by DMtShooter, Five Tool Tool
Hey, Giant Fan! All of the other Carnies are too sick of your act to write this preview. So it's left to your old pal Shooter, fresh from making your sad-sack cross-town Jets cousins cry by daring to impugn the reputation of Jets Quarterback, to slog through the sorriest title defense this side of Buster Douglas. Let's get to it, shall we?
Has anything gone right for the Giants since Eli to Helmet? You could make an argument that, well, no, nothing has. Michael Straham went off into the sunset when the G-Men didn't bank the truck up to bring him back. Osi Umenyiora was lost for the year in the continuing travesty that is pre-season football. Gibril Wilson took mad money to go west, leaving the suspect secondary a little more suspect. That's three plus players gone from a defense that wasn't all that great (see last year's regular season games against the Cowboys, where the wideouts were passing out batons, for reference) until the stretch run magic.
Oddly, I think this works out for the G-Men, in that very few people outside of the Apple are really expecting a title defense. The consensus pick is that the Cowboys have added talent to a star-heavy lineup, and that the Eagles are more dangerous with a last-place schedule. (No one is taking the Skins seriously, given how awful they've looked in the pre-season and the unprecedented experiment that is Jim Zorn.) There's a very real chance that the G-Men will fly under the radar to a double-digit win year, especially if Manning can pick up where he left off after last year's playoffs.
The schedule helps... a little. They start off easy, with Washington, St. Louis, Cincy and the bye. It's hard to imagine them not being 2-1 or 3-0 after that, but they'll have to be. After the early bye (never a plus), they get Seattle at home, then Cleveland on the road and San Fran at home. With any kind of luck, they'll be 5-1 or 4-2, if not even undefeated.
But then it gets nasty, with a road date in Pittsburgh, the Cowboys at home, the Eagles on the road, Baltimore at home and at Arizona and Washington. If they need to do more than split the final four games (Philly, at Dallas, Carolina, at Minnesota), it's easy to see them on the outside looking in.
Fantasy Sleeper: Manning. In a deep year for quarterbacks, Manning gets short shrift, but if his defense is worse this year -- and it will be -- he's going to be in more shootouts. Combine this with Brandon Jacobs probably gripping too hard in a contract year, and you can really see him airing it out early and often... especially if Burress is finally over the ankle issues.
Bonus Sleeper: Kevin Boss, TE. Another victim of a deep pool, which means you should be able to get him in a back-up position without any kind of trouble at all. Manning has shown his fondness for the tight end in the pass, and Boss will never get prime attention from the opponent.
Fantasy Death: Jacobs. He's in a contract year, which means you'll have to pay too much to get him from people who are anticipating more effort for the moolah. He's also in a situation where the backups (Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward) were nearly as good as him on a per-carry basis, and he's also been injury prone in the past. Add it up, and you're looking at paying starter prices for a committee back.
Real-world prediction: Even though the Giants are very good on personnel (look at all of the rookies that contributed to last year's team), there's just too many things that went right for them last year to imagine that it's all going to repeat. I don't think they'll fall apart, but I do think they'll just miss this year... and that Giants Fan won't really mind that much, given that the memories of Eighteen And One Very Big One will keep them warm at night. For the rest of their lives, really. 8-8.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
NFL PREVIEW: NEW YORK GIANTS
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
BEST USE OF PHOTOSHOP AWARD FOR FEBRUARY 5
Excellent again, flatusyahu.
If you do or see some great photoshopping in the future, send it to us and you might win ...
... respect for your rats!
Monday, February 4, 2008
PRESS COVERAGE: ELI MANNING
by E. Spencer Kyte, Bugs and Cranks
Sure, this is a bit of a cheapy, but let's be honest: At the start of the season, how many of you thought Eli Manning would be the Super Bowl MVP?
Hell, even a couple weeks ago no one thought he would be Super Bowl MVP. Yesterday morning that number may have been a little larger, but still, he was at the helm of the underdog New York Giants. Now, he's the Super Bowl MVP.
I loved what Michael Strahan said after the game: "Champion Eli Manning. Not Peyton Manning's little brother. Not Archie Manning's son. Eli Manning."
All us talking heads and media types who have been wondering aloud for the last couple of years who got the better or the Eli Manning for Philip Rivers trade a couple years ago just got a Giant answer yesterday.
Eli Manning is a World Champion and Super Bowl XLII MVP and he is worthy of Press Coverage...
Sunday, February 3, 2008
GIVE THE GIANTS CREDIT
by Brian P. Foley, The College Baseball Blog
I am a Boston type guy but GIVE THE GIANTS CREDIT!
The Giants were the better team on the field, on the sidelines, and every other possible facet. The Giants coaches had a better gameplan as they were able to get to Brady anytime they wanted while screwing around with the Patriots offense. Plaxico made the play while the Patriots secondary was nowhere near him. The Giants saw the opening and took advantage of it.
Can we now say the Monkey is off of Coughlin's back now? The guy coached this team through three tough road games and then beat a perfect New England team in the Super Bowl. He coached his players up as noone on the Giants team had more talent then a Patriots player. I am not being a homer there but lets be honest. Do you take Plaxico over Randy Moss? Brady or Eli? I think you will take most of the Patriots players over Giants.
Congrats to Tom Coughlin on a great season!
PS: My MVP was the entire Giants defense.
Question: Where did Coughlin, Kiwanuka, and Snee get their starts?
ANSWER: BOSTON COLLEGE
Friday, February 1, 2008
PHIL SIMMS '86, ELI MANNING '07
by wwtb?, Pacifist Viking
When you think of Phil Simms on the 1986 Super Bowl champion Giants, you probably think of the Super Bowl. Simms was the Super Bowl MVP, completing 22 of 25 passes in a 39-20 win.
When you think of Eli Manning on the 2007 NFC champion Giants, you probably think of an erratic, inaccurate quarterback that throws interceptions in bunches, but got just hot enough in the playoffs to help the Giants to the Super Bowl.
And you might be right on both counts, but here are Simms' and Mannings' stats in their respective Super Bowl years:
1986 Phil Simms: 55.3%, 3487 yards, 21 touchdowns, 22 interceptions
2007 Eli Manning: 56.1%, 3336 yards, 23 touchdowns, 20 interceptions
OK, those stats look pretty similar. But before we go suggesting they were equals in 1986 and 2007, keep in mind that the league-wide completion percentage in 1986 was 55.4% (making Simms average), and the league-wide completion percentage in 2007 was 61.2% (making Manning well below average). Manning also benefited more from his running game (the '07 Giants were 4th in the league with 4.6 yards per attempt; the '86 Giants were 11th in the league with 4.0 yards per attempt). For the season, though, Simms benefited from a stronger defense than Manning did ('86: 14.8 ppg, 2nd in the league; '07: 21.9 ppg, 17th in the league), which might partially account for the '86 Giants' 14-2 record and the '07 Giants' 10-6 record.
Of course, it is already obvious that the Super Bowl will play a big part in Eli Manning's historical legacy. Winning the game would make Eli Manning a Super Bowl winning quarterback, and in legacies, that's a big deal. But it's worth looking to Phil Simms to note just how critical Sunday's game could be for Manning in history. If he plays a spectacular game and the Giants win, he may be remembered fondly and could be annoying us all from the broadcast booth in 20 years. If he struggles and the Giants lose, he either needs to improve his play for the rest of his career, or get back to some Super Bowls, to have a good historical legacy. Otherwise he's like Stan Humphries, Kerry Collins, or any number of decent but not recognizably great quarterbacks to lose in a Super Bowl.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
4TH ESTATE GRAFFITTI: THE KING & ELI
by The Chief, Hugging Harold Reynolds
The King is cheating on the Gunslinger with none other than Fredo Manning.
Fairweather fan.
Click for a version bigger than Pete's man-crush.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
TOP 10 WAYS IN WHICH TIKI BARBER AND JEREMY SHOCKEY PREVENTED THE GIANTS FROM WINNING
by DMtShooter, Five Tool Tool
Sure, everyone is piling on the erstwhile Giants stars for preventing Big Blue from reaching their full potential. But how exactly did they do the foul deed of preventing the Manning-Coughlin dynamic duo from going to their third Super Bowl?
10. Key drops on critical third downs for Shockey, fumbles and road game disappearances for Barber
9. Would tell the other team the next play if they would call them pretty
8. Not "early" enough to Coach Coughlin's meetings, showing a less than total commitment to the team concept and 100% focus on the task at hand
7. Loud sing-song chant of "Freeeeee Doh! Freeeee Doh!" after every Manning interception, incompletion and failed third-down conversion
6. Too ready to give the New York media something juicy, and therefore put themselves into the spotlight, which distracted teammates
5. Constantly said "rassin' frassin' cotton pickin' varmint! I'll keelhaul the lot of em'!" every time Coughlin got upset, causing teammates to miss critical teaching moments while stifling laughter
4. Despite gaudy personal statistics, not as strong a positive force as might be expected, due to brittleness, fumbling, inopportune penalties and weak blocking
3. Professed loud admiration for Buddy Ryan every time offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride was near, causing Gilbride to often soil himself
2. Given too much respect and deference by a young quarterback who was trying to be a game manager, rather than a superstar
1. Never, ever, not once, called Eli the next morning after a defeat
Monday, December 31, 2007
I HOPE YOU'RE SITTING DOWN FOR THIS NEWS: ELI MANNING IS NOT AWESOME
by Andy Kissko, Rivalfish
I try to be humble. I do. Most people that know me would say "Uhh, yeah. I know why. It should be extremely easy for you. Plus it's ironic that you're bragging about your humility, ass" but I'd like to ignore those people for now. I do my best not to say things like "I can pull better looking women than you can", "trust me, I'm a lot smarter than you are", "No, I'll drive because I'm much better at it than you are", "My dad can beat up your mom", or "I can watch The Princess Diaries for longer without crying than you". But sometimes you just have to do a little flexin' on people and keep order maintained. Let the pecking order be known. Show a little muscle. So I'm going to go ahead and say it- "I'm more sick of hearing about Eli Manning not being awesome than you are."
What other city would produce a QB that elicits headlines, HEADLINES, like "Eli is Average!!!!", "So Far Eli Has Been Sorta Iffy"? To quote Cindy Adams- "Only in New York kids, only in New York." Where I come from you write stories about things that are not average. That's what makes people want to read them. Do you know how many NFL players are pretty average? Every single one of those 400 NFL players you can't name. And Eli. So a headline proclaiming this revelation for all of these players is anything but warranted. It would be a waste of time. Except for Eli apparently.
Sure I realize that expectations for Eli are much higher, so his averageness is viewed as a disappointment, thereby making it theoretically newsworthy. Unintelligent media people proclaimed him to be of "regal breeding" for an NFL QB. Let me get this straight- because of who Eli's brother is, he is suddenly a shoe-in to greatness? Peyton's great, yes, but he is great because he is Peyton, not because his Dad was above average. Brett Lindros didn't play for too long in the NHL as I recall, even though his brother was great. Roger Clinton is just the moron brother of (who many consider to be) a good president. Using NYC sports media logic, by definition he should be the heir-apparent to the US Presidency. So why can't Elah (as Phil Simms and Peyton call him) just be the goober brother of Peyton? I ought to correct myself though- Peyton is a goober as well, but Elah is even more of a goober. An uber-goober, if you will.
But Elah's hype isn't just genetic. When he and his regally-family-jeweled daddy thumbed their noses at San Diego and declared themselves too good for even the #1 pick, Eli set his bar even higher. Saying the Chargers were not Eli-ready enough, and were in too small of a market to properly harness what would be Eli's Lombardi Trophy Factory Hype Machine, they left for the greener PR pastures of New York City. The raised the stakes even before entering the biggest market. With the most relentless media. And the least patient fans. Doing that would wind up subjecting knowledgeable sports readers like to you to these pathetic articles of which I am crusading against.
I get that he was over-hyped. Who couldn't predict that this acharismatic aw-shuckser wasn't worthy of that degree of adulation? I also get that the east coast media hype machine, knowing that news is a commodity, pumped out article after article about Elah because they knew that the hungry NYC fans would read it. What I don't get is who honestly bought into half of the hyperbole? Did any of your friends tell you to mark their words- Eli would be a perennial Pro-Bowler? No. We all endured a stupid media, force-feeding wishful-thinking fans an endless stream of tall tales about Eli's Greatness. (I once read that he hired Chuck Norris as his maid, in fact.) Sadly, now that the media has Elah egg on their face, they have to save face and feign shock now that he is average. So now they waste our time twice for the same thing. They took an average player and wasted our time telling us he was insanely talented, then to counteract that, they now have to waste our time to convince us, that he is human after all. Thanks again East Coast sports media. Job well done.
With so much hype he was destined to either flourish or fail. Instead he's done neither. He's a decent quarterback. He'll have three pretty nice games, then a clunker on the fourth. He'll throw two or three TDs, but an interception or two, as well. As a result of his over-fueled east coast hype machine, we are constantly subjected to his Bologna sandwich charisma, and his non-awesomeness screamed in headlines. Why can't he just quietly be average? Thanks to the NYC media he's the only person that is not merely average, but outrageously extreme in his averageness.
Come on though, really, who could have seen his non eventful career coming? Oh right, everyone in the world except people selling articles to NYC fans, and Elah's dad, RoyalNuts.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
TALE OF THE TAPE: ELI VS. REX
by Tbone, The Sports Hernia
Screw the Packers and Cowboys, everyone was just too embarrassed to admit that all they thought about this week was the Giants/Bears showdown, headlined by two quarterbacks absolutely jazzed to be in the spotlight, Peyton's brother and Sweetchuck's nephew.
Here's all you need to know about Sunday's barf 'n gag QB match-up at Solder Field.
Yeeeah, better wear a poncho for this one, and not because of the rain.
Accuracy
Edge: The 40-year-old playing catch with his son in the South Lot
Toughness
Edge: Anyone sitting through this assman rodeo in the freezing temps
Mental Toughness
Edge: Spalding Smails
Body Language
Edge: Scott Norwood
Leadership
Edge: Jeff George
Poise
Edge: Squirrel in the middle of a 5-lane highway during rush hour
Footwork
Edge: This monkey
Fan Support
Edge: Hitler
Hair
Edge: Lloyd Christmas
Fumbling skills
Edge: Rexie, he has Eli beat by 1
Public Enemy
Edge: Jeff Feagles for not punting to Hester
Sideline presence
Edge: Even - J. Load's mammoth stature ties with Orton's witness-protection beard
(Originally published 11/28)
Saturday, December 1, 2007
ELI IS REALLY JUST MIDDLE OF THE PACK
by Simon, SimonOnSports
If you are a resident anywhere near New York City then you are accustomed to hearing the Eli Manning is a bum talk. After this weeks single handed loss to the Vikings, if you listened to the talk radio stations you just might think it was the end of the world. Hell you would certainly think he was one of the worst #1 draft picks in the history of the NFL. But when you actually take a solid look at the history of quarterbacks drafted with the top overall pick, Eli once again slides right into the upper middle of the pack.
Here is my rankings or groupings of the NFL quarterbacks taken with the overall top selection. The majority of what is taken to account is their efforts with the team that drafted them and only slightly more on the entirety of their career.
MEGA BUSTS
1954: Bobby Garrett, Cleveland - Never played a down for the Browns as quoting from Wikipedia "The Browns had needed someone to take over for the veteran Otto Graham, but they soon discovered that Garrett had a liability as a quarterback: he stuttered, which made calling plays difficult." He lasted one season with the Packers.
1959: Randy Duncan, Green Bay - Decided against playing for the Packers and went instead to the CFL in British Columbia before moving to the Dallas Texans of the AFL after two season.
1944: Angelo Bertelli, Boston Yanks - Left for the Marines and wound up playing in the AAFC and not the NFL.
1956: Gary Glick, Pittsburgh - Glick was immediately converted to a Dback where he lasted for 4 seasons with the Steelers.
PLAIN OLD BUSTS
1958: King Hill, Chicago Cardinals - Was the starting quarterback for the Cardinals for only one of the three seasons he played with the team before being traded to the Eagles.
1955: George Shaw, Baltimore - Broke his leg his rookie season and was replaced by fellow rookie Johnny Unitas. Shaw was then traded to the Giants where he sporadically played.
1946: Frank Dancewicz, Boston Yanks - Only Lasted 3 seasons in the NFL. Finished his career with 12 tds and 29 ints.
1999: Tim Couch, Cleveland - Spent 5 poor seasons with the Browns until he finally lost his job to Kelly Holcomb and has since not stuck on a roster for an entire season.
2002: David Carr, Houston - Spent 5 seasons as the Texans QB never leading them to a .500 or better record. Some of which was blamed on the poor offensive line but subsequent play with the Panthers this season leads most to believe he just sucks.
SUCKED WITH THE DRAFT TEAM
1987: Vinny Testaverde, Tampa Bay - In 6 years with the Bucs Testaverde never threw more touchdowns than interceptions, during which the Bucs never one more than six games. Is still kicking as the oldest QB in pro football, but his only smell of the Superbowl was denied when his Jets lost to the Elway led Broncos.
1990: Jeff George, Indianapolis - After receiving the richest rookie contract of his time George had 4 mediocre years in Indianapolis with one winning season amongst them. George then wore out his welcome, as he typically does, and was traded to the Falcons. George continues to want to play in the NFL however due to the fact that everyone generally considers him a cocky douche and old, no one signs him.
WON TITLES ELSEWHERE
1971: Jim Plunkett, Boston - Plunkett came into the NFL with a bang having his best season for the Pats his rookie year. His numbers then faltered until he was traded to the 49ers in 1975. Plunkett eventually took over the starting job at Oakland and proceeded to win two Superbowls with the team.
1952: Billy Wade, LA Rams - Made two pro bowls during his career but finished with 124 tds to 134 ints. Never had a season with the Rams where he threw 2 or more tds than ints. His best season was a 12 td 11 int effort in a 4-7-1 season. To rub salt in the wound he won a NFL Championship for the Chicago Bears in 1963 after being traded to them following his 7 mediocre seasons with the Rams.
TO BE DETERMINED
2005: Alex Smith, San Francisco - Only his third year in the league but the 49ers are again one of the worst teams in the league and have not come close to the playoffs during his 3 years. I'll give him a slight benefit of the doubt and leave him in the TBD list. But he's speeding towards bust status right now.
2007: JaMarcus Russell, Oakland - Russel has yet to take a snap in the NFL. So who really knows.
MAKING THE PLAYOFFS ONE UNIMPRESSIVE PASS AT A TIME
2001: Michael Vick, Atlanta - Was initially thought of as the evolution of the Quarterback position and was good enough to make several Pro Bowls and win a lot of games. Vick never reached a Superbowl and has subsequently embarrassed the entire city of Atlanta and left the Falcons in shambles. Because of this he should go down as a worse pick than Manning. Atleast the Joey Harrington days for the Giants are no where in site.
2004: Eli Manning, San Diego traded to New York - After 3 1/2 seasons as a starting quarterback Manning has established himself as a middle of the pack QB and barring a major collapse this season will have led the Giants to back to back to back playoff appearances. In his 3 1/2 seasons Manning has thrown 70 touchdowns to 59 interceptions at a moderately inaccurate 55% completion clip.
PRO BOWLERS BUT NOT BIG GAME WINNERS
1975: Steve Bartkowski, Atlanta - Bartkowski played all but one year of his 12 year career with the Falcons, spent most time as the starter and even made the Pro Bowl twice. However, the Falcons never sniffed the Superbowl.
2003: Carson Palmer, Cincinnati - Would generally be taken by fans around the country over Eli and has put up better offensive numbers. However, in Palmers career with one additional season under his belt he has one less playoff appearance going on two less.
1993: Drew Bledsoe, New England - Had decent success for the Patriots during his tenure and led them to one Superbowl loss, however the best thing he ended up doing for the franchise was getting injured and handing the helm over to the Golden Boy.
IMMORTALS
1983: John Elway, Baltimore traded to Denver - Won two superbowls and was inducted into the Hall of Fame and is considered one of the best Quarterbacks of all time. And most similarly to Manning refused to play for the team with the #1 pick.
1998: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis - Eli's true curse is his older brother. He is the constant unfair comparison, is a shoe-in for the Hall when he retires and got over his playoff jitters last year.
1989: Troy Aikman, Dallas - Part of the Jimmy Johnson masterminded triplets. Helped lead the Cowboys to three Superbowls.
1970: Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh - Won 4 Superbowl titles for the Steelers, played his entire career for the organization and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
QUICK CONCLUSION
When you take a look at where Eli sits amongst the overall #1s Giants fans should be relatively happy. Since Eli's brother was drafted at #1 the majority of his peers have been draft busts. After about 3 1/2 seasons Eli's numbers are good but not great, his record is good but not great and he should in no way be considered a bust. Sorry you New Yorkers didn't end up with an Immortal but quit your bitching.
(Originally published 11/27)
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
THE RUNDOWN: I WOULD LOVE TO BET AGAINST THIS GUY
by Davey, Blown Coverage
The Rundown is a weekly "gambling" column based on and inspired by the time I spent working at sports books.
Some people out there are very bright. They can do basic pre-school math, they have something that resembles logic and and they make rational decisions that usually end up being right on the money.
Folk like this usually are pretty good gamblers as well. They take trends, stats and other stuff into consideration and get some sort of advantage out of it.
Then you have someone like Sportsline senior NFL writer Pete Prisco. He's basically the exact opposite. He takes fact and logic and violates them with a cheese grater. Prisco is one of my favorite targets over at Blown Coverage and this is exactly why.
I know that no one is perfect and that people are going to be wrong from time to time, but Pete takes wrong and has a violent sexual romp with it. He embraces it. He takes it on dates. He buys it fancy dresses. He brings flowers for it.
After Eli Manning put up his epic stinker against the NFL's worst pass defense last Sunday, everyone started to pile on Manning and you can definitely understand why. But not to worry Eli, Pete's here to defend your below average career numbers.
"Let the piling on Eli Manning begin.
He's an easy target. And he does deserve plenty of ripping for his horrid play in the New York Giants' 41-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. There's no way to sugarcoat the fact that he stunk it up in throwing four picks, three returned for touchdowns.
But don't rush to judgment and say Manning can't play. That's what the New York media wants to do. That's what some national writers want to do."
See, first of all, no one is rushing to any judgment. Manning has played in 52 regular season games and two post-season games. He's been New York's starter since 2004. No one is rushing to a judgment when said opinion has been formed after 52 regular season games.
Manning's career record as a starter is 27-23. He's 0-2 in the play-offs and even though New York went 11-5 in '05, they had that epic 2-6 slide to end last season and this season they've basically sucked against the good teams and got a bunch of their wins against the bottom feeders.
"Look at the facts. Counting this season, he has thrown 63 touchdowns passes in his past 42 starts. You can't do that if you aren't any good. He has thrown 46 interceptions, which isn't good, and some of that is because he tends to get jumpy in the pocket because his offensive line struggles."
The patented Prisco contradiction. He's good, but he does things that are obviously not good.
"The Giants' tackles aren't very good. That's a recipe for pass rushers in your face and Manning simply will not take the sack.
He throws it instead. He has to learn to take the sack.
But let's not bury the kid. He's completing 60.4 percent of his passes this season, which is a career high. A week ago against the Lions, he was 23 of 34 for 283 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He had a passer rating of 100.7 and the media was singing his praises."
Actually, he's completing 58.5 % of his passes this season. He's got 16 Td's and 15 picks so far and a qb-rating of 75, right around his career average.
Now, those numbers are pretty simplistic, so I'm going to get a little geeky on you guys. The Football Outsiders rank their quarterbacks using DPAR (points scored by a qb compared to a replacemt level guy) and DVOA (average value per play).
The simple version: DPAR means a quarterback with more total value. DVOA means a quarterback with more value per play. Easy right? Good.
These are the top 10 qb's so far this season based on their DPAR and DVOA.
1. Tom Brady
2. Brett Favre
3. Derek Anderson
4. Carson Palmer
5. Tony Romo
6. Peyton Manning
7. Drew Brees
8. David Garrard
9. Jeff Garcia
10. Matthew Hasselbeck
Eli Manning comes in at number 26. Some guys that are in front of Eli on that list : Joey Harrington, Sage Rosenfels, Brodie Croyle, J.P. Losman, the benched Chad Pennington and the ghost of Daunte Culpepper.
He has a DVOA of -8.3 %. Philip Rivers, the guy who was traded for Eli and who's been having a seemingly horrible season still has a DVOA of +12.3% and ranks 12 spots ahead of Eli on that list. Make of that what you will.
"One game, one horrible game, shouldn't change the way people think about him. There are those questioning whether he's the long-term answer. Hey, has anybody looked around the league lately to see the list of guys playing?
Of course he's the long-term answer.
But he does play in New York. And his name is Manning, which means more scrutiny than most."
One game didn't make people think differently about Eli. It just basically cemented the opinions even more. Going back to those Football Outsiders rankings, Eli finished ranked 17th among quarterbacks last season behind guys like Damon Huard, Jon Kitna, Mark Brunell and Matt Leinart.
In 2005, the season that New York went 11-5, Manning ranked 18th among qb's. In his rookie season, he ranked 36th.
36, 18,17, 26. If the Giants want below average as their "long term answer," fine by me.
And yeah, let's not forget that Elisha is being below average after pouting and demanding to be traded on draft day, something that forced the Giants to give up three draft picks and Philip Rivers to get him.
But hey, Prisco's impressed by all that. Sportsline's senior NFL writer folks, showing consistency that would make Cal Ripken blush....
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
SIDESHOW ALLEY: OHIO STATE IS BACK WHERE THEY BELONG
by Dr. C, Chicago Bull
Sideshow Alley is all the things we talk about when were not discussing the odds on , or what company Peyton Manning is whoring for now. The off the field stuff. This aggression of annoyance to me the viewer will not stand.
OHIO STATE GOES DOWN, THEN CRIES ABOUT IT: I hate Ohio State with a passion. I didn't go to Illinois or Michigan, but I didn't have to to develop my hatred for the Scarlett and Gray. So what did the football team do after losing to a better Illinois team? Cry about it and try to fight like bitches. What else you would expect from such a prestigious university that graduates only 55% of its athletes. Did you see LSU go after Kentucky when they lost? How about USC in overtime when they lost to Stanford? Nope. Only Ohio State. There are a few standouts such as Troy Smith, Greg Oden, and a few others that make up for most of the program, but for the most part, if the Bubonic plague was unleashed in the U.S., I would hope Columbus be in right in it's path. You lost. Take it like men and walk off the field. You got what you deserved, and in turn you show the sports world your true colors. Way to go, Ohio State. Have fun in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, jagoffs.
Dog's Son Sells Him Out: Talk about an asshole move. Obviously we now know Duane "Dog" Chapman will not be attending the Source awards next year because of scheduling problems, but come on, selling out your own father? If you want to get back at him for some reason, handcuff him when he's asleep and piss on his face. That outta take care of you not being hugged enough. Apparently he was mad over an argument about his girlfriend that he had with Dog. Again, another be a man issue. Next time you have problem, buy a handle of Jim Beam, and drink until you can barely stand. Then punch Dog in the face and start rambling about your favorite shirt this past Christmas he used to wipe his ass with. Fight, get it over with, and move on. It's that simple.
New Eco-Citizen Campaign Feature Eli Manning: I couldn't help but laugh when I saw ole' Elisha's face on my TV yesterday. Out of anyone you could get to market your brand, you choose Eli?! What the fuck were you thinking? The ads goes: Eli Manning is unstoppable, so too his Eco-Citizen Watch. It's powered by light, so you'll never have to charge it.
Wow. Unstoppable. Definitely think that's what the Dallas defense came away with yesterday after that awesome display of greatness. 1 TD, 2 INTS. I can't decide what's worse, the idea to have Manning do the campaign, or the fact that someone actually backed it and went with it. Wrong Manning, guys.
Planet Earth on HD: I've heard a lot of buzz about the Discovery Channel's Planet Earth series, and just checked it out last night. If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend it. They spent five years putting it together, and it was time well spent. That's all I got for you on that; the amount of description it would take to depict just how good it is would be a waste of time.
Finally, Mr. Anonymous Commenter: Where do I begin? You spend your entire pathetic day going around Blogfrica telling everyone just how much they suck. Thanks for the traffic by the way. I seriously want you to start your blog. Let's see how much dick you really suck. I could sit here and think of funny shit to demoralize the piece of shit you truly are, but I don't need to. You'll sit there and come back with more dumb shit, and the cycle never ends. So start your blog, because I'm not acknowledging you ever again. In short, kill yourself you worthless cumstain.
Friday, October 26, 2007
BIRTH ORDER: ELI MANNING
by wwtb?, Pacifist Viking
In the Time article "The Power of Birth Order," Jeffrey Kluger mainly gives us updated scientific details on a thesis that scientists have been studying for years: that one's birth order has a great deal of control over one's personality and fate. To generalize, "eldest sibs are the dogged achievers and youngest sibs are the gamblers and visionaries." According to the the thesis (popularly articulated by Frank Sulloway), first-borns tend to side responsibly with authority and the status quo, while later-borns have a tendency toward innovation, revolution, and rebellion.
Introducing the subject, Kluger briefly mentions several younger siblings of famous people. He also drops this nugget:
"It can't be easy being Eli Manning, struggling to prove himself as an NFL quarterback while big brother Peyton polishes a Super Bowl trophy and his superman stats."
Hmm. Well, Peyton is actually a middle child, so we have to scrap the simple interpretation of him as the responsible first-born dedicated to study of the game. But Eli is the youngest child in the Manning clan. What can we learn about Eli from birth order?
Kluger says that "later-borns score higher on what's known as agreeableness, or the simple ability to get along in the world." Well now we have an explanation for Eli's "aw shucks, I don't really know what's going on and I don't really care what's going on" look on his face. He's just an agreeable later-born. Wins, losses, interceptions, touchdowns, it's all the same to him--he's a master at just getting along in the world.
Kluger also writes (citing Sulloway) that "Later-borns are similarly willing to take risks with their physical safety," that "Younger siblings are the ones who put themselves in harm's way." And here we can really understand Eli. Giants fans may grimace at some of Eli's wild passes. But you can't really blame Eli's accuracy or decision making for any turnovers. He's a later-born. He is, as Kluger identifies it, "courting danger." As a later-born, he's willing to take risks, and that means chucking the ball where defensive backs lurk.
It all makes sense: Eli's wacky passes are merely the result of his environment. As a later-born, he agreeably learned to throw risky passes.
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