The Bears released Ruben Brown. That's the second o lineman released in recent days. Brown is a fierce competitor but he is aging. He was a Pro Bowler two years ago but he's declined and it's probably the right move to let him go as the Bears need to overhaul their pathetic o line.
Contracts have gone out to #1 WR Berrian, Lance Briggs, and Pro Bowl special teamer Brendan Ayenbadejo but all three contracts were well below what each player expected to receive. Jerry Angelo seems reluctant to budge from him position and there is a good chance that the Bears will end up losing those two Pro Bowlers (Briggs and Ayenbadejo) and their #1 WR. Interesting because it looks as though they will resign Grossman and if there is one thing Rexy is good at is it's the deep ball. Without Berrian there, he will lose his deep threat. It's also interesting because if Berrian leaves, that means they won't have either starting WR from last year. Essentially, they will be relying on Mark Bradley a guy who only caught 6 passes all of last year to become their #1 WR. Doesn't seem like sound practice to me.
The kicker in the whole bit is that the Bears are significantly raising ticket prices for the 2008 season. With HUGE question marks on the entire offensive side of the ball, I'm not sure how well the fans are going to react to the hike in ticket prices.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Bears raise ticket prices. Redskins keep prices the same.
Once again the Bears will be raising their ticket prices. The Bears announced an increase in ticket prices yesterday for the 2008 season. All non-clube seasts will be increased by $3-$4. Club seats will be raised by $10. the Bears' non-club ticket prices will range from $68 to $108 and account for 86 percent of the seating at Soldier Field.
On a side note, the Redskins will keep ticket prices the same as it did for the 2007 football season. The Bears have been pretty aggressive in raising their prices over the last several years. Given that they finished last in their division last season with a losing record of 7-9 and clearly looking at a rebuilding year as they will have significant turnover, it would appear that they are gouging their fans.
That was one of RobsObs complaints with the 'Skins. However, the 'Skins went to the playoffs and now have kept ticket prices the same. The Bears were a tremendous disappointment last year and they will be purging their team and yet they will still be raising their ticket prices significantly. To be fair RobsObs, isn't this gouging?
On a side note, the Redskins will keep ticket prices the same as it did for the 2007 football season. The Bears have been pretty aggressive in raising their prices over the last several years. Given that they finished last in their division last season with a losing record of 7-9 and clearly looking at a rebuilding year as they will have significant turnover, it would appear that they are gouging their fans.
That was one of RobsObs complaints with the 'Skins. However, the 'Skins went to the playoffs and now have kept ticket prices the same. The Bears were a tremendous disappointment last year and they will be purging their team and yet they will still be raising their ticket prices significantly. To be fair RobsObs, isn't this gouging?
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Moose is loose.
Although RobsObs thought Muhsin Muhammad could still be productive, the Bears decided to cut him. It puts more pressure on the Bears to sign Berrian (or at least franchise him) because if they don't, they will lose both starting WRs from last year. They also released starting RT Fred Miller who was aging. They need help on the O line anyway so that is not necessarily bad. With open questions at other O line positions and QB and RB, they are dealing with their own purge. We could be seeing several new starting players for the Bears next year.
With the defense, Briggs is most likely gone. Others that may not be back include Mike Brown, Arch Deluxe, Ricky Manning, Jr., and Ruben Brown. The purge is on in Chi-town.
We'll see how they come out of all of this.
With the defense, Briggs is most likely gone. Others that may not be back include Mike Brown, Arch Deluxe, Ricky Manning, Jr., and Ruben Brown. The purge is on in Chi-town.
We'll see how they come out of all of this.
Pettitte comments
I watched some of Pettitte's press conference yesterday and I must say the guy comes across as very credible. He is in the unenvious position of being in the middle of an argument between two close friends. Pettitte said that everything McNamee said was true. He did not fault or blame McNamee for anything.
I thought it was interesting that he has not spoken with Clemens in more than a month. He said that that relationship had become strained. Roger testified that he and Pettitte were very close. If they were so close, why haven't they spoken? I wonder if Roger knows that he lied and doesn't want to show his face in front of Pettitte.
Bottom line, I just don't believe Roger. I think he knows the truth but he is doing whatever he can to save face. He knows that there is not enough evidence to send him to jail. He knows that with the evidence that is there it basically comes down to "he said vs. he said." Thus, he does not have to admit. If he were to admit that he took something to enhance his performance, he knows that everything that he accomplished in his great career would be forever tarnished.
I just don't know what McNamee has to lose by coming clean. Again, the lies that he told early on seemed like they were told in order to protect his friends Roger and Andy. However, once the whole thing exploded, he was forced to tell the whole truth. Pettitte seems like a straight shooter and I don't think that he would lie. Again, I don't believe Roger.
I thought it was interesting that he has not spoken with Clemens in more than a month. He said that that relationship had become strained. Roger testified that he and Pettitte were very close. If they were so close, why haven't they spoken? I wonder if Roger knows that he lied and doesn't want to show his face in front of Pettitte.
Bottom line, I just don't believe Roger. I think he knows the truth but he is doing whatever he can to save face. He knows that there is not enough evidence to send him to jail. He knows that with the evidence that is there it basically comes down to "he said vs. he said." Thus, he does not have to admit. If he were to admit that he took something to enhance his performance, he knows that everything that he accomplished in his great career would be forever tarnished.
I just don't know what McNamee has to lose by coming clean. Again, the lies that he told early on seemed like they were told in order to protect his friends Roger and Andy. However, once the whole thing exploded, he was forced to tell the whole truth. Pettitte seems like a straight shooter and I don't think that he would lie. Again, I don't believe Roger.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Sherman Smith set to join as O coordinator
After all the issues that were raised about the head coach hiring process, I am actually pretty pleased with how things have shaken out. Zorn seems like a good coach. We'll see if he is a good HEAD coach but so far he seems to be doing the right things. As much as I admire Earnest Byner, I think it makes sense to bring in Stump Mitchell who is a good RBs coach in his own right and understands the West Coast offense and is comfortable with Zorn.
Also, it looks as though Sherman Smith is set to join as O coordinator. Again, I like the move as, like Mitchell, he understands the West Coast offense well and is comfortable with Zorn. Also, Smith should have good experience having spent the last dozen years with Jeff Fisher as the Asst. Head Coach in Tennessee. I think Fisher is one of the finer coaches in the league and hopefully Smith has picked up some good experience watching him.
In regards to this new offensive staff being put in place, Mitchell mentioned. "I knew what a tremendous job Jim would do bringing outstanding individuals to the staff. When you're talking about a staff, it all starts with mutual respect for one another," he said. "You have to be able to lean on one another and trust one another, that's the first thing you need, and I know that's what Jim wants."
It's a great point. The last couple of years, Gibbs and Saunders had philosophical differences on how to run the offense and I think that that hurt the offense. I don't think there was that trust. Now we should have guys that are all on the same page. There should be one single game plan that everyone is comfortable with and that is how it should be. I also like how Zorn has already seemed to delegate who will be doing what on the offense in terms of coaching responsibility. Again, Zorn seems to be doing the right things so far.
I must say that there seems to be a little bit of energy and excitement building with the new staff. The new coaches seem excited to get started. Right now, I think this might be able to all work out and it was a good thing for the 'Skins. We'll see how it comes into play when the season starts. I'm sure there will be some growing pains with Zorn getting comfortable in his role as head coach and the players learning the new system but I think once it settles down, we'll be alright.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
Also, it looks as though Sherman Smith is set to join as O coordinator. Again, I like the move as, like Mitchell, he understands the West Coast offense well and is comfortable with Zorn. Also, Smith should have good experience having spent the last dozen years with Jeff Fisher as the Asst. Head Coach in Tennessee. I think Fisher is one of the finer coaches in the league and hopefully Smith has picked up some good experience watching him.
In regards to this new offensive staff being put in place, Mitchell mentioned. "I knew what a tremendous job Jim would do bringing outstanding individuals to the staff. When you're talking about a staff, it all starts with mutual respect for one another," he said. "You have to be able to lean on one another and trust one another, that's the first thing you need, and I know that's what Jim wants."
It's a great point. The last couple of years, Gibbs and Saunders had philosophical differences on how to run the offense and I think that that hurt the offense. I don't think there was that trust. Now we should have guys that are all on the same page. There should be one single game plan that everyone is comfortable with and that is how it should be. I also like how Zorn has already seemed to delegate who will be doing what on the offense in terms of coaching responsibility. Again, Zorn seems to be doing the right things so far.
I must say that there seems to be a little bit of energy and excitement building with the new staff. The new coaches seem excited to get started. Right now, I think this might be able to all work out and it was a good thing for the 'Skins. We'll see how it comes into play when the season starts. I'm sure there will be some growing pains with Zorn getting comfortable in his role as head coach and the players learning the new system but I think once it settles down, we'll be alright.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The Clemens Hearing
I have actually been watching. It's interesting. It's amazing as to how conflicting Clemens' testimony is compared to McNamee's. It's clear some of the congressmen/congresswomen have their opinions and you can see who they are going after. It's also interesting because Roger seems to have some difficulty understanding/answering some of the questions.
My own take in watching the hearings are that Roger is lying. McNamee has nothing to lose with his testimony. Andy Pettite, one of baseball's most standup guys, gave a deposition where he admitted that Roger told him that he had taken HGH. McNamee has said that he has given performance enhancing drugs to Pettite, Clemens, and Chuck Knoblauch. Knoblauch and Pettite have agreed with McNamee's claim.
One of the congressmen (I don't know his name) was clearly on the side of Clemens calling him a "titan" of baseball and that McNamee is a liar. McNamee does not deny that he lied in some of his earlier statements as he was trying to protect Roger and his other clients/friends. That is his reason for lying. Now that this has all blown up, he understands that he must tell the truth and he has nothing to hide from. Also, in his opening statements, McNamee said that he is ashamed for what he has done but he hopes that in some way he can redeem himself by coming clean and help be part of the solution to the drug problem in baseball. The congressman did not seem to understand why McNamee would lie early on. That congressman seemed like an idiot.
McNamee is coming across as much more credible in my opinion. I think the hearing will open up a case of perjury against Clemens. Clemens has just come too far in his denials of drug use to turn back. Marion Jones recanted her claims of innocence recently but she also didn't go on a media frenzy claiming her innocence like Roger is so it is harder for Roger. There are just too many inconsistencies and things that don't make sense that lead me to believe Roger is innocent.
My own take in watching the hearings are that Roger is lying. McNamee has nothing to lose with his testimony. Andy Pettite, one of baseball's most standup guys, gave a deposition where he admitted that Roger told him that he had taken HGH. McNamee has said that he has given performance enhancing drugs to Pettite, Clemens, and Chuck Knoblauch. Knoblauch and Pettite have agreed with McNamee's claim.
One of the congressmen (I don't know his name) was clearly on the side of Clemens calling him a "titan" of baseball and that McNamee is a liar. McNamee does not deny that he lied in some of his earlier statements as he was trying to protect Roger and his other clients/friends. That is his reason for lying. Now that this has all blown up, he understands that he must tell the truth and he has nothing to hide from. Also, in his opening statements, McNamee said that he is ashamed for what he has done but he hopes that in some way he can redeem himself by coming clean and help be part of the solution to the drug problem in baseball. The congressman did not seem to understand why McNamee would lie early on. That congressman seemed like an idiot.
McNamee is coming across as much more credible in my opinion. I think the hearing will open up a case of perjury against Clemens. Clemens has just come too far in his denials of drug use to turn back. Marion Jones recanted her claims of innocence recently but she also didn't go on a media frenzy claiming her innocence like Roger is so it is harder for Roger. There are just too many inconsistencies and things that don't make sense that lead me to believe Roger is innocent.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Redskin fans...you gotta love them!
I am SO tired of the doom sayers that call themselves Redskins fans (pretty much all those jokers on LaCanfora's blog). This is what I love. First, they go up in arms about the possible hiring of Jim Fassel. Everyone goes in an uproar and cries, "NOT FOSSIL!!!!! NO! ANYONE BUT HIM!!!"
Then we hire Jim Zorn and people seem appeased. However, now Fassel is going on several radio programs (Mike and Mike, Riggo's show, John Thompson show) and is being very classy and professional. Now all of sudden, all the "fans" are saying that maybe we should have gone with Fassel and are apologizing for not accepting him before. Now they are complaining that we hired a guy with no experience, blah...blah...blah.
This is the type of nonsense that I find incredibly annoying. Redskins fans are some of the toughest fans to please. Steve Largent said that Seattle fans are just as rabid but they don't turn negative as quickly as Redskin fans. Redskin fans are SO quick to complain but then they will be even quicker to jump on the bandwagon should there be success.
Then we hire Jim Zorn and people seem appeased. However, now Fassel is going on several radio programs (Mike and Mike, Riggo's show, John Thompson show) and is being very classy and professional. Now all of sudden, all the "fans" are saying that maybe we should have gone with Fassel and are apologizing for not accepting him before. Now they are complaining that we hired a guy with no experience, blah...blah...blah.
This is the type of nonsense that I find incredibly annoying. Redskins fans are some of the toughest fans to please. Steve Largent said that Seattle fans are just as rabid but they don't turn negative as quickly as Redskin fans. Redskin fans are SO quick to complain but then they will be even quicker to jump on the bandwagon should there be success.
REALLY good article on S. Taylor in the Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/09/AR2008020902504.html
Kind of gives you a glimpse of what this kid's life was like. Talks about the trust issues he always had and that he basically held on to some simple values...family and football. It's still tragic to think what happened and what he could have been. The short description of how he tried to protect his fiancee and daughter and then was shot and immediately fell and tried to push himself up is hard to imagine.
Kind of gives you a glimpse of what this kid's life was like. Talks about the trust issues he always had and that he basically held on to some simple values...family and football. It's still tragic to think what happened and what he could have been. The short description of how he tried to protect his fiancee and daughter and then was shot and immediately fell and tried to push himself up is hard to imagine.
Good article by LaCanfora in today's Post.
Basically, he gives a run down of the entire team by position. He mentions that the 'Skins and Chad Johnson have mutual interest in making a deal. I like the talent of Johnson but not the attitude. Not sure how good that move would be if it were pulled. I can imagine Johnson getting upset at JC as he tries to learn another new system.
He also wrote about us again being interested in Lance Briggs. Again, we could use him as he is one of the best LBs in the league and with Washington getting older and often injured and McIntosh coming off of ACL surgery, he could certainly help.
Blache also mentioned that he wants Springs and Griffin to come back. He talked about perhaps moving Daniels to DL and developing Chris Wilson into a more complete DE. I like that move as Daniels still has a little in the tank and he has the build of more of DL and since he has slowed down some that might be a better fit. Wilson is a talented speed rusher but is undersized to be an every down DE. If he could put on some weight, he certainly has the talent to develop into a solid DE.
I like that both Cerrato and Snyder say that JC is the QB and his development is a priority. I like that they are committed to him. I also like that they rave about Portis and that they seem him as our true #1 back and not platooning he and Betts. Not sure if Collins will be back since Saunders is gone. Whether he stays or goes is fine with me. The eight spot is most likely gone...thank goodness.
Rock Cartwright may jettison and that would be a shame since he was an emotional leader, particularly after the Sean Taylor tragedy. He proved to be one of the better return men in the league but they spoke of Betts taking over those duties and he was very good when he had that role a couple of years ago.
All in all, I was pretty pleased with the article and the state of the team. We'll see what kind of moves they make and what they can get in the draft.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
He also wrote about us again being interested in Lance Briggs. Again, we could use him as he is one of the best LBs in the league and with Washington getting older and often injured and McIntosh coming off of ACL surgery, he could certainly help.
Blache also mentioned that he wants Springs and Griffin to come back. He talked about perhaps moving Daniels to DL and developing Chris Wilson into a more complete DE. I like that move as Daniels still has a little in the tank and he has the build of more of DL and since he has slowed down some that might be a better fit. Wilson is a talented speed rusher but is undersized to be an every down DE. If he could put on some weight, he certainly has the talent to develop into a solid DE.
I like that both Cerrato and Snyder say that JC is the QB and his development is a priority. I like that they are committed to him. I also like that they rave about Portis and that they seem him as our true #1 back and not platooning he and Betts. Not sure if Collins will be back since Saunders is gone. Whether he stays or goes is fine with me. The eight spot is most likely gone...thank goodness.
Rock Cartwright may jettison and that would be a shame since he was an emotional leader, particularly after the Sean Taylor tragedy. He proved to be one of the better return men in the league but they spoke of Betts taking over those duties and he was very good when he had that role a couple of years ago.
All in all, I was pretty pleased with the article and the state of the team. We'll see what kind of moves they make and what they can get in the draft.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
The Jim Zorn era begins!
First, let me say that I am pleased that we didn't hire Jim Fassel. It was just hard for me to imagine him being on the sideline on Sundays.
Second, I am pleased with the choice. Not really what I expected but to me Zorn is as good as anyone else. At least we didn't go with a retread guy and we are taking a chance on someone. Honestly, people are going to have their opinions and that is all well and good. For me, lets just see how he plays out.
It's just funny how fans want a guy that can guarantee a Super Bowl. Anything less and they will complain. Lets give the guy a chance and see what he can do.
Second, I am pleased with the choice. Not really what I expected but to me Zorn is as good as anyone else. At least we didn't go with a retread guy and we are taking a chance on someone. Honestly, people are going to have their opinions and that is all well and good. For me, lets just see how he plays out.
It's just funny how fans want a guy that can guarantee a Super Bowl. Anything less and they will complain. Lets give the guy a chance and see what he can do.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Ovechkin and the C-A-P-S...CAPS! CAPS! CAPS!!!!
How about Alexander the Great and the Caps? In November, they were the worst team in their division and one of the worst teams in the NHL. They fired their coach (Glen Hanlon) and put in Bruce Boudreau and have realized an amazing turnaround. Ovechkin leads the league in goals and points and his having a MVP type year leading the Caps from worst to first in their division. They are now the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and have to be considered one of the hottest teams in the NHL.
Feeding off of Ovechkin and Boudreau's attacking style of offense, they compete night in night out against any team they face. Ovechkin is the perfect combination of speed, power, and enthusiasm. He has to be the best player in the league. The guy is a goal scoring machine but what makes him different than most goal scorers is his physical play. The guy isn't afraid to hit and mix it up. On top of that, his passion and intensity takes him over the top. Hopefully these guys can continue their hot play and do some damage in the playoffs.
Feeding off of Ovechkin and Boudreau's attacking style of offense, they compete night in night out against any team they face. Ovechkin is the perfect combination of speed, power, and enthusiasm. He has to be the best player in the league. The guy is a goal scoring machine but what makes him different than most goal scorers is his physical play. The guy isn't afraid to hit and mix it up. On top of that, his passion and intensity takes him over the top. Hopefully these guys can continue their hot play and do some damage in the playoffs.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Congratulations to Art Monk and Darrell Green.
A quick congratulations to Art Monk and Darrell Green for being selected into the Hall of Fame. Both men are deserving of the honor. They were great players and even more importantly great people.
For my generation, they have to be considered the greatest Redskins we knew.
Again, congratulations to the two of them.
For my generation, they have to be considered the greatest Redskins we knew.
Again, congratulations to the two of them.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Spagnuolo...next Redskin coach?
Spagnuolo is supposed to interview for the Redskins coaching job on Tuesday. He did a tremendous job with his defense this past year especially in the playoffs. I don't really know much about the guy but what I find interesting is that he seems like the hot name right now. Last year, you would hear a lot about Ron Riveira but his name never really surfaced for any of this year's job openings.
Bottom line is that for me it doesn't really matter who the coach is. I will wait until a decision is made and even then it is what it is. I can only judge and comment once they are on the job and see how they perform. I will say that I don't really want Fassel but the other guys (Meeks, Spagnuolo, Mariucci) I don't have feelings one way or the other so it would just be judge on the results.
I will say Spagnuolo did a tremendous job with his defense this year...particularly in the post season and especially in the Super Bowl.
Bottom line is that for me it doesn't really matter who the coach is. I will wait until a decision is made and even then it is what it is. I can only judge and comment once they are on the job and see how they perform. I will say that I don't really want Fassel but the other guys (Meeks, Spagnuolo, Mariucci) I don't have feelings one way or the other so it would just be judge on the results.
I will say Spagnuolo did a tremendous job with his defense this year...particularly in the post season and especially in the Super Bowl.
Now that is what I call a SUPER BOWL!!!!
Unbelievable game. I have to admit that I didn't give the Giants much of a chance in this game. I thought the Pats would roll up on them. However, it was clear from the get go that the Giants were going to put up a good fight.
The Giants opening drive set the tempo. They held on to the ball for 10 minutes of the first quarter on their opening drive that ended with a FG. The best way to beat the Pats is to keep their offense off the field. On the ensuing drive, Brady led the Pats on a methodical drive ending with a TD getting the score to 7-3 in favor of the Pats. At that point, I was thinking the Giants need a similar drive to keep the ball out of that offense because the Pats offense is a machine that can score at will. However, the Giants defense really stepped up. The front four put constant pressure on Brady and when he wasn't sacked, he was hurried and had a number of balls batted down and he took a number of shots. You could see that he just wasn't himself. He had a number of bad throws and just never seemed to get into a good rhythm. I know Manning got the MVP (and he certainly made some great plays) but that defense was really the MVP of the game.
The final quarter was fantastic. It was pretty amazing when the Giants took the 10-7 lead. It was almost like in Rocky IV when Rocky hits Drago and cuts him and Tony starts yelling, "HE'S CUT! HE'S CUT!" Everyone is shocked including Rocky. That was the feeling I had. However, it was short lived when Brady marched down the field again and hit Moss for the TD with 2 and a half minutes left. I almost thought that would be a fitting end. Brady, who had struggled most of the game, engineer another flawless drive that ends with a game winning TD to Moss who has had a record breaking season and is in search of his first Super Bowl title. I really thought that was it. However, Manning and that Giant offense came up HUGE!
The Giants drive started out a little rocky. There were a couple of questionable passes by Eli. First, the one over the middle in triple coverage to Plax. Then that floater on the left sideline that was almost picked off and the most dangerous was the one on the right sideline where the WR maybe ran the wrong route and the ball ended up right in Pro Bowler Asante Samuels hands who inexplicably dropped it. Still, the Giants managed to overcome all of that and the play where Manning was engulfed by Pats and looked like he would surely be sacked but somehow broke free and heaved the prayer to Tyree who made an unbelievable catch with Harrison all over him was the play of the game. That's a play that Giants fans will never forget. The TD play to Plax was an easy call. The Pats were going to blitz heavily and they had Plax one on one in the corner and Eli threw up a perfect pass and the rest is history. Brady still had 35 seconds and all three timeouts to work with but it was kind of fitting that the Giants D stepped up again getting another devastating sack. Bottom line, it was a great game.
I wasn't really rooting for either team. I suppose I feel a little bad for Seau as a Super Bowl win would have been a nice way to cap off a great career but still I'm pretty happy that the Giants were able to knock off the unbeaten Pats. The Pats just seemed so arrogant and smug and it's good that they were knocked off of their pedestal. The interesting thing is that the Pats had an opportunity to become only the second "perfect" team but with that loss it puts a HUGE damper on an otherwise tremendous season. The '85 Bears went 18-1 and one of the great 49er teams went 18-1 but they each won the Super Bowl. The Pats went 18-1 but couldn't pull out the big game thus tarnishing a great year. It's interesting because I don't think the Pats or their fans are taking any consolation in their other 18 victories right now. To have the season that they did and break the number of records that they did only to fall short in the Super Bowl has to be pretty devastating.
Well, great way to end the season. One final note, it's interesting that the Manning brothers won the Super Bowl in back to back years. I think Aikman said it best when they showed Peyton's reaction to Eli's TD pass at the end. Aikman said about the pumped up Peyton that he thought that Peyton may actually be more happy this year for Eli winning it than when he won it himself the previous year. They seem like good guys and it's nice to see them each get a ring.
Until next year...HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
The Giants opening drive set the tempo. They held on to the ball for 10 minutes of the first quarter on their opening drive that ended with a FG. The best way to beat the Pats is to keep their offense off the field. On the ensuing drive, Brady led the Pats on a methodical drive ending with a TD getting the score to 7-3 in favor of the Pats. At that point, I was thinking the Giants need a similar drive to keep the ball out of that offense because the Pats offense is a machine that can score at will. However, the Giants defense really stepped up. The front four put constant pressure on Brady and when he wasn't sacked, he was hurried and had a number of balls batted down and he took a number of shots. You could see that he just wasn't himself. He had a number of bad throws and just never seemed to get into a good rhythm. I know Manning got the MVP (and he certainly made some great plays) but that defense was really the MVP of the game.
The final quarter was fantastic. It was pretty amazing when the Giants took the 10-7 lead. It was almost like in Rocky IV when Rocky hits Drago and cuts him and Tony starts yelling, "HE'S CUT! HE'S CUT!" Everyone is shocked including Rocky. That was the feeling I had. However, it was short lived when Brady marched down the field again and hit Moss for the TD with 2 and a half minutes left. I almost thought that would be a fitting end. Brady, who had struggled most of the game, engineer another flawless drive that ends with a game winning TD to Moss who has had a record breaking season and is in search of his first Super Bowl title. I really thought that was it. However, Manning and that Giant offense came up HUGE!
The Giants drive started out a little rocky. There were a couple of questionable passes by Eli. First, the one over the middle in triple coverage to Plax. Then that floater on the left sideline that was almost picked off and the most dangerous was the one on the right sideline where the WR maybe ran the wrong route and the ball ended up right in Pro Bowler Asante Samuels hands who inexplicably dropped it. Still, the Giants managed to overcome all of that and the play where Manning was engulfed by Pats and looked like he would surely be sacked but somehow broke free and heaved the prayer to Tyree who made an unbelievable catch with Harrison all over him was the play of the game. That's a play that Giants fans will never forget. The TD play to Plax was an easy call. The Pats were going to blitz heavily and they had Plax one on one in the corner and Eli threw up a perfect pass and the rest is history. Brady still had 35 seconds and all three timeouts to work with but it was kind of fitting that the Giants D stepped up again getting another devastating sack. Bottom line, it was a great game.
I wasn't really rooting for either team. I suppose I feel a little bad for Seau as a Super Bowl win would have been a nice way to cap off a great career but still I'm pretty happy that the Giants were able to knock off the unbeaten Pats. The Pats just seemed so arrogant and smug and it's good that they were knocked off of their pedestal. The interesting thing is that the Pats had an opportunity to become only the second "perfect" team but with that loss it puts a HUGE damper on an otherwise tremendous season. The '85 Bears went 18-1 and one of the great 49er teams went 18-1 but they each won the Super Bowl. The Pats went 18-1 but couldn't pull out the big game thus tarnishing a great year. It's interesting because I don't think the Pats or their fans are taking any consolation in their other 18 victories right now. To have the season that they did and break the number of records that they did only to fall short in the Super Bowl has to be pretty devastating.
Well, great way to end the season. One final note, it's interesting that the Manning brothers won the Super Bowl in back to back years. I think Aikman said it best when they showed Peyton's reaction to Eli's TD pass at the end. Aikman said about the pumped up Peyton that he thought that Peyton may actually be more happy this year for Eli winning it than when he won it himself the previous year. They seem like good guys and it's nice to see them each get a ring.
Until next year...HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
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