Another Giants Win

Last night, in thinking about this game and the possibility of going on a four game winning streak, I started to smile. I smiled because I had no idea what to expect. Our beloved Giants would be at home, against a Green Bay team we seem to have the formula against, however, our backs were not against the wall, even after starting with zero wins in the first six weeks of play.

Then I thought, no way we lose to a third string quarterback. Not at home, not with the way the defense has been playing, not with the legitimate threat of play action with the return of Andre Brown. If I were a betting man, which I am not, in most cases, I would say Giants in dominate fashion…but trust me when I say that stranger things have happened.

Luckily, stranger things did not happen today! The Gmen win!! Not in dominate fashion, particularly with a team sans arguably the best quarterback in the league, one of his top options at wide receiver and his top tight end. But a win is a win. Another notch in the right column. Another step closer to winning the division and a playoff berth.

Yes, Josh Freeman, Matt Barkley, Terrelle Pryor, Scott Tolzien…doesn’t necessarily strike fear into an opposing defense. But let me remind you of the feelings we all shared when we were 0-6. A distant memory? No. A foundation to build on? Possibly. The beginning of an improbable division title, playoff berth, with the opportunity of peaking at the right time?! You never know.

It has to start somewhere. And I’d rather sit at 4-6, than at 0-6 any day.

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For years, this was common knowledge. Almost a rule to build your team by if you happened to be a general manager of a football team in the NFL. This actually held true for years in the NFL. Now, in this new era of scoring, passing, penalties, concussions, law suites, hands-off playing in the secondary, the destruction of passing records for yards, touchdowns, completions, completion percentage, etc. (I think you get the idea.)

Not since 2001 and 2003 (Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers) has a truly dominate team won the Super Bowl. I guess cases can be made for the 2006 and 2009 Super Bowls that the Pittsburg Steelers won. These teams had a really good defense, not sure if it would be considered dominant.

However, going as far back as 1985, there have only been a handful of teams that have won a Super Bowl without an elite quarterback, but having an elite defense. Let’s take a closer look.

January 20, 1985 San Francisco 49ers 38–16 Miami Dolphins
January 26, 1986 Chicago Bears 46–10 New England Patriots
January 25, 1987 New York Giants 39–20 Denver Broncos
January 31, 1988 Washington Redskins 42–10 Denver Broncos
January 22, 1989 San Francisco 49ers 20–16 Cincinnati Bengals
January 28, 1990 San Francisco 49ers 55–10 Denver Broncos
January 27, 1991 New York Giants 20–19 Buffalo Bills
January 26, 1992 Washington Redskins 37–24 Buffalo Bills
January 31, 1993 Dallas Cowboys 52–17 Buffalo Bills
January 30, 1994 Dallas Cowboys 30–13 Buffalo Bills
January 29, 1995 San Francisco 49ers 49–26 San Diego Chargers
January 28, 1996 Dallas Cowboys 27–17 Pittsburgh Steelers
January 26, 1997 Green Bay Packers 35–21 New England Patriots
January 25, 1998 Denver Broncos 31–24 Green Bay Packers
January 31, 1999 Denver Broncos 34–19 Atlanta Falcons
January 30, 2000 St. Louis Rams 23–16 Tennessee Titans
January 28, 2001 Baltimore Ravens 34–7 New York Giants
February 3, 2002 New England Patriots 20–17 St. Louis Rams
January 26, 2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48–21 Oakland Raiders
February 1, 2004 New England Patriots 32–29 Carolina Panthers
February 6, 2005 New England Patriots 24–21 Philadelphia Eagles
February 5, 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers 21–10 Seattle Seahawks
February 4, 2007 Indianapolis Colts 29–17 Chicago Bears
February 3, 2008 New York Giants 17–14 New England Patriots
February 1, 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers 27–23 Arizona Cardinals
February 7, 2010 New Orleans Saints 31–17 Indianapolis Colts
February 6, 2011 Green Bay Packers 31–25 Pittsburgh Steelers
February 5, 2012 New York Giants 21–17 New England Patriots
February 3, 2013 New York Giants

Not only have the same handful of teams won multiple Super Bowls (which speak volumes about franchises that get it, are first class organizations, and do things the right way), they continue to return decade after decade. But the most interesting fact to me is the list of quarterbacks. A winners list of league and Super Bowl MVPs, first round draft picks, Hall of Famers, and elite quarterbacks for their era.

This list includes Brett Farve, Troy Aikmen, Joe Montana, Steve Young, John Elway, Kurt Warner, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, and Eli Manning. Of course you have the trio of Washington Redskin QBs, Jim McMahon, Jeff Hostetler, Brad Johnson, andTrent Dilfer.

After this laundry list of names, you maybe asking yourself, what’s your point JayDee?! My point is, my patient reader you, is…if recent history (nearly thirty years worth), you have a 67% chance of getting to and winning a championship if you have an elite quarterback.

With that said, there are only a handful of teams with elite level quarterbacks. Of course, to get to a Super Bowl, lady luck has to be on your side and the injury bug needs to be as far away as possible. Smart, disciplined teams, (which goes back to the GM, coaching staff, and ultimately, ownership) to survive the ultimate reality tv show called the NFL.

Having a QB that is a leader that can and does make their team better is always a plus. This should be music to the ears of teams like Denver, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and San Diego. Unfortunately for these teams, they all have had a few minor, spanning to major issues during the offseason and training camps. Which means….teams like New England, Green Bay, and New York (not the green team either!) have a definite advantage of getting to and winning the Super Bowl. (it isn’t a coincidence that these franchises are consider some of the best in all of football.)

Is this a fool proof way of determining who is going to win the chip this year?! Absolutely not. I mean, multiple Super Bowl appearances, age of the QBs, wide receivers, coaching staff, defensive ranking, etc are not considered in this equation. But I don’t think it is an accident that seven borderline good quarterbacks have won in the past 25 plus years without having a dominate defense. (basically just the Redskins, but an argument can be made for those three defenses as well.)

My money is on a repeat for the New York team. You know, the one with the elite quarterback. The drama free team. The won that isn’t looking to win the back pages of the papers. The one with four Super Bowl trophies. February 3, 2008, the Giants won a Super Bowl….can February 3, 2013 be Super Bowl number 5??! Only time will tell. However, smart money says the odds are in their (and a handful of others) favor.

(but don’t be surprised if we actually win in 2014…being the first team ever to win the Superbowl in their home stadium!)

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Giants Forever Strong

Frankly, I didn’t want to write this. I’m still a little sour over Sunday night’s game. As my Twitter account and Facebook page has countless jabs at how the Philadelphia Eagles are a better team than the Giants. It pains me to have to say, that for one night, they were, if only because they left the game with a win.

Unfortunately, I truly don’t believe that…unfortunately for my Eagles fans. Yes, you won the game. Yes, you have more or less, dominated the Giants by winning 7 of the last 10 games. Yes, the rivalry has resulted in a great deal of dramatic and painful losses for Big Blue Nation…but guess what…one game doesn’t make a season. And least we forget, in the words of Keyshawn “Throw me the damn ball” Johnson, “it’s about winning Super Bowls!” So, I have tons of threads on a kick that fell about a yard shy of a one point victory, but lets all calm down and remember who has exactly what in their trophy case.

Emotionally, I am a little spent. Whenever you try to analyze a win or a loss, you’re told that you’re making excuses. I’m not one for excuses. I give credit where and when it’s do, but I also realize that things are always as cut and dry as they seem. For instance, it was a classic case of the double edge sword. Our great D Team, the terrorizing NASCAR package didn’t register one sack. They actually looked tired in the second half as Shady McCoy and Vick ran all over us. The injury to safety Kenny Phillips was devastating. (It might be time to give Deon Grant a call). The “real” referees are back, but make. I mistake about it…they are rusty and need the preseason just like the players. Last but not least, the second most talented player on the offense didn’t play, Bradshaw just returned after missing a game with an injury, Osi didn’t honor his edge containment, and the D Team didn’t help the secondary once they got tired and warn down.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not one to bite the hand that feeds me, but 3 out of 4 of the final calls were pass interference. (Rusty referees). The first call, probably was pass interference, the second…not so much, but that third call….offensive interference?! What?!! Can’t be. That one call push us to the brink of LT’s range. And, as you all know, we were a yard short. In a game of inches, we were actually three feet, give or take a few, short.

Consistency, going forward is the key. As defending champs, playing .500 ball is unacceptable. It’s past time to play like Champs. From being better conditioned, to executing properly. Every team will give us their absolute best shot. It’s time to be prepared and go after it like we are still hungry. Hungry for a new way of life. As hungry as you would be if you migrated from Lambert, Miss. for a better life in the Windy City. It’s time to be dedicated. Dedicated to your commitment, your brothers, your family. Be Strong! Stay strong! Forever Strong for all that will look to you for strength and encouragement.

You may think its to early for a speech like this, but tomorrow is never promised. Each moment is precious and can last a lifetime. You may believe that it’s only one game and after all, it was just one, but what we are after is excellence. No room for error. The game is just a game….never to be mistaken for anything more than that, but showing that strength can have such a strong presence in the lives of many!

The message is simple…be Giants in all you do…always. Always stay strong and be there for your brother next to you. Tell him, “I got you! You are not in this battle alone. Collectively, our strength will encourage, motivate, and strengthen each other.”

Let it marinate.

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NY Giants Crystal Ball 2012

Call me crazy, maybe I am. Am I a homer? Absolutely! Am I drinking the kool aid?! I might not be to thirsty anymore. However, when I take a closer look at what history tells me, even with one of the toughest schedules ever, I predict the New York Football Giants as repeat Super Bowl winners. You read right….I wrote it. The same team that barely made it to the playoffs, the same team that was playing .500 ball with only two games remaining in the regular season, did what most thought they wouldn’t by winning the NFC East and dominating the tournament.

In looking at past Super Bowl winners, teams have several obstacles to face. They normally get very difficult schedules, lose key assets from both sides of the ball and that includes coaches, get low draft picks, and go through the entire next season with a huge target on their collective backs. This year, for the Giants, much of this has taken place again. Now, that’s the dark cloud of winning a Super Bowl. The silver lining?! Well, it all depends on your respective perspective. From my viewpoint, this is what I see.

Since

1988, only 3 teams have had losing records. Super Bowl winners Pittsburgh in 2008, Tampa Bay in 2002, and Denver in 1998. In the last 23 years, 5 teams did not return to the tournament and failed to defend their title. Of course, the three teams mentioned above and Pittsburgh Super Bowl winning team in 2005 and the New York Giants of 1990. That’s a record

of 17-5 for returning back to the playoffs. Of those 17 teams, 5 returned to th

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The beginning of the pre-season and just before winning Super Bowl XXXXVI, quarterback . Some laughed, many scoffed, but most just thought he was confident in his abilities, as confident as any professional athlete should be, but horribly mistaken. A short six months later, everyone is singing a new tune.

I too believe Eli Manning to be elite, but I was always a believer. Last season, with a new, rearranged offensive line, revamped receiver corp, and newfound pressure of letting his talent and his tongue speak, Eli made it happen. What did he make happen?!

Eli made GM Jerry Reese look like a phenomenal executive, when just a few short months earlier, Giants fans were calling for his head after letting Kevin Boss, and Steve Smith go and not resigning Plaxico Burress. Eli made the Giants give coach Tom Coughlin an extension, when just a few short months earlier, Giants fans were calling for his head (stop me if you heard this already.) Eli also made Victor Cruz a household name, the Giants Super Bowl four-time Champions, himself a two time Super Bowl MVP and the world believers in his talents!

So, say what you want about his demeanor and disposition. What no one will be able to question is his ability to lead. Eli is Elite! The world knows it, even if credit isn’t given as it should, which suits Eli just fine.
As the Jets dominate the preseason back pages, winning and improving is all that Eli seems to care about. Will the Hall of Fame be knocking? If the past is any indicator of the future, there’s no question in my mind. I also think its safe to say that way back in 2004, Giants brass got it right by trading all that they did to land the Giants the franchise quarterback that they so desperately wanted and needed. A true leader and so much more than the other two qbs in his class, Rivers and Roethlisberger. Eli not only matches Big Ben in SB rings, he surpasses him in SB MVP trophies and lags behind him in SB appearances (Eli 2-0, Ben 2-1) and lags behind Ben greatly in embarrassing moments (rape charge) and foolish, costly mistakes (see rape charge and motorcycle accident.) As for Rivers, well, you can’t win a Super Bowl if you don’t get to play in the game.

I’m not much of a singer, but if I were, I would join Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and sing, ” I believe in Eli!” After last year’s remarkable run, I don’t think I would be singing alone.

Believe Eli Manning.

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