Say Hello to the Bad Guy: Where the Champs Stand
By now, you’ve probably read every breakdown possible of Sunday’s win. If you’re like me, you basked in the glow Sunday night and let the party continue through the parade/rally and possibly through the rest of the work week.
It was a thing of beauty in my eyes, to be present at MetLife stadium on Tuesday with thousands of other Giants fanatics that played grownup hooky to be a part of Big Blue’s 4TH Super Bowl Title. But for a brief moment, my attention was diverted from the glory of the present and redirected to a cold Saturday night 6 years ago.
When Eli Manning took the microphone, and fought back the weariness he was understandably battling, his words were drowned out by a united chant of “MVP.” The last time I can recall such a chant was of course across the parking lot at the former Giants Stadium. Sitting only a handful of rows from the back row of the top tier, I joined the chorus of 80,000 plus Big Blue supporters in reigning down the same chant upon RB Tiki Barber.
The excommunicated Barber was on his way to accumulating 235 yards rushing in an upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs. As the 2005 Giants scratched and clawed for a playoff bid during a late December matchup, it was his legs and not Manning’s arm that captured the awe of the home crowd.
The majority of the chants that Manning had received up to that point had been boos or slightly more creative, mocking “Elis” in a drawn out, sarcastic tone. He had flashed brief moments of brilliance but at that point in time, the confidence and consistency were severely lacking. He was considered a liability. On Tuesday he was hailed by the very same fans that had doubted him. He was received as a 2-time champion and New York icon.
Does this cement Manning’s place in the Hall of Fame? On statistics alone, the answer is probably no. He certainly is on his way to Canton, but were his career to end today, the voters would need to weigh the significance of the games he starred in a bit heavier than they tend to.
Each of Manning’s Super Bowl wins were thrilling contests. The first of which ended a brutal drought of predictable, one-sided Super Bowls that served as a frustrating, anti-climactic halt to the season. Let’s not forget , Super Bowl 42 was also one of the most improbable upsets in sports history and was made possible by Manning’s late game heroics on the most famous drive in NFL history.
But the reality is, he has accrued only two seasons thus far with passing yardage that eclipsed 4,000. While he does hold the record for most 4th quarter TDs in a season (16), he also owns the record for most interceptions in a season (25). I’m not saying that he isn’t going to Canton, but his career is too young to make a strong statistical case. He will get there, but with guys like Parcells getting shot down on their first ballot (also the owner of 2 SB rings), it simply is too early to be certain without a larger body of work.
Being this column was started following the Giants loss to Green Bay (thanks in large part to a struggling secondary and LB corps), I find it only fitting that I am forced to eat my words following both units performance on Sunday. Who had money on Chase Blackburn hauling in the game’s lone interception 60 yards downfield? Two months after letting Green Bay drive down the field in the final 56 seconds to cancel a shot at overtime, the Big Blue backfield did not choke in the final minute. With 57 ticks left, the unit held its ground. The final play, the championship sealing snap, ended with a blanket of white shirted DBs against a lone navy jersey.
Chase Blackburn (93) made arguably the defensive play of the game Sunday, by hauling in a Brady pass and keeping the Pats from taking control of the game. Photo Courtesy: Bunow.com
Yes, this season was an unexpected ride. The team’s weaknesses became strengths in time for the post-season. Manning shook off his disappointing 2010 outing. The hamstrung running game did not cost the team when it mattered. But there will be some issues heading into the offseason. Not the least of which is the result of some incredibly bad (and painful) luck in the form of an injury bug at a key position.
The TE situation is far from enviable. PUP List (Physically Unable to Perform) designations can be a helpful stall for teams who want to retain the rights to a player even though he won’t be able to immediately contribute. However, when two players at the same position would need to utilize the temporary roster exemption, the situation becomes far more complicated.
Both Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard are expected to miss the beginning of the regular season thanks to torn ACLS suffered during the Super Bowl. Both are having their surgeries a week from Tuesday. Both will be on track to end rehab around October.
The Giants traditionally carry 3 TE’s and 1 FB on the main roster. Of those four spots, two are accounted for in Bear Pascoe and Henry Hynoski. Pascoe is especially valuable as he is an experienced backup FB. His post season TD reception against San Francisco, as well as his solid performance on Sunday, have not hurt his stock.
But if the Giants are forced two carry two other TE’s behind him on the main roster, it is hard to imagine them relying on players that they would be willing to cut upon Ballard and Beckum’s return. With just one TE unavailable, PUP is far more practical. New York could certainly survive until some point between Weeks 6-9 with Pascoe, Ballard/Beckum, and Christian Hopkins off the practice squad. Hopkins, who the Giants happen to be high on (much like they were on Ballard) would likely be the sacrificial lamb in that situation when it was time to return the injured TE to the main roster.
Moral of story, I think Big Blue will retain both, but I find it highly unlikely that both will be activated when their PUP eligibility is over. The problem may solve itself. IR for 2012 might not be a horrible option for one or both of the injured TE’s because of how late in the season their ACL tears occurred. If both are healthy, I expect Beckum to be waived and only 1 of the 2 other TE’s behind a healthy Pascoe demoted.
A less likely, but preferable scenario involves the Giants going after TE Jermichael Finley. Finley is scheduled to be a free agent, but the consensus is that the Packers will tag him. If they choose to, the Giants would obviously have to make a trade offer (I don’t see that happening). If New York was to acquire the TE, it would likely spell the end of Beckum’s time with the Giants. Finley is an upgraded version of the slimmer, quicker flex TE that the Giants were looking to find in Beckum. Combining Finley with Pascoe and a guy like Hopkins could hold the Giants over until Ballard is healthy. Even then, with Ballard not expected to be “fully healed” until late fall, there is no guarantee that the Giants will be able to bring back this year’s starting TE at any point in ’12.
There other areas that the Giants will focus on. Most expect Kareem McKenzie to be cut, and I too subscribe to that school of thought. His best years are behind him and he is on the list of players whose salaries are more cap-room casualty than anything else.
Who would take Kareem’s spot on the O-Line? David Diehl could once again switch to RT with Will Beatty returning. Jerry Reese has mentioned James Brewer’s improvement as a glorified practice squader this year but I have a hard time seeing this team place someone with so little experience into the starting lineup at tackle.
My projected starting O-Line for 2012 is (from left to right) as follows: Will Beatty, Kevin Boothe, David Baas, Chris Snee, David Diehl.
That line will of course need to improve in terms of run blocking. The Giants struggles in that department means there is certainly room for a young guy like Mitch Petrus to inspire a legitimate competition with Boothe or Beatty on the left side of the line. Reese has expressed a desire for some new blood in the regular starting lineup. Should Beatty fail to impress, I would not be shocked to see Boothe slide to LT and Petrus slide in to LG. He has excelled as a run blocker.
Also expected to be on his way out is Brandon Jacobs. Robbed of a momentum building 1st down run in the Super Bowl thanks to a bogus holding call, Jacobs has encountered a three year drop off in numbers that has made him expendable. The Giants need help for Bradshaw, but they will be looking elsewhere for it.
With his days as a consistant, dominating, and physical runner likely behind him, Brandon Jacobs (27) has likely appeared in his last game as a Giant. Photo Courtesy: ReadAndReact.com
I do expect them to retain Mario Manningham, and Osi Umenyiora is likely to keep his blue jersey should he decide to grind it out at least one more year. But that’s speculation for another time.
It’s been a blast experimenting with this column down the stretch of the season and through the Super Bowl run. For those of you who have been avid readers, I’m sure you’ve noticed the peaks in valleys of anger/disgust and enthusiasm for the World Champion Giants. We’ll continue to tweak the attitude levels and do everything possible to continue to deliver an entertaining read as free agency draws upon us. Until then, I’ll be taking a short break to focus on the biggest project of my career thus far. When I return next month, it will hopefully be with details of when the finished product will be available.
Enjoy this Giants fans, because I’m sure come August, I’ll have something to be a little angry about.
About Dan Orlando
Dan Orlando is a graduate of Syracuse University where he majored in Communications&Rhetorical Studies. He worked for Howard Stern On Demand and iN DEMAND as a public relations intern from May 2009- August 2010. Dan served as a long time contributor to the Morris County Daily Record, the flagship news publication of Morris County, New Jersey. He was also a staff writer at one of the premier college papers in the country, The Daily Orange. Dan enjoyed a successful stint as a member of the Nygiantscast team alongside ESPN radio's own Kyle Bonn (host of the Bonnfire) and Kevin Brown. This informative podcast has been featured on Giants beat writer Ralph Vacchiano's Blue Screen. Dan is currently the Giants Correspondent for Brent Axe's Chopping Block which airs weekdays on TheScore1260 FM/TheScore1260.com. Dan can be reached at (201) 572-1157 or @ Dorlando44@gmail.com View all posts by Dan Orlando →-
Touchdownmaker
-
Mickster
-
Dan Orlando
-
Mickster
-
http://twitter.com/SNYGiantsBlog SNYgiantsblog
-
Anonymous
-
Supaj27
