Newsflash NFL Brothers and Sisters.
The Super Bowl may be over 2 months away, but the most influential football game of the season took place this past Sunday.
Stumped? Giants / Titans.
Giants / Titans? Hear me out. This game has the potential to send 'Butterfly Effect' type shockwaves throughout the NFL for seasons to come.
The Giants / Titans tilt on Sunday November 26th very well might be the game where;
Vince Young held his coming out party.
Everyone knew that Young is a tremendous talent but there were doubts as to whether or not he would ever be able to put together all of the pieces and become a great NFL quarterback. Not only did Young make plays with his arm and feet, but he showed intelligence, intestinal fortitude, and guts in Tennessee's thrilling come from behind, 24-21 victory. This game might be the one that put Young on the road to becoming an NFL superstar.
Eli Manning was exposed.
The honeymoon is definitely over. When his Legacy and bloodlines are stripped away, what is left is a Quarterback in regression. At this point in his career, Manning is a maddeningly inconsistent QB with questionable mechanics and suspect decision making abilities. Now will Manning flame out in the months and years to come? Most likely not, but this game acts as the Boy Wonder's crossroads and it will be interesting to see how he responds facing, arguably the most adversity that he has ever faced involving the game of Football.
The Giants dreams of an extended play off run ended.
These are the types of losses that seem to send middling teams into a tailspin, from which they never recover. If this is the case, what do the next few seasons have in store for the G-Men. Is Tom Coughlin gone? Given the way that he has been criticised by his players this season, it would stand to figure that the only thing that saves his job is a play off WIN. Not appearance, WIN. Taking into account that a new coach would be dealing with a question mark a Quarterback, the departure of a Pro Bowl running back, and a defense core that's aging, barring a mild miracle, the New York Football Giants might be heading into rebuilding mode for the next season or two.
There is a chance that this game, however, promises to have ramifications that the entire League may feel, stemming from 2 plays.
Fourth quarter. Young is heading for the sidelines and takes a hellacious hit from 2 New York defenders, prompting a personal foul call even though at the moment of impact, Young's feet were in bounds - by definition, a legal hit. Late in the quarter, trailing by 7, Young and the Titans face a 4th and 10 at their own 24 yard line. With the game on the line, Giants Defensive End Mathias Kiwanuka breaks through, bear hugs Young, then, perhaps assuming that the play would be whistled dead at any second and fearing that taking Young to the ground might incite another roughing penalty, lets him go, allowing Young to scramble for the 1st down. The rest is history - Touchdown, Manning interception, game winning Field Goal, Music City Miracle II.
This game exposes the fact that the NFL's desire to protect Quarterbacks has reached ridiculous proportions. Football minions have grown tired of seeing the gradual development of dual sets of rules, one for the QB's and one for everyone else, and on Sunday, this favouritism cost a team a win. No one wants to see Quarterbacks, or any other players for that matter injured, but at the end of the day, a Quarterback is still a football player playing football which is, like it or not, a violent sport.
One of the many characteristics of the NFL is, unlike other sports, its Board of Governors won't hesitate to tweak the game based on an incident or two. Patriots Defensive Backs maul Colts Wide Receivers during the 2005 AFC Championship? Stricter illegal contact rules are implemented the next season. Cowboys Safety Roy Williams drags down Eagles Wide Receiver Terrell Owens from behind, breaking Owen's foot? Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you, the 'horsecollar' rule.
This game, on many levels, might evolve into a historical bookmark, a reference point for the true beginning of one career, the defining moment of another career, all the while, leaving its fingerprints all over the way the game is played. And to think, with the ability to Flex Scheduele, NBC passed on this gem for Eagles / Colts.
Gotta go, 'Breakfast Club' is on.
The Super Bowl may be over 2 months away, but the most influential football game of the season took place this past Sunday.
Stumped? Giants / Titans.
Giants / Titans? Hear me out. This game has the potential to send 'Butterfly Effect' type shockwaves throughout the NFL for seasons to come.
The Giants / Titans tilt on Sunday November 26th very well might be the game where;
Vince Young held his coming out party.
Everyone knew that Young is a tremendous talent but there were doubts as to whether or not he would ever be able to put together all of the pieces and become a great NFL quarterback. Not only did Young make plays with his arm and feet, but he showed intelligence, intestinal fortitude, and guts in Tennessee's thrilling come from behind, 24-21 victory. This game might be the one that put Young on the road to becoming an NFL superstar.
Eli Manning was exposed.
The honeymoon is definitely over. When his Legacy and bloodlines are stripped away, what is left is a Quarterback in regression. At this point in his career, Manning is a maddeningly inconsistent QB with questionable mechanics and suspect decision making abilities. Now will Manning flame out in the months and years to come? Most likely not, but this game acts as the Boy Wonder's crossroads and it will be interesting to see how he responds facing, arguably the most adversity that he has ever faced involving the game of Football.
The Giants dreams of an extended play off run ended.
These are the types of losses that seem to send middling teams into a tailspin, from which they never recover. If this is the case, what do the next few seasons have in store for the G-Men. Is Tom Coughlin gone? Given the way that he has been criticised by his players this season, it would stand to figure that the only thing that saves his job is a play off WIN. Not appearance, WIN. Taking into account that a new coach would be dealing with a question mark a Quarterback, the departure of a Pro Bowl running back, and a defense core that's aging, barring a mild miracle, the New York Football Giants might be heading into rebuilding mode for the next season or two.
There is a chance that this game, however, promises to have ramifications that the entire League may feel, stemming from 2 plays.
Fourth quarter. Young is heading for the sidelines and takes a hellacious hit from 2 New York defenders, prompting a personal foul call even though at the moment of impact, Young's feet were in bounds - by definition, a legal hit. Late in the quarter, trailing by 7, Young and the Titans face a 4th and 10 at their own 24 yard line. With the game on the line, Giants Defensive End Mathias Kiwanuka breaks through, bear hugs Young, then, perhaps assuming that the play would be whistled dead at any second and fearing that taking Young to the ground might incite another roughing penalty, lets him go, allowing Young to scramble for the 1st down. The rest is history - Touchdown, Manning interception, game winning Field Goal, Music City Miracle II.
This game exposes the fact that the NFL's desire to protect Quarterbacks has reached ridiculous proportions. Football minions have grown tired of seeing the gradual development of dual sets of rules, one for the QB's and one for everyone else, and on Sunday, this favouritism cost a team a win. No one wants to see Quarterbacks, or any other players for that matter injured, but at the end of the day, a Quarterback is still a football player playing football which is, like it or not, a violent sport.
One of the many characteristics of the NFL is, unlike other sports, its Board of Governors won't hesitate to tweak the game based on an incident or two. Patriots Defensive Backs maul Colts Wide Receivers during the 2005 AFC Championship? Stricter illegal contact rules are implemented the next season. Cowboys Safety Roy Williams drags down Eagles Wide Receiver Terrell Owens from behind, breaking Owen's foot? Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you, the 'horsecollar' rule.
This game, on many levels, might evolve into a historical bookmark, a reference point for the true beginning of one career, the defining moment of another career, all the while, leaving its fingerprints all over the way the game is played. And to think, with the ability to Flex Scheduele, NBC passed on this gem for Eagles / Colts.
Gotta go, 'Breakfast Club' is on.
posted by average john at 10:25 PM
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