Was he able to muster even a single scowl last night? I’m sure his mind has been elsewhere this week, and for good reason. Really felt for the guy.
Philly seemed keen to prove they’ve put the (He who’s name I’m loathe to speak) saga behind them. Their adjustments from week 5 were on the mark, especially defensively, and the Dallas players sure seemed to be following an inferior game plan at every turn. Heck, even their 3rd string QB was impressive. That guy’s got promise (dammit).
Yeah, memories of the game w/ Washington were immediate. This easily could have been a very ugly loss. I’m not sure how to read their flat performance after the bye week and hope we show more fire against Detroit.
He had lots of ‘promise’ in Detroit and look where it’s got him…
So does this pretty much end Philly’s chance at a division title? Even if the Cowboys close out the season at 3-4, Philly would have to go 6-1 and I don’t think their team is capable of that.
To add to what soulmurk said, I have two thoughts:
Since deep passes are much more likely, and fairly disastrous, the defense does have to take extra care to prevent them.
This is the one I never see mentioned: When the offense needs a score at the end of the game, they have four downs to work with instead of three. That extra down, presumably with some previous progress towards a first, makes it much harder for the defense to get a stop (which is why so many of the stops in those situation come from turnovers instead of failed conversions). It’s made doubly hard because the offense knows they have four downs, and therefore has much more flexibility in their playcalling. They can take an extra shot (or two) down the field for a big play (see above). They can call screens and other underneath stuff because it’s not a big deal if they only get a few yards. In short, it opens up the whole field, since the offense doesn’t have to worry about helping out its defense.
I thought it was a pretty good call, actually. They had no timeouts and there wasn’t enough time to throw a pass and spike the ball. That left three option: The hook & ladder, a hail mary, or a 30 yard ‘out’ that would have been impossible to complete because the defense knew it was coming (I have no idea how the Giants let the Cowboys complete that pass in 2003). I think the hook & ladder had the best chance of either scoring a TD or gaining a quick 30 yards down the sideline.
Regarding Eli, I hate to say I told you so (seriously), but this game was a long time in coming for him. The Sharper INT-TD was an uncharacteristic misread, but the other interceptions were a product of his inaccuracy. To this point, he’s been saved by good hands (receivers catching balls behind and above them) and good luck (no defenders in the area when he misses the target). Today, variance and regression to the mean caught up with him in a big way.
Our special teams were also due for a bad day, though to a much lesser extent because they’ve been more good than lucky. The Giants have had the best all-around special teams in the league so far, but with so few plays per game they were bound to spit the bit sooner or later (losing Tyree didn’t help, of course). Jay Feeley actually had been lucky: he’s been a (slightly) below average field goal kicker over his career (but an excellent kickoff man, which is almost always overlooked when evaluating kickers). His 15 for 15 (or whatever it was) was uncharacteristic of him.
It’s a real shame that everything caught up with the Giants at once, in this game, because they absolutely dominated the Vikings with the exception of a few big plays. One less mistake and they escape with a win.
I really don’t think the division will be this close. For one thing, I think Philly is going to finish with a losing record, especially if McNabb is hurt/out.
You’re predicting losing records for the remaining 7 games for Dallas, New York, and Washington, but a winning record for Philly? I think you need to check yo’ self.
Dallas and New York are both 6-3; I doubt that both will finish 3-4 and miss the 10 win mark. Washington is 5-4, I think 9-7 or 8-8 is probable, Philly is going 7-9 or 8-8, I could even see 6-10 if the wheels really come off. There’s not a team left on their schedule besides Arizona that they SHOULD beat.
Also, curse the Eagles for choking away that game. Boy was that pathetic. (join in my lamentations, Giants fans!)
Yeah, I agree. Bearflag, your speculation had both Cowboys and Giants losing to Kansas City. The Chiefs just choked against Buffalo this week, and Dallas and NY both get them at home. I think at least one more NFC East team will beat K.C.
DALLAS (10-6, 4-2 Div.)
Nov 20 Detroit -w
Nov 24 Denver
Dec 4 @N.Y. Giants
Dec 11 Kansas City -w
Dec 18 @Washington -w
Dec 24 @Carolina
Jan 1 St. Louis -w
NYG (10-6, 3-3 Div.)
Nov 20 Philadelphia -w
Nov 27 @Seattle
Dec 4 Dallas -w
Dec 11 @Philadelphia
Dec 17 Kansas City -w
Dec 24 @Washington
Dec 31 @Oakland -w
WASH (9-7, 4-2 Div.)
Nov 20 Oakland -w
Nov 27 San Diego
Dec 4 @St. Louis
Dec 11 @Arizona -w
Dec 18 Dallas
Dec 24 N.Y. Giants -w
Jan 1 @Philadelphia -w
PHIL (7-9, 1-5 Div.)
Nov 20 @N.Y. Giants
Nov 27 Green Bay -w
Dec 5 Seattle
Dec 11 N.Y. Giants -w
Dec 18 @St. Louis
Dec 24 @Arizona -w
Jan 1 Washington
In a double blow to the NY Giants, Giants co-owner Tisch, 79, dies from brain cancer. Both patriarchs taken so close together. I hope that the players close to the owners can cope with both losses one after the other.
All righty, then. I’m starting a fund to have Billy Cundiff shot*. I don’t know how much it’ll cost, but then, I’m sure that there are some people out there who’d do it for free.
I canNOT believe he missed that *%)#@!^@ field goal! AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!! :mad:
I don’t know why we got him back in the first place–he’s so stinking inconsistent. Hell, we might as well have kept Cortez if we wanted an on-again, off-again kicker! Grrrrr…
At least we broke Plummer’s no-INT streak–that’s SOME satisfaction, anyway!
You’d think they’d fix something like that.