Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Big Blue

We'll get back to baseball after the Super Bowl.

My Super Bowl visions:

Stallworth gets laid out in the first quarter by Aaron Ross. Brady is not 100% nor will he be come game time. He gets sacked 3 times, knocked down every time, tosses 3 picks and is benched by the third quarter. The tabloids are looking, and will find some more dirt on Randy Moss and bug the crap out of the players during media week. Jr. Seau gets run over by Jacobs. Bradshaw rushes for 100 plus yards. Eli tosses 5 TDs - 2 to Toomer, 1 to Smith, Boss, and Burress. Coughlin shows up on the sidelines wearing a F@#k Tiki shirt.

Giants win their third ring: Giants 38 Pats 24


Then I'm off to the victory parade.

92

27 comments:

old professor said...

I would like to see all that happen. This game will be closer than a lot of people have predicted and the team that is able to have a consistent running game will win.

Regarding baseball, too bad about Mattingly giving up the position with the Dodgers. He is separating from his wife, Kim, and does not want to move his son to LA. Consequently he will be in Evansville as much as possible.

Anonymous said...

Scooter you're a Patriots fan this year right??

Just an FYI - CNBC is doing a special on the Pats this Sunday at 10pm.

Anonymous said...

If the Giants want to win this game, their defense better step up big time.

They need to get constant pressure on Brady. Make him move around maybe he'll make a bad throw. The linebackers need to lpay the middle coverage well. Brady isn't afraid to use Welker and Watson over the middle. The Giants linebackers have been terrible in coverage and seem to give up a lot of yards in the middle of the field. Lastly, they can't give up the deep ball to Moss. Go back to week 17. It was the bomb to Moss that put the game out of reach.

Old Prof. I disagree with you a little bit. The Giants need the consistent running game. I think they will have it, keeping the Patriots defense on the field. Maroney may be a good back and he may rush for over 100yards, but he won't win the game for the Patriots. If the Patriots want to win the game they have to rely on Brady. No matter how great everyone thinks he is, he can't throw from his back. Give Brady time and he'll pick you apart all day long.

I would actually consider playing a Nickel or Dime defense all game. Blitz the LB, the extra corners allow you to double Moss and put better coverage guys on Welker and the TEs (only problem I don't know if the Giants have "extra" corners). Stallworth is a non-factor and has been all year. If you had to pick one guy to leave alone basically and say "let him beat me", it's Stallworth.

Being a non-football player, I'd be interested in hearing from the resident former players on their game plan.

57 said...

Well, President Bill Clinton is backing the Giants so apparently I know which way Scooter is leaning now.

I hope ohara and diehl go high/low on Seymour and end his season. I'd be ok with that 15 yard penalty.

Romney vs. Clinton for the Presidency. Romney did insult Pres. B. Clinton last night in the debates. Hey, all I know is that Bill Clinton served us during an economic boom and managed a surplus while Bush has buried us in the nations worst deficit of all time. He can go shove his tax rebate. Plus, Clinton got laid...

57 said...

my gameplan will be posted later

old professor said...

Crash, this season when teams have gone to the nickel or dime defense, the Patriots were able to run more effectively forcing teams to go back to the base defense. Double Moss and put pressure on Brady - maybe his ankle is hurt.

Anonymous said...

8 men in the box

single cover Moss, Stallworth, and Welker

blitz

(brady has no mobility, less power on his throws, then need to stuff the run becomes very important)..

that's the strategy.

Anonymous said...

Old Prof I don't which Patriots games you've been watching but their running game didn't show up until week 14.

Maroney only had 3 100+ rushing games, 2 of them were back-to-back (week 14 and 15) oh yeah then the Giants held him to just 46 yards rushing. And he's not a threat receiving the ball either only 4 catches all year.

57 said...

Giants Offensive Gameplan:

I don't think they can afford to get into a track meet with New England. New England has a lot of holes on defense, and I would try and use Bradshaw and Jacobs a lot receiving out of the backfield.. the underneath routes will be open and Boss across the middle. Beat New England at their own game.. short, short, short and keep the offense off of the field.

One of the smartest things the Giants did against the Pats in the regular season was to go deep to Plax on the first play. It was completed, and it placed the NE defense on their heels for the rest of the game protecting against the big play... it helped with New England coming out in man coverage protecting against run... now they know Eli is hot, so they'll probably come out in zone to start (cover 2). If they come out in cover 2, you run right at them and run them out of cover 2..and then pick them apart when they bring the safety up. Bruschi and Vrabel are not physical players..they are finesse and soft and they will be taken out of a physical game early. Everyone hailed Cornelius Bennett for having 15 tackles in the SB, but he did that 10 yards down the field...he was not that physical of a player.. all finesse.

Giants Defense:

Rush 4 and sometimes only 3... this was the strategy the Giants used in Super Bowl XXV to beat the Bills and it worked to perfection. Get up on the line of scrimmage, almost showing blitz, and then rush only 3 and drop the rest back... The Giants have the athletes to do this. This could give Maroney a big day, but hey...didn't Thurman Thomas have a big day in that scheme? YES!

The Patriots rarely run draws, so on passing downs take chances with line stunts and blitzes off of the stunts to ruin the rythm. One play that MUST be stopped is that quick throw to the boundary behind the line of scrimmage to Welker, Stallworth..etc.. If The Giants challege the receivers and play some man coverage, they will take that bread and butter play away, but safety play is going to have to be stellar in the Super Bowl.. STELLAR!

All in all.. keep the Pats O on the sideline at all costs.. 5-10 minute drives. Boss has to be used an awful lot as well as the backs out of the backfield catching the ball.

If they Giants dont turn the ball over, they win the game. Plain and simple.. they win the game.

Anonymous said...

I seem to recall the Jags only rushed 3 and 4 all game and Brady picked them apart for 93% completion rate. That may havr worked for the Giants 17 years ago against the Bills but it won't work now against the Patriots. Brady is much better than Kelly ever was. And has more weapons.

57 said...

WAIT A SECOND! Brady could not hold Kelly's jockstrap in the toughness category... sorry, I've never seen Brady ever step into a throw in the pocket ready to get his life handed to him on a platter. See Kelly played like a linebacker, Brady plays QB like a...oh how do they say it....... pussy.

57 said...

a little baseball information straight from the New York Post... don't count the Mets out of the Johann stakes.. it might very well happen.

Osi Umenyora is going to make Matt Light look like a youth football player next Sunday.

We're 7 days from history.

Anonymous said...

First of all, I got a good laugh out of watching 57 try to compare Jim Kelly to Tom Brady.....it's at times like these that he loses all credibility. There are three reasons that Kelly should never again be mentioned in the same sentence as Tom Terrific....and Brady is wearing them on his fingers.

Secondly, all these arguments about what the Giants' gameplan should be,just speaks to the fact that it is virtually impossible to gameplan against these Patriots. They just have too many weapons. That being said, here's my take:

When the Giants have the ball...I'm not buying all this ball control, smash-mouth strategy that they used against the Bills. The '07-'08 Giants are best when they are scoring (and they better score early and often against this Pats team). They need to keep an extra blocker in to protect Manning and let Plaxico go out and beat the double team. Toomer is huge key this week...he CAN NOT be dropping passes....I think Steve Smith could have a big game and Manning cant forget about the tight end. He needs to use all of his weapons in the passing game.

When they run, they need to give the Pats' linebackers a steady taste of Bradshaw around the corners. The linebacking crew is obviously seasoned and well coached...they are always where they are supposed to be, but they are not the quickest group in the league. Get them running laterally and make sure you block Rodney Harrison.

In short, I believe Manning needs to throw a lot and throw deep. Utilize screens and draws and keep the pressure on the Pats' db's.

The G-Men's defensive gameplan will depend on one thing and one think only.....Can they get to Brady using only the front four? If not, it is going to be a long long day. If they have to start sending linebackers and the secondary after Brady, he will chew them up with Welker and Watson and to a lesser extent Stallworth, underneath.

No single coverage on Moss, Mid (that's the silliest thing I've heard from you in a week). Double him all day; you can not let Randy Moss beat you. Expect Welker to have a big day underneath, but the Giants athletic linebackers should be able to limit him YAC's. He will bust at least one open for a big gain though.

I say you need to make Lawrence Maroney beat you and for God's sake , whenever Faulk is in the game put a spy on him because he is getting the ball. This is not the Packers...the Patriots will "screen" you to death if you let them. The D-Line has to recognize early and drop off from their rush.

The thing about this game is that the Giants can do everything right and still lose 34-14. The Pats are that good.


I still haven't picked who I'll be rooting for...You guys will be the first to know.

Anonymous said...

And as for the Santana trade...to us Yankee fans, its a win/win if he winds up with the Mets. I think most of us have come full circle and agree with Cashman that keeping the young guns in the rotation is the way to go (don't get me wrong, if they can get him for Hughes, Melky and 2 lower level prospects I still say pull the trigger). If he winds up in Shea, he's out of the American League and more importantly NOT in the Red Sox rotation. We all know the Mets don't have enough to make any noise with or without Santana, so I'm actually rooting for the incompetent Omar to acctually get something done here.

old professor said...

There are two items of importance in baseball that are apparently nearing a conclusion. First, the Yankees and Cano have apparently reached a tentative deal that would guarantee Cano is a Yankee through the end of 2010 and with options could extend out to possibly 2013.

The second piece that will affect the Eastern Division. Baltimore has what appears to be a deal in principle with Seattle to send Eric Bedard to Seattle for three players.

As for 57's dream of Santana going to the Mets, hope it happens. Strange, however, that what the Mets have to offer is a lot less than either the Yankees or Red Sox offered. In addition, I don't believe the Mets are going to make the financial commitment to sign Santana to a long-term deal, which means he will be a free agent. Oh and he still has the right to veto a trade to the mets.

Anonymous said...

Scooter is absolutely right on the Kelly vs. Brady comparison. 57 if you need to go the "toughness" factor with Kely you need to take off the Bills Blinders. Let it be known that I HATE Tom Brady (no one should be that good at their job, and date super models at will). But if you don't recognize that he is at least in the discussion as the best QB ever, you're an ignorant idiot living in denial. Kelly is a HOF QB, but he doesn't even sniff that discussion of best ever. You want the "toughness" of Kelly that's fine, I'll take Brady and his 3 rings. Maybe if Kelly played more like a QB instead of a LB the Bills would have more than 0 Super Bowl titles.

SUPER WEEK IS HERE. Let all the talk and media hype kick into overdrive.

Scooter, the Giants don't need an extra blocker for Eli, the Patriots won't get to him. The Patriots linebackers are similar to the Giants' in that they don't rush the QB well, but they pursue the run and screen pass well. Agreed that whenever Faulk is in the game he's getting the ball.

If the Giants play mistake free football they win, not lose by 24. They made one mistake in the week 17 game, and that was the INT by Eli late in the game. That doesn't happen and we could be talking about the 17-1 Patriots trying to avenge their sole loss of the season. The Giants have a very real chance of winning this game.

Anonymous said...

Some interesting comments from Brian Cashman regarding Bernie Williams on Peter Abraham's blog.

Mid did you know you can request to be a "guest blogger" for the LoHud. If you tighten up your facts you could have a shot...then again maybe not.

57 said...

Crash...really? I never said anywhere that Jim Kelly was the best ever. I said Brady could not hold Kelly's jock strap in the toughness category... by the way, I never consider someone the best ever until you compare numbers after they retire. Giving Brady the title of best ever right now is an insult to Unitas, Montana, Marino, Elway, Bradshaw etc... guys who have finished their career... If you look at the numbers, as it stands today, Joe Montana has better numbers in many categories than Brady does. In my book, he was the best ever... let's not crown someone until their day is done. If Brady loses the game on Sunday and suffers a career ending injury....he'll never be the best ever for his numbers would not match up to Montana's at this point, and Brady would have the "could have been, and probably would have been...."

That being said, I cannot stand him either.... and have you ever seen any of the aformentioned QBs had as much time to throw than Brady has? Not sure... but highly doubt it.

****

Any reason why Omar is in Israel for cripes sake?

Question for Yankee fans? Why does Hank think Farnsworth is the set-up guy and apparently wants to make Joba a starter? As a non-fan, I would think that does not make sense. Joba is your next closer right? What is the sense in making him a starter?? Did Girardi agree to this in the interview????


****

Quiz:
1) Two women left on planet earth with you..and you're only 25 years old... you have the choice of only one. #1) Will give you food, shelter and money for the rest of your life, but she hates men and will never EVER talk with you or acknowledge your presence. Woman #2) Blond Bombshell that is a combination of Anna Benson, Scarlett Johansson and Rachel McAdams who absolutely adores you..... only problem, once you have sex with her.. you die instantly.

Which would you choose??

Anonymous said...

You had me with Anna Benson!

Anonymous said...

57 I must have really set off a nerve with you because now you're just throwing up stuff that makes no sense. I never said Brady was the best, I merely said he was in the conversation. You're the one that brought up the ridiculous comparison of Kelly to Brady. Now you want to bring statistics into it and you're wrong. Montana does not have better #'s than Brady. If you look at Brady's stats now compared to where Montana was at the same time in his career (excluding the first season for both which neither were playing), Brady is actually better in almost every statistical category. He has more yards, more TD's, a higher TD %, a lower INT %, more yards per game, and a higher QB rating. The only thing Montana has is a higher completion % (63.22% to 63.01). Now I will admit it is very close in every category. It's actually scary how close Montana and Brady are.

I'm still waiting for Mid to chime in that Phil Sims is the best ever.

****

Maybe Omar is recruiting?

****

I agree with you Joba in the pen makes that entire pitching staff better. It means the starters don't have to work an extra inning, makes sure everyone in the pen is more fresh and not over used. You have a reliable go-to-guy for the 8th and probably the 9th when Mo needs a rest day. The only thing I can think of, is that they must really like Olendorf and Horne in the bull pen.

****

And I'm taking the bombshell. I'll die a happy man.

Anonymous said...

Joba in the rotation provides potentially a perennial 20 game winner for the next 5 years. He could be our Santana/Sabbathia/Beckett. He is much more valuable as a starter then as a one inning (eighth)guy.

And our next closer is K-Rod.

Anonymous said...

K-Rod is asking for $12MM a year from the Angels. I don't think he's coming to NY at that price. Plus Boston has had success against him. You want someone that can slam the door shut on your rival, especially when you'll be battling them for the division and pennant on an annual basis.

No need for a closer immediately with Mo and his 3 years.

You could put Joba in the rotation for the next 2 years, give him time to show his stuff. Then back to the pen in 2010 as the set-up guy if he doesn't meet expectations, with the anticipation of being the closer in 2011 when Mo is gone.

57 said...

Minnesota is asking for final offers today. If they accept a no Reyes offer, the 57 is a Met by tmrw.

Anonymous said...

At this point I don't really care where Santana ends up as long as it's not Boston. This trade is so anti-climatic.

Did anyone else see that the Bedard deal is hung up because Peter Angelos won't green light it. Are you kidding me, Baltimore is making out like a bandit on this deal. If baseball can ban Pete Rose for gambling they should be able to ban Angelos for stupidity. He has single handedly brought the Orioles franchise to the bottom of MLB. Even Tampa and KC are better run and a better option for players at this point than Baltimore.

Anonymous said...

Santana to the Mets...it's official. Now they just have to work out an extension. He's looking for $22MM/year.

57 said...

FIVE SEVEN HEAVEN!!!!! Welcome to Queens!

57 said...

I am STILL pumped about this!

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