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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It was a glorious day to be a New York Giants fan yesterday and the morning after is just as sweet. The energy around town is electric. All of the New York Metro area, sorry Buffalo, is flying high, with good reason. Jets fans are happy with the outcome of their game, 27-11. The New York Giants are more than just a little bit happy. They are downright ecstatic!

Giants fans could not contain their excitement. So, they took to the internet, Twitter in this case, to share their Big Blue pride. The virtual sea of Tweets from Giants fans were countless. Reading the Tweets from my followers was both side-splitting hilarious and jam packed full of emotion. Needless to say, I thought I would share a small collection of them with our readership who are not up on the whole “Tweeting thing.” Read on to experience the virtual Big Blue love.

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They were without their leading receiver. Their starting running back, full back and center all missed the game due to injury. Their 1st pick overall in the 2011 NFL Draft made the trip, but did not play.

Of the six categories (ten positions within each slot), not one…NOT ONE single member of the New York Giants earned themselves a slot in the NFL Weekly leader board. They were shutdown for the entire first half. Just how did Big Blue pull off their biggest upset of the season? We’ve got answers. Join me on this incredibly inspiring fact finding recap.
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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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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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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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Welcome to week 3 in the National Football League. The shapes of each conference are being to take form. The divisions themselves match up quite well at this stage of the season. But this week will begin to separate the men from the boys. Those professional pickers over at ESPN have cast their ballots and the results are in!

As usual, I have made my predictions right long side the likes of Mike Golic, Ron Jaworski, the two robots and the rest of the ESPN panel of pundits. Last week was a wild wind up of football. There were upsets along with easy pickings. How did I fare against the ESPN machine? Who am I picking this week? You just might be surprised. Read on.
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For the fifth consecutive meeting the New York Giants toppled the St. Louis Rams. Needless to say, winning streaks mean NOTHING. But try telling that to an Eagles fan. It was both an unpolished victory and a dominant display of Big Blue athleticism, against a team that were not operating on all four cylinders. The same can be said of the NY Giants, however.

The end result shouldn’t come as a surprise to the football world, as the Giants were the odds on favorites. Many, including SS Kenny Phillips, considered this to be a “must win” situation. It seems more than a bit premature to pin the second game of the season as a “must win.” But when you factor in the magnitude of the upcoming game against the Philadelphia Eagles, it makes all the sense in the world. There were numerous comforting and unsettling familiarities that took place in last night’s matchup. Let’s take a look at them.
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After a long, grueling offseason, the NFL kicked off its season opener…and what an opener it was. We witnessed the impossible, the improbable and the impartible. Yes, football season is upon us folks. That means that the guys over at ESPN are knee deep in their predictions once again. That also means that, so am I.

How did I match up against the pigskin parliamentarians last week? Was my Magic 8 Ball working as good or better than the big guys’? I bet you’ll be surprised at the results. Click the link below to find out the W/L ratios, my predictions for this coming week and the analysis of each game.
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In a game that could have been dubbed the 9/11 Bowl, two division rivals squared off against each other looking to start the season at the top of their class and to bestow a sense of honor upon those football fans who suffered through the tragic events that took place ten years ago. It was an emotional day all across this great nation, from sea to shining sea. But there were no two geographic locations on the globe that had more of a vested, emotional interest in the day’s events than New York and Washington DC.

The World Trade Center and the Pentagon were the targets of the senseless terrorist plot of 9/11/01. Ten years later: The New York Giants and the Washington Redskins, along with the 80,121 NFL fans in attendance at FedEx Field, and countless diehards around the world took part in memorials to remember those who have fallen and to cry out in one single, undeniable voice that the American spirit will never falter. The New York Giants’ on-field play? Well, that’s another story.
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Live Chat Sunday Giants vs. Redskins! - GMEN HQ - GMEN HQ - A NY Giants Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

The Offense:  The Giants moved the ball very well against the Jets. Now the Jets are not very good against the run, as Pittsburgh proved last year in the playoffs, but they are a top defensive team in the league and it was a good measuring stick.  Brandon Jacobs looked solid and ran committed.  He ran over a few Jets on his way to 51 yards on 10 carries, and more importantly ran well in short yardage situations.  This also shows the O-Line is starting to come together and working as a unit.  The receivers however, as a whole, look confused.  Hakeem Nicks made some nice catches against a very good secondary, and Mario Manningham was open a few times, but Eli failed to make the throw, and this is where the problem lies this off-season.  I think Eli has had to take too much on his shoulders what with a new O-Line, in particular a new center, and new receivers.  On certain plays Monday night Eli seemed to have to speak to every player on offense individually.  he would call the protections, then move the backs, then look at each receiver, then try and get people to move or go in motion at the proper time.  While I think Eli is a good Qb, he is going to need help as the season progresses.  I think some of these receivers are doing a great job, but at times they forget where they are.  They have taken penalties for illegal motion, illegal formation, they have not read blitzes correctly, and have run some bad routes.  It is all part of the growing pains of playing in the NFL, but these guys are going to need to step it up, become professionals, and be consistent on every play.  Travis Beckum, Victor Cruz, Devin Thomas, and Domenik Hixon are going to have to contribute something for this sesaon to be a success.

The Defense:  This will be another strong unit this year.  Even with the loss of Terrell Thomas, the Giants proved the other night that they are deep enough and talented enough to be a top defensive team this year.  Aaron Ross continues to play like he did his rookie year.  Antrelle Rolle quietly, well quietly for him, has moved to the nickel corner in passing situations and looked good on Monday night.  The defensive line has learned to get pressure using just the 4 linemen, and that is a big key to success.  If you can rush a QB in this league using just the four guys upfront, your chances of success go way up.  Of course the addition of Osi and “The Prince” down the line will only improve this unit.  The much maligned linebacking core has even looked good this pre-season, and will continue to improve as we move forward.  Giant fans love their Defense, and this unit will make you proud this year.

Special Teams:  And now for the bad news.  Wow, as good as they seemed to look the week before, that’s how bad they looked this Monday night.  A step back for most units.  The punt return situation has remained the same….awful.  As a Giant punt returner your main job has always been to secure the ball first and foremost.  That became a major challenge Monday night.  I think Thursday night will be a test for some young players, and some veterans, to see what we can accomplish in this area.  I am hoping it was just an off night by a young player trying to impress. We will see. Kickoffs will be returned by Devin Thomas, and he will be a major upgrade over the 17 yard average from a year ago.  The punting competition continues, and the health of Lawrence Tynes will determine who the place kicker will be.

So, Thursday night will be a last ditch effort by some players to show something, but I imagine the final 50 if not 53 has already been determined.  Stay tuned to GMENHQ.COM for all roster moves when they are announced on Saturday, and as always, enjoy the game!

QB: Solid job by Eli Monday. He was a little wild with some of his throws, but was missing where no one could catch the ball, instead of in harms way. He made great reads and audibles at the line. Eli continues to be the leader of this offense, and a very unselfish one at that.

RB’S: The running game looked solid on Monday.. Both Ahmad Bradshaw and Jacobs looked stronger and faster. More importantly they both held onto the ball while fighting for yardage and staying aggressive.. Jacobs looked bigger and stronger. Bradshaw was his old fighting self. No worries here.

O-Line: The O-Line will be a work in progress throughout the year, but they did seem to communicate better and work as a unit more on Monday. The GIANTS will again use 6 linemen on certain downs, and also use their multiple tight end sets a lot this year. The pass protection was good. The Bears really only got pressure when they moved Julius Peppers to the opposite side, and that is something the GIANTS will game plan for in upcoming weeks.

WR’S: We all know that Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham are the numbers 1 and 2 receivers. After that a deep group is emerging as situational players. Victor Cruz looked good in routes and special teams, however his pre-snap reads need major improvement. The Giants do a lot of play changing at the line and Victor needs to be aware of where he needs to be, and when to be the hot receiver. Domenik Hixon looked good in the red zone, and I still think Devin Thomas will be a contributor on offense this year.

TE’S: The Giants have a few blocking tight ends, other than that they are still missing this piece of the puzzle. Travis Beckum can get open on the seam route that the Giants love to run, but Eli needs to trust him to be there, and that will take some work.

Defense:  we still look like the side of the ball that will carry this team some weeks. I am glad that if injuries have to happen, that they have happened on Defense. The linebackers and D-Line will have to help the safeties and CB’s on obvious passing downs. Perry Fewell will have to devise some schemes to get the maximum out of the talent he has. They are deep on the D-line, and at line backer. Signing Deon Grant was and is now the best move of the off season. Look for different schemes with 5 linemen, 1 linebacker, and 3 safeties. This is a tough bunch with tons of talent, and they will be called upon to come together as a unit and carry this team. Osi will be back and then the rotation up front will be stout. Hopefully “The Prince” comes back by week 6 and provides a spark and some more talent to the secondary.

Special Teams: Lots of jobs were saved Monday night. Devin Thomas looked great on kick returns, and the young players that the GIANTS would like to keep on this roster proved they belonged. Greg Jones, Herzlich, Paysinger should all find a spot.

While I know some people have reacted violently to the injury news from Monday and Tuesday….it’s not the end, it’s the beginning, so take a step back and see where we can go from here

- Sam Giguere has a groin injury. Left the practice facility early.

- Osi is back practicing, but of course he declined to speak to the media. Coughlin was happy to have him back and inserted him with the 1st team defense.

- Giants took the practice field at 1:30pm today with hopes to put the loss to the Panthers in the rearview mirror.

- Dodge and Weatherford were kicking field goals in place of the injured Larry Tynes.

Besides all that a quiet, rainy day to start off the week.

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