Let's Not Get Too Excited

I remember 2008. The Packers destroyed the Seattle Seahawks then my buddy Mike and I watched the New York Giants knocked the Dallas Cowboys off on the road. Mike and I puffed our chests out after that game thinking the Giants had no chance whatsoever. Brett Favre was ready to dominate and we thought this was our year. Everyone agreed  the Pack were going to pound the Giants in Lambeau.  Then Corey Webster and Plaxico Burress happened.

Not as bad as Fourth and 26th, but
this was an awful lost. 

I felt crushed just like the Cowboys fans did the week before and the Patriots fans did after, how the hell did this happen to us?  Now, this is a different team no doubt about it but still people as Packers fans cannot get too confident.  All of the Facebook statuses about punching our tickets to Dallas, and that no one can beat us. I can understand this with how good the Packers have played in the last two weeks.  Also the comments about Aaron Rodgers and Tramon Williams don't have to worry about Pro Bowl because they cannot play in Hawaii anyways. I hate the Bears as much as you do, I just know to take baby steps to Dallas instead of already book my hotel in the Fort Worth area.  

It still can come to a crashing halt on Sunday, and I am trying to level my expectations so there isn't a stomach punch comparable to Floyd Mayweather. Additionally, so you don't find me burying myself in copious amounts of booze that nihgt.  The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have been pretty even in the first two games.  I will do a much more extensive preview on the game on Saturday, but it should be a great battle between two hated rivals.

I hope everyone realizes this Green Bay Packer team is playing with house money.  The fact they are in the final four in the NFL with all of the injuries they had during the season is remarkable.  No matter what happens on Sunday, we have to be proud of what the Packers have done.

-Charlie.

The Giants DE Soap Opera

Jealousy. Betrayal. Infighting. Insults.

Is this the plot of your mom's favorite soap opera?

No, it is just the best way to describe the insane situation going on right now with the New York Giant's defensive ends.

First, Michael Strahan decided that he didn't feel that the Giants were going to contend for a Super Bowl this year and has since been mulling retirement instead of reporting to training camp. An aging star thinking about retiring isn't all that odd, but then you throw in this odd phone tag exchange and things just get a little weird;

"Strahan left a phone message late last night for coach Tom Coughlin. Coughlin returned the call at about 5 a.m. today and got Strahan's voicemail. As of right now, Reese has yet to talk to Strahan, and it's unclear if Coughlin has spoken to the six-time Pro Bowl selection"

Thankfully for the Giants, a perfect replacement for Strahan has just in the market, in the person of the recently released Simeon Rice. Losing the current sack leader among active players and gaining the second place guy doesn't sound like too much of drop off. Well, according to Strahan's good buddy/fellow defensive end Osi Umenyiora, it is actually a terrible idea. Smell a little bias in this one, especially considering Umenyiora and Strahan share an agent? Umenyiora has laid out quite the welcome mat for Simeon Rice in the past few days;

"We're not talking about Julius Peppers," Umenyiora said, comparing Rice to the Panthers' stud defensive end. "Simeon Rice is an outstanding pass rusher, but that's what he is."

"I'm not going to go so far as to call him, whatever, what a lot of other people have called him, but people say he's not the best run player," Umenyiora said. "I guess people gave him that reputation for a reason."

"That's kind of crazy, to ask me to move to left defensive end because Simeon Rice is coming in," he said. "It's ridiculous. He can't play left defensive end; that's where teams run the ball at. If the team asks me 'We need you to move to left defensive end because we need you at that position,' I will, but I'm not going to move to left defensive end because Simeon Rice is coming in."

So Osi...you do realize that this guy is probably going to be your teammate in a week or two, right? It might not be the greatest idea to diss his talent, call him one dimensional, and state your unwillingness to accomodate his being on the team, all in one interview. Listening to Umenyiora talk about Rice is like hearing a teenage girl ripping some young hussy that is moving in on a friend's ex-boyfriend. "Psst. I heard Simeon Rice stuffs his shoulder pads, pass it on."

All is not lost though. The Giants still have another promising young DE in Mathias Kiwanuka...oh, except that they moved Kiwanuka to LB, and have said he isn't going back. Well, I'm sure Mathias is doing pretty well at his new position, right? Yes, if you define "doing well" as "getting burned on a pass play by a guard";

The Giants did not practice yesterday but Kiwanuka was still smarting about what transpired in Sunday's afternoon session. Lining up for a field goal, holder Jeff Feagles put on a "Fire" call, which simulates a bad snap. Feagles took the ball, rolled to his right and fired a perfect pass to Seubert, who once played some tight end at Western Illinois. The burly Seubert went slightly airborne to make the catch, with Kiwanuka trailing.

"I think I got both feet off the ground," Seubert deadpanned. "I don't think [Kiwanuka] saw the ball. I guess I can jump a little higher than he can. They should honor me as a receiver now. Jeremy or me, there's no difference."

To recap...one of your starting DEs is threatening to retire, your other starting DE is talking smack about the first guy's potential replacement, and your third best pass rusher is getting burned by an offensive lineman on a passing play. Have fun with that Tom Coughlin.

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Eli Spits In The Wind

Oh Eli, what are we going to do with you? First you throw a big whiny hissy fit when you get drafted by the Chargers. Then you stink for three years in New York after the Giants traded what became three Pro-Bowlers for you. And now you just had to go and talk smack about Tiki Barber. Peyton really did get the good side of the gene pool, didn't he? When asked how next season would be without Tiki Barber, this was Eli's response:

"I don't think we're concerned," Manning said. "We're excited by the players that we have who wanted to return for this season, and who wanted to be a part of the Giants and play."

Eli is totally off base here in two ways. 1.) He should be very concerned that Tiki is gone. The Giants have arguably relied on their feature running back in the past few years more than any team other than the Chargers and Chiefs. So why isn't Eli concerned that the stud RB that has given the Giants 300+ carries and 50+ receptions in Eli's three seasons is gone? Is he that confident in Brandon Jacobs? Let's just put it this way; if Eli was mediocre with one of the best receiving RBs in the league as a safety valve, he could well be terrible without him. 2.) The "wanted to be a part of the Giants and play" quip is just flat out stupid. Eli should try playing one game at RB in the NFL and see the kind of beating that those guys take. Tiki served the Giants for 10 years and then left the game with his health and mind still intact. Eli just frankly does not have the credibility at this point in his career to even step to Tiki.

So in the comments, can anyone think of something Eli has done right? (Other than be born into a famous family that is)