Tag: New York Giants (Page 46 of 55)

      Giants absolutely crush hapless Cowboys

      November 2, 2008 /

      Cowboys-GiantsPerhaps no team in the history of the NFL needs their bye week more than the Dallas Cowboys do right now. After suffering a 35-14 blowout at the hands of division rival New York on Sunday, the Cowboys need to regroup before this season continues to slip away from them.

      Brad Johnson was once again horrific while completing just 5 of 11 passes for 71 yards and two interceptions. Brooks Bollinger replaced him at halftime, who promptly threw an interception himself on his first pass attempt in the second half. Without the threat of the pass to beat them, the Giants loaded up against the run and stuffed Marion Barber, who only finished with 54 yards on the ground.

      What’s worse for Dallas is that the defense that played so well against Tampa last Sunday disappeared again. The Cowboys surrendered 23 first downs, 319 total yards and 35 points. They certainly didn’t get any help from the offense, who constantly put them in poor field position all game, but still, the G-Men essentially did whatever they wanted.

      Once again, the Cowboys are in serious trouble. The backup quarterback position remains unsettled and it’s not going to get any better until Tony Romo returns. The idea that Johnson could manage games and keep the team afloat until Romo was healthy again has blown up in their face and Wade Phillips continues to have no clue on how to fix the defense. Phillips better do something over the bye week or his seat will only continue to get hotter throughout the second half of the season.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Couch Potato Alert: 10/31

      October 31, 2008 /

      Florida vs. Georgia
      The winner of this game should become the SEC East representative against Alabama in the conference’s title game, while the loser will probably not play in a BCS bowl game. Florida has revenge on their mind; they remember Georgia’s end-zone celebration from a year ago. Bulldogs coach Mark Richt ordered the entire bench on to the field after scoring their first touchdown in a 42-30 victory. Gators coach Urban Meyer was upset by the antics but has downplayed the animosity between the schools this week. You can expect fireworks on the field this Saturday at the Gator Bowl. National coverage will begin at 3:30 PM ET on CBS. Click here for the official Florida vs. Georgia smack thread.

      Texas vs. Texas Tech
      Texas is completing the final leg of their gauntlet schedule; they defeated: then-No.1 Oklahoma on Oct. 11, then-No. 11 Missouri on Oct. 18, then-No.7 Oklahoma State last week, and now face No. 6 Texas Tech in Lubbock on Saturday evening. Another week, another Heisman Trophy candidate will line up against the Longhorn defense. Red Raiders quarterback Graham Harrell has thrown for 3147 yards with 28 touchdown passes on the season. The winner of this contest will have the inside track to win the Big 12 South title, a division that features four teams ranked in the top nine of this week’s BCS bowl standings. National coverage will begin at 8PM ET on ABC. Click here for the official Texas vs. Texas Tech smack thread.

      Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants
      Dallas Cowboys had home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs last season, thanks in large part to a pair of victories over the New York Giants that propelled them to a NFC East title. But the Cowboys postseason run came to a quick end, as the Giants defeated them during their improbable run to a Super Bowl title. The Cowboys are hurting coming into this week’s game, with quarterback Tony Romo missing his third straight game because of a broken right pinkie and tight end Jason Witten will be a game-time playing decision due to his broken ribs. 40-year-old Brad Johnson will be in charge of the Cowboys offense, and he has looked his age at times on the field. He has been sacked six times in two weeks, and against a Giant defense that leads the NFL with 26 sacks, Johnson’s lack of mobility will be a major concern for the Dallas coaching staff. Regional coverage will begin at 4:15 PM ET on Fox.

      College Football, Couch Potato Alert, NFL, Television

      NFL Week 9 Primer

      October 31, 2008 /

      Brad JohnsonSunday’s Best: Cowboys (5-3) at Giants (6-1), 4:15 PM ET
      This game has lost a lot of its luster with Brad Johnson starting at quarterback in place of the injured Tony Romo and the uncertainty of Jason Witten’s (ribs) status. But it’s still a classic NFC East matchup and the Dallas defense is coming off its best performance of the season in a win over the Bucs. Let’s be frank – the Giants should roll. Their pass rush should eat Johnson alive, which could mean we see Brooks Bollinger before the day is over. But the wildcard in this scenario is Marion Barber. If the Cowboys can get him going and Johnson doesn’t turn the ball over, Dallas might be able to play conservative and sneak out a win. But if they get down early, a second half comeback is unlikely and New York might post a double-digit victory. The Cowboy defense will have to produce an effort similar to the one they did last Sunday against Tampa or else Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs and the rest of the G-Men offense should have no problem putting up 30 points.

      Upset Watch: Cardinals (4-3) at Rams (2-5), 1:00 PM ET
      Since Jim Haslett took over in St. Louis, the Rams are playing more physically sound football. They hung tough against the Patriots last week in Foxboro despite not having Steve Jackson in their backfield and the defense is starting to show signs of life. The Cardinals are coming off a disappointing loss to the Panthers, a game in which they led 17-3 early in the third quarter. Arizona continues to struggle on the road and although he’s played well this year, Kurt Warner can’t seem to avoid costly turnovers. Jackson might not play again this week, but the Cards’ defense doesn’t post that much of a threat and the Rams should have enough offensively to pull out a win. Obviously they’ll need to keep Warner and ‘Zona’s prolific passing attack at bay, but this could be one of the better upsets in Week 9 if St. Louis keeps playing hard under Haslett.

      Indianapolis Colts      Intriguing Matchup: Patriots (5-2) at Colts (3-4), 8:15 PM ET
      Boy this game has lost a lot of pizzazz hasn’t it? Who would have thought that when this game was schedule, it would feature a Tom Brady-less Patriots and a 3-4 Colts team? Regardless, this is still the most interesting matchup on the Week 9 schedule. Indy has to win this game to at least keep within sniffing distance of a Wild Card berth and New England is in a great battle with the surprising Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. The Colts have major issues on the defensive side of the ball and things got worse earlier this week when it was discovered that starting CB Marlin Jackson would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Without Jackson and Bob Sanders in the secondary, the Colts are giving up big plays on third downs. If they sell out to stop the run, opposing quarterbacks are picking apart the beleaguered secondary. If they play not to get burned deep, opposing backs are having a field day running against Indy’s smaller front seven. A loss to the Pats on Sunday night could mean a Colts-less postseason in the NFL. That’s hard to imagine.

      Other Notable Games:
      Packers (4-3) at Titans (7-0), 1:00 PM ET
      With “Elbow Bad” Johnson starting for the Cowboys this weekend in New York, the Green Bay-Tennessee game might wind up being the best matchup on the Week 9 schedule. With the Titans coming off a short week and finally getting the monkey off their backs in beating the Colts, are they primed for the taking? Aaron Rodgers vs. the Titans’ D should be an intriguing battle.

      Ravens (4-3) at Browns (3-4), 1:00 PM ET
      Some believe that Baltimore is a legitimate playoff contender in the AFC and Cleveland is starting to resemble the team that many thought would take the next step this year. You gotta love it when Art Modell has to travel to Cleveland, too.

      Dolphins (3-4) at Broncos (4-3), 4:05 PM ET
      Miami continues to be one of the better surprises this year in the NFL and will look to build off their impressive win over Buffalo last Sunday. Denver needs to shake off its embarrassing loss to the Patriots two weeks ago on Monday night.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Jason Witten probable vs. Giants

      October 29, 2008 /

      He has a fractured rib, but that’s not going to stop Jason Witten from playing in a crucial NFC East showdown against the New York Giants.

      With the Cowboys facing the prospect of having more talent sidelined by injuries than they have competing on the field against the defending Super Bowl champions, Witten seems determined to underscore his reputation as one of Dallas’ toughest players.

      Whether Witten is able to play will depend upon not only his pain tolerance, but his ability to protect the football while wearing additional equipment over the injured area.

      Fantasy owners will love to have Witten in the lineup, but one has to wonder if it would be better to sit him down and let him heal for three weeks (since the Cowboys have a Week 10 bye). If he aggravates or worsens the injury against the G-Men, the Cowboys will wish that they had rested their star tight end.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Jerry Jones backs Bad Brad…for now.

      October 29, 2008 /

      Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is showing support in sticking with Brad Johnson at quarterback over Brooks Bollinger.

      Brad JohnsonBut Jones suggested on his weekly radio show that Johnson’s ability to protect the ball and manage the game trumps Bollinger’s mobility.

      “Even in this day and time, you can win games with field position and no turnovers,” Jones said. “You trade that off against being really limited in what you can do downfield, being maybe limited in your accuracy and certainly limited in your mobility. Then you’ve got to pick your poison.

      “So I think the real question here is what is our best way to win. My gut is our best way to win is to not turn the ball over, as opposed to go out there and try to create more offense. While Brooks has got some real skill mobility-wise and can throw the ball, you’ve got to look at his track record and look at the limited time he’s been under center this year, and you’ve got a serious chance of turnovers.”

      Although his weak arm limits the offense, Johnson is a 17-year veteran with a Super Bowl ring. Bollinger, 28, has started only 10 NFL games and has been limited in practice to scout-team duty.

      Jones is saying all the right things now in Johnson’s favor, but Jerry looked like he was going to throw up at any minute watching that game last Sunday. Johnson might be the better “game manager” but at some point he needs to make throws, too. He missed open receivers all game against the Bucs and will need to do a little more than manage the game against the Giants this Sunday.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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