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