NEW YORK GIANTS CONTINUE TO GET NO RESPECT

[RoanokeFan]

NEW YORK GIANTS CONTINUE TO GET NO RESPECT

"The underdog card is one that is constantly over-played in sports. A team can
dominate all season and still find a reason to declare themselves the
"underdog", even if it's unwarranted. Every year it seems the <a class="st_tag internal_tag" title="Posts tagged with New York Giants" href="http://www.giants101.com/tag/new-york-giants/" rel="tag nofollow">New York
Giants</a> find themselves the as one, even coming off a <a class="st_tag internal_tag" title="Posts tagged with Super Bowl" href="http://www.giants101.com/tag/super-bowl/" rel="tag nofollow">Super
Bowl</a> Championship season. It may sound like overkill, but despite all the
success last season, NFL "analysts" and talking heads, like every year,
continue to give the G-Men no respect.


This offseason, it all began with the release of the Las Vegas odds for teams
to reach the <a class="st_tag internal_tag" title="Posts tagged with Super Bowl" href="http://www.giants101.com/tag/super-bowl/" rel="tag nofollow">Super
Bowl</a>. Vegas clearly believes the Giants' odds to repeat as champs are
unlikely, giving them the tenth best odds in the NFL and fifth best in the NFC at 18-1. Their division rival Philadelphia Eagles
rank ahead of the Giants with the fourth best odds at 12-1, and the Dallas
Cowboys are tied with the Giants at 18-1.</p>


Even the experts at ESPN are riding the Eagles' and Cowboys' band wagons. On
NFL Live, Damien
Woody and Marcellus Wiley both predicted that the Eagles would win the NFC East,
with the Cowboys coming in second, and the <a class="st_tag internal_tag" title="Posts tagged with Super Bowl" href="http://www.giants101.com/tag/super-bowl/" rel="tag nofollow">Super
Bowl</a> Champion Giants in third, missing the playoffs. Their reason was that
the Giants had only a 9-7 regular season, ignoring the fact that the Eagles or
self-declared "dream team," finished 8-8 and the Cowboys also finishing 8-8.
When asked who the MVP of the NFC East would be, both Damien and Marcellus replied that
Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo
would be the division's most valuable player. Two time <a class="st_tag internal_tag" title="Posts tagged with Super Bowl" href="http://www.giants101.com/tag/super-bowl/" rel="tag nofollow">Super
Bowl</a> MVP <a class="st_tag internal_tag" title="Posts tagged with Eli Manning" href="http://www.giants101.com/tag/eli-manning/" rel="tag nofollow">Eli
Manning</a> was left completely out of the conversation.</p>


On ESPN's Sports
Center, former player and now NFL analyst Mark Schlereth was asked what order the teams
in the NFC East
would finish. His order was exactly the same as Damien Woody's and Marcellus
Wiley's with the Eagles finishing first, the Cowboys second, and the Giants
third. The host even acknowledged the fact that the Giants are being given no
love and they now have plenty of motivation to prove everyone wrong.</p>


Adam Rank of NFL.com is
another Giants doubter. In his "Pick 6" he makes six predictions regarding the
upcoming season. His number two prediction states that the Giants will improve
their record but will not make the playoffs.</p>
<blockquote>


"The <a class="st_tag internal_tag" title="Posts tagged with New York Giants" href="http://www.giants101.com/tag/new-york-giants/" rel="tag nofollow">New York
Giants</a> finished with a 9-7 mark in 2011 but reached the playoffs after
winning the NFC East.
It was a fitting development, because Giants fans moaned after their 10-6 club
missed the playoffs in favor of the 7-9 <strike>Saints</strike> Seahawks in
2010. Look for history to repeat itself this year as the Giants improve their
win total but just miss the playoffs."</p></blockquote>


His number one prediction is that the Cowboys will win the NFC East,
being the only NFC East
team to make the playoffs.</p>
<blockquote>


"The Dallas Cowboys would have won the NFC East last season if <a id="yui_3_5_0_1_1342199794574_2099" class="player-flyout" href="http://www.nfl.com/players/milesaustin/profile?id=AUS467198">Miles
Austin</a> and Tony Romo
could have connected on a critical third-down play late in the fourth quarter of
a Week 14 home loss to the Giants. That game was part of a 1-5 fade down the
stretch. This year, though, the team will close with five home games out of the
final seven, a favorable set-up that should help propel the Cowboys to the
postseason. No wild card for the Giants, though, as three teams from the NFC North will
make it."</p></blockquote>


Michael Stewart of Football Nation gives the Giants slightly
more credit, predicting they will finish second in the division behind the
Philadelphia Eagles.</p>
<blockquote>


"The <a class="st_tag internal_tag" title="Posts tagged with New York Giants" href="http://www.giants101.com/tag/new-york-giants/" rel="tag nofollow">New York
Giants</a> will be defending champions entering the 2012 season and for that
achievement, the schedule makers have given the Giants the toughest schedule
within their division (119-89). Many NFL experts suggest that the Giants did not improve
enough from last season to make a difference in 2012. I have to disagree a notch
as players such as Terrell Thomas, Marvin Austin,
Justin Tuck, Ahmad Bradshaw and Osi Umenyoira were
either missing for the entire season, missed major playing time or played hurt
throughout the season."</p>


"My final prediction for the Giants is a 9-7 record, which could perhaps be
10-6, if everything goes their way. However; they will still most likely fall
short and not make the playoffs."</p></blockquote>


And Finally ESPN's KC Joyner believes that even though the Giants are the
defending <a class="st_tag internal_tag" title="Posts tagged with Super Bowl" href="http://www.giants101.com/tag/super-bowl/" rel="tag nofollow">Super
Bowl</a> victors, the Eagles will win the division.</p>
<blockquote>


"Prior to the 2011 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles' "Dream Team" was
considered by most to be the NFC East favorite. This summer, the Giants are the
defending <a class="st_tag internal_tag" title="Posts tagged with Super Bowl" href="http://www.giants101.com/tag/super-bowl/" rel="tag nofollow">Super
Bowl</a> champion, and as such are probably considered by most to be the
division favorite. But the truth of the matter is <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8157887/nfl-why-philadelphia-eagles-team-beat-nfc-east" target="_blank">the Eagles should be favored to win the
division."</a></p></blockquote>


The players are well aware of what the pundits are saying and are fully
prepared to shut them up. Justin Tuck already guarantees a playoff
appearance.</p>
<blockquote>


"Tell your colleagues," Tuck said, "we ARE going to make the
playoffs."</p></blockquote>


Captain <a class="st_tag internal_tag" title="Posts tagged with Eli Manning" href="http://www.giants101.com/tag/eli-manning/" rel="tag nofollow">Eli
Manning</a> also chimed in.</p>
<blockquote>


"(We are) taking kind of the attitude that we still have something to prove,"
Manning said. "They called it a fluke and we got hot at the right time, but we
were still not a great team. That should be the mindset (now). We have to be
more consistent. We have to be better throughout the whole season and not have
these streaks of good play and bad play."</p></blockquote>


The Giants have been in this position before and actually prefer to play as
the underdog. The team feels that playing with a chip on their shoulder helps
them perform better, which has proven true in the past.</p>


The NFC "Beast" is
always a very difficult division, maybe the toughest in the NFL, and every
team faces a very grueling schedule. It is certainly feasible to see either the
Giants, Cowboys, or Eagles coming away with the division. However, it seems
among the so called experts, there are many more Giants doubters than there are
believers. The bulletin board material keeps adding up as the offseason
progresses, providing the Giants' coaches and team leaders with plenty to
motivate their teammates. The Giants are faced with yet another season trying to
prove the "haters" wrong. Perhaps Justin Tuck put it best.</p>
<blockquote>


"When you get to the top of the mountain you don't want to go back down it,
you want to stay there."</p></blockquote>

[miked1958]

I like it that we are a SB team with something to prove and a chip on our shoulders

[giantyankee1976]

I says, "**** all the haters."

that is all.

[njsean]

God, we're going to tear the league apart this year.

I don't know if it will translate to a repeat (though I hope so), but we will win the division.

It's ridiculous how all these pundits have no accountability for what they say. Come the season and we're like 8-2, none of it will matter.

I wish I could be so wrong at my job and have it not matter.

[barran21]

I don't get the NFC east predictions when 14 games of the schedule is exactly the same.

[gianttuffguy]

Every year we get no respect cowturds,egirls gunna win da division

[Yankees807]

I don't know why the Giants never making headlines or getting props by so called experts and analysts bothers so many fans. I'd rather be a Giants team never talked about winning SUPERBOWLS then a Jets,Eagles, or Cowboys team thats always makin nfl network/espn headlines NEVER WINNING ANYTHING! Yep..I'll take the quiet underdog that consistently WINS!

[njsean]

[quote user="Yankees807"]I don't know why the Giants never making headlines or getting props by so called experts and analysts bothers so many fans. I'd rather be a Giants team never talked about winning SUPERBOWLS then a Jets,Eagles, or Cowboys team thats always makin nfl network/espn headlines NEVER WINNING ANYTHING! Yep..I'll take the quiet underdog that consistently WINS![/quote]

It's not that I want these pundits to pick the Giants, i just want them to demonstrate the use of logic.

I want their reasons to make sense. I want more than just "Well, the Giants were a 9-7 team" or the "Eagles won their last four games" (I think we did too)

[fourth&forever]

No respect makes Underdog happy.

[Toadofsteel]

But in a world that isn't screwed up, champions should be getting respect because they're, well, champions. You didn't see anyone doubting GB, NO, PIT, or NE after their SB victories.