I am concerned about burning out as a blogger because recapping these bleeders is starting to take its toll. Having to recount this loss after
- the blown loss to DAL in Week 1
- the blown loss to ATL in Week 2
- the blown loss to NO in regulation
- the blown loss here tonight vs NE
.. it is just too much to take. You can be pissed about a lot of things. About Collins dropping a sure INT that ends the game. About the Giants not running it 3 plays in a row to give Brady 45 secs instead of 1:45. Or you can choose to be pissed about the zebras, who I believe f***ed the Giants royally on that OBJ Touchdown that was reversed. You catch a pass in the end zone. You establish possession. You land in bounds with 1 foot. You land in bounds with 2 feet. Last time I checked, that is a TD. How they reversed it, rule or no rule, is beyond my comprehension. If they said he did not get the 2nd foot down before the ball came loose, that is just factually incorrect. If they want 3 steps, then kiss my a**, because that is a %^&*#$% rule that needs to be changed.
I never thought the Giants would be alive for this game. I never gave them a chance. But they fought hard and got an extremely fortunate break when Edelman was hurt on a tackle by Jasper Brinkley. It changed the tone of the entire game. Edelman is the Pats number 1 receiving threat. Brady’s offense went from a well oiled machine to a human version that could be periodically stopped. Until the end when Brady had enough time for a 54 yarder to get setup for Gostowski.
The return of JPP is really changing things for the Giants Defense. They are getting pressure. They had 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. It would have been 4 sacks if not for a penalty. Considering they had 9 sacks in the first 9 games, this has to be credited with JPP changing the dynamic. If you get 4 sacks per game, it means you are also getting pressures, hits and hurries that really help the pass coverage. This is something to get excited about. But frankly, after watching a 4th blown game, I’m getting tired of consolation prizes.
Brinkley is shoring up LBer. It’s not Kuechley out there, but he is moving sideline to sideline and making tackles. He got a sack/strip on Brady.
These injuries are grating. I am sure I am grating about my non-stop mentioning of the injuries. Feel free to skip to the next paragraph if you are as tired as I am about it all. Richburg was carted off. With Hankins gone for the season and the Giants waiting seemingly forever for the return of Cruz & Amukamara, we know these players would make a huge difference. But they are not on the field. On Thursday we found out the news that Beatty had a rotator cuff injury which happened alongside of his pectoral tear rehab, so he was placed on season-ending IR. We could have used him this season too many times to count. Yes, every team has injuries, but these games where inches matter mean a single extra impact play from any of your star/ters is missed. And as we have documented, the Giants are WELL ABOVE THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF INJURIES these past 7 years.
This Giants team is 5-5 and has little to show for what could be a very good season. They have lost 4 games this season by 1, 1, 3 & 4 points. They have blown double digit leads 3 times this season, with today a part of that total. Yes, they are remarkably in 1st place in the NFC East because it is a woeful division. The Redskins are fighting and crushed the Saints. Cousins notched a (max) 158 passer rating. The Skins are 4-5 and deserve kudos for remaining relevant in a season where they could have easily disappeared. Speaking of disappearing, the Cowboys are winless without Romo. They blew a Q4 lead and are just about done this year.
Ahead for the Giants at the bye is @WAS, NYJ, @MIA, CAR, @MIN, PHI. At this point I could see the Giants win all of them or lose all of them. By that, I mean, all 6 games will be contested but the Giants will need some Cruz & Amukamara to step away from an 8-8 ending. At least we saw a pass rush today. That fact alone can make the team relevant if it wins this mediocre division and stamps its ticket to the postseason. These seasons that happen every 4th year where the Giants play the AFC East/Patriots always seem to be concurrent with Coughlin on his last rope. The Patriots are a good opponent in that they help you to find out what you need to do to climb the mountain top. The Gmen fought hard in this 4 year visit and got measured by a solid team (minus Edelman). At least they know where they can go if they stop getting hurt, make a few less mistakes and start finishing games. That’s a lot of “ifs,” Tom.
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