ksm7

the dog isn't sure how two and two wasn't put together sooner... http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/sports/football/29manning.html?pagewanted=all how little eli and payton didn't get cast as the young and old forrest gump character in that movie is beyond the dog...

inconsistent?

well, the dog certainly applauds your tenacity, but mentioning rodgers and little eli in the same category is just plain off...little eli is the intelligent computer nerd that was voted most likely to succeed in your high school year book and who went on to land a solid job for a decent company....rodgers is bill gates...

the dog thinks this a big leap to make. nelson benefits from having multiple weapons at the othe skill positions to create favorable match-ups as a slot receiver. go through the league team by team and there aren't a ton of teams that he would step onto and be the number 1 receiver. he also benefits from having a QB who puts the ball right where it has to be 95% of the time, which is why his reception to target ratio is high. let tim tebow throw him the ball and see that percentage go down. nelson is a good receiver, but hard to say he is a number one receiver when looking at players like fitzgerald, bryant, c johnson, a johnson, marshall, wayne, wallace, white, colston, britt, holmes/burress, jackson/maclin, jennings, smith, nicks...etc...(that's half the league there). right now he is matched up against safeties or 2nd and 3rd corners...let him beat the number 1 corner on each team week in and week out and see where he is...

well, the dog maintained at the time of that original thread that barber was a better option than jacobs, but also that signing him didn't make sense for the giants...the dog also maintained that barber would find a home and benefit some team...people didn't want to have any of that at the time ("allstar"jim the dog is looking at you). low and behold, here we stand... the dog was not aware of the origin of nursery rhymes, but the information is valuable...

first off, the dog would never ordain any QB as the greatest of all time without seeing the complete body of work, but the dog finds your statement above fascinating based on your passion for elevating little eli to elite status so quickly...and this just in, rodgers numbers since the moment he took over as starter have been outstanding...it is not just one tremendous season...

The dogs not so sure this was one of your better efforts...

well, the dog for one is shocked. how dare the dog ever suggest in the past that you were the definition of fair weather fan. stating that the giants needed a new QB next year after the redskins loss...disappearing in 2007 when the giants were struggling, only to come back in december when they made the playoffs...the dog wonders, if the giants make the playoffs, how long after that until we are blessed with your presence and insight again? you may be the brett favre of the sportswrath message board...

but the dog doesn't think you can discount a play that was called back for taunting in the mind of the d-coordinator. the play happened, and they were burned. and when you account for plays in man coverage where the defense was burned, whether the eagles capitalized or not, the coach is keeping account of that while trying to position the team for the best chance to win. but again, we only know so much watching games on tv. you don't know the ins and outs of what has taken place. is it possible since they were missing their starting linebacker (a player that has been called the quarterback of the defense for them), that a d-coordinator may be less apt to blitz and leave that player on an island? there are so many things that go into coaching, that it is rediculous for you, for the dog, or for any other fan to assume that you know how to approach things better. when asked what happened on the last drive, rolle commented that the calls were correct, but eluded to players not fulfilling their assignments. who knows? and the zone and defensive scheme wasn't a total failure, because if it was, they wouldn't have held the team to 10 points for 3 and a half quarters.

but you are only looking at this via your own lense. yes, positive plays are generated from their blitzing, but the dog wonders, what about the plays that hurt them? these are part of a coaches line of thinking during a game. for example, the giants blitzed at the 2 yard line, and jackson burned them for a 55 yard completion. blitzing puts you in more man coverage, which creates more opportunities to get burned, especially when playing a team that has explosive game changers like the eagles have. even the early pick which you say was in man coverage, although the dog isn't 100% sure of that, jackson had prince beat deep. the ball was underthrown...and smith's TD catch was not against a blitz, but was against man coverage, and he was running free. there are plenty of examples of blitzing working, and not. the giants defensive game plan was effective for the most part. blitzing sets you up for potential big plays against you, particularly when playing a very mobile QB who can make one person miss and be off and running. or when you have a mccoy or jackson who can burn coverage when one on one regularly. in addition, when you know your offense doesn't have it from the get go, as a defensive coordinator, you know you can't get into a shoot out. slow things down and don't get into a track meet, and maybe you can overcome poor offense to escape with a win...that's the dog's pov on this...

here...the dog will help you out with a report from an actual person in the know...a real live professional NFL scout: http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/20468/comparing-newton-young-at-this-stage so Young is a runner...has difficulty reading defenses...relies on athleticism to escape and make plays...hmmmm...blitzing may drive him to his comfort level...

the dog thinks you need to spend more time in the film room breaking down opponents... and the bottom line is, if you had the level of understanding needed to develop a game plan in the NFL, you would be coaching at some level, not pretending to be one in your living room. there is a lot more that goes into a game plan beyond, "duh, I think we should blitz since, uhh, I see on my tv that it could mean more pressure, uhhh..." you have no idea what a coach does all week at practice...what they evaluate on film (that would be real coaches breaking down film and going through years and years of trends, both of players and coaches...etc...)you're the type of guy that thinks you could have a better approach to heart surgery b/c you watched ER...now where is that "rewatch analysis report" dammit!

so, young isn't a potential threat running from the pocket? you talk as if NFL coaching is so simplistic. it's not. for every easy scenario that you think can be solved from your couch at home, they have 25 scenarios that they are preparing for on any given play. blitz and worry about match-up problems caused by jackson, celek, mccoy...etc...b/c lord knows the giants have never been beaten by a fast eagle back getting a dump pass off against the blitz in man coverage in the past... by the way, tom coughlin called...he asked that you have the "rewatch analysis report" on his desk by 8 pm tonight. the dog told him he was being unreasonable, as that certainly isn't enough time, and once more, his time parameters aren't enforcable since you actually really don't work for the giants. he seemed puzzled by this. please call him directly to clarify, as the dog is uncomfortable being in the middle of this...

because it's all that easy? the dog seems to recall that Young is a mobile QB, and it was oh about a year ago when another mobile QB leading a crazy 4th quarter comeback against the giants was backed up inside his own 20 yard line or so, and a blitzing aaron ross came crashing in from the edge on a third and long, and allowed that mobile QB to break contain and run 30 yards or so down the sideline...then do the same thing a few plays later, culminating in the game tying score...perhaps he didn't want to make the same mistake, but then again, that didn't seem to bother the special teams so why not...

that is 100% the case. no other "elite" qb is given that label but has it based on 101 excuses to justify it. the dog has said, he is a solid QB that has shown he can get the job done. why everyone wants to stretch him to something he isn't doesn't make sense. possibly it what the dog has said before - the expectations were so high, b/c he has the manning name...b/c he orchestrated a trade without ever setting foot on an NFL field...b/c they gave up a lot for him...b/c he had the huge contract....etc... the dog thinks it's possible he doesn't like pressure believe it or not, b/c he has a decent track record at bringing the team back. but the reality is, last minute comebacks come with less pressure, b/c all expectations are off. you have nothing to lose, so the pressure is off. get him on the road and he performs better - possibly too much pressure at the home front? send him in the playoffs on the road against teams youre not expected to beat, and his performance is better...just a very loose theory, but who knows...

the dog thinks you should do what your heart tells you to do...but matters of the heart can often lead to a misrepresentation of the truth...the dog is just saying.

sorry joe...check the dates. the dog posted the "scathing"thread the day after the saints-packers thursday night game to open the season prior to the giants playing...that eli laid a mild egg on that sunday was just a bonus... and the dog has held firm to his position all along. that everyone else wants to jump in after 8 games and declare whatever they want to declare prematurely is their own thing...

yes he did. exactly the point. the dog can't believe that one poster back in the day said he was the "second coming of Earl Cambell"...fascinating.

and when your receiver catches a routine 7 yard hitch and turns it into a 74 yard TD, that can make a solid QB's numbers look "elite"...the dog finds that stunning news as well...

see, the dog doesn't full understand this either. isn't the strength of the defense that vaunted d-line that is the best in football? and the knock is that fewell sits back too often in zone without blitzing? if you have access to the greatest front line in the history of modern football, it is possible you may be less apt to blitz as often, relying on the stud "dancing elephants" as jack so eloquently puts it to bring the pressure, so that you can force QBs to throw into more coverage... the coaching staffs here get a lot of heat. some could be justified, but some could be due to their efforts to cover up weaknesses. going back to the super bowl run, again, romo, favre and brady all stated how they had receivers running free, but the front pressure didn't allow them to get the ball to open players. not sure if the same would be true with this team...only the coaches know this. but if it were so easy, the dog wonders, wouldn't they be doing it? why would a coach sit there and say, well, blitzing is the guarentee way to win, but let's not do it...there is a reason coaches at the NFL level do the things they do, and the rest of us critique things from the couch...

he is doing all that giants would like to be getting out of jacobs, and instead they got attitude and "use me"...now they have to use him, and he demonstrates what he has demonstrated his whole career...without a gaping hole to gallop through, he tip toes. the dog has no great allegiance to barber, but hole or not, he hits the line full speed. and his ypc is deceiving - for example, up by several scores against detroit, he carried the ball exclusively at the end of the game as they ran out the clock. no threat of a pass meant just run full speed into the line and end the game...that, along with being a short yardage specialist at this stage limits ypc...jacobs can't even do that well, and this just in, hasn't been great at it over his career...but the dog will agree, he is done.

nas, see the dog's other post regarding the level of the giants and their record. as far as eli goes, the dog's issue is and always has been consistency. no other "elite" qb in the league has ever required so many excuses to support that label. their play week in and week out squelches any argument. if the dog tried to argue that aaron rodgers was not playing at an elite level, it would be stupid. with eli, it is always an excuse. his receivers are hurt...his security blanket was suspended...they dropped passes...the weather...the coaching....etc...he is a solid qb. they needed him to step up last night and right the ship from the get go...didn't happen.

the dog really isn't so sure. look at the fact that barber has been more of an asset to the bears this season than jacobs has been to the giants, which is all the dog was saying back this summer when "allstar"jim went all goofy. jacobs has been overrated since day 1. he benefited from what was arguably the best o-line unit in football at the early start of his career, but if you watched him objectively during that time, you would see that he just didn't have it. now that the o-line is average, his weaknesses are exploited. and if he is going tto be on another team next year, he really isn't making his case to get overpaid once again. he has had the chance he wanted, and he tip toes through the tulips has he has done a majority of his career. the giants may not be as bad as they were last night, but the dog thinks last night is closer to the truth than what a lot of fans wanted to see...this team is 6-4. and people want to argue that they could easily be 8-2 or better, yet the dog can easily argue that they could be 2-8 as well.