4
Feb
2012
ReadAndReact’s Super Bowl XLVI picks
(Photo: BleacherReport)
Yes, that’s right. Since there is clearly a lack of opinions on the subject available on the internet, we’re here with our own prognostications for Super Bowl 46!
It’s the Giants versus the Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl 42 – widely considered one of the greatest championship games of all time – and everyone at R&R HQ has pretty strong feelings about this one. Artie is a diehard Giants fan, while steverodgers is a Patriots backer, so they’ve both been riding their team’s bandwagon to the promised land since the beginning, and are on the verge of an emotional breakdown in anticipation for tomorrow’s contest.
So without any further adieu, here are our picks for the big game (CLICK TO EMBIGGEN):
As you can see, our “experts” our split down the middle, with Artie and COURTNEY (a loyal Cowboys fan) picking the Giants, and going with Victor Cruz as the MVP over the odds-on favorite Eli Manning. Meanwhile, TDH and steverodgers picked the Pats and Tom Brady to bring home the most valuable player trophy.
Most of our gambling will come in the form of inane prop bets that have nothing to do with the actual football game, like how many times they show Gisele on TV, or how long it takes Kelly Clarkson to sing the National Anthem, or whether Madonna will be wearing a hat during the halftime show … all real available bets, by the way.
Enjoy the national holiday that is Super Sunday, and let’s just hope it’s a competitive game that’s worth watching.
27
Jan
2012
Watch this fantastic Giants 2011-12 season highlights package (VIDEO)
This week 14 block effectively saved the Giants season (Photo: NYPost.com)
There are thousands of fan-made highlights packages to be found on YouTube, but this one of the New York Football Giants 2011-12 regular season stands out from the pack for its incredible editing, high quality footage, and of course, the tasteful use of ”Run This Town” by Jay-Z (feat. Rihanna) as the backing music.
And even though the Giants barely squeaked into the playoffs as a Wild Card after finishing 9-7, with guys like Eli, Cruuuuuuz, and JPP having breakout seasons, there were still plenty of explosive and memorable plays from this year’s campaign … even before they were able to put it all together just in time for a stunning playoff run.
So if you’re a Giants fan looking for something to keep you fired up during the off-week before Super Bowl XLVI, you’ve come to the right place.
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
4
Jan
2012
Giants-Cowboys New Year’s Day Photo Essay (20 PICS)
This past Sunday, on New Year’s Day 2012, we were fortunate enough to attend the much-hyped Giants-Cowboys game at MetLife Stadium.
This was for all the marbles in the NFC East, with the winner taking the division and the loser going home to face a long off-season, watching the playoffs from the outside looking in. A play-in game, if you will, between bitter division rivals. As regular season match-ups go, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. So we battled our hangovers and made the trip to East Rutherford, where we took a lot of pictures along the way to share with you, our loyal readers.
Despite our sterling reputation as an emerging force in new sports media, we didn’t have any press passes or fancy cameras for this one, so these photos are all from the fan’s perpective … and all of them were taken on an iPhone 4s. We hope you enjoy!
(CLICK ANY PHOTO TO EMBIGGEN):
The new MetLife stadium is quite impressive from the outside (Photo: ArtieFufkin)
(Photo: ArtieFufkin)
The rain couldn't dampen the spirits of Giants fans, who were fired up for this one (Photo: ArtieFufkin)
Romo and Co. are greeted warmly by the New York fans (Photo: ArtieFufkin)
Oooh ... fireworks! (Photo: ArtieFufkin)
CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE GIANTS/COWBOYS GAME
24
Dec
2011
Victor Cruz ties NFL record with 99-yard touchdown (VIDEO)
Cromartie searches for his jock on the MetLife Stadium turf (Image via Sportsgrid.com)
We’ve got another late contender for play of the year already today.
With the Giants trailing the Jets 7-3 and looking relatively lifeless heading into the half, facing 3rd and 10 from their own 1 yard line, Eli Manning hit Victor Cruz right around the first down marker … at which point Cruz makes an unbelievable sidestep move to elude two Jets defenders and break free for the 99-yard score.
Watch as Cruz makes Antonio Cromartie look silly after the catch, then uses his speed to do the rest:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
17
Dec
2011
Jason Pierre-Paul and Victor Cruz aren’t even on the Pro Bowl fan ballot
(Photo: NYDailyNews.com)
If you’d like to add your vote for this year’s Pro Bowl (one of sports’ least exciting all-star games), fans can do so through this Monday, 12/19 via the official ballot at NFL.com. And if you’re a Giants fan (or a particularly astute fantasy geek) you might notice two glaring omissions from the candidates at defensive end and wide receiver … namely, DE Jason Pierre Paul and WR Victor Cruz, who have each had breakout seasons at their respective positions for New York.
Pierre-Paul is currently 5th in the NFL with 12.5 sacks, while Cruz is 3rd in the league in receiving yards with 1,150, but neither are eligible for your votes to go to Hawaii. According to the Ralph Vacchiano of the NY Daily News, JPP and Cruz are victims of an antiquated voting system, and both were left off the ballot by the Giants organization, who were forced to make some difficult decisions based on the sheer volume of talent they have at certain positions:
Teams are only allowed a certain number of players at each position – two defensive ends and two receivers, for example. In some cases, there are other categories, such as a “flex” spot for either a running back or a receiver.
Since the Giants had to submit their players before October 25th, they put Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora as their two DEs, and Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham as their two WRs. For the flex position, they chose Brandon Jacobs after giving the RB slot to Ahmad Bradshaw.
9
Oct
2011
Victor Cruz and Dwayne Bowe make incredible juggling TD catches (VIDEO)
Bowe is an early contender for catch of the year (AP Photo/AJ Mast via google.com)
Here are a couple of the most impressive plays from today’s early games, if not the early part of the season, with the Chiefs’ Dwayne Bowe and Giants’ Victor Cruz making a pair of impressive juggling grabs for touchdowns.
Watch this amazing 5-yard snag by Bowe with a defender draped all over him. Bowe had 128 yards and 2 TDs in the Chiefs 28-24 win over the Colts:
WATCH CRUZ’ CIRCUS CATCH AFTER THE JUMP
3
Oct
2011
Did the Refs Cost Arizona the Game on Victor Cruz’ fumble/non-fumble? (VIDEO)
Clearly nobody touched Cruz while he was on the ground (Photo: Getty Images via WashingtonPost.com)
This is undoubtedly the most controversial play of Week 4 in the NFL.
From yesterday’s Giants-Cardinals game, with New York trailing by 3 points and driving with 2:46 remaining, Eli Manning hit WR Victor Cruz for a 19-yard completion. At the end of the play, Cruz fell to the ground, put the ball on the grass and stood up to return to the huddle. One problem: Cruz wasn’t touched by a Cardinals defender while he was down, so theoretically, the ball should still be alive. Or that’s at least what most everyone watching the play assumed, and Arizona jumped on the ball, thinking they had secured a crucial turnover.
But not so fast. Referee Jerome Booger had blown the play dead, ruling that Cruz had “given himself up” on the play. Because of that ruling, and despite a challenge flag thrown by Cards coach Ken Whisenhunt, the play was not reviewable.
Watch the play for yourself, and decide if Cruz should have been ruled down:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
25
Sep
2011
Michael Vick breaks hand as Giants defeat Eagles 29-16 (VIDEO)
Vick got roughed up again today in Philly (Photo 30fps.com)
2nd UPDATE: According to Eagles HC Andy Reid, Vick’s hand is NOT broken, it’s just a bruise, and Vick could possibly play in Week 4
____________________________
Remember when everyone was prematurely handing the Eagles the NFC East crown – and some the Super Bowl – during the off-season??? Well that’s why they play the games, folks.
Eagles QB Michael Vick left the game during the 4th quarter with a broken right hand and the New York Giants beat Philadelphia 29-16 today at Lincoln Financial Field. Eli Manning threw 4 touchdowns as the Giants improved to 2-1, while Philadelphia falls to 1-2 after back-to-back losses. It is unknown how long Vick - who came into the game dealing with the effects of a concussion – will be out. UPDATE: According to reports, Vick could miss 3-4 weeks.
The Giants jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on the strength of 2 big plays – a 40-yard passing score to Brandon Jacobs and a 74-yard touchdown reception by Victor Cruz (video after the jump). Cruz, who was starting in place of the injured Mario Manningham and Domenik Hixon, had a breakout performance today, finishing with 2 TDs and 110 yards receiving. Vick and the Eagles were able to regain the momentum, battling back to take a 16-14 lead midway through the third quarter, but from there the Giants defense tightened up, and their front four continued to reign down blows on Vick, with Chris Canty seemingly delivering the knockout shot:
[Video via CosbySweaters]
Vick went to the locker room for X-rays shortly after this hit, but returned to the game without missing a play, only to exit for good a few minutes later. Most speculated it was Vick’s head (or possibly mouth/tongue) after the hit from Canty, but we later learned he had broken his right – non-throwing – hand. It’s difficult to tell whether that injury came on the same play or not, possibly when Vick put his right hand down to break his fall.
Without Vick in the game, the Giants were able to put things away with 4th quarter scores from Cruz and Ahmad Bradshaw, with the vaunted Philadelphia defense putting on a shoddy display of tackling in the process. Watch the first TD by Cruz, where the Eagles secondary looks more like the keystone cops than a bunch of highly paid all-stars.
(Image via Gifulmination.com)
WATCH VICTOR CRUZ’S 74-YARD TD AFTER THE JUMP
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?
