The Giants’ Road to the Super Bowl: Day 1

Yesterday Belichick, Brady and the rest of the New England Patriots touched down in Indianapolis and today Big Blue will do the same. The Pats sit as three point favorites in the early lines, which has surprised a lot of experts who believe the Giants to be playing better football and to be the more complete team right now. Giants fans breathed a collective sigh of  relief when they saw that line. The G-Men are New Yorkers and they like to play with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. They want to show the world that November victory was no fluke and neither was the 2007 championship. Do I think they will beat the Pats? Affirmative. Here is your first installment of “Why I know my team will take home the Lombardi Trophy.”

The Pass Rush

Fact: It’s hard to throw the ball from your back. The Giants pass rush has been revived in this five game win streak they’ve put together. Where have Tuck and Osi been all season? Don’t care! Big Blue has posted 20 sacks during the win streak. That’s four per game. In their regular season meeting they got to Brady twice and forced two picks. Brady normally looks calm cool and collected in the pocket with little theatrics and unnecessary movements as he directs receivers in their routes, eats a sandwich and then delivers a laser. Not when JPP, Osi, Tuck and Kiwanuka are barrelling down on him.

-Erik

Giants fans it’s time to get pumped and start the trash talk! Give us your best smack talk via our tiwtter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

The Frozen Tundra

Let’s face it Giants fans, last week was a tune up game. The Falcons were streaky all season and bad on the road. Add their risk taking head coach and that doesn’t bode well for post season success. We have to hope that they didn’t show their hand too early. This week Big Blue will take on the defending Super Bowl champs with their 15-1 regular season record, MVP candidate quarterback and historic home field advantage. As I did last week I will break down the game based on the categories of coach quarterback and defense. (Ok we might factor in momentum and a heavy dash of bias.)

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers -7.5

Fortunately when picking against the spread it is possible to be right and wrong at the same time. As a fan I truly believe that the Giants can beat the Packers. There was little evidence to the contrary when they met early this season and Big Blue threatened the Pack’s perfection losing a close game 38-35. They showed they could score with Green Bay, but not stop them. This time the vaunted Big Blue pass rush has returned and is making quarterbacks extremely uncomfortable on the field. The running game was reborn last week, which helped the Giants control the clock and the line of scrimmage. If they can control both lines again this week, tough match up. Last time the G-Men went to Lambeau Field it was Favre’s last game with the pack ending in an interception and a disappointing loss as the Giants went on to claim their third Super Bowl.

The Coach

I’m torn as to which coach gets the edge in this game. Tom Couglin, whom I am not a supporter of, has the perfect coaching style for playoff football. I do believe the team responds to his emotional tenor and right now they are riding high. The only time Coughlin took the team past the first round of the playoffs was in 2007 when they rode the momentum all the way to the Super Bowl. On the other side line we have Mike McCarthy, who has a better winning percentage, both regular and post season, and the same number of rings. While McCarthy may be less experienced than Coughlin he has the making of a long term head guy in the league. I’ll give the slight edge to McCarthy on this one based on schemes, because in that area the Giants are about as exciting as an interview with Bill Belichick.

The Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers gets this one hands down. Even the biggest Giants fan couldn’t convince any logical football fan otherwise. Eli Manning has had a remarkable season and in other years the game winning drives might be enough to garner him an MVP, but Rodgers and Brees have been better. Plus Green Bay’s receivers are so freaking good.

The Defense

Big Blue is back. Last week they shut out the Falcons, who had a pretty good regular season offense. Tuck and Osi are playing to their potential again, which will be important since the Packers shut down JPP for the most part in their first match up. The Packers defense is extremely porous this season giving up a ton of points and yards. In fact they gave up the most yards in the league. One thing Coughlin and his staff never do is leave points on the field. Unlike the Falcons last week the Giants won’t risk coming away empty on a short fourth down. They’ll take the three and keep it competitive.

The Hinge

Last week I gave it to the pass rush believing that “Matty Ice” would melt under the assault and while they didn’t come away with sacks, they did quicken his internal clock and force some errant throws. This week I think the mobility of Aaron Rodgers neutralizes the pass rush to a certain extent. The pressure is still important, but Rodgers has a lot of tools even when flushed out of the pocket. This game rests on ball security. The Packers have shown they can score at will and every possession is crucial. The G-Men can’t afford to give away any possessions. If they hang onto the ball, they can hang in there with the Packers and have a good chance of taking down the champs. I’m currently scheduled to work Sunday during the game, but I have informed my boss that I don’t plan on showing up. He asked why last Saturday night and I told him “the Giants are playing,” to which he replied, “only if they win tomorrow.” Well they did and I will not show up unless it is absolutely necessary. So we’ll say hypothetically I work Sunday and the boss is hovering making sure I’m not at the bar watching the game and I look at the box score and see a zero in the turnover category, I’ll feel confident we won.

Bonus Pick: Denver Broncos at New England Patriots -13.5

I know the Pats haven’t done well in the playoffs as of late, but they are facing the 8-8 Broncos. They beat them in week 15 by an overwhelming 41-23 final. I am partially biased because I CAN’T STAND WATCHING TSPN (Tebow and Sports Programing Network) ANYMORE! Between Skip Bayless and the constant banter I want it all to end so freaking bad. Let’s end the Tebow talk once and for all. Although I realize that is impossible because he will be resurrected.

Check in for a full preview of the Patriots game from Phil, our resident Boston fan.

-Erik

Can the G-Men take down the defending champs? Let us know what you think via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

Watch Out for Biggy Blue

We made it. We’ve gotten through the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, rang in the final year of life on Earth and the New York Football Giants have made it to the playoffs. Despite the ups and downs this season, resulting in a 9-7 record, Tom Coughlin and the G-Men finished strong winning three of their last four including two over the rival Cowboys. Now Big Blue is poised for a first round match up with the Dirty Birds from Hotlanta. Mike and Mike have become akin to Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda in the morning with their cupcake interviews and middle of the road approach, but one thing I do like that they do are their confidence picks. They look at coach, quarterback and defense and rank the playoff teams accordingly and I will be using this model in part to examine this game.

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants -3

The Giants haven’t fared well playing the home favorite this season. Their worst losses were at the hands of the Seattle Seachickens, the Vince Young led Eagles and the Washington Redskins. That being said this is the best match up they could have hoped for. The Giants get a dome team coming outdoors for a January playoff game and the Falcons are not as good as we thought they would be. They were the sexy pick for the NFC representative in the preseason Super Bowl predictions from everybody from Peter King to this guy. Now as a Giants fan I hope we were all wrong. Last season the Falcons looked soft in their first round game against the Packers and with the pass rush for the G-Men peaking at the right time, let’s hope it will be a similar performance.

The Coach

While I created the bandwagon that now carries the Tom Coughlin haters to and from each losing effort, I give the edge to Big Blue here for sure. Couglin has a Super Bowl ring to his credit and he understands the strengths of his team. The play calling may leave something to be desired, but the conservative approach keeps his team in games right to the end. The fourth down call for Mike Smith is all I need to know about his coaching style. A little too much gambling and in the playoffs when turnovers often decide the game, I’ll take a conservative coach on my sideline.

The Quarterback

You can’t spell elite without Eli. I’m going with Eli Manning who had six fourth quarter comebacks and game winning drives this season. Matty Ice is a fine quarterback and this could be the year he separates himself from other middle of the pack guys, but I need to see it. Manning may not put together a complete game or be the stat monster that other quarterbacks are, but he makes the big throws and knows how to run the two minute drill with the best of them.

The Defense

JPP, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora.

The Hinge

This game rests on the aforementioned pass rush. Dallas showed the blue print for how to beat the rush in the second half of last week’s game with quick slants keeping all of their routes within 10 yards. If the quarterback can get the ball off within three seconds of the snap it doesn’t matter if you have Jason Pierre Paul. If Atlanta can come out with a balanced, up-tempo offense, the Giants secondary will get burned. Bottom line if I go out tonight and get absolutely annihilated, wake up tomorrow at 4:30 with a killer hangover, and through my double vision I see three to five sacks for the Giants, I’ll feel confident we won.

-Erik

Can the Giants beat the Falcons? Let us know your keys to the game via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

When They’re Good, They’re Great

Love seeing Romo on the ground. How sick is this picture? Nice job Julio Cortez of the Associated Press.

New York Giants 31 Dallas Cowboys 14

With the NFC East title on the line Giants fans were cautiously optimistic as they welcomed the Dallas Cowboys to the Meadowlands. With the extreme highs and lows the G-Men have displayed this season it was more than fair to wonder if they would have a let down after a big win over the Jets last week. However, this team plays better with external motivation and the good Giants showed up and played one of their best games of the season securing a playoff spot with a 31-14 victory.

The rallying cry for the team getting behind quarterback Eli Manning all season has been: “You can’t spell elite without Eli.” Last night Manning showed what separates him from the very good of the league, like Tony Romo as he set the record for fourth quarter touchdowns throwing his 15th of the season hitting Hakeem Nicks in the back corner of the end zone. Manning completed 24 of his 33 attempts for 346 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. When Manning doesn’t turn the ball over, the Giants are a tough team to beat. Eli fell 67 yards shy of becoming the fourth quarterback to reach 5,000, but he and Tom Coughlin and fans of Big Blue are much happier with his improved TD-INT ratio. It is incredible to think how well Manning has played after losing two of his favorite targets in the off season, with Kevin Boss and Steve Smith leaving for free agency, and a constantly changing offensive line.

A huge part of the success of Manning has been the emergence of wide receiver Victor Cruz. You can’t spell victory without Victor. Last night the rookie out of

You can't spell elite without Eli, and you can't spell victory without Victor. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

UMass had another huge game with his second straight 50 plus yard touchdown catch and run with a 74 yarder. It’s not quite 99 yards, but it all counts the same, unless you’re playing fantasy. In the fourth quarter it was Cruz again who saved Manning has he scrambled in the pocket and heaved up a ball that Cruz positioned himself perfectly to come down with as he boxed out the DB. Overall Victor picked up six catches and 178 yards in addition to his first quarter touchdown.

While the Giants still look one dimensional without any running game, Ahmad Bradshaw still had a big game with two touchdowns including one rushing. Big Blue has struggled this season on short yardage situations so last night there were a couple guys who stepped up and picked up big first downs. Bear Pascoe, filling in for the injured Jake Ballard, had two catches for 14 yards, both of which went for first downs. Pascoe showed some athleticism, but the Cowboys also were shaky tackling last night. Fullback Henry Hynoski also gave fans something to cheer about as he picked up four catches for 31 yards and the “Hynoceros” hurtled over Terrence Newman, who got burned all night.

Defensively the pass rush came to play with six sacks. Osi Umeniyora was back from his ankle injury last night and came up with two of the sacks and Justin Tuck, who has been extremely ineffective, has three sacks in his last five games including one last night. Chris “Canty? Oh yes he can” picked up a sack as did Jason Pierre Paul. You can’t spell pressure without one of the P’s from JPP. Eh that one doesn’t work so well. It’s safe to say Romo was uncomfortable in the pocket, but the secondary still looked suspect.

Romo missed a couple wide open receivers and when the Cowboys picked up the tempo in the second half, the DBs for Big Blue got beat. They were completely unable to stop the quick slant routes. The Cowboys were also the beneficiaries of poor tackling and it looked as though the comeback was there for the taking. Dallas seemed to beat themselves as they found away to keep the pass rush at bay for most of the second half. Antrel Rolle got a pick, but the Giants failed to capitalize.

Going forward the secondary will face the elite quarterbacks in the league and fans have to be worried about the secondary. Fortunately they drew the super soft Atlanta Falcons in the first round. Right now I’m not looking ahead. Giants fans let’s celebrate this drubbing of the Cowgirls a few days longer and comeback Friday for SeeYouInOctober’s official NFC playoff preview.

-Erik

What is the biggest concern for the Giants going into the playoffs? Let us know what you think via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

New York is Feeling Blue (In a Good Way)

Sanchez was in trouble all day against the Giants pass rush. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

New York Giants 29 New York Jets 14

The battle for supremacy in the Meadowlands looked less like a battle and more like sibling rivalry as the Giants emerged victorious over the Jets 29-14. The Giants showed the running game they had been lacking all season with 115 yards combined from Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs and DJ Ware. It was a true team win as there wasn’t one player who dominated the game start to finish. The running game added two touchdowns to the 100 plus yard performance while Victor Cruz carried the receiving core with a record setting 99 yard score on a catch and run and the defense looked sacktastic putting Mark Sanchez on the ground 5 times.

It was the good Giants team that showed up for this game as they practiced better ball security than the Jets with only one turnover coming off a tipped pass. Sanchez was the beneficiary of the tuck rule on a would be sack from Jason Pierre Paul with a fumble recovery from Justin Tuck, but even with that erased the Jets QB still turned the ball over three times throwing two picks and putting another one on the ground. Sanchez also hurled up a surefire interception that was dropped by safety Deon Grant, who looked more like a center fielder settling under a routine pop fly than a DB.  As previously mentioned the stat line for the G-Men was not spectacular as Eli Manning only completed nine passes on the day. Even Tim Tebow thinks a QB should at least get double digit completions. However, with Bradshaw looking back to form and the offensive line improved with center David Baas back in the mix, Manning didn’t need to carry the team.

The reemergence of the pass rush was the most promising sign from the Giants victory led, as usual, by JPP who picked up two sacks. Chris Canty gave Big Blue two points on a safety and Tuck picked up only his fourth sack of the season and first in three games. The Jets running game was kept in check for the most part as Gang Green only managed 105 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown from Sanchez. Corey Webster and Kenny Philips picked off Sanchez for the two interceptions making it two weeks in a row that Webster made an interception after a month long drought.

The Jets were also devastated by penalties committing 10 infractions for 95 yards. One such penalty, a push off called on Plaxico Burres, wiped out a touchdown and a late hit penalty called on Aaron Maybin gave the G-Men an additional 15 yards after a 17 yard pick up from Ware. Outside of one horrible delay of game penalty where Manning was still trying to get the play off after the flags had been thrown and whistles had been blown, the Giants showed discipline that would make Tom Coughlin smile. This blog has been driving the “Giants Suck Fire Coughlin” bandwagon for weeks now in part because the things that Coughlin gets praised for, such as discipline, seem to be more myth, perception and theory than fact. With Rex Ryan’s team nobody expects discipline because he doesn’t claim to instill it in his team, but Coughlin is the most disciplined coach in the league, yet his teams are routinely penalized.

Ryan showed a serious lack of discipline, judgment and intelligence after the loss when he allegedly approached Jacobs, used an expletive and said, “Wait till we win the Super Bowl.” Added Jacobs: “And I told him I’ll punch him in the face,” according to an article on ESPN New York. In his post game interview with Sal Palantonio, Jacobs didn’t mince words about his opinions of Ryan and even made mention of the sideline incident between Buddy Ryan and Kevin Gilbride.

Fans have to be excited about the fire they see from this Giants team. The difference between the good Giants team and the bad Giants team is the level of intensity. Next week they will put their season on the line yet again with a winner-take-all divisional-match up with the Dallas Cowboys and Tuck has already come out with more Cowboy hate. The biggest difference between the Giants and Cowboys is, outside of their two games with Philadelphia, the Cowboys haven’t gotten blown out. The Giants have put up some real clunkers where it looked as though their hearts weren’t in it. With the division on the line and a trip to the playoffs, it is hard to believe they  will come out flat, but it wouldn’t be surprising. One thing they do very well that the Cowboys do poorly is finish games, which has to give the G-Men a slight edge.

For Gang Green, they have handed the keys to their playoff future to the Cincinnati Bengals. If Andy Dalton and the Bengals win, they’re in and knock the Jets out of the playoffs for the first time in Ryan’s tenure with the team. Cincinnati has a tough game with the Ravens as Baltimore has their eye on the number three spot ahead of the Steelers as the two teams could flip flop if Baltimore doesn’t take care of business. It is very likely the Bengals will get beat, but the Jets also would benefit with loses from the Titans and Raiders. I think. Figuring out the NFL playoff scenarios is about as easy as a Rubik’s cube: Every move has some sort of implication on the final outcome and there are plenty of people who can do it, I’m just not one of them.

-Erik

Who has a better shot of making the playoffs: Jets or Giants? Let us know what you think via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

Like a Boss Week 14

It has been quite a while since three SeeYouInOctober teams have all won in the same week. With the G-Men on a four game skid and the Bills on a six game skid, we were tempted to rename the award to the Like a Patriot award. The Jets have put together some good team wins, but without a Boss-like player. It’s tough to argue with the record-setting season Gronk has put together and the Pats are rolling. Phil has gotten his fair share of gushing in this segment, but with an incredible comeback on national TV and the Jets demolishing the Chiefs, perhaps New York can make a comeback.

Shonn Greene-Under Rex Ryan the Jets have become known for their Ground and pound approach of wearing teams out with the running game and shutting down opposing offenses. On the current winning streak Gang Green has returned to that strategy and it has paid off big time. In this week’s match up with the Kansas City Chefs I mean Chiefs, running back Shonn Greene reportedly told QB Mark Sanchez before the game, “Don’t mess it up and I’ll take home this week’s Like a Boss award.” Greene picked up 129 yards on the ground gaining 5.4 per attempt and added 58 yards receiving in addition to the touchdown. With Sanchez posting his typical pedestrian numbers there’s no doubt who is the CEO and who is VP on this team.

Rob Gronkowski- With the Patriots high flying offense and SeeYouInOctober best 10 wins it’s not surprising that the Pats have taken home this coveted award so many times. Tom Brady is second only to Drew Brees in yards this season and on pace to pick up 5,000 while Wes Welker leads all receivers with 1339 yards. However, that doesn’t mean that Wee Wes is the boss of this offense. The second year tight end famous for the Gronk Smash (or in layman’s term when he spikes the ball to celebrate a touchdown) set a record for most TDs by a tight end in a single season with 16 as he hauled in two against the Skins. The dude was busy on Sunday with 6 grabs for 160 yards in addition to the two scores, which also set a franchise record for most consecutive games with a touchdown (6). In an offense with Tom Brady and the league’s leading receiver can the tight end really be the boss? Yes.

Jason Pierre Paul– You down with JPP? Yeah you know me. The Giants defensive end has proved to be a monster for offensive linemen and more than earned his spot on SeeYouInOctober’s Scariest Players in the NFL. (https://seeyouinoctober.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/the-scariest-players-in-the-nfl/) Sunday Night against the Cowboys with first place in the division and the Giants’ season on the line the former basketball player used his long arms, strength and agility to make Tony Romo’s game a nightmare. On the Cowboy’s first possession JPP picked up his first sack of the game and two points for his team on the safety. He would collect another sack and lead the team with eight tackles on the night, but what sealed this week’s nomination? JPP jumped over the rest of the line stretched out his arms and blocked the game tying field goal from kicker Dan Bailey. Don’t think he played like a boss? I bet Romo would disagree.

 And the award goes to…

Rob Gronkowski!!! While our New York candidates had great games, they weren’t quite record setting. The Pats tight end has proved week in and week out that he can score on and off the field. Because he continually picks up Like a Boss awards. Why how else has he scored? Bibi Jones? Never heard of her… Oh now I see… Getting back to football! The Pats needed a great offensive game as their defense continued to struggle and Gronk made the Skins wish they had never made it a close game as he shattered their hearts with two resounding Gronk Spikes.

Think we got it wrong? Let us know via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

You Can’t Spell Elite Without ELI

Glad I wore my Hakeem Nicks jersey yesterday. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

New York Giants 37 Dallas Cowboys 34

Be honest Giants fans, how many of you turned off the TV when Eli threw that fourth quarter interception on an attempted screen pass? And for those die hard fans who kept watching, how many turned it off after the wide open touchdown pass Romo threw to Dez Bryant? I fell in the second category. After swearing at my mother, kicking the dog and brushing my teeth (ok I really only did one of those things) I had calmed down enough to turn it back on. After realizing the G-men were only down two touchdowns with five minutes to play I put my faith in the fourth quarter kid and he delivered a 37-34 road victory.

It is amazing how close the playoff race has become and how difficult it is to differentiate between contender and pretender. Last week all five teams battling for playoff spots (Falcons, Lions, Bears, Cowboys and Giants) all lost winnable games and this week, save the Bears and Cowboys, they all won. The Giants did all the things that they need to do to compete come January and took the first, and probably most important, step towards insuring a post season berth. Manning led a game winning drive with some huge throws to Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Jacons busted loose for 101 yards and two touchdowns, while Jason Pierre Paul and Chris Canty combined for three sacks of Romo.

It wasn’t all good for Big Blue. Tackling was extremely suspect in the run defense as Felix Jones looked like Marion Barber in his prime. The defense still gave up 34 points and has looked extremely porous outside the pass rush at times, but the top teams in the league all suffer from a similar deficiency. The question seems to be who will take care of business down the stretch.

The Giants looked like a motivated team last night. They excel where the Cowboys lack follow through. As much as fans have been infuriated with the Giants coaching staff, they know how to manage the clock and run an efficient two minute offense. Despite the inexperience on the line and in the receiving core, the team has absolute faith in Eli to take over the team and march down the field. The defense finally made the stop they haven’t been able to pick up and allowed the offense to make the game winning drive.

Last night was the coming out party for JPP. The dude was an absolute monster with two sacks, including a safety and when Dallas kicker Dan Bailey

No tip-toeing through the tulips for BJ last night. He was a bad man. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

attempted the game winner it was the long arms of the Giants defensive end that got in the way preserving the victory. Phil called it preseason and now the nation has witnessed his prowess.

With the win last night the Giants went from outside the playoff picture to first place in the NFC East. Dallas will have a chance for revenge in the last week of the season and that game may very well decide the division. Next week the Redskins come to the Meadowlands after an impressive loss to the Patriots. The following week it will be a test against Gang Green. Big Blue will have to take it one game at a time as neither one will be easy. The Redskins handed the Giants a loss in week one and the Jets have looked impressive the past few weeks. Limiting turnovers and continuing to get pressure on the quarterback has always been the formula for success for this Giants team and that is what they will need to ride into the post season.

Oh yes and it appears there is a  post script: add a dash of Manning to Nicks all day.

-Erik

Can the Giants use this momentum? Let us know what you think via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

Mid-Season Report: New York Giants

The G-Men can't be denied. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

New York Giants (6-2)

The Giants and all of the SeeYouInOctober teams have officially played half of their season’s schedule. With a 6-2 record the G-men hold the best record of the four teams we cover and have done it in dramatic fashion with victories over the Bills and Pats. This team is the most frustrating first place team in the league. Five of their six victories have come on fourth quarter comebacks and their two losses were at the hands of teams with a combined mid-season record of 5-11. The question fans, media and opponents are asking is: which is the real New York Football Giants?

Before the season started Eli Manning stirred up some controversy when he responded to a question on the Michael Kay show saying that he was in the same class as Tom Brady and the elite quarterbacks. Now he is backing up his talk. Manning is currently fifth in passer rating and seventh in yards and has led Big

Manning to Brady: I just took you to school. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Blue to some gutsy wins. However, the second quarter of the season started with an embarrassing loss. The Seattle Seahawks flew cross country to take on Big Blue as 10 point road dogs and came away with a victory. It was not a good day for offense as they committed five turnovers including three interceptions. Since that game Big Blue has practiced better ball security with only two turnovers, both coming in the victory over the Patriots last week as Manning out-dueled the illustrious Brady in a showdown in Foxburough. On the road he dialed up some more of his fourth quarter magic, reminiscent of the 2007 Superbowl.

While fourth quarter victories show gut, determination and leadership, they also raise questions. With the team losing the first three quarters in many games, how long before the magic runs out? The offense has looked fairly inefficient outside of the two minute drill and is largely predicated upon one big pass play. The goal is not to turn the ball over and play smart, conservative football. They have allowed other teams to make the mistakes. Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks have anchored this receiving core, but haven’t really done anything flashy. A first down here or there and a few touchdowns (Nicks 3, Manningham 2) is all they’ve needed. Nicks missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury and, as of yesterday, still has not practiced although he hopes to return this week.

The real story has been the emergence of Victor Cruz. Replacing Steve Smith as the slot receiver, Cruz has answered the bell with at least two catches in each game and more than 90 yards in five of the eight games. He currently leads the G-Men with four TD receptions and his signature salsa dance celebration is seen all over the highlight reels. Another loss the Giants had to fill was at the tight end position. After Kevin Boss left for Oakland it was up to rookie Jake Ballard. After a fairly quiet start to the season, Ballard’s coming out party was hosted last week by the Patriots. He picked up a crucial third down conversion then was on the receiving end of Manning’s game winning score, earning him last week’s Like a Boss award. (https://seeyouinoctober.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/like-a-boss-week-9/)

The running game for the Giants has been satisfactory. For Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs their number have not been spectacular, yet they force defenses to respect the ground game. Bradshaw has also been a reliable pass catcher and scored five touchdowns to this point including a three score day against the Buffalo Bills with Jacobs on the sideline. Now it is Bradshaw on the sidelines with a stress fracture in his foot and still hasn’t practice, although he is not ruled out for the upcoming game in San Francisco. Jacobs was the feature back last week against New England where he produced 100 combined yards and his third touchdown. The big boy wasn’t tip toeing through the tulips last Sunday and the G-Men can use more of the old Jacobs going forward with an injured Bradshaw.

So how is it with a mediocre offense the Giants are able to win? The defense. Their pass rush is first in the NFL with 28.0 sacks led by Jason Pierre Paul, who is third in the league with 9.5. After missing the first three games Osi Umenyiora has gotten off to a fast start with six sacks. The biggest challenge faced by the pass rush is not offensive lines or elusive quarterbacks, it’s health. In addition to Umenyiora coming back from knee surgery Justin Tuck has been battling a neck injury all season. For the first time he was left off the injury report this week. With JPP, Osi, Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka all on the field at the same time, the secondary doesn’t have to be spectacular.

With a myriad of injuries in the preseason, the secondary appeared to be a glaring inefficiency. Corey Webster has stepped up to become a shutdown corner

Don't worry Matt Moore, the Giant crush all QBs. Not just the bad ones. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

with 28 tackles and three interceptions on the year. Aaron Ross has matched Webster with only one less tackle and just as many picks as he has staved off the injury bug, which has plagued him throughout his career. Between the pass rush forcing signal callers and the secondary blanketing receivers, the Giants pass defense has allowed nine touchdowns while picking up 10 interceptions. The secondary could get another boost in the coming weeks as first round pick Prince Amukamara continues to heal from a broken foot. Amukamara has yet to take the field for Big Blue, but has had limited participation in practice.

The close margins of victory and bad losses for the Giants make many wonder whether they are contenders or pretenders and with last week’s road win they silenced many critics. However, the playoffs still aren’t guaranteed. Over the next four weeks the worst team they face is the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite their putrid start the Eagles still claim an explosive offense and rivalry games often produce surprising results. Their next game takes them to the west coast where they will face the surprising San Francisco 49ers. The Giants are going to have to prevent turnovers against the league’s number one scoring defense. The G-Men will also have to travel to the Superdome, where the Saints look like an unbeatable juggernaut. What the G-Men have done so well this season is preventing the big play. If teams are going to score on this defense they will have to put together a drive. They close out the third quarter welcoming the defending champion Green Bay packers with quarterback Aaron Rodgers having a season for the ages.

Over the next four games I believe Big Blue will go 3-1. I realize that is a bold prediction, but this team has made me a believer. I think they can out veteran the young 49ers much in the same way the Cowboys did earlier in the year. The big difference being, the Giants are a hell of a lot better at closing out games. I think they will beat the Eagles in a close game. This Philadelphia team just can’t seem to put it together for four quarters. Getting New Orleans at home would mean a victory, but taking them on in their home turf, the game will get away from Big Blue early. The next week the Giants will be getting Green Bay at home, coming off a rivalry game against the much improved Detroit Lions and if they are still undefeated, I have confidence the G-Men can knock them off in somewhat of a trap game.

-Erik

Are you feeling as confident as I am about Big Blue? Let us know what you think via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

Giants Give Fans a Scare, but Emerge Victorious

Manningham Wore a Familiar Costume: Super Mario (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

New York Giants 20 Miami Dolphins 17

This game would have been a devastating loss if the Giants continued their poor first half play into the second half. Instead the G-Men stayed the course and allowed their fourth quarter magic to take over and pick up an important victory heading into the second half of the season.

Coming out of the bye week the Giants got their last gimmie game of the season and took care of business, despite an 11 point first quarter deficit. This game was not hard to figure out. The Dolphins controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball as Reggie Bush played like he was wearing his USC number five jersey, or just like he did when playing against the Giants in 2006, his last 100 yard game. Bush slashed and dash with his speed and elusiveness for 103 yards on 15 carries, but failed to find the end zone. The quarterback play for the Fish also looked improved as Matt Moore went 13/22 for 101 yards and added 31 yards on scrambles, turning broken plays into big gains. In the first half it looked like the Dolphins would not finish the season 0-16, but the G-Men played smart. Limit the damage and allow the bad team to make mistakes. After the 9:44 mark of the second quarter, the Fish never found the end zone, or even the red zone for that matter.

The Giants received scrutiny from Brandon Jacobs recently from their lack of commitment to the running game and viewers heard it all day from the

Eli Manning as The Fourth Quarter Kid (AP Photo/Evan Pinkus)

announcers, but that was the game plan against this Miami team. Their run defense is 19th in the league giving up 118.5 yards per game while trailing in most of their games when the team with the lead will commit heavily to the ground. The Dolphin’s secondary is inexperienced and the Giants receiving core is consistently improving this year especially as Victor Cruz is coming on strong. Today the former UMass standout picked up seven catches for 99 yards and the game winning TD. Hakeem Nicks had a rough day with a couple of big drops, but managed to grab six balls for 67 yards. Eli Manning put up another game typical of his career. He never lights up the screen, but at the end of the day he is going to get more than 300 yards and a touchdown or two (349 yards, 2TD today). The most important stat for Manning was zero interceptions for the second straight week translating into a second straight victory.

What the Giants have that makes them such a good second half team is poise. As frustrating as the offense can be at times they never try to force a home run in a bunting situation. In the fourth quarter the G-Men drove into the red zone, but failed to convert on third down as they picked up five yards. That positive yardage allowed Lawrence Tynes to kick a chip shot 29 yard field goal. They needed a touchdown and a field goal, so the Giants made the drive a positive and had faith they could pick up the touchdown on their next drive.

Fortunately they did and with the lead allowed their league leading pass rush to really get after the inexperienced Matt Moore. If the Giants get the lead, the pass rush makes them a tough team to beat as they picked up five sacks on the day. The big four all played today and Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Osi Umeniyora and Jason Pierre Paul each picked up at least a half sack.

The rest of the way Big Blue will play some of the league’s top contenders with games against the Patriots, Jets, Saints and Packers in addition to their divisional rivals. It will be a tough test, but when the Giants don’t turn the ball over and when they take the lead this is one of the league’s best teams.

-Erik

How worried are Giants fans after Big Blue barely beat the Dolphins and prepare to face stiff competition the rest of the way? Let us know via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

Home Warriors, Road Whimps?

New York Giants 27 Buffalo Bills 24

You Down with JPP? (Chris Faytok/US PRESSWIRE)

The Buffalo Bills have been a great story in this young NFL season winning four of their first six games, yet they get no respect. When they rode into the Meadowlands, or excuse me Met Life Stadium, they were three point road dogs to an inconsistent New York Giants team that got embarrassed in that very same stadium one week before. It seems the odds-makers got this game exactly right.

Both teams came into this week with something to prove. The Bills needed a quality road win and the Giants needed a victory before entering the toughest part of their schedule coming out of their bye week. When the dust settled both teams left with a 4-2 record. These two teams were very well matched and played a tight ballgame. The similarity in the stats is incredibly close. Both teams had seven penalties for close to 80 yards, were 5 of 11 on third down, punted three times and both quarterbacks completed 21 passes. The G-Men won the time of possession battle by less than two minutes. The Bills relied on the big breakout plays from Fred Jackson and Naaman Roosevelt to give their offense a jolt while the Giants strung together more consistent drives picking up seven more first downs and riding on the shoulder pads of Ahmad “Son of Terry” Bradshaw for three scores.

As I have mentioned in previous entries, the difference in games this year is the turnover battle. Every offense is putting up close to 400 yards per game and signal callers like rookie Cam Newton look like their playing Madden. Defenses clearly have to play catch up, but as long as they can make the big stop, that is all they need to do this season. The New York Football Giants have always been known for a Bill Parcells style of smashmouth football. A strong running game and relentless pass rush is how Big Blue will live and die. Yesterday, with Justin Tuck on the sideline, the big three Osi Umeniyora, Mathias Kiwanuka and the beast in the making Jason Pierre Paul, each recorded a sack of Ryan Fitzpatrick. The pressure got to Fitzy and he threw two picks in big spots. Both turnovers looked to be under thrown and were Fitzy’s fault. Their formula for success this season has been creating turnovers and ball security, but Sunday they had neither. For the Bills defensively they couldn’t stop the run or put pressure on Eli Manning. As critical as many are of Manning, when he has time to throw, he is a dangerous weapon.

Ball security is key for the Giants going forward. When Manning doesn’t throw an interception this season they are unbeaten. To help Manning the Giants have

Bradshaw looked like Superman as he ran for two scores and flew for another. (UPI /John Angelillo)

to continue to get a push up front to loose Bradshaw, who had a huge day. The run sets up the pass and when Big Blue gets the ground game going they are a tough team to beat especially with their league leading 21 sacks on defense. It was a fitting end to the game when JPP got a hand up to bat down Fitzy’s final pass attempt and seal the victory. Defensively it was Perry Fewell’s game plan to get hands up in the Harvard Man’s grill and make him nervous in pocket. Offensively Ahmad was the plan and it worked.

Next week both teams take a rest before the Giants welcome the Miami Dolphins and the Bills open their home to the Washington Redskins. Both teams should be favored in those games and come out of the bye week strong.

– Erik

The Giants beat the Bills head to head on Sunday, but who do you think is the better overall team? Let us know who you “Billieve” in more when it comes time for the playoffs via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.