Mendenhall did not show up to Heinz Field on Sunday after the Steelers had announced he would not be dressing for the game.

The Steelers lost the game to the San Diego Chargers and dropped to a 7-6 record on the season.

Mendenhall has not played a part in this Steelers offense this year due to being plagued by injuries. He has been their leading rusher the past three seasons but this year he has only played four games. The team has been carried by Isaac Redman, Jonathan Dwyer, and rookie Chris Rainey.

Mendenhall is an unrestricted free agent after this season and this mishap does not seem like it will help his chances to stay in Pittsburgh.

The Giants defense kept Ben Rothlisberger and the Steelers offense in check for most of the first half and took advantage of a few favorable calls by the referees to take a slim 14-10 lead into the 3rd quarter. However they were unable to contain the running game as Issac Redman ran for 119 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown. Redman was pressed into a heavier workload this week because of injuries that kept Rashard Mendenhall and Johnathan Dwyer off the field for today’s game. The Giants had absolutely no answer for the big, brusing running back.

Eli Manning and the Giants offense could not get on track today and once the Steelers sinced this they turned it up with aggressive playcalling to keep the momentum on their side. It was the third straight week that Manning looked out of synch with his receivers. His throws were off target and his decision making has not resembled anything near what it was in the first part of the season.

The Giants led 20-10 heading into the 4th quarter and that’s pretty much where the Steelers took over from there. While the Giants offense continued to sputter on offense, the Steelers offense was beginning to come to life. Wide receiver Mike Wallace scored on an exciting 51-yard run into the end zone as he showed his speed off on the play, blowing by the Giants secondary and bringing their lead to 20-17. The Steelers then decided to get ultra aggressive with a fake field goal attempt that was snuffed out by the Giants defense. However Manning and the offense were unable to take advantage and gave the Steelers back the football, leading to Redman’s 2-yard touchdown run to take the lead for good. This time there would not be any 4th quarter magic from Manning.

This was about as bad a loss as can get based on the standards head coach Tom Coughlin has set for this Giants football team. They couldn’t run the ball and they couldn’t stop the run. Add that up with a few momentum-killing penalties and there you have it. They also missed out on a chance to create more breathing room between them and their NFC east rivals within the division.

What’s Next?

The Cincinnati Bengals will be hosting the Giants next week who will be looking to head into the bye week with a bounce-back win and some momentum. The Bengals will be looking to save their season after coming off of a tough loss at home to Denver.

The Giants took a 14-7 lead on a controversial play where Michael Boley picked up a Ben Rothlisberger fumble and ran it back 70 yards for a touchdown. The play was reviewed because it appeared that Rothlisberger’s arm was going forward for an attempted pass, however the call was not overturned. On the Boley touchdown run, Jason Pierre-Paul got away with what looked to be on clip that the referees didn’t see.

Eli Manning didn’t look sharp in the first half and a pattern is starting to develop. The interception he threw in the first quarter was woefully underthrown for Victor Cruz who was also double-covered on the play. Maybe it’s a mid-season slump, however for at least the 3rd straight week Manning has not been on target with his passes to the receivers. It’s flown under the radar because the Giants are winning football games, however should the Giants begin to struggle it may become more of a topic.

Victor Cruz left the game in the 2nd quarter with bruised ribs after taking a vicious shot from Steelers safety Ryan Clark in the end zone after attempting to catch another poorly thrown pass by Manning. Clark was penalyzed for the play although it did not appear as if it was an illegal hit and the Giants took advantage when Andre Brown scored on a touchdown run to tie the game at 7. Brown’s touchdown also looked to be a questionable call by the referees as it appeared he didn’t get the ball across the goal line. Cruz returned to the before the half.

The Steelers run game has been impressive despite missing Rashard Mendenhall and Jim Dwyer today because of injuries. Issac Redman has picked up the slack, carrying the ball 14 times for 87 yards in the first half.

The Giants defense did a good job of getting in the face of Rothlisberger with sacks from Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Jason Pierre-Paul.

The Giants were fortunate to catch some breaks from the referees in the first half and to their credit they have taken advantage by putting points up on the scoreboard. They are going to need for Manning to play better in the second half.

LB Keith Rivers, DE Adewale Ojomo, TE Adrien Robinson, TE Bear Pascoe, LB Chase Blackburn, LB Jacquian Williams.

The Steelers are going to be without a big chunk of their running game today, running backs Rashard Mendenhall (Achillies) and Johnathan Dwyer (quadriceps) are both inactive.

The Giants head into this week’s action on a roll with a 4-game winning streak and a win today could give them a controlling grip on first place in the NFC east division. This will be a good test for the Giants who have not played as well at home this season as they have on the road. It won’t be easy because the Steelers also come into this week playing solid football and are looking to run their win streak to 3 games.

Check back here at GMen HQ as I’ll have gameday blogs at halftime and after the game providing analysis and updates.

MetLife Stadium was apparently undamaged by Hurricane Sandy, and the Giants’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers scheduled for the Meadowlands on Sunday is currently still on.

The league will keep in touch with the New York Giants, State of New Jersey, State of New York, and the MTA is regards to the feasibility of the game. As of right now, it would be very difficult for individuals to get to Giants stadium. However, we are still five days out from the game and this time should allow crews to make repairs.

Stay tuned to Gmenhq.com and @GMENHQ and @tom_brant for continued information on this developing story. Please be safe!

There were three high-profile injuries in the preseason openers last night:

1. QB Michael Vick  – In the first quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles’ preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Micheal Vick hit his hand on the helmet of lineman Jason Kelce while throwing a pass. X-rays were negative and Vick is scheduled for an MRI today. Stay tuned to GmenHQ.com for details as they are released.
2. RB Ryan Matthews – In his first carry of the game, San Diego Charger running back Ryan Matthews broke his collarbone. He is undergoing surgery Friday morning and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. Ryan missed four games in 2010 and two games in 2011. Ronnie Brown is expected to step into the starting roll until Matthews is healthy again.
3. LB Dane Fletcher – New England Patriots linebacker Dane Fletcher tore an ACL in the first quarter while running down the field covering a punt. He will not return this season. In the game, Fletcher was replaced by Dont’a Hightower and it is not clear who will play that position when the regular season begins.

ESPN is reporting that The Cleveland Browns have been sold by Randy Lerner to Jimmy Haslam for in excess of $1 billion. League sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter this information today.

Jimmy Haslam is president and CEO of Knoxville, Tenn.-based Pilot Flying J, the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America with more than 550 retail locations. He is the older brother of Tennessee’s Gov. Bill Haslam, who also worked for the family business before he was elected mayor of Knoxville in 2003 and again in 2007, then governor in 2010.

He also has described himself as a “1,000 percent” Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

The Browns have been owned by the Lerner family since 1999, when the franchise was reborn after the original club moved to Baltimore.

Randy Lerner, 50, who also owns the Aston Villa soccer club in England, inherited the Browns in 2002 following the death of his father, Al.

Some fans have been unhappy with Randy Lerner, long criticizing him as a disengaged owner of a club that has made the playoffs just once since it was recreated.

Information from ESPN.com news services was used in this report.

Ben Roethlisberger (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Today, Ben Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette he has a “little torn rotator cuff”. It seems that the injury occurred last season against the Baltimore Ravens on November 6, 2011.

“I’m good. It’s OK, just sore,” he stated to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette. “I have a little torn rotator cuff. That doesn’t heal. We just have to hope it doesn’t tear the rest of the way, according to Doc.”

The 30 year old Roethlisberger claims this is just part of getting older. The Steelers’, and Roethlisberger’s, current solution to the problem is do less throwing during walk-throughs and hope that the tear doesn’t worsen. Good luck with that, Ben.

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

Last week we looked at the AFC East

Baltimore Raves: My pre-draft ranking of the Baltimore Ravens franchise is NEUTRAL. As sad as it is, the Ravens have become very old on defense. Although they were only a Field Goal away from the Super Bowl, they are going to be a year older and a step slower. The defense is the strength of this team, but they need to target a way to get younger. The Ravens will have the 29th overall pick. Rumors coming out of the greater Baltimore area indicate that the Ravens are targeted a WR and/or LB. However, they will need to deep into free agency to help fill some of their voids. They do have the cap room to make these moves. One also has to wonder if the Ravens will look to switch kickers simply to appease some of the veterans on the team. Given their age and lack of offensive explosiveness, I believe the Raven are stuck in mud and thus a pre-draft ranking of Neutral. They are one or two good signings from being positive and they are one torn ACL for Ray Rice/Ed Reed from a ranking of negative. The draft is often not essential for teams coming off such a successful season; however, for the Ravens their season begins on draft night.

Pittsburgh Steelers:  My pre-draft ranking of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise is a Downward Trend. Some people might be

January 8, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison (92) during the first quarter of the 2011 AFC wild card playoff game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

surprised by what I think of the Steelers, but they have tons of issues. They just released Ward, Harrison is always wanting to retire, and Troy Polamalu is not getting any younger. Big Ben has yet to talk to the new offensive coordinator and the Steelers may not be able to retain their best wide-out (Wallace). As I type this the Steelers are also over the cap thus having no room to make any positive changes to their team. Mock drafts have the Steelers looking for DL help or going an offensive lineman. Because of the new draft rules, those two positions should not cost the Steelers too much money. They should have enough to sign their draft picks but not much more than that. Mark this date down (March 7, 2012), the Steelers could be staring a sub .500 season straight in the face.

Cleveland Browns: My pre-draft ranking of the Cleveland Browns is NEUTRAL. The Browns are very hard to predict right now. Rumors are widespread that the Browns are going hard after the Rams 2nd overall pick. If they secure this pick, it is assumed that they would draft RG III. IF, and I mean If, this happens the Browns would take a huge leap forward. Pairing Brown and Hillis together would give Browns fans something to cheer about. Even if they do not make the trade, they still have the fourth and 22nd picks in the first round of the draft. Beyond that, the Browns also have much flexibility with their cap space and could be looking to make a huge splash in free agency too. If they draft RG III look for them to go hard after a WR and then safety help in the later rounds. With the right moves the Browns could go 11-5 or with the wrong moves could go 5-11 this upcoming season. They are a very interesting team to say the least!

Jan 1, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis (40) during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Steelers won 13-9. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE

Cincinnati Bengals: My pre-draft ranking of the Cincinnati Bengals is an Upward Trend. The Bengals have a young dependable QB and a very young and talented WR corps. How can you go wrong with that? They also have a good amount of draft room and are drafting  in the number 21 position. They have flexibility with their pick. They can go for LB help or continue to build their offensive line. A recent mock draft had them going RB, LB, CB in the first three rounds of the draft. They have solid young talent all around the roster and may be looking one or two moderately priced veterans to help secure the foundation of the team. No matter how you look at it this team is on the rise.

Pre-Draft Prediction for AFC Central final year standings: 1) Bengals 2.)Ravens 3.) Browns 4.) Steelers

As always follow me on twitter @tom_brant

]]> http://gmenhq.com/2012/03/07/focus-on-afc-central/feed/ 0 http://gmenhq.com/2011/11/02/ny-giants-vs-ne-patriots-coachs-edition/ http://gmenhq.com/2011/11/02/ny-giants-vs-ne-patriots-coachs-edition/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:41:58 +0000 http://gmenhq.com/?p=8733 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 [...]

NY Giants vs NE Patriots: Coach’s Edition - GMEN HQ - GMEN HQ - A NY Giants Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

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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Even more disconcerting are the handful of free agents, who at one time were considered to be the league’s elite, that are now “more distinguished looking” and attempting to make one final impression on a career gone wrong. These players are, most certainly, headed for Canton, Ohio. These players are the “Bad Boys Of Free Agency.”

Associated Press

The ill effects of the NFL Lockout are beginning to mirror that age old saying, “Idle time is the devil’s workshop.” The clearest case of this is the recent twittery of Pittsburgh Steelers, Rashard Mendenhall. While 99.999% of America was basking in the demise of Osama bin Laden, one of the most ruthless terrorists in world history, Mendenhall exposed himself as that .000001% that wasn’t.

On Monday May 2nd, 2011, after bin Laden’s death, Rashard Mendenhall tweeted the following:

“What kind of person celebrates death? It’s amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We’ve only heard one side…”

Under normal circumstances I would be inclined to agree with this portion of his statement: “What kind of person celebrates death?” These are NOT normal circumstances!
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Round 2. The Divisional Playoff Game. Bring it or spend the next eight months wondering, “what if.” This weekend, many a fan will find themselves left without a voice but filled with another week of hope and team pride. Others will find themselves bewildered and in a state of despair. These are the NFL playoffs folks, ain’t nothing like ‘em!

We witnessed a WILD, Wildcard Weekend and as you can see, even the necromancers of ESPN got their crystal ball visions crossed. Can they make a comeback? There are no unanimous decisions this week. It’s anybody’s guess! Who am I going with? Did I fall flat on my face or rise to the challenge last week? Click on the link below to check out my predictions and game analysis.
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The team over at ESPN have once again gazed into their crystal balls to determine who will be this week’s winners in the NFL. It’s a split decision where the Giants game is concerned and rightly so.

Sunday’s Giants game is going to be a battle from start to finish. Whichever team lets their guard down, for even a second, will pay the price for it. It’s the biggest and most significant game of the season folks. Get ready! The ESPN crew have made some interesting picks this week. You can read more about my picks and thoughts on those games by clicking the link below.
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1 NEW ENGLAND (13-0)
2 DALLAS (12-1)
3 INDIANAPOLIS (11-2)
4 GREEN BAY (11-2)
5 JACKSONVILLE (9-4)
6 SEATTLE (9-4)
7 SAN DIEGO (8-5)
8 PITTSBURGH (9-4)
9 GIANTS (9-4)

How can anyone honestly put together a list like this and feel as though the Colts are not that second best team in the league? It boggles my mind. Not only did they have the Patriots on the ropes before suffering a mental collapse in the second half, but they have beaten every other team they have faced, except for the Chargers and it took Adam V missing every kicking opportunity, especially one with seconds remaining and Peyton Manning throwing 6 INTs to barely lose.

Pittsburgh finds themselves ranked higher than the Giants after a blowout loss to New England and with the same record as the G-Men. Only problem here is that the Giants beat the Jets when they played them and don’t have losses to the Cardinals and Broncos on their resume from this season either.

Not only should San Diego and Pittsburgh be removed from their current ranks, but they should be eliminated from the Top 10. If an 8-5 record (San Diego) can get you ranked as the 7th best team in the NFL when there are 11 teams in the league with equal or better records than you, there is a problem. But, then again they do play in the competitive AFC West…