A few comments from me regarding the last 6 months

[Providence]

Hello all. As usual I've been away from the boards since the end of the season. Now that I have returned I just wanted to make a couple of comments on some issues that have happened in the last 6 months. This is all just my two cents, so take it for what it's worth.

First of all I want to say thanks to the folks who put the new boards in place, they seem to work well. Moreover, big thanks to the admins/mods (especially mod C) who helped me get my account back up and running. I hit a few snags and these guys helped me out in no time. Excellent job.

Now, to our beloved Gmen:

First thing I want to say is that I loved our draft. Those questioning it need to take a look at Reese's track record. He is a staunch, "we take the best player available" type guy and that has paid off for us repeatedly. We didn't really need a DE a while back and we drafted Kiwi. We didn't really need a WR a few years ago and Reese drafted Nicks. We didn't really need a pass rusher two years ago and Reese drafted Pierre Paul. We didn't really need a RB this year and Reese drafted Wilson. I see a pattern.

Second, the departures of Manningham and Jacobs. Let me starts with Mario, because he's easier. Losing him is not that big of a deal. Manningham was a solid player but there's no way he performs as well with us if he didn't have Cruz and Nicks out there on the field. Belichick said it in the Superbowl ("this is still a Cruz and Nicks game, make him throw to Manningham") and I am sure other coaches were saying the same thing all year. It sucks to see him go, especially after his amazing and historic catch in the Super Bowl, but it's not a killer. Whoever steps in will be solid. As for Jacobs, that one stings a little more. I'll be honest, and I think I speak for many when I say this, Jacobs never reached his potential in my eyes (save for 2007). He especially underwhelmed in short yardage situations. He's been stereotyped as a battering ram of a RB, mainly because of highlight reels of him trucking dudes over. But check those highlights again, everyone he bowls over he does so after he passes the line of scrimmage. I have said it a million times, once Jacobs got through the line of scrimmage he was Earl Campbell, but behind the line of scrimmage he was Ron Dayne (ouch, I know). Those of us who watched him from day 1 know that on 3rd and 1 Bradshaw was a better bet than Jacobs. Nevertheless, I do think losing him hurts. I say this because he was a great counter part for Bradshaw. He would pound guys and Bradshaw would come in and pound them worse. Moreover, if he did tear off a 22 yard run it got the whole stadium going and the whole team going. One run by him changed the confidence of our entire team and THAT is what I will miss. Also, and I know Jacobs gets hated on (especially in his early years) for a bad attitude, but I think his attitude is awesome. He was player for the people. My fondest memory will be him watching him take the Lombardi trophy and running around the entire perimeter of the field at Giants', whoops, Met Life Stadium, during the Superbowl celebration. He ran it around so that the fans, the back bone of the whole franchise, could get their hands on it, even for just a second. Despite his flaws, attitude like that is something special.

Third, "Ballard-gate." Belichick called our bluff on Ballard and he won. It stings, but it's not crippling. The Eli/Gilbride Giants offense doesn't revolve around the TE (hence why Shockey was so upset). If Bennett can step in and be solid there's no reason why he can't fill the void left open (being a security blanket and the occasional mid-range threat) for Eli. If he can do 600 yards and 5 TD's then I think we'll be fine.

Fourth, Eli hit the nail on the head when he said recently that we are not a dynasty. Of course, if we win one more this year or next then I think we are. Oh and Vick, yeah, you need to win one before you can talk dynasty. Clown.

Fifth, losing T2 sucks. I was soooooo looking forward to seeing him in action again. I don't know the diagnosis, but if it's as bad as it can be then I am thinking his career with us, and anyone else for that matter, is looking cloudy. It sucks. Nevertheless, we did it without him last year and we can do it without him again. With Prince having a full year under his belt let's hope he can step up and be the guy we need (not having Ross isn't going to help though).

Sixth, Nick's injury. I don't like this at all. I am sure he'll be ready by week1 and I am confident that he will still have a great season. My concern is the pattern of injuries. The guy is a machine at rehabbing, but it won't be so easy when he is older, even just a little older. Nicks is one of my favorite Giants, I love everything about his game (except when he holds the ball like a phone) and I want nothing but the best for him. Nevertheless, injuries every year make me a little nervous.

And finally, our schedule BRUTAL! Playoff teams and division opponents make up the last 10 weeks of the year. That is insane. But we won the Super Bowl, so that's how it has to be. Bring it on. Historically we crap the bed after a Superbowl year, so I am a bit passimistic about this year. Nevertheless, I think we've still got the main components that we need on this squad so I think our chances of repeating are solid (although San Fran is definitely scary).

Aside from playing the Eagles and the Cowboys, I am most looking forward to the game against New Orleans. They have had our number over the last few years and I think this is the year we can take it to them. Also, I am hoping JPP and Tuck find a way to give RG3 a nice "welcome to the NFL" moment at some point this season.

That's it from me (if you even read it or care about it). Looking forward to another season of heart attacks and talking to you bozo's. Enjoy!

PS: For those who care, my wife and I welcomed the newest Giants fan into the world back in March. His grandparents and other relatives are going to try their damnedest to turn him into a pats fan but I will sure to keep him focused on big blue. Wish me luck.

[GMENAGAIN]

Great post as usual Providence. Welcome back.

[bigjeep]

Hello all. As usual I've been away from the boards since the end of the season. Now that I have returned I just wanted to make a couple of comments on some issues that have happened in the last 6 months. This is all just my two cents, so take it for what it's worth.

First of all I want to say thanks to the folks who put the new boards in place, they seem to work well. Moreover, big thanks to the admins/mods (especially mod C) who helped me get my account back up and running. I hit a few snags and these guys helped me out in no time. Excellent job.

Now, to our beloved Gmen:

First thing I want to say is that I loved our draft. Those questioning it need to take a look at Reese's track record. He is a staunch, "we take the best player available" type guy and that has paid off for us repeatedly. We didn't really need a DE a while back and we drafted Kiwi. We didn't really need a WR a few years ago and Reese drafted Nicks. We didn't really need a pass rusher two years ago and Reese drafted Pierre Paul. We didn't really need a RB this year and Reese drafted Wilson. I see a pattern.

Second, the departures of Manningham and Jacobs. Let me starts with Mario, because he's easier. Losing him is not that big of a deal. Manningham was a solid player but there's no way he performs as well with us if he didn't have Cruz and Nicks out there on the field. Belichick said it in the Superbowl ("this is still a Cruz and Nicks game, make him throw to Manningham") and I am sure other coaches were saying the same thing all year. It sucks to see him go, especially after his amazing and historic catch in the Super Bowl, but it's not a killer. Whoever steps in will be solid. As for Jacobs, that one stings a little more. I'll be honest, and I think I speak for many when I say this, Jacobs never reached his potential in my eyes (save for 2007). He especially underwhelmed in short yardage situations. He's been stereotyped as a battering ram of a RB, mainly because of highlight reels of him trucking dudes over. But check those highlights again, everyone he bowls over he does so after he passes the line of scrimmage. I have said it a million times, once Jacobs got through the line of scrimmage he was Earl Campbell, but behind the line of scrimmage he was Ron Dayne (ouch, I know). Those of us who watched him from day 1 know that on 3rd and 1 Bradshaw was a better bet than Jacobs. Nevertheless, I do think losing him hurts. I say this because he was a great counter part for Bradshaw. He would pound guys and Bradshaw would come in and pound them worse. Moreover, if he did tear off a 22 yard run it got the whole stadium going and the whole team going. One run by him changed the confidence of our entire team and THAT is what I will miss. Also, and I know Jacobs gets hated on (especially in his early years) for a bad attitude, but I think his attitude is awesome. He was player for the people. My fondest memory will be him watching him take the Lombardi trophy and running around the entire perimeter of the field at Giants', whoops, Met Life Stadium, during the Superbowl celebration. He ran it around so that the fans, the back bone of the whole franchise, could get their hands on it, even for just a second. Despite his flaws, attitude like that is something special.

Third, "Boss-gate." Belichick called our bluff on Boss and he won. It stings, but it's not crippling. The Eli/Gilbride Giants offense doesn't revolve around the TE (hence why Shockey was so upset). If Bennett can step in and be solid there's no reason why he can't fill the void left open (being a security blanket and the occasional mid-range threat) for Eli. If he can do 600 yards and 5 TD's then I think we'll be fine.

Fourth, Eli hit the nail on the head when he said recently that we are not a dynasty. Of course, if we win one more this year or next then I think we are. Oh and Vick, yeah, you need to win one before you can talk dynasty. Clown.

Fifth, losing T2 sucks. I was soooooo looking forward to seeing him in action again. I don't know the diagnosis, but if it's as bad as it can be then I am thinking his career with us, and anyone else for that matter, is looking cloudy. It sucks. Nevertheless, we did it without him last year and we can do it without him again. With Prince having a full year under his belt let's hope he can step up and be the guy we need (not having Ross isn't going to help though).

Sixth, Nick's injury. I don't like this at all. I am sure he'll be ready by week1 and I am confident that he will still have a great season. My concern is the pattern of injuries. The guy is a machine at rehabbing, but it won't be so easy when he is older, even just a little older. Nicks is one of my favorite Giants, I love everything about his game (except when he holds the ball like a phone) and I want nothing but the best for him. Nevertheless, injuries every year make me a little nervous.

And finally, our schedule BRUTAL! Playoff teams and division opponents make up the last 10 weeks of the year. That is insane. But we won the Super Bowl, so that's how it has to be. Bring it on. Historically we crap the bed after a Superbowl year, so I am a bit passimistic about this year. Nevertheless, I think we've still got the main components that we need on this squad so I think our chances of repeating are solid (although San Fran is definitely scary).

Aside from playing the Eagles and the Cowboys, I am most looking forward to the game against New Orleans. They have had our number over the last few years and I think this is the year we can take it to them. Also, I am hoping JPP and Tuck find a way to give RG3 a nice "welcome to the NFL" moment at some point this season.

That's it from me (if you even read it or care about it). Looking forward to another season of heart attacks and talking to you bozo's. Enjoy!

PS: For those who care, my wife and I welcomed the newest Giants fan into the world back in March. His grandparents and other relatives are going to try their damnedest to turn him into a pats fan but I will sure to keep him focused on big blue. Wish me luck.

"We didn't really need a RB this year and Reese drafted Wilson."?

Sorry, we were last in run production last year! It was a NEED pick. In fact, the last two years and the regular season last year were nothing to shout about. The two prior years were the worst I have wittnessed in many years of watching Giants football. So they were NEED picks. The Offense line scares me the most this year. We will be as good as they play this year!

[bELIeve_in_Giants]

I think you mean "Ballard-gate" rather than "Boss-gate"

[Providence]

"We didn't really need a RB this year and Reese drafted Wilson."?

Sorry, we were last in run production last year! It was a NEED pick. In fact, the last two years and the regular season last year were nothing to shout about. The two prior years were the worst I have wittnessed in many years of watching Giants football. So they were NEED picks. The Offense line scares me the most this year. We will be as good as they play this year!

I see your point, however I don't think our run production was poor because of Bradshaw, I think it was poor because of our lackluster run blocking. Thus my statement, we didn't need a running back. additionally, when looking at other problem areas, offensive line (as you noted) and linbacker, our need for a running back was minimal.

There's a lot of variables that contribute to being last in run protection. I think the running back himself is low on that list of variables truth be told.

[Providence]

I think you mean "Ballard-gate" rather than "Boss-gate"

Holy crap, what a foolish mistake. Thanks for picking that up. Big, block headed white dudes that make clutch plays against the Patriots all start to look the same, ha ha ha. I edited my original post, thanks again for catching my blunder.

[lamas]

We didn't really need a WR a few years ago and Reese drafted Nicks.

Nicks was a NEED pick too. Very much so.

[Theismann'sLeg]

Great post, though I think Nicks was a need pick too. Also concerning the Martellus Bennett comments, I actually think Pascoe will be the one to lead the TE's in receiving this year but it will be a mixed bag. I don't think you'll see one guy with substantially better numbers than the other.

[GameTime]

Nice post...
Ballard wouldn't have playe anyway and while I like him a bunch and ACL is na ACL and we have seen what happens the second time around.
Plus the Gmen have a handful of TEs to chooes from and I am sure they will beable to match the production that Ballard gave them
Jacobs big runs did pump up the team but what team doesant DOESNT get pumped up when their run game is hitting on all cylinders. Maybe it pumped the crowd up so much because it didnt happen often enough. AB....no way he can carry the whole or even the majority of the runs any more. The NEED the next starting RB to emerge and to emerge NOW. AB is great and I love the guy but he is damaged and his running style/physiology IS the cause of his feet/ankle problems. He will not get better....he will only wear out sooner in the season.
Nicks....take it slow and keep him healthy...(see AB)

[Toadofsteel]

The thing I miss more about Jacobs is that he really was the heart of the team. He could get anyone fired up. Also he was always looking out for his team. He didn't let any player get pushed around if he could help it.

I just hope that the heart transplant in Wilson will be enough. The man has some fire of his own: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1bO123KOEM