Best artical yet

[so-cal dub]

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PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles ended their opening drive with what has become the trendiest thing in football: the wildcat formation. Quarterback Donovan McNabb went wide as a receiver and cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs head case DeSean Jackson was in the shotgun at quarterback.

 

Jackson took the snap and broke to his right, outrunning a quick New York Giants defense for the 9-yard score. The play was brilliant. It also came off as amazingly desperate.

 

It happened early in the contest and a team uses that gimmicky formation prematurely only out of fear. Fear of getting their doors blown off. Fear of a mismatch. Fear of ... the Giants.

How'd the Giants respond? This is the most fearless team in the NFL and it showed in what ended up being one of the more physical games of the weekend. New York's first touchdown drive was a gorgeous 10 play, 80-yard bruiser, with Brandon Jacobs acting as the hammer and Derrick Ward the sickle.

 

After a Giants field goal the second drive was again 10 plays, 80 yards and suddenly the score was 17-7. The Eagles and the Lincoln Financial Field crowd were shell-shocked. The Giants had run 27 plays to Philadelphia's six.

 

This is Giants football. They don't do a whole lot of fancy pants tricks and goofy formations. They wrap their hands around your throat and shake violently.

 

Giants 36, Eagles 31. Number of doubters: should be zero.

 

The Eagles fought back and mounted respectable resistance to an increasingly formidable juggernaut. They played hard, but were simply outmatched. They could have run the Wildcat, the Tomcat, the Alleycat ... even the Pussycat Doll and it wouldn't have mattered.

 

With apologies to Tennessee, the Titans aren't the best team in football. Who cares if they're undefeated? They play in the AFC South, which is the Sarah Palin of divisions. The Titans aren't in the same class as the Giants. New York's offense is far superior and its defense just as capable if not better than Tennessee's. Yes, better.

 

If you don't think the Giants are the best team in the NFL, you need a CAT scan, or at the very least, you must go watch more game film. The scary part is this team could end up being better than last year's Super Bowl team.

 

After the game, the Giants didn't brag. They said very little about their future or standings in the eyes of their NFL brethren. That's what you'd expect from a Tom Coughlin team. In fact, when it comes to quotes the Giants are sometimes intentionally boring.

 

"It's great to win here," coach Tom Coughlin said. "It reinforces everything we believe about team, supporting each other and finding a way to win the game."

 

Great words, Tom. Thanks. Never heard that comment from you before.

 

[Nas]

This is Giants football. They don't do a whole lot of fancy pants tricks and goofy formations. They wrap their hands around your throat and shake violently.

 

[Virginia Giant]

Thats a great quote.

[NightFire]

Read that this morning and the comments by Titans fans are funny. Most think Freeman should be fired and aren't too happy that he used LenWhale White.

[Sephiroth]

That was ONE kickass article.

 

 

[BIGBLUE01]

Read that this morning and the comments by Titans fans are funny. Most think Freeman should be fired and aren't too happy that he used LenWhale White.

 

 

Isn't Lendale White having a good season?

[boohyah]

Isn't Lendale White having a good season?

 

 

He's not doing too bad.

 

The comment towards the end is funny "Eli's illegal forward pass". It was proven it wasn't illegal.

[420]

Page 2...Thanks Socal...

 

Page 2

 

 

The Giants aren't like the Titans in that they didn't beat up on the horrific Rex Grossman or stuff the offensively challenged Jacksonville Jaguars. This was McNabb and a solid Eagles team they beat.

 

 

They stack up with any team including the Titans. Jacobs > LenWhale White.

 

Eli Manning > Kerry Collins.

 

Giants offensive line > Tennessee's and so are New York's wide receivers.

 

New York and Tennessee's defenses are closely matched, but the edge still goes to the Giants because of the best defensive line in football. Let's not forget the Giants won the Super Bowl last season by their defense stuffing the offense of the New England Patriots, the best offense in league history.

 

The AFC South is dreadful and New York's coaching staff is better than Tennessee's.

 

Tennessee and New York on a neutral field means 30-10 Giants.

 

So stop with this Titans stuff. Please.

 

"They just made some great plays," said Eagles guard Max Jean-Giles of the Giants. "You have to give credit to them. We didn't execute and we came up short just by inches again. Credit the Giants, they just outplayed us."

 

The Giants aren't perfect. Late in the game Antonio Pierce was called for holding following what would've been the game-clinching interception by New York. Instead, the Eagles got another shot to win. They gave up several stupid fumbles.

 

But overall the Giants are getting better and smarter. Indeed there were several moments in Sunday night's game when the Giants seemed prescient. Late in the first half with super-weapon Brian Westbrook in the backfield, linebacker Antonio Pierce -- the most underrated defensive player in the conference -- began suddenly waving his arms frantically and pointing to the gap where he thought Westbrook was headed. He told the safety to creep forward and expect Westbrook.

 

As the ball was snapped Pierce bolted for the exact spot Westbrook ran to and they met with Pierce stuffing him. Pierce saw something on film that alerted him to where Westbrook was exactly headed and guessed perfectly.

 

If the Giants aren't displaying a high intellect they're exhibiting gut-busting physicality. Late in the final quarter on fourth-and-1 with the contest on the line, Westbrook got the ball and didn't make the first. It was sheer muscle flexing that stopped Westbrook that time.

 

Game over. Please drive carefully.

 

Again, the Giants have flaws, but all teams do. The Giants simply commit the fewest. That makes them better than any team in the NFL.

 

And yes, better than the Titans.

 

[Bigblue25]

Did Lawrence Taylor do a line of coke and write this article, this is absolutely outstanding sportswriting, and the fucking Titans can't believe how much attention their Dline gets, Haynesworth is being named defensive MVP already? don't get it.