First off let me apologize for yesterday’s second part not being put up. Unfortunately technology let me down and erased my entire 2200 word post as I was finishing it up. Not too proud of that but hey, in this business you move on to the next one and here we are. More NBA. More player movement. More on the Ryan Braun positive test front. But first we begin with football and boy is there a lot to talk about.
In a must win game that was essentially for the season and keeping their playoff hopes alive. The Giants were down 34-22 with 5:41 left in the game. The Giants scored two touchdowns and a two point conversion to go ahead 37-34 with :46 left. Romo helped drive the Cowboys the length of the field setting up Dan Bailey for a game tying field goal. He had hit two from 40+ deep already in the game. He kicked it, and it went through….only, Tom Coughlin called the timeout prior to the kick and so the Boys had to kick it again. Wouldn’t you know it, Jason Pierre Paul gets his long arms on the ball on the second kick and the Giants end up winning the game 37-34. Mike Vacarro says JPP deserves a lot of the credit for this win. Tom Rock of Newsday says its no wonder Brandon Jacobs had his best game of the season against the Cowboys: he hates them. Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star Telegram found out that not even Tony Romo’s 4 TD 0 INT game could save the Cowboys from its porous defense.
Forget arm chair analysis. Forget Monday Morning QB. The Cowboys AND the Giants defense were clueless and giving up yards in bunches. Eli Manning threw for 400 yards. Romo threw for 321. Eli threw for 2 TD’s and 1 INT, and Romo threw 4 TD’s and 0 Int. The Giants rushing game had 110 yards, and the Cowboys had 139. The Boys gave up 510 yards and the Giants gave up 444 yards. This was not for defensive purists. Two times you saw the Giants and Cowboys with defensive lapses leaving receivers wide, wide, wiiiiide open. But when both defenses needed plays only ONE guy from either side stood out and he wore Giants blue Sunday.
Jason Pierre Paul was a man amongst boys yesterday in so many ways. Let’s count how many game changing plays he had ok? He had a safety on Tony Romo. He had two sacks that forced the Cowboys to punt on both occasions. Six tackles including a critical stop on second down on Felix Jones which forced the Cowboys into a critical third down. His pressure on that next play made Romo throw a hurried pass that JUST, and I mean JUST miss Miles Austin. When I tell you that the game is over if Austin catches that pass, I mean it, he was led perfectly, he had four yards on Aaron Ross and if he catches it, he’s gone. Touchdown. Game. Season.
But the pass dropped two yards in front of Austin’s outstretched arm because of Romo being hurried. Because of JPP’s pressure. Then on the game tying field goal, after icing the kicker, JPP comes right through the middle and blocks the FG attempt. What an amazing play. What an amazing game. What an amazing player.
On the same field with Justin Tuck, DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, the best player on the field was a young second year player who JUST started playing the game five years ago. Not professionally, I mean started playing the game of football. He’s doing this all from pure physical talent. Once he learns scheme and the little tricks that all the greats know, this kid is going to be among the best in all of football, earning annual trips to Hawaii. If he didn’t earn it with yesterdays game alone, I dont know what you have to do, to get it.
Most of the narrative this morning will be on Eli’s come from behind heroics as it should be. The Giants have had little to no running game. The Giants defense has given up points in bunches. The stress on Eli to make plays and correct decisions has gone way up this year and he’s responded with the kind of game that you didn’t expect as a Giant fan. Why? Because you’ve seen the throws like the one that got intercepted by Sean Lee, the ones that leave you scratching your head and wondering WHAT Eli saw. Some of the playcalling was questionable as well. How many times did they run that draw play to little to NO success? But Eli made some terrific throws including on a 3rd and1 in the fourth quarter, he lofts a pass off his back foot (traditionally a troublesome thing for ANY Giant fan and had me screaming NO ELI NOOOO) which make its way to Victor Cruz who somehow, someway knows where to be when Manning needs him to be there. I love the trust that he has in his receivers. He’s been working Cruz into the game plan. He goes to Manningham, and trusts him even after what could’ve been a critical drop. Anyone miss Kevin Boss? No, because Eli has built up Jake Ballard in much the same way. Then there’s Hakeem Nicks who the Giants know is an elite receiver. Eli picks and chooses when he goes to Nicks and you can see if he’s got one on one matchups with Nicks the ball is going to be up there and will find his way to him. There’s a built in trust there and that’s what elite quarterbacks do. No need to get into that conversation right? I mean we can put that one to bed can’t we? Ok good.
Now comes the bad. Aaron Ross is a liability on the secondary. Romo knew exactly WHO to pick on when it came to crunch time. Prince Amukamara is still a liability. He has the speed to keep up with fast receivers but he doesn’t have the scheme down yet. Antrell Rolle and Deon Grant are both better when they are in the box making plays. The Giants were missing Kenny Phillips who by definition is their best coverage safety. But he’s their ONLY coverage guy in that group and he’s lost a lot of his elite speed thanks to a chronic Knee arthritis which will always have him lacking that speed. The Giants front line need to do a better job on the run. The Cowboys lost DeMarco Murray but Felix Jones, who historically has played the Giants VERY WELL, ran the ball up and down the field on them with nothing stopping him. The Giants were not playing the run well at all much of the game and that’s a weak area. They are so focused on rushing the passer that they open up lanes for runners and that’s problematic for this team. They aren’t disciplined in their gaps and constantly leave gaping holes. Let’s not congratulate the running game yet. We’ve yet to see Brandon Jacobs run with that kind of purpose, though to the offensive line’s credit, a much maligned group, they opened up HUGE holes and Jacobs obliged to run through those lanes, but it was no surprise it was against the Cowboys, whom he HATES. If you need any evidence you can just watch that video of his celebration.
It was funny watching that game because the Cowboys and Giants have so many similar issues its like looking in the mirror. Its no wonder that both have the same record and have the same question marks moving forward. Victory masks alot of the bad as Trent Dilfer said in the post game and that’s true. Romo converts that third down with 2:12 remaining in the game and its all over. JPP doesn’t make the block then we’re headed to overtime and who knows what happens there? Either way, the Giants AND Cowboys have much to improve upon if they have any dreams of making a run in the playoffs.
Knowing they have to win out, the Jets can rest a little bit easier this morning as they got some help and now control their own fate. The Jets bludgeoned the Chiefs 37-10 yesterday in what was their most convincing win of the season, next to that Jags game in week 2. Mark Cannizaro of the Post says that Rex’s message was loud and clear. Manish Mehta though reported after the game that Jim Leonhard was lost for the season with a knee injury marking the second consecutive season in which the very important member of their defensive secondary goes down.
The Jets were comfortably out in front by the fourth quarter and yet for some reason Mark Sanchez was still in the game. These are the moments where Rex scares me. You have to know to TAKE HIM OUT. The Jets also, opened the game by having the wrong personnel grouping and had to call a very embarassing timeout, six seconds into the game. Something I had never seen before.
Those were the TWO negative things I took from that game. The Jets played unbelivably. The Chiefs had 4 yards in the first half. Total. Yep, you read it right. The crazyness of that statement can’t be overstated. The Jets defense was confident they would have their way with the Chiefs and they played that way and were able to win the game in the first half scoring 28 points, the first time they’ve done that in about 5 years.
The best part of this game? Shonn Greene rushed for 129yards. The Jets are undefeated when he goes over 100 yards which tells you that when Greene is going, the Jets are rolling. He looks stronger and healthier than I’ve seen him all season and he seems to be getting better as the season wears on which bodes well for the Jets. They are going to rely heavily on that running game much like they did for the last two post seasons and will depend on Greene to get those hard fought yards. In the playoffs the Jets face rush defenses of the Steelers and Ravens who don’t give you yards, they give up inches. Those are the times when the offensive line has to man up and right now they are manning up for the Jets. Wayne Hunter had his best game of the season in my opinion. Looks like Mangold is fully healthy and the Jets seem to be getting more conservative in their playcalling and working their offense through the running game. Everybody knows about their passing weapons, once the running game gets rolling, those receivers will look MUCH more open.
Yes, Tim Tebow did it again. Down 10 with more than 6 minutes left in the game, he drove them the length of the field and got a touchdown. Then a huge running gaffe by Marion Barber to get out of bounds which conserved time for the Broncos set Tebow up and Matt Prater made a 59 yard field goal. Woody Paige of the Denver Post says that God’s plan continues. The magic of Tim Tebow continues to grow, and its in Denver’s locker room where they believe they can’t lose says Mark Kiszla. Want debate? Here’s Frank Bruni of the New York Times wondering if God can win games and Chuck Klosterman of Grantland.com takes a look at the people who hate Tim Tebow.
We’d like to believe that sports statistics can tell you a reason for everything. Every stat purist, which is the in thing now in sports, and new stat purist believes that the numbers don’t lie. In fact ESPN has a show everyday with that moniker and in 99 out of 100 cases that’s true. Meet the 1 case in which it isn’t.
Tim Tebow is THE most polarizing athlete of our generation. Why? Because he challenges our perception of everything we know to be true. A QB with his mechanics CAN NOT succeed. That’s what we’ve been told as ardent football fans. 3-16 through three quarters? Overthrowing receivers by five yards? Running a college style offense because your coach doesn’t really believe in you? The critics of Tebow are many and they are all based on reason.
We can’t find a reason to believe he’s going to be successful. But how to explain those fourth quarters? You can’t. You can’t explain why Marion Barber steps out of bounds. You can’t put into numbers how you absolutely knew heading into overtime that Chicago had absolutely NO CHANCE of winning that game. You can’t put into words why you felt confident in Matt Prater hitting that 59 yard field goal. You can’t tell people why you knew that Barber was going to fumble that ball when they were in field goal territory already. If you saw that play, if Barber breaks free that tackle which he was close to doing, he’s going to the house. Done.
But the Broncos believe in Tebow. The world believes in Tim Tebow. Somehow receivers get open in the flat and get to go out of bounds. The Red Sea opens up and pushes these players to play harder than they ever have. That catch by DeMayrius Thomas was unbelievable. There are no numbers that do this man justice. There’s only the result on the field. 7-1 record. Six straight victories. Another fourth quarter comeback. Look at John Elway. During the first five weeks of this he was firmly against the Tebow momentum that was building. These last three he’s been firmly aboard. He’s hi-fiving and smiling and wondering exactly what he did to deserve this fate. You can’t explain to anyone exactly what is going on with Tim Tebow, but what you can do is say you’re having a great time doing it.
Will Carroll of SI.com and author of the book “Juiced” explains in wonderful detail why the Ryan Braun positive dope testing must be taken with a grain of salt.
Sunday, when everyone found out the usual statement came out from the Braun/Brewer camp: be careful to judge. As Will explains, the positive sampling could’ve just been a trigger as part of the B testing. We must know if the A testing had a positive test to make the report even true. As he explains an “A” test positive would trigger further, deeper look at “B” testing which would then be unequivocal. There were reports coming out that Braun’s tests were OFF THE CHARTS positive which would be damning to him. Alarming for the reigning MVP. Braun’s reputation is basically smoked if the aggressive appeal that his camp is preparing doesn’t go through.
But in the court of public opinion, its over. They have decided. Braun is guilty. And no matter what comes out next, even a sliver of doubt will hover over his career. Its sad that a mistake could’ve cost him this. Putting supplements that even he had no idea what was inside of them, into his body was a bad idea and may have cost him his reputation. Its sad, but unfortunately in today’s day and age, an initial positive is a HUGE permanent negative.
On the heels of this morning’s news that the Clippers have submitted a multiplayer deal to the league with the Hornets in exchange for Chris Paul, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN writes that fate is changing in Clipper land but it all depends on what the Clips can stomach in a deal and if Paul will opt in on an extension for one more season. The Lakers meanwhile completed their deal to send Lamar Odom to the Mavs, but the compensation was interesting and something that made Kobe VERY unhappy according to Mike Breshnahan of the LA Times. Kevin Ding is still wondering why they traded Lamar Odom, oh wait that’s right, its the money. Meanwhile in Orlando, Dwight Howard appears to be pulling a power move and he isnt happy that his suggestions weren’t heard according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
I’ve held on to the belief that the Clippers HAD to make a move. For either Dwight OR CP3. For the sake of keeping Blake long term they had to prove they were serious. They are. Oh boy they are. This deal that includes PG Eric Bledsoe, former All Star Center Chris Kaman, Al Farooq Aminu, and most importantly the unprotected first round pick of the Minny-Ha-Ha Timberwolves as Peter Vecsey lovingly calls them is a deal that NEEDS to be made. Of course the caveat and catch here is that CP3 opts into his final year. That’s the deal breaker and we’ll see how badly CP3 wants to leave and how much he’s in love with Southern California and the obviously talented young nucleus of the Clippers who on promise alone offer more than the Lakers ever did. The Lakers offer a legacy, star power and tradition. The Clippers meanwhile have a history of being morbid and terrible. A history that this team can change and that has to be alluring for any competitive person. Unless you’re Lebron James and you just decide to bolt your hometown who’s been sick for ANY kind of title since the Paul Brown days. But I digress.
The Dwight Howard situation seems teneable. He wants to go to New Jersey. Go figure. But the Lakers pulled a move to get a first round pick and a trade exception which would allow them to swallow a contract of say a Hedo Turkoglou. Now its on Otis Smith’s lap. The offer of Brook Lopez and two first rounders or Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and a first round pick for Dwight and Hedo’s bad contract. I dont know that the Lakers automatically send both but its possible now that Gasol and Bynum know they are expendable in the Laker’s eyes. IF the Lakers don’t do this trade and wind up with them on the court, trust me when I say this will come back to bite them in the ass.
Phil Jackson famously punched Gasol in the chest, openly questioning his heart without ever uttering a word. Now Gasol is going to have to man up and realize that this is JUST a business. An interesting option that was opened up by the Chicago Tribune yesterday is the chance that the Bulls tell the Magic to pick any grouping of players not named Derrick Rose. Would Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and a first round pick be enticing enough? Would they have to include Omer Asik? Probably. But if you’re the Bulls, don’t you do that trade? There are rumblings that Dwight wouldn’t resign there so there is that problem. Without any assurance of that happening how can the Bulls ever truly think they could keep him.
Also the problem with Howard’s request to move to Brooklyn via New Jersey, is that Deron Williams has openly stated he plans on opting out and testing free agency. Suitors like his hometown Mavs will have cap space now to pursue him and that would be a very enticing option for Deron. Why would Dwight go to New Jersey knowing that there’s a chance that they don’t resign Deron? Which means that Dwight will be a free agent at the end of the year.
My prediction? Dwight doesn’t get traded. Lakers DO trade Pau Gasol for picks, young players and cap relief and try to win with Kobe and Bynum (no chance of that happening) and then reload next summer. Dwight would love to come to LA as most predict but who knows what can happen. What I do know is that the Clippers NEED to do something to combat their current legacy which stands as a major roadblock against them.
Its wait and see time.
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