Giants’ Brandon Jacobs Rips Tony Romo: “He’s Not That Good”

As we all know by now, New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs loves to talk trash. And when you’re able to back it up on the field as he does, anyone is fair game. So it should come as no surprise to hear that he was walking all over Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo this morning during an appearance on 1050 ESPN Radio.

“I don’t think he’s that good a passer, to be honest with you,” Jacobs said of Romo. “His luck will be gone sooner or later. If you were to keep [him] in the pocket he’s not that effective.”

There will undoubtedly be a handful of fans annoyed with Jacobs’ comments, but in context, he was just answering some questions honestly. And sure, Mr. Simpson will probably use it as bulletin board material, but it won’t do him any good.

I find this kind of banter—especially during such a slow time—to be extremely entertaining. And if you’re going to talk trash, why not take it right to the biggest name in the NFC East?

“I’m not a fan of Tony Romo, no,” Jacobs added.

It’s probably safe to that say most, if not all, Giants fans are right there with Jacobs. Romo is over-hyped and constantly cracks under pressure. He can put up solid numbers all year long, but when it comes time to win one for his team, he’s nowhere to be found—much like his girlfriend’s brain.

That said, as much as I dislike Romo as a player, you’ve got to give the man props for what he does off the field. He appears to be a model citizen and genuinely good guy and there’s something to be said about that.

Still, he has a face you’d just like to slap.

Originally posted on Giants 101

Steve McNair Was A Man’s Man

As an avid—and sometimes rabid—New York Giants fan, it’s rare that I find myself rooting for a player on another team. Why that is, well, it’s beyond me. My loyalty for Big Blue runs deep and unless a certain player has ties to the Giants, there’s little chance I’ll root for them.

But when it came to Steve “Air” McNair, it was a different case.

Sometimes there are just athletes who come along that do and say all the right things; athletes that are larger than life and play the game the way it’s meant to be played. They are the men that grit their teeth, play through pain and do everything within their power to help their team win a game. Yet when they leave the field, they can be referred as a gentle giant; men who go out of their way for their communities and charities.

Although he wasn’t without fault, Steve McNair was one of those men.

Not only was he a fierce competitor, with a pain tolerance that few athletes exhibit today, he was genuinely good human being that devoted a lot of him time and money to help those in need.

He may never go down with the like of Dan Marino, Steve Young and Joe Montana, but McNair deserves to be remembered for his courageous actions both on and off the field.

My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family, as well as the female victim found with him.

Was New York Giants’ Ramses Barden the Target of Cris Carter’s Tirade?

The 2009 NFL Rookie Symposium has now come and gone, and we’re left with details of hardcore sexual education and an intense blow-up courtesy of two-time All-Pro and future Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter.

And while most may be more interested in Sandra “Ms. Mac” McDonald’s instant classic lecture, fans of the New York Giants had better pay closer attention to Carter’s tongue-lashing.

“If you don’t want to listen to people who know more than you and who can help you navigate through what lies ahead, odds are you won’t be in the league for long,” Carter said.

Although the rookie who fell asleep and took the verbal beating has not yet been identified, fans shouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be Big Blue’s third-round pick Ramses Barden.

Earlier Sunday morning, Barden expressed concern (via Facebook) about his ability to stay awake during the four-day event.

“Off to the rookie symposium….Mission: To stay awake and hopefully learn sumthin,” Barden shared.

Coming into the 2009 NFL Draft, one of the few knocks on Barden and his character was his inability to concentrate. And while it may be a bit of a reach to assume it was the former Cal Poly wide receiver that caught some shut-eye during Carter’s mic. time, he’s a good a bet as any—especially considering it was a concern of his going into the event.

Here’s to hoping I just read too much into this and it’s nothing more than a strange coincidence.

Originally published at Giants 101.

The New York Giants’ Biggest Defensive Addition? Osi Umenyiora

A lot has been made of the New York Giants offseason acquisitions, especially those made along the defensive line. And why not? After all, the additions of Rocky Bernard and Chris Canty, in particular, give the Giants the best defensive line in the NFL—at least on paper.

But when the season actually begins and these players actually start to produce, it may not be Bernard, Canty, or even linebacker Michael Boley that have the biggest impact for Big Blue.

In fact, the key to their potential defensive success will actually come from someone who was already on the roster, but a player that has been somewhat overlooked because of a very good draft and solid free agency period.

Osi Umenyiora is a lot like a fantastic cleanup hitter in baseball. He’s going to give the player in front of him, in this case, Justin Tuck, a lot of protection, and then he’ll produce big numbers all on his own.

This isn’t a knock on Mathias Kiwanuka, who is a fantastic defensive end in his own right, but he’s no Umenyiora. And while he did a good job filling in for Chief Osi last season…

Read more: Giants 101

Eli Manning Needs Plaxico Burress: Fact or Fiction?

Much has been made of Eli Manning‘s alleged need of Plaxico Burress or a wide receiver with similar size and skill set. After all, the combination had become one of the best in the NFL when they began hooking up on touchdown passes in 2005.

And it’s a well known fact that when Eli misses, he misses high…so it’s not a reach to assume he needs a tall wide receiver to succeed.

However, if you actually break down the statistics in 2008 and compare Manning’s numbers with Burress to his numbers without him, they’re not that much different. In fact, an argument could be made that Peyton’s younger brother preformed better without his star wide receiver.

**The following statistical analysis was done with ESPN’s official stats and brucey.net’s QB Rating calculator.**

With Plaxico Burress (Weeks 1-3 and 6-11):

164/279 (58.78%) for 1,812 yards with 13 TD’s and seven INT’s (83.20 QB Rating)

Yards per attempt – 6.49
TD% – 4.66
INT% – 2.50

Without Plaxico Burress (Weeks 5 and 12-17):

125/200 (62.5%) for 1,426 yards with eight TD’s and three INT’s (90.95 QB Rating)

Yards per attempt – 7.13
TD% – 4.00
INT% – 1.50

Including the playoff loss to Philadelphia:

140/229 (61.1%) for 1,595 yards and eight TD’s and five INT’s (84.59 QB Rating)

Yards per attempt – 6.97
TD% – 3.49
INT% – 2.18

It’s important to note that Manning only played one half in week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings. Had he played the full game, here are his projected stats without Burress and the playoff loss included:

151/248 (60.9%) for 1,714 and eight TD’s and five INT’s (83.97 QB Rating)

Yards per attempt – 6.91
TD% – 3.23

INT% – 2.01

 

So what do all of these stats really tell us? Basically, that Manning can succeed without Burress and arguably does better. However, you should also note that his TD percentage was much higher when Burress was playing, but that his INT percentage was also higher…perhaps a sign of him forcing the ball to Plax?

Bottom line? Eli and the Giants don’t need Burress to succeed. What they do need is another productive end-zone threat…something I believe Ramses Barden will become almost immediately.

That’s that, Giants fans. It’s time to take your fingers off the panic button.

New York Giants: G101 Writer’s Round Table Answers (Part I)

You asked for it, we’re providing.  After receiving a slew of terrific, thoughtful questions, we have started to sit and ponder our answers.  Due to the verbose nature of the writers here at G101, we have decided to split up the answers into a few parts that will be released throughout this week.

First up, Dan Benton shares his thoughts on the loss of Steve Spagnuolo, the way his successor Bill Sheridan will handle the new DC duties and Reese’s work with Free Agency.  The next batch of answers will debut tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Q: youngsmooth316 said – The Giants have a new coordinator on D. With Bill Sheridan taking over the defense and consistently using our base defense, do you think this will allow the defensive scheme to become more dangerous.

He wants pass-rushers rushing the passers, is exactly what he said with an occasional drop into coverage from a d-line man when its a zone dog! Does this mean corner who press well will press?

Do this also mean we will have a true free safety and strong safety? Do you think Sheridan philosophy will be to play to the strengths of each player on the field?

Benton: I don’t know if Bill Sheridan taking over as defensive coordinator is the reason why the Giants may be more dangerous in 2009-10 so much as the health of Osi Umenyiora and the additions of Rocky Bernard, Chris Canty, Michael Boley and Clint Sintim will be the reason.

Still, Sheridan’s reluctance to drop the defensive lineman back into coverage will allow them to pin their ears back and attack the quarterback on nearly every play.

And while that may seem like a minor adjustment to the system Steve Spagnuolo had in place, it’s a relatively significant one…and one that could make an already great defense that much better.

As far as what it will mean to our corners and linebackers remains to be seen. But even with Spags, the scheme called for the defensive players to play to their strengths.

I doubt that will change with Sheridan, but will put a bigger burden on the linebackers to perform better than they have in coverage. Once you’re into the secondary, however, I don’t really see too much changing.

With the focus being on the pass rush, however, there could slight separation being created between the free safety and the strong safety for the first time in many years.

One is obviously going to be required to pay closer attention to the run and will likely creep up to the lone a bit more, but I still don’t believe it will be as significant as the way other teams use their safeties.

 

Q: giants50 said – Do you think the loss of Spags will hurt the giants as much as people say it will?

Benton: Spags was a fantastic defensive coordinator for the Giants, there’s no doubt about that, but Sheridan has been with the Giants for four seasons and has 28 years of coaching experience. He saw the success Big Blue had under Spags and has made it a point to change very little.

Because of the players familiarity with him (and visa versa), I really don’t think his promotion (and Spags departure) is going to hurt the Giants very much…if at all. The system will be very similar to what it was over the last two seasons with a minor adjustment to its weakest part (d-lineman in coverage).

Add that to all the new and talented players that have been brought in and you have a recipe for success. And while fans will never forget what Spags did for them, I think Sheridan will make it a bit easier for them to let go and move on.

Read more: Giants 101 – Writer’s Round Table (Part I)

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