Giants running game struggling without Bradshaw
The 2007 Giants offense featured a very talented offensive line and a trio of running backs who were so dynamic that they were dubbed “Earth, Wind, and Fire.” The offensive line opened up holes left and right for the backs, who would wear down defenses with a burst of speed (Bradshaw), a powerful push (Jacobs), and an extra dimension (Ward). This was especially pivotal in the crucial playoff clincher Week 16 against Buffalo, when Ahmad Bradshaw broke out with a huge game.
The 2011 Giants are now down to one of those backs in Brandon Jacobs, while Ahmad Bradshaw recovers from an injury and a pair of little-known speedy backs try to fill the gaps. The 2011 Giants rank 31st in the league in rushing, after finishing sixth in the league last year. Additionally, the offensive line has been totally shaken up, as we’ve seen Ivy League Cornell grad Kevin Boothe handle many snaps at center and elsewhere on the offensive line while pro bowler Shaun O’Hara is no longer with the team. Boothe was a backup on the ’07 squad and has struggled at times this season, especially with easy things like snapping the ball.
Another problem is Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. I find myself back and forth with praise and disappointment with Gilbride, but this season I’ve been seriously wondering what he is doing. Throughout his tenure as OC of the Giants, I’ve seen him call his fair share of ridiculous shotgun draws at the weirdest times in the game. This year is no different and Gilbride continues to drill this shotgun draw into the ground. It simply doesn’t work, it never has, and I have no clue why he keeps doing it.
The Giants desperately need a healthy Bradshaw to offset the power back in Jacobs. The Giants had been known to be a team that knows how to mix it up at the running back position, keeping defenses on their toes or off guard. Lately, this hasn’t been the case with the absence of Bradshaw as the Giants have dropped two straight after starting the season with a commanding 6-2 record.
The Giants, who are tied with Dallas for the NFC East division lead, have one of the toughest schedules remaining this season as they have to face New Orleans and Green Bay in the next couple weeks — and they haven’t even faced Dallas yet. In order to win the division, they will need to win some difficult games, and especially the games within the division.
Rex Ryan’s controversial manner will ultimately drive him out of NY
Rex Ryan isn't smiling now
Some people fall into controversial hot waters. Rex Ryan dives into controversial hot waters.
I have always believed that the Jets head coach is far too loud of a coach to last in New York, which also happens to be known as the media capital of the world. Time and time again, Ryan has gone out of his way to put himself in the middle of the most controversial situations possible. He has almost never backed up anything he has said and he finds a way to make a fool out of himself every single week. He definitely won’t last long in New York once the Jets begin struggling, because when the dominoes start falling, you know they never stop.
- I’ve lost count how many times he’s guaranteed something that never did happen. Has anyone realized how quickly this gets old? The worst part is that he declared his team eliminated from the playoffs two years ago, only to see them come back and make the playoffs. When a coach says his team is done, he should get no credit for anything that they win after he says that. And when you keep failing to achieve what you guaranteed, the whole point of guaranteeing is diminished. You basically only get one chance to guarantee something, and if you fail then it becomes pointless to bother with anymore. His teams have come close to the Super Bowl the last two seasons, but in the end they went home with nothing. No division title, no conference title, and obviously no Super Bowl title. On paper, they were just a wild card team two consecutive seasons.
- Remember this? Yeah, for those of you who were too lazy to click on that link, it will link you back to the Deadspin post detailing the foot fetish story that surfaced last December. Ryan and his wife Michelle found themselves embroiled in a foot fetish disaster when it was found that Ryan’s wife had posted videos of her feet. Ryan was in the photo that was shown, and this is a perfect example of how he just throws himself into the middle of everything. So obviously Rex AND his wife together are masters at creating distractions for the Jets.
- It doesn’t end there. You know how Rex Ryan is the head coach of the Jets and one of their huge rivals are the New England Patriots? Well, this one is pretty recent. This time around, Rex wants to be in a movie. This isn’t just any movie or any character. Rex decided he would star as a New England Patriots fan in Adam Sandler’s film, “I hate you, Dad.”
- You saw from the disaster with his wife that Rex isn’t very careful about what kind of things about him could end up on the Internet. Two summers ago, Ryan made headlines when he made an obscene gesture to a camera while he was at a sporting event.
- There is always something new. Just this past week, Rex again had to make a huge splash. While he was walking back to the locker room between halves during his team’s loss to the Patriots on Primetime, he cursed at a heckling fan. This is probably the worst message a coach could send to anybody who wants to take after him as a role model. This probably will help suck the life out of the already sinking Jets, who dropped to 5-4 on the season after last week’s loss.
The case of Tim Tebow: A starting NFL quarterback
Tim Tebow is not your average public figure.
Despite becoming the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy and winning two National Championships with Florida, experts did not (and still do not) have very much faith in Tebow’s abilities to succeed at the NFL level. Renowned NFL draft expert Mel Kiper, Jr. expected Tebow to be drafted in the third round of the NFL draft. Some experts even expected him to sink in the draft even further, citing his throwing motion as a reason for why they believed he would fail at the next level.
When he finished his career at Florida, Tebow worked tirelessly to prepare for the NFL draft. Having already been established as one of the most popular NFL prospects in years despite the low expectations, Tebow was featured on ESPN as they followed his workout routine in the time leading up to the draft.
Fast forward to the day of the draft, Tebow was drafted in the first round by the Denver Broncos — proving Kiper, Jr. and many others wrong. In his 2010 rookie campaign in Denver, he contributed in any way he was asked and saw some action at random times, similar to how he was used his freshman year in college when Florida State won it all. He made three starts last season and even had a big game against a divisional opponent, quietly making his case to be considered as a potentially decent NFL quarterback someday.
In 2011, Tebow was behind starting quarterback Kyle Orton at the beginning of the season, and he also had to compete with Brady Quinn for the backup spot. By week 5, Orton had been struggling and new coach John Fox decided it was time to make a change. Fox made the bold decision to bench Orton late in the game in favor of Tebow, who ended up throwing for a touchdown and rushing for another in the 29-21 loss to the San Diego Chargers. Tebow’s performance prompted chants of “Tebow! Tebow! Tebow!” from the Denver fans, even in losing fashion.
A few days later, coach Fox took his support for Tebow one step further by officially naming him the starting quarterback. Without a doubt, it is a shocking turn of events considering Tebow was written off before he even graduated from college.
I find it really surprising to see so many people dismiss Tebow’s abilities. Tom Brady and Kurt Warner are quarterbacks that were totally irrelevant prior to their days in the NFL, and both have Super Bowl MVP trophies. With this in mind, common sense would say that the general public would have high expectations for someone like Tebow, who was obviously much more relevant as he entered the NFL and had a much better resume to show for with his national titles and Heisman Trophy.
With this, let’s look at some of those arguments against Tebow.
1.Greg Doyel at CBS Sports tried arguing that Tebow was only successful in college because he fit into then-coach Urban Meyer’s offensive system. Nice try. The funny thing is that Tebow has now worked his way up the ranks to becoming a starting quarterback in the NFL, so if Tebow is compatible with another team at a higher level then obviously Doyel was wrong.
2. ESPN NFL analyst Merril Hoge (who predicted that Kellen Clemens was the best quarterback of his draft class and that Percy Harvin would be the biggest draft bust of 2009) has always hated Tebow with a passion. Hoge probably didn’t expect Tebow to be drafted, so when Tebow made a few appearances in the 2010 season, Hoge blew a gasket.
After watching three (yes, only three) of Tebow’s games from last year, Hoge concluded that Tebow’s performances were “embarrassing” and went on to criticize Tebow’s throwing motion.
What is he talking about? If anything, Tebow’s inaccurate throws last year were no different than any other raw rookie quarterback trying to get a feel for the NFL. Let’s not forget that Peyton Manning broke the record for interceptions his rookie year and now he will go down as one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game.
I find it ridiculous that Hoge or anybody else would bother to criticize Tebow’s throwing motion. I don’t see how an unusual throwing motion could be a bad thing if a quarterback can still get the job done. Many experts thought that Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers’ odd throwing motion would prevent him from succeeding in the NFL. Meanwhile, Rivers has had a solid NFL career with three pro bowl selections and has led his team to several division titles and playoff appearances.
Off the Field
Tim Tebow does not help himself at all with his activity off the field. Tebow’s strong religious and political views have painted a very controversial picture of him in the minds of sports fans around the country and he runs the risk of damaging his reputation. He should have kept his views to himself in order to avoid negative publicity — but instead he used Super Bowl commercials as a platform to spread his views to millions of viewers around the world. His Super Bowl commercial with homophobic group “Focus on the Family” resulted in Tebow losing endorsement deals.
While I don’t agree with Tebow’s political stances in the slightest, I personally look beyond his off-the-field activity and focus on his performance on the field for the Denver Broncos. And while I am not exactly a fan of Tebow, I think the critics are way in over their head and should realize that Tebow isn’t nearly as bad as they think. I would like to see Tebow succeed just to prove them wrong — notice the title of this piece has me intentionally mentioning that Tebow has become what nobody thought he would be: an NFL quarterback.
Merril Hoge and the rest of his critics will be watching closely next weekend when Tebow’s Broncos take on the Miami Dolphins, and I’m sure they will be hoping for the worst.
I’m hoping for the best.
Reflecting on Reyes: In what may be his final games as a Met, Reyes fights for batting title
Jose Reyes and Ryan Braun are neck-to-neck in the race for the batting title in the National League, but Mets fans are worried that their days of watching their beloved Jose in a Mets uniform may be numbered.
The Mets, long since eliminated from playoff contention, are embarking on a six-game home stand that will conclude their season full of back-page tabloids regarding the club’s financial hardships, underachieving and overpaid stars, and of course the potential final season of having Jose Reyes.
Reyes has a deep history with the organization, the only team he has been with — dating back to his young days in the Dominican Republic in 1999. Eddy Toledo, a scout for the Mets at the time, pressured the team to sign the 16-year-old Reyes after an impressive tryout. Omar Minaya was the head of International Scouting for the Mets at the time and convinced upper management to take a look at him despite his small frame, and Reyes was offered a $22,000 bonus. The team was so impressed that they had him skip the usual process of sending Dominican players to the Dominican Academy to assimilate them and prepare them for the transition to American culture. The team just sent him straight to the minor leagues.
Reyes made an immediate impact though, blowing through Rookie League ball, Single-A, and Double-A, leading the minors in several categories. In Reyes’ first game in Double-A, he had five hits and four RBI. Reyes ended up winning Double-A All-Star honors and was named the Most Valuable Player of the MLB Futures Game in 2002.
The Mets were preparing for Reyes to be their future shortstop, and signed veteran Rey Ordonez to a one-year contract in 2002 to pace Reyes and give him some time to prepare. Reyes was called up a day before his 20th birthday and impressed everyone from the beginning. He had a multi-hit game in his debut and hit a grand slam later that week.
It wasn’t too long after that Reyes became the every day starter for the Mets, becoming a key part of their lineup and infield for years to come. He led the Majors in triples three out of four seasons, and led the National League in stolen bases three years in a row. A four-time NL All-Star, it is not surprising that Reyes also holds the Mets record for runs scored, stolen bases, and triples.
Reyes became a fan-favorite in a hurry. Reyes would be caught on camera with a huge smile on his face and an energetic attitude, regardless of how poorly the team was playing. Reyes became known for taking time out of his pre-game stretching to sign autographs for fans and he earned the respect of the fans early on. He entertained the Shea (and now CitiField) faithful with his Professor Reyes Spanish Academy series on the JumboTron during games, as he would teach fans a new Spanish Word and react to how well they could or couldn’t say the word. He proved to be an essential piece of the organization, from being a fan favorite to his performance on the field.
As it comes full circle, the free-agent-to-be Reyes is still at the top of his game at the age of 28, despite a history of injuries. Whether he leaves or not, he will go down as one of the best players to ever put on a Mets uniform. After having an exceptional season at the plate, Reyes is currently tied with Braun for the National League batting title with a .329 average with just two series remaining in the 2011 season. Braun’s Milwaukee Brewers, who have already wrapped up the NL Central Division Title, are concluding their season with a home stand against the Marlins and Pirates.
Reyes and the Mets hope to end their season on a high note as the star shortstop fights for his first batting title. At least for the CitiField faithful, there is something to cheer about — they just hope it won’t be the last time they cheer for Jose in a Mets uniform.
Why Jerry Reese never went after big-name free agents
The Philadelphia Eagles have been on quite a shopping spree during this lockout-shortened offseason while the New York Giants haven’t done much of anything except lose players.
But is this really all that bad? The Eagles are being hyped up with Miami Heat-esque expectations after acquiring Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha, among others. I didn’t realize the Eagles’ really needed these guys until the other day when I played with them in Madden and got torched defensively. Seriously though, coming off a division title last season the expectations should be high for the Eagles.
The Giants, on the other hand, are coming off a decent 10-6 season, narrowly missing the playoffs. While their division rival has bought everyone on the free-agent market, the Giants haven’t made many moves to improve. While the New York media are quick to point out what the Giants haven’t done, I think its important to realize what kind of organization the Giants are. General manager Jerry Reese isn’t known for his big-name free agent acquisitions. Besides Antrel Rolle, Reese hasn’t exactly made a splash in free-agency and he is rather known for his ability to build a team from the roots via the NFL draft. In his first season as GM for Big Blue in 2007, every single player he drafted played in the postseason for the Giants and many of them played an important role in the improbable 17-14 victory in the Super Bowl that handed the New England Patriots their first loss of the season.
Reese has dug deep to create the necessary depth on his team to prepare for players that decide to leave via free agency. When Tiki Barber retired, Reese drafted Ahmad Bradshaw and the Bradshaw-Jacobs tandem wore down defenses just like Barber and Ron Dayne’s “thunder and lightning” combination did in the 2000 Super Bowl run. Reese also turned heads when he drafted Kevin Boss, who would eventually replace Jeremy Shockey at tight end when most people doubted that Shockey could be replaced anytime soon.
At this point, Giants fans should be trusting Reese’s ability to fill holes when they least expect it. Time after time, Reese has proved to fans that older, expensive players can be replaced by younger and cheaper talent. This system’s success has been reflected in the team’s record. After all, the Giants haven’t had a losing season since 2004.
