This is a huge opportunity for rookie running back, David Wilson. He will now be sharing the load with Ahmad Bradshaw. If Wilson could step up now, he could be a huge part of a Giants playoff run to repeating as Super Bowl Champs.

The game started well with the Giants faking an end around to Victor Cruz and throwing a screen pass to Ahmad Bradshaw that went for 59 yards.  Andre Brown scored from the two to make it 7-0.  The game then looked like it would turn into a shoot-out as Jordy Nelson beat Corey Webster for 61 yards and a  TD.  The Giants D settled  in after that forcing the two turnovers while collecting 3 sacks.

The Offense really looked balanced as Eli spread the ball around to Nicks, Bennett, Cruz and Randle…the last two with TD catches.

The Packers are in a bit of trouble now as they will need to throw the ball to get back into the game, and the offensive line of the Packers is struggling at best to contain a new look Giants D with Antrel Rolle playing close to the line of scrimmage, and Justin Tuck walking around picking his spots to rush the passer.

The Packers offensive line has undergone some dramatic changes since losing starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga; the Giants’ defensive line hasn’t been lights out this season, but do you think they are licking their chops with the shakeup of the Packers’ O-line?

The Giants understand they need to perform better up front, and of course they look at the changes you have needed to make upfront as an opportunity.  That being said the Giants respect your team and coaching staff enough to know it’s not going to be an easy task.  Osi even said today “don’t expect a sack party” just because the O-Line might be your weakest spot.

Are Giants fans concerned about the play of Eli Manning over the past couple of weeks and can you pinpoint exactly why he hasn’t been himself lately?

The Giants fans believe, trust, and love Eli for all he has done, and know he will figure it out and get back to being Easy E.  I think it comes down to facing more pressure the past few weeks than they had been, and the defenses deciding to stop playing zone and force the receivers to be more physical.  Eli is fine physically and if he was distracted by personal issues, as all the Giants were during and after the Hurricane, he will be back mentally also.

 

The Packers defense will be vastly different in personnel than what the Giants faced in January. Do you feel that will be an advantage for the Packers?

Packers defense is strong, but missing a few key elements.  I think both teams understand that much has changed since January, and that that game may have been an aberration anyway.  Film doesn’t lie, and we have had two weeeks to study, so I don’t think changes in personnel will be an issue.

How do you think the Giants will approach this game: Pass first, run second; or run first to set up the pass?

They need to establish the run, but as always Eli is free to do as he pleases depending on the front the defense chooses.  He will continue to see what match-ups favor the Giants, and run the plays he thinks gives them the best chance to be successful.

Randall Cobb was the Packers best kept secret the first half of the season, but now that he’s fast becoming a star, what do the Giants do to try to slow his meteoric rise?

Hopefully they keep a close eye on him.  Tom Coighlin is well aware of what he has become and has spoken highly of him all week.  They have used certain players on the scout team this week to simulate some of the looks the Packers have been using with Cobb.  I wouldn’t expect to see him field too many punts in bounds Sunday night, and most kickoffs will be either out of the end zone or in a corner somewhere.  You can’t shut him down completely, but you can be smart about how many opportunities you allow him to have to beat you.

Aaron Rodgers hasn’t been lighting up teams like he did last year, but he is Aaron Rodgers – the league’s MVP and arguably the best player in the league. What do the Giants do to slow him?

Hopefully they can get pressure from somewhere and everywhere, and force him into some quick throws.  There is no way to stop Rodgers, you really just hope he has a bad day and makes a few mistakes.  Again, I think the Packers know their team and our team pretty well and I expect to see quick throws, screens, slants, and draws to protect your line and to get the ball out of Rodgers hand quickly.

Give us you thoughts on how this game will go and, of course, include a final score.

Close, but could be high scoring.  31-27?

NEW YORK GIANTS

Out
LB Jacquian Williams (Knee – DNP)
WR Domenik Hixon (Ankle – DNP)

Questionable
S Kenny Phillips (Knee – LP)
LB Keith Rivers (Calf/Knee – LP)

Probable
C David Baas (Ankle/Elbow – FP)
RB Ahmad Bradshaw (Foot – LP)
DT Linval Joseph (Knee – LP)
S Tyler Sash (Ankle – FP)
G Chris Snee (Ankle – FP)

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Out
LB Terrell Manning (Shoulder – LP)
LB Clay Matthews (Hamstring – DNP)
CB Sam Shields (Ankle – DNP)
DB Charles Woodson (Collarbone – DNP)

Questionable
WR Greg Jennings (Groin – LP)
TE Andrew Quarless (Knee – LP)

Probable
WR Donald Driver (Thumb – LP)
FB John Kuhn (Hamstring – LP)
DT B.J. Raji (Ankle – FP)
LB Vic So’oto (Illness – FP)
LB Erik Walden (Ankle – FP)

1. Do you think, and have you heard, the Packers have any special payback ideas when playing the Giants, or does the fact that the regular season games have not mirrored the post season match-ups change that?

I think if this game were in Week 1 — like many people (myself included) thought the Packers would be the Giants opening opponent — or even an early season game, then last year’s playoff game might have more relevance to the Packers. But so much time has passed and so many games have been played, that it hasn’t been an overwhelming topic. Mike McCarthy acknowledged this week that the playoff game was part of the film that was shown to the players this week, but that it wasn’t as motivation but rather as typical scouting. He did, however,  admit that “watching the playoff game, I mean it wasn’t fun. I think that’s fairly obvious. But it’s part of the preparation for this week.” … Both McCarthy and Tom Coughlin were asked whether this has almost become like a division game because the two teams have played so often of late but both said no.

2. How did Mike McCarthy handle motivating his guys for the regular season this year after going 15-1, and the QB having basically a perfect season in 2011?

He identified things that went wrong against the Giants and made those the main teaching points in the offseason. Specifically on offense it was ball security. The Packers turned it over and dropped passes far more in the playoff game than they did during the regular season. On defense, it was all about tackling and being more sound. And really from that standpoint, it was about getting better players on defense. Even in going 15-1 last season, their defense wasn’t good. That’s why their first six draft picks in April were defensive players.

3. What match-up, if any, should worry the Packers this Sunday?

The Packers aren’t playing all of their preferred starters on the offensive line and considering the strength of the Giants’ D-line, that has to be a concern. They will be playing just their second game without right tackle  Bryan Bulaga, who was lost for the season with a hip injury on Nov. 4 against Arizona. So they’re playing their left guard, T.J. Lang, at right tackle and they brought Evan Dietrich-Smith off the bench to play in Lang’s old spot at left guard. Both struggled against the Lions.

4. Has the loss of Jay Cutler energized the Packers any more to aim for the division crown, or is it business as usual?

The Packers have been more energized by their five-game winning streak than by anything the Bears have done. Before last week, the Packers had played only the one division game — in Week 2 — against the Bears. Consequently, they hadn’t concerned themselves much with the division. That will change over the final month with all the NFC North games they have upcoming.

5. What aspect of The Packers concerns you most as they head towards the final 6 games?

 They have to get Clay Matthews back. More than any player they’ve lost to injury over the last few years, they need Matthews. He’s not only their best defensive player but one of the best in the league. He’s probably not going to play this week against the Giants, but they need him healthy if they’re going to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Thank for the insight Rob, we always appreciate your time and efforts!

Follow Rob on Twitter @RobDemovsky and LIKE us at our new facebook address www.facebook.com/gmenhqny

“The fact is, (the Giants) didn’t beat us; we beat ourselves,” Matthews claimed to Yahoo! Sports. “We picked the most inopportune time to play our worst ball”

This is the second time the Packers have chimed in to say they gave the NFC Divisional playoff game away, rather then recognizing the Giants flat out, played better on the bigger stage.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said earlier this off-season “It’ll always bother me, I feel like we beat ourselves in this playoff game. Or better yet, we didn’t give ourselves a chance to win the game.”

Did Green Bay forget when they met in the regular season? That they needed an unbelievable drive to win with a field goal? If you didn’t watch football you would think the Packers beat the Giants by 50 the way they’re talking.

Giants Captain and Defensive end Justin Tuck has taken notice too. Tuck fired back at Matthews (a rarity for Tuck and the Giants this off-season).

“Thank you for giving us the game, Clay. I appreciate it a lot”

Tuck, who has been pretty mum on all the back and forth off-season delivered a little more context.

“When they fumbled the ball, I think it was us that stripped it out. We sacked them. It was us who beat their O-linemen and got to (Aaron) Rodgers”

Clay Matthews has some maturing to do if he ever wants to get back to the Super Bowl. I understand being upset when a 9-7 team comes into your stadium, under the lights, and beats your 15-1 football team on the way to another Super Bowl. But come on Clay, show a little class and take it like a man.

Chalk it up to another loser, picking at the Champs.

Jonathan Vilma

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell showed no mercy to the New Orleans Saints coaches and management and he is showing no mercy to the Saints players. He has finally come to a decision on the fate of Saints players who were involved in a cash-for-hits bounty system and these are some of the heaviest penalties in NFL history. Here are the penalties and the players who received them:

LB Jonathan Vilma: Suspended for all of 2012 without pay. This is effective immediately and runs through the playoffs and the Super Bowl. It is reported that Vilma placed $10,000 cash on the table in the team’s meeting room and said he would pay anyone who knocked Brett Favre out of the NFC Championship Game in January of 2010.

DL Anthony Hargrove: Eight-game suspension without pay. The NFL said that he targeted Favre in the NFC Championship Game. The NFL says, “Hargrove also actively obstructed the league’s 2010 investigation into the program by being untruthful to investigators.” Hargrove later confessed to his role in the bounty program. Hargrove is now with the Packers.

DE Will Smith: Four-game suspension without pay. Smith helped to create the bounty program with former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

LB Scott Fujita: Three-game suspension without pay. He participated in the bounty program when he played for the team. Fujita is now with the Browns.

In the statement from the NFL Roger Goodell stated, “It is the obligation of everyone, including the players on the field, to ensure that rules designed to promote player safety, fair play, and the integrity of the game are adhered to and effectively and consistently enforced. Respect for the men that play the game starts with the way players conduct themselves with each other on the field.”

Goodell also stated, “In assessing player discipline, I focused on players who were in leadership positions at the Saints; contributed a particularly large sum of money toward the program; specifically contributed to a bounty on an opposing player; demonstrated a clear intent to participate in a program that potentially injured opposing players; sought rewards for doing so; and/or obstructed the 2010 investigation.”

Here now is the remainder of the GIANTS 2012 NFL Schedule:

Week One: vs Dallas September 5th (WEDNESDAY NIGHT) 8:30 P.M. (NBC)

Week Two: vs Tampa Bay September 16th 1:00 P.M. (FOX)

Week Three: At Carolina September 20th (THURSDAY NIGHT) 8:20 P.M. (NFLN)

Week Four: At Philadelphia September 30th (SUNDAY NIGHT) 8:20 P.M. (NBC)

Week 5: vs. Cleveland October 7th 1:00 P.M. (CBS)

Week 6: At San Francisco October 14th 4:15 (FOX)

Week 7: vs Washington October 21st 1:00 P.M. (FOX)

Week 8: At Dallas October 28th 4:15 P.M. (FOX)

Week 9: vs Pittsburgh November 4th 4:15 P.M. (CBS)

Week 10: At Cincinnati November 11th 1:00 P.M. (FOX)

Week 11: BYE (Nov 18th) November 18th

Week 12: vs Green Bay November 25th (SUNDAY NIGHT) 8:20 P.M. (NBC)

Week 13: At Washington December 3rd (MONDAY NIGHT) 8:30 P.M. (ESPN)

Week 14: vs. New Orleans December 9th 4:15 (FOX)

Week 15: At Atlanta December 16th 1:00 P.M. (FOX)

Week 16: At Baltimore December 23rd 1:00 P.M. (FOX)

Week 17: vs. Philadelphia December 30th (SUNDAY NIGHT) 8:00 P.M. (NBC) FLEX GAME PREDICTION

Details on days and times to follow, but as you can see a late BYE week, two sets of back to back road games, and a late season schedule of Division Rivals and Playoff Teams from last year, actually after Week 5 they play either a division rival or a playoff contender from 2011…..Here is the link to the entire NFL 2012 Schedule

Nov 8, 2009; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (left) and San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers talk prior to game at Giants Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Take a look at this brief off-season quarterback carousel just so that you can understand where I’m coming from:

• The Indianapolis Colts cut Peyton Manning so they can draft Andrew Luck.
• Peyton Manning signs with the Denver Broncos after putting the NFL on a three year waiting list. Wait, what? It wasn’t three years? Sure seemed like it.
• The St. Louis Rams got a fortune in return from the Washington Redskins so they can take RG3 right after the Colts select Luck.
• Matt Flynn signs with the Seattle Seahawks after being Aaron Rodgers’ backup.
• Jason Campbell leaves Oakland after having his starting job taken away and signs with the Chicago Bears to become Jay Cutler’s backup.
• Kyle Orton does the same thing and goes to backup Tony Romo in Dallas after starting for two teams last year: the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos.
• Denver Broncos’ third string QB Brady Quinn moves to Kansas City to become that team’s newest backup QB.
• Chad Henne left the Dolphins to challenge for the starting QB job with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• The New York Jets brought in Drew Stanton to be Mark Sanchez’s new body double.
• David Garrard comes back to the league after a one year absence to join the Miami Dolphins.

We have backups becoming starters, starters becoming backups, rookies being drafted presumably to start from day, guys out of the league for a year and one of the greatest QBs to ever play in the NFL cut for a player to have never played a down of professional football before. Confused yet? That’s because it is confusing to keep track of which quarterback is on which team now in the new quarterback driven NFL.

With the signing of Manning to the Broncos there is now another starting quarterback that could be had for the right price: Tim Tebow for a 5th round pick, presumably. The two teams with a most glaring need at a QB, if the 49ers don’t bring back Alex Smith, that is, are the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins. You have to include Miami because a Matt Moore/David Garrard combo doesn’t scare anyone.

The Browns were never in the hunt for Manning but aren’t enamored with incumbent QB Colt McCoy and lost out on the RG3 sweepstakes. The Dolphins went all in on Manning but came back empty handed; then their second choice Flynn spurned them for the Seahawks. That leaves the potential of either one of those two teams signing Alex Smith, he of the 49ers, who has no idea of his job status thanks to the Peyton Derby, and the aforementioned Tebow.

Plus there are other potential first round quarterbacks besides Luck and RG3 that could be taken by the Browns or Dolphins like Ryan Tannehill or Brandon Weeden, both of whom, if you ask me aren’t worthy of being selected in the top ten of the draft but might be taken that early because the Dolphins (picking 8^th overall) and the Browns (picking 4^th overall) won’t have any choice other than dangling a future first round draft pick in order to trade back into the latter part of the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft.

By my calculations we might have a total of 11 teams with a new starting QB/quarterback question marks entering next season:

-Redskins – RG3, Vikings – Ponder/Webb?, Jaguars – Gabbert/Henne? Or maybe even Tebow?, San Fran – Smith/Kaepernick/Josh Johnson?, Arizona – Kolb/Skelton? Cleveland – McCoy?, Seattle – Flynn/T-Jax? Titans – Locker/Hasselbeck?, Indy – Luck, Miami – Moore/Garrard? and Denver – Peyton Manning.

11! That is a ridiculous amount of turnover at the most important position in football.

Now you can see why I’m pretty happy that the Giants have Eli Manning and we didn’t have to put up with the Peyton circus and the revolving game of quarterback musical chairs that teams like the Redskins and Dolphins plus players like Tebow and Smith have had to put up with this offseason. Heck, the Giants are even keeping their back-up QB David Carr.

“I think we’re a dangerous team.”

Who would have thought the Giants, of all the teams remaining in the playoffs, or even entering the playoffs, would be considered a dangerous team?

Coughlin and Busta be dangerous...

Yet here we are two weeks later after wins over a dangerous Falcons offense led by Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Julio Jones and Roddy White and a very potent and dangerous Packers offense featuring the talents of all pro and pro bowl players like Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley, and Jordy Nelson. The combined scores for those two games are Giants – 61, Packers/Falcons – 22.

The Giants can truly say they’re a dangerous team. They’re dangerous on offense and they’re dangerous on defense. It’s been a complete team effort on the field so far these playoffs for the Giants and something that can be built upon this upcoming week against the 49ners.

Coughlin also said that: “I like where we are.” And how can we blame him for saying that? His Giants team is only one more win away from going back to the Super Bowl. I like where they are too and in the words of Busta Rhymes…

This, is, serious
We could make you delirious
You should have a healthy fear of us
Cause too much of us is dangerous
So dangerous, we so dangerous
My Flipmode Squad is dangerous
So dangerous, we so dangerous
My whole entire unit is dangerous

Game Time: 4:30 pm EST/ 3:30pm CST

Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

TV: Fox National Telecasts (ALL FOX Affiliates)

Announcers:  Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver, and Chris Meyers

Radio: WFAN 660-AM (NY, NJ, PA, CT, MA), and 620WTMJ (Packers Radio).

Game Time Weather:

Kick Off: 29* Winds 13-15 mph from SSE

Half-Time: 28* Winds 11-13 mph from SSE

4th Quarter: 27* Winds from 10-12 mph from SSE

Current Line: Packers by 9 with Over/Under at 53.0

There’s been a lot of arguments/comparisons made to and about this year’s Giants squad and that of the 2007 version that went on to win the Super Bowl.

If you’re of the mindset that these two teams are indeed similar and therefore the Giants will beat the top-seeded Packers this week after losing to them 38-35 earlier in the year, just like in 2007 when the Giants lost to the Patriots by that same score and went on to defeat them in the Super Bowl, well, we have one more good omen for you to throw around when talking about it with your friends and non-believers.

This NFL season saw the Packers put up 560 points. That led the league. And was the NFL’s second-highest scoring total for a single season ever. Behind who? The 2007 New England Patriots. The supposedly unbeatable 2007 Patriots.

If the Giants beat the Packers this weekend they can say they knocked off the top two highest scoring offenses in NFL history. Not a bad thing to boast about if you’re a defensive player on the Giants squad. Of course, there’s still the little matter of the Giants having to knock off the Packers on Sunday first…

This time around, the Giants are taking on the Packers at Lambeau Field in the NFC Divisional Round; a game that not even Nostradamus could have predicted in Week 13.

Even though the Giants lost the battle, they still have a chance to win the war. The Week 13 showdown was a turning point in the Giants season. They came out with fire against the Dallas Cowboys and Jason Pierre-Paul became recognized as an elite defensive end.

The reason Pierre-Paul was able to show off his freakish abilities was due to an injury to Osi Umenyiora. Umenyiora had a much publicized feud with Giants ownership and even threatened to hold out if his contract was not re-structured. Ultimately, he decided to report to camp and came back to the Giants lineup in Week 4.

Umenyiora was able to rack up 7 sacks from Week 4 to Week 12. The cause of concern began from Week 10 when Osi noticeably slowed down against the 49ers.

Osi sat out from the Packers game until Week 16 to rest for a chance to win the NFC East. He returned with a vengeance on the last game of the season to sack Tony Romo twice and bring the Giants back to the playoffs.

Umenyiora also managed to sack Matt Ryan last Sunday and propel the Giants to where we are today.

A healthy Umenyiora along with a confident Giants defense and offense can be a deadly combination against Rodgers and company.

The Giants cohesiveness parallels that to the Green Bay Packers of last year and is sure to be a talking point prior to kickoff.

With that said, if the Giants can show up with the same intensity they have shown in the past three weeks, it would not be a surprise if they make their way to the NFC Championship game.

The X-Factor?

For more news, updates, and analysis follow me on Twitter (@ERobertsNY):

http://twitter.com/erobertsny

We’re going to be filling up the docket here at GMEN HQ with plenty of Giants-Packers NFC Divisional Round game preview pieces all week long. So gear in and get ready to be inundated with Giants-Packers information overload.

After the break we’ve compiled a few early in the week things to look out for that you will probably be hearing a lot about as the week progresses…

1. (more…)

Everyone make sure to read Meghan’s article. Also, if your proud to be a Giant, click here.

For those of you who play their championship round in Week 17 or partake in a points league then that means you still have one week left to make roster changes to your fake fantasy football team. If you’re still looking for advice on potential players to add to your roster then you’ve come to the right place…

(more…)

After three amazing weeks in a row The Giants (11-2) took a trip down to D.C. to face the Washington Redskins(11-2) with the NFC East up for grabs.  Sounds a little bit like what’s happening this week in Dallas, except for the stellar records. So, on Friday that week I boarded the Trump Shuttle…leaving every 30 minutes to D.C. for $50.  Ah, the good old days.

The Giants  had two home games scheduled after this contest against the lowly St. Louis Cardinals and Green bay Packers.  This game was clearly for all the marbles.  The Giants had defeated the Redskins earlier in the year on a Monday Night in October, that being the night the New York Mets won the World Series.  With Joe Morris being held to just 62 yards on 22 carries, much different than the 181 yards he had gained against them earlier in the year, it was up to Phil Simms and the Defense to take charge.  And take charge they did. Lawrence Taylor had three of the four sacks recorded that day, and under heavy pressure, Jay Schroeder threw 6 interceptions, while fumbling once.  Phil Simms completed TD passes to Mark Bavaro, Bobby Johnson, and Phil McConkey. (more…)

                                                                                        Thanks to @itsbritmarie

                                                                                                   Thanks to @SportsCenter  (hopefully this happens)