardinals put the Seahawks to sleep with a variety of pressure packages that overwhelmed a shredded offensive line. This week, the Giants' offensive line was slightly undermanned (right tackle Kareem McKenzie was injured and did not play, breaking New York's NFL-record streak of 38 consecutive games with the same offensive line and quarterback starting together), but there was no way the Giants could lay the blame on that. Rookie right tackle Will Beatty wasn't the only lineman who got beaten by a swarming Cardinal defense that seemed to show up in the backfield on every play.

"Oh no, no, they brought people from all over," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "They are a pressure defense. I'm not exactly sure who was at fault or if there was anyone who was at fault. There was pressure all night."

On the other side of the ball, Arizona showcased a new weapon. Rookie running back Beanie Wells ran for 67 yards on 14 carries -- 10 more carries than starter Tim Hightower got. Wells used a vicious stiff-arm to aid his first career touchdown run in the second quarter (and liked it so much he kept using it, with varying degrees of success, for the rest of the night). His totals weren't eye-popping, but for a rookie coming off the bench for a team that called 36 passes and 22 runs, they were significant, and bear watching going forward.

"Beanie did a great job of running downhill, getting some yards after contact, keeping the pile moving," Warner said of Wells. "I think we've seen that since day one, what he can do with the ball in his hands."

He's another weapon, and they've got a ton of them. Larry Fitzgerald (six catches, 83 yards) still plays for Arizona, lest anyone forget. And Boldin picked up 75 yards on a bad ankle. All the characters you remember from the team that led the Super Bowl in the final minutes are still around. But the Cardinals just came into Giants Stadium and won a football game with their defense and a running back.

If you're looking for contenders in the NFC as the halfway point approaches, that makes it worth remembering the team that's actually defending the title.

Cardinals Flip Script on Giants originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Sunday Night Football Live Chat: Arizona Cardinals vs. New York Giants

Adam Gretz — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona Cardinals, Giants, NFL Live Blogging

We have an exciting matchup on Sunday night as Eli Manning and the New York Giants host Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and the defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals. We'll be chatting about all of the action -- and the rest of Sunday's slate of games -- starting at 8:15 PM ET, so please, stop on by and join us.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=&amp;amp;quot;http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=8d89afeebf&amp;amp;quot; &amp;amp;amp;gt;Sunday NIght Football Live Chat&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Sunday Night Football Live Chat: Arizona Cardinals vs. New York Giants originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Richard Seymour: Giants 'Got What They Deserved' in Blowout Loss to Saints

Chris Burke — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Giants, Raiders

After the Giants rolled Oakland 44-7 in Week 5, New York linebacker Antonio Pierce spoke rather candidly about the easy victory, saying that the game felt like a "scrimmage" and that "there was no vibe of trying or effort from the Raiders at all from a defensive standpoint."

Not surprisingly, Pierce's comments didn't sit well with the Raiders -- particularly Oakland defensive end Richard Seymour, who enjoyed a little schadenfreude after New Orleans pummeled the Giants in Week 6.

"They got what they deserved this week," Seymour said to the Daily News about the Giants' 48-27 loss to the Saints. "I'm not sure how many points the Saints scored on them, but if I'm not mistaken, it was about half a hundred points. [Pierce]'s got enough to chew on with that."

Whether or not Pierce's bulletin-board fodder deserves any credit, the Raiders' defense -- which Pierce also said lacked emotion and guidance -- stuffed Philadelphia in Week 6, holding the potent Eagles offense to just three field goals in a 13-9 Oakland win.

Oakland's D was so impressive in that performance, in fact, that the Eagles were left scratching their heads after.

"They did some things that we weren't really expecting, some stuff that they didn't really show the first couple of games," Philadelphia right tackle Winston Justice told FanHouse's Nancy Gay. "And we were caught by surprise."

Seymour's comments probably won't land with the force that Pierce's rant did -- the Giants are, after all, still 5-1 and atop the NFC East. They host the Cardinals on Sunday.

Oakland, meanwhile, bumped its record up to 2-4 with the Philadelphia victory. And remarkably, that puts the Raiders within one game of playoff positioning in the AFC as they get ready to host the Jets in Week 7.

Richard Seymour: Giants 'Got What They Deserved' in Blowout Loss to Saints originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Cardinals Still Doing It Their Way

Dan Graziano — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:12:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona Cardinals, Giants, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis

When Justin Tuck showed up to watch film of the Arizona Cardinals this week, he was fired up. He knew what he was going to see -- Cardinals QB Kurt Warner sitting behind his line, taking forever to get rid of the ball while a swarm of receivers ran their routes downfield.

"I was licking my chops," said Tuck, the Giants' defensive end. "But then I went in there and...he's not holding the ball as long as he used to. We're looking at an average of 2.2 seconds, which is a drastic change."

You wouldn't think the Cardinals would have to change much, playing in the weak NFC West and coming off a season in which they represented the NFC in the Super Bowl. But starting with an opening-week loss to the surprisingly game division-rival 49ers, the Cardinals found life as defending conference champs to be tougher than they thought it would be.

"The hardest thing that we have had to deal with is expectations," Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said Wednesday. "Not necessarily from outside sources, but from our own guys trying to live up to the reputation of an NFC champion. I think that caused us to press a little bit too much early in the season, play a little too uptight."

That was Whisenhunt's message to his team during their Week 4 bye, when they were 1-2 and coming off a Sunday night thrashing by the Colts on national TV. The Cardinals came out of the bye and beat the Texans in a shootout, then went to Seattle last week and posted their most impressive victory of the season so far. Now, as they ready to face the 5-1 Giants on Sunday night in the Meadowlands, the 3-2 Cardinals look a lot more like the team that left the rest of the NFC in the dust last January.

"After our bye week, we've just been trying to get back to playing the way we played last year in the playoffs," Whisenhunt said. "That is with a little more looseness, a little more excitement."

Excitement is, of course, the Cardinals' specialty. They run as pass-heavy an offense as there is in the league, relying on the arm of the veteran Warner and the downfield skills of receivers Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. They rank sixth in the league in passing yards per game and dead last in rush yards per game, and they make no apologies for the discrepancy.

"You have to play to your strengths," Warner said. "If we go into a game and we're having trouble running the ball, we feel good about throwing. It puts more pressure on that part of the game, but we feel we're pretty good at it."

The Giants are coming off a game in which the Saints threw all over their banged-up secondary and kept pressure off quarterback Drew Brees with a variety of play-action calls. But when asked if playing New Orleans can get you ready to play Arizona, they all said the Cardinals' offense is unique. And the main reason it seems to be unique, as simple as this sounds, is the quality of the athletes it uses.

"When they get in their rhythm, honestly I think it's just the receivers that they've got," Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said. "A lot of times, when they throw the ball up there, they're covered. And they just make the great plays on the ball. So when you've got guys you can trust like that with a good quarterback, that makes it tough on a defense."

The Cardinals come into this weekend banged up. Boldin is struggling with an ankle injury and didn't practice Wednesday. Breaston has been fighting a knee injury all season. But don't make the mistake of thinking they're going to show up on your TV on Sunday night and start running the ball into the line with Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells. The Cardinals are what they are -- they throw the ball. And then they throw it some more.

"It's a different style, no doubt," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "All four receivers are involved. The tight end is involved. The backs -- Tim Hightower is their third-leading receiver. They have excellent distribution. The ball is spread around real good."

Oh, and there's that little detail about how much quicker Warner is getting rid of the ball than he did last year. An idea at which Warner laughed.

"It goes year to year," Warner said. "If I'm successful, people say I'm getting the ball out quick. If I'm not successful, people say I'm holding the ball too long. I don't feel that I'm doing anything better. Maybe our scheme, maybe the way our receivers are playing helps me get the ball out quicker. I don't have any evidence to say one way or the other."

What Warner and the Cardinals have is a 3-2 record and a level of confidence that is moving in the right direction -- from where it was after the Colts beat them up in Week 3 and headed back toward where it was when they had a lead on the Steelers in the final minutes of the Super Bowl. Will it get all the way back there? No way to know. But one thing's for certain. If they do get back there, the Cardinals are going to do it by throwing the ball.

Cardinals Still Doing It Their Way originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Adrian Peterson Shoes, Giants vs. Saints, Mike Ditka: NFL Live Tweet

Michael David Smith — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:25:00 EST

Filed under: Giants, Saints, Vikings

Adrian Peterson told ESPN the shoes in his closet are worth $200,000. The shoes in my closet aren't worth $200.

I thought going into today the Saints were the best team in the NFL. Nothing I've seen vs the Giants changes my mind.

Mike Ditka turns 70 today. My favorite Ditka video is here.

Those are among the observations I've made on Twitter during this NFL Sunday, and if you want more observations on all of Sunday's NFL action, follow along below or follow me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith.

Twitter Updates on NFL

NFL on Twitter

Adrian Peterson Shoes, Giants vs. Saints, Mike Ditka: NFL Live Tweet originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse Preview: Giants at Saints

R.J. White — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Giants, Saints, FanHouse Previews

Two undefeated teams enter, one leaves with a win and the unquestioned title of NFC Favorite. This is what football is all about.

Brother Eli and the G-Men travel to the Superdome with Super aspirations in mind. Coach Sean Payton has put the "S" back in Saints, and New Orleans will look to extend a four-game winning streak that has been matched just three times in Saints history.

There's a very good chance (barring late-season mojo from Grandfather Time) that this Week 6 matchup will end up being a preview of the NFC Championship game in January, which makes it by all accounts the game of the week.

Three Key Questions:

1. How's the foot, Eli?

2. Will the New Orleans defense stand strong against their biggest challenge yet?

3. With Michael Boley, Chris Canty, and Aaron Ross out, has the Giants' plan of building defensive depth paid off?

Player in the Spotlight: Jeremy Shockey. Drafted by the Giants and traded to the Saints, Shockey is probably the person best acquitted with the workings of both teams. He's the type of player that competes with a chip on his shoulder, so expect him to be primed and ready to go. He'll need to be at his best; Giants cornerback Corey Webster has quickly turned into one of the league's best shutdown corner, weekly taking the opposing team's best receiver out of the picture. Sorry, Marques Colston fans. With Lance Moore having showed nothing to this point, that puts much of the pressure on Shockey to carry the load on the receiving end.

New York's Path to Victory: It's amazing that although the Giants have been ahead in games for much of the season, they still boast the best passing defense in the league. Even when opposing teams must go strictly to the air, the Giants still give up virtually nothing. Against Drew Brees and the Saints, you'd be foolish to expect to contain the pass for 60 minutes. The key will be to exploit replacement left tackle Jermon Bushrod in obvious passing situations, get pressure on Brees, and force the Saints' punting team on the field. The New Orleans defense is much improved, but the Giants offense will get theirs. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw could be the best 1-2 punch in the league at the running back position. But to win, the Giants have to limit the scoring chances of New Orleans.

New Orleans' Path to Victory: Knowing how well the passing offense did in 2008 and seeing the Saints as the No. 1 scoring team in the land, you would expect that a pass-dominant offense has led the way for New Orleans. But this has been the second-best rushing offense in the league this season (compared to being the 11th-ranked passing offense), and with early-season wonder Mike Bell ready to return to action, this group is capable of cycling fresh runners throughout the game. While the Giants are scared of Brees' arm, the New Orleans offense must commit to a rushing attack that has worked well all season. Once they can get Eli Manning into catch-up mode, the playbook is opened up for defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Prediction: The only prediction you can be sure of here is that we'll be watching a great game featuring two well-prepared teams that play great football. The Superdome crowd will be ready to will their team to victory in this game if they must. With two weeks to prepare for this contest, I'd give the upper hand to the Saints. New Orleans 30, New York 24.

FanHouse Preview: Giants at Saints originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Easy Eli Always Rises to the Occasion

Thomas George — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Giants, Saints, NFL Quarterbacks

Growing up in New Orleans behind older brothers Cooper and Peyton, Eli Manning was probably going to hate sports, his parents thought. He was dragged along to their games but still managed to create his own brand of football competitiveness.

When the Giants reached for him in the 2004 draft, he initially sat behind Kurt Warner. Once he became the starter in Week 11, his 0-6 streak of games ended with a victory over Dallas in Week 17. On the last play of the game. On an audible. A run he called, a draw play to Tiki Barber with no Giants timeouts remaining.

Right then the Giants knew they had a quarterback with a degree of smarts and courage.

But he would be pricked and slashed for his hang-dog look, his ho-hum veneer that Giants fans once abhorred. Manning focused on being calm, on getting better. He has traveled to San Diego and met demons there in the city and franchise he spurned for the glitz of New York. He has stared down Tom Brady when Brady was 18-0 and when a championship for both was in reach.

And when the Giants, entering this season, jettisoned both of his starting receivers and gave him a fresh-faced crew of pass catchers to mold, challenging him to be everything the $106.9 million contract they awarded him should entail, this was his answer:

"You can count on me."

And Eli Manning counts on himself.

His poker style of football, of quarterbacking -- keep 'em away, keep 'em out, hang low, keep it simple, say as much as you can in a little and wait until game day and then there unleash it all -- has served him well.

He goes home to New Orleans on Sunday. It will be his first game in the Superdome. He is pitted against big-play Saints quarterback Drew Brees. He strolls into the belly of a swarming Saints defense.

ZZZZzzzzzzzzz.

Somebody wake up Eli Manning when kickoff arrives.

"Eli does not share much," his father, Archie, said. "And what he shares, he shares real briefly. But I can just tell. He's excited about coming home to play. We were at his game against Oakland in New York on last Sunday. We went over to his place after the game. He was excited to win. He was happy he overcame his foot injury. I know he is looking forward to playing here. It is a big deal for the Saints and all of the people here."

Archie Manning should know. The former Saints quarterback has lived in New Orleans for the last 38 years.

"This game is going to be kind of different," he said. "Peyton has played here with the Colts before. Cooper and Peyton played in high school all-star games in the Superdome. But Eli has never had the chance to get in there. It's his sixth year with the Giants. He's taken his lumps. He's gotten them into the playoffs every year he's been the starter for the full season. Eli is a pocket passer. I always feel if you are not a runner or scrambler, you need to be a good cerebral quarterback and have that approach to the game. To me, that's Peyton's greatest characteristic. He does not hold on to it. You got to know what's going on. It's a complex game. Eli loves his life and he loves New York. He loves playing football."

The Giants and their fans have learned to love him.

What is not to love about a 5-0 record and a perfect passer rating in his last game? About 10 touchdown passes compared with 2 interceptions this season? About a 64 percent completion percentage? About the toughness, the leadership, the snappy two-minute-drill tangos and his willingness to embrace a place that is so brash when he is so subdued?

This is what people are saying about Eli Manning's game:

He is putting the ball in the right spots. He sees the field. He is finding second, third and fourth options on routes. He is in a zone. He knows the system. He looks like he is playing everything in second-nature fashion. He is throwing the ball to the right places. He showed his teammates his toughness by starting against the Raiders despite his foot injury, by starting in a game his team likely would have won without him.

Giants opponents have infused their defense with eight- and nine-men fronts hoping to take away the Giants' stout run game and forcing Manning to make plays. You beat us, they are challenging him. And, so, he has.

The Saints will likely challenge him in similar ways.

The man who made Manning a Giant nearly six years ago expects Manning to have answers.

"I am sure this game is meaningful to him," said Ernie Accorsi, the Giants' former general manager. "I was at the Oakland game. He's come a long way. He is doing the things that pay off for a quarterback. The talent was always there early on but his head was spinning. Now he is in control of the game. I just watch his body movement. He is seeing receivers immediately and getting the ball there before the defense has a chance to react. You don't see this from most quarterbacks early in their careers and sometimes you never see it in some. Eli is seeing it, throwing it. I never saw a receiver open on Sunday that he did not throw to that he should have thrown to.

"He has handled all of the criticism well. In his first year or two we were both getting it. It was really bad. I felt bad for him. He handled it. He never flinched."

He is battle-tested.

He is not going to shiver about Brees, the Dome, going home.

Manning knows there are more scores to settle. He has games left against quarterbacks Warner and Phillip Rivers and Matt Ryan and Brett Favre and two each against Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo.

He has many more situations to manage, more games to control. More calm to provide.

He has given that calm to his young receivers through their drops and through their circus catches. He is not a screamer or a yeller, yet, he plays the game with the focus of an assassin.

He is not the NFL's best quarterback.

But he is the best at killing you softly.

So, here comes Brees and the Saints monster defense and a big show in his hometown.

Eli Manning has the stomach for it.

Easy Eli Always Rises to the Occasion originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Week 6 NFL Picks: Giants-Saints Monster Not Critical to Either Team

Dave Goldberg — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Giants, Saints, NFL Predictions

And so we bring you this week's "Game of the Century.'' The unbeaten Giants at the unbeaten Saints, with nearly the hype of the Game of the Century two weeks ago, when Brett Favre dissected his former team.

Yes, it's an interesting matchup. Yes, it will get nice ratings for Fox. Although it's an early game rather than a late-afternoon start or a prime-timer, as it might have been if the NFL had realized the Saints would be as good as they are. And yes, the hype includes Jeremy Shockey's first game against the team he whined his way of off and Eli Manning's return to his hometown for his first game ever at the Superdome.

But remember that the loser will be either 5-1 (Giants) or 4-1 and still in command of their division _ the Giants' wins over the Redskins and Cowboys are more important in the long run that the result against New Orleans.

The Saints are favored by three, which means the oddsmakers thinks the teams are even -- the Giants would be favored by three if the game was in the Meadowlands.

This game also demonstrates the silliness of the early-season rankings on offense and defense. Especially this early in the season.

The Giants are ranked first on defense and first against the pass, allowing only 104.6 yards passing per game. The Saints, who were 23rd last season in yards allowed, are sixth this year, a stat said to reflect the hiring of Gregg Williams as the defensive coordinator.

But maybe those stats are phony.

The last three Giants wins are over three terrible teams: Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland. The Saints' victims include Detroit and Buffalo.

So this very well could be an offensive game.

Giants at Saints

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
New York Giants		27
New Orleans Saints	- 3	31

Let's go with the "due to lose'' theory, although the Vikings would be more due if this wasn't at the Metrodome.

Ravens at Vikings

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
Baltimore Ravens		20
Minnesota Vikings	- 3	19

The Titans are due to win. But maybe we just have to accept the fact that they're bad.

Titans at Patriots

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
Tennessee TItans		16
New England Patriots	- 9	31

It's still not clear if either team is elite or just OK.

Bears at Falcons

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
Chicago Bears		20
Atlanta Falcons	- 3	24

Last year, the Chargers came from three games back with three games to go to win the AFC West. That will be hard this year because the Broncos play defense. If San Diego loses, they're 3 1-2 games down. Broncos due to lose, although I've been saying that for three weeks.

Broncos at Chargers

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
Denver Broncos		19
San Diego Chargers	- 3	20

Texans at Bengals

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
Houston Texans		19
Cincinnati Bengals	- 5	21

Eagles at Raiders

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
Philadelphia Eagles	- 14	44
Oakland Raiders		7

Chiefs at Redskins

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
Kansas City Chiefs		8
Washington Redskins	- 6 1/2	9

Browns at Steelers

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
Clevland Browns		20
Pittsburgh Steelers	- 14	28

Panthers at Bucs

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
Carolina Panthers	- 3	10
Tampa Bay Bucs		13

Bills at Jets

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
Buffalo Bills		7
New York Jets	- 10	27

Lions at Packers

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
Detroit Lions		24
Green Bay Packers	- 13	34

Cardinals at Seahawks

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
Arizona Cardinals		20
Seattle Seahawks	- 3	27

Rams at Jaguars

Team	Pointspread	Projected Score
St. Louis Rams		10
Jacksonville Jaguars	- 9 1/2	27

LAST WEEK: 7-7 (spread), 9-5 (straight up)

SEASON: 43-33 (spread) 52-24 (straight up)

Week 6 NFL Picks: Giants-Saints Monster Not Critical to Either Team originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

NFL FanHouse Week 6 Preview Chat

Bruce Ciskie — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Broncos, Giants, Saints, Vikings, NFL Fans, NFL Live Blogging

The battle of unbeatens in New Orleans will certainly get a lot of attention heading into Sunday's games.

Since the Giants and Saints don't look like they're going to fade away, there's a really good chance that they'll play a more important game in January, but this is a pretty big one.

It's not the only game being played Sunday. The NFL's two other unbeatens who are playing Sunday face real tests. Read the chat recap after the jump.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=74a87f2d94" &amp;gt;NFL Week 6 Live Chat&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

NFL FanHouse Week 6 Preview Chat originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Between the Lines: Keeping the Line Together Pays Off

JJ Cooper — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: 49ers, Chicago Bears, Bills, Buccaneers, Jets, Giants, NFL Analysis

As we have done since the FanHouse began, I'll be taking a look every week at some aspect of line play. You can read more features in the series here. Check back every Thursday for a new Between The Lines.

It probably wouldn't surprise you to know that offensive line continuity is a good thing , but you may not realize just how important it is.

After looking at the first month of the season, it seems pretty clear that if you can keep your offensive line together, there's a pretty good chance you'll be a winner.

Five weeks into the NFL season, only 10 teams have started the same five offensive linemen every week. Of those 10 teams, seven have winning records including the surprising Bears. 49ers and Jets and the undefeated Giants. Combined those 10 teams are 28-18 this year.Of the six teams who have had five or more games missed or played out of position by members of their original starting five, none have a winning record--including the disappointing Packers, Chargers and Seahawks. Together those six teams are 10-18.

Admittedly offensive line shakeups can partly be explained by a team's failure--teams with trouble are much more likely to bench an offensive lineman than a team that keeps on winning. But it's fair to say that the Packers' problems really began the minute that starting left tackle Chad Clifton went down with an ankle injury. What had been an adequate line quickly turned into a disaster when guard Daryn Colledge was moved to tackle, center Jake Spitz was moved to guard and backup Sean Wells came in at center.

Five of the 10 teams who have started the same offensive line all year have allowed less than 10 sacks, including the Falcons (two sacks allowed) and Giants (three sacks allowed). None of the six teams with the most offensive line shakeups have allowed less than 10 sacks, including the league's worst Packers (20 sacks), Lions (17) and Raiders (15).

If you want one more example when a team with its original starting five has faced a team with a shakeup on the offensive line, the team with the original starting five is 16-9 this season.

Here's some other notes from looking at line play around the league.

o. He has some work to do which you would expect for a second-year quarterback but Bucs quarterback Josh Johnson is already one of the best scramblers in the league. Tampa Bay even ran the option with him on Sunday. With 4.4 speed, Johnson also has the ability to dance around in the pocket dodging pass rushers, just like Fran Tarkenton did in the 1960s and early 1970s. It also means that he sometimes holds onto the ball way longer than any quarterback should. Johnson held the ball for 12 seconds on a sack last week (the average sack happens only 2.7 seconds after the snap) and this week he had a sack where he ran around for nine seconds, although this one was nullified by an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Eagles.

o. There have been a lot of questions about Julius Peppers' effort this season, as we noted in a Between The Lines breakdown two weeks ago. But before this week's Redskins game, Panthers linebacker Jon Beason called out Peppers' lack of effort. Peppers seemed to listen as he picked up two sacks and a safety. In rewatching that game Peppers still isn't playing with the all-out fire of a Jared Allen, but he did show significantly better effort against the Redskins than he did against the Panthers.

o. The Bills have to rank as one of the most disappointing teams in the league this year, and if you're looking for a reason you need to look no further than the offensive line. Buffalo traded away Jason Peters and drafted three rookies who were immediately inserted into the offensive line.

The three rookies have been OK, but the Bills have been a complete disaster at offensive tackle. Left tackle Demetrius Bell has allowed four sacks. Right tackle (and fill-in left tackle) Jonathan Scott has allowed 3.5 sacks while fill-in right tackle Kirk Chambers allowed 2.5. Those 10 sacks allowed are as many as half the league have allowed as teams.

Between the Lines: Keeping the Line Together Pays Off originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Giants' Antonio Pierce: Playing Raiders Felt Like a 'Scrimmage'

Chris Burke — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Giants, Raiders

Week 5's Raiders-Giants game may go down as the biggest mismatch of the entire NFL season. New York led 28-0 without breaking a sweat and cruised to a 44-7 victory against an absolutely pitiful Oakland squad.

And if it looked easy for the Giants -- well, that's because it was. Linebacker Antonio Pierce told Fox Sports' Alex Marvez that last Sunday's game felt like a "scrimmage".

"I do not like knocking teams. But right now, they're struggling. We're playing that game the other day and, honestly, it felt like a scrimmage, like a practice," Pierce said. "It felt like we were going against our offense [in a controlled setting] as far as the tempo."

Pierce, who admitted to growing up a Raiders fan, continued:

"There was no vibe of trying or effort from the Raiders at all from a defensive standpoint against their offense. We're getting three-and-outs. You don't hear nobody [saying], 'Hey, let's go!' trying to pick the guys up, rallying them, getting guys fired up. There was nothing. It was quiet. A guy gets sacked or somebody gets beat, they just get up. It's not like there's yelling or no kind of [emotion] about the way they were playing.

"It was shocking to be out there in that game and get that kind of feeling."

Exactly none of this should come as a surprise. The Raiders are an absolute disaster right now -- from the possible Tom Cable felony assault charges, to the baffling Darrius Heyward-Bey draft pick, to JaMarcus Russell being a bum, there just isn't much for Oakland to cling to at the moment.

Only a Week 2 win over fellow AFC West bottom-scraper Kansas City has kept the Raiders from total meltdown this season (not to mention eliminated the otherwise-real possibility that Oakland would go 0-16).

The Cable situation, for the record, is not going away anytime soon. Despite Cable's insistence that his legal situation is not impacting the team, the results on the field speak otherwise -- Cable faces potential jail time if he's found guilty of assaulting assistant Randy Hanson, and Roger Goodell said Wednesday that Cable could face NFL discipline.

The Russell mess isn't clearing up, either. His $61 million contract runs through 2012, meaning Oakland will continue to force him into the starting lineup, and his backups, Charlie Frye and Bruce Gradkowski, wouldn't offer much relief anyway.

Times are bad in Oakland, and they aren't showing any signs of getting better.

"That organization right now, they need some guidance," Pierce told Fox Sports. "They need somebody to pick them up."

(h/t: GridironFans.com)

Giants' Antonio Pierce: Playing Raiders Felt Like a 'Scrimmage' originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Zebra Report: Refs Made Correct No-Call On Redskins' Costly Muffed Punt

Matt Snyder — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Giants, Panthers, Raiders, Ravens, Redskins, NFL Referees

Zebra Report is FanHouse's analysis of actual NFL rules and how they are to be applied ... because most fans think they could do a better job than the NFL officials, yet definitely could not. Click here for an introduction as to how we do things.

One week later and we know now that the league is mandating the roughing the passer calls we discussed last week. This past week, we also learned that the league admitted error on the Mike Sims-Walker touchdown we discussed, which should help to relieve some of the tension fans are carrying about a perceived lack of accountability. I was pleased to see the league's admission. Let's get to the reviews for this week.

Antwaan Randle El is contacted by his own teammate while trying to catch a punt -- the Panthers recovered the retained the football in the aftermath. As you can see in the youtube video below, Randle El's teammate was clearly blocked into him by a member of the Panthers coverage unit. Watch and see -- the play begins at the 3:22 mark.

After the game, referee Walt Coleman explained:

"What happened was, the two guys were blocking each other. The Washington guy got blocked into his own man, so there was no interference. All we had to figure out who touched it first. If the Washington player is stationary and just standing there and not trying to block, then he can't do that. If they are both trying to block, then he can knock him into him. Because they were both engaged, then that's why there wasn't a foul or anything wrong with that play. If the Washington player is stationary and just standing there and the Carolina player had come down there and knocked him, then it would have been totally different."

Coleman is referring to a very specific and important part of Rule 10-1-1-Item 1 (it's bolded):

It is interference if a player of the kicking team contacts the receiver, or causes a passive player of either team to contact the receiver, before or simultaneous to his touching the ball.

From watching the highlight, it is very clear the Redskins player was actively attempting (attempting being the operative word because he was being physically dominated) to block the Panthers' coverage man, so he was not passive in the least. Thus, there is no penalty for kick-catching interference and the officials made the correct call.

For what it's worth, Redskins head coach Jim Zorn now understands the call but stopped short of expressing regret in wasting a challenge on the play.

"It was very difficult at that particular time, he said. "I talked to NFL Vice President of Officiating Mike Pereira about that this morning about the rule. I read the paragraph in the rule book which talks about getting the opportunity to have a fair catch. It was explained within that paragraph what the problem was. I could have saved a timeout, but it was worth it for me to challenge. That was a key play in the game. I wasn't going to save a timeout for that. It was my duty, in my mind, to challenge that."

Reader Scott submitted this play for examination:

"On an extra point try (in the Bengals-Ravens game), the ball was snapped wide of the holder and a scramble ensued. Once the ball was recovered by a Ravens player, the play was whistled dead. However, this was all rendered moot because a flag was thrown for illegal procedure, lining up over center. What exactly does that mean and what is the rule? Second, is there ever a time that a defensive team can recover a ball during a point after or two-point conversion and attempt to score?"

First of all, thanks for the submission, Scott. Both parts of the question are cut-and-dry rules, though possibly not known to many fans.

Rule 7-2-2 - During a field-goal attempt or a Kick Try, a Team B player, who is within one yard of the line of scrimmage at the snap, must have his helmet outside the snapper's shoulder pads.

There could be some confusion here because in high school and all lower levels, you can line up directly over the center, you just have to give him the opportunity to raise his head after the snap before contacting him. The NFL probably just didn't want to deal with judging what a reasonable amount of time was for the snapper to raise his head. Trust me, there are plenty of high school teams who tell their snapper to never raise his head -- then complain he was roughed when someone waits two seconds before trying to break through.

As for the second part of the question ...

Rule 11-3-2c: If the defense gains possession, the ball is dead immediately. The defensive team cannot score during a Try.

The confusion here likely stems from college football, where the defense can return an extra point attempt for two points.

Justin Fargas fumbles as his forward progress is stopped ... or is it? You can check out the video in MDS' post about Darrius Heyward-Bey's blazing speed. Fortunately this play had no bearing on the outcome of the game, as the Giants stomped a mud-hole in the Raiders. The reason I say "fortunately" is because I believe the decision on when to blow the whistle on plays like this is the most difficult thing any official has to do during any given game. Blowing the whistle a millisecond too early or too late could gravely cost either team. If a team believes their ball-carrier was about to break free, it's the fault of the official. If the defense believes they caused a fumble before the progress was stopped, but a whistle was blown, it's the fault of the official.

I actually wrote more in depth about the difficulty of when to blow the whistle last season. I firmly believe this is one of those things where you truly don't know what it's like until you've experienced it (and if you have, you know what I'm talking about).

Got a rules-related question? Whether it's elementary, high school or NFL, email TZR and he'll see what he can do.

Zebra Report: Refs Made Correct No-Call On Redskins' Costly Muffed Punt originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Raiders Redefine Awful in 44-7 Loss

Dan Graziano — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:28:00 EST

Filed under: Giants, Raiders, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It's easy to believe Tom Cable when he says he's not worried about the possible criminal assault charges that could be coming his way. Honestly, even if he gets arrested, how bad could it be compared to coaching the Raiders?

Unless he's going to be sentenced to watch an endless loop of his team's 44-7 loss to the Giants (or worse, one single replay of Sunday's Bills-Browns game), Cable has to be thinking about heading up to Napa County first thing Monday morning and turning himself in. Because as embarrassing as the Raiders can be off the field in the middle of the week, they show up on Sundays and take humiliation to new, ever-darker levels.

More: Check Box Score | Manning Stellar in Short Appearance

This crime against football the Raiders committed Sunday at Giants Stadium was over before they parked their team bus. The Giants have practices that don't go this well. Seriously, pick the stat you think makes the Raiders look the worst:

More From NFL FanHouse
George: Broncos Land Big Blow Goldberg: Eagles Silently Cruising Gay: Singletary Sorry for Outburst Miles Austin's Record-Setting Day Should Chiefs Have Gone for 2? Redskins' O-Line a Disaster Browns Win Very Ugly

o. How about the 116 total yards and two touchdowns racked up by Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw ... in the first quarter? The one thing the Raiders actually did well in this game was stop Brandon Jacobs from forcing his way through the middle, but when the Giants put in Bradshaw, it was as if he were wearing some sort of magical jersey that made him impossible to see. Or, at least, to tackle.

o. Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell didn't throw any interceptions, but that's mainly because he so rarely got a pass off. He was sacked six times by five different Giants players (Justin Tuck got him twice) and lost three fumbles. All told, he completed eight of his 13 pass attempts for an even 100 yards -- the kind of performance only Derek Anderson could admire.

o. Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who basically didn't practice all week because of a foot injury, wanted desperately to play in this game, and it didn't take long to see why. Manning was 8-for-10 for 173 yards and two touchdowns and didn't even play the entire first half. In a bizarre quirk, this game actually featured three quarterbacks who were once selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and two of them actually played like it. Manning's backup, David Carr, was 9-for-14 for 90 yards in relief and mixed in a 12-yard rushing touchdown while the Raider defense was checking its Twitter feed in the second half.

"Other than our effort on special teams, we just got outplayed on both sides of the ball," Cable said. "I expected more out of us, and we just did not deliver today."

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=515382&pid=515380&uts=1255296667

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Latest NFL Photos

Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, left, is sacked by New York Giants defensive end Dave Tollefson during the third quarter during of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009 in East Rutherford, N.J. The Giants won 44-7. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

FR51951 AP

Latest NFL Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 11: James Laurinaitis #55 of the St. Louis Rams returns an interception against the Minnesota Vikings at the Edward Jones Dome on October 11, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** James Laurinaitis

Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 11: Tyrell Johnson #25 of the Minnesota Vikings intercepts a pass intended for Keenan Burton #14 of the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on October 11, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Vikings beat the Rams 38-10. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tyrell Johnson;Keenan Burton

Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 11: Adrian Peterson #28 of the Minnesota Vikings rushes against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on October 11, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Vikings beat the Rams 38-10. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Adrian Peterson

Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 11: Samkon Gado #35 of the St. Louis Rams rushes against the Minnesota Vikings at the Edward Jones Dome on October 11, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Samkon Gado

Getty Images

Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed sits on the bench in the closing seconds of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in Baltimore. Cincinnati won 17-14. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) scores in the fourth period during the NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in Baltimore. Cincinnati won 17 - 14.(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb looks skyward after throwing a 51-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during first-quarter action at Lincoln Financial Field, Sunday, October 11, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Steven M. Falk/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT)

MCT

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, left, celebrates with Jason Avant during the second quarter after the Eagles third touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lincoln Financial Field, Sunday, October 11, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Steven M. Falk/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT)

MCT

Philadelphia Eagles Jeremy Maclin, right, catches a pass for a touchdown against Tampa Bay Buccaneers Will Allen during first-half action at Lincoln Financial Field, Sunday, October 11, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (David Maialetti/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT)

MCT

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Macklin catches a touchdown pass against Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Elbert Mack during first-half action, Sunday, October 11, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Clem Murray/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT)

MCT

These are the words of a man in denial. Effort on special teams? That's the definition of a reach. When that's the only good thing you can say about your team's performance ... well, you're saying everything about your team's performance. And as for the expectations, on what does he base those? This was a complete slaughter from the national anthem on, and it didn't feel all that unusual. More than one Giants player made reference, in the postgame locker room, to the fact that the Raiders are among the NFL's winless teams this year. What's amazing about that is that they're not. They're "only" 1-4. But when you watch them (and, apparently, when you play against them) you can't imagine how it's possible that this team could play an entire 60-minute NFL game and finish with more points than the other team.

"We have to get better from top to bottom," said poor Richard Seymour, who found himself traded to this NFL sinkhole from the Patriots right before the start of the season. And while you've got to admire the sentiment, it's hard to imagine how they can even see the top from the bottom to which they have sunk.

There's simply nothing to like. Russell is a total wreck. He throws the ball into the ground for no good reason, imagining pressure in the rare cases in which he faces none. Their starting running back (Darren McFadden) is out for a month. They don't have a receiver for which you'd trade a backup guard. But even if they were at full strength, it's very difficult to think of Russell as the kind of quarterback who's going to bring stability and turn this thing around.

Asked if he considered taking Russell out of the game, Cable said no.

"I thought the issues were much greater than that today," he said.

On that we can agree. The problem for the Raiders is that this level of brutality isn't new, nor is there any evidence that it's temporary. There are now at least two current generations of NFL fans who can't even remember when "Commitment to Excellence" wasn't a joke. Raiders running back Justin Fargas is the son of Antonio Fargas, the actor who played Huggy Bear in the 1970s TV show "Starsky and Hutch." Other than its kooky owner, that's about the only connection the current Raiders have to a time when the Raiders rated among the league's elite teams.

Asked if he fears his team will start to believe it's just perpetuating more of the same old futility that has defined teams of recent Raider vintage, Cable said, "No, because it's not, and we're not them. It just really takes a few plays here or there to get yourself right again."

Again, though -- denial. There's nothing going on here that "a few plays" are going to fix. These Raiders are a dysfunctional mess whose quarterback is an all-time bust and whose coach could honestly, conceivably, all-joking-aside be arrested for assault any day now. Cable was also asked about that, of course, and he said he wouldn't talk about it.

"I respect the fact that you've got to ask the question, but the process will take care of it," Cable said. "There's 53 guys in that locker room that need me to be strong for them. I will not respond to any of it, I haven't, and when it's all settled and done, you'll see why."

And yet again, this really sounds like denial. Which would fit right in with everything else Cable said about his team and its prospects. That's the nice thing about the Raiders, though. You don't have to listen to what they say. Just watch what they do. Everything they do, on and off the field, is awful. And there's no denying that.

Raiders Redefine Awful in 44-7 Loss originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Eli Manning Plays More Than Enough

Dan Graziano — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:34:00 EST

Filed under: Giants, Raiders, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The question swirling around the Giants all week was whether Eli Manning would play in Sunday's game against the Raiders. The answer, it turns out, was yes -- even though he really didn't have to, as New York routed Oakland 44-7.

Manning played most of the first half of the "game," completing 8 of 10 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns against a Raiders team that looked as if it would rather have been getting a group root canal, or giving depositions for the Napa Valley district attorney's office. Manning showed no ill effects from the foot injury he suffered a week ago, and with a little more than two minutes left in the first half and the Raiders clearly not trying to win, he came out in favor of backup David Carr.

More: Check Box Score

The Giants got the opening kickoff and ate up the first 8:03 with a methodical drive that saw Manning go 4-for-6 and Ahmad Bradshaw pick up the first touchdown on the ground. They got the ball back with 4:52 left in the first quarter and went 79 yards in a minute and a half, with Manning hitting Steve Smith for a 43-yard pass on the first play and Bradshaw taking it from there.

With 10 seconds left in the first quarter, Manning hit Bradshaw for a 55-yard pass to the Oakland 30-yard line, and he opened the second quarter with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham. Less than a minute later, Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell was sacked and fumbled at his own 13, and Manning ended up firing a 9-yard touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks to make it 28-0.

It was as swift and bloodless as it sounds, and it likely made Giants fans feel a lot more comfortable about the health of their franchise quarterback's foot. And with the game 31-7 in the Giants' favor at halftime, it was more than enough for Manning for one day.

Eli Manning Plays More Than Enough originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments