Loading ...Victor Cruz and Jason- Pierre Paul were on top of the world. After a 99-yard touchdown that broke open a close game against the New York Jets, Cruz emerged as the New York Giants' all time leader for receiving yards in a single season.
Meanwhile, new fan favorite Jason Pierre- Paul, finished up the final 4 games of the season with 36 tackles and 6 sacks, including a safety and a forced fumble.
Veteran leaders like Osi Umenyiora and Hakeem Nicks had taken a back seat to the new- found stars. Both missed games with injury and their stat lines didn't really jump off the page the way that Victor Cruz's or "JPP's" did.
Now, these two cornerstones have emerged as the epitome of the the team effort that has led the Giants to the conference championship game and neither was phased by their lack of attention over the course of the last month or so.
Enter the mentality that Tom Coughlin has instilled in this Giants team.
Umenyiora has 12 sacks in his last 11 games, while Hakeem Nicks joined Larry Fitzgerald and Jerry Rice as the only receivers since 1966 to post 150 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns in back to back playoff games.
On a week to week basis for the last month or so, players have picked each other up and fought for one another. Nicks and Umenyiora were happy to take a back seat to other guys and wait for their opportunity.
The feeling and the relationship between these Giants players is a reflection of Tom Coughlin. Look no further than the comments of a once disgruntled Umenyiora to understand that.
“It feels good, man,” he said. “I love these guys, man. I don’t even know how to explain it. I’m just so happy to be playing with a team like this. These D-linemen, it’s just fun. I’ve never had this much fun before.”
The layers of passion and the team oriented approach goes deeper than just enjoying the moment for a guy like Osi.
Other veteran leaders are fighting for their team, such as Deon Grant. Grant was quick to back up teammate Chris Canty after Canty was accused of faking an injurt by Green bay Packers tight end Jermicheal Finley.
“I have to go on air and apologize to (Finley),” he said. “He was mad, thinking (Canty) was faking and I got at him like, ‘You don’t say nothing unless you know for a fact the guy is faking.’
Canty and fellow defensive tackles represent another group whose unselfish nature has propelled the team.
“It’s not the sexy part of the defense, but it’s very much appreciated inside this locker room,” linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said.
Canty had a big game sealing safety against the Jets while he and Joseph were key parts of a defense that stopped the Atlanta Falcons on two 4th down attempts last week.
The play of the whole defensive line has even allowed a player like Micheal Boley to take advantage of matchups in the offenses blocking scheme on his way to a two sack performance yesterday.
Over the last two seasons, Rex Ryan has been more than happy to take the spotlight and declare his team the best team in New York.
With the Giants out of the post season both years, most bought into that fact.
Even if that were true, the man who took the most unfair amount of heat was the business- like Tom Coughlin.
When it mattered most, Coughlin got players like Antrel Rolle to buy in. He reached out to Justin Tuck before the Jets game and woke him up when it needed to happen. The Giants were absolutely a down and out team after losing to the Washington Redskins.
Antrel Rolle called out team mates for not practicing hard and there seemed to be nothing the team did well.
That's when Coughlin got to work. And he's still working.
Also…
- Be sure to "like" Giants 101 on Facebook and to follow Giants 101 on Twitter
- Meet Victor Cruz at the Poughkeepsie Galleria on January 17th
- Get your tickets to meet Brandon Jacobs at "The Man Show" January 29th
- Text "oneteam" to 20222 to donate $10 to the One Team for the Lights charity initiative.
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- New York Giants’ Jason Pierre-Paul Named to AP All-Pro First Team; Victor Cruz Makes Second Team
- New York Giants’ Victor Cruz & Jason Pierre-Paul Named to 2011 PFF All-Pro Second Team
- New York Giants’ Victor Cruz Finalist for 2011 VIZIO Top Value Performer Award
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If anyone can, put on ESPN News or listen to 1050AM on the radio. Colin Cowherd is going off and ripping apart Flacco, Tebow, and Rapistburger and giving Eli more love than I’ve heard Eli get in the total amount of time he’s been in league by all the other ESPN pundits COMBINED.
That is why he is my favorite talking head in the entire world.. That guy is right more than ANYBODY..
I agree bro, Colin is one of the most shrewd and fair talking heads out there….he doesnt care what anyone thinks, he tells it like it is…is he wrong sometimes yes of course but the guy doesnt back down…..I think his show is THE BEST in sports talk and it puts guys like Jim Rome and his frat house atmosphere and college humor to shame….his show is tops in my book.
I listen to him almost every day and he always says Eli is the man…nowe he has been proven right beyond the shadow of a doubt.
yep, he has always been more than fair to Eli, Coughlin and the giants as a whole. Love that guy and I make sure I have him on every day from 11-1..
He keeps talking about how much the coaches can put on Eli’s plate because he’s such a student of the game. Eli, Rodgers, Brady, Brees, and Peyton, those 5. He says the coaches often change the entire gameplan on a Thursday night and just know that their QBs will able to handle it. He said the 1st day of training camp, the coaches gave Eli the entire audible package, but it took 2 years for the Steelers to do that with Rapistburger. Some really interesting stuff.
Cowherd loves Eli, but he has been spending a lot of time this morning pumping Eli up and laughing off any Flacco supporter.
No one wants to see that clown in the Super Bowl. No one wants to see Alex Smith too. No one cares about the coaches. Patriots/Giants is the sexy ratings pick, because they have legit NFL quarterbacks.
Tom Coughlin may go down as the greatest coach in Giants history by the time all is said and done. Unfortunately, I’m thinking he retires in 3 weeks if he wins another Lombardi..
I agree. Gotta get there first though!
Agreed.
I’ve just had that sense all season long, with the way some of the players–namely Rolle and Canty– have spoken about him and wanting him to go out “on his own will.”
BTW, have you heard of the bar Mugshots on 436? It was suggested to me as a pretty good spot for Giants games.
It is a Giants/ Yankees bar if I remember correctly..
You ever been? Don’t you live out in Apopka?
No I live in Avalon Park by Waterford. I haven’t been to Mugshots but heard from friends that it is a Yankees/Giants bar
That wouldn’t be so unfortunate. Not for Coughlin, anyway. He’d go out on a top and wouldn’t have to deal with the constant noise about his job that seems to surround him every season any longer.
* on top
TC for life.
Thoughts on Prince last night? I thought he did pretty well and from what I saw and didnt allow a catch all game. I could be wrong as I was rather pumped up LoL
I thought he did great and mentioned so last night. As soon as Prince came in the game, I believe he was covering Jennings. But as soon as he did, Rodgers immediately looked that way with the ball and basically stared that way for a good 2 or 3 seconds, but he couldn’t throw that way because I guess Prince had him blanketed. Rodgers instead had to dump it off in the flat to the other side and the pass was dropped.
He played VERY well.
Seemed like he did pretty well, though I, too, was rather “pumped up”
Good call Smard, he looked very good.. From the time he came into the game, his WR was Rogers first read and he blanketed his guy, forcing Rogers to go else where..
He definitely looked good. When he gets a full, healthy season under his belt, watch out. I really think the kid is gonna be a stud.
A couple of Random Thoughts
1) The Giants have NEVER lost a Conf Title Game. They are 4-0
2) No team has knocked the Giants out of the playoffs more (4 times) than SF
3) The last 10 years, the NFC has been represented by ten different teams. The Giants will either be the first team to get back and also the only NFC team to get to 3 SB’s in the last 14 years. The 49ers could expand that streak to 11 different teams in 11 years by beating the Giants. Throw in the Falcons from 98 and the Lions, Vikings and Redskins are the only 3 NFC teams not to go to a SB in the last 17 years
This could get interesting:
As of now, the long range forecast for Northern California calls for rain beginning on Thursday and continuing through Sunday.
We could be looking at a quagmire at Candlestick – a field that’s hardly ideal in even in the best weather conditions.
This would seem to favor the Niners as I’d think a muddy field helps the team with the stronger running game.
At any rate, we could be in a for an old fashioned 13-10 battle. Should be fun!
I would also like to add that it was nice to see Beckum haul in a couple of big catches yesterday. There is no doubt that the kid has talent, and I still say he will end up becoming a rather significant part of this offense down the road.
Agreed, he is a total mismatch out there.. Too fast for LB’s too big fr DB’s
The parallels between Coughlin and Parcels are Scary..
Parcels coached the Giants for 8 years- this is Coughlins 8th year.
Parcels won his 1st SB in his 4th season- Coughlin won his 1st SB in his 4th season
Parcels won his 2nd SB in his 8th season- TC is a game away from his 2nd SB in his 8th season
Parcels retired after his 8th season and 2nd Lombardi- Coughlin????
Parcells hired Coughlin who is a disciple of him. Love me some Coughlin, but Parcells is TOP DOG. Best HC in franchise history. The Giants were horrid before he came to town.
agreed, but if Coughlin sticks around and wins another Lombardi or 2 it will be hard to say he isnt the best ever.
I’ve argued with Eli bashers all season (I know, me argue??) that Eli is the 4th best QB (5th best when Peyton plays) in the league behind Brady, Brees and Rogers. I’m starting to question that.. I’m not sure that Eli isnt the best QB in the league anymore.. Seeing how mortal Brees is out of that Dome and how Eli clearly outplayed Rogers yesterday.. Throw in the fact that he has bested Brady the last two times they met, it isnt as crazy as it might sound…
I said last night Eli just may be the current top quarterback in the league. Doesn’t matter. As I have said many times, the ONLY question about a QB is can he contribute significantly to your getting to the Super Bowl and then win it? Eli has been that, is that, and will be that. All that needs to be said.
Was thinking the same thing myself last night.
Especially after reading an article which noted that Rodgers is, IIRC, something like 3-18 lifetime when trailing in the fourth quarter.
In other words, a guy who plays his best ball as a frontrunner. What was that graphic that FOX showed yesterday? The one that said the Pack had only trailed for like 3 minutes total all season at home. Well, that would certainly explain why the Pack, Rodgers, seemed off their game when having to come from behind.
Don’t get me wrong: I still have mad respect for Rodgers and regard him as one of the best – if not the best – QB in the game. But I did find myself that wondering yesterday if he possesses all the intangibles (y’know, the stuff that doesn’t translate to fantasy stats) that Eli has.
Not sure how people can say Prince played well except by inference (he wasn’t thrown at, and therefore must have covered his assignment well because he would have logically been targeted). You simply cannot see what the defensive backs are doing unless you’re at the game or see coaches’ tapes.
I think Prince will be our #2 corner in 2012 and expect him to be the #1 corner by 2013, but I couldn’t tell you much about his game yesterday. I’m thinking about whether to go to the one in SF, and if I do I’ll let you know how he played after that.
I will say this: based on my own observation at games there has not been NEARLY enough credit given to our safeties this season. Kenny Phillips has been tremendous since about Week 4. Antrel Rolle has been great since he was allowed a bit more freedom. And Deon Grant has been a great steadying influence all year and while he has lost a step and sometimes cannot make a play that is needed, he is almost never out of position and therefore forces quarterbacks to make very good passes to get completions out of his limited range.
Also this: this myth that the Giants don’t have a talented secondary has been ridiculous. They simply were confused, and not best-used, by the scheme, and were not getting the benefit of a good pass rush when things went bad during the middle part of the season. I assume Reese will draft another one or two players back there, but Webster; Amukamara; Ross-or-Thomas; Rolle; Phillips; Sash; one among Grant, Jones, Martin, and a draftee or UDFA; and two among Witherspoon, Johnson, or draftees or UDFAs should be as good as any in the NFL in 2012.
When you dont give up a single catch as a DB, thats an indication that you a pretty good game. But yeah, hard to say without game tape. But we arent getting our hands on that any time soon
I agree. The myth about “all the injuries in the secondary” is one of the worst of 2011. They lost Thomas and a bunch of subs. Their starting 4 still consists of 1st and 2nd round talent.
Dirt- ythe problem is in todays NFL that isnt enough.. It wasnt any of those 4 that were regularly torched by opposing QB’s.. It was Prince, Deon Grant, Will Blackmon and the inexperienced LB’s that were exposed in under neath coverage..
You are so right on. The very first play he, Prince, was in, Rodgers called an audible and looked right at Prince, and did not throw it.