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In The Spirit of The Season, Giants Gift-Wrap a Victory for Eagles
It’s pretty easy to surmise they’ll be talking about that one in New York for quite some time.
Maybe forever.
The Herman Edwards game remains on the mind of Giants fans, so why not this one on NFL Sunday, a collapse worthy of the “epic” moniker? The Eagles scored 28 points in the final 7:28 to wipe out a 31-10 deficit and beat the Giants, 38-31. Worse, the Eagles won on a last-play punt return byDeSean Jackson, who fast is becoming one of the league’s most dangerous players.
The whys will be discussed forever. Why the Giants weren’t ready for an onside kick (they didn’t think it was coming). Why the Giants punted to Jackson at all (rookie mistake). Why they lost contain on Mike Vick (hey … he’s Vick). Why they blew a game they had no business losing and Philadelphia had no business winning. Among the fallout:
•Giants coach Tom Coughlin berated rookie punter Matt Dodge on the field after he failed to kick out of bounds and gave Jackson a chance to win the game, which of course Jackson did.
Dodge was told to kick out of bounds. He mishit the kick. He’s a rookie, yet Coughlin chewed him out on the field like he had just robbed Coughlin of his family jewels. Yes, it was a vital mistake, but no more so than the Giants asking defensive end Justin Tuck to cover Brent Celek down the field, which led to a 65-yard TD reception by Celek.
A few years back, Bill Parcells coached the Jets in a key game against the Lions. With a playoff spot at stake, Parcells inexplicably asked halfback Leon Johnson to throw an option pass from the four-yard-line. It was intercepted.
After the game, Parcells was blistered for the call. “Listen,” he said when he started his explanation. Then he related how Johnson had been told to throw the ball out of bounds if the receiver was not open. Instead, Johnson got caught up in the moment and made a mistake, Parcells said.
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A Leader Among Men: Priest or Coach
Tom Coughlin for seven seasons has coached the Giants in a priestly manner, beholden to his rock-bed truths of old-school football. He has been driven by his core values of how the game must be played with honor and inflexible on how individuals must sacrifice to become a team.
He is 64. In his teenage years back in Waterloo, N.Y., his elders literally saw the “priest” in him.
“Back in those days, they identified the few,” Coughlin said of his high school years, when he was selected to take an entry exam to attend a seminary and become a priest. “You were told. You were going to take the exam if you were told. And if the good Lord had called me to do that, I would have done it.”
No, Tom Coughlin was called to coach. He has coached football since 1969 when he was a Syracuse graduate assistant. He has been a head coach at Boston College (1991-1993), for the Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2002) and for the Giants since 2004.
The NFL landscape is searing with coaches in hot water. Among them, Brad Childress with the Vikings seeks to keep his team afloat and John Fox with the Panthers looks headed for a dreary split. All eyes in Buffalo are fixated on Chan Gailey’s 0-8 debut and Josh McDaniels in Denver is under painful scrutiny. Gary Kubiak in Houston is getting cockeyed looks from Texans fans and Norv Turner in San Diego desperately needs continued CPR with the Chargers.
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NFL Hall of Famer – Cliff Battles
After college, Battles got many offers from NFL teams including the New York Giants and Portsmouth Spartans, among other NFL teams. But he signed with the Boston Braves (now the Washington Redskins) in 1932, who offered him $175 per game, compared with a high of $150 from the other teams.
In 1932, Battles won the NFL’s rushing title as a rookie. He also performed well during the 1933 season and on October 8, 1933, Battles, playing for the newly-named Boston Redskins, became the first player to exceed 200 rushing yard in a game, finishing with 215 yards on 16 rushes and one touchdown against the Giants.
In 1937, the Redskins moved from Boston to Washington, D.C. and acquired quarterback Sammy Baugh. For the 1937, Baugh and Battles combined their talents just as everyone had anticipated. During their last regular-season game, Battles scored three touchdowns and the Redskins beat the New York Giants for the Eastern Division title. In the 1937 NFL Championship against the Chicago Bears a week later, Battles scored the first touchdown in a 28-21 victory that gave the Redskins their first NFL title.
NFL Hall of Famer – Morris “Red” Badgro
In 1981, Badgro, at the age of 78, became the oldest person elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame up to that time. The 45-year span between his final game with the National Football League’s 1936 Brooklyn Dodgers and his election also was a record.
Badgro was highly regarded as a sure-tackling defender and an effective blocker on offense but he was also a talented wide receiver. In 1934, he tied for the NFL’s pass-catching crown with 16 receptions, a significant number in those defense-dominated days when most NFL teams concentrated on grind-it-out football. He also had the distinction of being the first player to score a touchdown in the NFL championship series that began in 1933.
Badgro made many other key catches that were converted into New York Giants victories, including a 15-yard reception that was a key play in a long drive for the game’s only score in a 3-0 New York divisional title win. Badgro had his big defensive moments as well. Playing against the Boston Redskins in 1935, Red blocked a punt and returned it for a go-ahead touchdown.
The Badgro saga is even more unusual in that he wasn’t even sure he wanted to play pro football and, in fact, retired after one year with the NFL’s 1927 New York Yankees to give pro baseball a try.
Can Eli Succeed?
When Eli Manning won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2007 season, it was a shocker. The Giants defense defeated Tom Brady and the Patriots, who were slated to have the best season ever. In 2008, with the loss of Plaxico Burress, the Giants didn’t fare so well. Eli struggled without a great WR to carry him, and the Giants weren’t able to put up the offense that the team had the year before. Now that 2009 is here, many fans are wondering if the Giants still have it. While NFL critics predict a good season for the Giants, a lot of people are wondering if their offense can keep it together without a #1 WR option in the lineup. Brandon Jacobs will anchor the offense, but the Giants defense isn’t as good as a team like Baltimore or Pittsburgh, and a run to the Super Bowl seems unlikely.
If the Giants start strong in 2009, expect them to make a run at the Super Bowl. If they start slow, Eli won’t be able to handle the pressure. But there’s a good chance that Giants jerseys will appear in the playoffs.
Eli Manning’s $97 million Grin
Whether or not details are out currently ‘about to be’ the highest payed player in NFL history with a $15.2 million a year contract extension, Eli Manning has reportedly already received $35 million in guaranteed money.
Already facing Super Bowl expectations, not every NFL player can be number one. Hence, there can be only on number one. So just what is Eli Manning worth to the Giants, just that – $97 million over six years. Look around the league and anyone is sure to recognize his value.
“You don’t get more pressure than he already has in this market,” GM Jerry Reese said Wednesday. “He knows how to handle pressure and he’s done it before. He expects a lot from himself. He knows what his role is here with us. We expect him to continue to do that for a long time.”
The highest paid player title is not likely to sit long as other negotiations are set such as San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.
Troubled Players – Mark Ingram
Giants 1991 Super Bowl superstar failed to appear for the third time in federal court for sentencing associated with money laundering and bank fraud charges. After which he was expected to surrender and receive 7 1/2 to 9 1/2 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors in Florida and New York said Ingram was caught in a sting for cashing $300,000 in phony checks, and laundering another $200,000. He had pleaded guilty back in 2005 stemming from a narcotics deal that turned out to be undercover agents passing along marked proceeds.
“I’ve done a lot of things wrong,” Ingram said at his sentencing. “I’m an imperfect man.”
A slight understatement considering the NFL players rap sheet that goes back 23 years and includes seven previous convictions. Apparently he wasn’t going down until he was later caught in Michigan after a month long run from authorities. The arrest came just before the start of his son’s biggest game, the Sugar Bowl matchup between Utah in which his son’s team, Alabama had lost 31-17.
Plaxico Burress vs. the NFL’s personal conduct policy
Yet another player’s career is going to be left in the hands of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell despite what Plaxico Burress’ lawyer and agent may say about him playing next season.
“I do not see any reason why he should not be able to play this entire season,” said the lawyer, Benjamin Brafman.
The league has specific rules outlined in the NFL’s personal conduct policy and it is up to Goodell to enforce this policy and a players privilege to play, however, his decision will most likely be decided after his legal process has taken its course before any action is taken against Burress.
“We are also confident that the NFL will not have grounds to discipline Plex until after the adjudication of his case after this season. We are hoping to have a deal in place with a team for Plex before training camps start.”
Defenses Win Games
Despite the evident notion that a powerful offense puts points on the board and wins games. Even in the early weeks of this NFL season defense is the ruling factor for a winning season. Strong teams such as the Titans and Giants are among the top 10 defenses for points allowed as well as sacks. These and other teams show you just how important it is to get after the quarterback and hinder the rhythm of a dominant offense. These types of situations bring forth great field position, defensive scoring and the dominance of the games pace.
Although it was the first bye week for many teams the New York Giants have moved into the number one spot in week fours power rankings after the Cowboys lost to the Redskins. But word is out that the Giants look to adjust their defense as some players might have been able to pick up on some of the teams signals. After this weeks self evaluation the Giants are not taking any chances as they prepare for the seahawks in week 5 with the inclusion of disguising the rushes but nothing that should be noticable during the game this coming sunday.
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