Superbowl XLII - PREVIEW

February 3rd, 2008 5:35 am
by Pro Set

New York Giants vs New England Patriots - Superbowl XLII

Despite the substandard play of Tom Brady in the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots remain clear favourites. The key to the game, when New England has the ball, is whether New York changes its tactics from the Week 17 contest.

In Week 17, the Giants attacked the patriots, and put pressure on Brady. He looked a little unsettled, and generally the tactics of the Giants met with widespread approval. But the seminal moment of Week 17 was the Brady to Moss TD pass when Moss was left single-covered. The playoff opponents that have faced New England clearly determined not to get beaten deep. This policy looked futile as Brady picked Jacksonville apart in the AFC Divisional Playoff. But JAX stuck form to the game plan, and never let the Patriots strike quickly.

San Diego followed this lead, despite the fact that JAX could not force the turnovers. Luck, however, was with SD as Brady was 5% off his game, and with 7 or 8 men in coverage, SD had the men there to swallow three INTs.

So, does New York attack or play coverage? The excellent weather in Arizona tends to suggest that Brady will be comfortable picking apart deep zones. But I think that the Giants must rush four and trust them to deliver. The Patriots offensive line has to have an off day eventually. Since New York has no one who can cover Moss in single coverage, it would be a massive gamble to bring excess rushers on a consistent basis.

For the Giants offense, Eli Manning needs to have his hot streak continued. The accuracy on his throws, the lack of one bounce receptions, and the reliability of Plaxico Burress have to arrive in Arizona. It is obviously well known that Eli Manning has not fared well in his career against the blitz. New England will be tempted to bring relentless pressure. This will test Asante Samuel, who is surely the man to cover Plax when the blitz arrives. He cannot fare worse than Al Harris, who had a nationally televised disaster that will surely be the epitaph to an overrated career.

The Patriots will win, and this author congratulates New England in advance on a perfect season.

Posted in Plaxico Burress, Bill Belichick, NFL Coaches, Asante Samuel, Tom Coughlin, Superbowl XLII, Superbowl, Randy Moss, Tom Brady, Analysis, Game, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL Players, New England Patriots, NY Giants, NFL | No Comments »

Superbowl XLII - Pros and Cons

January 31st, 2008 11:11 pm
by Big Dog

The Superbowl’s always an exciting time of year. It’s the culmination of a long and hard season. It’s one of the greatest sporting spectacles on earth. And yet, if your team didn’t make it, the Superbowl presents a very real conundrum. Who do you cheer for?

This year your choice is between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. Each of these teams present their own sets of pros and cons when you consider offering your support.

New England Patriots
Pros

Cons

New York Giants
Pros

Cons

Anyway, no matter who you decide to cheer for this weekend, enjoy the game, enjoy the spectacle and enjoy the football.

Posted in Plaxico Burress, NFL Game Previews, Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Superbowl, Superbowl XLII, Laurence Maroney, NFL Coaches, Randy Moss, NFL Players, NFL Franchises/Teams, Game, Eli Manning, NY Giants, Tom Brady, New England Patriots, NFL | No Comments »

Week 13 Analysis: NYG @ Chicago

December 2nd, 2007 9:08 pm
by Big Dog

There’s no pretty way to say this. The Ney York Giants and their battling QB Eli Manning got lucky today. In a game where Manning was continuing his recent and struggling form with two interceptions and a lost fumble, he managed an unexpected fourth quarter comeback that will finally give fans and media in New York something positive to talk about. The best feature of Manning’s game was that he didn’t allow the pressure to get to him. He stayed focused on his job and waited for things to start working. This is a character trait that I’ve long admired in Eli, he copes very well with the additional scrutiny and pressure that is applied to him as a result of his big brother’s stellar career. Eli plays his game and he clearly has the mental toughness to win.

The conditions at Chicago’s Soldier Field were troublesome for both teams. With heavy rain in the morning, and swirling winds throughout the game, it was a difficult game for anyone to get going in the air. Even so, Chicago QB Rex Grossman put in an excellent effort in difficult conditions to complete 25 of 46 passes for 296 yards and a TD. That completion number looks low, but Grossman was especially impressive with his clock management and decision making within the final two minutes of both halves. Good clock management was a real feature of his work and he certainly demonstrated that despite his difficulties earlier in the season, this young QB’s still plenty to offer the Bears. The only consistent flaw in his game today was that he kept getting sacked (6 sacks this game) for big losses by dropping back to allow plays to develop. He should have realised earlier that the best way to beat the Giants’ pass rush (which applied no real pressure on the inside) was to step up into the pocket and buy an extra couple of seconds that way. Doing so would also afforded him better vision of the field.

So, in a simple quarterback comparison, Chicago should have won. As we all know there’s a lot more to football than that. I still believe that there are serious questions to be asked, not just of Eli Manning, but the entire Giants offense and especially Head Coach Tom Coughlin. Manning and his key receivers (WR Plaxico Burress, TE Jeremy Shockey and WR Amani Toomer) have being playing together for several years now and it needs to be asked why these guys haven’t built a better playing relationship. To all appearances they get on very well together and when things work, they work really well, but by now I’d be expecting to see these guys have a better feel and knowledge of what each other is doing on the field. That said, it also needs to be asked of Coach Coughlin, when the QB of the team is struggling with an offense that runs a very vertical passing system, why aren’t there more options in the New York playbook? Where are the mid-range passing plays? Where are the options and adjustments in game?

It’s clear that there are fundamental problems with the Giants offense, but I am unconvinced that the problem is with the players. I have a feeling that it might just be that the team doesn’t know what to do with the players they have. Until the Giants resolve these issues, the best they can hope for is these unconvincing and somewhat fortunate victories.

Posted in Plaxico Burress, NFL on FOX, NFL Coaches, Rex Grossman, Jeremy Shockey, Amani Toomer, Tom Coughlin, NY Giants, Chicago Bears, Analysis, Game, NFL on television, NFL Franchises/Teams, Eli Manning, NFL Players, NFL | No Comments »

NFL Week 6 Monday Night Football

October 15th, 2007 9:24 pm
by Pro Set

New York Giants 21-10 Atlanta Falcons Half Time

Second Quarter thoughts 

It took three plays for the Manning mistake to come. He held the ball too long and did not step up on the 3^rd & 11 passing play. 

And the Falcons could not take advantage. ATL K Morten Andersen missed a 48 yard FG attempt to cap a 4 play (-2 yards) drive. 

In a well-predicted read of the square-in, ATL picked off Manning for the second big mistake inside the two minute warning, blowing a real chance to extend the NYG lead.

Ron Jaworski predicted this in an example of why football men always need to be given time in the booth to explain what they know. If this game blows out in the second half, get ready for the Suzy Kolber human-interest-story-a-thon to begin.

Back to the game, Manning is improving, but still does not seem able to play 60 Mins mistake free football.

New York Giants 14-10 Atlanta Falcons End of First Quarter

First Quarter thoughts

I have previously spoken about how the Giants hide their defensive deficiencies with blitzing. Tonight Atlanta has already busted them for one huge rush. Atlanta will need more big plays against the blitz.

The Giants look good with the ball. Eli Manning inevitably makes mistakes in games. If the Falcons cannot capitalise on whatever gifts the Giants provide, this one is over.

The Falcons cannot keep up with the Giants in a track meet.

Posted in Atlanta Falcons, Monday Night Football, NY Giants, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL | No Comments »

NFL Week 4 Instant Analysis: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

September 30th, 2007 11:54 pm
by Pro Set

Philadelphia 3-16 NY Giants

It would be tempting to blame the injury problems of Philadelphia for the loss to NY Giants. RB Brian Westbrook was among those sorely missed. The truth is, however, that the Eagles were outplayed in a classic demonstration of why left tackles get paid so much money.

When Phildelphia had possession, I felt that they ran the ball well through RB Correll Buckhalter. I also felt that PHI followed up their rare first downs with too many subsequent 1^st & 10 pass plays. The NBC coverage foussed heavily on the battles between RT Jon Runyan and LE Michael Strahan, and, on the other end, LT Winston Justice and RE Osi Umenyiora. It is trite to say that the Giants dominated the edge rush and forced QB Donovan McNabb into rushing his passes.

What nobody seemed to address, however, was that McNabb was not stepping up into the pocket and keeping his eyes downfield. He was taking five step drops and then getting hit. After the sheer volume of sacks that the Eagles conceded, I wanted to see McNabb hit his final drop step and step up, allowing his tackles to concentrate on stopping the inside move. Did anyone hear the name of DT Fred Robbins get mentioned? That means that there was less inside pressure on McNabb, but I guess that they did not have time to pressure him before he was sacked by the edge rushers.

There really is no point writing more than this. Since PHI could not protect the passer, the Eagles could not throw the ball. This meant that it was imperative for the Eagles to get the lead. On this reasoning, the game was decided in two plays.

First, with NYG moving forward late in the second quarter, LB Omar Gaither picked off a QB Eli Manning pass. After carrying the ball back to midfield, he ran out of bounds. I could not believe that he did not try to run over Manning. This was a terrible decision. The momentum of the turnover disappeared in a symphony of penalties and negative plays. How many truly great NFL defenders would run out of bounds when faced with a QB guarding the yardage to the endzone: not many.

Second, the FR TD return by LB Kawika Mitchell deserves mention. I still don’t know how a skill position player like Correll Buckhalter could not cover up that fumble. This Giants TD, occurring late in the 3^rd quarter, drained the belief from the PHI players. If PHI had entered the final quarter, after conceding endless sacks and penalties, with only a ten point deficit, the NYG player might well have thought that the Eagles would prove impossible to extinguish: it’s happened before in this rivalry.

So, overall, the Eagles tried but failed in their (hopefully unintended) application of the Homer Simpson strategy. Stand up like a man, take as many punches as the other guy can possibly throw at you, and then push him over for the knock out victory. Having said that, Andy Reid had as many answers to the NYG pass rush as Moe Siszlak had to the power of Drederick Tatum. Was Andy Reid not once an NFL offensive lineman?

Finally, we only had to wait 90 seconds before John Madden mentioned exotic blitzes (see preview).

Posted in Kawika Mitchell, Fred Robbins, John Madden, Correll Buckhalter, Week 4 Instant Analysis, Jon Runyan, Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Shaun Andrews, Andy Reid, NFL Coaches, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL on NBC, Analysis, Eli Manning, Philadelphia Eagles, Brian Westbrook, Donovan McNabb, NY Giants, NFL | No Comments »

Week 4 Previews and Fantasy

September 29th, 2007 1:22 pm
by NFL Freak

It’s another big week in football with some key conference matchups.

• To read Pro Set’s preview of Seattle @ San Francisco, click here.
• To read the Philadelphia @ NY Giants preview, click here.

In other news:

• For the last word in Fantasy Football, check out Big Dog’s Love ‘em and Leave ‘em list.
• For the week 4 TV schedule, click here.
• For the inside track on Pro Set’s Best Bets, click here.

Posted in NY Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Monday Night Football, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, NFL on FOX, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL on Sky Sports, ESPN, Game, NFL on television, NFL schedule, NFL on NBC, NFL | No Comments »

NFL Week 4 Featured Preview: Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants

September 28th, 2007 11:07 pm
by Pro Set

Philadelphia (1-2) @ NY Giants (1-2) Sun 8:15pm ET on NBC

It will be hard for the loser of this match to win the division. Philadelphia comes in off an amazing display of offensive power against a Detroit Lions secondary that had clearly been studying film of the 2000 St Louis Rams defense: maybe Mike Martz brought it with him. NY Giants hits the halfway point of its divisional schedule here and will need a win to keep pace with Dallas.

NY Giants

QB Eli Manning was well supported last week by a dependable second half running game. RB Derrick Ward carried the ball effectively and exceeded expectations. The Giants cannot afford to spot the Eagles a 14-point lead like they did the Redskins. It follows that the Giants will need to run the ball with some success early in the match. The Giants should take heart from the way that the Redskins were able to run the ball against the Eagles. WSH was able to ground out long drives by good fundamental blocking. The power and strength of the PHI front seven is somewhat of a concern.

In the passing game, I’m sure that we’ll here at some point that Eli Manning will face some exotic blitzes from PHI defensive co-ordinator Jim Johnson. This is where the Giants have to make a decision. If WR Plaxico Burress is healthy enough, the Giants might be tempted to use a max protect scheme on 3^rd down and try to hit Burress deep against single coverage. If Burress is still troubled by his ankle problem, then TE Jeremy Shockey has to be the hot receiver. If Shockey makes 3^rd down catches that move the chains, the Eagles will be forced to back off the pressure. Eli Manning has a history of losing his mechanics and technique when pressured, so PHI will be loathe to sit back and just play coverage.

Philadelphia

After the surreal nature of last Sunday, QB Donovan McNabb might be expected to enter this game on top of the world. But I think that RB Brian Westbrook is more important. Westbrook has to be decisive and strong against an NYG front that suddenly clicked in the second half last Sunday. Westbrook cannot get greedy and bounce runs outside. I would like to see the Eagles line up and run consistently over the right side of the line, using the nastiest RG / RT combo in the NFC, being RG Shaun Andrews and RT Jon Runyan. I can’t see LB Kawika Mitchell and LB Antonio Pierce shedding those blocks too easily. Of course, if DT Fred Robbins and DT Barry Cofield can disrupt the central rushing lanes, the linebackers will be far more dangerous.

When the Eagles throw the ball, WR Reggie Brown and WR Kevin Curtis have to get open. The Giants secondary was torched by the Cowboys in Week 1, and the Redskins too hit some deep passes last Sunday. I expect the PHI line to provide good pass protection. I think that the Eagles have to try to drive the Giants into softer coverage with a couple of early deep balls on 1^st & 10 or better. I have not been impressed with TE LJ Smith so far and I think that he needs to be a better broken play 3^rd down receiver (much like WSH TE Chris Cooley). The Eagles also should make every effort to use Westbrook on screens and option patterns, since the linebackers will have to sit off him out of respect for his speed. If they don’t, PHI must be prepared to call the wheel route and let Westbrook go deep.

Conclusion

It’s hardly a big call to predict that this will be close. I think, unusually, that it will help the Eagles to be on the road. I think that they need to be a little more conservative on offense and let the Giants force the play. There is an injury doubt over PHI K David Akers, but he is expected to play. I like the Eagles in a close one, mainly due to the fact that Westbrook is a proven game-breaker in this series. Don’t be surprised to see some trick plays, and maybe even fake kicks. This one is too important for both teams to leave any page untried.

Prediction: Philadelphia

Posted in Antonio Pierce, Kawika Mitchell, Fred Robbins, Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown, Jeremy Shockey, David Akers, LJ Smith, Derrick Ward, NFL Game Previews, Eli Manning, NFL Franchises/Teams, Game, Philadelphia Eagles, NY Giants, Brian Westbrook, Donovan McNabb, NFL | No Comments »

NFL Week 3 Instant Analysis New York Giants at Washington Redskins

September 24th, 2007 5:34 am
by Pro Set

NY Giants 24-17 Washington

This was the prototype game of 2 halves. With Washington playing exactly as the script anticipated in the 1^st half, a solid running game and a couple of deep passes and zero turnovers brought them a deserved 14 point half time lead. In the second half, things went wrong. Let’s examine why.

The simple answer is that WSH could not manufacture any first downs. The Redskins went 3 & out on every 3^rd quarter possession and then fumbled the next possession with scores level. Looking inside that problem, the key was first down rushing. WSH ran to the outside on 1^st down after half time and the Giants stuffed those plays. With WSH playing conservatively, losses on 1^st & 10 will lead to 3 & outs more often.

Despite the offensive ineptitude, WSH had 1^st & Goal at the NYG 5 with a minute left, no timeouts, and the clock running. QB Jason Campbell was finally allowed to make some throws and he hit Antwaan Randle El over the middle for a huge gain. Having got to the NYG 5, the Redskins spiked the ball. This was madness. If they had huddled up, and ran a 1^st down play at 30 seconds remaining, and called a pass, the clock would have stopped after that play (assuming incompletion or TD). This panic and disorganization was unacceptably poor.

The Redskins look like frontrunners to me. I can’t see them overcoming too many deficits this season. This makes the loss of a home 14 point lead an utter disaster for WSH. This loss already feels as though it will cost WSH any shot at winning the division.

For the Giants, Eli Manning is making progress. He overcame a 2 INT outing to move the chains and generally looked like a seasoned NFL QB. To get a divisional road win after trailing by 2 TDs at the half is never something to criticize. Unlike DAL QB Tony Romo, I think that Manning can improve further. The effort of a hobbled WR Plaxico Burress was also very impressive. Playing through the pain barrier is a sure way to unite a fractured locker-room.

The Giants will need to bring their second half defense when they play PHI next week. The Giants will also need a running game. RB Derrick Ward looked solid today. Whether he can be a consistent NFL featured back is a matter for debate. Ward himself can settle it by dominating against a suspect PHI defense next week. Unfortunately for the Giants I think that poor play-calling and hesitance by WSH made the job too easy. The Redskins lost despite a +2 turnover margin and a 17 point first half.

Posted in Jason Campbell, Antwaan Randle El, Washington Redskins, Week 3 Instant Analysis, Plaxico Burress, NY Giants, Analysis, NFL Franchises/Teams, Eli Manning, NFL | No Comments »

NFL Week 3 Featured Preview: New York Giants @ Washington Redskins

September 21st, 2007 7:38 pm
by Pro Set

NY Giants (0-2) @ Washington (2-0) 4:15pm ET on FOX

The last time that NY Giants visited Washington, the Giants were under enormous pressure to win in order to salvage a playoff appearance from the ruins of a 6-2 start. Now the Giants return to Landover, MD with a worrisome 0-2 start and a coach (Tom Coughlin) who is firmly on the hot seat.

When the Giants have the ball, all the pressure will be on NYG QB Eli Manning. Unless or until RB Brandon Jacobs has a break out game, Manning will have to carry this team. Jacobs is a straight ahead power runner, and his best chance against the WSH defense will be to run over undersized defenders like MLB London Fletcher. Don’t expect to see Jacobs running counters or tosses. If WSH DT Cornelius Griffin, who has a quick first step, can get penetration, the Giants running game is in serious trouble. If Jacobs does have some success, expect to see S Sean Taylor try to come off the weak edge and run the play down behind the line of scrimmage.

NYG figures, however, to be a passing offense. Up front, WSH DE Philip Daniels is expected to return after missing the sensational MNF road win at Philadelphia. Combined with DE Andre Carter, this provides the Redskins with good pass rush capabilities from their front four.

I think that the key match up will be C Shaun O’Hara and G Chris Snee against Griffin. Manning needs to be able to step up and step into his throws. The WSH edge pass rush will be far less effective unless the pocket can also be collapsed through the middle. Success here for the NYG protection scheme will also force the Redskins to blitz more. The Giants should welcome that. WR Plaxico Burress can use his size when covered one-on-one. The WSH secondary is full of depth and CB Carlos Rogers and CB Shawn Springs will be able to play aggressive defense if Taylor and S LaRon Landry are sitting over the top in a 2 deep shell. Taylor and Landry have great range. NYG must eliminate one of these two by forcing them up near the line.

When Washington has the ball, expect a conservative game plan. With NYG having conceded 80 points through 2 weeks, the Redskins will look to pound it out and then hit WR Santana Moss on the deep play action pass. I expect Joe Gibbs to run early and often over the left side of the line. With G Randy Thomas and T Jon Jansen both injured, the left side of line is stronger for WSH. RB Clinton Portis and RB Ladell Betts must be patient. I think the Redskins could have a huge day on the ground.

As for the WSH passing game, QB Jason Campbell is rapidly improving. He can throw a nice deep ball, although he did overthrow a wide open Moss last week. Where I think that Campbell can excel, though, is on the move. Expect to see the Redskins leave 7 in to block, and Campbell to break to his right if the first read is covered. He will then look to dump the ball to Betts or to TE Chris Cooley for the first down. Campbell completed several huge 3^rd down conversions last week by passing well on the move.

In summary, this will be a battle of contrasting philosophies. The Giants will come into Washington and hope that their franchise QB can tear up a solid WSH defense and lead them to victory. The Redskins will rely on a consistent first down running attack complemented by a relatively mobile young QB. This series has a recent history of surprise performances. But Washington won me over last week with their long second half scoring drives.

Prediction: WSH

Line: WSH

Posted in Washington Redskins, Santana Moss, Ladell Betts, Chris Cooley, Shaun O'Hara, Cornelius Griffin, Philip Daniels, Chris Snee, Clinton Portis, Jason Campbell, Eli Manning, Analysis, Game, NY Giants, NFL Game Previews, Jon Jansen, Joe Gibbs, NFL | No Comments »

Week 2 Fantasy Players

September 16th, 2007 3:38 am
by Big Dog

There’s no question that the Buffalo Bills have had an emotionally challenging week as they’ve dealt with the news of Kevin Everett’s injury and then the nearly miraculous nature of his recover thus far. In spite of the distractions, expect the Bills to be playing with a lot of commitment and energy as their injured defense look to hold up against the attack of the Pittsburgh Steelers as led by Ben Roethlisberger.

That said, Roethlisberger himself has a lot to be playing for this week. He’s been stung by criticism of his decision making, game management and his performance last season. He’s got a lot to prove and teammates have reported that he’s training and playing with the drive and commitment of a man with a chip on his shoulder. Add to this the fact that the Steelers defense managed to force five turnovers and six sacks last week. If that proves to be a trend, then the Steelers offense is going to get plenty of playing time. I’d expect Big Ben to be taking full advantage of the Bills’ injuries this week and looking for some impressive numbers from him.

Plaxico Burress was a popular outlet for Eli Manning last week, with a total of 8 receptions for 144 yards and 3 touchdowns. While Manning remains in doubt with a shoulder injury (he’s almost universally expected to play), it would be reasonable to expect that backup quarterback Jared Lorenzen would look for a similar performance from Burress this week. Either way, expect the ball to fly and for Plaxico to test the Green Bay Packers defense.

Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt hosts his first home game as the Arizona Cardinals face the Seattle Seahawks. It’ll be a tough match as both teams posted some good performances in week 1. I think Seattle Running Back Shaun Alexander will supply some excellent value and entertainment this week. He traditionally averages close to 100 yards against the Cardinals and has scored 10 TDs in their last 5 meetings. If he gets a good jump this week, he could carry the Seahawks all the way to a win.

Champ Bailey will be worth keeping an eye on as the Denver Broncos play host to the Oakland Raiders this week. Coach Mike Shanahan has an excellent record against the Raiders and Champ is an interception specialist. In addition, his expanded duties on special teams ensure his contributions to the Broncos are spread as far across the field as possible. The decision to include the Champ on special teams was more than paid for with his touchdown saving tackle in week 1.

Good luck everyone, for week 2.

Posted in Plaxico Burress, Ben Roethlisberger, Oakland Raiders, Kevin Everett, Jared Lorenzen, Shaun Alexander, Mike Shanahan, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Champ Bailey, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, NFL Players, NFL Franchises/Teams, Analysis, Game, Eli Manning, Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, Ken Whisenhunt, NFL Coaches, NY Giants, NFL | No Comments »