Unfortunately, there is no real substitute, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  I’m quite sure you’ve thought of every one of these techniques yourself, but we both have a little time on our hands.  Let the craziness begin.

Were you smart enough to record and keep the entire 2011 season on your DVR?   I wasn’t.  Even if I were, there’s a real good chance a few games would’ve been deleted to make room for the wife’s reruns of Dr. Phil and the Bachelor.  It’s probably for the best.  Why break up a perfectly good marriage over a few video recordings?

A second option here is NFL.com’s Game Rewind.  For $35 you get access to all regular season games for your favorite team back to 2009.  It also comes with condensed viewing where you can watch an entire game in 30 minutes and “Coaches Film” which shows various angles on certain plays.  I’ve never paid for this before, but there’s always a first time for everything.  And I have to admit, I’m pretty tempted right now.

If you prefer to spend your $35 on something else like a decent bottle of scotch, YouTube is a great place to go when you’re feeling withdrawal symptoms.  It’s not as good as watching complete games while pretending it’s the regular season all over again.  But you can find highlights of each game.  I find when I watch them in order, I still get wrapped up in the exhilaration of Week 09 against the Pats and Week 17 against the Cowboys…and of course, the despair of Week 12 in New Orleans and Week 15 against the Redskins.

Joseph asked his mother why Jacobs left to play in San Francisco.  She explained the Giants didn’t have enough money to keep him, so Joseph emptied his piggy bank and wrote Jacobs a letter.  It reads:

“Dear Brandon Jacobs,  So you could go to the Giants, here is my money.  Love, Joe”

Jacobs tweeted he almost cried when he saw the letter and may pay a surprise visit to Joseph.  I hope he finds the time to follow through on that visit.  Too often we see players whose only loyalty seems to be to the almighty dollar.  We hear a lot of talk about being a part of a team and how money is not the issue.

The late, great George Young, former NY Giants GM who brought us the Parcells era, once said it’s always about money and when players say it’s not about money, then it’s REALLY about money.  He also said the NFL is not a business of well adjusted people.  This combination adds up to grown up people acting very juvenile on a very public stage.  It’s a scene we see all too often.

Fortunately, Jacobs exit from New York was relatively drama free.  He was willing to take a pay cut to stay in New York.  But in the end, the two sides were unable to come to terms.  I think most of us understand it was time for Jacobs to move on.

But Joseph doesn’t understand salary caps.  Paying $5 million a year to a back up running back isn’t on his radar.  He only understands he was willing to give everything he has to keep his hero in blue.

By that measure, Joseph is a bigger Giants fan than all of us.  Unfortunately, even Joseph will soon mature past his own standard.  But it was fun seeing the NFL through his eyes one more time…even it’s only for a little while.  And I hope Jacobs gives Joseph his $3.36 back!

We all understand Harbaugh’s motivation.  Smith seemed to finally put things together last year and San Fran goes right after the first sexy name on the free market after the season ends.  It’s a move that makes perfect sense.  I think if I were Peyton, I would’ve signed with the Niners.  Their defense would’ve been a great luxury.  And I think if I were Smith, I would understand the NFL is a business.

To recount the Smith saga, he was selected with the first overall pick in 2005.  Over the next several years, he endured seven different offensive coordinators and seven different offenses.  He also endured a lot of bad press which called him a “bust” and a “game manager” at best.  Then Harbaugh came rolling into town and Smith went toe-to-toe with Drew Brees in the playoffs, somehow coming out victorious.

So now as training camp is set to open in two short months, Harbaugh begins work to build up his quarterback again.   Smith eventually signed a three-year, $24 million dollar contract which doesn’t exactly scream, “YOU are our guy!”  Instead, Harbaugh will spend the next eight weeks saying it to every microphone which happens to be in his vicinity.

Make no mistake.  The San Francisco 49ers are going to be in the thick of things at the end of the season.  The have a great defense and they play in the NFC West.  In 2010, the Seattle Seahawks went 7-9 and won the division.

As a total New York Giants homer, I believe they should win every single game and every single championship.  I am always absolutely devastated when they don’t.  That being said, I see the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers as the top two playoff seeds.  The New Orleans Saints have too much baggage to overcome this year.  And the Green Bay Packers ended the season on such a sour note last year, I think they may have trouble putting it all together consistently.

Not counting any other teams which take it to the next level such as the Detriot Lions or Atlanta Falcons, that leaves the Giants and Niners in the NFC Championship game.  I expect Jim Harbaugh and Alex Smith to have a great year.  And all of this makes me appreciate the stability the Giants have all the more.  I also wonder how Eli Manning’s career may be different if he had to endure the same challenges that Smith has had to.

I’m glad Smith is finally getting his shot.  But when he travels to New York in January, I will hope for dismemberment and perhaps a minor bit of death.  Nothing personal, Alex.  It’s just business.

In government speak, that translates directly to, “it’s a pretty big freaking deal.”  The New York Post reports Coughlin was humbled and almost moved to tears by the ceremony.  The journey he took to reach that moment is a journey many have taken.

Celebrities have given their time to the troops for many years.  As an Air Force veteran of 22 years, I’ve interacted with many celebrities in and out of war zones.  They all say basically the same thing.  Spending time with the troops changes them…forever.

Gene Simmons from KISS is another celebrity who has a history of supporting the troops and often visits wounded warriors.  Simmons says he is always amazed by young men and women whose bodies are broken, but not their spirits.  He also has trouble talking about the subject without tearing up.

It appears Tom Coughlin has also gotten “the bug.”

In 2007, Lt Col Greg Gadson became a member of the Super Bowl XVII champions.  He lost both legs and severely injured one arm from a roadside bomb in Iraq in May 2007.  Through the entire experience, Gadson has remained positive.  Four months later, he gave the New York Giants a pep talk before playing the Washington Redskins.  FOUR MONTHS!

That speech was the beginning of an incredible championship run.  From that point forward, Gadson attended as many games as his recovery would allow.  Yes, he was in Arizona.  Gadson is still a member of the Giants today and he also has a role in a new movie called, “Battleship.”

Just to be silly for a moment, I think the Giants should repeatedly offer one year extensions. Each time he enters the final year of a contract, the Giants offer him one more year. Then Big Blue goes on to win a Super Bowl. If he’s constantly in his last year, the Giants will perpetually win the Lombardi Trophy. This might be a theory that doesn’t work out.

Back to reality, I’m on board with Coughlin and he deserves to coach the Giants until he decides to go. Barring anything crazy like a 2-14 season, which I don’t believe will happen, he’s earned job security.

When the Giants first hired him in 2004, I was not happy. My first thought wasn’t about the success he would bring the Giants. Instead I wondered how many years of mediocre football would it take to get rid of him. I estimated three years.

The Giants would make the playoffs in 2005 and 2006, but failed to advance. After 2006, I hoped with all my heart Couglin was history. But the Giants extended him for one year much to my dismay and the Giants won the Super Bowl XLII.

Even then, I credited the Super Bowl win more for the performance of Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo than anything Coughlin did. When Spagnuolo left and Plaxico shot himself, the Giants seemed unable to recover. My theory was correct!

It was, again, time for Coughlin to go. I believed the Giants had as much talent as any other top team in the NFL. It just seemed Coughlin was unable to get the most from the players on the roster on a consistent basis. It had to be his fault. That opinion remained the same through 2009……2010…..and the first half of 2011.

Some blame the sport which made Seau the man he was.  His death has re-ignited the discussion about brain injury and its connection to dementia and depression.  Many connect Seau’s suicide to former Chicago Bears all-pro safety Dave Duerson who also killed himself with a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest.

Duerson’s final wish was to have his brain studied for evidence of trauma.  Boston University researchers found plenty.  According to the New York Times, a neuropathologist found “indisputable evidence” of chronic traumatic encephalopathy without “evidence of any other disorder.”  In plain English, the researchers believe they found a connection between Duerson’s football related brain injuries and his declining mental state.  Duerson is just one of many.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/sports/football/03duerson.html

(more…)

Feb 26, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies running back David Wilson does running drills during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

A true evaluation of a draft class takes three or four seasons, but I think the Giants may have themselves a very good group of ballplayers. I’m not sure I want to go as far as saying this group will rival the class of 2007, but I think this draft may be a very, very good one. Let’s talk about why….

He restructured contracts.  (Manning, Baas, Diehl).  He resigned key veterans (Thomas, Weatherford, DeOssie, Hixon, Carr).  He allowed other veterans to walk whose salaries exceeded game value.  (Manningham, Jacobs).  He released players on the downside of their careers.  (McKenzie, Grant).  And he made a few brilliant low-risk, high-reward free agent signings.  (Bennett, Rivers).

The next off season task is the NFL draft on Thursday.  How will Reese handle the draft?  If history is any indicator, he’ll find a way to capture a little magic and the fan base will question his sanity.

In 2010, Reese selected Jason Pierre-Paul with the 15th overall pick.  “What in the world is Reese thinking?  You don’t select a project in the 1st round!”

Be thankful Jerry Reese runs the NY Giants and I don’t.  I probably would’ve fired Coughlin after the 2006 and 2010 seasons as well.

But let’s move forward to the 2012 draft.  You’ve all probably seen a number of mock drafts.  I’ve seen predictions saying the Giants will select a TE, CB, LB, DT, OT, C, RB, WR or even a QB in the first round.  Allow me to offer one more, equally useless train of thought.