Giants Stadium: The Working Class Stadium

East Rutherford, New Jersey has always laid home to one of American sports most quieted nuances; The New York Giants, and the New York Jets actually play in New Jersey. That same complex, better known to tri-state residents as The Meadowlands, has also been the home to many of the greatest concerts and sporting events ever to take place.

For all the hoopla that was the end of the old Yankees and Cowboys stadiums, Giants stadium may be as big of piece, if not more of a piece, of American history than both.

Unlike the empirical feeling of Yankees stadium, and the big-top nature of the Cowboys stadium, Giants stadium has always been "the working mans stadium." Not just because it's the only place in the universe worth watching a Bruce Springsteen concert, or the place chosen to Pope John Paul II's largest gathering in America, but also because of the identity of the teams that called it home.

In 1976 the New York Giants moved into their new home in Jersey, the Jets joined them in 1984. In the 1980's, the New Jersey Generals played there, and in 2001 the New York/New Jersey Hitmen. Of all of those teams, the only that can compare to the "Broadway" nature of the Yankees, Knicks, and Rangers, were the USFL's Generals, owned by Donald Trump, featuring star athletes such as Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker.

And that's the thing, in that 34 year history, Giants Stadium has been the home of three Super Bowl championship teams, none of which stand out as flashy;

The 1986 Giants won with a bruising defense and a tough as nails offense. Phil Simms, the teams starting quarterback, didn't go to USC or Alabama or Texas, he went to Morehead State. The team went 14-2 and beat NFL glamour boys Joe Montana and John Elway by a combined score of 88-23, en route to winning Super Bowl 21.

In 1990, without Phil Simms (who was out win an injury), the Giants beat the favored Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. A veteran running back in Otis Anderson was named the games MVP, and the Giants won on a missed field goal by Buffalo's kicker Scott Norwood. The Giants persevered based on heart, and the fact that they never gave up.

Coming off of a Super Bowl XXXV loss, the Giants entered the 2001 season looking to go back, but the cause of their season changed on September 11th of that season. Giants stadium was used as a place for people to donate blood, and as an emergency staging area.

And in 2007, the Giants defined the epitome of the working-class-American spirit by defying all odds and beating the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. The Giants were lead by a scrutinized quarterback, a brash defense, and a controversial wide receiver, but the play of the game came not from Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, Michael Strahan, or Plaxico Burress, but from an unheard of, relatively ineffective wide receiver out of Syracuse named David Tyree. The Giants won Super Bowl XLII in the same season that Tom Brady and Randy Moss ran up scores on opponents, Tony Romo went to Cabo with Jessica Simpson, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning won a combined 25 games, LaDanian Tomlinson kept being Complainian Tomlinson, and the leagues arrest count catapulted into an alarming number.

But in that unforgettable season, ridden with TMZ-esque storylines, the no-name Giants won the Super Bowl, because all they cared about was playing football, and they never gave up. They won perhaps the most unforgettable game in the history of the league, and they won their cities first professional sports championship post-9/11; something the Yankees, Knicks, and Rangers, failed to do, despite spending well over a billion dollars combined.

Though they never won a championship in their long stay at Giants Stadium, the New York Jets and their fans represented the same sort of American spirit as the Giants. Always the underdog, their team kept fighting. Every time they'd fall, both the team, and its fans would rise again.

In the eyes of many, the Jets are the laughing stock of the NFL. Peyton Manning avoided coming out of college early because he didn't want to land there in 1997, in 2000 Bill Belichick resigned as the Jets head coach to become the Patriots head coach. But the team never stops moving.

In 2002 the Jets beat the Colts 41-0 in a playoff game in Giants stadium, the week before, the Jets clinched the AFC East, embarrassing Belichick by preventing the Patriots from making the playoffs the year after they won the Super Bowl.

What really sums up the Jets working class mentality are their iconic players. Though the team has few standout wins in its history, they have a lot of standout players; all of whom share a workhorse quality.

Joe Klecko, Abdul Salaam, Marty Lyons, and Mark Gastineau teamed to form the New York Sack Exchange. Vinny Testaverde came to the Jets and revitalized his career which hadn't been the same since college, the year after the Jets parted ways with over-paid quarterback Neil O'Donnell. Curtis Martin built a hall of fame career by putting up huge numbers, but never speaking out in the media. Wayne Chrebet put his body on the line every game as an undersized wide receiver coming out of Division I-AA Hofstra.

Freeman McNeil, Al Toon, Aaron Glenn, Chad Pennington, Thomas Jones, Adrian Murrell, Jericho Cotchery, Mo Lewis, Kyle Clifton, Marvin Washington, Leon Washington, and Ken O'Brien. All these players were very good, some were great, none were flashy.

Both the New York Jets and the New York Giants played in the same New Jersey stadium for the past three decades. After tomorrow nights Sunday Night Football game that stadium will never host another professional football game, barring a Jets vs Ravens AFC Championship game. Though we may not remember the stadium in the same vein we remember Ebbets Field or Yankees Stadium, to me there's no denying that Giants Stadium will forever be America's Working Class Stadium.

Cowboys Clinch, Giants Done

When the Giants were 5-0 it looked like they were definitely playoff bound, the only question was "are they the one, two, or three seed?" After their loss to New Orleans, the Giants free-fell to mediocrity, but a win over the Cowboys in early December gave them a 2-0 head to head advantage over Dallas, and positioned the Giants for a playoff push.

Then the Cowboys did what the Giants (and every other team this season up to that point) couldn't do; they beat the Saints.

The win over the Saints by Dallas forced the Giants into a must win over the Panthers this week in the Giants final game at the Meadowlands; their home stadium for three Super Bowl wins and four NFC Championships. The Meadowlands Giants Stadium I farewell game ended with the G-Men getting tossed by the Carolina Panthers, a team that has played the foil to the Giants more than once in the Eli-era.

The Cowboys on the other hand took care of business yet again, quieting critics who said they couldn't win in December.

Now, Dallas are in the playoffs, and they may have a home game if they can beat the Eagles this week. Do I think the Cowboys can go deep in the playoffs? Maybe. All season I've had the Cowboy's as a plus .500 team, but not a great team. That being said, come the playoffs anyone can be great. It's a different game. From the refs, to the coaches, to the kick holders, playoff football is a different sport.

Mark my words, the Cowboys can win Super Bowl XLIV. They can beat the Vikings, Eagles, Cardinals, and Saints. They played San Diego well earlier this season, they beat the SB XLI Champion Colts in 2006, and they can beat the Patriots this year.

But unfortunately for the Cowboys, I don't see it happening. But that means nothing. I definitely didn't see the Giants or Cardinals coming out of the NFC the past two years.

As for the Giants of 2009, it was a disappointing year and changes need to be made. The team missed Derrick Ward, not because of his talent, but because you can never have too many running backs. Brandon Jacobs, like Marion Barber, is at his best when he's not relied on for every carry.

Eli Manning looked better in 2009 and he continues to improve. Giants stadium is a tough stadium to throw in, QB's say it's the toughest in the league, so never expect Eli to have Rivers or Peyton or Brady numbers. We should expect him to get Rivers or Peyton or Brady numbers in wins though, and that's where the 2009 Giants failed.

The defensive line fizzled, the linebacking corps didn't work out, and the team misses Steve Spagnuolo.

Simply put, despite beating them twice, the Giants are not a better team than the Cowboys, and the Cowboys belong in the playoffs.

Thanksgiving Game Recap

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving filled with fun and good memories, because the NFL games were pretty forgettable.

As expected the Packers and Cowboys dismissed the Raiders and Lions. The Lions looked good early, the Raiders never looked good, but as we all knew would be the case when we looked at the Thanksgiving day schedule back in August; the Cowboys the Packers dominated.

Fantasy football fans were left satisfied, as well. Calvin Johnson scored, Romo and Rodgers produced, Miles Austin produced, in leagues with IDP's Charles Woodson gave a lot of teams 40+ points.

But unless you were sitting in front of your team praying for Woodson tackles, Austin receptions, or Rodgers touchdowns, the early and middle games were pretty much useless.

That being said I don't believe in getting rid of Detroit and Dallas on Thanksgiving. It's tradition. The NFL needs to preserve it's tradition as we move towards a golden age, unless there will be nothing to keep it on top (Baseball and Basketball do a tremendous job reminding us of yesteryear).

The late game was a different story. People actually wanted to watch that game, but few were able to. Luckily, being in New York for the Thanksgiving extended weekend, I was able to catch the game.

First of all, don't bury the Giants yet. Though they didn't look good yesterday, they were close to looking great. A lot of mistakes by the young receiving and running back group made Eli look pretty bad. The real worrisome unit was the offensive line. Eli has been spoiled by having an elite offensive line since 2005, but that's not the case anymore. That's a unit that needs to enter 2010 looking to rebuild.

As does the Giants defense. The Giants defense isn't what it was in 2007. Osi looks soft, and Tuck is still hurt after Flo-Adams cheap shot in week 1. Luckily for the Giants they host Philly and Dallas, and Romo still has a really tough December in front of him.

If the Giants want to make the playoffs Eli is going to have to carry that team and prove that he belonged on my Hall of Fame list (because I know Eli thinks about Funk Football every time he enters the huddle).

As for the Broncos? Well they shut people like me up for at least another week. At 7-4 they're in pretty good shape in an AFC that's really top heavy. They have also reawakened their division hopes, but that may be a pipe dream. They still have Kansas City twice and Oakland once, but road trips to Indianapolis and Philadelphia may be the cripple in their division push.

On the plus side, the Chargers still have Cincinnati, Dallas, and Tennessee on their schedule, as well as a pesky Redskins team. Game for game the Broncos have the more favorable schedule.

But the 6 seed in the AFC seems more likely for the team that started 6-0. What will the 6 seed get Broncos? Probably a road game against San Diego or New England.

In other words, they want the division.

Injuries Are Piling Up: How It Shapes the Playoff Picture

"Hot and Healthy." Those two words have replaced the phrases "best team," and "most talented" when it comes to who often wins the Super Bowl.

The NFL presents its players with a very long season is you really think about. To get to the Super Bowl a team usually needs to play at least 18 games; in the 00's a lot of team have had to play 19 just to get there; changing the strategy from "win all your games from September to December and you'll be fine in January" to "make sure these guys are given every sort of medication there is to make sure they can play on Sunday."

The 2005 season was really where this strategy all began; In October the Chicago White Sox won the World Series after having a miserable final stretch of the regular season. The White Sox were able to stay healthy, and get hot at the right time though, which lead them to a Championship.

Meanwhile in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts were off to an epic 13-0 start, while the Steelers would need to win their next three games just to get into the playoffs. After a loss to the San Diego Chargers in week 15, the Colts decided to coast through the rest of the season; benching a majority of their starters; essentially giving their key players a month off before their next important game.

The Steelers on the other hand got hot. They won the last three games of the season by a combined point differential of +70, and went into Cincinnati and beat them up Wild Card Weekend. On January 15, 2006 the Steelers would head to Indianapolis in a game that would change coaching strategy for the rest of the decade.

The game began with the fresh but out-of-sync Colts struggling to put a drive together while the Steelers were able to put up a quick 14. The first half would end with a 14-3 score in favor of Pittsburgh.

In the third quarter the Steelers put together what looked like a crippling drive to make the score 21-3 in favor of Pittsburgh. In the fourth quarter Indianapolis's' offense would finally find it's rhythm, putting up 15 unanswered points, but would fall a Mike Vanderjagt missed field goal away from advancing in the playoffs.

The fourth quarter of that game proved who the "best team" and the "most talented team" was that day, but the "hot and healthy" team went on to win.

On the other hand, Bill Belichick's 2007 Patriots grinded, and grinded, and grinded down the stretch to a perfect 16-0 record, and grinded through two tough playoff games to finish the season 18-0, before meeting the New York Giants, who were hotter, healthier, and younger than the Patriots. Without a doubt the Patriots were "more talented" and the "better team," but the wear and tear of the 18 game schedule put it's toll on New England's ancient defense and offensive lines. In the fourth quarter, the Giants young offense exposed the exhaustion of New England's defense and picked up a touchdown. In the following drive New England's offensive line totally collapsed letting Brady hit the ground on four straight plays. The Giants would be named Super Bowl XLII champions.

So what teams lurking around right now are healthy?

Early in the season the Colts, Patriots, and Steelers all picked up injuries that the media and fans viewed as "crippling." Since then the Colts and Steelers have gotten significantly healthier, while all three have continued to bench key players each week. Though these are probably the three teams in the NFL that need to be healthy the least to win the Super Bowl, all three are looking to be in good shape come January; it's just a matter of getting hot.

In the NFC the Saints are relatively very healthy; especially when you consider many of their key players (Shockey, Colston, Bush, Vilma, even Brees, have had injury problems in the past). With a roster loaded with that many "injury prone" players though, you have to wonder how much longer this could last.

For the second season in a row the New York Giants are feeling the wrath of their previous season. Thus far Eli Manning and Justin Tuck, the leaders on each side of the ball, have suffered injuries that could nag them for the duration of the season. Meanwhile the Dallas Cowboys have stayed healthy and are just getting hot. Despite a week 1 loss at home to the Giants, the Cowboys are currently in first place in their division while the Giants are in third. The Eagles, as usual, are winning despite key injuries, but this team should be healthy come January.

In 2008 Brett Favre had the New York Jets in similar shape to what he has the Minnesota Vikings currently are. At 8-3, Jets fans were ready to start booking their trips to the Super Bowl, unfortunately Favre's arm fell off in the later months of the season. Will that happen this year? For one, Favre is asked to do a lot less in Minnesota than he is in New York, and playing in a dome is a lot easier than playing in the Meadowlands. But you have to wonder if Favre has nine more games in him this season? It may be time to get him on a "pitch count" if the Vikings want to win when it matters. Same goes for Adrian Peterson.

Perhaps this seasons "hot and healthy" team to watch will be last years "hot and healthy" team; the Arizona Cardinals. Right now the Cardinals have been the poster children for inconsistency; just as they were in 2008. Chances are this team will be in the playoffs due to a weak division, and if they want to get back to the Super Bowl they're going to have to be "hotter and healthier" than everyone else.

Finally you have the San Diego Chargers who last year were able to get hot enough, but not healthy enough, to finally make the elusive run the Super Bowl. This season the Chargers are looking relatively healthy, but they've yet to get hot. It's going to be tough for this team come playoff time (if they make it) to advance, given they likely won't have the luxury of playing any games in San Diego's nice weather; thus making their health the greatest factor in finally advancing.

So when you line up the contenders (sorry Denver) this January look at who is healthiest, and then watch for them to get hot. Once you see any signs of heat rising, that's the team to watch.

Are The Giants Playoff Hopes Dead?

After a 5-0 start, a lot of people, myself included, penciled the Giants in as the best team in the National Football League. Dismissed from the Giants five wins was the fact that only one of the wins was against a serious contender. Like a majority of NFL fans, I saw the Giants 5-0 record as a carry over from their previous two seasons and assumed that this team would be ready to get back to the Super Bowl.

Three weeks later the Super Bowl seems a lot less likely for "Big Blue." Eli and company have dropped three straight against potential playoff teams; at New Orleans, vs Arizona, and at Philadelphia. To add validity to the situation is that all three losses were "clean" losses; no bad calls or last second miracles; the Giants were simply outplayed.

Next week the Giants will host the San Diego Chargers; who like the Giants have used a soft schedule to get hot. This game will be crucial for both teams to legitimize their 2009 seasons, with the loser likely to miss out on the 2009 tournament.

If the Giants get past Rivers and the Chargers in what's likely to be a grudge match, the Giants schedule won't get much easier. Following the Chargers will be a bye week, then vs Atlanta, @ Denver, vs Dallas, and vs Philadelphia will follow consecutively. Depending on whether or not the Giants defeat the Chargers, the Giants will need three or all of those games to be wins. The team then finishes vs Carolina and at Minnesota in a game that could be for home field or a bye for Minnesota.

It's still likely the Giants will win 10 to 12 games in 2009, but the odds of the Giants winning 8 or 9 have increased tremendously raising the question, "are the 2009 Giants a playoff team?"

This year, unlike previous season in the middle of the 00's, 10 wins will be the minimum to advance to the playoffs. Personally, I see the Giants as an 11 win team, enough to get the team into the playoffs. Therefore, I personally believe the Giants will be in the playoffs.

Helping the Giants is the positioning of their bye week. If the team can squeak by a hot, desperate San Diego team, they'll head into their bye week 6-3, with an opportunity to rest before the stretch; something few teams have the advantage of doing in 2009.

Are the Giants a great team? No. But the thing that separates them from teams like Chicago, Atlanta, Green Bay, and San Francisco is that they can be. There are maybe five teams in the NFC this year with a legitimate shot at winning the Super Bowl, and chances are there are only 3 that can actually do it; the Giants are one of them.

It's just a matter of beating San Diego, getting healthy, and staying focused. If the Giants do that they will not only be in the playoffs, but they'll have an opportunity to go deep in the playoffs.

Giants vs Eagles Preview: "The Other Game Going on in Philly"

When the Giants head to Philadelphia for Sunday's showdown, they'll obviously be the "B" New York team in Philadelphia that night. As everyone one knows, this years World Series between the Yankees and Phillies is generating a lot of attention and for good reason; It's the team with the most World Series appearances in the decade taking on the decades last chances for a back-to-back champion. It'll be hard not to consider the winner of this World Series the MLB team of the decade, just as it'll be hard not to consider Sunday afternoon's winner the front runner to win the NFC East.

Small beans compared to "Team of the Decade," but let's break this game down anyway.

For Giants and Eagles fans, this is the game of the year so far. Forget about the Saints or Cowboys, this is the one that matters.

Eli Manning has a 4-0 career record as a starter in Philadelphia, which bodes well for the Giants. In general since the 2007 playoff run, Eli and the Giants have played impressively on the road. The last time we saw Eli vs the Eagles was in the NFC Divisional Playoffs, where the Eagles secondary sent Eli back to 2006. Right now, Eli's offense is pretty explosive, with a slew of receivers that have proven they can make plays. Another positive for the Giants is that it looks like Mario Manning will indeed start this week; he'll need to hold onto the ball if the Giants want to win.

Before you start checking off the Giants to win, let's not forget that McNabb hasn't been sacked by the Giants since that 2007 run. If the Giants want to beat the Eagles, whose pass offense is much better now than it was in 2007, they're going to have to get to McNabb and force pressure on the Eagles passing game.

The absence of Brian Westbrook for the Eagles hurts, but there's a good chance that LeSean McCoy is a better option right now anyway. Westbrook has been so-so all season so far, and it was just last week that McCoy's fellow 2009 rookies Shonn Greene and Beanie Wells had their coming out parties. It's fair to predict that this will be McCoy's week.

The Giants run game needs to get itself back in gear. I hate to say the team is missing Derrick Ward, but they're definitely missing having that third option at running back; something the team had grown used to having. Though there's still a chance the Giants fish around and land that third back, it seems as though they're sticking to the "Thunder & Lightning" (Jacobs & Bradshaw, not Dayne and Barber) combination that helped them win Super Bowl XLII. The difference is that in 2009 not only are defenses prepared for it, Bradshaw and Jacobs have both racked up a lot of miles (not to mention Bradshaw has racked up some decent prison time).

As we previously mentioned, the defensive keys for both teams rely on getting to the quarterback. For the Eagles it's getting Eli to force the ball over through interceptions. The Eagles secondary is really good, and traditionally they have Eli's number; they'll need to dial it up if they plan on taking control of the NFC East this week,

For the Giants it's simple as well. In their memorable Super Bowl run, the Giants established themselves as the leagues premiere pass rush. Since then, the Giants have done nothing to diminish that reputation... outside of their three games against the Eagles that is. If the Giants want to win this one they're going to have to get to McNabb. It's not a suggestion, it's a demand.

Overall this game should be great, with all the drama, emotion, and intensity of the "other" sporting event going on in Philly on All Saints Day.