Day: September 14, 2015

I’m still pissed about the Giants losing.

I recognize that everything forward is some form of armchair quarterbacking from a guy that has never been in the NFL. Still, it is plain as day to see that the Giants are not who people thought they were. In fact, the NY Giants are a team that is buoyed by the play of their surprising talented secondary, which supports a defensive line that has less chance of getting to the quarterback than any perhaps in the history of the Giants. It isn’t even their fault the team lost though. No, that falls on the shoulders of bad 4th quarter coaching and one unfortunate play.

The Giants found themselves in similar situation to the Seahawks fateful SB 49 pass debacle. Once again, the team should’ve run the ball. It doesn’t matter that the flyweight offensive line hadn’t made holes all day. It isn’t important that they were only up three. No, this is about that clock and the limited time that was left. Here is what happened: The Giants called a pass play and Eli, with no options, threw the ball out of bounds. This stopped the clock and caused the Cowboys to have time to march down the field and score. Two things went wrong here:

1. Coach called a pass play.
2. Eli, with no options to pass, threw the ball out of bounds.

I get the call: You want to score and put the game out of reach. Still, given that the Giants are such a conservative and smart team offensively, why not make the conservative call here and run the ball. If you run then you at least chew clock, which gives the Cowboys less time to respond (which would have changed the play calling on the Cowboys side and led to a Giants win). As for the play itself, Eli relied on muscle memory and mental training to dump the ball once he was in trouble.

I get it.

Getting it cost the Giants the game. If Eli holds on the rock, it creates a time suck and gives the Cowboys less time to respond… See above. So, yeah, I am upset. Still I have a lot of hope for the season, because the secondary showed up. Now I just wish JPP would show up too.

This is the first waiver wire of the new regular season. We are in line for Super Bowl 50 and I am watching player after player check out due to injury. Suggs, Ellington, Cromartie, and many others don’t look like they’ll be making the most of 2015. They all went down with injuries that may keep them out the entire season. Meanwhile, the new season has brought some surprises and renewed rivalries. My own Fantasy Football rivalries are back in effect and I’m posting a line up that is, in one league, already composed of 4 players I didn’t draft. My picks too changed before the start of play today. I wrote them down, but didn’t explain at the time. I’ll share:

NE over PIT
This is about Brady coming home a conquering hero and Gronk being, well, Gronk. Obviously, this has been played, but we all knew the outcome once Brady was cleared.

BUF over IND
Anyone in a NY jersey is winning today. That’s it. Two of those teams are in the AFC East, which looks to be the best conference in the league this year.

CHI over GB
Who the heck is left to throw to over there in GB? Is Cobb even cleared to play?

KC over Houston
Expecting a low-scoring affair, primarily because I have the KC D this season and the HOU D is just sick like that. The HOU O on the other hand is a total unknown.

CAR over JAX
Jacksonville is the worst. team. ever.

NY over CLE
See BUF above.

STL over SEA
I don’t really believe in the Seahawks without Max Unger and ‘Bam’ Chancellor. Two dudes don’t make a team, but both dudes carry with them the heart of their respective units.

MIA over WAS
All of the AFC east wins this week. Of course, that cannot apply next week, so the real battles will be in-division.

ARI over NO
I believe in the Cardinals this year. They were strong last year and now they have a legit QB behind the wheel of a very high powered offense.

DET over SD
Unclear what the real weapons are on SD just yet, but the Lions, while losing a lot of D firepower, return a very potent offense with a new RB to lead the charge.

DEN over BAL
Same issue as with SD, I’m not sure what to expect from BAL this season…

CIN over OAK
The Raiders don’t have a lot yet. In a few years (and a few good drafts) they will be great again.

TB over TEN
Not a lot to say about this one. The Bucs seem to have more consistency, and if they have Evans starting, they have this game locked.

 

NY over DAL
Nuff said.