Giants Team Grades: Week 13 vs. Washington Redskins

Monday, December 3^rd, 2012

Final Score: New York Giants: 16 Washington Redskins: 17

Giants Team Grades

Monday night featured a hard fought game between two bitter rivals that don’t like each other in the Giants and Redskins.  The Redskins were able to pull off the victory, ending a number of losing streaks on Monday Night Football.  The grades for the Giants will reflect just how poorly they played.

Passing Offense Grade: C+

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Eli Manning put up good stats in the game, throwing for 280 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions, but he was unable to get the job done when it counted.  Manning completed only six passes in the second half, only one of them being in the fourth quarter.

Manning was able to distribute the ball well to Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Martellus Bennett.  Each had five catches; with Bennett have the biggest impact going for 82 yards and a touchdown. 

Manning connected with Bennett on a third-and-ten on the last offensive drive of the fourth quarter, but it was nullified by a penalty, ending the Giants drive. 

Rushing Offense Grade: B+

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Ahmad Bradshaw had a strong game as the feature back with Andre Brown being out for the remainder of the season.  Bradshaw went over 100 yards for the third time this season, rushing for 103 yards on 24 carries.  Bradshaw was a workhorse for the Giants, as the Giants totaled 29 rushes as a team.

The success of the running game in the first half was one reason the Giants dominated the time of possession in the early going, as Bradshaw tallied up 77 yards by halftime.  Going eight of 10 in the first half on third downs also doesn’t hurt.

David Wilson received only four carries in the game as well, going for only nine yards after saying all week that his time to contribute had finally arrived.

Passing Defense Grade: B-

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The Giants pass defense looked good if you only look at a box score, as Robert Griffin III had only 163 yards passing; it was the timeliness of the passing that killed the Giants.  Pierre Garcon was on the receiving end of every debilitating throw.

Garcon caught the eight-yard touchdown pass that put the Redskins ahead for good early in the fourth quarter and also caught the 17-yard pass on second-and-eight with just over two minutes remaining to ice the game.

In total, Garcon torched the Giants secondary with eight catches for 106 yards and a touchdown.

Rushing Defense Grade: F

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The Giants run defense was abysmal and couldn’t slow the Redskins down all night.  The Redskins totaled 207 yards on 31 rushes as a team.

Alfred Morris tore through the Giants once again, going over 120 yards for the second time in as many chances against the Giants this season.  Monday night, he went for 124 yards on 22 carries. He did fumble once, ending a scoring opportunity for the Redskins or else the score would have been much more in their favor.

Griffin didn’t have many rushing attempts, but he made them count going for 72 yards on five attempts.

When the Giants needed stops the most they were unable to get them either, as they allowed the Redskins to convert two first downs on the ground on the last drive of the game to ice it.

Special Teams Grade: C-

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Lawrence Tynes was asked to put in a full night of work again, going three of four on his field goal attempts.  Every field goal attempt was shaky for the Giants Monday night, with one of them going wide left.

They did not allow the Redskins dynamic return man Brandon Banks to hurt them, as he managed only 21 yards on three punt returns; instead the Giants inflicted all their damage on special teams upon themselves.

Wilson made a big return to set the Giants up late in the fourth quarter, but it was called back after a penalty on Jim Cordle; the drive started inside the 10 yard line and the Giants went three and out.

Coaching Grade: C+

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The Giants executed their game plan well in the first half, as they had three long time consuming drives to keep the dynamic Redskins offense led by Griffin off the field.  But the Giants shot themselves in the foot one too many times to pull out the victory.

Self-inflicted wounds like penalties are always a killer and the Giants had too many untimely ones Monday night.  The execution led to field goal attempts instead of touchdowns, which ultimately led to their demise. 

McElroy's Heroics Lead Jets to Win

latimes.com

Obviously the biggest part in the game is the benching of Mark Sanchez, who was god awful in the first two and a half quarters against the Cardinals. Sanchez was on his way to one of the worst performances of his career, as he went 10 for 21 for just 97 yards passing with three interceptions and was unable to help the Jets get any points in his time under center. The chanting for McElroy became louder and louder from the Jets fans; when Ryan benched Sanchez the game turned around for them.

Greg McElroy, making his first appearance in a regular season NFL game did very well and his experience at Alabama winning a National Title certainly had to help him with his nerves in relieving Sanchez and leading the Jets to the victory. The seventh round pick led the Jets on two very nice drives; one resulting in a touchdown pass to Jeff Cumberland and the second bringing them to the Cardinals goalline where he took a knee to ice it for his first career win.

Former Jet Kerry Rhodes came to prove a point it would appear against his former team and the coach that called him a selfish player with a Hollywood attitude. Rhodes got two of the interceptions off his former teammate Sanchez and forced a fumble which led to one of the Cardinals two field goals in this game; also by another former Jet, Jay Feely.

If Jets fans thought their quarterback situation was bad, they must be thankful that they do not root for the Cardinals. As bad as Sanchez has been this season, he looks like Aaron Rodgers compared to Ryan Lindley, who when watching him play quarterback has to keep peoples' dreams alive that you too can be a quarterback in the NFL. Lindley went 10 for 31 with just 72 yards passing, and threw an interception to LaRon Landry. Despite targeting one of the best receivers in the NFL in Larry Fitzgerald seven times, one of the best in the game only had one catch for 23 yards. Overall the defense has to get a lot of credit; they did their job against a bad quarterback and held the Cardinals to zero for 15 on third downs.

It was not a pretty win but it does count so the Jets are now 5-7, and have a very slim chance still of making the playoffs, but the real questions will be in the week to come about who will be the starting quarterback heading into Jacksonville and why Tebow scratched despite being cleared to play with his rib injury on Sunday.

Giants Squander 4th Quarter Lead, Lose to Redskins

Monday, December 3^rd, 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: New York Giants: 16 Washington Redskins: 17

Giants Squander 4^th Quarter Lead, Fall to Redskins

The Giants let a great chance to take a stranglehold on the NFC East slip through their fingers with a tough loss at Washington Monday night.  Robert Griffin III could not be defeated for a second time this season and the Giants lead in the division shrunk to one game, leaving it back up for grabs.

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The first half the Giants did a great job of keeping the ball away from Griffin and the Redskins offense, going on three long drives and going into the half with a 13-10 lead.  The second half the offense was unable to get going and Griffin took advantage.

In the first half alone, the Giants had the ball for over 20 minutes with three time consuming drives.  One driving force in the dominant time of possession was the Giants ability to convert on third down, as they went eight for 10 in the first half. 

The running game was also on point for the Giants early on, as Ahmad Bradshaw had 77 yards rushing in the first half alone.  Martellus Bennett ran rampant in the secondary as well, catching five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown in the first half. 

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The breaks were not going the Giants way though, as the first half lead could have turned even more into the Giants favor if not for a lucky bounce on Griffin fumble.  Griffin scrambled a little past the half-way point of the first quarter and was stripped going down to the ground by Stevie Brown; a fortunate bounce had the ball end up in wide receiver Josh Morgan’s hands and he finished the play off in the end zone.

Other tough breaks for the Giants were of the self-inflicted variety as they committed nine penalties for 73 yards in the game.  Many of the penalties were drive killers, causing the Giants to settle for field goals or not even get a scoring opportunity.

In the first half, Sean Locklear was called for a questionable holding call that pushed the Giants back 10 yards, forcing them to eventually settle for a field goal.  A false start call on Hakeem Nicks also stalled another drive, as the Giants had to settle for yet another field goal.

The most crippling penalties came in the fourth quarter when the Giants were attempting to mount a comeback.  David Wilson returned a kick to around midfield, but it was called back by a Jim Cordle holding penalty, pitting the Giants on their eight-yard line and going three and out.

The other was a holding call on Will Beatty that nullified a third-and-ten conversion from Eli Manning to Bennett.  Instead of a first and ten, the Giants were faced with a third-and-twenty and that was the last time the offense was on the field for the night.

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Manning had two opportunities to lead the Giants on a comeback drive after being down 17-16 early in the fourth quarter but was unable to get going.  Penalties hindered both drives and left the Giants in tough spots. 

On a positive note for the Giants, Kenny Phillips was able to suit up and play but did not start.  He came out of the game without any more damage being done, so look for his workload to increase next week, as the pass happy New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees will pay a visit to MetLife Stadium to take on the Giants.  

Arod Out 4-6 Months

aol.sportingnews.com

The Yankees suffered a big blow to their offense and left side of the infield already, as third baseman Alex Rodriguez will be out 4-6 months to recover from yet another hip surgery similar to the one he had in 2009.

"It's a significant blow," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "But we've dealt with significant blows and, hopefully, we'll be able to deal with this one, as well."

Rodriguez was said to have started complaining about the hip, saying that it just didn’t feel right in the playoffs and if was bothering him; it would definitely explain his awful postseason in which he was benched and pinch-hit for due to going zero for 18 with 12 strikeouts.


The Yankees lineup, which is already looking worse than last year with letting Russell Martin go to the Pirates and figuring to not be bringing Nick Swisher back, will now need to find some sort of replacement at third for at least half the season. The current options under contract already are Eduardo Nunez, who has proven that he can hit in the major leagues, but is awful in the field and can not be trusted. Jayson Nix is also an option, but it seems unlikely that Nix would be the Yankees everyday third baseman.


If the Yankees decide to spend some money they a have few options in free agency like Eric Chavez, who filled in for Rodriguez last season when he was injured and played extremely well; hitting .281 with 16 homeruns, and 37 RBIs. Other notable names that they wouldn’t have to break the bank for would be Brandon Inge, Palcido Polanco, and Jeff Keppinger.

This is certainly not how the Yankees wanted to start their off-season already have to fill pieces for an injury, as they don’t want to spend money to stay under $189 million in salary for 2014 and a large chunk of that will be the injury-prone Rodriguez who may really hamper the Yankees until his contract is up.

Yankees Lose Martin to Pirates

pigroot.com

The Yankees lost a good piece of their team to the Pittsburgh Pirates in catcher Russell Martin who signed with the Pirates for an affordable two-year 17 million dollar deal. The Yankees and Russell Martin were reported to be far apart in negotiations, and Brian Cashman said there was never an offer made to Martin.

Russell Martin did not have his best year at the plate only hitting .211, but the power was there for Martin, as he was able to hit a career-high 21 homeruns. Martin has been a good defensive catcher for the Yankees, and now he will be reuniting with his friend A.J Burnett in Pittsburgh.

For the Yankees moving forward now it appears they are going to try to keep things on the cheap, and will probably be moving forward with someone who is already on the team. If the season started today Chris Stewart would be the starting catcher, and Francisco Cervelli would be the back up. From the minors Austin Romine who had an injury-reddened year in triple-A will get a shot in spring training, and if healthy does have some upside.

The Yankees with letting Martin go are certainly showing that they are going to try to get under that 189 million dollar cap mark, and now will have a major question mark at the catcher position heading into 2013 if nothing is done in free agency or by a trade.

Nets Can't Handle the Heat in Miami

sun-sentinel.com

Nets vs. Heat Post Game Recap 12/1

The Nets were unable to handle the Heat in South Beach without Lopez, as their winning streak has been snapped at five games with the 102-89 loss on Saturday night.

After a very good first half for the Nets it was the polar opposite in the second half, as with their fifth game in seven days the Nets looked tired and were hammered after halftime being outscored 52-30.

The Miami Heat’s two superstars LeBron James and Dwayne Wade came to play against the Nets with both of them having great games. Wade was the leading scoring in the game putting up 34 points on 14 for 20 shooting with seven assists. James had one of his classic overall good games scoring 21 points on eight for 15 shooting with nine rebounds and six assists.

The Nets were led on offense by Andray Blatche getting his second straight start for the injured Lopez, as Blatche had yet another strong game scoring a team-high 20 points on eight for 12 shooting with eight rebounds.

Deron Williams shooting woes continue to hamper his play, as Williams only scored 11 points on a bad three for 11 shooting, but did notch his seven double-double of the season which leads the team because Williams did a good job setting up teams earning him 12 assists.

Joe Johnson had yet another poor game against the Heat like earlier in the season, as Johnson who has been playing well didn’t do that on Saturday only scoring 12 points on five for 14 shooting, as in two games against the Heat Johnson is only nine for 28.

Gerald Wallace had another pretty good on the offensive end despite not shooting the ball from three-point land well only going one for six, Wallace was able to score 13 points on five for 11 shooting with nine rebounds.

The Nets will have another tough task on Tuesday night, as they will have to play last years Western Conference Champions the Oklahoma City Thunder and their superstar Kevin Durant, with it still being unclear weather or not Brook Lopez will be playing.

Knicks Stay Perfect at MSG

Sunday, December 02, 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: Phoenix Suns: 99 New York Knicks: 106

Knicks Continue Home Dominance with Victory over Suns

The Knicks continued their win streak at home, running their home record to 7-0 on the reason with a victory over the Phoenix Suns Sunday afternoon.  This was the first home victory this season for the Knicks that was not of the double-digit variety and the best start at Madison Square Garden since 1992-1993.  The Knicks moved to 12-4 on the season, sitting at second place in the Eastern Conference behind the 12-3 Miami Heat.

Once again the Knicks offense was led by Carmelo Anthony.  Anthony got off to a good start from the beginning, scoring eight points in the opening frame and having 30 heading into the fourth quarter. 

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Head coach Mike Woodson had hoped Anthony’s afternoon would end there, but the Suns made a run in the fourth quarter and Anthony was reinserted, ending the game with 34 points on 11 of 27 shooting.  He also added six rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks. 

Raymond Felton seems to have the rough game against the Nets permanently behind him, as he put in yet another great effort Sunday.  Felton scored 23 points, handed out seven assists and added three rebounds.  He didn’t turn the ball over once in the game, a great stat for any point guard to have.

The Knicks as a whole protected the ball very well, turning the ball over only seven times as a team.  Anthony and Pablo Prigioni were the only two players to actually accumulate any turnovers, as Anthony accounted for four and Prigioni three. 

Tyson Chandler picked up right where he left November in the efficiency department.  Chandler ended November shooting 71 percent from the field and continued with it in his first game in December.  Chandler shot six of eight from the field, finishing with 15 points and season high tying 13 rebounds. 

The Knicks defense suffered some in the second half, as they gave up 57 second half points but they pressured the Suns consistently, forcing 17 turnovers and scoring 23 points off of them. 

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Anyone watching the game also got to see Rasheed Wallace in prime Portland Trail Blazer form, getting ejected after accruing two technical fouls after a whopping one minute and 25 seconds of playing time. 

Wallace got the first technical after arguing a foul called on him.  After Goran Dragic missed his first attempted, Wallace yelled, “Ball don’t lie,” and was handed his second technical.

With Marcus Camby sidelined with a sore foot, Chris Copeland was called on to pick up the slack and that is exactly what he did.

In 10 minutes of playing time, Copeland packed the stat line with eight points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and block. 

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Steve Novak continued his hot shooting from deep, going four of nine from the three point line for 12 points in the game.  He also added two rebounds, an assist and two steals.  Novak getting hot and scoring some helps off-set how poorly J.R. Smith has been playing recently.

Smith went one of 11 in the game, scoring only 4 points.  This is the third time in the last four games Smith has scored five or less points in a game.  At least he is helping out in other areas of the game, as Smith grabbed five rebounds and handed out four assists. 

Next up for the Knicks is another road trip, as they will take the day off Monday before returning to practice Tuesday in preparation for the Charlotte Bobcats Wednesday.  After Charlotte, the Knicks will head to Miami to play the Heat then Saturday to play the Bulls in Chicago. 

New York Mets Extend Wright: What it means looking forward

The Mets earlier this week agreed to the terms of a contract extension with star third-baseman and franchise face David Wright. The total amount of the extension sits at eight years $138 million, which adds seven years $122 million to his current contract.  The contract made Wright the richest Met in their history and will have him signed through 2020. This is obviously a huge load off Mets fans minds as many wondered if he would suffer the same fate as Jose Reyes last off-season. They deal fits in the mold of other star third baseman Evan Longoria, who will get little more money per year but signed for three years less.

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Wright will be paid the same $16 million dollars this year so this does not hurt them payroll wise; which is good since the Mets are on a tight budget as it is. As it sits, the Mets don’t have many players signed past the 2013 season, which means a lot of money coming off the books to make moves. This extension shows to future free agents they are guaranteed to have one super star in the line-up for years to come making the Mets a little more enticing to some on the edge free agents.

The Mets still have some decisions to make in the near future, which include Cy Young award winner R.A. Dicky’s future, but a few rays of hope can be found with this signing. Star players still want to play here and maybe, just maybe, the Mets are willing to spend money.

Rivera Signs One-Year Deal with Yankees

nypost.com

The Yankees were able to resign the best closer of all-time, and a iconic figure in the history of their team in Mariano Rivera for one more season. The deal between the Yankees and Rivera is a one year 10 million dollar contract with incentives that could bring the total salary up to 15 million.

The 2012 season was not the way that the future hall of famer Rivera wanted to end his career, as he only made nine appearances before he tore his ACL on the warning track in Kansas City catching fly balls.

"Like I've been saying, I didn't want to go out like that," Rivera said in a statement released by the team. "I didn't want that to be the last image."

"But it wasn't an easy decision because there's more than just baseball with me," Rivera said. "I have to consider my family and the church, too. But I feel like we have a great group of guys and a team that can compete for a championship. I'm not just coming back to play. I'm coming back to win."

Rafael Soriano did a great job filling in for Rivera saving 42 of his 46 save oppurtuinties, but with the great season from Soriano he opted out of the final year in his deal to pursue another nice contract.

The Yankees will hope that Rivera can stay healthy, and be the anchor in the bullpen like he has been for so long to hopefully lead the Yankees to another World Series run in 2013.

Nets Beat Magic to Extend Winning Streak

sbnation.com

Nets vs. Magic Post Game Recap 11/30

The Nets were able to go down to Florida and keep their winning streak alive making it five straight wins by beating the Magic 98-86, as the Nets finish off a great month of November going 11-4.

The Nets were led by another stellar game from Joe Johnson who has played much better in four of his last five games. Johnson scored a game-high 22 points on 10 for 16 shooting, and added five assists.

With Brook Lopez sitting out with his foot injury Gerald Wallace really picked up the scoring slack for the Nets. Wallace caught fire from the field scoring 20 points on seven for nine shooting including five for six from beyond the arc.

Andray Blatche seemed to slide into the starting rotation at center for Lopez with no problem, as Blatche continued his good play this time with the starting five by scoring 14 points on six for 14 shooting, and also grabbed nine rebounds.

Deron Williams with his banged up wrist didn’t look for his shot to much in the game only shooting the ball nine times, but did only have to play 30 minutes much less than normal, and hopefully the wrist will heal soon for Deron.

The bench unit without Blatche didn’t do much scoring, but Reggie Evans once again had a great rebounding game off the bench grabbing 10 rebounds making it his fifth straight game with double-digit rebounds.

The Nets will be in for a big test on Saturday against the defending world champion Miami Heat team, as the Nets will be without Brook Lopez and their winning streak maybe in serious jeopardy.