Die Hard Giants Fan

This is your Week 4 Power Rankings from a Giants fans’ perspective of course. For the first time, I see it the same way as ESPN and CBSSportsline. Big Blue was ranked no worse than No. 2 last week so I’m not sure how much we could move up while playing video games on Sunday. Let’s find out.

After Week 3, ESPN had the Jints in the No. 2 spot after the Cowboys. After Week 4, ESPN has the Giants in the No. 1 spot in their Power Rankings. So Big Blue moved up 1 spot, and they are on top of the world like they were in February. All of this took place while they were on their Bye Week. The Titans, the Cowboys, the Bills, and the Steelers round out their Top 5 this week. The Eagles dropped from No. 3 to No. 9. while the Redskins climbed up from No. 15 to No. 6. I recommend that you take a snapshot of this because ESPN never respects the Giants so this may be an accident. The entire NFC East made the top 10, but not the top 5 which I thought may happen. The Eagles and the Redskins will battle this weekend so we’ll have to pay attention to who comes out on top.

After Week 3, CBSSportsline had the G-MEN in the No. 2 spot after the Cowboys. After Week 4, CBSSportsline has the Giants in the No. 1 spot in their Power Rankings. The Titans, Bills, Redskins, and Cowboys round out their Top 5. The ‘Skins moved up from No. 12. to No. 4, and the Eagles fell from No. 5 to No. 14. So 3 out of the Top 5 are NFC East teams, but not the top 3 teams. I did not think that the Eagles would have fallen so much because it was more of an accident that they lost to the Bears.

2008 is the year of the NFC Beast. The Giants are alone on the top of both of the Power Rankings which didn’t even happen after they won the Super Bowl. I’m more surprised by ESPN than I am with CBSSportsline. The bad thing about the Bye Week is that there is no Giants football. The good thing about the Bye Week is that there is now Giants football every week until they repeat or they get eliminated. The Giants are 3-0 with a 1-0 division record. Big Blue has to play the Seahawks, the Browns, and the 49ers all before the competition gets better. After that, they will face the Steelers, the Cowboys, and the Eagles. I can’t wait till we play them. I’m not upset at all with the Power Rankings this week. Our boys in blue are ranked better than 31 teams so what else could I ask for? Let’s see how long they last at the top.

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Week 4 played out perfectly for the Jints while they were home relaxing during their Bye Week. The Redskins flew down to Big D and beat the Cowboys. The Redskins defense was able to limit the ‘Boys high octane offense which reminded me of the Giants victory in Dallas in the 2007 Divisional Playoffs. Jerry Jones’ face at the end of the game provided America with more priceless moments. The ‘Skins completely shut down The Barbarian, and they were all over T.O. like a Pit Bull on a Poodle. T.O.’s post game remarks may ignite the T.O. quarterback controversy that we’ve all been waiting for. It seems like Owens is about to explode.

The Bears upset the Eagles last night. The Bears played pretty good defense last night, and their offense played much better than usual. The results of these two games leaves the Giants as the only undefeated team in the NFC. The Bills and the Titans are also undefeated in the AFC. Washington and Dallas are tied for 2nd with a 3-1 record, and Philadelphia is in last place with a 2-2 record.

The Giants may move up to the top of the Power Rankings tomorrow since the Cowboys suffered their first loss. Expect the Redskins to jump over multiple teams for taking down the team that the media calls the best team in the NFL. The Eagles will slide a notch or two, but probably not so much because it was the Bears that they lost to. For a Bye Week, it doesn’t get any better than that.

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Down in Georgia, Officers arrested New York Giants running back Danny Ware on an alcohol charge as he joined other Georgia Bulldog fans who wallowed in the aftermath of Saturday night’s defeat to the Crimson Tide of Alabama according to the Athens Banner-Herald. Ware and a woman were charged with pedestrian under the influence and pedestrian in the roadway. Ware was released from Clarke County jail at about 9:45 a.m. Sunday after he posted a $500 cash bond.

Basically, Danny got arrested for standing in the way of traffic while intoxicated. I don’t understand how somebody actually gets arrested for that, but I don’t live in Georgia to understand it. Since Ware is 5th on the Depth Chart, this will have no impact on the team unless the running backs start dropping like flies.

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We knew that the Giants hit Plax with a two-week unpaid suspension, and we knew that Burress filed a grievance against the Giants. ESPN.com reported that Plaxico Burress and the Giants nearly came to an agreement on the terms of the suspension yesterday so it seems like it will end up somewhere in the middle. It may turn into a one-week suspension instead.

ESPN wrote…

If the settlement is reached, Burress will still miss the Giants game on Oct. 5 against the Seattle Seahawks but he will lose just half of the $235,294 he is being docked for a two-week suspension.

As a final condition, sources said, the Giants would agree not to pursue action against Burress seeking any bonus money he could owe under a forfeiture clause in a $35 million contract extension he signed just before the regular season opener.

The Giants decided to not let Burress play against the Seahawks even though they reduced it to a one-week suspension which is a little surprising. I guess they are making a point. Like I said in the last post about this topic, I wasn’t there to say who is right or wrong. I only know what the media reported. Based on the infrequency of the organization suspending players historically, I would say that I’m leaning on the side of the Giants. This incident is a little embarrassing as well because it sort of puts Burress into that prima donna wide receiver group like Keyshawn Johnson and T.O. who got suspended for conduct detrimental to the team for the remainder of the season. It is a bit different, but I can easily see the national media portraying this story in a similar manner, and I have heard plenty of it already.

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The Giants are in their Bye Week, and it is much earlier than usual. They are rocking an undefeated 3-0 record right now so they are tied for 1st in the NFC East with the Cowgirls. The Dirty Birds and the Hogs are both 2-1. The Seahawks are coming to New York next, and we got a score to settle.

According to ProFootballTalk.com, a Seattle Seahawks fansite called SeahawksHuddle.com has been posting a list of “nauseating, tasteless, and horribly inappropriate 9/11 jokes” as they get ready to battle the G-MEN. I can’t even think of worse things a person can say. Here’s what I hope happens to this person…a SWAT Team goes into his/her house with Semi-Automatics blazing. If that doesn’t happen then I hope Tom Coughlin inserts the “B” team and starts brawling with the scumbags of Seattle. 9/11 was a tragedy, and the city still hasn’t healed from the wounds of that attack. These types of jokes are not even jokes. Since we are in New York and it is September…we should send a message.

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There was a black cloud over the Meadowlands today because only bad things have happened. According to Giants.com, former Giant and radio analyst Dick Lynch passed away today at the age of 72. Lynch played for the Giants from 1959-66, a period in which the team played in four NFL Championship Games. Lynch played in 97 regular season games for the Giants (109 in his career) and intercepted 35 passes. In both 1961 and 1963, he led the NFL with nine interceptions. In ‘63, he also led the league with 251 return yards and three touchdowns. Lynch scored seven career touchdowns, four on interception returns and three on fumble returns. For 40 years, Lynch treated fans with his strategic insight, his sharp knowledge of football and his information about the Giants. He did it with a conversational style that suggested a man sitting in his living room with a group of friends watching the game.

John Mara said…

Dick was such an important part of our organization for so many years that we really considered him part of the family. He was a true Giant as a player, a broadcaster and as a man. We will miss him dearly and our thoughts and prayers go out to Roz and the entire Lynch family.

Sam Huff said…

I’m very sorry we lost Dick. He was a great friend and a great family man. When the Giants played the Redskins, we always visited before the game. Those two teams competed, but Dick and I never competed. We were always on the same team - always on the same page. He never changed his personality. I’m going to miss him.

Die Hard Giants Fan would like to send our condolences to the Lynch family and to the Giants organization for their loss. May he rest in peace.

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I was listening to WFAN at work this morning, and they stated that Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com reported that the Giants suspended Plaxico Burress for two weeks for skipping practice and avoiding phone calls which took effect immediately. The Jints have their bye week this week so Burress will only miss one game against the Seahawks.

I wasn’t there so I don’t know exactly what happened. I don’t know if the punishment is too harsh. Off the top of my head, I can’t even remember the last player that was suspended by the Giants so it doesn’t happen often. Plax must’ve done something wrong, in their minds, if he actually got suspended. Maybe he partied too hard, maybe he was depressed for not having a good game, maybe he had family problems, who knows. If you have followed this blog since the beginning then you would know that I was never a fan of his until last season. I was not impressed at all with Plaxico in ‘05 and ‘06 because he gave up on plays all the time. Last year is when I started to actually like him when he had a great year on one leg. I was very skeptical when he was making a big deal about wanting a new contract because he only had one good year out of three so why should he get a raise. If I performed to less than my capabilities at my job for two years then I wouldn’t even have a job in the third year to be able to have a great year.

Once the news came out about Dick Lynch passing, John Mara was on WFAN and confirmed that Plaxico was suspended.

In the afternoon, NFL.com reported that Plaxico Burress filed a grievance against the Giants for docking him two weeks of pay and suspending him one game.

ESPN discusses Burress’ two week suspension.

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This is your Week 3 Power Rankings from a Giants fans’ perspective of course. I’m much more biased than ESPN and CBSSportsline. Big Blue was ranked no worse than No. 3 last week so I’m not sure how much we could move up after having to beat the Bengals in overtime on Sunday. Let’s find out.

After Week 2, ESPN had the Jints in the No. 3 spot after the Cowboys and Steelers. After Week 3, ESPN has the Giants in the No. 2 spot in their Power Rankings. So Big Blue moved up 1 spot, and they are only behind the Cowboys which is not too shabby for ESPN who always dislikes the Giants. The Eagles, the Titans, and the Steelers round out their Top 5 this week. The Redskins are No. 15. I recommend that your screen print feature is working because the top 3 teams are representing the NFC Beast. If the ‘Skins beat the ‘Boys head-to-head this week then maybe all of the NFC East teams will be the top 4.

After Week 2, CBSSportsline had the G-MEN in the No. 2 spot after the Cowboys. After Week 3, CBSSportsline still has the Giants in the No. 2 spot behind the Cowboys in their Power Rankings. The Titans, Broncos, and Eagles round out their Top 5. The ‘Skins moved up from No. 23. to No. 12. So 3 out of the Top 5 are NFC East teams, but not the top 3 teams.

2008 is the year of the NFC Beast. So far, no NFC East team has lost a game outside of the division. The division matchups should be thrilling as usual. NFC East teams always play each other hard so I’m not sure how much better it can get. I’ve seen Redskins teams that didn’t win a game all year beat the Cowboys when the Cowboys were one of the best teams in football. There are not any better division rivalries in the NFL than what we are accustomed to. So the national media is recognizing Big Blue now that they won a Super Bowl and have an undefeated record. I’m not upset at all with the Power Rankings this week. Our boys in blue are ranked better than 30 teams so what else could I ask for? I know, they can move up to the top. The Giants do play the Cowboys twice so they can pass them on their way to No. 1.

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Tiki Barber joined Boomer and Craig of WFAN this morning to talk about his time with the G-Men and what he thinks of the current team. To hear the interview in its entirety, click here.

Have you ever seen any player of Tiki’s magnitude that barely ever gets talked about? He’s only been out of the game a year, and he’s still in the public eye. However, I hear more Giants fans talking about L.T., Phil Simms, Harry Carson, Mark Bavaro, Carl Banks, George Martin, and on and on. How does that happen?

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There is no purpose to this post except for the fact that Boomer and Carton of WFAN had me laughing hysterically at work today with this skit. The Fan is the home of the Giants, right?

Sitting in traffic in the Midtown tunnel this morning, Craig decided it would be fun to take Jerry Manuel & John Sterling soundbites and play them over some porno music. Sounds random…and it was…but also very funny.

To hear this podcast, click here.

As Carton was leading into the skit, I was thinking that they would’ve included Sterling’s own “It is high, it is long” you know the rest.

Later on in the day, Mike Francesa stated that the Seahawks lost like 6 wide receivers due to injury. The Seahawks were making calls around the league, and the Giants offered them Sinorice Moss. Word on the street is that they immediately declined which really makes you wonder.

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