NFC East blogger Matt Mosley of ESPN was shocked to discover today that the panel over at at ESPN didn’t think too highly of the Giants preseason performance, and not only that – but they don’t think too highly of the Giants in their power rankings either. C’est La Vie… to be a Giants fan is to be used to this kind of underestimation, and while it’s not kind it’s certainly not surprising.
"Our four esteemed ESPN.com panelists spent hours breaking down film of those preseason finales to come up with this week’s Power Rankings. And fans of the New York Giants won’t be happy with the results. For no apparent reason (other than the third preseason game) the voters dropped them from 16th to 19th in this week’s rankings.…Dallas Cowboys: No. 4 — This is right where the Cowboys were in the last edition of the ESPN.com Power Rankings a few weeks ago. Clayton, who has championed the NFC East’s cause in my sad absence from the voting process, had the Cowboys ranked second overall. But he was canceled out by the cruel votes of AFC bloggers Paul Kuharsky and James Walker.Philadelphia Eagles: No. 15 — Apparently someone actually liked what the Eagles accomplished in the preseason since the panel moved them up two spots from the previous rankings. Perhaps the Stacy Andrews trade empowered the voters to embrace this offensive line. Kuharsky has fallen hard for quarterback Kevin Kolb and this offense with a No. 11 ranking, but the young man from the AFC North, Walker, had the Eagles at an appalling 18th. Please send your notes of encouragement to the AFC North “comments” section.Washington Redskins: No. 17 — I’ve recommended that each panelist have his voting rights suspended until next Tuesday for making this error in judgment. And it was noted Skins apologist John “The Professor” Clayton leading the way with a 14th-place vote. The Redskins and Packers made the biggest leap from the previous rankings.New York Giants: No. 19 — Did you guys see this coming? The panel dropped the Giants three spots based on their preseason performance. I have the Giants going to the Super Bowl, so someone’s obviously wrong. At least Walker was in the ballpark with a No. 16 ranking, but Mike Sando showed Tom Coughlin’s men no respect with a No. 21 ranking. I’ve used every one of Sando’s databases to try and figure out his reasoning. At this point, I’ve come up empty."
Each and every year, the Giants are snubbed by the mainstream media in one way or another. Heck, even after they beat the best team imaginable in 2007 they were picked to finish LAST in the division the very next year in 2008. Of course, the Giants viewed as underdogs yet again emerged into one of the best teams in the NFL that year finishing first in the NFC… and the pundits were proven wrong. So I’m not a bit surprised by this, only somewhat encouraged that the Giants have the mainstream sports media building them a fire for them in their collective bellies.
Need it be said one more time what the Giants preseason record was in 2007? I know I know, perhaps not for the umpteenth time. Needless to say it wasn’t a good start for the Giants, and the point is crystal clear…. it’s not how you start but how you finish in the NFL.
Hence last year’s ending, but I digress.