The 2006 LaDanian Tomlinson Top Performing Team of the Week: Flying Elvises hung up 108 points and grabbed a playoff spot for the time being.
The 2009 JaMarcus Russell Low Performing Team of the Week: We all have our down weeks. This week it just happened to be Rogue Trader's 65.26 points that stood out. That's good enough to lose every single matchup from week 6 with everyone else scoring at least an 80. And in typing this I'm heading for a solid 55 next week.
The Clutch Pick Up of the Week: Not a lot to choose from on this one. Put it this way - no one is praising my (Bad Newz Kennels) pick up of Mike Wallace. So I'm giving the hat tip to Movie It Up 5 for grabbing Nate Kaeding. That's 14 points and a comfortable victory. Had Move It Up 5 gone with Rod Bironas, as favre's old balls did, it would have netted him 0 points. Of course both those teams won their matchups and who thought the Titans would be that awful?
Owner of the Best Overall Player: I'm going with ranking instead of points. And the current leader is...Adrian Peterson of Pitino's Spamortion. Although it's worth noting that 5 QBs currently have more points over the course of the season than the former Sooner.
Owner of the Worst Overall Player: Initially I started with ranking instead of points. But I wanted to go with someone who had played in all his team's games to date and started for his fantasy squad in Week 6. That eliminated Chansi Stuckey (sat out the last 2 weeks), Josh Johnson (Byron Leftwich was the starter on opening day) and Davone Bess (bye week). Strangely all 3 of those guys are on Drugs Delaney's roster. But I digress. And the winner or loser is...LenDale White (ranked 1370) of OBI WAN CANOLI. Bonus points because White scored -.50 points and looked atrocious in New England. Of course if OBI WAN CANOLI had dropped him last week I would have swooped in and promoted White over Derrick Ward. As is Ward earned 0 points. So what do I know?
Call Out of the Week: I was all set to call out Nick (Stan Mikita's Donuts) for starting a player (Adam Vinatieri) in his bye week. But then Nick beat me. Now he looks like an evil genius - "Hey Weeks I only need 8 to beat your 9, a receiver (Wes Welker) from your favorite team will thrash you, I don't need Laurence Maroney's 19 points either, and I'll even taunt you with the best kicker in your team's history. Have the Pats won a Super Bowl since he left? What about in 2007?" I haven't seen someone this unnecessarily vengeful since *Rick James assaulted Eddie Murphy's Couch (NSFW). As a side note, I'm assuming that's a Wayne's World reference, but Stan Mikita was pretty cool. Long story short, I'm calling myself out for losing to an undermanned team.
The 2007 Derek Anderson He's Ranked What? Award: That's right Derek Anderson was ranked 9th in 2007. 9th! He's completed 11 of his last 41 passes and has as many yards in his last 2 games (145) as some QBs have had in quarters. Okay I'm too lazy to do the research on that one, but I assume Brady, Brees and possibly Peyton Manning have done it lately. I thought about Ray Rice (5th), but he's freaking awesome and is just coming into his own. I was tempted by Kyle Orton but he out dueled Brady, is 6-0 and once had this picture taken. Orton might have a mustache too. No the winner was drafted in 36% of Yahoo! leagues and usually went around 109th. That's right Cedric "I was cut by the Bears in June 2008" Benson. He's ranked 13th and plays for shotintheleg.
Matchup to Watch in Week 7: We're all looking forward to That's a Tasty Burger facing off against Flying Elvises. They're currently tied at 4-2 and separated by just under 15 points and one spot in the standings. For our purposes let's also pretend they hate each other.
If the Season Ended Today...: Pitino's Spamortion, Bad Newz Kennels, Awkward Silences, and Flying Elvises would make the cut. Of course there's a lot of season left.
Standings: * It seems like all of those clips were remixes on YouTube.
MJ's epic Hall of Fame speech did not bring me back. I did not run a post when a member of the Los Angeles Lakers married a reality television star. I remained quiet when T's Redskins eked out a win against a dreadful Rams team, lost to the Lions and barely managed to top a pretty bad Tampa Bay squad.* And to be honest I didn't even want to touch the nauseating coverage of Tom Brady's return against the Bills that gave me one of those rare, "If I were a fan of another team I would hate this" moments. And yet four events happened within a span of a couple of days that ended a months long drought:
4. I was in a police station getting fingerprinted (background check) by a wildly unfriendly police officer who said maybe 3 words to me and seemed intent on twisting my clearly bruised finger (basketball injury). The bigger point is that on our way back to the lobby I debated the pros and cons of giving him a flat tire. Could he hold me for that? Would it break the awkwardness of his surly demeanor?
3. I've been thinking about running a "Jay Leno joke of the week" segment for about 2 years now. It finally got to the point a couple weeks back where I actually almost did it. It would question the very fact that someone so unfunny could be considered the exact opposite by so many. And then this happened:
"Q: What if there was a day on Twitter where everyone tweeted Leno-esque jokes? Such as: "Dr. Christopher Post saved a man's life at a Pirates game. His only regret? The newspaper printing that he was at a Pirates game!" -- Dan, Philly
SG: I like it. How's Oct. 16? "Sad day for Charlie Weis yesterday. No, Notre Dame didn't lose again. His local Red Lobster canceled its all-you-can-eat buffet!"
Let's be honest. I don't have that many original ideas. And when I do have one I should jump on it. Alas.
2. I had to wear a suit. That's something I rarely do. The only bright side of wearing a suit is it always makes me think of a line from Hoosiers that goes something like this:
"I got me a suit. A real humdinger. It's the suit I was married in." - Shooter
1. I was playing Mike Tyson's Punchout, which is reason enough to be regularly posting on a blog. As I working my way towards Mike Tyson I couldn't help but think of the huge advantage Floyd Mayweather Jr. had in his recent fight. If that's supposed to be bad for boxing consider Bald Bull's 191-pound advantage on Lil Mac. How much of a fine would that prompt if there were a weigh in? How could Doc Louis even let that fight happen? Ultimately I just can't get that worked up about Mayweather.
These are the kind of things I need to be sending out into cyberspace (do people still say that?) from time-to-time. On top of that ROOMOZEN has been quiet of late. So I'll end this post by reworking a line from Hoosiers, "I don’t know if it’ll make a difference, but I figured it’s time I started writing again."
* That has to be one of the worst 2-1 stretches of football...ever.
Without a team in the NFL Playoff mix and with the Celtics sliding to the brink of Stephon Marbury I have had a lot of time to reflect over the past two weeks. In many ways, not having to deal with the stress of putting all of your hopes and dreams into a professional sports franchise in the hunt for a Superbowl has been a calming and interesting experience. I can watch the games for what they are: pure entertainment.
LaRocque and I, in a serious display of solidarity hit on 50% of the games during that "Wild" Wild Card weekend. A few points:
-I love the Saturday/Sunday combination. When you mix in the Rose Bowl this made for excellent viewing that carried itself throughout the weekend. Just when you get tired of watching the NFL you can switch into "Big 10 getting dominated mode" without leaving your seat at the sports bar. And when you've seen enough shots of Joe "The Puppet" Paterno you can put yourself right back into the NFL mix in time to see Chad Pennington begin his quest for an unprecedented 3rd comeback player of the year award. My money says that Paterno continues to coach past 90, calling in plays from that strange life support capsule that Arthur Digby Sellers was seen in in The Big Lebowski. Naturally, his headset will be plugged into an old shoebox, and occasionally an intern would show him some of those laminated black and white formation photographs in a 3 ring binder.
The bulk of the series...
-Indy displayed a miserable running game. Oddly enough, Edgerrin James had his best game of the year the same weekend despite being a non factor the entire season. What if the Mannings mated with the Williams sisters? I think about these things all the time.
-Ed Reed is Nasty.
Moving along...
Rather than focusing on the fascinating New England Patriots offseason that might see the loss of Coordinator Josh McDaniels and Serious Personnel Guru (my own terminology) Scott Pioli, along with an unprecedented Franchise-and-Trade maneuver featuring Matt Cassell I have been thinking about this:
Unnecessary Scarf on the Offense, number 12...
I have determined that from now on I will refer to Giselle Bundchen as "Gis". I will pronounce it as "jizz", however, not "jiss". I invite you all to join with me. Imagine reading thinking or saying this line: "Tom Brady was spotted courtside at last nights Celtics game with Gis on him arm". Or "Tom Brady was photographed picking up Gis outside of a trendy SoCal salon." We can make this happen.
First of all, if you haven't read Babcock's post on Tom Brady, do yourself a favor and read it immediately. The man is pure genius.
Second of all, read Nick's post on Week 2 after you’ve read Babcock’s piece. All I can say is that we’re pretty damn lucky to have two NFL experts here at the RoomofZen. Where else can you find stuff like this on the internet?
Weird stuff, right? An NFL quarterback goes missing for two hours and his team calls the police. Young claims it’s not a big deal, but if a regular player goes off the radar for two hours, do you panic and start calling the cops? Not unless you know something is seriously wrong with the dude. The phrase “suicide watch” comes to mind, especially if he has a gun. From the AP:
“The mother of Titans quarterback Vince Young said he indicated he doesn't want to play football and is "hurting inside and out."
His mom, like any decent mom whose concerned about their son, goes onto say:
"What would you think, if you were tired of being ridiculed and persecuted and talked about and not being treated very well, what would you do? What kind of decision would you make?"
Apparently you start talking about quitting and giving up if you're Vince Young. And frankly there's nothing wrong with that if your head is not in the game. Just leave the team, free up the cap-space, and do your teammates a favor. Nobody wants a teammate like that, right?
But Vince Young is pretty darn good. And it's not like the guy is Ryan Leaf with expectations out of this planet. We know he can't pass too well, we know he has a hard time learning the offense, and we know he's a running-style QB like McNair or Vick. So big deal if he has a terrible opening game. I can cut him some slack. He did lead his team to the Playoffs and the guy does have a winning record. If I am a Titan's fan, all I care about is W's and Young is a proven winner. If he could pull a Ricky Williams and get his shit together, who wouldn't welcome back to the game? I would.
I started thinking about Vince Young last night and I actually feel sorry for this guy since I know he needs some psychological help. But then again he’s making millions of dollars and he’s playing a sport for a living. The guy has no excuse not to seek medical help. My sense is that his ego and self-pride is preventing him from doing so. (That and his agent is doing a terrible job advising the poor guy)
If you were Vince Young, wouldn’t you have an inflated ego, too? He’s won the National Championship, he’s was the 2006 Rookie of the Year, he’s been paid millions of dollars, and he was voted the 10th Best College Football Player…of all time. But those are just accolades. Look at what he’s actually said to the media:
"I never doubt myself. Never. If I doubt myself then I'm gonna be a bad quarterback”
“Asked if he's going to the playoffs, Young tells Pelley, "We working on it right now. I wanna say, you know, I'm not trying to predict it right now. But how we looking right now, we have a big shot at it."
"People have told you to calm down on your predictions, haven't they?" Pelley asks.
"No," Young says, laughing. "No?" Pelley asks.
Says Young, "Can't nobody tell me nothing."
On a scale of 1-10, with ten being the most cocky and borderline arrogant you can be as an NFL player, this type of attitude is an eleven. So of course this guy is fairly insecure and when the Titans lose and he's held responsible, there may be some issues.
(As an aside, pro athletes are notorious for not seeking help when they need it. Guys like Robinson on Raiders denied their problems and they only got worse. But then you have guys like the Eagles o-lineman who missed training camp due to depression. No one questioned his decision to seek help and now he’s back, ready to play. Why can’t Young do the same thing? No brainer, right? Just take some time off).
But for christ-sakes, dont have your mother go on the record defending you from media criticism. That shit just looks weak! Imagine the type of shit-talking Vince Young is going to hear if he ever comes back. It would take three Super Bowls in two seasons to stem the type of trash-talking I envision. And what defensive player in their right mind would hold back?
Just admit you're depressed, take some time off to clear your head, and come back to the league with gun's blazing. NFL fans, like most Americans, are forgiving and empathetic people. They understand that people suffer from mental breakdowns, especially when the spot-light is so intense. Maybe Young will eat some humble pie in the process and return to his prior form, sans the attitude.
And maybe his mom will stop making him look so bad.
"THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth.......
'Tis surprising to see how rapidly a panic will sometimes run through a country. All nations and ages have been subject to them. Britain has trembled like an ague at the report of a French fleet of flat-bottomed boats; and in the fourteenth [fifteenth] century the whole English army, after ravaging the kingdom of France, was driven back like men petrified with fear; and this brave exploit was performed by a few broken forces collected and headed by a woman, Joan of Arc. Would that heaven might inspire some Jersey maid to spirit up her countrymen, and save her fair fellow sufferers from ravage and ravishment! Yet panics, in some cases, have their uses; they produce as much good as hurt. Their duration is always short; the mind soon grows through them, and acquires a firmer habit than before. But their peculiar advantage is, that they are the touchstones of sincerity and hypocrisy, and bring things and men to light, which might otherwise have lain forever undiscovered."
--The Crisis, Thomas Paine, 1776
If you haven't yet read Babcock's piece on Tom Brady's injury , you should. Like Forrest Gump in Washington, DC, he said it all. I could go on and on about how this injury only seems appropriate after all the time that Bill Belichick has been so cavalier about his use of the injury report (and I do think it's funny that it happened the first week that Brady was off the report) or the year after we saw Belichick throw complete caution to the wind by leaving Brady on the field, with 25 and 30 point victories already in hand, to put an exclamation point on dominant victories. But, I won't. I've always thought that the Patriots were unfairly criticized for those actions, and I won't change my tune. Furthermore, despite what you may think, I'm not happy. The NFL needs its stars on the field, and Randy Moss needs Brady to get a ring. I don't mind seeing things shaken up, but I was not ready for this earthquake. Patriots fans haven't been the only ones affected by major injuries, but certainly this was the biggest blow to any team this season (and I can't imagine how it could be topped). I don't feel the need to delve any deeper into what Babcock said, but I will just leave Patriots fans with several thoughts to help them in this time (If you had Brady in fantasy, there is nothing that I can say to you):
1) This will be the most liberated you've felt in a long time. There is no pressure whatsoever for the rest of the season. 2) Bill Belichick would not have kept Matt Cassell for 4 years if he wasn't good. 3) Just try to remember that you don't even know these people. I'm sure there are fans out there who have been making themselves miserable ever since Sunday. Maybe a dad who has yelled at his children. Maybe somebody trying to get clean that fell off the horse. Maybe just somebody that has been tormenting themselves over a lost season. Well, stop fucking whining. You're team has won three rings in the last 5 years. Nobody gives a shit about your feelings. Furthermore, just try to keep in mind that these athletes live very different lives than we do, and they're probably finding ways to enjoy themselves despite these unfortunate circumstances. You should too.
I doubt Tom Brady is going to let depression get the best of him:
I think Osi will be ok too:
This news is not surprising in any way, except when you consider how long it took Shawne Merriman to realize that having two torn knee ligaments might impact his ability to play professional football. I've said all along that I thought his decision to play was foolish. He's so young, and I really think that it would be impossible for him to make it through all 17 games (plus the playoffs). On top of that, the damage that he could do trying to make it through could end his career prematurely. Now that he has made the right decision, I'll give the guy a little credit for giving it a go. He's not a doctor, and I'm sure I would feel like Superman as well if I were as athletic as him. He's up for free agency after 2009, so he was risking his financial future with this. It was incredibly stupid, but a small part of me respects this guy's dedication to the game.....a very small part of me is able to look past how unrealistic, shortsighted, and small-minded the decision was. And don't get me wrong, I still hate that fucking dance.
Anyways, here are the picks. I was 8-7 (didn't pick Thursday game) last week so there's lots of room to improve:
Green Bay over Detroit: It was very apparent to me this weekend that the Lions blow and the Packers don't. The Lions can't run, and Green Bay defends the pass very well. The Lions defense looked completely lost against Atlanta. Green Bay will pose a stiffer challenge.
Oakland over Kansas City: Who gives a shit. But really, I'm going to keep picking Oakland against bad teams. They'll be decent as soon as the pieces fall into place.
Giants over Rams: People say that we still don't really know how good the Giants are, and that's true to a certain extent, but this game falls outside the parameters of that statement. We know that they're better than the Rams.
Indy over Minnesota: The Colts shocked me on Sunday night. I had questions about whether or not they'd cover because of Manning's injury, but I certainly didn't think they'd lose. I like them over the Vikings, who looked like big time pretenders on Monday night.
New Orleans over Washington: Reggie Bush's performance on Sunday hasn't been played up as much as I thought it might. It would be great if he could wow us this season.
Carolina over Chicago: If the '08 Bears are anything like the '06 Bears, then it's hard for me to pick against them because there is always the potential for them to be totally anemic on offense but still magically put up 28 points via fluke 50 yard TD runs, interception returns, and big special teams plays. But, Carolina just beat San Diego without Steve Smith, and they just looked to good for me to pick against them.
Jacksonville over Buffalo: Only because they're at home.
San Francisco over Seattle: Apparently I see something in both the Raiders and 49ers that others aren't seeing. If they both get smashed this weekend, I'll be willing to admit that I might be seeing things that aren't there. I hate the NFC West.
Tampa Bay over Atlanta: Atlanta is not good. Garcia is out in this one, but I don't think it matters. Tampa has 9 quarterbacks. Plus, I'd take Griese over Ryan for one game in a heartbeat.
New England over the Jets: The Patriots hung on to beat the Chiefs despite the shock of their franchise player and starting quarterback going down for the season. The Jets barely hung on to beat the Miami Dolphins despite having everyone healthy and having upgraded significantly at quarterback. I don't care who's at quarterback, give me Belichick over the Mangina.
Arizona over Miami: Holy shit. Plenty of seats still available I'm sure.
Baltimore over Houston: If the Ravens can build some early momentum here, they have of a really great shot for a wild card spot.
San Diego over Denver: I still don't think that Denver is very good.
Pittsburgh over Cleveland: I hated everything I saw from Cleveland on Sunday. Pittsburgh has to be the clear favorite in the AFC now with Brady and Merriman gone.
Tennessee over Cincy: I may never pick the Bengals to win again. The Titans looked great on Sunday despite Vince Young's poor play. Kerry Collins is more than capable of handing off and taking a few shots downfield.
Dallas over Philly: The Eagles are good. There's no question about it. But, they'd need a healthy group of receivers to knock off Dallas. In fact, that's not even true because all their injured receivers suck too. They'd need at least one GOOD receiver to knock off Dallas. DeSean Jackson may be that good receiver later in the season. I don't think he's there yet.
COLLEGE PICK:
USC over Ohio State: I watched Ohio State play last weekend, and it wasn't pretty. They weren't just unimpressive. They sucked ass. Ohio outplayed them. Now, they may be one of those teams that play to the level of their opponent, but I just don't think they're capable of playing to the Trojans' level. I understand that the Buckeyes were in the national championship game last year, but USC was better than them (and were playing much better towards the end of the year). I understand that the Ohio State defense (particularly Laurinaitis and Malcolm Jenkins) are highly touted. But USC's defense is better. I know that Chris Wells is back this week, but he's not 100 per cent and I don't think he's good enough to swing this game in Ohio State's favor.
All that being said, I don't know if the Trojans cover 10.5. I'd throw them in a ten-point teaser with Wisconsin and Georgia. You can't miss there.
*disclaimer: My anti-Big Ten bias may be clouding my judgement here. I have been anti-Big Ten since the fall of 2006. To refresh your memory, that was the year when Ohio State and Michigan fans spent the entire season whining about how they were the two best teams in the country and it was a shame that they wouldn't be playing each other in the national championship. I guaranteed that both would get crushed by their faster and far superior bowl opponents (Florida for Ohio State and USC for Michigan). That being said, I'm sure that Wisconsin should be favored by more than 2 over Fresno State.
Where were you when Tom Brady went down with a season ending knee injury? I’ll never forget where I was…Rowe’s Corner Market in Newton, New Hampshire, purchasing tortilla chips, queso dip, and a bag of white powdered Donettes. Everything was coming together perfectly: A rainy Saturday night had given way to a cool, dry, Autumn Sunday afternoon. It was the first Sunday of the NFL season. I was on my way to watching the game with one of my best friends. It really was too good to be true.
But something strange occurred to me when I heard the news: I DIDN’T CARE. And, a full 28 hours later I STILL DON’T. Crazy right? Let me try to take you through my thinking, as honestly, I am still making sense of my own reaction.
First off, some background that most of you already know. I am a huge Patriots fan. I don’t want to get into details about how many games I’ve been to, or how long its been since I’ve actually missed watching a game on TV because that’s pointless and someone will always have a claim to be “more of a fan”. Also, I am a huge Tom Brady fan. I didn’t side with the Bledsoe crowd when he took over the helm, and I have even found myself turning a blind eye to his increasingly metrosexual endeavours when I scorn my friends for the same behavior.
Hypocrisy is indeed a hallmark of a sports fanatic, and one I have learned to embrace. Surely this trait has helped me deal with Patriots PR nightmares such as Rodney Harrison’s purchasing of HGH and Kevin Faulk’s attendance at a Lil Wayne concert…I mean… arrest for Marijuana possession. But now I’m getting off track. The Bottom line is that I want nothing more than to see this team succeed. I want them to win every time they take the field. I was on the verge of actually vomiting from watching them lose the Super Bowl. I don’t think anyone can disagree with the following statement: you don’t almost puke if you don’t care.
So that being said, let’s try to get inside my head a little bit here, as scary as that might be. The following are a couple of theories as to why I just can’t give a shit about Tom Brady being out for the season.
1) Maybe I never really came to terms with the Super Bowl loss. I’m sure it is something that Patriots fans will struggle with for generations: One of the greatest feats in the history of professional sports wrested from our hands in the final seconds of the biggest game of the year. It was, and still is, the ultimate sporting heartbreak of my lifetime. And so, seeing as how I was left a fragile, hollow shell of a fan by the experience, I am too scared to love again, as it were. I would rather avoid the potential for greatness altogether, simply because with the potential for greatness comes the potential for great tragedy, and I just don’t think I can handle that again at this point in my life. Maybe someday if I have kids and other “real” responsibilities I will be able to see how silly this all is. But not now. You see, losing Brady takes all the pressure off. I can go a whole season without having to listen to the talking heads (myself included, I guess) build the Patriots up to a level that is in reality unattainable. Even more so, I don’t have to deal with my team being the favorite every week, or the team that “everyone loves to hate”, or the team that “runs up the score”, or “cheats”, etc…Now we will be decided underdogs, probably no longer favored to win our own division. I like being in the underdog position. It was from this position that the greatest of all Patriot moments was born.
Was the 2001 Super Bowl win over the Rams the pinnacle for Patriots fans? Since “19-0 The Perfect Season” exists only in fleeting memories of what could have been and in copyrighted documents in Robert Kraft’s file cabinets, probably. This isn’t to take away from the Championship wins in 2003 and 2004, but let’s be honest here.
2) Shortly after the injury occurred I admit I was optimistic about Brady being able to return at some point during the season. He did walk off the field after all, and in a situation like this one would assume that all precautions would be taken. Brady is the face of the Franchise, Stetson Cologne, and guys everywhere who don’t want their children to take their last names (Personally, I think it would be funny to pass a name like ‘Babcock’ on to another generation). I was intrigued to see what Cassell would bring to the table. When he led the Patriots down the field for their first score after three rushing attempts that collectively came within 1 cunt-hair of a safety, I immediately texted LaRocque “QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSY!” What an improbable storyline that would be…perhaps the greatest obscure-backup-taking-over-for-injured-starter-and-leading-a-franchise to glory only to have his own obscure backup takeover and lead the team to glory. (Imagine Elton John singing “The Circle of Life” while action shots of Drew Bledsoe morph into Tom Brady morph into Matt Cassel on the jumbo-tron at Gillette Stadium…the crowd goes absolutely wild, the sun sets across the Serengeti…). Of course, with Brady on IR for the year there is no “controversy” so to speak of. The Patriots have already begun auditioning possible quarterbacks to add to the roster including the likes of Tim “Timmy Rattails” Rattay, as a former colleague of mine (a 49ers fan) refers to him. To which I say unenthusiastically…sweet. But doesn’t everyone want to root for Matt Cassell? He has been a backup quarterback for approximately 19 years of his life already, and is there a bigger shadow a backup quarterback could dwell in right now than the one cast by Tom Brady? I want to see him do well. There has to be a reason that he hasn’t been cut yet, right? Has Bellichick ever been really wrong about cutting a player? No. So we should have some faith in him in this instance, shouldn’t we? I think so.
I’m not ready to let the “Bellichick is a genius” storyline go by the wayside…now we’ll really get to see if this is true. Just imagine Bellichick, adorned in his traditional hooded sweatshirt, and Scott Pioli sitting in a dimly lit office over looking Patriot Place...(Pioli) "What do you think about Cassell, Bill?" (Bellichick, staring into the distance) "The Force is strong with this one." No one ever imagined that Matt Cassell would be leading us into battle against the Jets in week 2, and that’s what makes it so interesting. This would just be another game the Patriots SHOULD win, even with the Favre sideshow. Now nobody knows, and I like it that way.
3) All Patriots fans would have to agree that over the past couple of years the initial “team first” mentality of the Patriots has grown in such a way that insiders and outsiders both attributed the success of the team to the success of Brady. It would be foolish for me to argue against this, but one of the things I love(d) about this team is that for the most part it was a collective effort. The Patriots have two of the best offensive players to ever play the game in Brady and Moss (more on Randy later), and at times last year these two players alone were enough to defeat entire teams. With the loss of Brady games are going to be won in new ways: on the ground, with defense, with special teams. Let me point out that the Patriots have always had success in these other areas, but last season was all about their offense.
I love the Patriots Defense, particularly their defensive line, so now we get to see what these guys can do when asked to carry the load. “The Injury”, as it will henceforth be known, opens the door for a whole slew of potential heroes. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Coaches talk about guys “stepping up” all the time, now the stage is set. I can’t wait to see who is going to come up with a big play next. For the last few years Brady has been the default, and I’ll be honest, the superstar quarterback storyline doesn’t do it for me. I think that’s why I’ve hated Peyton Manning and the Colts so much over the past several years. There, look, I’ve just had a breakthrough.
As far as the game goes, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. This was supposed to be another Patriots beatdown. But instead it came down to the final seconds. I was genuinely excited when Huards pass to Bowe fell incomplete in the front corner of the endzone. Really, really, excited. Take the same situation and result but take away “The Injury” and Pats fans would be freaking out. “They almost lost to the Chiefs! Man, they’ll never go undefeated this year…” Think about that. With Brady, every win was taken for granted, at least to some degree. It is nice to expect your team to win every game, but you lose some of your appreciation for a real hard fought victory in doing so. So much of last year became about aesthetics: How many TDs can Brady throw? How many times can they cover the spread? How much can they beat the Dolphins by? People like to say that all that counts is the W, but we all know that’s not true. I got just as caught up as anyone in the sheer beauty of the 2007 Patriots offense. We all drank the Kool-Aid and bought into the hype but now we’ve got a chance for football redemption. We’ve got a chance to go out and win games no one expects us to, by out-hitting, outsmarting, and outworking our opponents. I think that this is real, raw, essence of the game of football, the way it was meant to be played, and why we love it so much. In my eyes a leaping touchdown catch is only just as beautiful as a defensive end two-gapping an offensive tackle and forcing a running back into an unblocked linebacker.
Larocque sent me this email today while he was definitely not at work:
“My thoughts are that I think [“The Injury”] sucks, which feels strange. I have spent so much time resenting and hating the Patriots and Tom Brady. You always hate the team that dominates like that. I've even developed a soft spot for Peyton Manning and the Colts because they seem like that team that is always so close but can never quite defeat the juggernaut (except for that one time, but then the Patriots bounced back and went undefeated). In a way, I would have thought that this was exactly what I wanted. The team that dominates everyone takes a hit, and suddenly things get more exciting. But, that resentment I have and the rooting against the power house is one of the essential emotions that make up my fandom. Now, I don't exactly know what to do with it. Also, as much as I'm sick of seeing the Patriots win, I think that Randy Moss deserves a ring. He's my favorite player, I think that we've seen him mature a lot in his career. And, it seems like he's developed into a leader on the Patriots. It's the role that I always imagined him playing. I thought he had a real shot to get that ring this season. Now I don't. I won't count the Patriots out completely, but if you win the Super Bowl with Matt Cassell that might be the greatest feat of all time.”
A couple of good points here: First, Randy Moss. What can we say. Roomofzen is all about Randy Moss. One of the greatest ever. And, yes, I agree that the loss of Brady hurts Moss’ chances for a ring this season, and yes, that actually does bother me. I want to see Randy on top of the world. For the life of me I just cant figure out what this guy would have to do to lose me as a fan… all I know is that it definitely isn’t having a female friend who winds up injured during freaky sex. That’s not going to cut it. In fact Moss is the only one who I feel bad for in this regard. All the other great Patriots veterans have rings. But on the flipside, now we get to see if Moss really can “make” a quarterback a star. How much can a great wide receiver affect the outcome of a game? The potency of an offense? I think it the answer is going to be “a lot”.
Secondly, If the Patriots do win the Super Bowl with Matt Cassell that will be the greatest feat of all time. If they win the division (still very possible) that would be a great feat. If they get a wildcard spot in the playoffs that would be a great feat. Now, think about this. If they achieved any of the aforementioned accomplishments the Patriots would only be perceived as having done what they should have anyway. This gets back to the whole ‘expectations’ aspect of my personal view on this situation. But I’d like to think that I am not the only Patriots fan out there that will appreciate every yard, every first down, every three and out forced, every goal line stand, and every win a little bit more this year. Let’s not forget that.
I think that is why I don’t care about “The Injury”. I have nothing to worry about now. The worst has already happened. I still have expectations for this team, but they don’t carry the same kind of pressure that they once did. Maybe I took it too seriously to begin with, that’s probably true. And maybe it is only because of the great success that the Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics have had in the recent past that I am avoiding letting this get me down too much. All I know is that tonight is a double header on Monday Night Football, and Ohio State plays USC this weekend. It is football season and I have games to watch and a team to root for. That is good enough.
And by the way. When analysts start jumping on the Patriots bandwagon, and start beating the drum for those “loveable underdogs”, don’t forget to stare hard at your televisions and say “Go Fuck Yourself Dan Marino.”
It has been exactly 201 days since time ran out on the New England Patriots' run at a perfect 18-0 season. I have done my best to block all memory from this game from my mind. Alas, with the preseason in full swing and on the verge of the 2008-2009 season the inevitable “how the season ended montage” will be played again and again, and undoubtedly, I will see the Eli to Plaxico touchdown one thousand times before week 5 is over. I wrote back in February that this was the first time that I had become physically ill while watching a sporting event, and to this day, Eli slipping from the defensive lines grasp to complete his miracle pass to David Tyree evokes the same dry-heave response that I get from watching 2 Girls 1 Cup. Fortunately I have only seen it a couple of times...the Tyree catch that is.
However, as football season looms on the Horizon I am coming to terms with the disappointment of SuperBowl XLII and beginning to realize the potential benefits this loss might have for the Patriots as they prepare for the upcoming season, and a return to the pinnacle of the NFL. First, let’s look at some of their offseason activity:
Marijuana: In 2007 it was HGH, now more Patriots (Kevin Faulk and Willie Andrews) were involved in weed related offenses this year than the Cincinnati Bengals. Does this mean that they will get off to a great start and then disintegrate during the last 5 weeks of the season? I think not. In fact this is all part of Robert Kraft’s plan to build up the bad boy image of the patriots while at the same time increasing merchandise sales in Vermont. Also it is well known that Marijuana affects a person’s memory, and hence, the entire secondary and running back corps should have completely forgotten about the Superbowl by week 1. As a sidenote, I know the bust cost Andrews his job but it still works…also, Faulk was busted at a Lil Wayne concert. I have to admit this does trouble me a little bit…the Lil Wayne part that is.
The offensive line
Logan Mankins is HARDCORE.
The offensive line struggled so much in the Superbowl that they were sent to India for several months to participate in “overcrowding prevention” or “unwanted female baby killing” to the lay person. This should make them a far meaner unit as a whole, and according to offensive line coaches around the league, should really improve their ability to block Justin Tuck. Look for fewer sacks of Tom Brady and increased incidences where lineman unleash spontaneous tears of remorse followed by a falling to the knees with arms extended towards the heavens while screaming "SOCIETY!", this has been known to effectively stifle Dwight Freeney.
Randy Moss
Fair enough
Many people wonder if last season was a fluke for Randy Moss. Will defensive coordinators figure him out? Impossible! As if it wasn’t strange enough that he went and started a Racing team this off-season, he also signed a sponsorship deal with….wait for it…PONY! That’s right, the official shoe of Senior Babe Ruth coaches who take their jobs too seriously. I don’t even remember the last time I saw a pair of Pony sneakers not at a yardsale in a cardboard box titled “make an offer”.
Two Visions I have had for the upcoming season:
1) Tom Brady and Randy Moss really are that good together. Pretty self explanatory… I think you will see these two absolutely torch opponents again this year. Remember Moss’ 3 touchdown’s in the first half against Miami last year? I seriously think he will have 5 in one game at some point. And when he does, I will buy a pair of Pony shoes and father a child out of wedlock and then agree to have it take the mothers last name. Badass!
2) The defensive line Kills either Matt Gutierrez or Matt Kassel in practice. Why would this happen? Well, first off at some point this year the Patriots will lose a regular season game. (I can’t take another undefeated run, it is too much pressure to deal with week after week so I hope they drop their regular season game to San Diego, and then beat them in the playoffs, again) The following week the defensive line will be so angry that Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour, Jarvis Green, and Ty Warren will each grab one of the backup quarterback’s limbs and rip him into pieces. Sure this would be horrible, but it would also send a message to the younger players on the squad that “hey, we are not messing around here.” Also, it’s Matt Gutierrez and Matt Kassel we are talking about here, so no one will really care. When asked to comment on the horrific incident Bill Belichick will say, “they just de-limbed him…it is what it is…we are just trying to concentrate on the Bills. Buffalo is a good football team.”
Some Final Thoughts
I think it’s quite obvious that I am excited for 2008. I think that the pain of the Superbowl loss will prove to be the ultimate inspirational tool for this team. Consider this the Remorseless Revenge Tour 2008. Look for spreads to be covered, and then covered again. Last year was a reality check for all of the Patriots fans out there…a brutal, merciless reality check. Face it, losing to a team led by Eli Manning in the biggest game of the year was the only way that we could ever really begin to understand how truly amazing our upset of the Rams was in 2001. Now I appreciate that win a little bit more. This season I will do less yelling and celebrating and opt for more composed and solemn head nodding, occasionally throwing in a subtle fist pump to emphasize a particularly easy looking 11 play 89 yard scoring drive.
Some Season Predictions:
1) Jerod Mayo is a standout on defense BUT does not win defensive rookie of the year… that goes to Bills CB Leodis McKelvin…hey he plays against Brett Favre and Chad Pennington TWICE each. 2) The Patriots win the AFC East…I know, I know, you think I’m crazy. 3) Brett Favre makes for a compelling story…and the Jets are relevant for a maximum of 8 weeks. 4) Speaking of the AFC East it finishes like this: New England, Buffalo, New York, Miami. 5) I don’t know why I picked Buffalo #2, but I did, so I’m sticking to it. 6) This is officially the season where LaDanian Tomlinson falls off…just wait for it. 7) The Arizona Cardinals actually make the post season. 8) Jerry Jones doesn't get plastic surgery...I know its a long shot but you've got to take risks every now and then. 9) Felix Jones proves to be the real cream of the crop for this years rookie running backs…I’ve been saying it all along…The New Priest Holmes! 10) They bring back Terry Tate Office Linebacker (I hope)
If this picture made a sound it would be the shriek of an 11 year old girl.
Whether it be Ronde Barber, Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson, Terrell Owens' ankle, or Brett Favre's "magical" season, there always seems to be something more interesting for people to focus on than the New York Giants. As has been the case throughout the entire postseason, the Giants will most likely be nothing more than a side-story as we approach Super Bowl XLII. I suppose that's not unfair treatment when your opponent is the 18-0 New England Patriots, and you certainly won't hear any complaints from the Giants themselves. Not only is this team supremely confident in what they're doing, but they also seem to relish the role of the underdog. As Eli Manning said in his press conference after the Dallas win "No one's given us much credit and probably still won't. But that's OK. We like it that way."
It's very difficult for me to sort my thoughts out about last night's game. It will most likely take a few days for me to straighten everything out in my head. Frankly, I'm finding it difficult to write about the game in a coherent manner. So, instead, let me just give you a numbered list of random thoughts as they keep rushing through my head, and over the next two weeks I'll make an effort to organize my thoughts more clearly:
1) The consensus was that the Giants would need to play a near-perfect game in order to have a shot at knocking off Green Bay. Clearly, this was not true. In fact, if the Giants had been able to cut out a few mistakes throughout the game, this could have been a blowout.
2) There were several dropped passes throughout the game that would have extended drives. This problem has emerged several times this season (most recently against Washington). For some reason, the one that kills me is Amani Toomer's drop on our second drive. Going down the field on that drive would have been big for building momentum.
3) I wanted Plaxico Burress to hold on to that ball inside the five at the end of the first half in the worst way. This would have been the second straight playoff game in which the Giants offense marched down the field to score and take huge momentum into the half.
4) While we're on the subject of Plax, we need to talk about his performance, which was epic. This is a guy that has been playing injured all season. He has been playing this postseason with an ankle that has been sprained for five months and has torn ligaments inside of it. There was not one person on the field last night with more of a reason to get lost in the cold conditions. This would have been no surprise to the experts, who spent all week talking about what a great matchup the Packers had at cornerback. Burress dominated Al Harris all game long. I have one question for the people who thought that Green Bay had the best chance to beat New England: Can you imagine what Randy Moss would have done to that press coverage from Harris?
speaking of epic performances (feel free to fast forward through the first 2 minutes)...........
5) I was on the phone with Jarrett (a roomofzen follower and Giants fan) last night after the RW McQuarters interception and fumble. After we both yelled a slew of profanities, I said "that's alright, I'm confident." He said "I'm totally confident that Eli can lead us back." I echoed this sentiment. Neither of us were reaching or trying to convince ourselves. We were both genuinely confident that Eli Manning was perfectly in control of the situation and was ready to lead the Giants on a scoring drive (which he did). I have felt this way throughout the entire postseason. People can say whatever they want about Eli not looking like a leader and not having the demeanor of a leader, but the single most important quality of a leader is that he has the confidence of those that he leads.
6) In discussing who has been the unsung hero for the Giants thus far, there are many people that need to be brought up. As he always does, Fred Robbins has been a rock in the middle of the defensive line. Corey Webster has stepped up his game in a big way and has made huge plays in every game (including last night's overtime INT to set up the winning field goal). Justin Tuck has had a career year, and just signed a long term extension with the G-Men last week. Steve Smith has made several of the biggest catches of this run, and will hopefully be ready to be a regular contributor next year. Certainly, Kevin Boss has stepped in and played well in Jeremy Shockey's absence. However, all of these players have received at least some degree of recognition over the past few weeks. If you go to the Giants roster, and click on kick returner Domenik Hixon, there is not even a headshot. I would imagine that you could even talk to some Giants fans who wouldn't know who he was. Yet, this guy has been HUGE for us in the playoffs (not to mention the fact that he ran one back against New England in week 17). The field position game has been key to the Giants success during these playoffs, and Hixon has given us a short field many times. On top of all of this, he came up with a HUGE recovery of RW McQuarters' fumble.
7) Apparently Joe Buck and Troy Aikman haven't spent a great deal of time watching the Giants this season, as evidenced by this quote last night: "Tom Coughlin might really want to consider putting something warm over his face. It looks really red." 8) Obviously the Giants made a lot of plays on both sides of the ball last night, but none stick out in my head as much as Antonio Pierce sniffing out a well designed screen, going through two blockers on his own, and giving an outstanding individual effort to help save a touchdown.
9) Obviously a lot was made before the game about how wonderful it would be to see Brett Favre back in the Super Bowl. I love Favre, and seeing him on the Super Bowl stage would have helped to soften the blow of a Giants loss. However, Favre has won a Super Bowl. Michael Strahan has not. I understand that Favre is a quarterback, and has been the face of the league for a long time. But, Michael Strahan is a future hall of famer and one of the greatest ever to play his position. He is an outstanding pass rusher and run stopper, and he has played at a consistently high level throughout his career. Let's put my Giants allegiances aside for a second. There are many of you out there, like me, who in their days of playing football were reduced to the less glorious positions (offensive and defensive linemen). As one of those people, I am happier that I'll have the chance to see Michael Strahan win his Super Bowl than I would have been to see Favre have a shot for his second. As a Giants fan, obviously, nothing would make me happier than to see Strahan finally hoisting the Lombardi trophy.
I could go on with this stuff all day, but I won't. The experts all picked Tampa Bay. They all picked Dallas. They all picked Green Bay. I'm sure that all of the experts will pick New England in this game. I have to admit that I'm less confident about this game than I was about the last three. However, it is by no means a foregone conclusion. The Giants have built their confidence and hardened their resolve considerably since the last time these two teams met. The neutral site in Glendale will be the least hostile environment they have played in since before the playoffs began. They have no pressure on them in this game. Their season has been a success. They just need to go out and play as hard and as well as they can. The Patriots, on the other hand, have all the weight of a fanbase that is thirsting for a perfect season. It's like week 17 all over again, but with higher stakes. Hopefully this time the Giants can author a different ending.
With our favorite teams squaring off on Saturday night, his with a perfect regular season hanging in the balance, Babcock and I thought a pre-game podcast might be in order. Unfortunately, we don't have pod-cast technology yet at room of zen (or, if we do, we obviously don't know how to use it). So, instead we opted for e-mail correspondence. The premise here is simple, we each e-mailed each other questions earlier in the week, and now the questions and answers will be posted. If you are unfamiliar with either of these teams, we hope that you will read this post, and maybe carry a new perspective into Saturday night's game. If you are familiar with them both, then please feel free to take issue with anything we say and e-mail us at roomofzen@gmail.com . So, without further ado, here is the transcript (copy and paste) of our conversation.
First, my questions to Babcock on the Patriots:
1) Obviously this Patriots team has been putting together one of the greatest seasons in history, and has a great chance to go 16-0. What is more important to you as a fan, a perfect season or the super bowl? How does a 15-1 season with a super bowl stack up against a 16-0 season without a super bowl? Babcock: A good question...but easy to answer. I would take the super bowl no questions asked but it would not be easy to swallow. At this point any loss seems impossible without the patriots playing a terrible game. Indy and Jacksonville are playing very well right now but I still don't see anyone in the entire NFL that is a "better " team. That being said, I don't want to see Mercury Morris ever again for the rest of my life except possibly in some "where are they now" TV special with Bryant Gumbel where he is doing an interview from a jail cell and talking about how he is "taking things one day at a time", so ideally they will go 16-0 and win the Super Bowl. Push comes to shove 15-1, they still go down as one of the best teams in history.
2) I for one don't see the Patriots losing again. Barring any unforseen injuries, I expect them to crush everyone and win the super bowl by 20 points. However, regardless of how well a team has played, we often find that the most important thing in the playoffs is how each team is playing right now and who is the hottest. What team do you think is most likely to give the Patriots problems in the AFC playoffs? Babcock: The biggest threat to the Patriots is Jacksonville. I don't think Indy can come to Foxboro and beat the Pats without Freeney and with a hobbled Marvin Harrison. Lets also remember that the Colts don't have Brandon Stokely any more, he has always killed us in the past. Jacksonville is without question the "hottest" team in the NFL (with the exception of course of New England) They are physical and have a very good defense. David Garrard is coming into his own and has been very efficient over the past few weeks. More importantly they have a great running game that might be able to keep the Pats off the field long enough to keep the game close. With a few turnovers or special teams plays they could possibly pull off a win against the Pats. Then again I could possibly start at Power Forward for the Milwaukee Bucks this weekend.
3) If the Patriots are able to finish a 19-0 run to a super bowl championship, I would have to imagine that we would see some of the older members of the team retire. What better way could there be to go out than 19-0? Who do you think these players would be? Babcock:I think the most likely would be Troy Brown, Teddy Brushci, Rodney Harrison, and Junior Seau, also throw in Chad Brown (might not have a choice, and now that I think about it he might not even be on the team at this moment). I don't really have anything funny to say about this, they would all be missed by fans but are probably not worth keeping around (speaking strictly from a "front office" point of view). Look for all four to possibly become members of the coaching staff in some capacity, at least one will go on to work in TV or radio.
4) To continue the previous question, the Patriots (in a move that frustrates me beyond belief and yet also leaves me in awe of this organization) will have the 49ers pick in this year's draft despite being the best team and having lost their first round pick because of a violation of league rules. How do you anticipate the team handling this pick? Included in that question, I wonder how comfortable you are with Laurence Maroney as your team's main running back. Although he has been effective, he has also shown early signs of being a player who gets injured every year. What would you like to see them do with the pick and what do you think they will do? Babcock: First, let me say that I am very comfortable with Lauraence Maroney as the future back for the Pats. We will need to get him a solid backup ala Sammy Morris. When these two guys were healthy at the beginning of this year they were the perfect NFL backfield both capable of giving you 15-20 carries a game and 100 yards on the ground. Faulk gives them a great complement on third down and specialty situations. Lets be honest, the patriots are never going to rely solely on a running game to win while they still have Tom Brady. Now as far as the pick goes I really see them trading down for a couple late 1st rounders or a 1st and a 2nd or possibly even a veteran player. I can't see them spending such a large amount of money on a rookie and the number two pick is going to command money that will be on par or above the contracts of Tom Brady, Richard Seymour, and Randy Moss just to name a few (The list would go on and on) We really need to get younger at Linebacker so look for them to move in that direction...then again I cant say they have had many disappointing picks at all over the past ten years (Marquis Hill perhaps). Chad Jackson and Brendan Merriweather are still up in the air but we can't say just yet...Let's just say I trust the judgement of Peoli and Belichick, in fact I would venture to say there is no less dissapointing front office in Professional sports.
5) By the time this is posted, all of our readers will have seen or heard about this Sports Illustrated Cover. Do you believe in the SI cover curse, and how do you think it compares to the Madden cover curse (which terrifies me)? Do you see this affecting the patriots from here on out?
Babcock: Everyone knows it is impossible to curse Bill Belichick because he is a level 8 Warlock and is immune to all curses, spells, and voodoo in addition to HIV, the Flu, Rickets, Whooping Cough, sore throats, Gout, and sleep apnea. However, if he was on the cover of Madden 08 then you might have a case here...
6) The Patriots have shown a desire to leave their starters in the game even when the other team seems totally defeated. I have taken no issue with this: They are pursuing greatness and the other team is made up of professionals. However, I am wondering about your predictions this Saturday. How much of Tom Brady and company will we see? DO you think Belichik has a plan or do you think the game will dictate that? ALso, I would like your prediction about the final score.
Babcock: If there is one thing that Belichick always has its a plan. I am sure that he has almost every single possibility typed up, color coded, and laminated in addition to using an elaborate system of varying Fonts to symbolize on a scale of 1 to 11 how much he likes a given plan for a given scenario...That being said, I think that he wants to get the records for Brady and Moss so we may see those guys in the game until that is accomplished. I don't think anything is scripted, rather, and he will say this to the media ad nauseam, he will "just try to win the game". Whatever that might entail. He has shown in the past that he has a real respect for records and historical feats i.e. Vinny Testaverde throwing a touchdown in 21 straight years and Doug FLutie's drop kick-- and I think he wants to acquire as many team and individual records as he can this year. So to recap: Brady and Co. will stay in to get the records and then the game will dictate his decisions.
For my predictions, I think you see everyone in the game at least into the fourth quarter (we do have a bye first round so they will be able to rest) and for a final score 35-21, with at least 7 points for the Giants coming in "garbage time".
Now, Babcock questions me on the Giants:
1) The Giants have had a very up and down season, in your opinion does their inconsistency come from the top, i.e. Tom Coughlin, or does the repsonsibility lie with the players? Also, speak to the future of Coughlin with the Giants, how secure is his job? This has been one of the most frustrating things about the Giants over the past few years. They are a talented group of individuals, but they can't seem to put it together on a consistent basis. In my opinion, the blame has to fall on Tom Coughlin. The second-half skid has become the signature of this team since he has been the coach. Every year it seems as if everything has finally fallen into place, and then the slide begins. I fell into the trap again this year (as evidenced by my posts from earlier in the season). Coughlin's job is certainly not secure, and barring any unexpected pleasant suprises in the playoffs, I don't expect him to be back. I was shocked when we extended his contract in the offseason, and I really feel like this was his last shot to get this team playing consistent football.
2) How big is the loss of Jeremy Shockey? Do you think that he is an overated player? It's a huge loss. There's no way for me to accurately convey through this medium how much he means to this team. He is the emotional leader of our offense, and really the one guy that we can count on to never come out flat. When we get him involved in the game early on, which is not often enough (see above), he is incredibly effective and opens up the field for Eli Manning and our wide outs. He is not just a great receiving tight end, but also one of the most underated blockers at the position. We will miss his presence in the run game just as much as we will in the passing game. His presence will be missed tremendously on Saturday evening. There are some Giants' players who may come out flat and feel like they have nothing to play for. Jeremy Shockey's intensity is something Giants fans can count on regardless of the situation.
3) What are the biggest needs that the Giants need to address in the draft/offseason?
That's an excellent question. In my opinion, this team needs to continue building its defense. We have some excellent young players (Osi Umenyiora, Gibril Wilson, and Aaron Ross), but we also have a lot of veterans. This team needs as many quality players on the defensive side of the ball as it can get. I'm also tempted to say the wide receiver position. Plax has been great this year. However, Amani Toomer is aging and the more guys we have to compete with Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith, the better off we will be.
4) What are your feelings on Eli Manning? Can he lead this team to the promised land or should the giants cut their losses and look in a new direction?
I thought this would be question number 1. Well, I am happy and disgusted with the Eli Manning situation all at once. He is a good starting quarterback. He has a great work ethic, he is capable of making all the throws, and he has led his team to the playoffs in each of his full three years as a starting quarterback. If his name was not Manning, I don't think that he would receive the harsh criticism that he seems to be getting from analysts all across the nation. However, I am still disgusted with how much we gave up to get him. Quarterbacks are a crap shoot in the draft (take Tom Brady for example, nobody saw that coming). The Giants roster is proof of how valuble second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth round picks can be. Brandon Jacobs, Osi Umenyiora, Gibril Wilson, Michael Strahan, Chris Snee, and Justin Tuck were all taken by the Giants after the first round. Countless other impact players such as Fred Robbins were drafted after the first round by other teams. Antonio Pierce signed his first NFL contract as an undrafted free agent. There is no player in the draft that is worth giving up so many valuable picks for. There's just too much uncertainty. But yes, I do think that he is capable of leading this team to a Super Bowl if the circumstances are right.
5) I have been impressed with Brandon Jacobs, just how good is he?
He's very good. He's fast, he's strong, and he even has a few moves. Our ground game in general has been great all year. Reuben Droughns, Derrick Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw (from what we've seen so far) have all run well and I relly believe that our offensive line is one of the best run-blocking lines in the NFL. I think that Jacobs will be a solid player for the Giants for many years to come. He reminds me of one of my childhood heroes, Rodney Hampton. See the pictures below.
5) Talk about the potential Playoff opponents and whether or not you see anyone from the NFC beating the Cowboys/packers? Legitimately, how far can the Giants go this year?
I like the matchup with Tampa Bay. I like the fact that we're in Tampa, because we have been better on the road than at home this year and Eli Manning seems to be a better warm weather quarterback. I think that we run the ball better than they do, I think that we pass block better than they do, and I think that we put pressure on the quarterback better than they do. However, they have a better secondary and they have Jeff Garcia (who has already proven his big-game worth against the Giants in San Francisco in what was one of the worst days of my life). Realistically, I wouldn't expect more than that from the Giants. They are certainly capable of beating any team in the NFC, but I don't expect them to. I expect Dallas to emerge and represent the NFC in the super bowl. They are very balanced on offense, and they have a tremendous defense. However, the Giants have Jeff Feagles, so you can never count them out.
6) Think about question 6 that you gave me, i.e. how does Coughlin use starters etc... How important is winning this game for the giants? DO they have a Chance? Also, include your final score predictions...
Coughlin has said that he will play his starters, and that he does not believe in resting guys for the playoffs. In my opinion, Plaxico Burress and Brandon Jacobs should not play in this game. But, I think that they will. I think that Coughlin is going to feel the game out during the first quarter. If the Patriots take control early, I think that the Giants will pull their starters and start preparing for Tampa Bay. If it is close throughout, then I expect to see the starters for the whole game. Basically, we're going to play hard with our starters until we feel that the game is out of reach. This could happen in the first quarter or it might not happen throughout the entire game.
My prediction is that the Giants will lose by two touchdowns. Let's say 31-17. I think that this New England team has been too dominant and has too many veterans to blow this oppurtunity. However Babcock, just know that your boys had better not take this matchup lightly. The New York Giants have had a great defense for a long time, and this is what could happen if the offensive line is not prepared:
Thanks again for reading and I hope that you all enjoy Saturday night's game regardless of who you're rooting for.
* It seems like all of those clips were remixes on YouTube.
I’m not ready to let the “Bellichick is a genius” storyline go by the wayside…now we’ll really get to see if this is true. Just imagine Bellichick, adorned in his traditional hooded sweatshirt, and Scott Pioli sitting in a dimly lit office over looking Patriot Place...(Pioli) "What do you think about Cassell, Bill?" (Bellichick, staring into the distance) "The Force is strong with this one." No one ever imagined that Matt Cassell would be leading us into battle against the Jets in week 2, and that’s what makes it so interesting. This would just be another game the Patriots SHOULD win, even with the Favre sideshow. Now nobody knows, and I like it that way.
If this picture made a sound it would be the shriek of an 11 year old girl.
