Overall, Edward’s tenure as head coach of the Jets was marred by chronic clock management problems, an ultra-conservative “play not to lose” mentality, and a lack of any discernable defensive philosophy, despite Edwards’ supposed expertise in the Cover 2 defense.

My point here is that Herm was probably not the best talent evaluator as a Head Coach leading to his poor record and general lack of success…but put a coat and a tie on a guy and he’s an expert.  The conversation this morning was the usual off season nonsense until it turned to QB’s in the NFL.  Herm made the proclamation…and one that I agree with…that there can’t be 8 ELITE QB’s in the league…there can only be 4.  Good point because you are supposed to be comparing them to each other, not some imaginary set of numbers.  He prefaced his list with the “In the last FIVE or so years” these are my Elite QB’s….This is where Herm gets lost.

1. Aaron Rodgers: No Argument..

• 3× Pro Bowl (2009, 2011, 2012)
• First-team All-Pro (2011)^[1]
• Second-team All-Pro (2012)
• AP NFL MVP (2011)
• Super Bowl champion (XLV)
• Super Bowl MVP (XLV)
• NFC champion (2010)
• Single season QB Passer Rating record (122.5)

Hard to argue this point when Rodgers has only been starting for the past 5 years.

2. Tom Brady:  O.K. I’ll give him this one, but No Super Bowl Wins in two appearances hurts a little.

• 5× Pro Bowl ( 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
• 2× First-team All-Pro (2007, 2010)
• 2× AFC Champion (2007, 2011)
• 5x AFC East Champion ( 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
• 2× AP NFL MVP (2007, 2010)
• 2× AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2007, 2010)
• 3× AFC Offensive Player of the Year (2007, 2010, 2011)
• NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2009)

Drew Brees: To me the most overrated of the group:

• 5× Pro Bowl ( 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
• 3× All-Pro ( 2008, 2009, 2011)
• Super Bowl champion (XLIV)
• Super Bowl MVP (XLIV)
• 2× AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2008, 2011)
• 2× NFC MVP (2008, 2009)

Peyton Manning: Who missed one of the 5 years entirely

• 5× Pro Bowl ( 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012)
• 3× First-team All-Pro ( 2008, 2009, 2012)
• 2× AP NFL MVP (2008, 2009)
• AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2012)
• 2× AFC Player of the Year ( 2008, 2009)
• 1× AFC champion (2009)

When asked about ELI, he said “He can sit at the kids table, but he can’t order from the menu”.  Really Herm?

• 3× Pro Bowl (2008, 2011, 2012)
• 2× Super Bowl champion (XLII, XLVI)
• 2× Super Bowl MVP (XLII, XLVI)
• NFL Record most 4th quarter touchdown passes in a season (15)
• Tied NFL Record most game-winning drives in a season (8) (2011)
• Most road wins in a single regular season and postseason by a starting quarterback (10)

Eli also beat your number one guy on the list TWICE in his building to get to the Super Bowl, and then beat the number two guy on your list TWICE in the Super Bowl.

Obviously Winning is not a priority with Herm as he evaluates QB’s.  Super Bowl Champion QB’s  the last 6 years include two of the guys on his list, and the guy who won TWO of the others can’t make the grade.

More proof that putting a coat and tie on a guy doesn’t make him an expert.

Last week I was a very respectable 10-6 and I was happy to see my underdog pick, the Cardinals, come through for me. However, The Giants’ loss and the Saints’ loss really surprised me. The Giants just didn’t have their act together and there isn’t much else to say about that. Would you ever believe that a rookie QB would beat the Saints in his first NFL game? As a Giants fan I have to tell you that I am really worried about Washington now. They swept the Giants last year and now they have a real QB threat. Gulp.

Let’s take a look at my picks for this week:

Bears @ Packers Packers are coming off two losses in a row at home. The first loss was against the Giants in the NFC Championship last season and the second was against the Niners last week. The Bears offense looked good against the Colts last week and their defense, of course, is very strong. I believe the Packer’s loss last week was a “Come to Jesus” moment for them and they will return this week like hell fire and brimstone. Packers will win at home.

Cheifs @ Bills Tough pick here. Both teams have porous defenses and offenses that are not firing on all cylinders. I think the home fans will get the Bills’ engine revved up.

Browns @ Bengals I’ll take the Bengals at home. The Brown’s rookies, Weeden and Richardson, showed last week they have much to improve upon. After playing the super tough Ravens defense last week, the Browns defense will seem very weak to the Bengals and they’ll put up respectable numbers this week.

Colts @ Vikings I like Vikes. Adrian Peterson is back and they’re at home. Andrew Luck may become an excellent NFL QB but it won’t happen this week. The Colts defense gave up 41 points last week to Chicago. I believe Chicago is a good team and I don’t believe the Colts should have gained so many points. Look for Ponder, Peterson, and Harvin to have a good week.

Raiders @ Miami The Raiders will regroup this week and come out Sunday as a much more disciplined team.

Cardinals @ Patriots It is very difficult to beat the Patriots at home and the Cardinals are not the team to do it.

Buccaneers @ Giants I like the defending Super Bowl champs to return to good form and win at home.

Ravens @ Eagles The Ravens destroyed the Bengals last week and this momentum will carry through Philadelphia. I’ve been telling people Flacco is a good QB since 2010. It looks like he’s stepping up his game this year. Also, the Ravens defense is as strong as ever and the Eagles are still not a cohesive unit on offense. The Eagles have far too many weapons to only score 17 points against the Browns last week.

Saints @ Panthers The Saints gave up 40 points against a rookie QB last week but the Panthers only scored 10 against the Buccaneers. The Saints scored 32 points last week which tells me that their offense is just fine for now without Sean Payton and is probably only going to improve from here on out. The Saints will win.

Texans @ Jaguars The Texans are very powerful. They scored 24 points in the second quarter against the Dolphins last week. They just might be able to score-at-will against the Jaguars too. Texans will win.

Redskins @ Rams Redskins scored 40 points against the Saints last week in New Orleans. The Redskins defense gave up 32 points so it wasn’t a blow out but it was very impressive. This momentum will carry them through their match-up with the Rams.

Cowboys @ Seahawks  In their win against the Giants last week, the Cowboys showed that they have a lot of weapons. I am not convinced that their defense is strong enough to be a playoff contender. The Giants WR Victor Cruz dropped 3 passes that he should have caught and got mugged in the endzone. The scab refs missed the call. The game would have been very different without those events. The Cowboys committed 13 penalties and will need to be more disciplined to compete against the elite NFL teams. The Seahawks are not an elite NFL team and the Cowboys will beat them soundly with a variety of weapons.

Jets @ Steelers The Jets had a dominating win last week in Buffalo. I think the Steelers defense will have their hands full Sunday afternoon and I think they will hold back the Jets in front of the home fans in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger threw for a respectable 245 yds and 2 tds last week. There were several missed passing opportunities and I expect Big Ben to be more in sync with his receivers this week. I like the Steelers.

Titans @ Chargers The Chargers looked good against the Raiders and I expect them to get better each week. The Titans took a beating against the Patriots last week and I don’t believe they can muster the morale needed to beat the Chargers at home.

Lions @ Niners The Niners had a great game against the Packers last week. Their confidence will be sky-high going into this Sunday night game under the lights at home. The Lions will put up a real good fight but they won’t overcome the Niners.

Broncos @ Falcons This is going to be a great game and I will miss it because my girlfriend is dragging me to a stupid Bon Iver concert. The Broncos had a nice home win against the Steelers last week but the Falcons offense is much more powerful than the Steelers. This will be a shootout and the Falcons will win at home.

It all started with Terrell Owens saying he wasn’t reporting to Eagles camp all those years ago, and Joe Banner, President of the Eagles saying he would start fining Owens if he didn’t show up by 6:00p.m.  Up went the clock on the bottom of the screen of every ESPN show.  The cameras went to Eagle Camp to focus on the front door….riveting….and then a group went to T.O.’s house.  All the time ESPN executives, and I’m sure Owens and his agent, were laughing at what they had created. This week or month it is the Jets and Tim Tebows time.  This quote from an ESPN story this morning:

“Manning and the defending champion Giants have the rings. But Tebow, Mark Sanchez and the Jets clearly have the advantage with summer headlines and media coverage.”   Yes, media coverage created and perpetuated by you!

To me the slap in the face to the sports fan though is when their hosts or game announcers say things like “Maybe we can talk about something other than Tim Tebow tonight” or “How long do you think we can go without mentioning Tim Tebow tonight”  As if their bodies and minds were not under their control.

I always heard from people in journalism that you weren’t supposed to inject yourself into a story…I guess making up the story is considered different or more likely ESPN is not staffed with serious journalists.

“Now they both absolutely one day will go in the Hall of Fame.”

ONE DAY…Not today ESPN, not tomorrow, but ONE DAY.  That means that Phil is counting on Eli and Tom continuing their very successful relationship.  He also knows Jerry Reese and the Giants are committed to winning and building the best, most competitive team possible each and every year.  When it’s all said and done in another 7-8 years for Eli, yes he will be a Hall of Fame QB, and Tom Coughlin will be there too.

I think the better argument is whether Phil Simms is a Hall of Fame QB….If he had stayed healthy and won the Super Bowl with the team in 1990, I think it would be an easier argument, but as it stands he has just as many Super Bowls victories as Steve Young, and they both hold two Super Bowl records for QB’s.

Steve Young started 16 games for the Niners 3 times, Phil Simms did it four times.

Young started 124 games in total for the Niners and 143 for his career, Simms had 159, all for the Giants.

Simms won 95 games, Steve Young 94

Simms had 33,462 passing yards(With a run first Bill Parcells for a coach) Young had 33,124

Young had 232 TD’s and Simms 199

Simms took over a strugging rebuilding team and took it to it’s first Super Bowl, Young took over for Joe Montana after he was injured in the NFC Championship (against the Giants) after the Niners had won back to back Super Bowls.

Young had Jerry Rice, John Taylor, and Brent Jones

Simms had Lionel Manuel, Mark Ingram, Bobby Johnson, and Mark Bavaro

You make the call…..

After winning the Super Bowl in January of 2008, which doesn’t qualify as ancient history to me, the Giants didn’t disappear into oblivion.  They didn’t fade away.  In the season of 2008 they Won the NFC EAST, they Won 12 games, they were the #1 rushing team in football and were the #1 seed in the NFL Playoffs.  They accomplished this even after the distraction of the Plaxico Burress situation.

They then won 8 games in 2009 and 10 games in 2010, without making the playoffs.  The rebuilding of this team through draft picks and free agency has been impressive.  It is not easy to repeat as Champions, especially in the highly competitive NFC East, and it won’t be easy this year defending any of their titles.

So while the Giants didn’t make deep runs in the playoffs in subsequent years to the season of 2007, all those many years ago, they didn’t completely collapse or fade off into oblivion.

The biggest thing that the Giants absolutely cannot do is underestimate their opponent. It sounds ridiculous that anyone should underestimate the Patriots, of all teams, but the Giants have been a thorn in their sides for four years now. It’s a known thing that New England did not win a playoff game since losing Super Bowl XLII until this season. Then, in their first meaningful game together, the Giants defeated the Patriots on their home field. This marked the last time this season that the Pats have lost a game. Many, including players, will claim that the Giants are in their heads, and have their number. But the Giants cannot allow this mentality to cloud their preparation and playing, or they will lose this game. Tom Coughlin knows better, though, and will do everything he can to make sure his team does not fall into this trap.

New York will win this game the same way they have won all the others, with a high-scoring aerial attack, a hard-hitting defensive front, and few mistakes. So much of this game will fall on the two quarterbacks, and how they handle what will sure to be an endless amount of pressure. After that win in San Francisco, Eli has proven that no amount of pressure and no number of sacks will stop him from scoring. More than ever, he needs a turnover-free game. The Pats know how to exploit any mistake, so Eli needs to take care of that ball, as he has all season. The x-factor is the running game, because anything that can ease the pressure off Eli and the receivers will make a big difference.

The Giants defense has successfully held Tom Brady in check during their last three meetings. I include the loss at Giants Stadium to end the 2007 season because, by Brady’s standards at that time, it was not a strong performance. Knowing that Brady is familiar with this defense, they have to not only continue to pressure him, but also work to outsmart him. New England’s receivers, and especially their tight ends, will rip off major yardage if they are allowed to catch the ball, so it’s up to the line to prevent this from happening.

Mistakes are something that no team can commit and expect to win a game, especially of this magnitude. These teams, as they stand right now, are pretty evenly matched, so the winner could very well be determined by who makes the least number of mistakes. Just look at what happened in San Francisco. The Giants did not turn the ball over, but played smart, heads-up football to not only know when they had the opportunity to recover a muffed punt return, but they were able to score points off these plays. I don’t believe the Giants can count on such mistakes out of a team as mature as the Patriots, but they need to at least match their level by reducing their own mistakes.

I truly believe this Super Bowl will be one for the record books, with the Giants coming out on top for the second time in four years.

Click on this link to see the YouTube video before it’s taken down.

Skip: Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth? Everybody: No, not usually.

Here’s the gist of what happened in case the video goes away before you see it… Skip, the journalist that he is, tried baiting Suggs into badmouthing the officials but Suggs would have none of it and responded to Bayless by telling him to:

“Stop that. I know what you’re doing. Once again, stop it. Be an analyst. Don’t be a douchebag. You know what I meant.”

Thanks to ProFootballTalk.com and BlackSportsOnline.com for bringing us to the attention of this awesome video.

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After most analysts were against the Giants last week, they have learned their lesson to not count this team out just yet. They proved it by almost unanimously naming the Giants winners over the division-rival Redskins. There is one holdout, but we aren’t going to worry about him. (more…)

As all of you can see there are many unanimous picks for this week…and The Giants losing to the Saints is one of them.  Along with the Cowboys over the Dolphins, which they got right, the panel is picking Cincinnati over Cleveland, Atlanta over Minnesota, The Jets over Buffalo, Houston over Jacksonville, Pittsburgh over Kansas City, and our beloved Giants falling to the Saints in New Orleans on Monday Night Football. If this holds true it seems there will be not many competitive games this weekend to watch. But we all know that that rarely holds true.

NFL Predictions Week 11 – The tides are definitely turning in the NFL. The results from last week are, as they say, the pudding to which the proof resides. If predicting the weekly winners of the NFL were the stock market, this thing crashed BIG time last week!

We’ll take a look at how the panel at ESPN did last week, along with myself, and we will look into the future to determine who are the teams to beat this week. Sit back, grab a cup o’ joe and check out who we think are the bee’s knees of Week 11.
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Are you ready for the second half of the 2011 NFL season? Do you think you can handle the adrenaline rush from the multitude of clutch comebacks? Or, for that matter, the overwhelming depression of staggering defeats?

If you answered, “Yes!” to these questions, then you are a true BLUE football fan! Let’s get it started! Week 10, or weak 10 for some teams around the league, finds us on our continuing mission to deliver you the winners of every NFL game, alongside the pigskin picking’ panel at ESPN. Who have we picked this week? Who won the battle of the predictions last week? You might be surprised at the results. read on…if you dare!
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OK fans, let’s get this out of the way right now. The Rams?! Really? The Rams beat the Saints. My head is still spinning on its neck like Linda Blair in The Exorcist. What can you say? Any given Sunday. Well, we’ve got another Sunday (and Monday) right around the corner and our picks are fresh out of the oven.

ESPN has baked up a tasty little batch of predictions for the upcoming week, as did I. Each week I go head to head with the experts and their two fortune telling robots. The race is pretty close and is still anyones game. Read on to see how they did, how I did and what teams we’re labeling as the easy wins, the fights to the finish and the upsets of the week. Check it out!
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The hype for this Sunday’s matchup between the Super Bowl XLII rivals has begun. The New York Giants make their way up north to face the New England Patriots in Gillette Stadium. New England are undefeated at home, so far this season (3-0). In fact, the Pats have not lost a home game since November 30, 2008, against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Both teams are coming off of mediocre performances. The Patriots offense looked subpar last week. Their defense has been struggling all season long, giving up the most yards per game in all of the NFL. The Giants offense looked confused at times, but Eli Manning delivered an electric performance. Their defense struggled all game long, but came up with some very big plays to ensure the win, albeit from one of the worst teams in the NFL. Big Blue are certainly capable of beating the Patriots this season. But can they do it against a team who are 20-0, at home, since December 16, 2008? Let’s hear what Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick have to say.
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It’s hard to believe that we are at Week 8 of the 2011 NFL season. It seems like only yesterday that we were fretting over a football season that would not be. Now, we find ourselves at the midway point with a view of the regular season’s end on the horizon. Only the strong will survive the remaining eight games and make it into the post season. Who will be the chosen few?

Well, the high priests of predictions at ESPN, and yours truly, are here to help you make sense of it all. Each week I take a shot at fortune telling, alongside the eight esteemed members of the ESPN brain trust and their two trusted robots. How did they do last week? How did I do? Who are we collectively picking this week? Read on to find the answers to the questions that bother you so.
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The New York Giants sit atop of the NFC East in Week 7. They also find themselves with a much needed Bye Week. Fret not, football fans. There is still plenty of pigskin to go around this week! There are some great games that you won’t want to miss…and some that you would probably prefer to watch paint dry instead.

We hop over the fence to see what teams the experts over at ESPN are picking this week, as well as gawk at their results from last week. Naturally, we’ll be doing the same for yours truly. Each week, I go head to head with the big boys and live to tell about it. How did I do last week? Who am I picking this week? Come on in and take a look at my breakdown and analysis for each game.
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Of the six categories of weekly leaders in the NFL for Week 5, three of them were New York Giants (Eli Manning, Jason Pierre-Paul and Victor Cruz). That was then. This is now! Welcome to Week 6 of the 2011 NFL season. We are just over one-third of the way through and, as we have discovered already, ANYTHING can happen!

This week, we take another gander into the looking glass of the ESPN braintrust. Week 5 proved some of the ESPN pundits to be kings among men. It also proved that some of them are…well…not so much. How did I do? Who am I picking this week? Continue on for my break/down-beat down and analysis of all this week’s upcoming matchups.
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While the playoff race has begun in the MLB, football season has only just begun. This week we embark on the 2nd quarter of the 2011 NFL season. We’re beginning to see who’s hot and who’s…well…pretty damn awful. Those of you who tune into GmenHQ.com religiously have extra insight into each upcoming week of football before they happen.

Not only do we tap into the prize picking panel at ESPN to see who they favor each week, but the higher ups at Fansided.com have a unique extraction method that involves electrodes, Justin Bieber music and a plumbing snake, which is what brings you, our readers, my weekly predictions right here at GmenHQ.com. So, let’s take a look at how ESPN did last week, how I did and our collective predictions for Week 5. Quickly, I can’t take much more of this!
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Week 4 – the NFL lockout is slowly becoming a distant memory and the playoff race is taking shape…well not quite. But we are one quarter of that way done with a football season that almost didn’t happen. Tie flies when you’re having fun!

Keeping with tradition, we gaze into the crystal balls of the necromancers of the NFL over at ESPN. We’ll look into their picks from last week, this week and see how I rank among them. Who am I picking this week? What’s my record thus far? Read on for my breakdown and analysis of each game.
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