NEW YORK – The battle for New York is always a fun game to watch. This matchup has really heated up in recent years with the resurgence of the Jets over the past three or four seasons. They have become a good team but cannot seem to keep their mouths shut. It is this reason which has added some spice to a rivalry between two teams in the same city but not in the same conference or division. The Jets made the bigger plays tonight when it counted and won the game 17-3. Even though they won this game, the Giants will always be the big brother to the Jets. Everyone in the Tri-state area knows this, including the Jets fan living in denial. So after a crazy weekend where Hurricane Irene pushed back the start of the game, these two sons of New York went on the field and battled.
The first quarter was really slow. Both defenses were playing very well which caused the low scoring first half to end with a 7-3 Jets lead. QB Eli Manning had two interceptions before halftime which was surprising. He hasn’t seemed himself throughout the preseason so far. The Jets really couldn’t do anything against a tough Giants defense the entire first half. The Jets got a lucky return for a bunch of yards and a TD on a short field. Other then that, they really didn’t do much and the first half stats prove it. The Giants special teams had their worst game of the preseason so far and that is really saying something. I hate to say this but I think the Giants might have the worst special teams in the NFL. Another blocked FG and a couple of dropped balls by the rookie Jernigan are only a few of the things that went wrong. This group is the Giants achilles heel without question. The second half of the game was all Jets and the Giants could not score a TD to save their lives. They had a few opportunities to get the ball into the endzone but fell short each time. Brandon Jacobs getting thrown out of the game for fighting did not help. Especially just before a crucial drive from the Jets 1 yard line. The second half was no fun to watch at all and some fans were extremely vocal about their disappointment in the Giants performance. The Giants defense had no sacks or interceptions against the Jets tonight as well.
The Giants are a team that has no cheerleaders for a reason, they want to focus solely on football. So, it was strange to see Snoopy out on the field standing next to a Snoopy trophy which was the prize for the winner tonight. My how times have changed. Snoopy of course is the mascot for MetLife, who recently purchased the naming rights to Giants stadium for the next twenty years. I’m sure it is all in good fun but they may need to get a better trophy next year. These are grown men sacrificing their bodies on the football field and not cartoons out there. The Giants will play the New England Patriots next for their final preseason game on Thursday at 7:30 PM EST and will need to cut down to the final 53 man roster by Saturday. Hold on tight Giants fans, the regular season is right around the corner.
Let’s take a look at some of my notes from the game.
QB Eli Manning – Easy Eli just doesn’t look like himself this year. I’m not sure why. He finished the game with 200 yards 0 TD’s 2 INT’s and was also sacked twice.
WR Hakeem Nicks – Nicks played much more in this game tonight then he has so far in the preseason. He had a good game and finished with 5 receptions for 71 yards.
RB Ahmad Bradshaw – Bradshaw is simply the spark plug for the entire Giants offense. He had another good game and finished with 34 yards.
DE Justin Tuck – Tuck was his usual force to be reckoned with before leaving the game with a burner. He is said to be fine.
RB Brandon Jacobs – Brandon provided a spark for the offense but also got himself kicked out of the game for fighting. He finished with 51 yards.
S Kenny Phillips – Phillips had a very nice game and it was good to see him around the ball so much tonight.
WR Mario Manningham – Super Mario had a nice game and finished with 36 yards. I expect a breakout season from him in 2011.
DE Jason Pierre-Paul – I think I am more excited about seeing JPP play in the real games then any other player. This guy is exciting to watch and had a good game.
QB David Carr – Carr played a lot less tonight since the starters stayed in the game longer. He finished with 36 yards 0 TD’s 0 INT’s for the night.
LB Mathias Kiwanuka – Kiwi was having a very nice game before leaving with a minor groin injury.
S Tyler Sash – The rookie led the entire defense in tackles and is earning his spot on the roster this preseason.
CB Aaron Ross – Ross did a pretty good job tonight and will need to stay healthy in order to really help the team out in 2011.
WR Jerrel Jernigan – This kid had a long night and I really felt bad for him. Nothing seemed to go right for him as a returner. Keep your head up!
K Rhys Lloyd – Lloyd made one 34 yard FG and had another 42 yard FG attempt blocked. He is a kickoff specialist and should be used as such.
P Matt Dodge – Dodge is still having an up and down season but he seems better then last year for sure.
DE Osi Umenyiora – Osi is still on the mend from recent surgery and did not play in this game.
K Lawrence Tynes – Tynes did not play in this game as he is still on the mend from an injury suffered in the first preseason game against the Panthers.
What did you think about the New York Giants performance against the Jets?
RD – nygreporter.com
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forget about the big brother little brother nonsense,the giants did some nice things on defense,but i could only sum up the offense by saying,one step forward and two steps back.i had never seen a team with the excellent field position the g-men had,come away empty,especially on goal line.the giants special teams looked like a reboot of the desean jackson return that basically destroyed the season last year.i know it was a pre-season game,but its the most important pre-season game and should be a measuring stick of where the team should be.to me it looks like the same giant team the last 3 years,great passes and runs,only to be negated by horrible interceptions or penalties.i want nothing more for eli to be that top 5 QB.but he should be leaps and bounds better than what he is at 8 years in.even when he rolled out and bought what i thought was good time,he still bounced the ball in front of manningham.the o-line actually played well,which leaves the question once again,how good is our quarterback.all it takes is a blitz to shake him up and give him happy feet in the pocket.after a blowout victory last monday against the bears and a 17-3 loss to a jet team i dont believe is all that good,,or i shoud say,not as good as big blue.they just have that same inconsistent bug they had the last few seasons.kickoff is next week and im not to high on big blue right now.and its the offense.the defense is great,but when you keep them on the field all night with three and outs or interceptions,they cannot be productive.after last nights performance,im worried for this team.
You make some great points as usual Bobby. I have to say that I am a bit taken back by how poorly Eli Manning has played through the entire preseason. I am one of his biggest defenders but there is no defense for that type of play on the field on national TV. It speaks for itself. Just like the atrocious play by our special teams cannot be ignored anymore. I’m actually shocked that people have not been fired or replace by now on special teams. The G-Men have 11 days to get it together before the regular season starts. After missing the playoffs for 2 straight years, I would think that is all of the motivation they would need to have a great 2011 season. We will have to wait and see.
Hey Rob, gotta tell you I’m pretty down about this year right now. Looking at all the injuries, loss of players, and the apparent learning curve I don’t really see Big Blue going better than 7-9. I do a schedule prediction every year (whether for my own benefit or the sites) and this year I see wins against St. Louis, Arizona, Seattle, Buffalo, San Francisco, and one against Dallas and one against Washington. I could maybe see a win in Miami, but I think it could go either way. I think the ease of the early schedule will be helpful, maybe they can work out some kinks while players like Osi and Prince get healthy. I am VERY worried as a fan right now.
Hey Josh, so good to hear form you buddy. I hope all is well with you my friend. I am worried too. It seems like nothing is clicking for us except the defense and even they have given up a lot of yards over the preseason. Not a ton of yards but opposing teams are staying in the games. At this point, I can’t even make a guess on how many games they will win because the preseason action has been so shaky. Our special teams are the worst in the NFL (in my opinion) too which doesn’t help much. As I mentioned to Bobby, they have 11 days to get it together and there is no way to predict how things will turn out. But just like you, I am certainly worried. I hope college is going well for you buddy. Study hard and God Bless!
my thoughts exactly josh,just need to make it through that front part of the season.my wish is that we can get some help back and try not to force the issue on offense to much,thats pretty much what gets easy eli in trouble.i believe our defense is terrific,but like on any other team,you just cant keep them on the field that long and it showed against the jets going into the third quarter the other night.
That first half of the schedule is easier then the second half no doubt but i wouldn’t call it easy. The second half is straight up brutal and I would be surprised if we won 1/3 of those games with the way we have been playing in the preseason. So I agree that if the G-Men are to make it back to the playoffs, they must win the majority of their first half games, without question.
i know the jets game was pre-season,and the g-men have to put a the pre-season behind them.hopefully the pre-season is no indication of how big blue will play in the regular season with the exception of the bears game, and lets not forget that david carr put up 28 points in that game with 2nd and 3rd stringers.but tonights patriots game is important for the giants,the reason being,the g-men have so many injuries that the 2nd and 3rd string bench players can play a huge roll in big blues depth chart.great points were made by josh and robdomaine about the giants needing to survive the 1st part of there schedule and that is definitely true.i know it looks like the teams in our division have gotten leaps and bounds better this year including the skins, and the 1st part of the schedule for the g-men is lighter than the 2nd half but still no cake walk.so tonights game is very key for the giants to decide on who will be the back ups to get us through that 1st and all important part of the season.i keep having nightmares of eli throwing to many interceptions and actually getting benched this year which will prompt coughlins firing.but than i wake up and think of the namath interview the other day, when he said you have to have the horses on both sides of the ball to win championships,hopefully the g-mens young ponies can get them through until there full grown horses get back from injury.8 days until kick-off, and were all starting to get that NFL feeling that anything can happen this season,lets hope its an all good feeling for our new york giants.
Hey Buddy, we still have to play the Patriots tonight and see how that goes before I can make a true statement on how well I think they will do in the regular season. As of right now, I’m very concerned. I will not panic until we are 0-10 and I doubt that will ever happen.
I’m actually very surprised that the G-Men are reportedly a few million under the salary cap now and still haven’t brought in more players with about 10 days left until the regular season starts. The Giants absolutely need another CB because Ross has had a injury issue in a few of his seasons with us. Why he hasn’t made more moves is truly beyond me. The amount of injuries is staggering when you consider we haven’t even gotten to the reg season yet. I’m going to try and stay positive and sit back an enjoy the game tonight with a microscope on the players performance.
my thoughts exactly,with some salary cap room now,it does baffle me how we didnt snatch somebody out there.do you think there waiting for the cuts before they make a move,maybe someone cut from another team could help.maybe with only a few million under the cap,reese figures he could make some bargain basement moves and grab a handful of players for that amount,after all,you know the g-men,always looking for a lot more for less,thats the big blue way as long as ive been a fan.all and all,looking forward to the game tonight and much better performances,even if it is from our 2nd and 3rds.enjoy the game,looking forward to the rundown afterwards.