It’s time to let go of the super effort that came up short in Atlanta and deal with the G-Men coming to town for the Eagles’ 2011 home opener…
Justin Tuck is back…he of the ultimate swim move… The Giants got a big boost with defensive end Justin Tuck back in the lineup. St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, right, wasn’t as thrilled by his return as Bradford is forced to throw the ball away with Tuck closing in during Monday night’s game.
First of all, I don’t hate the Giants. I understand the fact that we are cousins… therefore I don’t hate them. I may not want to party with them or their fans, but the fact is we represent the same division, and have done so for many decades… in a way, that makes us family…not to mention all the shared transfers of personnel over the decades.
And if you probe further, a lot of us Philly fans grew up around Giants fans, many of whom shared schools and resort beaches with us in New Jersey. Heck, my own father is from Newburgh, New York, so you can imagine how many of my own relatives are Giants fans.
As a little kid, I adored Sonny Jurgensen and later Norm Snead… but I really dug Y.A. Tittle, too.
But the time has come for the Eagles to make a statement game against the Giants… especially at home at the Linc… one that says, “it’s our turn now…” It’s time for the Eagles to bite the Big Apple. And I’m talking home & away…
This is where we are right now…The Giants needed a win Monday night and they got a win. Their fans won’t be talking about the Super Bowl after this one, but that is OK. The Giants won a football game. They are 1-1, which in their division equals a tie for second place.
If it were a report card, the Giants would have earned a “B.” Nothing more, nothing less. They won a football game. They prevented the dreaded 0-2 start that almost always results in watching the other teams during the playoffs.
Eli Manning was OK. He threw an awful interception and too many balls at the feet of receivers. But he was good enough against the St. Louis Rams on Monday Night Football. He hit Mario Manningham with a beauty down the Giants sideline that would have been a touchdown had Manningham not bobbled it and fallen down catching the bobble. Manning made enough plays. That might be the best way to put it.
The running game was OK. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs ran with conviction. The defense was OK. They allowed too many passing yards, mostly the product of poor coverage, but made enough plays against Rams quarterback Sam Bradford.
The Giants provided some hope on a night in which their 1986 team was honored at halftime. These Giants aren’t reminding us much of that team. But they held the Rams mostly to field goals, eliminated their running game — which didn’t include Stephen Jackson — and forced two turnovers while committing just one.
They beat the Rams. They get their chance to beat a real team, Michael Vick or no Michael Vick, on Sunday in Philadelphia.The Giants had an uninspiring offseason. Then they had an uninspiring season opener near the nation’s capital. On Monday they gave their fans some hope, a little hope.
They needed to show everybody, themselves included, that they could play a relatively clean football game. They didn’t do that. But they kept from starting 0-2, and no team has made the playoffs while starting 0-2 since 2008.
The NFC East took a dramatic turn on Sunday that could ultimately benefit Big Blue. The fate of Tony Romo and Vick, both suffering relatively serious injuries, could change the face of the division. The Cowboys and the Eagles are both 1-1. The Redskins are 2-0, though very few people consider them a serious contender. That’s precisely how the Giants would have been viewed if they lost to the Rams.
The Giants got a boost from WR Hakeem Nicks being in the lineup on Monday. They got a big lift from Tuck, the heart and soul of their football team. How much heart the Giants have collectively, Giants fans still are unsure. Now it’s time for the Eagles to make a statement on that topic… and put the G-Men to the competitive fire test.
The Giants have an offensive line with three interior linemen coming off surgeries, and a linebacker crew where the front office has failed to import or develop a true impact player. Eli Manning’s passing attack is still very difficult for his receivers to achieve consistency in, since Manning has the leeway to change calls at the line of scrimmage and ask his receivers to read coverages and make in-flight adjustments on every play. And the Giants still like to think of themselves as a power running team that can rely on movement from their guards… but they tend to be plagued by turnovers in the running game.
Defensively, the Giants will mix in zone and corner blitzes… but everything in their game plan is predicated on putting heat on the Eagles passing game using their front-four rushers. Often the G-Men will put three safeties on the field at the same time to provide back cover.
I see a lot of individual talent on the Giants at certain positions… but I don’t see the cohesive blending of all phases of the game at this point. They’re definitely still a couple of linebackers and a corner short of where they need to be…their special teams do not impress me yet… their once-solid O-Line seems vulnerable to say the least..and Kevin Gilbride’s and Tom Coughlin’s offensive game plan needs to be dumbed down a little, as its many live-action options have their guys thinking too much and hesitating to execute with certainty.
It’s going to be a heck of a matchup with the Eagles, especially if Vick can’t go on Sunday… and I by no means underestimate the Giants ability to throw an upset win on us… I just feel now is the perfect time for the Eagles to make the statement that they are the better- coordinated team…and to put some competitive distance between themselves and the Giants in the early going of 2011…
BRISUKSEGG FF League …Week 2 boxscore :
How you like Dem APPLES! (0-2) J Huston at The Nut Chokers (1-1) JB99 & Bootsy Collins 96-165
McLuvin’s Pastries (1-1) Leo Pizzini at Team BONE (1-1) T-Boner 56-170
The Amputatoe’s (1-1) THE JERK at Team Conahan (2-0) Robert Conahan 118-175
Green Machine (0-2) David Calvo at Lancaster Rubber Necks (1-1) Gary Conahan 102-107
Sunnys Jock Strap (2-0)”Mothra” Michael Hudson at Dem Stinken Bums (0-2) “ATV” Chris R 194-169
Team Jax Eagles (2-0) Andrew Mandarakas at Marty Funkhouser (1-1) “Harry Organs“Rodney Vander Veer 130-103
Team Conahan and Mothra’s Sunny’s Jock Strap and Team Jax Eagles are tied for first place, all at 2-0…
JB, Leo, Boner, Jerked Up, Gary Conahan, and Harry Organs are all bunched up at 1-1…
Still on the snide at 0-2 are Hud Huston, David Calvo and ATV… perk up and carry on, gentlemen…
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
