INTRODUCING, MR. CRUZ

I just would not have felt right if I didn't pay some kind of tribute to what undrafted rookie free agent from Umass, Victor Cruz did Monday night in the preseason win against the Jets. Preseason or not, that was one of the most exciting performances I've seen in a while.

My guy did, in a little over 1 quarter, what veteran WRs dream of doing in entire games! And the fact that he did it in the first ever football game in THE NEW GIANTS STADIUM, against the now hated more than ever Jets, made it that more special!

Please enjoy more about Victor Cruz's performance in this post by Mark Viera of The New York Times...

By MARK VIERA

With three touchdown receptions Monday in a 31-16 preseason win over the Jets, the Giants rookie Victor Cruz introduced himself to New York. He did so more formally moments after the game.

“Hi, everybody,” Cruz said to a room full of reporters.

Although Cruz’s breakout performance was overshadowed by the image of a bloodied Eli Manning stumbling off the field in the second quarter, it was hard to ignore what he showed in the first preseason game at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Cruz highlighted his six-catch, 145-yard night with three touchdowns to assert himself on a national stage after weeks of proving to his teammates — and some celebrities watching on television — that he can play in the N.F.L.

Indeed, LeBron James took the time to post on his Twitter feed about Cruz.

“Victor Cruz going nuts on the Jets tonight on #MNF,” James wrote.

“Undrafted rookie from UMass. He’s gonna have a job this year for sure.”

Told that James had noticed his play, Cruz said: “Did he really? Wow, that’s crazy.”

Cruz is a newcomer from the University of Massachusetts, a Football Championship Subdivision program, and a native of Paterson, N.J. He has positioned himself well to make the roster.

“Justice has been served,” Coach Tom Coughlin said. “Young man Victor Cruz really has had an outstanding camp. He works his tail off every day. He’s made a lot of plays this past week.”

Coughlin added, “He was truly outstanding tonight.”

In the third quarter, Cruz provided a highlight moment. Cruz made a remarkable one-handed grab while fighting off a Jets defensive back, taking it for a 64-yard touchdown from quarterback Jim Sorgi. Cruz added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, a 34-yard catch from Sorgi and then a 5-yard reception from Rhett Bomar.

“You never go into a game thinking you’re going to have three touchdowns,” Cruz said. “But I just want to work hard, and have worked hard all camp. I just wanted to come in and show what I could do on the main stage.”

Mission accomplished.

New York City will be "Super-er"

And the big news is...The New Meadowlands will be home to Super Bowl 48! The biggest non-news is, "It's going to be cold". "It's going to be cold"? are these sports reporters and media retards seriou?! Whats been good and natural for the teams every other game of the season should be good and natural for the game that decides the NFL champion! Thats my "regular fan" opinion anyways.

New York has played host to just about every other event imaginable. If you ask me, it makes perfect sense that it will host the biggest, and best sports event in the world (sorry world cup. soccer sucks)! So its going to be a little chilly. Who gives a shit?! The only people that care are those rich corporate dicks. The REAL fans, like the one poorly but passionately writing this post, dont really give a shit. To be honest, I think it's gonna be awesome.

Congrats to New York City on being awarded Super Bowl 48...on second thought, congrats to Super Bowl 48 on being awarded New York City and the home of MY Giants! Can't wait!

LAWRENCE TAYLOR, QUITE POSSIBLY THE GREATEST FOOTBALL PLAYER OF ALL TIME. FALL IN LOVE WITH "L.T." ALL OVER AGAIN

In the news once again for allged negative off-field behavior, is 1 of the greatest football players of ALL TIME, & my childhood hero, Lawrence Taylor.
But, unlike every other news outlet, sports reporter, and so-called New York Giants fan/blogger, i'm going to talk about what made L.T. famous to begin with. I'm going to talk about his Hall Of Fame career, how he detroyed QB's, winning Super Bowls, and how his play literally changed the NFL forever.

Lawrence Taylor, an All-America at North Carolina, was the first-round draft pick of the New York Giants and the second player selected overall in the 1981 NFL Draft. The 6-3, 237-pound linebacker set the tone for his pro career with an outstanding rookie season during which he recorded a career-high 133 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 8 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception.

A dominant force on defense, Taylor was named first-team All-Pro in each of his first nine seasons. His ability to dominate a game with his attack style changed the outside linebacker position from a read-and-react posture to an aggressive mode. Understand this, L.T. invented the one-back offense! Joe Gibbs started using a one-back offense to have an extra lineman on the line to try to help block Lawrence Taylor. Joe Gibbs - "If you got a back blocking Lawrence Taylor, you lose". L.T. also invented the outward angle stance of offensive tackles. Tackles started standing like that to hopefully have a pre-snap advantage in blocking Taylor.

An intense player, he had the speed to run past offensive linemen and the strength to out-muscle them. Starting in Taylor’s first season, the Giants began a 10-season streak in which they made the playoffs six times and won two Super Bowls.

Although Taylor’s accomplishments are many, he recorded his finest statistical season in 1986 when he was named the NFL’s MVP, becoming the first defensive player to do so since 1971. That season, Taylor recorded a career high 20.5 sacks, 105 total tackles, five passes defensed, and two forced fumbles.

In a 1988 game against the New Orleans Saints, suffering with a torn pectoral muscle in his shoulder, Taylor demonstrated his remarkable strength and determination. Wearing a harness to keep his shoulder in place, he managed to record seven tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles. The Giants won 13-12.

Taylor recorded 132.5 quarterback sacks (not including 9.5 sacks he recorded in 1981, since the sack didn’t become an official NFL statistic until 1982), 1,088 tackles, 33 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries, and nine interceptions during his career. He was selected to play in 10 Pro Bowls and won 2 Super Bowls, SBXXI, & SBXXV and in 1994 was named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 1999, Lawrence Julius Taylor was selected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame on his first ballot.

WATCH THESE SHORT VIDEOS AND FALL BACK IN LOVE WITH NOT ONLY THE GREATEST DEFENSIVE FOOTBALL PLAYER OF ALL FUCKING TIME, BUT ARGUABLY THE BEST FOOTBALL PLAYER OF ALL TIME!

BID SIGNED BY THE GIANTS AND JETS FOR A NJ SUPERBOWL

Courtesy of: fanfeedr.com


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.(AP) — New Jersey’s bid to host the 2014 Super Bowl is signed, sealed and about to be delivered.

The owners of the New York Jets and New York Giants on Wednesday signed the official bid that will be sent to all 32 NFL owners. The owners will vote May 25 on whether East Rutherford, Miami or Tampa will be the host.

The theme of the new Meadowlands Stadium’s bid is “Make Some History.” If the stadium gets the game, it would be the first Super Bowl to be held in a cold-weather locale.

In December, the NFL told the Giants and Jets they could bid on the Super Bowl despite a requirement that host stadiums have a minimum temperature of 50 degrees or roofs.



Read more: http://www.fanfeedr.com/nfl/2010/05/12/giants-jets-sign-bid-to-bring-super-bowl-to-nj#ixzz0njg2GXF1

"New York Giants' Offense is Lurking in the Shadows, Ready To Explode"

by Jeff Shull,fanfeedr.com

The New York Giants, the NFL, and any media outlet spent the entire 2010 offseason talking about how terrible the Giants' defense was in 2009. Justifiably so, considering they suffered a ton of injuries leading to eight losses in 11 games.

What they haven't talked about, however, is the possibility of a top three offense emerging in 2010 and almost certainly one ranked in the top 10.

Before you practically rip the wheel off your mouse as you scroll down to comment, read my points and then form an opinion.

Eli Manning is coming off the best year in his career, where the running game was the worst it has been since he took over the team. This is the same person who supposedly did not possess the ability to take over an offense due to his awful decision making and inconsistent play.

A "game-manager."

No quarterback in the NFL wants to be associated with that phrase, so Eli erased any notion of it the only way he knew how—showing his improvement on the field.

Eli had career bests in yards (4021), touchdowns (27), completion percentage (62.3), and QB rating (93.1). Amazingly enough, his QB rating wasn't even in the top 10 last year, but it was still a very impressive mark.

It appears the Giants' coaching staff is content with turning over the reigns of the offense to Eli, and he has responded beautifully.

No quarterback is worth anything without a host of receivers to spread the ball to, and Eli's targets are not to be taken lightly.

Steve Smith had arguably one of the greatest seasons by a Giant wide receiver in 2009. He took Amani Toomer's single season receptions record and laughed at it, surpassing his total by 26 receptions.

His combination of speed, precise route running, and hands like vacuums make him one of the best possession receivers in the league

Hakeem Nicks took the starting job away from Mario Manningham, but that is mainly because Manningham works much better in the slot, and Nicks is more of a deep threat.

Nicks should be able to open up the offense to the same degree that Plaxico Burress did when he was on the team, forcing defenses to double cover him and making it easy on the run game.

As good as the weapons for Eli were last year, there are still two who did not get an opportunity to shine in the actual games.

2009 third round pick Ramses Barden had an outstanding training camp last year, but obviously did not do enough to convince Tom Coughlin he was ready for the real deal. If he has another training camp like 2009 in 2010, be ready for him to step in and be a deadly red zone target for Eli.

The same can be said for Travis Beckum, who also did not get much of an opportunity because his blocking needed work. If the Giants can find a way to package him into the offense, we could be looking at a pass attack that rivals any other team's in the league.

That leads me to the rushing attack.

The Giants had been a perennial powerhouse when it came to running the football, but 2009 saw a changing of the guard.

Brandon Jacobs seemed content to protect his body ($$) and Ahmad Bradshaw was basically playing with one foot. Danny Ware was supposed to fill the void left by Derrick Ward, and even Andre Brown was expected to get some carries.

It seems like injuries hurt all four from the training camp roster, especially Ware and Brown, but if the Giants want to be champions, they had better stop using the injury excuse.

If Jacobs and company can come back and be the type of runners they are capable of being, then the Giants will sit atop the NFC once again.

Somehow I just don't see that happening for Jacobs. Bradshaw looks like he has more of the heart and determination to be the starter, which is fine with me. Maybe a demotion to goal line back is what Jacobs needs to get his act together.

The running attack hinges on other factors as well.

The offensive line began to look not so dominant last year as well, even though they did not suffer that many injuries to use as an excuse.

Kareem McKenzie could be looking at his last year in the NFL if he doesn't show improvement or stay off the injury report. Will Beatty is waiting to take over one of the tackle spots, and it will probably happen sooner rather than later.

The evolution of the NFL is such that you can now win a championship with a dominant passing attack and a complimentary running game (See 2006 Colts and 2009 Saints), instead of vice versa, which is the way it had been in the past (See 2000 Baltimore Ravens).

If the pieces come together, this is what we could be looking at for Big Blue in 2010.

And With The 15th Pick, The Giants Select...

With their 15th pick in the 1st round, the New York Giants selected Jason Pierre-Paul. JPP is a 6'6 265 lb DE out of South Florida with only one season of Division I experience.

In that 1 season with South Florida, Pierre-Paul 42 tackles (26 solo), 6 sacks, 1 int, & 1 TD. Not bad for 1 season, I guess.

Besides the bio and stats that I just looked up after my Giants drafted him, I really dont know much else about Jason Pierre-Paul. What I do know though, is that he's now a part of the New York Giants family, so I welcome him with the best wishes that he'll contribute well and make my Giants a better team.

Congrats, JPP! Giants4Life!!!

"New York Giants' 2010 NFL Schedule Analysis: Comments and Predictions"

COURTESY OF: fanfeedr.com, by: Jeff Hall

The schedulers were kind to the New York Giants this year, but that can be expected after a .500 season. The draw for the NFC East in which divisions they will have to play is the NFC North and the AFC South.

You could look at this in one of two ways. You could say that playing the AFC South is tough because Houston and Tennessee can show up and be dominant teams, or they can lay flat and be an easy win. The same goes for the Bears and Packers, you never know what you're gonna get.

Chalk up a W against the Lions and Jaguars, they aren't ready to make a turn around yet.

The Colts and Vikings are still better than the Giants, but who knows how the new additions to the Giants will affect the team? The Giants are capable of pulling off the wins in both of those games, but only time will tell.

Interesting side note—this marks the fourth year in a row the Giants will have played the Vikings, and they are 0-3 in the last three.

Apparently the NFL still loves to showcase Big Blue, as they are slotted for four prime time games: three Sunday Night Football games and one Monday Night Football extravaganza with Dallas

The Giants play exactly half of their games against teams with winning records from 2009. This is comforting considering nine of their last eleven last year were against teams with winning records at the time they played them, which led to their 3-8 finish.

Once again the Giants were given a brutal second half of the schedule, but with the NFL trying to clump the division games in the final three weeks of the season, that was expected.

The final eight games are Dallas, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Washington, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Green Bay, Washington. The coaching staff better be prepared to avoid another second half collapse—with Bill Cowher's rumored interest in the team, consider Tom Coughlin's job officially at stake in 2010.

With all that said, let's take a look at the schedule game by game (division games will be combined) and predict the outcomes.



Division Games

Dallas Cowboys (Week 7 and 10) - With one of these games being on Monday Night Football, you know this rivalry will be magnified ten fold. Both teams are looking to improve from last year, after the Giants faltered from their 5-0 start and the Cowboys were embarrassed in their only road playoff game last year by the Vikings.

The Giants are a huge match-up problem for the Cowboys defense. Their slow defensive backfield could not keep up with the Giants speedy receivers in either game, and Eli Manning tore them to shreds. In the opening of the new Texas Stadium, the two young guns Mario Manningham and Steve Smith put on a clinic, each hauling in 10 catches for over 130 yards.

Not much has changed besides the Giants' defense getting better, so another season sweep of the Cowboys isn't all that far fetched. I won't take out my big guns just yet, however, because the Cowboys' offense is still very explosive.

Prediction - 1 wins, 1 loss


Philadelphia Eagles (Week 11 and 15) - The Eagles just traded away their franchise quarterback and one of the better defensive backs in the division in Sheldon Brown, so to say these games could be easy may be arrogant, but it's also true.

Oh, and they don't have the biggest Giants killer of the last decade either in Brian Westbrook.

The Giants were embarrassed by the Eagles in the first meeting and came up just short in the second. Revenge will be on their minds.

Prediction - 2 wins

Washington Redskins (Week 13 and 17) - The Redskins are seemingly doing everything possible to turn their fortunes around. They put all of their eggs into Albert Haynesworth's basket, only to turn in a 4-12 season in '09.

Enter Mike Shanahan, Donovan McNabb, Larry Johnson, Willie Parker, and now Adam Carriker. Daniel Snyder is bringing in tons of big names, and now it is being reported that McNabb wants to bring in Terrell Owens to make another run at the Super Bowl.

Talk about making a splash.

The Redskins always have a good defense, but now they have the offense to back it up. So long as their wide receivers improve, they could be a top 10 offense next year under McNabb and Shanahan's zone running scheme.

I'm tempted to be very scared and predict two losses, but the Giants have been very successful against the 'Skins under Eli, so a split sounds about right.

Prediction - 1 win, 1 loss



AFC South Games

@ Indianapolis Colts (Week 2) - Not much to say here other than Kenny Philips and Antrell Rolle better be able to get the Giants defense back to where it was two years ago. If they don't the only way the Giants can pull this off is in a shootout or if the pass rush can disrupt Peyton Manning's rhythm.

The Manning bowl is sure to be epic, but I always got to give the edge to big brother, especially since the game is at their home stadium.

Prediction - loss

Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 12) - Again there is not much to say here. The Jags are a solid team but lack any offensive prowess to move the ball and their defense is atrocious.

If they draft Tim Tebow to appease the fan base they should just up and move from Jacksonville and move to a city who cares about more than just drafting Gators.

Prediction - win

@ Houston Texans (Week 5) - Retribution has finally presented itself Giants fans. The last time the Giants played the Texans it was their inaugural season and I attended the game decked out in my Jason Sehorn Jersey.

Even though the Giants made the playoffs that year, the Giants lost and I have had to hear about it ever since. It better not happen again because I'm getting my tickets ASAP (I live in Houston, for those of you who do not know, which is probably everybody).

The Texans are coming off of their first winning season since the expansion franchise came into the league in 2002, and many are projecting they will finally provide a serious threat to Peyton Manning and the Colts.

If their defense can come around and catch up to the offensive production, they are a very scary team. However, losing Dunta Robinson does not bode well for their already terrible secondary. Expect an old fashioned shootout here.

Prediction - win

Tennessee Titans (Week 3) - The Titans played very well under Vince Young after an 0-6 start and managed to end the season a respectable 8-8. It remains to be seen whether or not VY will hold his own for an entire season.

Considering the fact that the Titans have almost no passing game to speak of and the Giants are solid at stopping the run, they should be able to contain Chris Johnson enough to pull out a win at Giant Stadium.

Prediction - win



NFC North Games

@ Minnesota Vikings (Week 14) - Remember when I said the Giants have lost the last three against the Vikings? Well I didn't tell you that two of those were at Giants Stadium in the Winter, and the other was a meaningless game two years ago when the Giants played David Carr for more than half of the game.

This time it will be in the heart of the season at Minnesota in the dome. If Brett Favre comes back give this game to the Vikes, other wise I don't trust Tavaris Jackson at all.

The consensus is that Brett will return and the Vikings will make another run at the Super Bowl. I want to assume the Giants' defense will get better with the addition of Antrel Rolle, but I can't.

Prediction - loss

Chicago Bears (Weak 4) - The Bears are apparently trying to get on the level of the Vikings and Packers by bringing in Julius Peppers, but this team had way more problems than just defense.

Jay Cutler looked as bad as every quarterback since Jim McMahon when he put on the Bears uniform. The only difference is he could throw the ball harder than the rest of them.

The only factor that would change this from a win to a loss is if Urlacher comes back and brings the defense back to the form we are used to, but seeing as how they don't have an elite defensive line anymore, I don't see that happening.

Prediction - win

@ Green Bay Packers (Week 16) - This game could very well have Wild Card implications. The Packers are a couple players away from getting their defense where they want it to be, and a solid draft could make them a dangerous team.

They have a very potent offense and several studly wide receivers, it could be a matchup problem for the Giants' questionable secondary.

This game is hard to predict considering both teams have similar strengths and it will probably be a shootout, but I'll give the edge to Green Bay since it is at Lambeau Field.

Prediction - loss

Detroit Lions (Week 6) - The Lions could very well make the playoffs in the near future, but in 2010 they are probably headed for another dreadful season, especially playing in a tough division.

This could be a trap game before the Monday Night Football matchup with Dallas the next week, but the Giants haven't fallen into that under coach Coughlin.

Prediction - win



Positional Conference Games (3rd place from NFC South and West in 2009)

@ Seattle Seahawks (Week 9) - The Seahawks have two first round picks and are entering a season with a new coach ready to prove his worth in the NFL. The first go-around for Pete Carroll was unsuccessful, but with the right pieces around him he could win the very winnable NFC West.

Seattle always plays tough at home so I have a hard time predicting a win against them, but I can't help but remember the 44-6 victory from 2008. That could actually provide motivation for the 'Hawks, but I just don't trust Pete Carroll, especially in his first year.

Prediction - win

Carolina Panthers (Week 1) - When I saw this I immediately pictured the locker room scene prior to the game when the leaders of the team gets everyone fired up for payback against the team that embarrassed them in the final game at old Giants Stadium.

How fitting is it that the game also happens to be the regular season opener for the new Stadium. Some of the people making the schedules must be a Giants fan.

The Panthers are in rebuilding mode and are turning over the reigns of the offense to Matt Moore, who has been inconsistent since coming to the NFL. Ironically he carved up the injury-plagued defense last year, but it should be a different story this season.

Prediction - win



Well by my count that looks like an 11-5 season. It may not turn out exactly the way I predicted in terms of who beats who, but an 11-5 season would not disappoint many of us in Big Blue nation.

Time to erase the memory of the 2009 season.