MONSTERS OF THE MEADOWLANDS: A SHORT LOOK BACK

Now that I look back, it seems like every defensive player for the New York Giants was a pro-bowler. Yeah, maybe im being a tad bit bias, but those 80's & 90's Giant defenses were good, and in a few of those seasons, great!

To this day I still have the majority of the starter's names, weight, height, number, and college permanently embedded in my brain. It comes in handy for a lenghty Giants football conversation, or for remaking the squads on Madden.

Just say the names to yourself and notice how "all-proish" they sound... Harry Carson, Pepper Johnson, Carl Banks, Gary Reasons, George Martin, Leonard Marshall, Jim Burt, Mark Collins, Greg Jackson, Everson Walls, Myron Guyton and of course (I saved the greatest for last) Superman himself, the legendary Lawrence Taylor!

After experiencing the disaster that was this '09 Giants defense was, these names sound even better. But I still think this season was a fluke, and our New York Giants' defense will bounce back to being a superpower it once was. I posted a few videos to relive some classic moments that this past defense has blessed us fans with. If you're a TRUE New York Giants Fan like me, I challenge you not to cry a little bit.

GIANTS - JETS 2010: CLASS vs CRASS

by
John Fennelly

In the never-ending press conference that has become the new Jets culture, someone is bound to say the wrong thing sooner or later.

The Colts were not happy with the loquacious nature of the Jets this past week and made it known to the world after the game (illustrated by the comments made on the victory podium by Jim Irsay, Jim Caldwell and Peyton Manning).

But even those not-so-subtle hints and a sound thrashing apparently cannot stop the garbage-laden diatribe of Rex Ryan. Yesterday he took a swipe at the Giants, who are innocent bystanders in this Jet whirlwind.

“Let’s play this game in front of our fans and our stadium, the new Jets stadium,” Ryan ranted. “I can’t wait. We get our own stadium and we are not visitors in our stadium. This is our stadium. We are the biggest show in town, and that’s what it’s going to be.”

Most old-time Giant fans refuse to get dragged in to this sophomoric exercise of trash talking. The Giants themselves are taking the high road. They have too much class.

When asked about Ryan’s comments, Giants’ VP Pat Hanlon simply said: “The Jets had a very good season, and we congratulate them.”

It’s crass vs class at the Meadowlands these days. Ryan is an excellent bovine scatologist. He is drawing a line in the sand where one does not need to be drawn.

The Giants and Jets are not rivals. They are co-tenants and business partners. They rarely play each other and when thy have, the game has been for menial stakes.

Ryan does not understand that the Giants are not the enemy. The Giants are not the reason why the Jets have not been to the Super Bowl for the past four decades.

Had he done some research, he would know that the Jets were up against teams with Hall-of-Fame caliber coaches (Don Shula, Bill Belichick, Marv Levy, Jimmy Johnson, Chuck Knox, Bill Parcells) over that period.

The Giants had nothing to do with the hiring of Joe Walton and Rich Kotite; the drafting of bust after bust; taking Ken O'Brien over Dan Marino etc. etc etc.

The Giants had their own problems. They managed to overcome them, much like the Jets are doing now. But Ryan is crossing a line here that should not be crossed.

As a student of New York football for 45 years, I believe he will one day be eating his words if he dosen't tread more lightly in New York.

COWGIRLS MAKE HATING THEM SO EASY!

I've never rooted for Brett Favre so much or so hard in my life! Actually, I've never rooted for Brett Favre period. But on Sunday, I was jumping around excited, "Jersey Shore" pumping my fist as if my Giants were destroying those Cowgirls!

What a JOKE Tony Homo and those Cowgirls are. Hey, you know why Tony Homo went back to snap holding? So he could practice his fumbling, LOL! A message to you Cowgirl fans, the Tony Homo you saw Sunday against the Vikings IS the real Tony Homo. Cowgirl fans need to stop letting ESPN hype them up into thinking they have a "championship QB/team. If you really think that "special ed student", Wade Phillips and Tony Homo are ever going to lead Dallas to a championship, please do the sports world a favor and kill yourself.

Damn I LOVE hating those Cowgirls! They make hatint them so easy and fun. at the end of the day, they're guranteed to fuck up! If you're not from Dallas, I dont see how a non-retarded person could be a fan of that team. And on that note, I hope all you Cowgirl fans from Memphis put the pistol in your mouths after that blow-out loss sunday!

Give me Eli Manning and my New York Giants any lifetime over Tony Homo and those Cowgirls, AND Donovan McChoke and those Eaglettes. I would'nt trade this NY Giants '09 season for those teams or their fraudulent playoff berths for anything in the world!

Cowgirl, Eaglettes, & Skins fans, BOW TO A TEAM GREATER THAN YOUR LIVES.......................................GIANTS 4 LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'SOME DIE HARD'

by David Jacks on Dec 24, 2009 11:40 AM EST Courtesy of: Big Blue View.com

I sit at my computer scouring the Internet to find out if there's any chance the lowly Seahawks can beat fantasy god Aaron Rodgers (who destroyed two playoff runs for me - I know you're all interested in my fantasy life) and the Green Bay Packers. I have Google searched, made 7 phone calls and texted two doctors inquiring about DeAngelo Williams's ankle injury. I have played four Play Station 2 (I know it's sad, one day i'll upgrade) versions of the Dallas at Washington (all losses for Dallas by the way) game and it's only three days after the Giants dismantled the Washington Redskins, which led to this post-game exchange with my girlfriend:

Girlfriend - Wow, you seemed tame tonight. Did you even break a sweat? (Sadly it's true, I work up a lather during games).
Me - Nah, I'm turning a new leaf, no more ball throwing or yelling at the TV (side conversation - one time I threw a baseball through my brand new 37-inch Vizio flat screen - sad thing is the Mets (I know, I know) were up by 7).
Girlfriend - So it has nothing to do with the fact that the Giants won by 33 points?
Me - Well…..no. I mean….. maybe….. a little. Wait, since when did you start paying attention?
Girlfriend - Since you ruined every Sunday for the last three years.
Me - I love you.
Girlfriend - Yeah, yeah.

I have ruined Sundays for the last three years, but it goes back further and then it dawned on me, I am not a fan, I am not a player, I am not an analyst, I am not an announcer, I am not a coach and yet I am convinced that I care more, I read more, I prepare harder and I literally live and cry with my team.

I am standing in front of a room full of strangers who sit in a circle with foam fingers, LT jerseys and blue painted faces and I say proudly "HELLO BIG BLUE VIEW, I AM DAVID JACKS AND I HAVE BEEN A DIE HARD FOR 31 YEARS PROUD," and perhaps you are too. I give you my guide for "understanding whether or not you may be a die hard." If you answer yes to any of these questions you may in fact have a problem, or as I see it, you may be the luckiest person alive.

1) Has the mentioning of the names Vai Sikahema or Joe Pisarcik ever made you want to light your face on fire or caused you to stare at a blank television for 35 minutes?

2) Have you ever performed a mundane task, like running on a treadmill, and performed that much better in hopes that it would help the Giants win that week?

3) Are you constantly pointing out to other fans who players are? Great example Monday night, did you turn to friends as I did and say "That's Bear Pascoe. He was signed off the practice squad on December 4th, 6th-round pick of the Niners, decent blocker but not much of a receiver" while your friends stared at you like a retarded monkey staring at a ferris wheel?

4) Do your moods completely change based on a win or loss that Sunday? Wait, that's not die hard, that's just a fan. Let me clarify, do you tumble into a deep Britney Spears-like depression until the following Wednesday when you can finally focus on the upcoming opponent and the days practice (of which you will not participate because YOU DO NOT PLAY FOR THE GIANTS)?

5) Win or lose, have ever been sad just knowing the game was over and you wouldn't get to see those 11 blue helmets line up for another seven days?

6) Do the terms "wide right" and "the escape/ the catch" still give you goose bumps? Does Gary Reasons hit in the snow of Denver make you smile? Does Mark Bavaro's one man march in San Fran force the hairs on your neck to stand up? Does Mark Ingram's third-and-impossible Super Bowl effort make you fist pump like an animal (my Jersey Shore reference for the week)? Does "cover 0" make you think of Plaxico's game winning Super Bowl grab? Does every number 56 in the league make you disgusted for even thinking they could wear Superman's cape? DO YOU BLEED BLUE?

7) Have you, at one time or another, been convinced that every NFL announcer hated the New York Giants? I am fairly partial in this category, but during a loss I can be convinced of any conspiracy theory against Big Blue, and my hatred for Tony Siragusa is unmatched. Go ahead try and match me … see, can't be done.

8) Have you ever been convinced that a ritual you performed has won a game for the Giants? Example: 2007 Super Bowl, long time Die Hard and friend Shep stands up behind my couch right before Kevin Boss breaks a 45-yard catch and run. Shep is then instructed not to move from his spot or he will be killed, as a good Die Hard he accepts this offer and remains standing behind the couch for the remainder of the game. Giants win, 17-14, and all credit goes to Shep, and maybe some to Tyree/Eli/Tuck, but mainly to Shep. (Some other notable mentions - Jets Die Hard and friend Faz once ate Subway sandwiches for two straight weeks during the 2002 playoff run. I have listened to Rage Against the Machines"Testify" before every game for six years, and I have convinced myself the Giants do the same. Playoff beards/ jerseys/ mustaches are always welcome.

9) Have you ever flipped out on a family member who tried to force you to an event during game day. As a teen I missed several bar-mitzvah's for this very reason, and I considered ducking out as a best man once, but was convinced by my buddy (nicknamed the Neck) that our friendship meant more then the game. To this day I'm not so sure he was right. Giants lost to the Panthers, 23-0, said friend makes up for his miscue two years later as he eats a McRib pre-game every Sunday for 20 weeks. Which lead to this exchange after Big Blue's miraculous Super Bowl win;

Neck - The McRib has magical powers Jacks.
Me - You're a great man.
Neck - I'm gonna throw up.
Me - You realize you have to do this all next year?
Neck - Just let me enjoy tonight man…(then 30 seconds of silence as we sat in complete disbelief, and then the loudest most joyous noise I have ever heard. Think of William Wallace yelling freedom!) MCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIBBBBBBBBB!!!!!!

The ritual ended the following year as his wife was pregnant and told the Neck that the McRib made her want to vomit, and if he ever ate one again she would put his genitalia in a salad shooter. Giants lose to the Eagles first round, need I say more.

10) Have you ever cried after a loss? I have never had this experience but after the Giants lost to the Ravens in the Super Bowl (How could you hold, Keith Hamilton?) I didn't speak for several hours. Then I called my mom and allegedly said "it hurts mom, how could they do this to me?"

Remember, if you said yes to any of these 10 questions you may have a problem, but I would assume since you are here at Big Blue View we already know the answer to that. You don't have a problem, you are the luckiest people alive. You are Giants Die Hards, and nothing could be better. Ok I have to run and get three McRib's, run on a treadmill at exactly 8.1 for 30 minutes and convince my girlfriend that watching the Giants vs. Panthers is far more important then her grandfather's 80th birthday.

COWGIRL'S A JOKE! 1 IN 14 STILL SUCKS!

Congrats to the Dallas Cowgirls and their fans for finally winning a playoff game! Its their 1st damn playoff win since 1996. I was 16 and in the 10th in '96. Im now 29, married, and have 2 kids!

The Cowgirls and their fans are PATHETIC. Im glad to see all you fans are so damn excited. And to make it worse is that Dallas and the fans are satisfied. If/when the Vikings beat them next week, its not even going to be as gratifying for me because they're NOT going to be that upset because they won their 1st playoff game in 14 years. 1 in 14 STILL means you suck.

Well, this is all the time I want to spend talking about those Cowgirls and Cowgirl fans. They are all jokes, and i wish nothing but misery for them all.

LET'S GO BRETT FAVRE! PLEASE DON'T PULL A "MCNABB" NEXT WEEK!

DIE EAGLES DIE

I hope Saturdays playoff game proves once and for all what a joke Donovan McNabb and his Eagles are! Year after year McNabb and those Eagles play great through the regular season, and then, by some magical noose power, choke at some point in the playoffs.

Im not saying that McNabb is a bad QB, you can't be a "bad QB" and put up the numbers and wins that he does. But for all those numbers, and all those wins, McNabb is the most unclutch, seemingly unmotivated for big games quarterback I know! As much as it makes me throw up in my mouth a little to say, Tony Romo is more clutch and "big game ready" than McNabb has ever been! I mean this guy (mcnabb) folds after 1 good smack in the mouth!

You Eagle fans will NEVER win a championship with McNabb at QB. Thank God im a New York Giants fan! Speaking as JUST a football fan, id take Eli over McNabb any damn day of the Earth's existence!

To quote the wise Jesus_M_Christ, "Michael Vick might have killed a few dogs, but McNabb killed 52 Eagles!"

"THINGS TO THINK ABOUT"

This is courtesy of Ralph Vacchiano:

"• The uncapped year could present a one-time-only chance to dump players and just void the rest of their contracts – - something the Giants might have to think about with Brandon Jacobs. He’s got three years left on his four-year, $25 million deal, but he was awful this season and given all his injuries does anyone think he’s going to get better? Running backs tend to be interchangeable in this league. It may pay to find a younger, healthier, better option.

• Several people with connections to the Giants (but not inside the Giants) have now speculated to me that the team should or may consider a switch to a 3-4 defense. I’m not sure I see it, but I keep hearing it. Justin Tuck could be a 3-4 end, but I assume Mathias Kiwanuka would have to move back to linebacker. Clint Sintim is a natural on the other side. But I don’t think they’ve got a natural nose tackle on the team for next year. And since LBs aren’t exactly their strength, would they want to put more on the field? Again, I don’t see it. But I hear things.

• I would not cut kicker Lawrence Tynes, as I know many of you would. I think he’s a solid, accurate kicker with decent leg strength, and those are just too hard to find. The Giants trust him. That’s important. Having said that, the Giants need to stop with the ridiculous strategy of having him kickoff short (and yes, more often than not, it was apparently strategy). He’s got the leg strength to get the ball at least close to the end zone. Why are they so afraid of every good kick returner? Why not just let your coverage teams cover? And those coverage teams are really that bad that you can’t kick off deep … well, maybe Bill Sheridan isn’t the only coordinator who has (or had) some explaining to do.

• I didn’t understand it when the Giants drafted TE/H-Back Travis Beckum in the third round last April, and I still don’t get it. I have absolutely no idea how he fits in or how they intend to use him. I thought I’d learn the answer in December, in the wind and the cold, but I saw nothing. They say he’ll be a weapon, but he’ll fall behind four receivers, two running backs and Boss. And if he doesn’t start blocking better, he’s destined to only ever have a couple of plays a game. He probably could be a very good player. But he’s a very odd fit.

• I do understand why Ramses Barden, the 6-6 rookie receiver, was inactive most of the season. He was a project to begin with, didn’t play specials well enough to force the coach’s hands, and with the receivers playing well and mostly healthy there wasn’t an obvious spot for him on the active roster. I get it. But really, couldn’t the eight lineman or seventh linebacker sat just once during the team’s slide to sneak him into a game? When the Giants were struggling in the red zone – - pretty much all year – - would it have killed them to once put him in and see if he could be an option down there? Wouldn’t he have been a better guy to throw to down there than FB Madison Hedgecock or OL Kevin Boothe?

• Tom Coughlin and Jerry Reese deserve a chance to turn this mess around. I know many of you want the media to “turn up the heat” on them. I’m not sure what that means, though. They’re not going to be fired. Clearly they take a lot of responsibility for this. Reese’s free agent moves weren’t good, though bad luck was involved in some. Coughlin never seemed to have a good read on his team and stayed the course when dramatic changes seemed to be needed. But two years ago they teamed to build a Super Bowl champion. They had four straight trips to the playoffs. The Giants haven’t been under .500 since 2004 when they were playing with a rookie quarterback in the second half. By any measure, this is one of the most successful eras in Giants history. They at least get one year to fix this. … But only one. "

GIANTS 4 LIFE...BLOGGERS, KILL YOUR SELVES!

I don't know if alot other Giants' bloggers are actually "fans" first, but if you are, think before you post shit (giantsffr)! Its cool to be objective, and to share you're opinions as a football fan as well as a Giants' fan, but at least attempt to sound like you were once a fan!

'Giantsffr', that article you just posted, "New York Giants: Perhaps We've Been Overestimating Them All Along", was complete and absolute BULLSHIT!!! You were basically saying that the '07 Super Bowl season, and the '08 12-4 season was a fluke! Just like Tim Smith of New York Daily News, maybe your writing hobby is a fluke!

MY Giants' '07 season started with a loss to a really good Dallas team that was, if anybody remembers, an epic shootout where Eli and the Giants went blow for blow with their division rival. Dallas wins 45-35. We go on to lose a bad game to Green Bay, and go 0-2. After that we win 6 in a row, finish strong at 10-6, and make the playoffs. In the playoffs, the underappreciated Eli Manning and his Giants win 3 DAMN road playoff games including @ Dallas (who beat us twice in the regular season) & @ Green Bay (the first outdoor cold game ever...sarcasm). Then in the Super Bowl, we played a great game, with no fluke plays (well maybe one) and beat the 18-0 Patriots, who themselves played a great game. If that was a "fluke", im sure New England would have blown the Giants out in that last regular season game! We overcame all our barriers that season...Dallas, Packers, no Tiki, Eli being destroyed my media, Coughlin on "hot seat", and playing the "greatest team ever" in the Super Bowl. So what WASN'T GREAT about that "07 team?

In '08, MY Giants won 4 in a row, lose to the Browns (SMH), then win 7 in a row. Finishing 12-4. Games included a 21-14 win against the eventual champion Steelers AT Pittsburgh, and a win against the Ravens in which the Giants rushed for 207 yards on a team that wasn't allowing 100 yard rushers! So what happened? We lost probably our second best player, and Eli's best target, Plaxico Burress. the Giants could never really get back on track. But im almost sure if you take the best, or next best player of ANY sports team, they'll struggle in most cases. So how was MY Giants "overestimated" that season?! If u ask me, the only "fluke" that year was losing to the Browns, and retarded-ass Plaxico accidently shooting himself with that retarded-ass pistol!

So after winning a Super Bowl against an 18-0 team, having a great defense, and going 12-4 after the Super Bowl year, how the fuck can they have been "overestimated", how were we "never dealing with a great team to begin with"?!

Like i Tweeted to a fellow Twitter friend, and Giants fan, you guys at giantsffr just dug to deep to find a topic to blog about. I guess u came up with a negative bullshit story so people would go to your site!

To my fellow REAL NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS FANS, we ARE an elite team, and hopes SHOULD be high for this team! This was just an all around fluke season in the NFL, and I for one, have NO doubt that MY Giants will back on top of the NFC East/NFL where they belong. And even if they dont, IT IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE GIANTS4LIFE WITH ME!

All you overly negative bloggers, KNEEL TO A TEAM GREATER THAN YOU'RE LIFE, THEN KILL YOUR SELF... NYG!!!

A GOOD FIRST STEP...SHERIDAN FIRED!

The first step to making improvements for the 2010 season was taken today when the Giants finally fired defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. All I can say is, PRAISE GOD! I might go to church Sunday and give thanks.

If you're reading this, then you're probably a Giants' fan. Im not going to waste time going over the defensive horror story that this '09 season was. If you're a Giants' fan you know, and like me im sure you're sick of hearing it.

Bill Sheridan and the '09 season/defense are all history now. And if you're a New York Giants fanatic like me, you'll be storing the memories of this season, especially the NON-defense, in that part of the brain thats easily damaged by weekend drinking binges and the occasional weed smoke.

I love my Giants, and the quick firing of Sheridan shows that they love themselves, and apparently they love us to! We got we wanted fellow G fans. Lets just hope that fixed most of the defensive problem!

MY GIANTS' SEASON IS OVER. PRAISE GOD!

Well, mercifully, the '09 season is over for the Giants' as we close the season losing to Minnesota 44-7. Thats the 5th time New York has given up 40+ points this season. Depressing to say the least.

The common theme amongst Giants' fans is pretty much the same, "FIRE BILL SHERIDAN"! Weather the disapperance of the D after week 5 is Sheridan's fault or not is irrelevant. People have to pay for this disaster of a season, and it might as well start with him! The Giants' defense was so bad for so long this season, that towards the end, I stopped getting pissed and just started laughing at how comical the D looked trying to stop the most basic of plays. Im laughing now writing about it!

There are some good points the Giants can take into the offseason with them though. Its not many, but here they are:

1) Offense showing signs of being an explosive, high scoring one

2) Steve Smith's development, he caught 107 balls

3) Eli is getting better, and better. Threw for a career high 4021 yds

4) Bill Sheridan will most likely get fired. If he doesn't, im writing a letter!

5) Season sweep of Dallas.

6) Kenny Phillips will be back next season

7) BONUS: Defense CANT be any worse next season!

And thats about it for the good notes. I would do a list of the bad notes but I don't have the time or the memory space.

So, the offseason starts now for my New York Giants, and I trust Reese and Coughlin will make all the necessary changes/improvements to put this team back on top where they belong!

LET'S GET IT IN '10, G-MEN!

READY FOR A GIANT OFFSEASON

5-0 start, 3-10 after, Bill Sheridan as DC, defense never showed up, and no playoffs after 4 straight years (1 super bowl) making them. Needless to say, Giants will be extra busy this offseason making changes to fix whatever the problem(s) were in the '09 season. And can't wait to see what those changes will be.

Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin are pretty smart football people, I assume (I hope im not an ass next season). I have no dobut they'll sit down, evaluate, and come up with the needed changes/decisions to bring the New York Giants back to the elite-team club they belong in. At this point it seems most major changes will come on defense and maybe the offensive line.

If/when the Giants' front office fix the, what I actually think are minor problems on defense, I bELIeve the '10 New York Football Giants will be even more dominant than the playoff '07 and the '08 Giants' team! A good D with a, what will be an EVEN MORE explosive offense, and I see a "Giant" beast for next season!

LETS GET IT IN '10, G-MEN!

New Stadium Site http://www.nyg2010.com/