68.9% Completion Percentage…7,820 passing yards…63 Passing TD’s against 22 Int… 345 Rushing Attempts for a total of 2,169 and 30 Rushing TD’s….In the SEC, the best conference in college football, in 2 seasons. Remember these stats and realize…“It’s just business nothing personal” Don Corleone.

What I am about to type is sure to get me in trouble. But I’m sorta like Austin Powers in a way. One, I have a tremendous MoJo, and two, “Danger…is my middle name.”

The New York Giants are being sued. Let that marinate for a second…let it soak in. And if it’s true, it is not going to be pretty. Deep and rich with history, this is one of the oldest, most respected, proudest and successful franchises in the league. Not to mention, obtains the most loyal fan base in all of sports. This could smear our good name for some time to come.

“If this lawsuit proves the Giants have been passing off forgeries of legitimate gear, there could be thousands of lawsuits spinning off of it.” Sarah Hoffman, The Daily Caller

Dan Gaziano of ESPNNY.com ponders…”Look, I’m a skeptic, by nature and by profession. So I don’t want to be the one out there shouting, “No way! Not Eli!”, because people of every shape and size have the ability to surprise and disappoint us. It’s the way of the world. But if — and I really want to stress IF — Eli Manning were to be involved in something like this, it would controvert four decades’ and two generations’ worth of brand-building by Manning quarterbacks. It would be the most — and maybe the first — out-of-character thing any Manning ever did. This is a quarterback family that’s going down in history as football royalty, partially by design, and it’s difficult to imagine one of them risking this much work on a collective legacy over something as small-potatoes as a memorabilia scam involving equipment managers and dry cleaners.”

Kaja Whitehouse from the New York Post writes, “The allegations are part of a civil-racketeering, breach-of-contract, malicious-prosecution and trade-libel suit filed Wednesday in Bergen County Superior Court by sports collector Eric Inselberg. In one startling claim, the suit says Barry Barone, who has been the Giants’ dry cleaner since 1982, used his Rutherford, NJ, Park Cleaners store to beat up jerseys and other items at the behest of longtime locker-room manager Ed Wagner Jr. In a 2001 incident, Wagner told Barone “to intentionally damage multiple jerseys to make them appear to have been game-worn when they had not been.”

Civil-racketeering, breach-of-contract, malicious-prosecution and a trade-libel suit, sounds like something out of The fucking Sopranos. And in The Sopranos, what happens when someone makes the Family look like a disgracia?….That’s right, they get whacked.

Just the fact that I’m reading what I’m reading about this is sickening. Do I think this story was stalled for some time so it can explode on the front page 3 days before the biggest football game on the planet? I do. To quote Kirk Lazarus from the set of Tropic Thunder one more time though…”Just cuz it’s a theme song doesn’t make it not true.”

And now reports are coming out that several Giants employees lied to the Feds…”WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!!” screamed Stu from The Hangover.

Now I don’t want to speculate, but where there is smoke there is usually fire. There had to be something in the evidence that made the government go through with this right? But let us not speculate at this time, Eli and the Giants say this is all false and they will fight it. We will see what happens.

In the meantime, it got me thinking, which is dangerous for me. Always seems to get me into trouble. But I’m going to throw this against the wall and see it if it sticks.

Deep inside the bowels of Giants stadium, someone knows if the allegations are true or not. They also know if Eli was involved. If any part of this story has legs, the Giants better get froggy and leap before something lands on them and the name that Wellington Mara built for decades becomes jeopardized.

This is about us…not Eli. It’s about the New York Giants brand, not the Manning legacy. If Eli is guilty…well here is what I’d do.

Imagine for a second you are Bob McNair, the GM for the Houston Texans. You got the #1 pick of the draft and you’re willing to listen to offers for said pick. McNair was quoted just days ago as saying…”Maybe we’ll trade down and still get a quarterback that can do the job and get an outstanding defensive player, it’s an exciting time. Everything’s a moving target. Lot of different pieces.”

I got a piece for ya Bobby. A two-time Super Bowl MVP, a Manning. A man who has shown what he can do with a superior defense, which your Texans have, and a great running game. You have Arian Foster, all you need is Eli, he is your missing link. He is your cure for the Case Keenum and Matt Schaub woes that have made your fans sick. All I want is the #1 pick of the draft, which Bobby, you know is a huge question mark. You never know for sure what you’re going to get. And if you miss Bobby? If you take Bridgewater over Johnny Football and miss…or Clowney over Bridgewater and screw this up, they will run your name through the mud in Houston.

Let me take this off your mind Bobby. Let me make this easy for you. Manning, our 12th pick in the draft, our 4th and a 6th this year and next year. You give us your #1 and your 4th and a 7th this year and a pick next year. And Bobby, you can that 12th pick and the picks we gave you to move up and still get that stud defensive player you wanted. A two time Super Bowl MVP and a stud on defense, and more picks to spare. Sign Bobby, I made you an offer you can’t refuse, it’s business…not personal.

But James, how can you do this? Why would you trade Eli? All over this law suit?…This is insane…

“There’s a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.” Oscar Levant

See I’m torn here. For as much as I love Eli, I also realize that having a QB who is making $20 million a year is a burden on the rest of your roster in the NFL today. It’s hard to build a team with that number strangling your cap space. The guys who are making that money now have the ability to carry their teams, put said team on said back. As much as I love Easy E, he is not Brady, Rodgers, Brees or his big brother. He needs the team to be strong in all areas. He is not Batman, he is Robin; not Jordan, but Pippen. There is a storm hitting the NFL next year, and if you don’t recognize it, then the joke is on you.

GM’s in the NFL have a chance at greatness only so often. Reese, in my eyes, has done a great job as GM, but he stepped in shit a little. Mara handed him Coughlin, and Accorsi gave him Manning. Now he can be the one with the balls to reach for the next great player, the kid who is going to blaze a trail to super stardom, and win a lot of games along the way. A kid, who unlike Eli, is the perfect fit for Bob McAdoo’s west coast type offense.

Let’s revisit shall we…68.9% Completion Percentage…7,820 passing yards…63 Passing TD’s against 22 Int… 345 Rushing Attempts for a total of 2,169 and 30 Rushing TD’s….In the SEC, the best conference in college football, in 2 seasons.

“It’s just business, nothing personal” Don Corleone.

With the 1st pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select….Johnny Effin Football. (I know Manziel had a little memorabilia problem as well, but I’m thinking about the next ten plus seasons, and this is my wet dream…so deal with it.)

And it’s not like Manziel has been putting up these numbers against the Little Sisters of the Holy Mother. Look at his numbers against Alabama and Auburn this year. In week 3 against Alabama, 28 for 39, 71.8%, 464 yards…5 TDs, 2 Ints. Against Auburn…28 for 38, 73.7%, 454 yards…4 TD’s and 2 Int’s…

It’s like someone took some Favre, mixed in some Drew Brees, sprinkled in some Flutie with just a pinch of Russel Wilson. The kid can play. Now, consider this assessment supported here in this post by Russ Lande of sportsonearth.com ..

“Having to throw as many passes as he did, it’s also impressive that Manziel throws few, if any, passes that defenders can get their hands on. Of the top five quarterbacks I have evaluated so far (Derek Carr, Blake Bortles, Bridgewater, Zach Mettenberger and Manziel), he has the lowest error/interception rate of any of them. Not only does Manziel have the passing skills to succeed in the NFL, but his ability to lead his team and carry them on his back to comebacks consistently has been incredible.” (The entire scouting report on Manziel can be found here…. https://www.sportsonearth.com/article/67254668/nfl-prospect-profile-quarterback-Johnny-Manziel)

I know all you softies and Eli lovers are having a hard time with this, but consider this, let’s go to the bottom of the ocean on this one.

If you read my articles,

The Big Blueprint Part I https://bleedbigblue.com/the-ny-giants-big-blueprint/

The Big Blueprint Part II … https://bleedbigblue.com/the-ny-giants-big-blueprint-part-2/

You see how I moved the Giants into this off-season close to $40+ million under the salary cap. Now trade Eli, how’s an extra $20 million sound to you? (Even if he extends or restructures his deal, it saves you $14-$16 million extra off your books.)

Having the number one pick in the draft is a lot less risky financially then it was a decade ago when the Giants made a bold move out of nowhere. I watched Eli play in college. I’ve watched Johnny Manziel as well. I’d trade for Johnny before I would have traded for Eli. I think he’s better…period, end of sentence.

10 years ago the Giants and Ernie Accorsi shocked the football world with a trade on draft day. A trade no one thought the Giants would make considering how they run their franchise. A decade later, and 2 Super Bowl MVP’s in his trophy case (real or not?), Eli is on the front page while his brother is where athletes belong, on the back page, getting ready to compete on the game’s biggest stage.

This story has the potential to be embarrassing for us all. Knowingly selling phony memorabilia to the most loyal fan base in sports? If Eli knew and provided fake shit while the real items were in his possession? Well, it’s not murder, but considering where we are and what we are as a franchise, it’s not acceptable either. Hell, they are claiming the helmet in the Hall of Fame from 2007 is a fake. Not good.

Considering, I am a Giants fan before a Manning fan, I am forced to think of the franchise first. Winning first as the game gradually develops around us. Johnny Football is the QB position evolved. He is the future.

#1 pick of the draft and $50+ million under the cap for Reese to start anew, his way. Now, you may love Eli and disagree with me, and you all may let me have it on this one, but at least my opinion is the “real thing” and not a fugazy. You have to admit, this is compelling and rich stuff, at least a little.

It’s my job to conjure up some debate and I thought this was a good way to do it. And you can’t deny it…you’re intrigued, right?

Does Reese have the balls to do this? What would you do? Would the Texans even consider this? Who would you draft if they did trade us the #1 pick? Would you take Manziel? And what are your thoughts on the case against the Giants?

Let’s discuss Bleed Big Blue nation???…and now without further ado my…

SUPER BOWL PREDICTION:

I’m old school. I watched the Giants beat the Bills in Super Bowl XXV and see a similar beating headed the Broncos way, physically. Defense and a power running has been the formula for too many championships and I think Seattle has the right ingredients for Peyton and the Broncos. I look for Seattle to run at will against Denver and for Peyton to be standing on the sidelines freezing as opposed to blazing a trail up and down the field. When he is on the field…well, this is not the defense he wanted to see looking back at him. Taste the Rainbow and take the points…Seattle Seahawks 30 Denver Broncos 20 — MVP? I go with Marshawn Lynch, 125 rushing yds and 2 TD’s… and then a refusal to say he’s going to Disney Land…

Enjoy the game and don’t buy the game worn jerseys….

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league as a tidal wave of force, racking up the most rushing and passing yards for a rookie QB. He definitely faced a sophomore slump, getting completely enveloped by defenses and he struggled making moves until late in the season. Giants haven’t had any pressure

on D and have racked up less than a handful of sacks. If they want to stop the Panthers’ offense, they have to stop Cam. Eli has looked less than spectacular in his first two games. I kinda looked away in the first game because one of his picks was a tip drill and another could almost be fully blamed on a lazy receiver. Then he comes back and overthrows a couple balls, has another tip drill and looks anything but sharp. He had 15 picks all of last season and already has 7 in two games. As goes Eli and the defense, so goes the Giants. It’s tough to put all of the blame

on Eli when the Giants’ run game is so pathetic. Jacobs isn’t in full form yet, who knows if he will ever be, and Wilson is running scared. If you can’t ground and pound, you can’t open up the receiving routes. Another note, Corey Webster is looking like a scratch for today, which will put even more strain on an extremely weak Giants secondary. In third and long situations last week, Peyton made getting a first down look uncomfortably easy. Luckily, there’s not much further the Giants can sink, so let’s hope there’s only up from here.

There’s not much I can say about the Panthers. Cam Newton is dangerous, a defense lead by former BC great Luke Kuechly is somewhat formidable, but they do have weakness in the secondary just like the Giants. If there was ever a chance at a bounce back game this is it for Big Blue. Eli can pick these guys apart and should do so. The only question is, will the Giants D let the same happen to them? A repeat performance of 3 picks and only a couple dozen yards on the ground from Cam would be greatly appreciated today. As always, Let’s Go Giants!!!

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How do you rank New York’s Elite Athletes. Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, Carmelo Anthony? Start sending us your submissions for New York’s 10 Elite Athletes.

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New York Giants Drive For 5

For the Giants

The Fifth Lombardi Trophy would place the Giants in a tie with the Cowboys & 49ers who both have five Super Bowl wins. The Fifth Lombardi Trophy would also mean the Giants only trail the Steelers for all time Super Bowl wins.

For Tom Coughlin

This would be Tom Coughlin’s 3rd Lombardi Trophy. This will pass Giants coaching great Bill Parcels.
This 3rd Lombardi Trophy would tie Tom Coughlin with Bill Belichick. No inactive coach who has 3 Super Bowl rings is not elected into the Hall of Fame.

For Eli Manning

This would be Eli’s 3rd Lombardi Trophy. This will pass Giants great quarterback Phil Simms.
This 3rd 3rd Lombardi Trophy will tie him with both Tom Brady & Troy Aikman. No inactive QB who has 3 Super Bowl rings is not elected into the hall of fame.

For Justin Tuck

This would be Justin’s 3rd Lombardi Trophy. Passing LT, Carl Banks & other Giants greats.

The post Drive For 5 first appeared on Bleedbigblue.com.

Eli Manning vs The Panthers

Let’s hope that nobody pulled a Turner and decided to get caught for a DUI today, because the G-Men need all hands on deck. It’s looking a little shady with at least four big names rocking the huge red O next to their names on the roster. It sounds even worse when you hear they are all starters on the offense. Hearing the news on ESPN was a great way to end my hangover ride on cloud nine after being at that game Sunday. Eli was looking like a rookie quarterback out there in the first half, nose bleed seats didn’t help but from the looks of it those passes weren’t tipped and couldn’t be pinned on anybody but Eli. Then in crunch time, when it mattered most, Eli decides to remember that he is a two-time Superbowl MVP and make it rain out there. There is nothing better than watching Victor Cruz Salsa City as a celebration for his grandmother’s life. Just thinking about the game is giving me chills; but we’re already at week 3 for the Giants after only three days of rest (Thanks Goodell). So let’s get at it Big Blue.
Cam Newton is coming in hot off an impressive win against the Saints, he was throwing the ball as well as he was running it. The Panthers have a solid rushing attack with a three-headed monster backfield of DeAngelo Wiliams, Jonathan Stewart (who is probable for today) and Mike Tolbert, not to mention Cam can run with the ball whenever he wants to. There is always that big play threat downfield with Steve Smith, we can only hope that with

Prince Amukamara returning that maybe the safeties can finally get something going. The Panthers D is nothing to write home about, of course they did seemingly shut down Drew Brees for a while last week, but they still managed to let up 27pts. This would be a team that the G-Men can get a running game started against since they are currently 24th in an early season ranking.
For the Giants, Eli needs to step up early and often. With Victor Cruz getting double teamed all night, he is gonna have to make The Pharoah and Randle look like superstars. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that nobody has figured out what to do against a Black Unicorn. If the G-Men can prove that their passing game hasn’t been crushed by the loss of Nicks and Hixon, then there is a chance that they can get their running game going. Brown looked like a man hungry for a spot in the starting line-up last week, just pure determination to get that game winning TD. We should all be looking for big things out of the guy, so that Bradshaw (when he’s healthy) isn’t expected to do everything with the ball. Now the Giants D… a complete disaster so far. Yeah they had a HUGE pick on Sunday and started to pressure Freeman in the second half, but let me tell you something. The stat line for the Octopus, Tuck and Osi does not represent a team who built two Superbowls on the pass rush. The secondary is miserable to watch, they might be better off throwing their gloves in the air to stop the ball because we know they aren’t blocking the passes with their hands. If the D steps up, the whole Giants team steps up.
Look, the Giants have been Road Warriors in the past two seasons they came home with the Lombardi Trophy. Some guys say the G-Men might be better off playing all their games on the road. Well let’s see if those guys are right, let’s have some domination tonight. A big score quick for the Giants will hopefully rattle the cage of a young QB. The last time the previous year’s Superbowl MVP and Rookie of the Year met on the field was in 2007, Vince Young against Peyton Manning. Big Blue fans are looking for Cam to make his inner Vince Young come out tonight.
Let’s Go Big Blue!

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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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