Category: 2008 Season

Some observations from Monday night win over the Brownies:

• Domenik Hixon was obviously the star of the game with three TD’s (two receiving, one return). With all the injuries to the regulars, we’ve heard Hixon is having a great camp working with the starters. It translated to the field on Monday evening. With this guy as your fourth or fifth wideout, the Giant are demonstrating outstanding depth.

• Eli Manning. Composed and relaxed. Looked good with some subtle movement in the pocket. Only play he would want back was a miss to, who else, Hixon on a long out pass. His second TD pass down the middle to Hixon was a thing of beauty.

• David Carr took the lead in the race for the backup position. Anthony Wright made some errors in recognizing blitz situations, and it cost him. Carr did nothing exceptional, but stayed away from errors.

• Danny Ware is making a case for being the fourth running back on this team. Had a nice KO return (ironically, his main competition Droughns made a key block) and really ran well in the fourth quarter. The thing to keep in mind is he was up against guys who are marginal NFL players for most of his 90 rushing yards. Again, do the Giants go with youth or experience in the form of Droughns? The staff would be wise to get him some runs in the first half next week against the Jets.

• Speaking of running backs, Derrick Ward ran exceptionally hard on his first half carries. He looked good.

• Kickoff coverage teams were simply atrocious. Cleveland continually hit big plays. They are obviously working with different combinations on coverage, but this is something to watch for.

• Rookies Bryan Kehl and Kenny Phillips weren’t nearly as prominent in the second game. Everyone was fired up, particularly over Phillips’ play. You have to remember these guys are rookies and still learning. I heard a radio interview with Phillips, and he talked about how the NFL game wasn’t as fast as he anticipated. C’mon Kenny, it’s never that easy.

• Second team defense, as a whole, didn’t look that good. Again, it’s some new guys and the staff working different combinations but you’d like to see more from that unit. Conversely, with a 30-3 lead there’s a tendency to back off defensively.

I watched the replay of the Giants and Lions on NFL Network, and came away with these thoughts, in no particular order:

• Kenny Phillips was the best player on the field during the second half. Sure he was matching up with a lot of third stringers, but the number one pick really looks the part. Fine tackling and just playing like he belonged. Impressive.

• The battle for the backup QB spot got off to an interesting start. Both Anthony Wright and David Carr played well. You have to think that Andre Woodson will get the third spot, so something has to give with Wright and Carr. Speaking of Woodson, it was dissapointing not to see him get in the game.

• RB Danny Ware had a nice kickoff return and showed some ability when running the football. Does he give Reuben Droughns a run for his roster spot? Does the coaching staff go with a young, unproven player over a veteran?

• Speaking of unproven players, the most impressive individual play of the evening involved WR Brandon London. London, by all reports, has been a standout in practice. It translated to the field when he picked a ball out of mid air on a slant and then showed YAC ability with a nice 29 yard catch and run. Despite this, with all the bodies at WR, can he really stick on the 53 man roster?

• Sinorice Moss, having an average camp at best, showed some life with a big 46 yard pass play. It was good to see the Giants utilizing his speed down the field. Moss’ speed on fly patterns and comebacks should be an asset, but it hasn’t shown up during games (and I partially blame the coaching staff on this one).

• I don’t like Ahmad Bradshaw on KO returns, particularly in the preseason. Last year as an unproven rookie, yes. This guy is now way too valuable to risk there.

• Brandon Jacobs looked slow to me, even on that 27 yard gallop in the first quarter. I know that for a man his size, it’s still a damn good run. But I remember a long TD run during the 2006 preseason versus the Patriots where I swear he looked as fast as Tiki. BJ looked slower at the end of last year, which I attributed to some injuries. The thing that made this guys so unique was the combination of power and speed. I hope he hasn’t slowed down a gear. Just throwing it out there.

• In addition to Phillips, Bryan Kehl flashed from the LB position. The rookie from BYU looked very quick and was around the football, which fits his draft profile. Again, looks like the type of athlete that fits into our defensive scheme perfectly.

The one thing I can’t really understand is the enormous dislike for Brett Favre. Maybe I am reading one too many message board/blogs on the Net, but I swear the anti-Favre sentiment heavily outweights anything supporting the new Jets’ quarterback. I guess it’s Favre’s fault that ESPN or NFL Network beats this story to death. I, for one, am a big fan of his and glad he is coming back. I never need convincing to watch any NFL football game, but if it is one that involves Brett Farve, I’ll watch with a bit more attention. It’s a good trade for the Jets. They are trying to win now, and Favre fits that blueprint perfectly. I don’t see New York’s other team as Super Bowl material, but this move puts them in the hunt for a playoff spot. Plus they hang onto their future QB and don’t give up a lot if Farve tanks it (conditional fourth round pick) in the Big Apple.

Was Favre wrong for how he handled his return to the NFL? Sure. And he put the Packers in a very awkward position. Furthermore, I completely agree with how the Packers handled it.  The needed to get off that merry-go-round that Favre was putting them through now, and potentially in the future. For them, it was time to move on. For Brett Favre, it was time to move as well. But if Brett Favre wants to play in the league and someone wants to give him the opportunity, he should play in the league.  A lot of people resent that.

To steal one of my favorite quotes, from the former Phillies’ relief pitcher Mitch Williams, who said, “I pitch like my hair’s on fire.” That’s what I think about Favre. I hope he keeps playing another five years. The NFL is better with him.