Friday, October 2, 2009

Me and the Big Blue View

Here's our latest installment of our Q&A trade with Ed Valentine of Big Blue View. For a look at my answers to the same questions, swing by Ed's site at http://www.bigblueview.com/.



1. How long do you stick with Lawrence Tynes after watching him miss two chip-shot field goals in two games?


"I think Tynes is the Giants' kicker for the long haul, at least for this season, whether Giants fans like it or not. And I am well aware that many don't. As you know, we talked about Tynes at some length on Big Blue View this week. Those two misses were ridiculous, but that makes only three times in a six-year career (36-for-39) that he has missed inside 30 yards. Tynes is what he is -- pretty much an average NFL kicker. Thing is, he has always made the money kicks and he has never really cost the Giants. Right now I don't see any better kickers who are available, so unless Tynes completely falls apart I don't see him going anywhere."


2. Were you surprised to see the Giants blow out a bad team in Tampa last week?


"No. What surprised me was how truly pathetic the Buccaneers were. How on earth did that offense gain 462 yards against Dallas? The Bucs might be this year's Lions. The Giants did what good teams are supposed to do to awful ones."


3. (Given before Tom Coughlin's press conference): There was some talk over the weekend about Brandon Jacobs perhaps not running hard enough. Do you see a difference in Jacobs this season, or do you think he is just off to a slow start and will end up with his usual numbers?


"I am not worried about Jacobs -- yet. He was actually effective against Tampa Bay, but not spectacular. He is really one or two big runs away from dramatically changing that 3.3 yards per carry average he has right now, and I think they are going to come. Is he going to average 4.9 yards per rush like last season? I doubt it, the way defenses are creeping up on the line of scrimmage. Has he lost anything? I don't think so. The day will come when he will lose that half-step, but I don't think it's here."


4. Does the Giants' 3-0 record indicate power, or simply the exploitation of bad to overrated opponents?


"A little of both, I think. The Dallas victory was very impressive. The Washington and Tampa Bay wins seem to be victories over bad teams. Good teams should win those games, though. The encouraging thing I see is that they are winning despite being very banged up, and despite still being a work in progress on many fronts. There is a lot of room for this team to continue getting better."


What do you guys think?


EP

8 comments:

  1. Ernie, I agree with you on the Tynes issue. He has yet to cost a game for us. While his kicks may give us the jitters.. let's not forget Feely (Seattle) or Carney (eagles game).

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  2. thegeneralfamilyOctober 02, 2009 9:45 AM

    1) Truth be told, hopefully Tynes doesn't have to kick too many more FGs from inside the 20 - they gotta keep putting TDs on the board. In any case, until a better alternative pops up I think he's the guy, though regardless I think it might be time to draft one if a *difference-maker* is available via that route.

    2) I agree with Ed and disagree with you EP, and I think the difference is Eli - no longer is he the immature quarterback unable to manage a game well enough to put it away, though that pick in the opener exactly the type of mistake he's been prone to over the years given the circumstances. Once Leftwich threw that pick early, the game was for all intent and purposes, over..

    3) I agree with you EP and disagree with Ed, to me Jacobs looks at least a bit hesitant and a bit too anxious to bounce the ball outside rather than stick with North-South running. Perhaps the holes in the middle are smaller, which is why Bradshaw has been able to squeak through more efficiently. Hopefully it's just a slow start and he'll pick up the pace, which I'm optimistic about. (On the topic of Jacobs, can they PLEASE stop throwing him the ball? And Hedgecock too for that matter...)

    4) Obviously like you both indicated, a touch of both. Clearly there is no Patriots '07 team leaps and bounds ahead of the pack, and assuming the injury front doesn't get worse than it already is as the season progresses, this team should be around for the long haul. I'm looking forward to watching the other NY team play this weekend, as it should give an idea somewhat as to who the powerhouses in the league really are, and just how strong they are. Looking forward to a cakewalk in KC this weekend, though as long as we come away with the W no complaints...

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  3. U guys forget that Tynes would have been the goat in Green Bay if not for OT. Those kicks were bad enough in a crucial time i dismissed him at that point. Tynes routinely kicks off out of bounds and is a TERRIBLE kicker.

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  4. The noise about Tynes has a lot to do with fans having nothing else to whine about.

    Where have all the Eli doubters gone? Guess they have a new target.

    Regarding Jacobs. I don't mind seeing him act more like a running back and less like a human battering ram, at least this early in the season. Save the big hits for the big games.

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  5. thankfully we did have some depth at D, but the injuries seem to have quickly gotten us thinned to the point where i'm worried about anyone else going down.

    the Dallas win gives a misleading 3-0 record - it wasn't so much us winning as them giving the game away. we had a hard time stopping their run and didn't seem to be able to get our ground game going. what kind of team we are until we face teams like NO / Phi that are stronger competition.

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  6. You know what I think?

    I think this blog has become my favorite source for news and opinion about the G-Men.

    Keep up the good work, Ernie.

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  7. Hey Lakeshow,

    We beat the Cowboys on the road in their new palace(not my words, I went to the New Yankee Stadium enough to not take someone elses words but hey). Any road game in the NFC east thats a win is huge. Don't minimize it and at least I am complainign about a kicker who some Giants fans think has distiguished himself, don't ask me why, and not one of the best RB's in the game whose #'s go way beyond fantasy value.

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  8. How about we keep Tynes and start scoring TD's when we get in the red zone? Just a thought.

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