Head coach Tom Coughlin gave his players off the entire bye week with the exception of a few team meetings. This morning the Giants finally resumed practice, but it was only a light jog-through. The team will again have off tommorrow before returning to full contact practices on Wednesday.
Almost the entire team participated in the jog-through today. Only WR Plaxico Burress did not participate at all. RB Derrick Ward and SS James Butler took limited reps. Burress has not been practicing since week 1 of the season because of a sprained ankle. His routine has been to lay off his ankle all week in order to be ready for the games on Sundays. After week 8 against the Dolphins, it was believed that Plaxico would resume practicing after the week 9 bye. However, it now appears that he will continue to be held out of practice. I think this will be the trend for the remainder of the season. Its not like its hurting his performance anyway- Burress is in the midst of a career year.
Burress, Ward, and Butler are all expected to be listed as questionable for week 10 against the Cowboys when the first injury report comes out on Wednesday. As I said, Burress will almost certainly play, and the other two will likely be limited in practice all week long and will be gametime decisions on Sunday. The Ward and Butler injuries are pretty insignificant anyway. Ward being out just means more carries for Brandon Jacobs, and Butler's replacement (rookie safety Michael Johnson) has outperformed him the past few weeks anyway.
Overall, this is the healthiest a New York Giants team has been this deep into the season in a long long time. KNOCK ON WOOD.
Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts
Monday, November 5, 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Kellen Clemens First Half
At the risk of getting a little too excited a little too early I think all Jets fans should be happy with what they have seen out of Kellen Clemens in this first half. This does not look like a quarterback making only the second start of his career. He has been reading the defense ahead of the snap all day and done a fantastic job of calling an audible when it was needed. I expected to see at least 2 or 3 mistakes that a normal young quarterback would make but so far these have been avoided. Instead of throwing the ball to avoid a big hit he has been tucking it in. On a pivotal third down and seven he kept the drive alive with a very nice run up the middle of the field which was turned into a huge gain when a personal foul against the Redskins was added on at the end of the play. The throws have been reaching their targets with a fairly have level on consistency (11-17), they have been reaching the receivers in stride and everyone is getting involved (7 different players have recorded a catch).
Some people may be concerned that he has only thrown for 98 yards; didn’t we bring him in to use his powerful arm to throw the ball downfield? Yes that is one of the reasons but his arm power has been helping the Jets offense greatly today. The receivers have been spread out wide all over the field, Cotchery has been lining up outside the numbers on several occasions. Eventually this should allow Thomas Jones and Leon Washington to get some much needed yards on the ground and maybe Jones will see the end zone for the first time this year in the second half. I had my finger crossed hoping that we may have seen an epic 2 minute drill at the end of the half to put the Jets up 24-9 but that may have been asking for a little too much. That being said it’s too bad that Mike Nugent doesn’t have a stronger leg. As a huge Ohio State fan I cannot complain about many things he does because the man has nerves of steal but this is the NFL and a field goal in the 50-55 yard range should be something that he can make 25-30 percent of the time.
Some people may be concerned that he has only thrown for 98 yards; didn’t we bring him in to use his powerful arm to throw the ball downfield? Yes that is one of the reasons but his arm power has been helping the Jets offense greatly today. The receivers have been spread out wide all over the field, Cotchery has been lining up outside the numbers on several occasions. Eventually this should allow Thomas Jones and Leon Washington to get some much needed yards on the ground and maybe Jones will see the end zone for the first time this year in the second half. I had my finger crossed hoping that we may have seen an epic 2 minute drill at the end of the half to put the Jets up 24-9 but that may have been asking for a little too much. That being said it’s too bad that Mike Nugent doesn’t have a stronger leg. As a huge Ohio State fan I cannot complain about many things he does because the man has nerves of steal but this is the NFL and a field goal in the 50-55 yard range should be something that he can make 25-30 percent of the time.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Coughlin's job now secure?
Coming into the season, New York Giants' head coach Tom Coughlin's job was anything but secure. Many Big Blue fans were outraged at new GM Jerry Reese's decision at the end of last year, to extend Coughlin's contract for the 2007 season. A subpar season in 07 was likely to influence the NYG braintrust to kindly show Coughlin the door. Needless to say, his ass was on the line.
However, the Giants are now 6-2 heading into their bye week. Barring a monumental collapse, they seem well on their way to their 3rd consecutive playoff appearance, especially with that cupcake schedule. And now all seems quiet on the "fire Coughlin" front. In fact these rumors have been replaced with whispers of yet another extension.
In an interview with The Daily News, Jerry Reese said that he expects Coughlin "to be here for a long time." Reese went on to say "Tom is my guy. Nobody’s pulling for Tom more than me. (An extension is) something we’re not talking about at this point. You never know what will happen with that, but we’re not looking at months from now. We’re looking at (The Cowboys) a couple of weeks from now. That’s all our concern is. We’re not looking at what the future is for the coaching staff."
Sounds like his job is a little cushier. This semi-vote of confidence from Reese certainly presents an infinitely more secure position for Coach Coughlin than he had entering the season.
However, the Giants are now 6-2 heading into their bye week. Barring a monumental collapse, they seem well on their way to their 3rd consecutive playoff appearance, especially with that cupcake schedule. And now all seems quiet on the "fire Coughlin" front. In fact these rumors have been replaced with whispers of yet another extension.
In an interview with The Daily News, Jerry Reese said that he expects Coughlin "to be here for a long time." Reese went on to say "Tom is my guy. Nobody’s pulling for Tom more than me. (An extension is) something we’re not talking about at this point. You never know what will happen with that, but we’re not looking at months from now. We’re looking at (The Cowboys) a couple of weeks from now. That’s all our concern is. We’re not looking at what the future is for the coaching staff."
Sounds like his job is a little cushier. This semi-vote of confidence from Reese certainly presents an infinitely more secure position for Coach Coughlin than he had entering the season.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Brandon "The Beast" Jacobs takes home honor
Much has been made of the departure of former New York Giants' all-world RB Tiki Barber. From the announcement of Tiki's retirement plans midway through the 2006 season, through the offseason, and continuing into the present 2007 season, the critics have claimed that Giants would be unable to replace their loud-mouth retiree's production. Granted, Barber had a 4 year stretch in the NFL that few have been able to duplicate. He ended his career as 1 of 3 men(Marshall Faulk and Marcus Allen being the others)to gain 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards. During the 2006 season Barber accounted for over 60% of the Giants' total offense. To the casual observer and even to many "experts," the Giants were about to undergo a long, difficult year. But after a shaky start, the 6-2 Giants are one of the major contenders in the NFC, and boast the 7th ranked rushing offense in the NFL despite the absence of Barber... but how?
The reason is quite simple. The Giants have simply consistently fed the ball to their 6'-4" 264 lb. monster of a RB, Brandon Jacobs. Jacobs has had to deal with his own share of doubters and haters coming into the season. Common critiques included: "He's just a battering ram, he has no ability." "He's never carried the load before." "He looks for contact, and thus he's going to be injury prone." I personally believed that Brandon Jacobs was going to be a star in this league. He posesses physical capabilities that nobody else in the NFL has. He is not simply a "battering ram," but in addition to his size, also demonstrates quick feet, an ability to make cut-backs, and a timed speed of 4.4 in the 40 yd dash. But while my hopes were high entering the season, Jacobs was in fact injured on one of his first carries from scrimmage in week 1 against the Cowboys. Perhaps the whispers that he was too injury prone to carry the load were true.
I for one refused to believe that. Jacobs missed the next 3 games after the Dallas game, but then returned to the lineup for the the Giants' week 5 showdown with the New York Jets on October 7th. Jacobs led the way offensively for the G-men, running for 100 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. The following week against Atlanta, Jacobs only carried the ball 13 times largely due to a pass-heavy gameplan, but still gained 86 yards with a 6.6 yards per carry average. The next week against San Francisco, Jacobs again cracked the 100 yard barrier with 107 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The Beast also added 3 receptions in this contest.
This past week, in a game (or match as the British call it) against the Dolphins played across the pond in London's Wembley Stadium, Jacobs true value to the team was unveiled. The weather was brutal- cold with scattered downpours throughout the game. The Wembley Stadium pitch (that's what the Brits call a field) may as well have been a swamp. A field typically used by 160 lb. soccer players, built in a stadium where the roof is closed half the time, simply could not handle the weather and the mammoth men which occupied it. In such conditions, a passing attack is rarely evident. In a game where QB Eli Manning only threw for 59 yards, the Giants were still able to pick up 19 first downs thanks to 13 from the running game. Brandon Jacobs simply put the team on his back this past Sunday in London, running for a career high 131 yards on 23 carries.
Over the past month, Jacobs has transformed the Giants into a power-running team. The early season offense was built on a pass-first approach, which included a lot of Eli to Plaxico. The running game consisted of draws and delays to Derrick Ward, which are typical running plays in a pass-heavy offense. The Beast has reconfigured the entire Giants offensive gameplan. And why not? How can you ignore the figures? In 4 games in October, Jacobs ran for 424 yards on 74 carries with 2 touchdowns, yielding a dazzling 5.7 YPC. Today, Jacobs received the award for NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. I expect many more honors to be thrown Brandon's way in the future. Ladies and Gentlemen, you heard it here first. A star has been born in this league. There will be a new elite back in the NFL for years to come, and he comes in a 6'-4" 264 lb. package of pure and utter beastliness.
The reason is quite simple. The Giants have simply consistently fed the ball to their 6'-4" 264 lb. monster of a RB, Brandon Jacobs. Jacobs has had to deal with his own share of doubters and haters coming into the season. Common critiques included: "He's just a battering ram, he has no ability." "He's never carried the load before." "He looks for contact, and thus he's going to be injury prone." I personally believed that Brandon Jacobs was going to be a star in this league. He posesses physical capabilities that nobody else in the NFL has. He is not simply a "battering ram," but in addition to his size, also demonstrates quick feet, an ability to make cut-backs, and a timed speed of 4.4 in the 40 yd dash. But while my hopes were high entering the season, Jacobs was in fact injured on one of his first carries from scrimmage in week 1 against the Cowboys. Perhaps the whispers that he was too injury prone to carry the load were true.
I for one refused to believe that. Jacobs missed the next 3 games after the Dallas game, but then returned to the lineup for the the Giants' week 5 showdown with the New York Jets on October 7th. Jacobs led the way offensively for the G-men, running for 100 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. The following week against Atlanta, Jacobs only carried the ball 13 times largely due to a pass-heavy gameplan, but still gained 86 yards with a 6.6 yards per carry average. The next week against San Francisco, Jacobs again cracked the 100 yard barrier with 107 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The Beast also added 3 receptions in this contest.
This past week, in a game (or match as the British call it) against the Dolphins played across the pond in London's Wembley Stadium, Jacobs true value to the team was unveiled. The weather was brutal- cold with scattered downpours throughout the game. The Wembley Stadium pitch (that's what the Brits call a field) may as well have been a swamp. A field typically used by 160 lb. soccer players, built in a stadium where the roof is closed half the time, simply could not handle the weather and the mammoth men which occupied it. In such conditions, a passing attack is rarely evident. In a game where QB Eli Manning only threw for 59 yards, the Giants were still able to pick up 19 first downs thanks to 13 from the running game. Brandon Jacobs simply put the team on his back this past Sunday in London, running for a career high 131 yards on 23 carries.
Over the past month, Jacobs has transformed the Giants into a power-running team. The early season offense was built on a pass-first approach, which included a lot of Eli to Plaxico. The running game consisted of draws and delays to Derrick Ward, which are typical running plays in a pass-heavy offense. The Beast has reconfigured the entire Giants offensive gameplan. And why not? How can you ignore the figures? In 4 games in October, Jacobs ran for 424 yards on 74 carries with 2 touchdowns, yielding a dazzling 5.7 YPC. Today, Jacobs received the award for NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. I expect many more honors to be thrown Brandon's way in the future. Ladies and Gentlemen, you heard it here first. A star has been born in this league. There will be a new elite back in the NFL for years to come, and he comes in a 6'-4" 264 lb. package of pure and utter beastliness.
Here Comes Kellen
It’s really about time that Kellen Clemens took over the starting role for the Jets. I’m currently a New York Sports fan residing in a small New England town. It’s painful enough to watch the Patriots run over every team in the NFL but on top of that I’m allowed the pleasure every week of watching the Jets blow a first half lead. Chad Pennington’s arm is not up to NFL standards. C’mon people before he had one surgery on his shoulder the arm was weak, after two it’s dead. On several occasions this past weekend he missed open receivers simply because the ball did not have enough velocity. Granted he was able to escape with many poor throws last year while leading the Jets to the playoffs. This could be attributed to the fact that last year the Jets were near the bottom in the league in strength of schedule (.465) and had an element of surprise because everyone expected them to suck. This year is different; the team comes in high on everyone’s radar with schedule strength near the top of the league (.516). Weak throws that tend to sail high above receivers hands as Chad tries to make up for a lack of arm strength are no longer going to cut it; it’s time for the Kellen Clemens era to begin.
In his short tenure with the Jets Clemens has shown that he can be calm and composed on the field while at the same time being vulnerable to the mistakes a young quarterback makes. As he drove down the field this past weekend Clemens threw a pass a little out in front or his intended receiver that landed in the hands of a Buffalo Bills cornerback. These are the growing pain that come with a new quarterback. It would be nice to see Kellen come out and win his start this Saturday against Washington but there is a good chance he will not. It may be two or three weeks before he gets to put a notch on his belt. However what Jets fan will see this coming weekend is a second year quarterback out of Oregon who has a feel for football and one hell of a throwing arm.
In his short tenure with the Jets Clemens has shown that he can be calm and composed on the field while at the same time being vulnerable to the mistakes a young quarterback makes. As he drove down the field this past weekend Clemens threw a pass a little out in front or his intended receiver that landed in the hands of a Buffalo Bills cornerback. These are the growing pain that come with a new quarterback. It would be nice to see Kellen come out and win his start this Saturday against Washington but there is a good chance he will not. It may be two or three weeks before he gets to put a notch on his belt. However what Jets fan will see this coming weekend is a second year quarterback out of Oregon who has a feel for football and one hell of a throwing arm.
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