National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
Defense wins championships, of course. And if you’re in the playoffs, chances are you’re playing it pretty well. Like the Philadelphia Eagles. In a 23-11 NFC Divisional Playoff win over the N.Y. Giants this afternoon, it was the Eagles’ defense that stepped up to the challenge of stopping the NFL’s best rushing offense en route to the NFC Championship game next week at Arizona.
For all the deserved hype that was the Giants’ “Earth, Wind and Fire” (running backs Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw) this season, the Eagles had other ideas. Sure, Brandon …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
By the time the N.Y. Giants took the field, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect after my experience with the Patriots. And as a result, I feel I had a better session with the G-Men. As much as Tom Brady was getting most of the attention for the Pats, Giants QB Eli Manning and DE Michael Strahan were pretty much split in their popularity for New York. Both of them appeared to handle the adoration very well. Michael seems to thrive on his popularity. And he’s usually joking and …read more

Podcasting the National Football League, Podcasting the NFL
When the N.Y. Giants started the 2007 season 0-2, nobody outside of their locker room gave them a chance to get to the playoffs let alone the Super Bowl. But somehow, this band of road warriors has learned how to run the ball and play smart on offense while aggressively attacking their opponents on defense. The result is three straight wins to get to SBXLII. I took part in New York’s Super Bowl XLII Media Day today at University of Phoenix Stadium and spoke with a number of players about the biggest game …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
There’s a Manning in the Super Bowl again this year. But this time, it’s younger brother Eli’s turn as he led his N.Y. Giants to a 23-20 overtime win against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. Yes, Eli Manning led them. It was the Giants’ 10th straight road win and once again, Eli took charge by managing the football game and not making mistakes. He was 21 of 40 for 254 yards with no touchdowns, but also no interceptions. There is so much to be said for not turning the …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
It’s a one-game season for the teams in this weekend’s Conference Championship games. Win and you’re on your way to sunny Glendale, AZ for Super Bowl XLII on February 3. Lose and it’s the sudden beginning of a long offseason. “Our whole season is at stake and so is theirs,” says New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in describing his AFC Championship Game against the San Diego Chargers. The same can be said for the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.

Both games are rematches of Week …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
The N.Y. Giants lost two of their final three games to end their 2007 National Football League season. Naturally, that doesn’t seem like a very good way to head into the playoffs. But just like instant replay — upon further review, the G-Men actually found their groove during that time. Running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combined for a ridiculous 294 rushing yards in a 38-21 come-from-behind win at Buffalo (I was working that game). And QB Eli Manning came into his own the following week in a narrow loss to the …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
The N.Y. Giants continued their road game success today with a 24-14 Wild Card win over Tampa Bay. And because the rest of their Playoff path will be played away from Giants Stadium, consider this team a legit contender for the Super Bowl. Now an astonishing 8-1 in road games this season, the G-men continue to thrive away from home. The only game they lost this season was at Dallas. And guess where they travel next? That’s right, to Texas Stadium to play a Cowboys team they are 0-2 against this season. Will …read more

The N.Y. Giants gave themselves and their fans an early Christmas present. Yesterday’s 38-21 win over the Buffalo Bills means the Giants will be playing postseason football. They earned it on the ground as human wrecking ball RB Brandon Jacobs and rookie RB Ahmad Bradshaw combined for a whopping 296 yards rushing. Brandon is a behemoth at 6′4″ and 264. And when he ran away from a fast Bills’ defense on a 42-yard TD run, my fellow writers and I watching from the press box looked at each other in disbelief. This tandem was unstoppable. If they can continue this …read more