With Kidd Gloves

Not totally lost amongst the drivel that surrounds our nation's biggest football game is some huge basketball news, foremost of which is the trade Jason Kidd is trying to orchestrate out of New Jersey. The world's greatest point guard, who'll be 35 in March, has asked/demanded that he be traded to a winning team. He maintains that he can't help this Nets team win anymore, even if he does get another triple-double.

It's truly a shame that it has come to this. I can still recall the sheer elation of watching Kidd transform the Nets from doormat to contender in those wonder years of 2001 and 2002, leading a go-for-broke team of natural wonders who just needed a leader. The young K-Mart, Kenyon Martin, provided the power inside, Kerry Kittles the speed and grace on the wing, Keith Van Horn posting up, Lucious Harris firing from the outside, the rookie Richard Jefferson, but also hard working young men like Aaron Williams and Jason Collins.

What a joy to watch them ! Running and gunning, all of them having fun playing basketball. Kidd provided whatever was needed, the pass through traffic, the rebound to start still another fast break, even the 3-pointer behind the arc when nobody else could find the rim. Ably led by Byron Scott, I watched from the second deck as this improbable bunch of heroes dismantled the Pacers, then the Hornets, and then the Celtics in the final round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. That they eventually lost to the Lakers in four straight was no reflection on Jason Kidd or that team. It was more an NBA predilection for the plodding style of Shaquille O'Neal rather than the speed and flash of the Nets.

What a difference from today’s team of malcontents. What should be still a fairly good team, with Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter providing the other points of a Big Three, has become a defensive sieve, a team that can’t make the big stop, score the big buckets, a team that has become no fun to watch.

<>Who could blame Kidd for wanting to leave ? Not me, certainly. In fact, I hope the team can find a spot for him, and can obtain some value in return. The alternative is unthinkable. To watch this unhappy group slog through a whole season like this is not a happy vision. They’ll undoubtedly be better with the return of Nenad Krstic, their injured center, but I doubt that he could provide enough to make them much better than mediocre. This team has given up.

It is a shame, though, that Kidd could not go about this a little more smoothly. As much as Kidd has helped New Jersey, I think New Jersey has also helped him. He should try to show the same patience off the court as he does between the lines. This heavy-handedness doesn’t become him.

<>The counterpoint to Kidd in the New York area is the mercurial guard of the New York Knicks, Nate Robinson. While Kidd is always under control, Robinson can’t seem to find a working transmission, he’s always in high gear. While that can be entertaining to watch, and it can also provide a spark to the team, he unfortunately can also check their momentum in a heartbeat, either by throwing the bad pass, or even losing his dribble, as he did in the last Knicks loss to Golden State. In a game that was winnable, Nate would throw the game away, then bring it back, like a yo-yo on a string. Although I can’t say he lost the game, poor shooting down the stretch did that, he didn’t play nearly as well as I know he could. <>

The Knicks have talent, undoubtedly, to my mind. They are beginning to show signs of figuring out how to play together. Jamal Crawford has been a joy to watch, hitting the open man and the open shot, most nights anyway, not against Golden State. Curry can play center, but it’s become obvious that he can’t do it all the time. Zach Randolph has helped in that respect, providing a guy who can post up down low. They don’t seem to play together well. Neither of them seems to play enough defense to allow them to both occupy the court together. But there are enough role players in that lineup to get them over the hump. I’m beginning to think they need a firmer hand. <>

It hasn’t helped this Knicks team that Isiah Thomas has been under the gun all season. On almost every occasion that Isiah has cracked a much-needed whip, against Marbury, Randolph and Curry, at different points in the season, it seems to have worked against him, but not on the court itself. It has worked wonders on the court. Thomas is anything but heavy-handed, and voices his displeasure mostly in the form of playing time. In fact, he may be unsuited to this job if only because he does treat his players with kid gloves.

<>The Knicks will finish this season strongly. Much as they did last year before the unfortunate injuries to Jamal Crawford and David Lee, they’ll play much better, but they do need a more controlled Nate Robinson, one who can choose his spots for providing that spark. If his game can mature, even a little bit, I think the Knicks will get back to the .500 mark, maybe even better. Isiah needs to provide that consistent message to each of his players though, something that doesn’t seem natural to him.

I’m personally rooting for Isiah (and the Knicks) to pull it off. I’d also like to see Jason Kidd get his wishes, if only for all he’s given to New Jersey over the years. But a little less heavy-handedness, please, from Kidd and a little more from Isiah.

The Big Lull

It's that time of year again, that interminable pause between the Division Championship Games and the Super Bowl. That week where we learn who plays dirty, who would've been better if certain players hadn't been present all year, who played on previous Super Bowl winners and losers. We get the initial point spread, of course, and everything but real live injury reports. So I turn off to football for several days each year at this time, and concentrate on better things, which translates to anything that moves. I usually start paying a bit of attention to college basketball, tune in to the tennis action and see what's happening with the Knicks and the Nets. Of course, there's hockey but I never really have warmed up (or cooled off) to ice hockey. Football will be fun again by Wednesday maybe.

At the Australian Open, Maria Sharapova was dazzling, both in power and athleticism. She ripped through every opponent out there, which meant Justine Henin and Jelena Jancovic as things heated up. She was devastating, her opponents seemingly had no chance. Then she was matched up against another 20-year old who had only been wow-ing most of a continent for a couple of weeks, the beautiful Ana Ivanovic from Serbia. Ironic that a final in a professional sport could come down to two individuals who could have ended up on Broadway.

Although Ana put up the good fight, there was no touching Maria, she was just too strong and too fast and too tall and too mean. And when she was done, she proved that she could be almost be too gracious. As she received her Championship award, she waxed poetic upon her text message from Billie Jean King and her love for the Serbian fans, was philosophical about her transformation from 2007 to 2008. And, of course, she was beautiful all the way.

She’s now won Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian. That leaves only the French Open. She may never get that one, as it’s anything but her natural surface, but, with this vibrant and imaginative personality, I wouldn’t bet against her. She just seems to try harder than anyone else. Despite all the money and fame, she has remained the Maria of old for as long as she’s been in the spotlight. And that’s pretty darned good.

As good as The Australian Open was, there were also some interesting things happening with Seton Hall, the Nets and the Knicks. Seton Hall has been proving it belongs in the Big East. The Nets are proving that you can sign a guy for less, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be the winner in the negotiation. See Vince Carter. The Knicks are showing that they can play creditable basketball, but whether the results are despite of or because of its management , it is really hard to tell.

The Knicks seem to finally be getting it. Maybe it took the fall of Stephon Marbury to finally make it happen. It’s truly been a phenomenon observable in New York, the disappearance of a star and the concurrent emergence of a team. It’s certainly been true with Marbury and may also be true for Jeremy Shockey and Tiki Barber and the Giants. The G-Men have never been better. Manning has never been more commanding. There have been some reports that Shockey may have been a distraction and may have detracted from Eli’s position as the leader of the huddle. Whether you believe it or not, I personally do NOT believe in coincidence. I’d trade Shockey next year. He’s become extraneous for the Giants. He’d no doubt benefit another team though. And maybe we’d get a third-rounder back.

The Nets have been just pathetic. They’ve lost eight straight, I think it is. Kidd wanted to play elsewhere but we signed him, Carter wanted more money but stayed, and Jefferson can’t save the day all by himself. So that’s what we have to look forward to. Good luck, Lawrence Frank. How do you spell “Prima Donna”?

And speaking of prima donnas, how about Daniela Hantuchova’s huffy exit from her semifinal loss to Ivanovic? We are to understand she was upset about the squeaking of Ana’s sneakers while Daniela was serving? I think it’s high time Daniela got out of the tennis game, to take her act elsewhere. There’re just too many sane tennis players around, Daniela. Take that bony ass on the road!

Oh, and then there were the Williams sisters, the nice older one and the silly squat one. Once again, they were interesting in defeat but only one was even halfway gracious in defeat. With the Williams sisters, it’s always about them. What it was that they did to lose rather than what their opponent did to win. God, it gets old. Retirement beckons, sisters!

If I could just get by this weekend, I’ll be fine. There should be enough basketball to keep me going until then. I can’t possibly listen to any more drivel from the football players, never mind the coaches. Bellichick and Coughlin, what a personality-fest this is gonna be…

I’ll tell you one thing though. I can almost feel the tide beginning to turn. The New York teams are ascending, the New England teams seemingly on the decline. The Giants lost to Dallas, then beat them in the second game. They lost to Green Bay, but beat them in the rubber match.

And, let’s see, yes, the Pats beat them, but not by much and not that convincingly. And now they’ll be meeting again. It’ll be mostly older guys against mostly newer guys. And a hobbling (or lying) quarterback against a newly-confident gunslinger. Yeah, I think I could wait another few days….

Cold Hands, Hot Foot

What was Sunday's Giants victory over the Green Bay Packers really about? To me, after watching the tape, it was all about many cold hands and one foot. Whose hands? Well, Plaxico Burress's were in evidence all night. There was also, of course, Amani Toomer. And the hands that didn't LOSE a fumble all night, and, actually, for three games now, those of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. There were also the hands of Eli Manning, using one glove only, throwing lots of completions right on the button. There were illegal hands to the face too, but more than any others, today I would like to pay tribute to the hands of TE Kevin Boss and special teamer Domenick Hixon. Boss recovered Jacobs's fumble at the goal line. Hixon recovered still another R.W. McQuarters fumble amongst several furiously groping men in green.

The foot, of course, belonged to Lawrence Tynes, who, after failing to put the ball through the uprights on two previous occasions, finally solidly kicked the hell out of that last kick, putting out of his mind the things that went before, like a bad snap, like a scolding from his coach. That singlemindedness put the Giants back into the Super Bowl. It also solidified his career, I'm sure, but that's quite beside the point.

Was there ever a game that was more fun to watch? The lead changed hands seemingly all night long before finally evening up at 20 with almost the entire fourth quarter (and ultimately overtime) to go. The Giants dominated, it seemed, all night long, time of possession, yards on the ground, yards in the air, receptions, quarterback pressures, yet here they were, tied with a team that still, after all, boasted the world's finest quarterback and about five dangerous receivers.

But the "hands of the night" award was fated to go to arguably the MVP of the Giants post-season run, namely cornerback Cory Webster, who snagged Favre's errant pass to his favorite receiver, Donald Driver, and streaked down the sideline, setting up the G-Men for that last miracle kick. I don't say "miracle" lightly either. It was in zero-degree weather, the man missed two shorter kicks earlier and he had to listen to some vitriol from Coughlin on at least one of them.

All was forgiven in the aftermath of the victory, of course. Coughlin joked that they just had to move the ball back a little farther. Also forgiven in those joyous post-game moments, I'm sure, were the R.W. McQuarters two fumbles and Sam Madison's impossibly poorly-timed unsportsmanlike penalty that killed still another Giants drive.

What's abundantly clear after these three playoff wins is that this really is a team. You can't pick one player on whom to focus. The quarterback, of course, gets most of the credit, but what's new? And who's more deserving? Eli had been the whipping boy all year for talk-radio, especially one mean-spirited cretin who can't pronounce most English words over one syllable, for former Giants running backs, for TV pitchmen disguised as football analysts....for most of the NY print-media. He's certainly answered all his detractors, controlling the game, setting a selfless example, and showing the same coolness in the pocket that so annoys all of those pickers of bones. Where was Eli to be found, directly after the game? Looking for someone in the stands, concern written all over his face. It's easy to play for a guy like Eli.

But, even given Eli's performance, what about the coaching staff, in fact, the entire management team ! There is a GM who seemingly picked all the right players, a head coach who has his team ready to play each week, an offensive coordinator choosing all the right plays, a defensive coordinator who no quarterback can quite figure out, and owners who just keep smiling.

And what about these new players? Tight end Kevin Boss, in addition to recovering that critical fumble on Sunday, has been a huge 6'7" presence, he gets open, and he catches everything coming his way. Ahmad Bradshaw missed eleven games and came back running hard and fast. Steve Smith, the wide receiver, has been a magnificent third option behind Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer. Justin Tuck stops the run and pass. Even players we never heard of like that cornerback Pope have stepped in without missing a beat. Domenick Hixon, Madison Hedgecock, the list goes on and on.

The veterans have performed as well as, if not better than, ever. Michael Strahan, Burress and Toomer, the entire offensive line, the leader of the defense, Antonio Pierce, who made a miraculous game-saving stop on a screen pass in Sunday’s game, wrapping up the running back and his blocker until help could arrive. The veteran offensive line has stood up to the rigors of the Patriots, Bucs, Cowboys and now Packers. Feagles, the punter, is a marvel at 41 years of age. And of course there’s Tynes.

If I were the Patriots, I’d be a little nervous. For, as perfect as they have been, for eighteen games now, can they continue that perfection for another game against a team that’s only been perfect for four? Even though the Pats beat the Giants in that last game of the season, they only won barely, and that on a rather unfortuitous quirk of fate, a blown coverage after an injury to a cornerback.

And the Giants are now a curious mirror of the Pats. There is balance everywhere, an offense with two good running backs, a strong offensive line, and a bevy of receivers. There is a defense with a gunslinger mentality, a reflection of its new leader. Its special teams have truly been special down the stretch. But, most of all, they play as a team, they win as a team. Sound familiar?

Linebackers Will Be the Key

Well, it's the Friday before the game and everything has been said. Blah, bla, bla. The QB's-covered, the lines on both sides of the ball-covered. Secondaries-covered. Coaches-covered. The cold-covered...Not too much about linebackers though. So that's probably where the game will be decided. And, judging from the way the first game between these two teams was decided, and factoring in the weather, it's a very good bet that some linebacker will be MVP of the game.

In the first Packers-Giants game, the Giants defense was very unsettled and Green Bay had no running game. The Giants also made at least two critical errors in the game, one by Jeremy Shockey for delay of game and one on Amani Toomer for taunting. Shockey also dropped a key pass for what might have been a first down. The Giants were leading 10-7 at the half. It was a barrage of short passes from Favre that turned the tide in the 2nd half.

Favre completed his first 14 passes of the 2nd half. Although his number one option was a wide receiver, the reliable Donald Driver, who caught 8 passes on the day and scored a TD, two of Favre's other TD passes were to tight ends. Deshawn Wynn, their running back at the time, also scored two TD's, one of them for 38 yards. Although it is the Giants secondary that is responsible for the Driver receptions, much of the damage, especially the passes to the backs and tight ends, are the responsibilities of the linebackers.

It is to be hoped those linebackers will perform better on Sunday. If they don’t, there’s no reason to expect a better result for the Giants. Once again, it has been stressed over and over that the Giants defense improved considerably after those first two games, when the Cowboys and Packers taken together scored 80 points. But, could it be that they were perhaps not attacked in quite the same fashion again?

Their next opponent was Washington, a team that doesn’t attack in the same way. Then there was Philadelphia, a joke of a game because the Eagles offensive line was totally dysfunctional. Then there were the hapless Jets, but even the Jets managed 24 points against the Giants. That game was followed by three patsies, the Falcons, Giants and Dolphins in London.

Upon returning to Dallas, the Giants again gave up 31 points in a 31-20 loss. They beat Detroit, which does have a pretty good passing game, but they had a horrid offensive line. The Vikings gave the Giants a beating, a totally inexplicable performance that I’ll throw out. They then beat two additional patsies, the Bears and Eagles again. And, in a game the Redskins had to have, the Giants managed to lose one more time.

Since then, the Giants have played much better defense. There was the big game at Buffalo that absolutely required a big defensive performance. Then the Giants proved their mettle in the Patriots game, that, it must be said, they really lost on the short passing game; the long pass to Moss was an aberration caused by an injured player and resultant confusion on coverage. But that was Tom Brady on the other side.

Since that turning point, the Giants performed well against Jeff Garcia, a creditable quarterback who excels in the short passing game. And they managed to beat Dallas for the first time, injured secondary and all.

The big difference in those last few games is the press coverage employed on the receivers. If the Giants can continue disrupting the timing of those short routes, there is a reasonable expectation that they can beat those Packers on Sunday. I have confidence that they’ll be able to stop the run.

But the responsibility will lie heavily on the linebackers to both stop the run and either stop those dinks and dunks or hold them to little gains. The Packers receivers lead the league in yards after the catch. The Giants have to hold those yards to a minimum.

Can they do it? I think they can. They are an experienced and talented group, with Antonio Pierce in the middle, Kawika Mitchell and Reggie Torbor. Pierce has been the leading tackler among the linebackers and also has eight passes defensed on the season. Mitchell is a good tackler and strong pass rusher. Torbor has been steady. All in all, though, the Giants secondary has more tackles than I would like to see. The linebackers need to perform better.

The Packers, it must be said, have, on paper, a stronger group. A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett were both first rounders. Barnett has 131 tackles on the season, Hawk 105. If they can stop the Giants running game, Eli will be hard-pressed to pass against a secondary that includes Al Harris, a Pro_Bowler and the experienced Charles Woodson.

Once again, it appears that the Giants are overmatched, at quarterback (who could compete with Favre at Lambeau), linebacker and secondary. It should be said that the Pack has four Pro_Bowlers, Favre, Harris, Kampman, their defensive end and WR Donald Driver.

If the Giants can move the ball on the ground, it will probably be straight ahead with the pounding of Jacobs and slashing of Bradshaw. Those fast Packers linebackers are relatively lightweight. And if they can run, that will minimize the Manning throws into the tough Packers secondary.

Once again, it appears the Giants can win if they can pitch still another almost-perfect game. But as my barber pointed out to me, that is Bret Favre on the other side.

Why the Giants Won....

After watching the tape I made, there were three reasons the Cowboys lost. They are as follows (in order of importance):

1. Patrick Crayton - this big-mouth wide receiver not only dropped a couple of passes in critical situations but he also stopped and then started running again on a key overthrown Romo pass into the endzone.

2. Penalties - at the most critical points in the game, primarily involving the BOYZ offensive line.

3. Overconfidence - everybody from the owner to the head coach to each individual player felt they'd beat the G-Men. Surprise !!!

Romo actually played very well. Even in the fourth quarter, when he did falter a bit, it was because he had no time. His biggest mistakes were getting called for grounding the ball, and then holding the ball when he could have safely gotten rid of the ball.

One could talk about coaching failures, but, aside from the overconfidence, a big mistake admittedly, there were really no huge errors in judgement to point to. Coughlin gets kudos for playing conservatively down the stretch, but only because it worked. He would have been blasted in the press if the Cowboys came back to win.

Unheralded Giants played a huge role AGAIN. Ahmad Bradshaw was huge. Ditto Steve Smith. Ditto Kevin Boss. And what about Pope? And Ross? He sacrificed his body to stop another huge Marion Barber run.

The Giants veterans were huge too, notably Toomer and Strahan.

And then there was Eli, and Jacobs (I wish he'd stop his stupid antics though) and Tuck and Pierce. And to all the Giants, congratulations. You made our day...and week...and maybe year.

Can they win one more? In their favor, they have two good running backs, the Pack has only one. Working against them is the fact that the weather will be bad, and as good as Eli has been lately, he still hasn't played a good game in cold weather. Another first? Only time will tell.

Some Very Big BOYZ

There are twelve Pro-Bowl players on the Dallas Cowboys. Romo, T.O., Jason Witten, Marion Barber, Demarcus Ware, yes, all the guys you've heard of, but there's more....oh yes, a lot more. Probably the reason the Giants haven't been able to beat the Cowboys in their two previous matchups, those huge and nasty Dallas offensive linemen.

Shown above are just two of them, probably the nastiest of them, 6' 7" 340 lb. left tackle Flozell Adams and 6'6" 366 lb. right guard Leonard Davis. But there are also Pro Bowler 6'4" 312 lb. Andre Gurode at center, 6'8" 320 lb. Marc Colombo at right tackle and the little fella left guard Kyle Kosler, only 6'5" and 305 lb. Their tight end, Jason Witten, is also a Pro-Bowler.

Is it any wonder the Giants can't dent this line? In the first game between these two juggernauts, the Giants managed just one sack by Justin Tuck. In the second contest, there were just two sacks, one by Michael Strahan and one by the injured Osi Umenyiora. If the Giants come with blitzes, not only might they be picked up, but that will open up just one more receiver for Tony Romo to hit.

After a great deal of thought and careful analysis, I've decided our G-Men will do well just to stay close in this game. Despite their terrific recent performances against the Patriots and Tampa Bay Bucs, I don't think the Giants can win this game. Despite the recent troubles in the Dallas running game, despite a total lack of momentum on the Cowboys part, despite Tony Romo's romancing of Jessica Simpson in far-away Cancun, it's just asking too much, isn't it?

Twelve Pro-Bowlers, count 'em. On offense, there's Romo, Terrell Owens, Marion Barber, Jason Witten, the three offensive linemen already mentioned and even the kicker, Nick Folk. On defense, there's the hard-rushing linebacker Demarcus Ware but also three of their defensive backs, safeties Ken Hamlin and Roy Williams and cornerback Terence Newman. And they're all healthy for this game.



The Giants had just one Pro Bowl representative, Osi Umenyiora, the defensive lineman, and he won’t be playing in this game. Does that mean the Giants can’t win? Not necessarily, as almost all the Giants started playing better down the stretch. The Giants have several new elements that have made a difference late in the season, and, who knows?, maybe they’d have been Pro Bowlers given enough time.



Like who? Well, there’s Ahmad Bradshaw, probably the most visible example, as he ran roughshod over the Bucs last Sunday. But there’s also Kevin Boss, the tight end replacement for Jeremy Shockey. He’s a pretty big boy himself and catches everything thrown his way. There’s Aaron Ross, the rookie corner who’s been playing well all year, and Cory Webster, the cornerback who’d been riding the pines since Sam Madison’s injury, but recovered a fumble Sunday and made a critical interception vs. the speedy Joey Galloway.



You’d think that would be the end of the line for the new guys, but it’s really not. There’s Justin Tuck, who’s been solid all year at his left DE position and seems to defend the run and the pass equally well. There’s Gerris Wilkinson, covering at his linebacker position, who’s been all over the place. You might even consider Brandon Jacobs, the huge starting running back, as a new guy.



What about the old guys? Well, you know Michael Strahan and Eli Manning. You may have heard of Antonio Pierce too. Amani Toomer’s been great lately, catching everything thrown his way. And speaking of old, what about their old coach, Tom Coughlin? He’s been pretty fair to middlin’ on the sideline too.



Gee, as long as I’m looking at old and new, what about borrowed? Yep, the G-Men have some borrowed guys too. Madison Hedgecock was picked up from the St. Louis Rams and he’s been a horse. Domenik Hixon is a speedy kick returner they picked up from the Broncos. He only returned a kick for a touchdown in that huge Patriots game.



Let’s see we got old, and new, and borrowed. What about blue?



Heh-heh. Waddaya kiddin'? They are Big Blue.



Maybe we do have a chance after all.

Just as Expected but I'm So Happy Anyway...

If you checked out this column earlier, you'd have seen that our G-Men's playoff game against the Bucs of Tampa Bay went pretty much as scripted.

Let's see. Eli was masterful, Jacobs was great; he did the power running in the first quarter when the young Bucs were all over the place. Ahmad Bradshaw was a VERY pleasant surprise; I didn't expect him to be able to play. What can you say about Amani Toomer !? Talk about clutch! Plax and Boss (sounds like a law firm) caught everything that went their way. The offensive line was terrific after the 1st quarter.

On defense, while I expected the defensive line, really the front seven, to harass Garcia into mistakes, and I thought Galloway could be slowed by his injury, I DID NOT expect the All-Star performance from Cory Webster. His 3rd quarter interception and fumble recovery sealed the game, turning a close game into a walk in the park. Special mention though might also be deserved for Michael Strahan, but they all played great.

So what can we expect for Sunday ? Well, just offhand, the Boyz ain't the Bucs. I'll have a further analysis later in the week, but I am curious as to why the Boyz seemed to crumble a bit for the last few games. If it's the offensive line that was having problems, injuries, whatever...

And then there's that famous ankle....

High Time for the Giants

After a careful review of the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Bucs season statistics, I've decided that this is a game between two teams so closely matched in performance and numbers that it really can't be decided or predicted in that manner. The game will be decided on emotion. And timing. Whose time is it? I think it'll be the Giants time.

Reason might actually favor the Bucs. Their quarterback, Jeff Garcia, has been “there” before, as has their formidable wide receiver Joey Galloway. Their defensive stud, Derrick Brooks, likewise has played and won some big games. Jon Gruden, their exuberant coach with the Chucky-face, has been to the Super Bowl and won. Experience in big games favors the Bucs, especially winning experiences.
And, speaking of reason, the numbers also would seem to slightly favor the Buccaneers. You can throw out the Giants first two games and the Bucs last two games. The Giants struggled mightily in those first two games learning their new defensive roles while the Bucs played subs in their last two games. In the other 14 games, the Giants outscored the Bucs 325 to 292 points, but allowed 271 points to the Bucs 218, a wider disparity in points allowed than points scored, in favor of the Bucs. On the entire season, the Giants defense ranks seventh overall while the Bucs rank second. The Giants are more balanced though, ranking 8th against the rush and eleventh against the pass, and that includes the horrors against Tony Romo and Bret Favre.
A look at common opponents also favors the Bucs. Against the Redskins, the Giants won at Washington and lost at home while the Bucs beat the Skins 19-13 at home. As for losses vs. playoff teams, the Bucs lost at Seattle in the first week of the season, 20-6, lost at Indianapolis 33-14, and lost at home to Jacksonville 24-23. The Giants lost twice to Dallas, but in the second game lost respectably 31-20 at home. They lost to the Skins as discussed, a loss in a week late in the season while they were coasting a bit. They lost to Green Bay, but once again, that was in Week 2 when their defense had not yet solidified. The G-Men played their best game of the season last week against the All-Everything New England Patriots but still lost 38-35. While the Bucs performance against the tough Jaguars is impressive, the most notable statistic here is that Pats game, and it may work to the Giants’ advantage that they lost.
The Giants have more players who will be hungry. Look at the cast of characters. Eli Manning has been ridden all season for his completion percentage, his turnovers, his decisions under pressure, and on and on. Brandon Jacobs has been living under Tiki’s shadow all year. Plaxico Burress has been hurt all year, his ankle, and yet played in every game, most of the time drawing two defenders despite his handicaps. The offensive line is a veteran group that gets little respect.
On defense, the great Michael Strahan has never won a Super Bowl. Antonio Pierce has had a great year. They’ve played well against the run especially. Even more significant may be that their veteran coach, Tom Coughlin, has never won a playoff game. He may be the hungriest of all. Of the two teams, the Giants have more experienced players and more players who have been frustrated for much of their careers.
Although Tampa Bay can boast the best pass defense in the NFL, they rank only 17th against the rush. The Giants should be able to push the ball up the field. Eli Manning proved against the Patriots that he can play the dink and dunk game as well as throw the long pass. Both his wideouts are experienced, talented and motivated. The Bucs have nobody to match the 6’5” Plaxico for sheer size. Amani Toomer gets open and, despite some periods of lost concentration, is a reliable possession receiver. The wildcard may be Kevin Boss, the 6’6” 253 pound tight end who filled in admirably for Jeremy Shockey last week against the Pats with four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. That’s two huge receivers who’ll be hard to cover (even when they’re “covered”).
While the Giants have gone to sleep in several games this year, against the Vikings for sure, they have also shown themselves to be a team that can seize a real opportunity. But for a very unfortunate injury to Sam Madison and a subsequent blown coverage, they could and should have beaten the Patriots. And what bigger opportunity is there than to advance in the playoffs !
They will surely recognize that if they could pressure Tom Brady, with his great offensive line and All-World receivers, surely they can pressure Jeff Garcia, with only one really big-play wideout and a somewhat suspect offensive line. Consider that Garcia has beaten them in the playoffs twice already. Surely they have seen those tapes.
The Giants have been strong vs. the run all year. While the Bucs’ Earnest Graham can run the ball, I don’t think he can crack that defensive unit of the Giants. Garcia will be forced to throw early and often. The Bucs Galloway is coming off an injury and is no Randy Moss. Ike Hilliard isn’t Wes Welker. The tight ends of the Bucs are not a formidable group. Yes indeed, the Giants will concentrate on stopping the run. Then they’ll stop the pass.
Offensively, the Boys in Blue will try to run the ball down the throats of the Bucs. But they’re capable of surprising the Bucs defense at any time. They’ll continue to throw to Jacobs out of the backfield. They’ll continue to use that huge tight end Boss as still another alternative.
And then there’s momentum. At the expense of hurting some big guns, they played hard in Week 17. They’ll be right on schedule for Week 18. The Bucs won’t. They took a couple of weeks off. It’ll show on Sunday. Giants 34-20.