Congrats.
**Giants ** are not dead, but they are mostly dead.
That was a sad performance yesterday and I will be the first one in the thread to call for the dismissal of the coaching staff at the end of the season. Giants might as well start with a clean plate new year.
They will already have a new GM starting. Let’s get a coach & staff to go with him.
Jim
I beat you to the punch back in late November. A couple things to remember, though:
The Giants, and most NFL teams in general, won’t let coaches play out the final year of a contract. So Coughlin will either be extended or terminated this offseason. If it’s the latter, expect the move within a couple weeks after the Giants season is over in order to have a decent selection of candidates to pick over.
Wellington Mara set a very clear metric for judging whether or not a season was a success, and it all boils down to one specific question: Was the last game of the season a meaningful game? The Mara and Tisch sons will almost certainly continue to abide by this measure, so Coughlin will likely be back.
Also remember that the new GM will be a promotion from within. I forget the guy’s name, but the President of Player Personnel or whatever his title is will be getting the job. He’s been working closely with EA for years, so the transition should be minimal.
In other words, this may not be the best time to be a Giants fan.
Then again, the old guard did die off last year, so there is a (very) small chance the owners will chuck all that out the window and start from scratch. Hey, a guy can dream, right?
We have to dream at least.
BTW: So far it looks like John Mara is the managing partner, do you know if this is accurate?
My understanding is that John took over Wellington’s role, and one of Tisch’s sons took over his. Not sure what you mean by managing partner…
Sorry, Yankee euphemism for the part owner that makes the decisions. It looks like so far that John is running the show and the eldest Tisch is letting him. I understand he is involved in Hollywood as a producer or something like that.
Dear Santa:
All I want for Christmas this year is for a gigantic fucking gaping hole to open up in the middle of the field at Texas Stadium at about 5:30 Eastern on Christmas Day. I’ve been good all year, so how about hooking me up?
I really haven’t a clue, but based on his imdb bio, he’s not too involved:
Looking at his imdb page proper, he’s been quite busy – and successful – as a producer in Hollywood for the past 30 years. Notable credits include:
Risky Business
Forrest Gump
American History X
The Pursuit of Happyness
Of course, nobody in Hollywood is bulletproof. One of his quotes:
“When you go to the Grill for your Monday lunch after you’ve had a $100-million movie that flops, you have the feeling as you’re walking by everyone is whispering, ‘There’s the poor guy who produced The Postman.’ It can be very humbling.”
He currently has three projects in the works; one is in pre-production (where a producer is at his busiest) and two more have been announced.
Just over three hours to kickoff in East Rutherford. Any Giants fans as nervous as I am? Ugh.
Fuck Dan Le Betard. On PTI Friday he said: “How’s that Eli Manning trade looking? The Chargers ended up with three players in the pro bowl and Eli has yet to win a playoff game.” Okay, first, ouch on that three probowlers thing, that’s a good line. But did I miss a postseason somewhere along the line? The Chargers have the EXACT SAME 0-1 playoff record as the Giants since The Trade That Killed New York.
Another point is that I’m reminded very much of the Phil Simms situation. He went through similar struggles in the spotlight. Not that I think Eli is going to go 22-25 while winning a Superbowl, but hey, I’m hanging on by a thread here.
While I’m grasping at straws, let’s consider what might have been had the Giants just kept Philip Rivers. For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll ignore the fact that after a week or so went by, the Chargers would probably have traded Eli for Rivers straight up. (AJ had as big a hardon for Rivers as EA had for Manning.)
Ernie brought in a MLB, RT, WR, K and DT in free agency the year after making that trade without needing to worry about money tied up in a high first rounder. A reasonable person would agree that since a kicker was obviously a need, they’d’ve taken Nate Kaeding with the same pick (in 2004) the Chargers used on him.
That leaves the 2005 draft. Merriman doesn’t fit the 4-3 system, and the Giants needed a MLB way more than an OLB anyway. The top MLB in 2005 was Barret Ruud, who went in the second round. So that’s not a realistic 12th overall pick. So figure they still bring in Pierce in free agency. The BPA (next player chosen) at #12 was T Jammal Brown.
This all boils down to the basic premise that if the Giants just stuck with Rivers, they’d be the same team they are now if they made the following trade:
Eli Manning
Kareem McKenzie
Jay Feely
for
Philip Rivers
Jammal Brown
Nate Kaeding
The reasoning being that Jammal Brown would have been a metric shitload cheaper than the LT money Ernie threw at McKenzie, so he probably would have still had the cap space to bring in all the other free agents he did (minus Feely.) If you think he’d still have been short, then figure he failed to bring in Kendrick Clancy, who isn’t on the team anymore anyway.
So there you go. How much worse are the Giants off for the Eli deal? You decide. Is Rivers a system quarterback, or is he asked to do as much as Eli is asked to do? God knows I don’t watch any Chargers games, so I couldn’t tell you. All I know is that Eli is asked to do a lot, and he’s great at it as long as his mechanics don’t break down. Unfortunately, his mechanics break down EITHER half of all passing plays OR a third of all passing plays, depending on if he’s having a good day or bad. sigh
I put the over/under on combined interceptions (both Saints & Giants) today at 4, and I’ll take the over.
Giants 23, Saints 17.
Keep hope alive!
Ha! Got sidetracked overanalyzing the Eli trade. Only 2½ hours to go…
I hope you have a really, really good Christmas Ellis, getting like a PS3, a Jets playoff berth and like a blowjob or something. This game is so lopsided despite the Saints dropping I think 9 balls now. Just an ugly, ugly game by the Giants.
Let’s call it karma for last year’s Saints home opener.
Troy Aikman nailed it yesterday. “Wellington Mara always judged whether a season was successful on if the team was in contention going into the last game of the season. The NFC, being what it is, even with the loss here today the Giants will still be in contention next Saturday. You just wonder what Wellington would have thought watching this performance.”
Amen, Troy, amen. Personally, I think Wellington would have considered the game yesterday as conclusive proof that even if the Giants luck into a playoff spot, they are NOT in contention.
The fans were loudly chanting “Fi-re Cough-lin” for much of the fourth quarter. The muffed punt in the first quarter was the spark that lit a raging bonfire of incompetence. Embarassing on every level, the coaches and players shamed the organization with their performance yesterday. They flat out quit, and it was painful to watch.
I’m glad neither Wellington Mara nor Robert Tisch were alive to see it.
The local press, the fans and the national press are all calling to Hack Cough-lin.
He should have been fired at the end of the game. Let Tiki coach the last game, who cares at this point.
Jim
Killing time before the family Christmas thing gets started, giants.com is always good for a laugh or two:
“If this team gets into the playoffs, Hollywood will make a disaster movie about it.”
In response to complaints about Aikman (justifiably) ripping the team:
“Our team comes out and plays like they’re trying out for the Special Olympics, and THIS is what you complain about?”
The game was awful and I do not want to go to the playoffs because we do not deserve it at all. Coughlin is a no good bum and he needs to get the boot. Merry Christmas.
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
PHI:23 DAL:7
The Birds have gone from 4-1 to 5-6, and now back to 9-6. Garcia’s won four in a row and is looking absolutely stellar for a 36-year old QB.
My mother, one of the biggest Eagles fans ever to grace this Earth, predicted that they’d go 6-10 after Donovan got injured.
And now this! I mean, I don’t expect a Super Bowl or anything, but they’re looking pretty damned good without McNabb. And the defensive line is actually starting to step it up.
The hated Cowboys have fallen to the Eagles for the second time this season.
Life is good.
Looks like another “transition” year for the Giants next season 
with a new head coach.
There will be a new guy right?
Well, why not? Now, I understand that this has been a bit of a schizophrenic team this year. If they ended up getting crushed, at home, by the Falcons this week, could any of us say there’s no precedent for such a performance this year? (With a straight face, I mean.)
And yet…there’s nobody in the NFC who scares me, not the Bears, not the Saints. And by the end of the regular season, they–along with Dallas, maybe–may be the only NFC teams with a record the same or better than the Birds. Somebody’s gotta win the NFC, right? Right now, is there a team in the NFC that any other team would like to face less than the Eagles? They are peaking at just the right time.
I know, I know, maybe it’s a long shot. But I’m going to dream and enjoy the win this week right up until the point that I can’t any more.
::cue music:: Fly, Eagles, fly! On the road to victory! …
Give up NFC, my Saints reek of destiny. #1 offense, #11 defense, I see nothing but a bunch of #1’s in there. AWESOME-O’s Saints SB prediction isn’t so funny now, especially with the Chargers looking not so hot against the NFC’s Hawks.
I remember last year my ‘Skins were on their way to the Second round of the playoffs playing a no-hope loser of an Eagle team in the final regular season game and the Eagles gave them fits the GREATEST COACH EVERTM Joe Gibbs said afterward (paraphrased) Football is fluky: plays, injuries, things don’t turn out the way you want. The only thing you can be sure of is that when a team is out of it and has nothing to play for and comes out like the Eagles did and still gives it their all – that is a Team with heart and they are going to be very dangerous next year when they get things sorted out. He was right. I hope the Redskins will continue the hard, and sometimes even good 
, play of the past few weeks --and of course have the Gi’Aints join us in our Off-season for losers seminars.
Hail to thee Iggles and Cowpatties, you were the better teams this year & you deserve what you got. Same to you Big Blue if you pull it off Saturday.
Speaking of which, this Washington Post article quotes the Sand Diego GM talking trash about the Eli Trade – more aimed at the Mannings than the Giants – still he’s gloating and not hiding it. Heard some National talk about it. Free reg. required
Hal’s Current Football Fantasy:
Giants win on Saturday. Or not…either way. In fact, let’s have them lose – that’ll make the rest of this all the sweeter. Ok, Giants lose on Saturday, but so do the Packers, Rams, Falcons and Panthers. The 7-9 Giants are then the NFC 6th seed.
That’ll set up the NFC playoff picture thusly:
1 - Bears
2 - Saints
3 - Eagles
4 - Seahawks
5 - Cowboys
6 - Giants
Ok, that’ll set things up for the NY Giants Vengence Tour 2007:
Wild Card Weekend: Giants walk in the Linc and give the Scumbirds a well-deserved punch in the mouth. Hal spends entire evening on roof of house laughing and mooning local Philly fans. Also, Cowboys eliminate Seahawks.
Divisional Championships: Giants travel to Soldier Field and pick off every single pass Grossman throws. Also, Hester gets a severe case of the fumbles and drops all his kickoff/punt returns. Final score, Giants 77, Bears 3. Hal records a 20-minute MP3 consisting of nothing but laughter and e-mails it to his buddy Dave in Chicago. Also, Cowboys eliminate Saints.
Conference Championships: Giants head down to Texas Stadium. After the 1st quarter, the fans start chanting “Bled-soe! Bled-soe!”. At halftime, Parcels hits up T.O. for a bottle of painkillers. After three, God finishes the roof. At the end, it’s Big Blue making a miracle season comeback to make it to the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl: Giants get their asses kicked by whoever the AFC sends. Hey, I’m not that crazy.