16
Aug
2010
Live Game Blog: Giants vs Jets (pre-season)
Eli Manning is a bloody mess. Not what Giants fans wanted to see tonight (Photo: Tim Farrell, US Presswire via ESPN.com)
UPDATE: Eli Manning left the game in the 2nd quarter with a 3-inch laceration on his forehead, requiring 12 stitches.
Watch Eli get bloodied on NFL.com
With the Giants driving and inside the 15, Manning dropped back to pass and ran into Brandon Jacobs, knocking the ball out of his hands. When Manning grabbed for the ball, LB Calvin Pace drilled him from behind, knocking Eli’s helmet flying through the air. As he went down, sans helmet, Manning fell forward into S Jim Leonard, cutting his head on Leonard’s facemask. Eli walked to the sidelines and was replaced by backup QB Jim Sorgi.
From TheBlueScreen:
The Giants have sent Eli Manning home after he got 12 stitches in his forehead. The team says X-Rays were negative and there were no signs of a concussion.
“I feel fine,” Manning said. “I feel normal. … I’ll be back as soon as I can. It’s really not an injur. Nothing serious. I really feel like I could go back out and play right now if I had to.
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UPDATE #2: It’s the Victor Cruz show for the Giants in the 2nd half! Cruz, a rookie WR from Massachussets, has 6 catches for 145 yards and 3 TDs in the 2nd half. The highlight of the night was undoubtedly this one-handed circus catch Cruz takes 64 yards for the score:
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The NFL is officially back after the first full week of pre-season games, culminating in tonight’s Monday Night Football match-up between the Giants and Jets. And we. are. fired. UP!!!
The New York Jets are the current darlings of the media after their AFC Championship appearance last season, and adding players like LaDanian Tomlinson, Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes. Meanwhile, the Giants – who have long held claim to the football throne in New York – have added lots of talent on the defensive side of the ball, and will look to rebound from a horrible finish to the 2009 campaign. Both teams will be looking to plant their flag in the New Meadowlands Stadium with a win tonight.
We’ll be following all the action and posting our running thoughts in the comments section … join us, won’t you?
16
Aug
2010
Giants/Jets set to christen the New Meadowlands Stadium
(Photo by Lori Van Buren / Times Union)
Tonight’s Giants/Jets pre-season clash marks the NFL debut of the New Meadowlands Stadium, which is still inexplicably being shared by 2 teams in the world’s largest sports market. And while the stadium has yet to sell naming rights to the highest bidder, the fact that it’s no longer called “Giants Stadium” should certainly help the Jets shed their image of second-fiddle team in their own home town. But more than anything, winning will determine that.
In just a few hours, the teams will fight it out for bragging rights in their new digs (well, as much as you can after pulling the starters midway through the 2nd quarter, anyway). While the stadium has been used for a few concerts and sporting events, this will the be the first time rowdy Giants and Jets fans will get to kick the tires on the new $1.6 billion building., which features 82,500 seats, four’ 40×130′ HD video screens, and separate home locker rooms for each of the tenant clubs.
Video screens are located in each corner of the stadium ... noticeably not looming above the field (Photo by Lori Van Buren / Times Union)
There have been some early complaints about the leg room in the new seats, obstructed views, as well as an overall gray/drab feeling about the building to go with the exorbitant PSL price tags. But tonight, the New Meadowlands will be lit up in Jets green (since they are the home team for this game), and we’ll get a taste of what a real gameday will feel like. ESPN’s Lomas Brown and Jon Ritchie took a walk around the stadium to give a preview of what fans can expect:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP Read the rest of this entry »
25
Jul
2010
Free Agent LB Keith Bulluck signs with the NY Giants; excited to return home
Bulluck signed a 1-year, $2.5 million deal with the Giants (Photo: Scott Boehm/Getty Images)
The New York Football Giants added some veteran leadership to their LB corps this weekend, signing former pro bowl LB Keith Bulluck to a 1-year, incentive-laden deal. Bulluck – who spent his entire 10-year NFL career with the Tennessee Titans, tore his ACL last season and is coming off surgery less than 7 months ago, which delayed his entry into free agency.
But after working out for the team privately on Monday, the Giants were impressed enough to offer Bulluck a contract, along with the starting MLB job. New York is in desperate need of leadership in the middle after releasing Antonio Pierce, and if his knee holds up, Bulluck could be the perfect fit. A pro bowl selection in 2003, Bulluck will instantly command respect in the huddle, and if nothing else could help groom some of the Giants younger LB’s like Jonathan Goff and rookie Phillip Dillard.
For his part, Bulluck – a native of New City, NY (just 25 minutes from New York City) and a Syracuse alum – is excited to return home and prove his doubters wrong. Via Bulluck’s Twitter account (in all it’s twitter-speak glory):
It’s official yes I am a NYG…all my G fans & haters get @ me…4 the so called experts,the last time I played a full game I was def AFC player of the week. Now I’m washed up? The only thing that can stop me is an injury obviously. Please check my resime b4 u pass judgement. If ur experts u kno that…where I’m from talk is cheap,glad I get 2 come home 2 prove it. Shoutout 2 my new teammates,can’t wait@ get up!! Read the rest of this entry »
11
Jul
2010
Giants PA Announcer Bob Sheppard, 1910-2010
The sports world is still mourning the loss of PA announcer Bob Sheppard, who passed away Sunday at the age of 99. Sheppard is best known as the longtime voice of the New York Yankees, and was also the voice of the NY Giants from 1956-2006. The above video from ESPN.com does a nice job of illustrating Sheppard’s impact and legacy in the New York sports world.
Quite simply, Sheppard was the quintessential PA announcer. His voice was so booming, so ubiquitous in Yankee stadium for nearly 60 years, Reggie Jackson aptly dubbed him the “Voice of God”. And as someone who grew up as both a Giants and Yankees fan, Sheppard’s voice was an indelible part of my childhood sports memories, along with literally millions of other New York fans. His minimalist calls of “Simms to Bavaro … spilled by Joyner“, and “Now batting … #23, Don Mattingly, 1st base, #23” were as much a part of the live sports experience as cracker jacks and sticky floors.
Rest in peace, Bob. They just don’t make ‘em like you anymore.
AFTER THE JUMP, WATCH THE YANKEES TRIBUTE TO BOB SHEPPARD
27
Jun
2010
Giants Rookie Chad Jones unsure of NFL future after car crash
(Photo: Bill Kostroun/The Associated Press)
New York Giants’ 3rd round draft pick Chad Jones was involved in a serious car crash on Friday, leaving his NFL future in jeopardy.
The 21-year-old safety and two-sport star out of LSU lost control of his car early Friday morning in New Orleans, crashing into a streetcar pole. Jones suffered severe injuries to his left leg, including multiple fractures and exposed arteries and nerves, according to various reports. Two passengers in the car suffered only minor injuries, and police do not suspect that alcohol was involved in the crash.
The most recent reports [NOLA.com] indicate that Jones’ surgery was successful, with doctors able to save his left foot from amputation. Rocky Arceneaux, Jones’ agent, said that the seven-hour surgery to restore blood flow to Jones’ left leg went well, but that it’s too early to guess at a timetable for his recovery. And in perhaps the most encouraging piece of news since the accident, Jones is even telling his father he’s already thinking about making a return to football [NY Post].
Whether or not Jones ever plays a down in the NFL, he’s got to consider himself lucky to be alive. In looking at pictures and video from the crash scene, it’s a miracle that anyone survived:
(Image via Tigerdroppings.com)
23
Jun
2010
VIDEO: the NY Giants are not good at MTV’s Silent Library
I haven’t watched MTV in years … ya know, pretty much since they stopped playing MUSIC and opted to only show cheap/crappy reality programming. But apparently, one of their newer shows is a game show of sorts called “Silent Library”, and an upcoming episode features six members of the New York Football Giants. And in late June, that’s close enough to football news for us!
Here’s the basic premise of the show [via HotClicks]:
“A team of six contestants attempts a series of offbeat challenges to win money. The show is set in a library, so the players must remain quiet. The contestants draw cards, and the player who gets the one with skull and crossbones must complete a bizarre task or endure an unusual punishment. If they do so without laughing, the show’s host, Zero Kazama, awards them money. But if the team cracks up or is otherwise too loud, they lose.”
Pretty simple, right? But it’s oddly hilarious, even if it does end up sounding like 30 minutes of Muttley from the Hanna Barbara cartoons. And as these clips demonstrate, this group of Giants players – Kevin Boss, Chris Snee, Shaun O’Hara, David Diehl, Rich Seubert & Dave Tollefson – are not very good at this game.
In the above clip C Shaun O’Hara has to pedal a bike that shoots tennis balls at his face. Clearly, his teammates take great pleasure in watching this, end up laughing WAY to loudly, and thus losing. And when TE Boss gets the treatment from a toothless old man, you can probably guess that it ends in a similar fashion:
7
May
2010
UPDATED: Lawrence Taylor arrested on rape charges
Lawrence Taylor leaves the Ramapo, NY Police department on Thursday night (Photo: NY Daily News/Willens/AP)
2nd UPDATE: The NY Daily News spoke with the alleged victim’s sister, who says that Taylor didn’t know that the girl he had paid $300 to have sex with was underage:
Accused pimp Rasheed Davis beat the teenager before taking her to Taylor’s hotel room and warned her “she would get a worse beating if she tried to tell Mr. Taylor anything,” the sister said.
“She said she had no choice but to go along with it,” the sister said. “She doesn’t blame Mr. Taylor because he had no idea (she was a minor).”
As more details emerge in this case, it’s becoming clear that the real dirtbag here is this Rasheed Davis. I mean, LT definitely shouldn’t be paying shady pimps to find young girls for him to have sex with, and he still has some serious explaining to do in this whole debacle. But according to TMZ (who has been all over this case), the alleged victim told police that she told Taylor she was 19 years old. And now, the FBI is investigating Davis on suspicion of human sex trafficking, who reportedly forced the girl to “engage in multiple commercial sex acts with various individuals”.
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UPDATE: Via the NY Daily News, LT has been officially charged with third-degree rape and soliciting a prostitute. Taylor, who was just arraigned and released on $75,000 bail, has been cooperative according to police. He allegedly paid the 16-year-old girl (not 15 as previously reported) $300 for sex.
From Ralph Vacchiano’s blog, The Blue Screen:
Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence indicated that police do not suspect Taylor of beating the 16-year-old girl. In fact, he said, the black eye she suffered “occurred prior to her entering the room.”
Ramapo Chief of Police Peter Brower would not say if Taylor knew the girl was underage, but said “Ignorance is not an excuse to an individual’s age.”
Taylor could be facing up to four years in prison.
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(Photo: Paul Spinelli/Getty Images)
The hit parade of current and former NFL athletes making the headlines for all the wrong reasons continues. WCBS-TV is reporting that former New York Giant Lawrence Taylor was arrested this morning after being accused of rape in a NY hotel:
Taylor, 51, was taken into custody by the Town of Ramapo police after being accused of raping someone in the Holiday Inn Holidome Hotel in Suffern.
Details surrounding the rape have not yet been released other than the location and that it occurred early this morning. Charges against the Hall of Fame linebacker will be filed once police complete their investigation.
Taylor – unarguably one of the greatest NFL players of all time – is no stranger to trouble, having been suspended by the league several times for cocaine use, followed by three trips to prison on drug charges after he retired from football.
But by all accounts, LT had been sober for over 10 years, and this is the first real trouble he’s seen in quite a while (except for a minor traffic offense last year).
11
Apr
2010
Tiki Barber continues to make great decisions
Tiki Barber with his wife, Ginny, and new girlfriend, Traci Johnson
Former New York Giant RB Tiki Barber has left his wife - who is 8 months pregnant … with twins – for a 23-year-old former NBC intern named Traci Lynn Johnson. Barber already has 2 sons (A.J., 7, and Chason, 6) with his wife Ginny, but moved out of their Manhattan home late last year to pursue his new flame.
According to various reports, Barber and Johnson have been sleeping together since at least 2008, and have increasingly been seen together in public in recent weeks/months. On Wednesday the Giants’ all-time leading rusher released this sterile statement:
“After 11 years of marriage, Ginny and I have decided to separate,” Barber said. “This decision was a painful one, but we are moving forward amicably and will continue to work together to raise our children with the love and dedication they have always known.”
Uh-huh.
Let’s face it, Barber has made a string of questionable decisions in the past few years. He retired from the NFL at the top of his game in 2006, just before the Giants went on to win SB XLII. Even worse, he did did so to become a correspondent for the Today Show, which has been a train wreck on just about every level. And in an effort to gain points as an analyst, Barber threw his former teammates and coaches under the bus, which has alienated him from even his biggest supporters within the Giants organization.
6
Mar
2010
Giants Sign Antrel Rolle to 5-year, $37 million deal
Antrel Rolle is a Giant
The New York Football Giants made an aggressive entry into free agency on Friday with the signing of Cardinals S Antrel Rolle, making him the highest-paid safety in the game.
The 27-year-old Rolle fills a HUGE position of need for the Giants, who lost Kenny Phillips to injury last season and were abused in the defensive secondary down the stretch. Rolle – who had 4 interceptions last year – was widely regarded as the best available safety in FA, and GM Jerry Reese wasn’t going to let him leave the Meadowlands with out a deal. Even if it meant overpaying a bit. The Giants are hopeful that Rolle will team with Phillips (his fellow U of Miami alum) to make one of the best safety tandems in the league.
“The best in the league, hands down,” Rolle said on a conference call with reporters this morning. “Without a doubt. … I mean, The sky’s the limit for us. We’re definitely going to go out and make things happen.”
“I was extremely excited when this opportunity presented itself,” Rolle said. “Being back there with a fellow University of Miami guy, and a guy I know that his potential going to be maximized. My potential is going to be maximized with him. We’re going to be a dynamic duo.”
Of course, that largely depends on how well Phillips recovers from his knee injury. Even though the Giants say KP is ahead of schedule, his status for 2010 is still unclear, making the Rolle signing even more crucial for the Giants.
Rolle, who started his career at CB, is a bona fide play maker with 4 career TDs and a knack for gaining big yardage once he gets his hands on the ball … something the Giants secondary is desperately in need of.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF ANTREL ROLLE AFTER THE JUMP
6
Jan
2010
Pepper Johnson to be the next Giants Defensive Coordinator?
Pepper Johnson could bring some fire to the Giants defense (Photo: Barry Chin/Boston.com)
The NY Daily News is reporting that former New York Giants LB and current Patriots DL coach Pepper Johnson is in the mix for the vacant Giants Defensive Coordinator position. Johnson – who played 13 seasons in the NFL (7 as a Giant) and has spent 10 years as a defensive assistant under Bill Belichick – is reported to be “very interested” in the position.
I can’t help but be excited about the prospect of Pepper returning to New York. He was one of my favorite childhood players, and the passion he brings to the game could be just what the Giants D needs right now. Plus, Johnson has 5 Super Bowl Rings – 2 as a player, and 3 as a coach – which would command the respect of his players right away.
“Yeah, definitely, it would be instant respect,” said Carl Banks, the former Giants linebacker and a teammate of Johnson’s from 1986-92. “But even if they know nothing of his history and care nothing about Giant tradition, they’ll respect his knowledge of the game. They’ll respect the success he has in this league and the teams he’s coached.”
The Giants are reportedly interviewing former Bills DC Perry Fewell for the position on Thursday, and other names that have been mentioned as candidates include Romeo Crennell and Dick Jauron. All of these guys would be excellent choices, and might make more sense as coaches with more proven track records, but the kid in me is rooting for Pepper.
Unfortunately, there’s a surprising lack of Pepper highlights on the interwebs, but he was a bad man during his prime … part of the best Giants LB corps of all time. And I’ll never forget him dancing at midfield with Williams Roberts after Super Bowl XXI. My senior year of HS, I waited in line at a card show in White Plains, NY to get Pepper’s autograph, which still hangs on my bedroom wall at home. So maybe I’m a little biased here.
