From the Press Box: Know That You Know Nothing
Week 4 is upon us and so is Garda as he talks about how what we thought in preseason was wrong, resets the accident counter and talks about why the Giants suddenly look competent on offense.
By andrewgarda
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning by Brad Mills—USA TODAY Sports.
Week 4 is upon us and we’re at the point where bye weeks start messing with your fantasy football plans and we realize that everything we thought preseason was wrong.
Well at least most of it.
Think of the teams we believed were likely division winners from the preseason:
AFC
Denver Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals
New England Patriots
Indianapolis Colts
NFC
Seattle Seahawks
New Orleans Saints
Green Bay Packers
Philadelphia Eagles
Of those teams, the Bengals and Broncos are division leaders in the AFC while only the Eagles lead their division in the NFC. The Patriots are technically tied with the Bills for the lead in the East, but they have a division loss so the Bills are up top for now.
The Colts, Saints and Packers are 1-2, and the Seahawks are behind a 3-0 Cardinals team at 2-1.
None of this is set in stone—certainly I’m not saying that this is how things will remain. However, very few people outside of Buffalo had the Bills as leading the AFC East after three games, most people had the Panthers as dead in the water, not tied with the Falcons for the NFC South lead, nobody expected the Lions to be leading the NFC North, tied with the Bears and the Packers to sit at last in their division.
Heck, nobody thought Houston would have only one loss at this point, forget being ahead of the Colts for the AFC South.
This is why, despite the ridiculous crap off the field, that the NFL is the king of the sports world. No matter what you think is going to happen—or how sure you are something will happen—it never goes to plan.
Speaking of which:
Good Job, NFL, Good Effort
So we’re officially at the end of the week and we have had no off the field drama (new or otherwise) all week.
We can actually focus on football which, let’s be honest, is what we all want.
This is not to say that we should suddenly go back to ignoring domestic violence, child abuse or any of the other issues raised during the last few months nor does it mean those problems are solved in the NFL. I myself continue to hold the league’s feet to the fire, though if we’re honest my book of matches is smaller than, say, ESPN’s.
But it’s a nice change of pace to be able to talk about football for a while.
Thursday Night Football
Speaking of football—if we’re going to do the Thursday Night Football thing, can we get some better games? Or at least arrange things in such a way to where teams aren’t exhausted when they play it on the heels of a Sunday game?
Here’s my idea: don’t start the Thursday games until bye weeks begin and only play teams which have just had a bye. It’s not an easy scheduling scenario, but they have dealt with worse. You’d get teams fresh off a break and not exhausted, and I guarantee the quality of play will go up.
Will it always mean good games? No because when you schedule Tampa Bay and Atlanta in the Spring, the idea is they are both good teams. We didn’t expect Tampa to be the dumpster fire it has been on both sides of the ball.
But game for game, it would be better.
It won’t happen because the NFL is chasing money and would be happier if they could swing 20 Thursday games into a 16 game season, but I think it’s the only way to salvage what has become a pretty disappointing weekly event.
The Growth of the Giants
I wrote about the Giants twice at Sports on Earth this week, once from Metlife Stadium and yesterday breaking down how they slowed down Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt.
It’s been an interesting process, watching this team from training camp to now. Looking from the outside, most will think that there was some miraculous turn of events during the win over the Texans and I suppose there is some truth to that.
This was a team building towards this for months. It was only a matter of time before it clicked.
The closest thing to a miracle might be Eli Manning’s ability to let go of the micromanaging control he had in Kevin Gilbride’s offense. Manning was used to knowing everything everyone was supposed to do in his old offense and that was a scheme he played in for a decade.
Letting go of that isn’t easy and perhaps we didn’t really appreciate that prior to the season.
Ultimately, there has been a laundry list of issues the Giants offense has had to face—injuries on the offensive line and at wide receiver and a new offensive coordinator among them—but it might be that Manning’s inability to let go of his control has been what was holding them back.
Two games does not a season make, but the Giants look like they are on the upswing and this offense has the potential to only get better as the season goes on.
Certainly, Coach Coughlin is happy.
Comments (1)
Angelina
August 25, 2015 at 03:08 am
Today's apple is spinning at the acceleration of ablaze and it seems infiltrated by deadlines on top of http://www.brearcadiacove.com deadlines. In this anarchic ambiance the watch is absolutely in demand! For some their time section is even calmness at moments. There are array to accept from in abounding styles and personalities. Beyond that there are a amount of brands with ample capricious amount ranges. Abounding do accept a few watches for altered occasions, generally analytic priced. Though there are aswell those enthusiasts who avidly aggregate abounding watches and generally they are absolutely cher as well.It all began at a Paris jewellery branch run by http://www.teleman.org Adept Adolphe Picard. In 1847 if Picard anesthetized away, Louis-Francios Cartier took over afterwards his master. It became a ancestors business and connected through to the next century. Louis-Francios's son Alfred Cartier was complex in 1904 if he abutting minds with allegorical watchmaker Edmond Jaeger to accomplish the aboriginal Cartier watch to be beat by pilot Santos-Dumont if flying. Today the name Cartier has maintained authority for http://www.replicahandbags2u.co.uk about 160 years and alone associated with quality, elegance, and performance! If it comes to the Cartier watch, alone the best is used. The accomplished cast jewellery and alone the a lot of absolute automated functionality are activated with the accomplished standards as annihilation beneath will do.The Cartier watch is advised to action added than just a watch. Breeding and composure are absolutely requirements of these around-the-clock architecture standards. The Cartier watch generally becomes an antique of its owner, anesthetized own through the ancestors to http://www.mschallenge.org come. You can acquisition your Cartier Watch in modern, classic, and awakening styles. There's even an accustomed Cartier watch with roman numerals, alligator strap, and as with all Cartier watches their cast azure on the bulge as able-bodied as azure clear faces to abide scratching.Among the alternative you will aswell see the college end Cartier watch alternative including abounding adored metal bands of gold and platinum. Taking affliction in accurate alternative of these will amount you a bundle, but should go down in your ancestors history well. The http://www.lvreplica.com ultimate would accept to be the Cartier D'art bound copy models. In this band you will acquisition the Cartier watch of all Cartier alignment from fractional to complete design accoutrement and the Cartier signature: the panther.