Yesterday we made the claim that the NY Giants were the most inconsistent team in the NFL, a hallmark of underachievement. Inconsistency means showing up with intensity and focus vs teams like the Packers, Niners and Patriots, while somehow not showing up vs the Cardinals, Seahawks, Dolphins, Eagles … and once again against the Redskins when the playoffs were on the line.
After the first 10 games, we chronicled this pattern for the 2011 season. Updating it after the last 4 games, we examine when the Giants were favorites vs the point spread and when they were underdogs. (Note: the one point spread we had trouble with was the Arizona game. In that case, we believe the Giants were ~4 point favorites, so on “general principles” we will assume they did not cover the spread, considering they needed a Cardinal collapse in the last 5 minutes anyway to avoid a loss.) When the Giants are favorites, they are 1-6-1 against the spread. When the Giants are underdogs, they are 4-2 against the spread. If you can find another team in the NFL that is that disparate, that uneven in their performances, let us know.
Mike Francesa was on WFAN yesterday, ripping into both the Jets and Giants for delivering terrible performances on Sunday. One was worse than the other. Both teams needed to win these games, both teams lost, yet somehow because the NFL s*cks so bad this year, both teams find themselves STILL controlling their own destiny, despite the fact that one is 8-6 and the other is 7-7. And this fact is not lost on Francesa, who can barely contain his amusement at the next fact: that with these two pigs playing AGAINST ONE ANOTHER.. the fraud of these two teams continues yet another week BECAUSE SOMEONE HAS TO WIN! Yes, when two weak teams play each other in the NFL in Week 16, one will prevail (barring a tie, how fitting would THAT be?!) and find themselves in Week 17 knocking on the door of the playoffs. At this point, Francesa is laughing at how cosmic this scene is, that these two teams are going to anoint someone to at least have a shot at the playoffs. The message from Francesa is that between a horrible Giants defense and a blowhard coach named Ryan, don’t believe in either.
And we agree. Don’t believe in the Giants, because all they had to do was SHOW UP for us. And they did not. All we needed as fans was a little respect and professionalism. But we did not get that on Sunday. Shame on them. The absence of leadership in the coaching staff, the players, and the front office is evident. Frankly, I am really not interested in puckering up for Coughlin’s a** yet again. Not when the coaches fail, the players don’t show up, and the front office let’s this continue. Why do we throw in the front office? Because how many of you are willing to bet that if the Giants win the last two games vs two franchises that are equally as sloppy, that Giants management will not fete its playoff team and look the other way again? Au contraire! They’ll be hawking the tickets to the NFC East Division winner at 9-7! Woohoo! .. Warts? What warts?!
We need Giants management to wake up to the fact that there was not a serenade of boos at the end of the game because everyone had already left the building. We deserve better than these Decembers. Even if the Giants somehow win the last two, do not be fooled. We can do better than a season of Giant inconsistencies.
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