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We interrupt this blog to bring you this important New Orlean's 2nd round pick update:

As of this morning, at 5-5 the Saints are currently in a 5 way tie (with Buffalo and seemingly the entire Norris Division) for the 12th pick of the 2nd round (44th overall).  San Diego, Jacksonville, and (by virtue of their win last night) Cleveland are all just ahead of them at 4-6, occupying slots 41-43.    

The Saints next host 5-5 Green Bay on MNF, and Jeremy Shockey is still an ass.

This concludes our update on the New Orleans Saint's 2nd round pick. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming ...

Aaron Ross (along with James Harrison and Julius Peppers) have been nominated for NFL Defensive Player of the Week.

(Harrison should win going away IMO)

Thanks for the good news Dan.

Thanks for the good news Dan.

It will be interesting if Jacobs sits and we still put up 200 yards on the Cardinals.  I think it would cement Pro Bowl berths for at least 2 of our offensive lineman, and also may drive down the market price for Jacobs and Ward.  

Good news-

OGMan- Good point,  would rest him unless it is 100% that he cant hurt it worse by playing. Keep the Big horse healthy for the Playoffs. How great would it be to see Ward,Bradshaw and Ware go for 200+

Hey, just wanted to say thanks to Sean, Haz, Dave and both Dans!Just got that Camera and it is SWEET! Gotta love a place where you can talk about our beloved GMEN with fellow Fans  AND win great stuff!

Great job guys!

Yesterday I just got the GM book and the Eli book in the mail that Nosh has been hyping up. My job is boring as hell so I am starting the GM book today. G101 can only kill so many hours in the day lol.

Jacobs is a beast and, as much as we might want the G-men to rest him, there's no way that he would stand for that. He has become the emotional catalyst of our offense, taking Shockey's place without being the cokehead nutjob that he was.

Look for Earth, Wind and Fire to be in full effect this Sunday, dominating the time of possession against a pass-oriented Arizona team.

Jacobs plays on Sunday there is no doubt about that... if he loses some carries to 34 and 44 i don't see anything wrong with that.

Jacobs is on ESPN First Take right now and he confirmed no major damage. He also said he COULD play but that the Giants "may" hold him out this weekend.

I think Jacobs sits.

Doug Stewart on ESPN just said Adrian Peterson is more punishing than Brandon Jacobs.

Skip BaylASS also said Marion Barber is more punishing than Brandon Jacobs.

Barber is one of the most overrated, soft RB's in the league right now, in my opinion.

I think he sits too.  The are playing in a dome, which Eli usually excels in and they are going up against, IMO, a mediocre pass defense.  Call me crazy, but I think we are going to see a strong passing game this week from Eli and the boys.  

Of course, there will be a hefty dose of the running game as well, I just think Eli/Plax/Toomer are all going to have one of those big time games together.

This is why is ok that we didnt see Bradshaw earlier on... Now Jacobs will see reduced carries so he is ready for post season and the weapon that is Bradshaw will emerge. I love Jacobs and think he really makes us go, but if he needs rest give it to him

Also, Garfolo's blog has an article asking if Eli should air it out.... I would tend to say that unless there are 9 in the box, no way. Let him do what he does, he is a master at manipulating defenses and I really see no need to air it out against AZ, that plays right into their hands... Keep it on the ground

Sit him.  Makes it easier to negotiate an extension.  Besides, he could use a week off.  And we want him hungry for the last 3 NFC East games.  

While we're at it... let Carney kick.

I really thought we were going to "air it out" this week against the Ravens and their number 1 rush defense. But if we can run on them, with any and all combinations of EWF, we will certainly continue the trend against Arizona. Still, I would really like to see Eli go above 200 yards this week...he hasn't done it in more than a few weeks now and I think he needs to start having a rhythm in the passing game. Looking forward towards the playoffs, we'll be facing tough(er) opponents who will look to derail our running game and I think some passing consistency needs to be established.

I love it when the ESPN schmucks trash the Giants. Go for it, Balyasshole....talk smack. And when we rumbling towards another Lombardi Trophy, keep your skinny white @ss off the bandwagon.

I think "airing it out" for Eli ia a little different than for most QBs.  Just one long bomb should be enough to have their corners play off our WR. You'll see more 10-15 yd throws after that.  Compared to the windy Meadowlands, this is airing it out.

BTW, did you read that quote from Darcy Johnson , who said his 1 yd TD pass was altered by the wind?  That was actualy more like a 4 yd pass.

DEMO,

Gotta love our UCF boy Darcy getting that TD. I was watching the game at the Ale House in Waterford and they made an announcement that a former Knight had just scored for the Giants...and the place went BIZZERK!!!!

great article on Jacob's...

www.newsday.com/.../ny-spwally185931928nov18,0,3137845.column

Jacobs... not Jacob's, oops

For my money, I would definitely sit Jacobs and dress Ware. It has nothing to do with Jacobs' value on the free agency market. It has to do with resting him (which is a great idea anyway) and seeing what Ware can do against a defense that is not one of the best out there but still has a couple of fast linebackers who swarm the backs. Based on what we've seen from Ware I think he'll do fine. I think the coaches and Reese need to see him get opportunities in order to determine how he would be used next season. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that either Jacobs or Ward is gone in 2009, and the Giants are going to want to go into the season with three good running backs. Now is the time to see whether they need to think about drafting one (besides in a late round when they might do it anyway) or grabbing someone off a Practice Team again. I don't think so. I think the trio next season is BJ, Ware and Bradshaw (with a 4th back picked either late in the draft or picked up through free agency when late cuts are made next summer).

I just don't get this whole thing about "Eli needs to do this and Eli needs to do that". Let's see. The Giants have won 13 of 14 games since the playoffs last season, including at least 9-10 against very tough opponents. Every time they have needed Eli to "win" the game for them rather than "manage" the game he has done so (with the one exception at Cleveland...and no one's perfect). He makes calls at the line-of-scrimmage that have been working beautifully against defenses that he has started to recognize as well as his brother does. He has become a natural leader with his cool demeanor and his insistence that he, and the team, can always get better and have a lot of work to do. He makes a mistake and immediately moves on, frequently coming back and making a great play in the next series, which has become a trademark of the entire team that really does start with the quarterback. So where's the problem?

I don't care if Eli gets 500 yards of passing yardage or 120 yards. All anyone should care about is the W and whether he has demonstrated a capacity to win a game when you need him to carry that burden. Given that he has done exactly that under unbelievable pressure in a lot of games (even when he wasn't half the quarterback he is today), I think we should just relax and enjoy him rather than look for reasons to be dissatisfied.

For the record, I wasn't implying that they should sit Jacobs for UFA / salary reasons.  I think they should sit him as a precaution. Period. However, it would be an interesting sidenote if the running game still motored along without him and wondered what kind of impact that may have on their respective FA status / negotiations, etc.

Carry on ...

I totally agree with you ff55... absolutly no reason to "air it out" not one team has proven that they can stop us yet, and Arizona doesnt seem like a likely candidate, so until they do, carry on

I was only saying Eli will likely throw for more yardage IF Jacobs sits out and because they are in a dome, which Eli usually plays well in.  I don't care if he throws for 25 yards, as long as they are 10-1 after the game.

55fan-

I agree with your sentiments about Eli.  I just am predicting what will be effective this Sunday.

Your longetivity reminds me to comment on what I read on this blog somewhere criticizing the three knees against the Ravens that somehow "deprived" Bradshaw of getting 100 yards against the Ravens.  Maybe they can read the stories of that "Miracle" Eagles game 30 years ago.  Hopefully I won't have to read about it for another 10 years.

55fan-

I agree with your sentiments about Eli.  I just am predicting what will be effective this Sunday.

Your longetivity reminds me to comment on what I read on this blog somewhere criticizing the three knees against the Ravens that somehow "deprived" Bradshaw of getting 100 yards against the Ravens.  Maybe they can read the stories of that "Miracle" Eagles game 30 years ago.  Hopefully I won't have to read about it for another 10 years.

Skip Bayless is a gut maggot with no guts.

I think if BJ sits (wich he should) that ELi will have a big game mostly due to the fact that Ward and  BRadshaw can catch out of the backfield. The Giants havent run that many screnns and ous to the backs cause BJ cant catch a cold. With ward and Braddie out there I think they will take advantage of putting the ball in their hands out in the open field ala the days of Tiki.Dont forget he retired the Giants all time receptions leader, so that is part of the Giants arsenal, just not when BJ is out there

Ward has been doing a great job catching the bal out of the backfield the past few games... They have been doing that more and more lately with him.

Those talkling heads on ESPN are idiots. They have no clue what they are talking about. They shoould ask Charles Woodson or Laron Landry who the most punishing back in the Nfl is.

rebel i usually agree with you ( in large part cause of the name:), but man there aint nothing to fear about these cardinals except for eli throwing 3 picks. we are going to kill these dudes. i'm here in phoenix and i keep up with those bums just cause we play them this year. i moved here from memphis right when the lienhart(?) controversy was going on. i hate lionhart. dude is like rex grossman to me. he too was supposed to be better than eli.

ANYWAYS, dude like i said i know the cards and we are going to kick that ass man. don't worry. eli and gilbride are going to be focused. i can't wait to see them in that spead shotgun!!!! whoa!!!!!! hixon, smith, sinorita.... we gone kick the cardinal out of these bums. AND the weather here is great. it's like summertime up north out here.

first of all we are going to control the clock with an emphasis on big plays early. larry and boldin will get theirs but they aint gone get off like they did today. c web will only give up 5-6 catches. i see jacobs and co. getting going early and the play action to plax and hixon for big plays. if we get up by 14 early its over. OVER. we will run the ball down their throats. i only hope it is a close high scoring game so eli can get his numbers. i know he wants to, but it aint going to happen cause we are going to put up points early and often. and if they have to play catch up, we have tuck, robbins and co. to beat kurt warner's ass.

man i am syked for this game. the people here actually think they have a good team. they are okay, but they are in the nfc west.

again... BEAT DOWN!!!

interesting look at the Giants from the Ravens POV

www.baltimoresun.com/.../bal-sp.preston18nov18,0,6919540.column

I think we need to see what Ware gives us. And, if we can have the upper hand going into the 4th quarter, I think we will.

Dan Benton- I despise Marion  Barber and in no way think he is as Punishing as BJ, but..The guy is a Great RB. He is absolute Money late in games and several times has been the one man show for the Cowgirl offense.

Lost in the shuffle... we got some good flat passes against the Ravens.

Kujo I was really happy for our boy Darcy on Sunday.

It was the only UCF related brightspot I have had in the last few months.

As for Ware, I think this is a perfect time to dress him and see what he's got, as he is also a FA aftere this season(although not an UFA). Gotta see what you have with Ward and BJ being UFA and Droughns scheduled to make $1,250,000 next year.

Krow- yeah that was impressive, especially the one to Ward on the all out Blitz. I'd love to see 5-7 of those this week to Ward and Bradshaw.

Agreed Demo.  Ware could save us a draft pick.  And Droughns is on his way to becoming a NY Giant trivia question.

So... lots of print and media analysts are saying how our secondary is the "weak link".  I don't agree with that assessment at all.  Teams pretty much have to pass on us.  And how bad can they be at 9-1?

Skip Bayless acts controversial just for the sake of doing so.  I believe that he doesn't even believe what he says most of the time.  He's a massive tool and has no credibility with me.  

However, Adrian Peterson is a more punishing runner than some people give him credit for, just because they watch ESPN and only see when he takes it to the house.  That said, I don't think he is a more punishing runner than Jacobs.

Jacobs MRI reveals: a $14 million signing bonus...

I agree Krow- its easier for the casual observer to look at some stats and say our secondary is the weak link instead of having to admit this team has very few weaknesses at all.  I personally think our biggest weakness is the weather limits what we can do, but that affects the visiting team also. And they addressed the problem of the 60 yard kickoffs, so that point is moot.

KD-lol

Peterson will always get the highlights because he is more dynamic. But he's not all that good in short yardage

DEMO, nice link to that Baltimore columnist. It shows that outside of some of the Pavlovian skeptics around New York people know this is a terrific football team.

Murph, now THAT's a totally proper man-hate that I can get fully behind. I've seen this guy Bayless a few times and the man is whatever is worse than a blithering idiot. He makes all of the other witless commentators seem like they might actually know what they're talking about.

As to our secondary, it probably is a reasonable place to try to suggest weakness when you're looking for chinks in the armor. But it's a pretty good group that will be a lot better next season after this draft. I think Ross and Webster are excellent young players (although probably only the 2nd and 3rd best cornerbacks at the Meadowlands...that kid Reavis is going to be the best cornerback in the league, IMHO). Phillips is going to be one of the best safeties in the league, if not the best. I think Thomas is going to be very good and will allow us to have a great nickel defense. Butler and Johnson are "good enough" but should be the #3 and #4 guys on the depth chart. If Reese is as smart as I think he is he and Ross are already targeting safeties they will pick in April with 1st or 2nd picks. I am absolutely convinced that if you pair Cam Chancellor with KP the Giants will have the best nickel and dime defenses in the NFL, and can cover for what we all know is the real "weakness" (and not a very big one) on the team at the moment at linebacker.

Eli's style with media suits Giants perfectly

www.newsday.com/.../ny-spmedia185931920nov18,0,197871.column

If for whatever reason we're not presented with an opportunity to add a safety, do you think they'd give any thought to converting Thomas? I seem to recall after the draft that the predraft scouting reports on him indicated it might make a nice fit for him...  

Top 3 Reasons why Brandon Jacobs IS the Most Punishing back in NFL...

1)www.youtube.com/watch

2)www.youtube.com/watch

3)www.youtube.com/watch

watch what he does to the poor db in final video

We should all remember that the 2009 draft is set up PERFECTLY for the Giants.

The "needs" of the team match what are generally considered positions where there is a lot of talent and depth available at safety and linebacker.

Because of fears regarding the changes in the rookie compensation scheme a lot of excellent underclassmen are going to declare. I suspect that Reese may not take any of them, but their numbers swell the list of "premier" players from around 100-110 to more like 120-140, taking this draft well into the fifth round with players who should be able to help their teams quickly. And every one of thoe "extra" choices picked by some other team means it is more likely that Reese and Ross get the guys they have targeted.

And as we all know, the Giants have a boatload of picks in this draft, including the fantastic luxury of 3 picks in the first two rounds of which two may well be in the top 45. Add some high picks (2nd and 3rd rounders) that Reese gets in trades and the Giants should have no trouble getting players who, at worst, they had rated as one of their "top 3" at any positions they target as needs.

The "needs" appear to be safeties, linebackers, more depth in the trenches (including a penetrating DT and/or a "space-eater" at that position...one who can be prepared to replace Robbins or Cofield eventually) and maybe a cornerback and a return specialist (who might be the same player). But if I were running the draft I'd say, "Let's get a safety and a linebacker and then just go BPA and let the chips fall where they may".

Original G, we WILL get a safety. There are a LOT of good ones available. I think Thomas could play safety if needed, but I don't think he'll be needed and it wouldn't make sense to move him next season anyway while Butler and Johnson are still around. Let him keep learning the cornerback position. Be patient with him. He'll be good, maybe a lot better than good.

DEMO digging up BJ from Auburn video...

How could he have been behind Brown and Cadillac?

Brandon Jacobs said this morning that he feels like he could play this Sunday in Arizona if there was a “serious need,” but he added there’s a chance the Giants might hold him out.

www.nydailynews.com/.../jacobs-says-he-might-not-play.html

KD, nice link.

I love the way Eli gives the press absolutely nothing but platitudes. It really is very much "Jeteresque". It must be frustrating for these reporters when they know they're trying to pry something useful out of someone smarter than they who simply won't play the game.

One of the reasons the Plax story blew up so much was because these media folks haven't really got much to write about in regard to the Giants. The team gives them very few "hooks" so when one does come along it's like a feeding frenzy. Many of us may not miss that bum Shockey, but they sure as hell do.

Denver picked Maurice Clarett before Brandon Jacobs.

Nice job there, Shanny.

I'll tell you, no matter how many "kills" BJ makes in his career, he will have a hard time topping the one against Landry. Here's one of the best young safeties in the NFL, one who prides himself on intimidating receivers AND running backs, not only getting sent to Neverland, but getting tire tracks across his chest and belly at the same time.

I laughed out loud when I saw the play originally. I LOL when I saw the replay. And I LOL when I just watched that clip. I love Adrian Peterson, but the man simply can't match that. Peterson scares a defense because of what he can do to win a game. BJ scares a defender because of what he can do to him while winning the game. I played football, albeit at a little-bitty level compared to the NFL. But if they told the truth, every defensive back in the NFL would tell you what we used to hate to admit in the locker room. There are some guys out there who literally scare you. Jacobs scares any defensive back who isn't completely out of his mind. And that, KD, is worth a $10-14MM signing bonus.

KD- I have No idea how he was third string.

There was another video out there of BJ knocking Fred Smot OUT from a couple of years ago but it is no longer on you tube.

Both are effective in different ways. Makes no difference to me whether a RB goes through someone or around them. Peterson can catch too, so that factors in. But they are probably the class of the NFL right now at RB.

The OGMAN

Maurice Clarett, Cedric Benson, JJ Arrington,Eric Shelton, Vernand Morency, and Ryan Moats were all taken before Jacobs ( and Marion Barber)

Here's the original scouting report on Jacobs heading into the draft:

www.usatoday.com/.../Jacobs,Brandon-TB-Southern%20Illinois.htm

ok i know some of yall must be on that ravens site too cause there are some giants fans talking mad *** over there.lol and i'm joining the fun. i can't believe these sore loser fans over there. this blog kicks way more ass. man i love giants 101

Call me selfish...but I'm going to the game Sunday, and I want to see The Beast bulldozing guys out there! Sure, they should maybe limit his carries a little bit more...but I think to totally remove him from the game is doing our offense a HUGE disservice.  Jacobs has become a key element to this offense, and will wear down the defense for Ward/Bradshaw.  I think it'd be okay to dress Ware this game too as some have discussed to get him involved and see what he can do...but DON'T just NOT play Jacobs! Maybe limit his carries to 15 or so.

j charles

I know my beer.

St Paulie Girl actually has a different name in Hamburg, they call it Astral.

I went on a brewery tour around Europe a couple years ago.