Relax, Skins Fans, the Giants Game was a Fluke
It’s official. Last week’s Redskins’ game against the Giants was a fluke; an aberration; an anomaly. Last week’s performance is unlikely to be repeated by either team. Yesterday, the Redskins bounced back in spades and the Giants came back to earth. The Redskins won a game against the “team to beat,” a game they circled on their calendar months ago, and the Giants were unimpressive against the league’s worst team, who started a rodeo cowboy at quarterback.
The Redskins defense did a great job taking apart the Eagles offense yesterday. And, on offense, when the Redskins main receiving threats (Moss and Patten) were double covered and their main rushing threat (Portis) was stopped, Brunell was able to effectively use his third, fourth and fifth option. And, Brunell is back on track given his masterful performance last night, completing 72% of his passes.
Okay, Counter Trey, but what about that horrible performance last week, you ask? Well, good teams have bad games. Good teams also have great games. Last week’s contest was a game between two good teams who, on that day, were on opposite sides of that spectrum. The Giants are a good team that played a great game with emotion and were facing the Redskins who had an emotional let down after demolishing the 49ers the week before. The Giants were riding a “win-one-for-the-Gipper” high at the same time that the Redskins came in flat. Tiki Barber—who, along with the Giants defense, was chiefly responsible for the win thanks to his 200+ rushing yards—made several comments in which he actually said he felt possessed; he had to win the game for Mara. And, defenses are fueled almost completely by emotion.
That passion acted as a lever on the Giants’ superior tactical knowledge that day. The leaders of last year’s Redskins’ offense (Hasselback) and defense (Pierce) were calling out the Redskins’ plays even as they were lining up to run them. Taken together, the outcome seems almost predestined.
What convinces me that last week was a fluke? Why shouldn’t Redskins fans expect a repeat on Christmas Eve when the Giants go to Washington? Everyone—and I mean EVERYONE—coming in to the season thought that the Eagles were the team to beat in the NFC. The Eagles have been to the NFC Championship game four years in a row. If the NFC Championship game was Trump Plaza, the Eagles are Donald Trump. The Eagles are still the best team in the NFC until proven otherwise. The Redskins hadn’t beaten the Eagles in years and the Redskins and Eagles both considered last night a must-win game. And the Redskins won. The Redskins beat the “team-to-beat.”
But wait, there’s more. There are some teams that are so bad that you are surprised when they don’t lose by at least 21 points. The 49ers are that bad. Two weeks ago, the Redskins beat the 49ers by 35 points—45 points really if you take away a garbage-time field goal (That’s right, the Niners actually kicked a field goal when they were losing by a score of 52 to 7) and touch down on the 49ers last play of the game. If the Giants are truly 36 points better than the Redskins, they should have set a modern-day record in Monster Park yesterday, especially because they were facing the Niners fourth-string quarterback, who is best known for his rodeo skills. They should have beaten the Niners by 70-something points. Okay, nobody scores 70 anymore, so 60…
…Alright, let’s be realistic 40…
…Never mind, 30...
Is it too much to ask that a team that is supposed to lose every game by a minimum of 21 points loses by more than 21 when they face a juggernaut like the Giants?
Well, the Giants won, by a not very impressive 18 points. Don’t get the wrong idea, Giants fans, I know a win is a win is a win and I said the Giants are a good team. The point of this is to establish that they are not 36 points better than the Redskins. That will become clear over the next eight games. Last week was a fluke.
More on the Giants: Although Mike Francesca and Chris Russo (AKA Mike and the Mad Dog) of WFAN radio in New York now say the Giants will win the NFC East (and they actually believe that the Eagles are dead), the Giants have a lot to prove. For one thing, if you are going to win your division, you have to beat the teams in it. Right now the Giants have one much-discussed win in the division and one loss to the Cowboys. Half of the Giants remaining division games are on the road including the one to the Redskins. Last year the Giants were 2 - 0 against the Cowboys, 1 – 1 against the Redskins and 0 – 2 against the Eagles. The Giants have not played the Eagles yet this year and, so have no idea how they will match up against the NFC Champion. It might be a little early to pass the crown.
Besides the Redskins, have the Giants beaten any good teams? You be the judge. Their other five wins came against the Cardinals, Saints, Rams, Broncos, and Niners. The Broncos are very good and almost unbeatable in Denver, but the Giants played them in New Jersey and pulled off a last-second miracle. Take away their loss to the Giants and those five teams have a combined 16 – 20 record and that includes Denver’s six wins and one loss, otherwise it would be 10 - 19. And the Giants two losses? They came against legitimate playoff-caliber teams—the Chargers and Cowboys.
More on the NFC East: In addition to declaring the Eagles dead and picking the Giants to win the division, Mike and the Mad Dog picked the Cowboys to get a wildcard spot. The only NFC East teams with winning records in their division are the Cowboys and Redskins, and the Redskins are 1-0 against the Cowboys, after beating them in Dallas. The Redskins have now beaten the team that is the “team-to-beat” in the entire NFC— not just the NFC East—and play two of their last three NFC East games at home where they are undefeated. The Redskins will probably be favored in at least six of their remaining eight games. Add it all up and the Redskins are in the driver’s seat for the division title. Sorry Mike and Mad Dog.
UPDATE (11/8):Whew. Nothing like a Giants fan scorned.
Three of you anonymous Giants fans posted replies that made me think you actually read the post above. This comment is for the rest of you.
First, nowhere in this post did I say the Redskins were better than the Giants. The Redskins have to prove that on the field on Christmas Eve.
Second, as Joe Gibbs said before the Sunday night game, (paraphrased) "you are nobody until you beat the champ." The Eagles are the champs despite what Mike and the Mad Dog think. The Giants have to prove they can beat the Eagles. TO or no TO, the eagles are not going away. They are still one of the top (if not still THE top) teams in the NFC; I hate that fact as much as you do.
Third, the comments that I got without invective made some good points. The Giants could very well have been flat against the Niners, especially after being so high against the Skins, and I did not recognize that in the original post. But the point I am making in this post is that the Skins aren't as bad as they looked in the Giants game, NOT that the Giants are a bad team; In fact, if you read closely I say at least three times that I think the Giants are a good team.
Fourth, I never said the crown was going to be passed to the Redskins. I said the games in the division are going to make the difference and the Redskins are in better shape than the others because of their divisional record, who they have beaten already, plus they have more home games remaining against division opponents.
Last, the post was addressed to Skins fans who were as nervous as I was after seeing how poorly the Skins played against the Giants. I am surprised that it could have pissed off Giants fans. If the Skins had beaten the Giants 36-0 I probably would have dismissed the Giants as a threat to the Skins this year. I would have thought Giants fans would have dismissed the Skins and already be looking ahead to the Eagles.
posted by Counter Trey @ 11/07/2005 06:07:00 PM
21 comments
21 Comments:
Honestly you have to be the biggest meatball I have ever read an article by. There are some good points but yet you are far off on a lot others. The fact where you say the redskins shut down the eagles offense. yes they scored 10 points but you still gave up 300+ yards to mcnabb and a bunch of no-named recievers. Redskins should not be proud of themselves for beating the eagles, especially the eagles not at their full potential with everything that is going on in their organization. Please bring yourself back to reality and realize the giants beating on the redskins was not a fluke it was a blowout which will be repeated again. Why do you bother wasting your time thinking about writing this stuff when you should be the one working for cody pickett at the rodeo dressed up like a clown.
you are a dumba55. The fact that you praise the skins for beating the eagles with no T.O is just pathetic. They are not the team to beat in the NFC not when T.O is not playing. We are not 36 points better then the skins but we are better and that is all that matters. get a clue and get a life
what a dumb@ss. First, the redskins can have an emotional drop after blowing out the niners as an excuse to lose to the giants, but the giants have an emotional drop off after the skins win nd still handle the niners. Second, you can't compare the divisional records. The Giants have only played 2. AAnd that win over the cowboys isn't a miracle. God, why dnt you actually open up your mind before you actually write this bullsh*t
fuck you you stupid redskin whore
wow, all of america knows redskins are the biggest homers of all, so no comment.
36-0
......
“Last week’s contest was a game between two good teams who, on that day, were on opposite sides of that spectrum. The Giants are a good team that played a great game with emotion and were facing the Redskins who had an emotional let down after demolishing the 49ers the week before. The Giants were riding a “win-one-for-the-Gipper” high at the same time that the Redskins came in flat.”
This is a very interesting argument, but I think you failed to consider that both the Giants and the Redskins were again on opposite sides of the spectrum this week as well. After a genuinely inspired win over the Redskins last week, the Giants came out flat against a 49ers team that beat the then 5-1 Buccaneers a week earlier. Conversely, after a thoroughly embarrassing loss to the Giants last week, the Redskins were eager to redeem themselves against an Owens-less Eagles team this week. This argument doesn’t prove anything.
“That passion acted as a lever on the Giants’ superior tactical knowledge that day. The leaders of last year’s Redskins’ offense (Hasselback) and defense (Pierce) were calling out the Redskins’ plays even as they were lining up to run them. Taken together, the outcome seems almost predestined.”
Even if this wild conspiracy theory were true (which it isn’t), the Redskins had every opportunity to adjust their signals throughout the week and during the game. Since when was failing to adequately prepare for a game a valid excuse? Nevertheless, even if we were to assume that the Giants knew what plays the Redskins were about to run, it still doesn’t explain the dropped passes, the missed tackles, the bad angles, the penalties, or the turnovers does it?
“What convinces me that last week was a fluke? Why shouldn’t Redskins fans expect a repeat on Christmas Eve when the Giants go to Washington? Everyone—and I mean EVERYONE—coming in to the season thought that the Eagles were the team to beat in the NFC. The Eagles have been to the NFC Championship game four years in a row. If the NFC Championship game was Trump Plaza, the Eagles are Donald Trump. The Eagles are still the best team in the NFC until proven otherwise. The Redskins hadn’t beaten the Eagles in years and the Redskins and Eagles both considered last night a must-win game. And the Redskins won. The Redskins beat the ‘team-to-beat.’”
So the Giants beat the team that beat the “team-to-beat”… what exactly is your point here?
“But wait, there’s more. There are some teams that are so bad that you are surprised when they don’t lose by at least 21 points. The 49ers are that bad. Two weeks ago, the Redskins beat the 49ers by 35 points—45 points really if you take away a garbage-time field goal (That’s right, the Niners actually kicked a field goal when they were losing by a score of 52 to 7) and touch down on the 49ers last play of the game. If the Giants are truly 36 points better than the Redskins, they should have set a modern-day record in Monster Park yesterday, especially because they were facing the Niners fourth-string quarterback, who is best known for his rodeo skills. They should have beaten the Niners by 70-something points. Okay, nobody scores 70 anymore, so 60… Is it too much to ask that a team that is supposed to lose every game by a minimum of 21 points loses by more than 21 when they face a juggernaut like the Giants?… Well, the Giants won, by a not very impressive 18 points. Don’t get the wrong idea, Giants fans, I know a win is a win is a win and I said the Giants are a good team. The point of this is to establish that they are not 36 points better than the Redskins. That will become clear over the next eight games. Last week was a fluke.”
Who beat who by how much sounds like a bunch of hair-splitting to me. Last time I checked, “margin of victory” only mattered with the BCS rankings and don’t even get me started with that.
“It might be a little early to pass the crown.”
Perhaps you should heed your own advice.
An "emotional letdown" after beating the 49'ers .... call 911 I'm laughing to Death!!!
Wow you are a genius. If you take away the New York Football Giants wins against good teams, they have wins against bad teams. What logic. Coughlin owns your QB and your team. Unless Ramsey starts for your team, they have no shot.
wow thats all i got to say
However you were hired by this paper or website to write is amazing. You might be the biggest bonehead in the world.
Is it the Giants fault they haven't played the greatest teams yet. when the teams make up their own schedule then you can say somthing but they don't so shut up!
You say the Giants won on a mircale play with 5 seconds left. WRONG! was't a miracle they drove down on 2 drives and scored a td how is that a miracle, It wasn't like they threw 2 hail mary play at the end of the game and win now that's a miracle. I would like to correct all the dumb shit you wrote but i don't have the time. Next time you write somthing, if you ever do because you are horrible, write somthing that actually makes sense
You are a dumbass!!!!!!!
The only thing that matters right now is that the Giants beat the Redskins 36-0, and that the Giants are leading the NFC East at 6-2.
The Redskins are a good team. They just aren't better than the Giants, based on the most important evidence we have so-far: Giants vs. Redskins, and the two teams records. When the Giants have a better record than the Redskins, and have beaten them head-to-head, that's a pretty strong argument that they're a better team.
Now, are the Giants 36 points better than the Redskins? Maybe not. But a much stronger argument can be made that they are better, than that they aren't. 36-0 can't be explained as a fluke between the two teams, or as an emotional letdown by the Redskins, or as raw emotion for the Giants.
No disrespect against the Redskins. They are a good team. In fact, every team in the NFC East this year, even the Eagles, is a good team. And arguably the Eagles are going to a better team overall without the distraction of TO and his nonsense. The QB (McNabb) is a much much more important position than the WR, and TO is no Jerry Rice, not even close. I tell ya though, I think the Eagles would be defeated if Jerry Rice was in there (at his prime) instead of TO, because of his superior talent and class.
a 4-3 (now 4-4) team with an anemic offense mired in inner turmoil is the "team to beat". ok, sure. keep up the homering pal. i should have expected as much when i saw "right wing rhetoric" at the top of the page...
You sir, don't know jack. The Giants have played good teams. They beat Denver, they blew out Washington, they beat the Rams who I don't think are horrible. They should have beaten Dallas. Had they not played like crap they would have, heck if they had won the coin toss they would have. And that was on the road. They just beat the 49ers 24-6, if thats flat i'll take it. They score more points then anybody else, their defense has improved dramatically in the last couple of weeks. I mean you have an argument but its as shallow and empty as the yards argument Skins fans used before last weeks matchup. Statistically, they said the Redskisn were better therefor they would dominate the Giants in Giants staidum. Stats don't mean anything, and your logic is just reaching on your part. I wish I didn't have to remind you but seriously dude,
36-0
Happyfoosball
this is a silly article that has flame written all over it.
They said it all.
I'm a Giants fan and I too would be looking for that "silver lining" if my team got smacked around as soon as they got off the bus like the Skins did against the Giants.
And sure the Giants have a lot to prove, every team that wins has to prove it each week in order to take a division the likes of this year's NFC east. That goes for the Redskins too.
Having said all that, would I want the Giants to trade places with the Redskins? Nope, I'll take the one game lead.
If Counter Trey needs come up with all this to feel better about his team, so what. Let's just wait and see what happens on the field. It's going to be a great second half.
bottomline is they fucking got there asses kicked and your crying about a fluke, then you write enough bullshit to cover up your tears.
"nowhere in the post did I say the Redskins were a better team"...hmmm, what does this mean: "But, I was also going to say the Redskins are better than the Giants, and I still think that is true."
You are confusing two different posts. Immediately after the Giants game, I wrote that I still think the Skins are the better team. This post takes a more realistic view in which I say the Skins have to beat the Giants in order to say that they are better. I do not edit old posts, which gives readers a chance to criticize.
FUUFNF,
You were one of the few I picked out who made some good points here. As much as I want to see the Skins beat their NFC East opponents, I do have a ton of respect for them. I think you feel the same way. When the teams play like they have this year, NFC East football is a lot of fun to watch (except when the Giants are pasting the Skins).
Yes, the Skins did drop a lot of passes and missed a lot of tackles against the Giants, but FOX did spend some time pointing out the fact that Hasselback was calling out the plays on the sidelines, and Tiki did say that the info the ex-Redskins provided was very valuable. Maybe it was just a decoy; but you are right, the Skins should have prepared for it.
fuck you fuck you fuck you go die fuck you fuck you you're a dumbass fuck you
re: anonymous at November 08, 2005 10:26 PM:
Mom? Is that you?
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