Week's 1/2

This is my first official entry for the 2007 season. My prediction before the season started was 6-10. After losing to Green Bay at home yesterday I have to revamp my prediction and downgrade to 5-11. Yes I had yesterday's game vs "the Pack" pencilled in under the win column.

As you all probably know I attend 4-5 Giant games a year, which includes our yearly pilgrimage to Philly to see them with our friend Dave Bush. For those interested in the details on how that works out, we simply trade Dave our tix for the Dallas game and he takes us to the game in Philly.

Week 1 vs Dallas was a precursor to what we'd see in week 2. Basically Dallas was able to throw the ball at will against a Giant defense that is rather defenseless. You see this game of professional football is very easy to play and understand. If you are unable to rush the quarterback and unable to cover receivers you stand a very good chance of losing the game and winning the #1 draft pick the following June.

The Giants defensive line, on paper, looks formidible. Unfortunately it's anchor is Michael Strahan, who missed camp and seams to have either lost his disire to be hit or his skill to hit. Osi Umenyiora is a great complimentary end to Strahan. Unfortunately for him he is injury prone and Strahan doesn't warrant double teaming anymore. The DT's are ok, but with the lack of outside pressure they are forced to do what they are not capable of doing, which is be a force inside. Mathias Kiwanuka, last year's #1 pick, would probably be their best DE...if he was still a DE. Instead they moved him to linebacker, where is is dreadfully out of position. This move was made because they viewed linebacker as the weakest spot on their defense. That type of thinking is tantamount to saying "the paint that is chipping on the deck of the Titanic needs addressing".

The Giants secondary is old and slow, which is a great combination for BBQ sauce, but not a group entrusted to cover the fastest legs in the NFL. Sam Madison, who is as old as James Madison, was a fine cover CB in his day. Unfortunately his day was so long ago one can't even remember what millenium he was drafted in. McQuarters is a decent nickle back who I unfortunately wind up seeing the back of his jersey in other team's highlight reels every week. Curiously the Giants dumped Will Demps. While it's true he underperformed last year, the Giants were in no position to dump any warm body in the secondary.

Well let's burry week #1 and skip to week #2. The one highlight from week 1 was Eli Manning. He did everything we could ask him to do, except stay healty. But why should we expect him to be any different from the rest of his injury prone teammates ?

In week 2 Eli started off gr8, finished weak and eventually left since the team was being blown out. I calculated 4 or 5 dropped passes by his recieving corps. Shockey as usually dropped his share. When he wasn't dropping passes he was spiking balls and taking penalties that killed drives. How this guy makes the pro bowl every year is a mystery to me ? Do the voters actually think he's better than Crumpler or Whitten ? If they do they should be sentenced to sitting in section 311 with me every week as I go ballistic with his antics.

Well there truly wasn't an actual turning point as to when the Giants lost this game vs Green Bay and it's resident senior citizen, Brett Favre. If I had to pinpoint a time I would have to say late June, when they didn't go out and draft at least 3 defensive backs and 2 LB's. If I have to go in game I would have to say the offsetting penalty on Shockey's spike took all the wind out of their sails.

By the 4th quarter the game was over and fans started leaving in droves. I commented to my friend Jeff who sits next to me that, "the Giants have worse area coverage than Nextel". I think I'm in for a long season. I'm wondering if I should start scanning my tickets and sell them on ebay and hope for the best. Thankfully my 5 year old daughter has soccer games on Sunday. Watching those games might be a more viable option.