New York Giants

One of my favorite football players ever – Lawrence Taylor – has found himself in trouble with the law again.  The current allegations include prostitution and rape. While I hope that these allegations are not true, it would not surprise me if he is guilty.  As the article sums up so well, Taylor has always had a troubled life.  I wish he (and others who fall into this fame trap) would have someone next to him to help him make he right decisions in life.

Ex-New York Giant Lawrence Taylor’s arrest for rape sad commentary – Peter King – SI.com.

If you don’t follow the New York Giants, then you probably don’t know who Steve Smith is. In his rookie year in the NFL, Steve Smith was a back-up Wide Receiver behind powerhouses like Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer. In his second year, he picked up his game, especially after Burress shot himself in the leg. With both Toomer and Burress left the team before the start of the 2009 season, a lot of questions were going around as to who was going to step up and fill the void.

Steve, the “little” (relatively to the rest of the WR’s in the NFL) engine that could, broke out on the scene with 107 receptions, 1,220 yards, and 7 touchdowns. This is twice as many as the year before and became the go-to guy for Eli Manning. His trademark was running across the first-down line to make a quick catch, especially on third downs.

His quick rise on the Giants offense earned him consideration for this years Pro Bowl. Dressing up in the blue-and-white of the NFC’s pro team, Steve took the field with players such as Deshawn Jackson, Miles Austin, and more. While Steve participated in many plays, he only made one reception … but what a reception it was!

Darting down the sideline, Steve caught a 48 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers in the end-zone for a touchdown. As you can see from the video below, he turns around and backpedals to the goal line, catching the ball right between the numbers while facing down Denver Broncos’ Corner back Champ Bailey rushing right at him. The two make contact right when Steve catches the ball, with Champ falling on top of Steve as they fall to the ground.

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Bill Sheridan, the Defensive Coordinator of the NY Giants, has been shown the door 24 hours after the last game of the season.  Yes, the defensive has completely been horrible for much of the year, but still … his first season as the coordinator?  That is surprising.  I wonder which of the defensive players will be traded or cut this off-season as well.

Looking back at the games from my last rant on the Giants after week 7, the Giants went 3 – 6 … a terrible showing.  However, the were able to sweep the Cowboys and the Redskins, so that’s a highlight for the team.  Plus, Eli had his best year yet, so we do have hope for the next season.

By “suck,” I am referring to their lack of play over the past two weekends.  I can slightly forgive their loss to the Saints (since I was expecting the Saints to win anyway), but the Giants have allowed 600 passing yards, 196 rushing yards, 10 TDs, and 1 field goal without matching the output of their opponents.  You can’t be the “leading NFC team” with a performance like that.

Coming up, the Giants face:

Philadelphia – A must win to put some distance between their NFC East counterparts
San Diego – Philip Rivers and the Chargers are gaining momentum, making this game as tough as the Dallas game in week 2
Atlanta – One of the hottest teams going back to last year.  Not to be underestimated
Denver – Still undefeated, and probably as tough as the Saints
Dallas – Looking for revenge following their loss in week 2′s high-scoring battle
Philadelphia – If they are still in contention, they will bring all they have against Eli
Washington – Possibly their first opponent with a losing record at this point
Carolina – A team that has punished the Giants three years in a row late in the season or post-season
Minnesota – Bret Favre is looking for revenge from two years ago, and now he has Adrian Petersen to boot.

The Giants need to get their act together this week, or any chance at a repeat post-season will quickly slip through their fingers … like many of the passes last night.

If you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve missed possibly the best Super Bowl game in a decade.  Trailing by 4 points in the last two minutes of the game, the New York Giants marched down the field and scored the game winning touchdown with 30 seconds to spare.  The New England Patriots were favored by 12 points going into the game, but fought hard to score just 14 points, let alone score enough points to cover the spread.  The final score was 17-14, and put an end to the Patriots quest for perfection, ending the season with 18-1. 

GREAT JOB GUYS!

The NFC Champions NEW YORK GIANTS are heading to Super Bowl XLII to challenge the AFC Champions New England Patriots.  While the Patriots are the favored team to win, our Giants are not to be counted out.  In the last match up between these two teams in Week 17, the Giants came within 3 points of defeating the Patriots after leading them by 12 points at one moment in the game.  This SHOULD be a hard-hitting close game, and if so, it should be very entertaining for everyone who is watching.  While I hope the Giants win (and vindicate their loss from the 2000 season), I will not be upset if they lose, especially if it is a close game.  They have worked hard and never fully been given the credit for their sucesses all season. 

 So get your snacks ready and call your friends over, and cheer for the BIG BLUE!

Come on Giants, YOU CAN WIN!