What I miss most is MSG Network’s Sportsdesk. Why did they kill that show? WTF? That show was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
For those not in the NY area: MSG’s Sportsdesk was the same format as ESPN’s Sportscenter, except it was only 30 minutes and only covered NY teams. The extended interviews in the Giants and Jets locker rooms were a staple. And like ESPN, MSG used to run it nonstop from 6:00am to 10:00am so it was easy to catch.
Now it’s some lame new show that doesn’t seem to cover football at all. Boooooooo.
Well, I must say… I’m exceedingly glad to see that Gramatica was good enough to nail his 3 of 4 field goals, especially that last one. But, you were correct – the Giants definitely played well, especially Eli Manning and their offense. There were dumb penalty mistakes on both sides, and both defenses were letting lots of passes through. But both offenses were able to move the ball, with the Giants putting up a little more in overall yardage.
It was definitely a very evenly matched and exciting game. Romo was good, but he made more mistakes than in his previous several weeks. And Manning played much better than in his previous weeks. His passing was very on-targert today, especially to Jeremy Shockey. I was yelling at the Dallas defenders through the TV, telling them to cover him better – they kept letting him get open, and Manning was always quick to find him. A hard fought game on both sides.
It will be interesting now to see how the Cowboys and the Giants both match up with the currently 8-4 Saints (and the passing game of Drew Brees). Cowboys get them next week. Giants get them Dec 24. NFC East has home field advantage in both of those matchups.
You and me both. You know, in the Thanksgiving game against the Bucs, it only took them a couple of plays to get the idea to not leave Galloway wide open. But my Boys reverted to form today and couldn’t seem to remember that Shockey was even on the field until the Giants were in the Red Zone. I kept yelling, “WHY do you wait until first and goal to tighten the defense! Do that when they’re on their OWN ten yard line, dammit!” I truly get tired of seeing them so intent on blizting that receivers are wide open and all alone!
And BOY was I glad we had Gramatica today! I can’t imagine that Vanderjagt would have made those FG’s, not on a bet! Seems that the timing was perfect for us, seeing as how the game came down to that last kick!
A real nail-biter, right till the end, but I’m proud of my Boys. Now, on to the Saints (and hopefully we’ll be 9-4 when it’s over)!
They should have known that from the start of the game, though – considering that Galloway used to play for them!
I like where they are positioned now – 2 games ahead in the NFC East. A little breathing room. Win 3 of the last 4 and the division title is wrapped up. I’d love to see them win out and finish 12-4. They need to have a good home showing against New Orleans and then they’ll be well-positioned to make a run on a first round Bye.
By Week 8, Dallas was 4-4 and had lost to NYG. The Giants had a 2 game lead in the division. Dallas still had Indy, Philly, NYG, NO, and Atlanta on the schedule, and the opposition looked strong. Minnesota, St. Louis, and Carolina all looked pretty strong in the wildcard hunt as well. I thought it would be lucky if Dallas squeaked out a wildcard spot.
It’s hard to believe Dallas is now in the hunt for a first-round playoff bye, especially if they get a win over the Saints next week. If the Giants get healthy, then the Bears will likely be vulnerable to every other playoff team, which could give Dallas home-field in the NFC Conference Championship game.
Wife: “You haven’t talked for 3.5 hours.”
lieu : “Cowboys.”
What a well matched competition. The Gs had me worried from the get go and played pretty strong throughout. While Shockey and Burriss can suck on it, I do feel for Eli, Barber and the fans. Overall, the Giants are one NFCE team I just can’t bring myself to dislike. Damn fine effort.
Did anyone catch the announcers talking about Parcells and Sean Payton and then Payton and Romo during the previous Saints/49ers game? We had chatty company and I couldn’t tell if they were praising or ripping the relationships.
It’s not the best clock management, but certainly not as bad as Herm Edward’s Jets era mismanagement. The defense really needed to hold them there. Giving up that big play…horrible. Giants needed to keep them in the center of the field, and short plays.
IIRC, they were discussing Payton’s man-crush on Romo, and how he wanted/tried to trade for Romo when he took the Saints job. Drew Brees is lighting up the league, though, so it looks like both coaches made out pretty well in the QB department.
As for the late timeout the announcers killed the Giants for, I disagreed with their assessment. It was pretty clear to me that they were more concerned about getting a good playcall in than the clock, and I was happy they took the timeout to regroup. They had been in the redzone multiple times to that point and had yet to punch it in, so you can’t really fault them too much for wanting a breather to get focused.
Good game. I’ll take a 6-10 finish if all the games are that good. Now halfway to the eight game losing streak I mentioned earlier. sigh It’s frustrating because for the past week or so you hear a lot about how defenses are coming together now that they’ve gotten accustomed to their various schemes and roles within them. Not the Giants, of course; they are back to week 3 familiarity from all the injuries. Very frustrating.
Osi and Short were non-factors, which I attrtibute to rust. If this were early in the season I wouldn’t be worried, but after a few games to get back in rhythm the season will already be over.
They could have just let the playclock get down to a few seconds before calling the timeout. IIRC, they were in the hurry up and called it pretty quickly after getting to the line.
A much better Monday. The Giants pull to within a game of the Cowgirls, plus cement some more tiebreakers. Eli, no interceptions for 2nd straight week. Iggles game will be BIG. If the Giants win, they’ll lock up the best division record in case of a NFC East tie. Certainly would be an early Xmas gift for Giants’ fans.
I finally got over the decades of expecting the **Giants ** to find a creative way to lose earlier this season. I believed in Manning. The last few games, especially last week, left me cringing on every misplay in the second half.
I hope we beat the Eagles next week, I might head up to brother’s and drink heavily for the game. I have little confidence in the team and coach at this point.
I had a bad feeling about last night’s game and rightfully so. Make no mistake, the Saints are for real. While Dallas’ offence was basically a no show, I’m attributing less of that to an off night and more to the game plan and execution by N.O. Announcer harping aside, Payton did call one hell of a game. The late onside kick was a bullshit slap in the face to his mentor but everything else was pretty damn impressive.
They (and Sam Madison) looked much better yesterday. And hey, if the Giants manage to secure a playoff berth, getting back in rhythm as the season ends would actually be a good thing.
I am a Dallas fan and I didn’t see it as a slap in the face. Good call on his part to go for the throat. I thought the onsides kick showed that Payton thought the Cowboys had enough talent and will to overcome the Saints’ lead and it was best to take a risk and to put Dallas’ lights out. Good bold call.
Ditto. If he wanted to slap him in the face, he could have opted to throw more than 0 times in the fourth, or even attempt to move the ball inside the Dallas 10 with 3 minutes to go.
Ok, the “Cowboys have the division title locked up” idea that prevailed all throughout the media last week has been proven to be a joke – the NFC East is fully up for grabs. Let’s see what we’ve got remaining:
Giants
vs Eagles
vs Saints
at Redskins
Eagles
at Giants
at Dallas
vs Atlanta
Cowboys
at Atlanta
vs Philadelphia
vs Detroit
Redskins
Dead in the water
There are several situations where all three could end up in the playoffs, but naturally I’m pulling for the Giants to repeat as division champs. Trouble is, that Saints game is going to be a bitch to win. Since they have to make up a game against Dallas, that would mean that unless the Giants win out, the Cowboys would have to lose two. And since they finish the season against the Lions, that means they have to lose the next two weeks.
So then, can I ask a favor of you, Big Blue? I won’t ask you to win out, although it’s be just fine by me if you would. Can I just ask you and the rest of the division to please follow this schedule? Thanks much:
Giants – WIN vs Eagles, LOSE vs Saints, WIN at Redskins
Eagles – LOSE at Giants, WIN at Dallas, WIN vs Atlanta
Cowboys – LOSE at Atlanta, LOSE vs Philadelphia, WIN vs Detroit
Good, I’m glad someone differs because I’d rather those two retain a respectful relationship. Still, didn’t even Madden say something to the effect of “Good for Payton for not scoring at the end… I don’t know about the onside but taking a knee here is the right thing to do”? I could have sworn the announcers thought that particular call iffy too.
Hmmm…I know I wrote the Redskins off as dead in the water, but they can still serve a purpose – if they find a way to beat the Saints this weekend and the Giants beat the Eagles, then when New Orleans comes to the Meadowlands in Week 16, the #2 seed in the NFC will be on the line. Innnnnteresting…
Yeeeeeeeee–HAWWWWW!! Dallas is IN!! For the first time in three years, the Cowboys have clinched a playoff berth! And if we can win against Philly next week, we’ll go in as division champs!
