Bus malfunction doesn’t effect Giants’ final practice

Gronkowski a go for tonite

Giants.com prematurely posts championship gear ads

The buzz from Indy 

Pats cut Rutgers’ Underwood on eve of SB

Highlights from NFL Honors ceremony

Players have Warner to thank for Tom turnaround

 Comparing ’07 to ’11: similarities 

Cruz and Welker redefining slot receiver role

Giants samurai war poem

Ex-Pat Izzo providing Giants with special edge

Q and A with Steve Tisch 

]]> http://www.giantsfootballblog.com/2012/02/05/new-york-giants-news-and-links-for-super-bowl-sunday/feed/ 0 http://www.giantsfootballblog.com/2012/01/21/where-do-coughlin-and-reese-stand-in-giants-history/ http://www.giantsfootballblog.com/2012/01/21/where-do-coughlin-and-reese-stand-in-giants-history/#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:36:00 +0000 John Fennelly http://www.giantsfootballblog.com/?p=30734 Continue reading →]]> If the Giants manage to get back to the Super Bowl with a win over the 49ers on Sunday, much will be said about the personnel  - and the men who assembled that personnel.

The Daily News Live crew debates where Tom Coughlin and Jerry Reese rank among the all-time Giants’ general managers and coaches.

Technically, that was the end of the 2007 NFL season, when the fifth-seeded Giants embarked on their famous magical run to an unlikely Super Bowl title.

Now, as the fourth-seeded Giants (10-7) prepare for Sunday’s divisional playoff showdown with the top-seeded Green Bay Packers (15-1), there’s legitimate reason to believe that this year can be like four years ago, simply because the Giants are no longer like they were six weeks ago, when they narrowly lost to the Packers at home.

Since that defeat, New York has looked a lot less like the inconsistent, injury-riddled team that the Packers sent to a fourth straight defeat and a 6-6 record on December 4th, while more closely resembling the Giants team that suddenly peaked enough over a four-game postseason span to capture a Super Bowl XLII title.

Ironically, Green Bay’s first battle with New York this season ended with the NFL’s top team winning 38-35, the same score the 2007 Giants lost by at home, to the New England Patriots, in the regular season finale four years ago.

That loss to the Patriots gave New York a tremendous amount of confidence, spurring the Giants on to their championship run that followed. And, it all happened after a curious 22-10 home loss in Week 15 to the Washington Redskins.

This year, another Week 15 home loss to the Redskins, by almost the same score (23-10), has been New York’s only hiccup in a season-turning 4-1 stretch since their Week 13 loss to Green Bay.

That hot streak has the Giants once again returning to historic Lambeau Field to try to beat the Packers on Sunday, just like they did in the 2007 NFC title game, when Green Bay was the NFC’s two seed.

Although they were very competitive this year with the then-undefeated Packers (who needed a field goal as time expired to win) the Giants were one dimensional – with a proficient passing game, but not much else that New York could do well enough to beat a dominant team like Green Bay.

A month-and-a-half later though, a much different Giants team heads to Wisconsin this weekend, trying to once again take down a one seed four years after New York shocked top-seeded Dallas.

Prior to six weeks ago, New York continued to struggle on their way toward finishing as the NFL’s worst rushing team this year.

But, the Giants rushed for 100 yards against the Packers in Week 13, and behind the resurgence of power running back Brandon Jacobs, and the return of a healthy Ahmad Bradshaw (who played that week against Green Bay after missing four straight weeks), have seen their running game steadily improve ever since, all the way to a season-high 172 yards in last week’s wild-card playoff win over Atlanta.

And, that’s not all that’s changed.

The Giants have also discovered the one thing which ultimately put quarterback Tom Brady repeatedly on his back and which prevented the Patriots from achieving a perfect season in Super Bowl XLII – one of the league’s most dangerous pass rushes, with the better health of defensive ends Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora to compliment a third menacing defensive end in young Pro Bowler Jason Pierre Paul.

New York also now has some help in an area which had plagued the Giants earlier in the year – at middle linebacker, with the mid-season re-signing of Chase Blackburn, who in the Giants’ Week 13 loss to the Packers, recorded one of the very few (six) interceptions Rodgers has thrown all season.

Although a more ferocious pass rush from New York’s overpowering defensive line and a far more productive running game are the primary reasons for the Giants’ turnaround since that week, it’s more than a mere coincidence that including the loss to Green Bay, New York is 4-2 since Blackburn returned to the Giants’ roster for a second go-around with Big Blue after the Giants let their former special teams captain go as a free agent in the offseason.

While many are indeed comparing the opportunity before this year’s Giants to what happened four years ago, New York could actually be even more likened to last year’s Packers, who for even further irony, fought through a myriad of injuries to a mediocre 8-6 record last season before beating the Giants to start a season-ending, six-game winning streak (that concluded with a Super Bowl title), which they extended to as many as 19 consecutive victories this season with their win over New York.

As 7½-point favorites on Sunday, the Packers expect to beat the Giants again. However, the word out of Green Bay this week is that the Packers are a bit nervous about facing a team that reminds them a lot of last year’s version of themselves.

Like the Packers a season ago, the Giants appear to be peaking at just the right time, having overcome many key injuries on offense and defense themselves this season. With that late-season success, New York is as confident as it has been all season, in the same way that Green Bay was at this time a year ago.

Earlier in the week, Pierre-Paul even guaranteed a Giants’ win in Green Bay, not with the intention of disrespecting the Packers at all, but to exemplify his team’s collective state of mind relative to the far different feeling the Giants had as recently as a month ago.

Who could blame them?

For most of the season, the Giants were barely staying in the playoff chase largely on the strength of an MVP-esque season by quarterback Eli Manning, and his ability to significantly raise the games of wide receiver Victor Cruz and tight end Jake Ballard.

Yet, New York was able to go back to what is considered “old” Giants football to crush the Atlanta Falcons, 24-2 last week, in their playoff opener.

All of a sudden, the team that ranked last in rushing through the regular season (with just 89.2 yards per game) exploded for 172 rushing yards against the NFL’s sixth-best rushing defense and recorded their first defensive shutout of the season last week.

The Packers meanwhile, have continued to roll along, and remain the favorite to defend their Super Bowl title rather than have another team dethrone them.

Green Bay proved last year just how deep it is, by overcoming so many damaging injuries to win a championship, and now, as if they haven’t been good enough all season, the Packers have just become even better as they’ve gotten healthier.

With all of the talk about how the Giants’ upgraded health has helped their team, it’s the Packers who should have a full complement of active players on offense and defense on Sunday for the first time since they broke training camp.

Among the Packers’ most important returnees are Green Bay’s second-leading receiver, Greg Jennings, left tackle Chad Clifton, right tackle Bryan Bulaga, the Packers’ top two running backs, James Starks and Ryan Grant, and wide receiver and dangerous kick returner Randall Cobb.

Adding all of those players to the mix could actually have the effect of disrupting some chemistry and timing for Green Bay.

For instance, the return of Jennings could negatively affect the production of Jordy Nelson, who even with Rodgers sitting out the Packers’ regular season finale two weeks ago, had a career-high 162 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions, to follow up a 115-yard effort the week before, while becoming Green Bay’s leading receiver for the season with 1,263 yards.

More likely though, getting so many regulars back should make the Packers even tougher to deal with than they already were.

So should losing in Kansas City two weeks after beating the Giants, since that defeat removes the pressure the of having to chase a perfect 19-0 season – something the Patriots ultimately succumbed to against New York.

There are however, two new intangibles that the Packers might have to overcome.

One is a long three-week layoff for Rodgers, who against the Giants, will be taking a snap that counts for the first time in 21 days. That one might not be that much of a factor though. Last year’s Super Bowl MVP is so good, that even after the NFL’s offseason lockout, Rodgers’ first quarter of the Packers’ season opener was one of the best quarters in league history, as he went 14 of 15 (what, he couldn’t complete them all? Slacker!) for 188 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a perfect passer rating of 158.3 against New Orleans, all before the second period.

The other off-the-field circumstance – a very sad and unfortunate one – could have a much greater impact, however.

Michael Philbin, the son of Packers’ offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, tragically died last weekend in an icy Wisconsin river at the young age of just 21. Joe Philbin will understandably be with his family and will miss the game.

Even though head coach Mike McCarthy calls his own offensive plays, Philbin is the architect of the league’s highest-scoring offense, and he has worked very closely with Rodgers.

With heavy hearts, the Packers would probably want to push Sunday’s game back another week, but they will instead have to face the very difficult task of attending Michael Philbin’s funeral on Friday before recovering only a little more than 48 hours later to play the biggest game of their season.

Of course, that could also serve to galvanize the Packers, who have spoken this week of wanting to win for their offensive coordinator, and for tackle T.J. Lang, who lost his father to an undisclosed illness last week.

That, plus the expected boisterous home crowd at historic Lambeau Field could have the Packers revved up enough to cancel out the sudden rising tide of confidence that the Giants will bring with them to Green Bay.

However, if all else fails for Big Blue, maybe New York can rely on the first name of the ex-Giant and native New Yorker (from Suffern, NY) Grant, as a good luck charm.

After beating New York Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan, his brother, Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, and Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan over the past three weeks, the Giants will seek to make Grant the fourth straight Ryan they defeat on their way to rekindling the magic of four years ago.

Even with missing 7 games due to injury over that time, Boley has produced to the number of 263 tackles, 12 passes defended, 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.

At 29 years of age, No. 52 has plenty in the tank and continues to showcase great speed sideline to sideline. What’s most impressive about Michael Boley is the way he plays the game. At full speed which is rare in today’s NFL.

He tackles(the correct way), he runs plays down and he gives 100% every play. Just look at the effort he gave on the 4th and 1 last week against Dallas.

It was a very critical play and could have completely swung all momentum in Dallas favor. Instead, Boley dove up and over the surging pile to meet Romo in the air and dragged him down from behind.

That’s the extra effort a winning team is made from. JPP needs a team mate to step up and leave it all on the field.

This week the NY Giants take on the Atlanta Falcons at Giants Stadium. A humble Michael Boley is taking the approach as if it’s just another faceless opponent taking the field on Sunday.

While we appreciate his low key approach, we know better…it’s not just another game or just another challenge. Anytime you have a chance to show a former team you’re in a better place and at the top of your game…you do so.

Expect a 13 tackle game from Michael Boley. Expect a big play, a big hit, a fumble recovery.

Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons is a strong and patient running back. Michael Boley, who is always around the ball will need to wrap up to take him down. Success will come with gang tackles and running to the ball even when behind the play.

Turner, known for his patience can cut it back at any time and get up to full speed quickly for a big back. Shutting down the run will be important for the Giants to win this game.

That means Canty and Joseph upfront need to dominate while Boley and Kiwanuka clean it up. In passing situations, Boley spells coverage. He is the best backer in space and will most likely draw coverage on future “Hall of Famer” Tony Gonzalez.

The the only thing sweeter than winning a playoff game at home is winning a playoff game at home when beating your former team.

The Dallas Cowboys (8-7) travel to New York to play the Giants (8-7) for the 2011 NFC East Championship. The winner goes to the NFC Playoffs. The loser goes home.

Kickoff: 8:20pm Eastern
Site: MetLife Stadium
TV: NBC Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya (Field reporter)
Radio: WFAN 660AM Bob Papa, Carl Banks and Howard Cross Westwood One Radio: Dave Sims, James Lofton, Hub Arkush (Field reporter) SIRIUS: 94 (WW1) 92 (Dal) 93 (NYG) XM: 227 (WW1) 225 (Dal), 226 (NYG)
The Line: Giants by 3, O/U 46
Weather: Cloudy, mid-40′s. Wind 10-12 mph

Last Game: 12/11/11: Giants 37 at Cowboys 34. New York DE Jason Pierre-Paul blocks potential game-tying FG attempt in final seconds as Giants score 15 points in final 3:14 for comeback win.

Last Game at Site: 11/14/10: Cowboys 33, Giants 20. Dallas QB Jon Kitna passes for 327 yards & 3 TDs, including 71-yarder to RB Felix Jones. Cowboys CB Bryan McCann adds 101-yard INT-TD

Statistics

Passing: Dallas – Romo: 317-485-3,895-29-9-102.2 (3C); Giants – Manning: 335-556-4,587 (3C)-26-16-90.3

Rushing: Dallas – F. Jones: 116-545-4.7-1; Giants – Bradshaw: 155-602-3.9-8
Receiving: Dallas – Witten (TE): 72-873-12.1-5; Giants – Cruz: 76-1,358 (3L)-17.9-8
Sacks: Dallas – Ware: 18 (T2L), Giants – Pierre-Paul: 15.5
INTs: Dallas – Lee, Newman: 4; Giants – Webster: 6 (T2C)
Punting: Dallas – McBriar: 43.8; Giants – Weatherford: 45.9
Kicking: Dallas – Bailey (R): 133 (3L) (37/37 PAT; 32/36 FG); Giants – Tynes: 93 (39/39 PAT; 18/22 FG)

Team Rankings

Pass Off. Dallas – 263.3 (8th), Giants – 293.5 (4th)
Rush Off. Dallas – 117.2 (15th) Giants – 88.1 (32nd)
Pass Def. Dallas – 238.3 (22nd) Giants – 255.4 (26th)
Rush Def. Dallas – 98.6 (7th) Giants – 126.1 (22nd)

Turnover Ratio: Dallas: +6; Giants: +5

Injuries

Dallas: Questionable: WR Andre Holmes (hamstring), RB Felix Jones (hamstring), LB Sean Lee (wrist, illness), S Danny McCray (ankle), WR Kevin Ogletree (knee), DT Josh Price-Brent (knee) Probable: CB Mike Jenkins (shoulder), P Mat McBriar (left foot), DT Jay Ratliff (ribs), WR Laurent Robinson (shoulder), QB Tony Romo (right hand), LB DeMarcus Ware (neck)

Giants: Out: TE Jake Ballard (knee), LB Mark Herzlich (ankle) Questionable: DE Osi Umenyiora (ankle, knee) Probable: RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot), WR Mario Manningham (knee), WR Hakeem Nicks (hamstring)

Cowboys Notes

QB TONY ROMO has 3,895 pass yards & needs 105 to reach 4,000 for 3rd time in career. Is only Dal. QB with 4,000+ pass yards in season. In past 6 starts vs. NYG (min. 10 att.,), has 112.4 rating & 100+ rating in 5 of those 6…

RB FELIX JONES rushed for 106 yards in last meeting. In past 2 vs. NYG, has 273 scrimmage yards (136.5 per game) & TD…TE JASON WITTEN has 873 yards & needs 127 to reach 1,000 for 3rd consecutive season & 4th of career.

WR LAURENT ROBINSON has 9 TDs in past 9. Had 4 catches for 137 yards (34.3 avg.) & TD in last meeting. WR-PR DEZ BRYANT has TD in 4 of past 6. Has 5 TDs (4 rec., 1 PR) in 3 games vs. NYG. WR MILES AUSTIN aims for 3rd meeting in row with TD…

LB DE MARCUS WARE has 24 sacks in past 18. Since start of 2006, has 90 sacks, most in NFL. SEAN LEE has 4 INTs, tied for most by NFL LB…

Giants Notes

QB ELI MANNING has won 4 of past 5 meetings. Has franchise-record 4,587 yards. Has 14 TDs in 4th Q, tied for most ever in season. Had 400 pass yards in last meeting. Has 3 400-yard games, tied for NFL season record…

RB AHMAD BRADSHAW had 2 TDs last week. RB BRANDON JACOBS rushed for 101 yards & 2 TDs in last meeting…

WR VICTOR CRUZ has team-record 1,358 rec. yards. Had 3 catches for 164 yards (54.7 avg.) with 99-yard TD catch last week, tied for longest in NFL history.

WR HAKEEM NICKS has 22 catches for 353 yards (117.7 per game) & 2 TDs in past 3 vs. Dal. Cruz (1,358) & Nicks (1,116) are 1st set of Giants to each record 1,000+ rec. yards in same season. WR MARIO MANNINGHAM aims for 4th in row vs. Dal. with TD…

DE JASON PIERRE-PAUL has 20 sacks in past 21. Had 2 sacks, safety, FF & blocked FG in last meeting. CB COREY WEBSTER has career-high 6 INTs. DT CHRIS CANTY had sack & safety last week.

Jeff Roberts (TheJRob):Osi showed no limp or any sign of being slowed by his ankle or knee. He fully participated in the portion of media open to reporters. #nyg

Tom Rock (TomRock_Newsday):We couldn’t even tell which ankle Osi had sprained. Neither was heavily wrapped or braced. No limp.

“He’s tested everything, lots of times,” said Tom Coughlin. “That’s what he’s been doing. He’s been working his tail off. He just hasn’t been able to get right.”

Jake Ballard and Mario Manningham sat out of practice again today. Hakeem Nicks was also out. Per Coughlin:

“He (Nicks) strained a hamstring in the game and kept on playing, to his credit. He really didn’t have that other gear, which you probably observed.”

DE Jason Pierre-Paul was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks for his performance against the Jets on Saturday.

CLINCHED:
Green Bay – NFC North and home-field advantage
San Francisco – NFC West
New Orleans – NFC South
Detroit – playoff spot
Atlanta – playoff spot

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS:
San Francisco clinches a first-round bye with:
1) SF win OR
2) SF tie + NO loss or tie OR
3) NO loss

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS:
New Orleans clinches a first-round bye with:
1) NO win + SF loss or tie OR
2) NO tie + SF loss

NEW YORK GIANTS:
New York clinches NFC East division with:
1) NYG win or tie

DALLAS COWBOYS:
Dallas clinches NFC East division with:
1) DAL win

I reading and hearing a lot of NFC East bashing these days and I’m not quite sure if these people are just haters or complete morons. Yes, the NFC East had a down season. Any half-wit can see that. But they should also realize that the NFC East will be one of the league’s best divisions in 2012.

Riddle me this….does anyone want to play Philadelphia this week? I don’t see any hands. That’s because they the know the Eagles finally have it together. Philly’s defense has been killing people the past few weeks and Michael Vick and his receivers are finally on the same page. If they had snuck into the playoffs, they would have made some serious noise.

The play Washington this week, who are probably the only team who would be willing to play them anyway. The Redskins have become a physical football team that leaves opponents with the feeling they’ve been through a meat grinder. Next year, expect a frontline QB and some more weapons on offense. Look out for them.

Yet, the Cowboys and the Giants are two that will play for the division this week. Both have been ravaged by injuries as well as heartbreaking losses.  They have struggled, that is for sure.

The Giants seem to be solving some of their defensive issues. DE Justin Tuck is back and leading the charge. The Cowboys have been playing better defense, too.  Both teams are shells of themselves coming into Sunday’s game, but when at full strength are not teams you would openly choose to play against.

The Giants were only 4-7 vs the NFC, but they went 4-0 against the AFC East, which was considered one of the best divisions in football.  Five of Dallas’ seven losses were by less than seven and decided in either overtime or in the final two minutes.

Take this as a suggestion: next time you want to kick someone while they’re down…wait until they’re all the way down. The NFC East may have stumbled and fell in 2011, but they will be back in 2012. And they’re not done this year yet, either…

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The Giants’ victory eliminated the surging Philadelphia Eagles from playoff contention. The Eagles (7-8) could have only gotten into the playoffs via a three-way tie atop the division.

Dallas (8-7) lost for the second time to Philadelphia this year, 20-7, but their biggest problem coming out of this game is the health of QB Tony Romo.

Romo banged his throwing hand off the helmet of Eagles and left the game. At last check, his hand was heavily wrapped and his immediate future doubtful.

Philadelphia is a game behind the Giants. If the Giants win out, the Eagles cannot catch them. If the Cowboys defeat the Eagles next week, Philly will have nine losses and be eliminated from the playoffs.

Dallas needs to beat Philadelphia and hope the Giants lose to the Jets. That scenario would give the Cowboys nine wins and the division, since a loss next week by the Giants would keep them at seven wins with one to go.

If the Giants beat the Jets and the Cowboys lose to the Eagles, the Week 17 game between Dallas and New York would not determine the division unless the Giants won. If Dallas wins that game, they must hope the Eagles lose to Washington in order to take the division.

For Philly to win…they need to win out, have Dallas lose to the Giants and have the Jets beat the Giants. That would make everyone 8-8 and they would win the NFC East with a 5-1 record within the division.

Wild Card – None of the NFC East runner-ups can qualify for the playoffs via the wild card with eight victories. That means Philadelphia must hope for that three-way tie. Both the Giants and the Cowboys can end up with nine wins. If that is the case, the Giants would be NFC East champs and. Dallas would have to hope either Atlanta and/or Detroit (both currently 9-5) fall flat on their faces. A longshot….keep in mind, Seattle, Arizona and Chicago are all 7-7 and are still mathematically alive.

From Geico SportsNite: