Revenge Of The Stiff

Darth Doofus is more like it...From the NY Post earlier this week....



I like Kerry Collins. Ever since his days at Penn State and his days with Panthers. When the Giants picked him up in 1999, I thought it was a shrewd move by Big Blue's brass to snag him. Danny Kannel and Dave Brown didn't have arms to make this team a playoff contender so picking up Collins despite the baggage was the way to go.

And he did a good job, he took us to playoffs twice and the Super Bowl once. Not bad for a former drunk.

But Ernie Acorsi and everyone who watched this team regularly knew that that was as far as Kerry was going to take them. He's fine as long his line holds up their protection. But his inability to improvise and check off his targets was what kept him from becoming one of the elite quarterbacks in the game. Guys like Kerry, Drew Bledsoe and Vinnie Testaverde are the sort of players who put up sick gaudy career numbers, but no rings to show for it. Some of it you can put on inferior teams. But most of it you have put on their inability to make plays with something other than their arms. Not to say that you have to be Vick or Elway or McNabb. You just have to buy yourself just enough time so that you or one of your teammates can make a play. Marino was great at that. So was Favre. Montana and Young were masters.

Acorsi saw in Eli Manning that ability. Yeah, he had the raw talent and the arm. But he also saw that something extra. He saw a QB who played in arguably the best conference in College Football with vastly inferior teams. Yet he found a way to keep them competitive. He even took them to a Bowl game his senior year. He was also working in Baltimore when the Colts traded away the rights to John Elway and he swore that if he ever had a chance at a franchise quarterback in thr draft....that he wouldn't pass it up. Even if it means you struggle for a year or two, his upside is worth the risk.

Buh-bye Kerry, Hello Eli.

It's paid off. Despite Eli's shaky second half, the Giants are on the verge of winning their first division title in five years. They are second in the NFC (fifth overall in the league) in scoring, something that they always struggled to do under Collins.

The Raiders? They're arguably the worst team in the league right now. It's not all on Kerry's shoulders. Norv Turner is a horrible head coach. Still a team with Randy Moss, Jerry Porter, Lamont Jordan and company should be better than 4-11.

If Kerry is actually able to wake his comatose team up and rally them to victory, it would rank as one of his greatest triumphs. It would also mean that this would be my last blog ever because I will drink myself to death in protest (Something that might happen anyway...not in protest at least).

So while Kerry might not have liked the move. He can't honestly say that it was the wrong one. Does anyone honestly think we would be in this position with Kerry Collins as our QB right now?

Didn't think so.

Spare Linebackers Anyone?

You know it's bad when you're bringing guys off the street a week before playoffs start.....From ESPN....

For the second time in two days, and the third time in less than a week, the New York Giants have made a roster move to address the team's injury-ravaged linebacker corps.

The Giants on Tuesday added seventh-year veteran Jay Foreman, who has played both inside and outside linebacker during his career, signing him to what is believed to be a one-year contract. On Monday, the Giants signed Kevin Lewis, who started 16 games for them in 2004. Last week, the team signed veteran Roman Phifer.

To accommodate the signing of Foreman, who was released by the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders this summer and has not played in the league this year, the club placed Carlos Emmons on injured reserve. A 10-year veteran, Emmons had played in just nine games this season, missing four of the last eight outings, and was plagued by a series of injuries, the most recent a strained pectoral muscle.

On Monday, the Giants placed Chase Blackburn on injured reserve to create a roster spot for Lewis. Blackburn had started the last two games at middle linebacker but suffered a neck injury in a loss Saturday to the Washington Redskins.

The Giants also placed reserve tailback Derrick Ward on injured reserve Tuesday and signed veteran free agent Mike Cloud. A seven-year veteran, Cloud played with the Giants in 2004, and carried 21 times for 90 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games. He had two different stints with the New England Patriots earlier this season, appearing in six games, rushing for 59 yards on 23 attempts.

The linebacker corps has been especially hit hard by injuries, arguably the most serious of which is the high ankle sprain from which Antonio Pierce is still trying to recover. A terrific unrestricted free agent addition in the offseason, Pierce made a profound impact on the New York defense from his middle linebacker spot before suffering the ankle injury. The team, which has clinched at least a wild-card berth and will win the NFC East with a victory at Oakland this week, is holding out hope Pierce can return for the playoffs.

Clearly, though, having to undertake such a far-reaching makeover of the linebacker corps in the past week is not ideal.

Foreman, 29, played the last three seasons with the Texans, who released him for salary cap considerations. In those three seasons, he averaged 118.3 tackles. For his career, the former Nebraska star, who began his NFL tour with the Buffalo Bills in 1999, has played in 81 games and registered 521 tackles, 4½ sacks and 14 passes defensed.

A solid defender versus the run, Foreman is a smart, versatile player who will quickly have to get up to speed with the Giants' scheme. Of the two linebackers signed in the last two days, Lewis is probably the more likely to play at Oakland on Saturday, because of his familiarity with the defense.

Foreman sounds like a good player. My question is, if he was so good, why didn't he pick up a job before now? This is a guy that got cut by the Raiders and Texans, hardly defensive juggernauts. I remember Kevin Lewis from his first go around here. He hardly invoked memories of Harry Carson and Pepper Johnson. Are they better alternatives than what we have out there now?

Apparently, Emmons is none too happy about being put on the IR. I have to agree with him on this one. Not on him being deactivated, but in the way it was handled. It's the coaches' perogative on who's active and who's not, but Coughlin should have let him know about it as soon he made the decision. Emmons deserved that much.

I've mentioned in the past that even before all the injuries that this might be worst linebacker corps the Giants have fielded in over 20 years. The only standout in the group was Antonio Pierce, who's hobbling around on crutches.

The lack of a first round pick limited what we could do in the draft last year. Our Swiss Cheese secondary needed even more mending than our linebacking corps. So I understood the logic of drafting Corey Webster. But this draft, the first priority has to be replenishing our linebacking corps. We've finally got a defensive line worth mentioning. Joseph has been practicing this week so we'll be at full strength up front. Even with Lamont Jordan possibly sitting out, we need them to get good push up front to stuff the run and put Kerry Collins on his ass.

I'm going to be watching the game at a rabid Raiders fan's house on New Years Eve. I might get stabbed in the neck for all the smack I'll be dishing out...but it'll be worth it for a division title.

You Knew They Wouldn't Die Easy

But finally, we can say it...THE EAGLES ARE DEAD!!

I'm so glad I stayed home for this one. I was invited by some friends to watch the game at Blondies Sunday, but decided to stay home because 1)I have a hard time looking at myself in the mirror without a shirt...the cross-trainer awaits...and 2)I don't have a DVR (a Christmas present to myself perhaps) and I didn't want to miss another episode of the West Wing. So I stayed home and watched from my disheveled apartment.

You knew Eli Manning was going to go through some more growing pains. I just wish he didn't have go through it during a playoff run. I understand that he's actually ahead of the curve when you compare him to other QB's who have started 20 games in their career. I understand that everyone picked the Giants to finish 8-8 and that all of this is gravy.

But when you look at the teams around the NFL and you look at the Giants, you realize that there's not much that separates them. The only thing that separates the Seahawks, the Panthers, the Colts and others is consistent play from their QB. That the Giants could easily be 11-2, if not for a few gaffs from young Eli.

I understand that Manning has won quite a few games as well. But the last few weeks, Eli has been exposed for the young Padouwan he is. A Jedi he is not. He's incredibly talented and shows flashes of brilliance at times. But he makes his fair share of mistakes as well.


Thankfully, Big Blue's defense remembered who they were playing in overtime and put a stop to the madness.

Now we have to look forward to a very pissed off Chiefs team on Saturday. Who are spit the bit against the Cowboys yesterday.

Oh joy....I can't wait. Hopefully, Eli is more Palpatine and less Obi-Wan in a couple of days.

Brian Kilmeade Is An Idiot

Don't ask me why I'm watching this horrible show Fox And Friends...it was on and the female anchors are hot....anyway, this idiot just said the Pats are the team that can beat the Colts.

Why? Because they blew the horrible Bills out 35-7? The same team that gave up 21-0 lead to the Dolphins last week?

People always ask why I don't work in sports. The first reason is that I like being a fan. The other reason is that I don't want work with idiots like this (Although this idiot works in news.)

He was also complaining about his fantasy team. Hey jackass, maybe your team wouldn't suck if you actually watched all the games instead of just reading the box scores.

I'm not bitter...really I'm not....

Jets-Raiders...The Reason I Watch Games At Blondies

A friend of mine invited me to this game on Saturday. I had to turn him down because I had to run some errands on Sunday morning and wouldn't be able to make it.

I also decided to pass on going to Blondies Sunday to give me my liver and wallet a rest.

I was quickly reminded why I watch games at a bar in the first place. And why I curse my landlord for not allowing me to put a dish on the side of my building so I can get the NFL Sunday ticket.

What a mess. My buddy Arnie called me from the game half in the bag from the tailgate. That's the only way you can watch the Jets live these days. He said that if this were a Shakespeare play, it would be called a Comedy of Errors.

I disagree. That play was intentionally maddening. This was more like a badly choreographed porn flick.

The sad thing about the win was that Jets fans couldn't even enjoy it. With Houston and San Francisco's losses yesterday, the Jets are winning their way out of the Leinart/Bush sweepstakes.

How I wished I owned a liquor store in New York or New Jersey right now....I'd make a killing....

The Myth About Misery

Most cliches are cliches because they're true. But I can think of one that needs to be debunked.

Misery loves company.

People who are miserable don't want company. They don't want someone who can share and wallow in their unhappiness. When my buddy who's an Eagles fan had to watch his team lose to my Giants last week. It didn't make him feel any better that the Redskins suffered a similar fate. We had to feed him Bloody Marys and shots intravenously just to keep him from offing himself.

Did I feel any better watching the Jets lose in person after watching the Giants horrible loss in Seattle? Hell no!

Do you know why? Because miserable people don't love company unless they're about to get laid. Miserable people want one thing....Not to be miserable!!!

Last Sunday's game was tough to take if you're a Giants fan. Big Blue thoroughly outplayed Seattle despite the 16 penalties (10 false starts? That's some ticky tack flag throwing). This is one of those games where you don't know who to be angry at. Feeley is clearly the goat missing three game winning field goals. But I have serious problems with the play calling in the last minute of regulation. A little under a minute and you have time to run at least two or three more plays to either put the ball in the endzone or make the FGA a chipshot. Instead, they run the ball in the middle of the field and let the clock run down.

I understand that an NFL kicker is expected to make a 38 yarder, but you can't assume anything on the road. I believe they should tried to run a pass play to get the ball either in the endzone to remove all doubt or to make the FGA a proverbial extra point. Why not go for the jugular instead of winding down the clock and playing it safe?

That's what drives me nuts about this Giants offense. Potentially, they could be almost as lethal big brother Peyton's crew in Indy. But they tend to stall because of stupid penalties, dropped passes, missed read by Eli and bad play-calling. Filip Bondy in the Daily News in a column Thursday suggested that the Giants should have Eli work out of the hurry-up more often. His premise is that since the Giants since respond so well in the fourth quarter when they have to score...that it might be a good idea to put Manning and company in a hurry-up sense to heighten the sense of urgency and keep the defenses off balance.

I think it's a good idea. If you can work it in from time to time, I think you could keep defenses honest enough to move the ball down the field and force them into mistakes. I've complaining all year about the fact that the coaching staff is too predictable in their play-calling. I think it works because they have superior personnel in the skill positions who make plays. But with a second year QB, why not mix it up a little instead of running the same plays the defense can zone in on?

Dallas is a very good team. But they're very beatable. They have shown an inability to put good teams away when they have them on the ropes. The Giants need to kick them in the teeth early and put them out of their misery early. If the Giants let Dallas hang around, they're asking for trouble.

Darth Marc and Metstradamus On Neutral Ground...Giants Stadium

Because of my fondness for the Jets, their fans and their tailgates (gotta love watching porn, eating burgers and drinking beer while watching football , Metstradamus and I put a cessation on our hostilities last week to watch Gang Green play the Aint's at Giants Stadium.

I can confirm that Metstradamus had nothing to do with this though....

FBN--Jets-Restroom Stabbing,0180
^NY man charged in bathroom stabbing at Jets game
^Eds: Moving on state news and sports lines.
^hacwpeb
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) A New York man has been charged with stabbing a fellow Jets fan during their team's home loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Thomas J. Conwell, 21, of Brooklyn, was charged with aggravated assault, accused of stabbing Shawn Hundley, 19, of Roselle after the two exchanged words while using urinals in a Giants Stadium rest room on Sunday.
State police said Conwell began taunting Hundley, who was wearing a Jets jersey with the name and number of injured quarterback Chad Pennington. Conwell then took out a 3-inch folding knife and stabbed Hundley in the face, neck and ears, authorities said. A bystander who tried to break up the fight, Henry Finnila, 24, of Freehold, also was stabbed in the head and neck.
Hundley was treated at the scene by medical personnel. Finnila was treated at Hackensack University Medical Center and released.
Conwell was being held at the Bergen County Jail on $25,000 bail.
His arrest was the most serious of nine made by police at the stadium Sunday night.
The Jets lost 21-19.

Wow, they seem to the Pennington injury pretty seriously in Jets land.

As proof positive about my theory about misery, the Jets fans that I ran into could care less if the Giants won or lost. As a matter of fact, there were quite a few of them who were rooting for Big Blue.

Most fans are more concerned about whether or not their team wins as opposed to whether someone else loses.

Unless of course, you're a Mets fan...where hating the Yankees more than loving the Mets is part of the fan charter.