N.Y. Giants ~ Haunting Loss; No Exorcism for You

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE





NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  Eagles Leave GIANT Droppings All Over Big Blue's Season....Again!




Do you know why I generally wait till Tuesday to do my Giants' post-games?  -  Well..., I work for a living..., But I wait so as to come down from the emotions of the game, and so I don't say something mindless like...they suck!  I like to get some separation and digest the game first.  The problem is right now I still want to run away somewhere and throw up.



In a game long on matters to discuss, what do you say we start with my pre-game post; EAGLES II - Fight or Flight.  Right off the bat I posed this following question; - The Knock-Out Punch; Do The Giants Have it in Them?  Today of course, the answer is , No.  They failed to deliver the big blow that would have effectively ended the Eagles' season.  More importantly, the Giants failed to protect their one game division lead over the Cowboys who took care of their business by defeating the Redskins.  A knockout punch?  The Giants didn't even have a decent jab Sunday.  It was the Giants who fought like a bunch of sloppy drunks and in every sense (...see late hit on Eli), got knocked on their Big Blue posteriors.  The question is now, can they get back up and straighten themselves out?  Unfortunately for us Giants Fans however, that warrants a second question.  Are they good enough?  .....Later.



First, here's what really crumbles my cookies - I said this in my last post:

Since my days watching Lawrence Taylor terrorize Ron Jaworski, the damnedest things happen during Giants/Eagles games.  It didn't matter if it was Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, or these days, Michael Vick on the other side.  Guys like Reggie White and Harold Carmichael, to LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson, have all been part of some of the most incredulous games I've ever suffered through.  Look no further than at last year's disastrous final minutes the last time Philly came to Giants Stadium.  There's two things I know about Giants/Eagles games; they're never fun until the game is over, and then, only if you win.


Somehow, it doesn't matter who's on the field.  These games take on a life of their own. Philly will be without Michael Vick.  The Giants will be missing Michael Boley this week, and Ahmad Bradshaw will sit out again.  And so what... The only way I'll feel better about Sunday night prior to playing is if the Eagle's team bus breaks down on the Jersey Turnpike and they're not present for kick-off.  Otherwise, I'm not listening to that nonsense about the Eagles' 3-6 record and a Philly-Fade.  Talk to me about that on Monday morning.

Well, it wasn't fun, and we certainly didn't win.  And now you can add Vince Young's name to the list of Philadelphia Eagles' hair-pulling performances perpetrated against us.  So much for exorcising the demons of 2010.  The Eagles get to possess our Big Blue souls for another calendar year.  Not to mention, the current dilemma the G-Men find themselves in invites all the haunting memories of 2008 and 2009 as well.



There we were again - with an opportunity to pull out another late game comeback...or at least a tie in this case.  But it's called drawing from the well too many times and asking an awful lot from Eli to do alone.  Unlike the game versus San Francisco, there is no consolation after this last defeat to the Eagles.  For in that game versus San Francisco, the Giants competed. Against the Eagles, they were lethargic at best.  This game was a fail in every sense of the word; bar Steve Weatherford, who continues to have a brilliant season punting the pigskin.  And that in itself screams problems.




The Giants have officially made things hard for themselves.....again.  Adversity arrived Sunday night and threw a big brick through the beautiful new bay windows of Met-Life Stadium with a note attached.  It said, - "The Saints and Packers have combined to score 668 points this season. Unless they change the rule book and allow points based on punts, you better think of something quick!"



For us, The Great Conversation is officially no longer solely about the Giants.  We now must incorporate other teams into any discussion about the Giants' future because they made it so after Sunday's let down.  Now we have to talk about the Cowboys taking on the Dolphins next week, and how Miami just might be turning things around in time enough to give the Giants a helping hand in the division race next Sunday as we take on New Orleans on Monday night.



But the Giants still have this - Two game remaining against the Cowboys.  So their fate is still very much in their hands in spite of these next two tests against the Saints and Packers.



Back to my earlier question - Are the Giants good enough to win tough games down the stretch?  I think so.  But Coaching will determine everything.  What the Giants need are some hard thought out adjustments now.  How well will they adjust in light of what has transpired over the last two weeks moving forward?  We'll see. 



My next post will delve into all that.





Mike.BTB