1) Update on Eli Manning from Coughlin and Eli after the game.
2) When was the last time Corey Webster DID NOT have a good game? The last time I can recall him looking human, it was against Randy Moss in the Super Bowl, 22 GAMES AGO. That was when he slipped and got faked out by a move by Moss on the goal line. Be it that he did a great job on Moss most of the game (remember the ball he tips away on the final drive, the desperation heave that Moss WILL catch and the Patriots WILL get a FG if it is not tipped?!!), you cannot complain about that!
Enter 2008 and he shuts down the #1 WR each team, game after game all season.
Enter 2009 and he shuts down the #1 WR for each team again, all 4 games this far.
As was commented last night, it has reached the point where mentioning it is almost boring, commonplace, not even “news” or information on the margin anymore. He’ll have a bad play or a bad game eventually, but one of the reasons why this defense has a chance to shine is because he is there in the secondary. He shuts down almost half the field for your defense. This makes the job of the Safety so much easier because he can cheat on run, TE or over the top on Terrell Thomas’s man.
3) The Ultimatenyg Recipe for Defensive Dominance
Add 1 stud Pro Bowl player in the Secondary + 1 stud Pro Bowl player at DLine + 1 stud Pro Bowl player at LBer. Stir and mix.
So for the Giants we have Webster (check), Tuck (check) and maybe Boley (if given enough time in the system, healthy, not Pro Bowler but maybe with all the talent around him, yes). The fact that you have so many players who can make plays at DL, it really makes the recipe work enough if they are able to get consistent pressure from just 4 pass rushers. This defense with a healthy Safety in Phillips? By the time all these players are back like Sintim and Canty and Ross, forget about it, it would have been incredible. As it is, if we get those 3 guys back for next week and have them in for the Saints (by far the most important being CANTY), we have a shot at the Saints.
4) It was really fun watching the Saints vs the Jets. Advanced scouting. Revis did a great job on Colston. Webster will do the same job. That really hurt the Saints. Brees has enough weapons, and he will put pressure on our Safeties to make plays. It will really be a test of Johnson and Brown. But if Canty can somehow come back and take some snaps, it will really help the pressure and legs of the DL for 60 minutes. The Jets defense played great and even though the Giants defense is not as good, it gives us hope that Brees will not score a million points. (The Saints offense only put up 10 points.)
On the other side of the ball, how many of you saw Centerfield (er, I mean Safety) Darren Sharper pick the rookie twice yesterday, once for a TD?! Eli has already been there and done that. He got picked 3X by Sharper in ’05 (and once for a TD), once in ’07 for a TD (4 INT total day, we warned of this nightmare hours before the game) and then in ’08 it finally ended. Eli finally got wise to the crafty veteran and started LOOKING OFF THE SON OF A BROWN. That is the key to playing Sharper. He is old and slow now, so he feasts off the weak.. the QB who telegraphs with his eyes. The young and unsuspecting QB. The hyena who will go after the young or sick who cannot keep up with the herd. So Sharper gets his meal ticket off of rookie Sanchez. And then for good measure he does it again to seal the game. If Eli can look off the Safety and protect the ball, he won’t be feeding the Saints 14 points gratis like Sanchez did- something you simply cannot do if you want to win. We have a shot in this game.
I apologize for looking past the Raiders. Yes, it is a trap game by the classic definition. But no, the Giants will not get trapped as long as they do not look at the Saints like we did here.
5) On Friday we mistakenly mentioned that the Vikes were playing at GB. The game is in Minny.
6) Nature commented on CBs like Newman who get the ink. Well how about this ink: he was out-jumped and out-hustled by a tremendous play from Brandon Marshall. I am all broken up about the Boys losing another heartbreaker. Should we send them a condolence card? How about this one:
Dear Jerry,
Please click on this link.
See you Week 13.
Ultimatenyg.
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