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NY Giants – Falcons Week 11 Preview

Kevin Boss has been a crucial part of the Giants offense over the past few games.

WHEN:  Sunday November 22nd at 1pm 
WHERE:  Giants Stadium  East Rutherford, NJ  
TV:  Fox

When the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons play Sunday afternoon the outcome could prove to be a deciding factor as the season get closer to the playoffs.  In order for the Giants to win they need to play together, play smart and make sure they are on the same page each play.  

KEYS TO THE GAME  

• With Aaron Ross coming back the Giants can afford to be more creative with their coverages.  The Giants will need to have Corey Webster on Roddy White and Terrell Thomas on Tony Gonzalez to neutralize their main threats.  The Falcons have a very effective and explosive down field passing game. As bad as the Giants pass defense has looked they are currently ranked 2nd in the NFL.
• Get pressure on Matt Ryan.  Right now Ryan’s confidence is at an all time low as an NFL quarterback.  He is still a good quarterback that is going through some growing pains.  But this week is not the week to help him get back in a groove.  With Chris Canty back and Justin Tuck feeling a little better with his shoulder the Giants must go all out and hit Matt Ryan.
• It is time that the Giants not only start off the game by running the ball but continue to pound it to wear down a Falcons defense that is prone to letting up big runs.  The Falcons are currently ranked 25th in the NFL in rushing defense.  If the Giants can pound them with Brandon Jacobs it will help ignite Danny Ware and Ahmad Bradshaw for some bursts up field.
• Take advantage of the Falcons poor secondary.  The Falcons currently rank 28th in the NFL in pass defense.  I don’t see any legit corners or safeties that will be able to hang with Steve  Smith, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks,  and Kevin Boss.  And don’t forget you may see the Giants six-foot six-inch rookie Ramses Barden in the red zone.

PREDICTION:  Giants 27  Falcons 13 

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Clint Sintim May Be Key to Playoffs

With rookie Clint Sintim getting an increased role in the New York Giants defense lately I can’t help but speculate that he will make a big impact down the final stretch of the season. 

It has been quite obvious throughout the Giants losing streak what a liability Danny Clark has become in coverage at the strongside linebacker spot.  Clark has been solid in run defense,  but when it comes to keeping up with offensive skilled players he has looked old and slow. 

With Sintim getting more snaps and hopefully taking over the strongside linebacker spot he will add great versatility.  He has the ability to cover running backs and tight ends in the open field as well as come off the edge as an extra pass rusher.  Sintim looked very good in the Giants preseason game against the Carolina Panthers when he wreaked  havoc on the Panthers quarterbacks with one sack and four hits on the quarterback.  Though it was an exhibition game,  he displayed an excellent burst off the ball as well as a relentless attack to the ball. 

With Michael Boley back and Clint Sintim slowly getting acclimated to the field the Giants defense is looking better each week.

Log on to Giants Outsider for continued New York Giants coverage and analysis.

NY Giants Coverage Upto The Task?

There is no question the New York Giants will have their hands full with Michael Turner running the ball,  if he indeed plays.  But Michael Turner is not the only player the Giants should be concerned about.

Whether Turner plays or not the biggest match up for the Giants to deal with will be Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez.  I do believe Giants have a very good secondary and will be up to the challenge.   They have had some problems lately that have shown poor communication on the field which have led to big plays for their opponent.  

Corey Webster had a very rough game against Vincent Jackson and the San Diego Chargers two weeks ago.  Webster needs to forget about his performance and move on so he can focus on Roddy White and the other Falcon receivers. 

The Giants safeties and linebackers will have to deal with future hall of famer Tony Gonzalez.  Last game Antonio Gates beat the Giants linebackers many times in coverage but the Giants got many breaks since they were unable to hold on to the football.  With Clint Sintim getting more playing time and Michael Boley getting back to one hundred percent,  the Giants coverage should not have a problem.

Unlike last game the Giants will need to close out the Falcons offense and keep them from scoring to win this game.

Log on to Giants Outsider for continued New York Giants coverage and analysis.

NY Giants Facing a Pivotal Two Weeks

This coming Sundays game is no doubt a very important game.  It may be the most important,  since the New York Giants have yet to snap their four game losing streak.   But fresh out of their bye week,  its time for them to turn the table on their season.

I truly believe that in order for the Giants to bounce back and charge into the playoffs they will need to beat the Falcons this coming Sunday and the Broncos on Thanksgiving night in Denver. Winning the next game will surely help them.  But I believe that in order for this team to make a complete comeback they must go 2-o over the next two weeks.  Right now with the way the Falcons and Broncos are playing the Giants must take advantage and come away with a couple of wins.

First off,  the Falcons are now in a bit of a down part of their season with losing three of their last four games coming into this weekends game.  Most notably they lost a very disappointing game against the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday.  If the Giants can take care of business and put the Falcons away it will propel them ahead of the Falcons in the NFC wild card race and obviously put an end to their losing skid.

For the second game the Giants will have to travel to the thin air of Denver Colorado to face the Denver Broncos.  Coming into this weekend the Broncos have lost their previous three games.  They face the San Diego Chargers at home for first place in the AFC West.  If they win they will have some confidence going into the Thanksgiving game with the Giants.  If they lose their fourth straight it will be another knock to their confidence as a team.  No matter what the circumstance is for the Broncos the Giants must win this game as well to get on a roll again.

Log on to Giants Outsider for continued New York Giants coverage and analysis.

Outside The Blue: Week 10

Please excuse me for being late in releasing my weekly blog post of my take from around the NFL.  I had some outside issues to take care of on Tuesday. 

Once again another exciting week in the NFL is in the books.  I know I dont typically mention the New York Giants but they did win the bye week with the Cowboys and Eagles losing.

• I don’t agree with Bill Belichick’s call on fourth down but who am I to judge since he has three Super Bowl rings and I’m stuck at this computer typing away.
• What is going on with the Tennessee Titans?  Has Vince Young lit a spark in this team.  mathematically they are still in the playoff hunt.  Crazier things have happened in the NFL.  Next season if they address their defensive needs they will be back with a vengeance.
• Who is the best team in the AFC?  Well if you go by record its the Colts but one could argue the Cincinnati Bengals are nipping at their heels after an impressive win in Pittsburgh.
• After losing their third straight game the Denver Broncos look like a fraud.  In my opinion they are good team that may have overachieved in the first six games of the season.
• As many of us wait for the Saints to lose their first game,  they squeaked out a win in St. Louis.  The Rams may be a really bad team but Steve Spagnuolo has his team playing with heart and desire.

Top Ten NFL Teams

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. New Orleans Saints
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Minnesota Vikings
5. New England Patriots
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Dallas Cowboys
8. Arizona Cardinals
9. Sand Diego Chargers
10. Denver Broncos

Log on to Giants Outsider next Tuesday for Outside The Blue.

NY Giants In Position For Playoff Run

After yesterdays set of games in the NFL,  the rest of the season looks even brighter for the New York Football Giants.

First off,  I really believe that the bye week could not have come at a better time.  After losing four straight games it was time for this team to sit back and get away from the field and the craziness of the game for a week and regroup.

Now coming into this week and having to prepare for a dangerous Atlanta Falcons team,  the Giants are in a great place to begin their run at the playoffs.

With the Cowboys, Eagles and Falcons losing it seems even more possible then before that the Giants can rebound from their four game skid and make the playoffs. 

What makes this weekends game against the Falcons so pivotal is that the Falcons are 5-4 as well and they will have to fight for a wild card spot from here on out.  Since the NFC South is out of reach with the undefeated Saints on top they will have to fight with the Giants, Packers, Eagles and maybe even the Cowboys.

The bye week also gave some key players on the Giants,  time to rest and heal up from injuries during the previous nine weeks of the season.  Justin Tuck, Eli Manning, Chris Canty, Aaron Ross and others were able to recoup for the final stretch. 

It looks as though Aaron Ross will finally make his 2009 season debut this coming Sunday.  I would expect him to not start but play in some nickel packages.  I don’t expect him to get his starting spot back this season.  Terrell Thomas has played great and the best thing is to not push Ross now since he will be rusty and will need to get in to game shape.

Right now with the Giants finally getting their injury report cleaned up and with the NFC East being as close as it is,  it is time for this team to get back on track and win this coming Sunday.  With a win Sunday it will show that the Giants may be headed back down the right path.

Log on to Giants Outsider throughout the week for New York Giants coverage and analysis.

NY Giants Doubters Must Hush

There have been many issues that have taken the New York Football Giants down their latest four game tail spin.  Many people are doubting and many are optimistic and believe this team will rebound and make it into the playoffs. 

I was listening to Brandon Tierney of 1050 ESPN radio in New York the other day before he interviewed Giants running back Brandon Jacobs.  While I was listening to him I could not help but realize how overly negative the New York media gets when things go slightly wrong with a New York team.

It is quite obvious that the Giants aren’t playing well.  But to say they aren’t an elite team and doubting that they can come back  and they are not as good as people thought they were,  is in my opinion rediculous.  I had to remember that Tierney is a Jets fan so of course he is quick to get down on team once they show some weakness because the New Yorks Jets and their fans don’t know what it feels like to win.

It is a given that each and every season teams will have ups and downs.  Last season the Giants started out great and then tailed off at the end of the season.  There are numerous reasons why the Giants haven’t won a game in a month.  But to count them out from being a contender after week 9 is stupid in my opinion.  I know Tierney is not the only guy out their doubting them and counting them out.   But he is a prime example of the ignorance that the New York media possesses at times.

I have spoken to many “fans” that don’t believe the Giants are that good.  I even still hear the excuse that this team isn’t good with out Plaxico Burress.  Are you kidding me?  Steve Smith has been drawing the double teams that Plax drew and is one of the top receivers in the NFL in receptions.   The Giants didn’t lose in the playoffs because of Plaxico.  They lost because the defensive line was shot and the Eagles just flat out played a better game.

On November 22 the Giants will play the Atlanta Falcons at home.  And if they get out the rut they are in by beating the Falcons  This team will march in to the playoffs and make plenty of noise.

I totally believe that after this bye week and with some time away for the coaches and players to study and analyze how their season has gone so far,  they will come away with a much better understandnig of what they need to do and how to do it.

I want to  encourage all doubters at this time to keep your pathetic opinions to yourself until the last game of the regular season has concluded.  One thing is for sure if the Giants are able to make the playoffs you will look very stupid.  If they stumble and fail in the end I will be the first to say they aren’t that good.

Outside The Blue: Week 9

Here is the week 9 edition of my weekly article Outside The Blue.  The following are my thoughts from around the NFL after this past weekend.

• The Dallas Cowboys are a really good team.  In my preseason predictions I have them finishing second in the NFC East and making the playoffs.  That looks even more likely right now.  They may even win the division and fight for a first round bye.
• Has Vince Young added a spark into the Tennessee Titans?  I guess only time will tell. 
• The Cardinals have been up and down all season but there is no doubt their offense is still explosive and their defense is playing with a swagger.
• Over the past couple of seasons the Pittsburgh Steelers defense has been quite dominant.  especially against the run.  The only way to beat them is to pass the ball and do it wisely.
• The New Orleans Saints once again avoided their first loss of the season by mounting a comeback against the division rival Carolina Panthers.  It is only a matter of time until the Saints lose.  Saints fans better hope they can keep this up going into the playoffs.  The more the Saints win the easier it is to lose.
• Peyton Manning continues to display exactly why he is a first ballot hall of famer.  With 3/4 of the Colts starting secondary injured Manning was still able to lead his team to victory over a very good Houston Texans team.

NFL Top Ten Teams

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. New Orleans Saints
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Minnesota Vikings
6. New England Patriots
7. Denver Broncos
8. Dallas Cowboys
9. Philadelphia Eagles
10. Arizona Cardinals

Log on to Giants Outsider next Tuesday for Outside The Blue: Week 10

NY Giants 20 SD Chargers 21 Week 9 Post Game

After yesterdays loss to the San Diego Chargers the New York Giants are getting closer and closer to the end of the 2009 season.  Now that the Giants  are 5-4 heading in to their bye week, they better have a good plan heading into the final seven games of the season.  They will have to win at least five of the last seven games to get into the playoffs. 

Here is my post game breakdown of yesterdays 21-20 loss to the Chargers.

Good

• Eli Manning truly stepped up and played a great game.  He had one delay of game penalty whcich would be nice if he could totally negate those.  Other then that his numbers were very strong. ( 25-33 215 yards and 2 TD’s )
• Brandon Jacobs once again came out and ran the ball very well.  He had well over five yards a carry.  Unfortunately the Giants didn’t stick with him the way they did on their first drive. He ended the day with 11 carries for 67 yards.
• The defense as a whole played with fire and inspiration for 58 minutes of the game by recording 5 sacks within that time.
• Eli Manning and his receivers  got back in their groove of hitting on third and long situations throughout the game.
• The Giant defense was able to shutdown the Chargers run game to 37 yards total.

Bad

• The botched field goal.  Not matter whose fault it is,  it is a bad play that in the end was part of the reason the Giants lost.
• Corey Webster’s coverage on Vincent Jackson was really bad.  It seemed like Jackson had no problem shaking Webster when ever he wanted to.
• Why is Danny Clark covering Antonio Gates? 
• Why is Justin Tuck covering Antonio Gates?
• The two questions above lead me to believe that Bill Sheridan has been trying to be a little to cute with the defense.  Keep Michael Boley covering the tight end.  And before Gerris Wilkinson got hurt,  why couldn’t he cover Gates?  Or better yet,  Clint Sintim has the speed and ability to be in space as well.
• Also Mr. Sheridan, why were the Giants in a cover 2 when Jackson scored the game winning touchdown?  The defense should have been playing the end zone since the Chargers needed a touchdown with less then a minute in the game and only one time out.
• Kevin Gilbride played it conservative on the Giants last drive and settling with a field goal.  The Giants had the oppurtunity with the Terrell Thomas interception to put the game away.  Nevermind the Chris Snee holding,  the offense could have taken some shots at the end zone to put the nail in the coffin.
• The main reason the Giants lost this game is because of penalties.  You can’t win a game when you are not worried about letting your teammates down.  The Giants racked up 9 penalties for 104 yards.

Log on to Giants Outsider throughout the week for continued New York Giants coverage and analysis.