Loading ...The New York Giants shocked the NFL by beating the Green Bay Packers, the league's most dominant regular season team, in the second round of last year's playoffs. Eventually the Giants would go on to become Super Bowl Champs. It's something that didn't sit well with the Packers, and on Tuesday, Clay Matthews told the media the Giants didn't beat them, but rather the Packers beat themselves. When informed of Matthews' comments at training camp, Justin Tuck thanked Matthews for their 'gift.'
"Thanks for giving us the game, Clay, I appreciate it a lot," Tuck said.
The Packers dominated the regular season with a record of 15-1, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers would go on to win the NFL's MVP award. However, the Giants weren't intimidated by any means and came into their playoff matchup very confident. Big Blue won the turnover battle, forcing the Packers to make several mistakes, which the Giants offense turned into points. Clay Matthews told Yahoo! the Packers picked the wrong time to play their worst game.
"[We] picked the most inopportune time to play our worst ball," he said. "The fact is, they didn't beat us; we beat ourselves. We need to play our best ball when it counts. This year, I expect us to be right back where we should be."
Tuck admits the Packers may not have played their best game, but he feels the Giants were a big reason why.
"Did they play their best ball?" Tuck continued. "I don't know. But we won the football game. I don't think they gave us anything. When they fumbled the ball, I think it was us that stripped it out. We sacked them. I think it was us who beat their O-linemen and got to Rodgers. So I don't think they just Ole'd everything and gave us the game. I think they were trying to win."
Matthews' opinion is similar to that of the NFL experts and analysts who believe the Giants got lucky throughout both of their recent Super Bowl victories. Most experts believe the Cowboys and Eagles are more talented teams, and are picking them to represent the NFC East in the playoffs over the Giants. To that Tuck responded, "Who cares."
"It is football, it is a funny game. Talk is cheap. Play the game. We will see Green Bay again this year so we will see who lays down that week," he said.
The Giants have the league's most difficult schedule based on last year's records, including the Packers. That game will be held in primetime on November 25, at 8:20 p.m.
Also…
- Be sure to "like" Giants 101 on Facebook and to follow Giants 101 on Twitter
- Text "oneteam" to 20222 to donate $10 to the One Team for the Lights charity initiative.
Related Videos
Returning Soon!!!!No related posts.
Short URL: http://sport-ne.ws/ijy
Chris Snee:
“I have a brand new ring and we earned every bit of it. We went in there and beat them. He was a non-factor. Maybe that’s what he means. … I’ve been a part of two championship teams and I’m proud of that. We earned every bit of it. We went on the road, played No. 1 seeds, beat a team that was unbeatable, and we won. It’s not like it’s one game and that was it. We had to win six in a row (last season). I don’t see how you can say six in a row is a fluke. I’m not quite sure you can.”
In addition to thanking Clay Matthews for giving us a trip to the NFC Championship Game, I’d also like to thank him for lighting a fire under my team’s ***.
I think our team is uniquely motivated to defend of SB title. The credit we get from some of the football world really makes the team feel like hey need to win it again to shut everyone up. It’s hard to repeat in the NFL and many times it starts with the drive of a defending champ not being quite the same. We don’t have that issue at all. In fact, I’m not sure the bulls eye on our back is any more than philly, SF, GB or any other SB contender. It’s crazy how we can be a NY team and legitimately be able to play the disrespect card.
going back to last nights heated Left Tackle debate: I would side with Norm/ Cosell and wonder aloud if Diehl has been some sort of link to our success in winning the big game. Here is an LT who at best gave us average performance at the position but most importantly gave that performance at a very cheap salary and thus opening up precious Cap Money to be spen ton other positions. Compare that to a Miami team that has so many dollars tied down to Long that they struggle to afford good talent at the more elite positions. Is overpaying for an elite left tackle a mistake in the current cap system??
Second, to my point that our o-line should be graded last year by serately discussing the run game ( awful) versus pass protection (very good). Is that part of the Reese strategy going forward. You have an elite QB; does that allow you to be just ok on the o-line as long as they give good pass protection. If the answer is yes, than the $ in terms of cap and the draft go down on the o-line and you can afford to sign Nicks, Cruz and JPP for the lonh haul.
Going back to the OL discussion:
Reports of the demise of the Giants’ OL are greatly exaggerated. First, in pass pro, in the most pass happy seasoon in these parts in some time, they were 7th in sacks allowed.
Sure, the run game was garbage. I will give you that, and it needs to improve.
But, I feel strongly a lot of this is scheme. Simply put, when I was actually measuring last year, they ran a lot of shotgun, and whenever they were under center, their run was brutal and their pass was legendary. And they ran so infrequently in shotgun that (gulp) the shotgun draws were the best running plays.
If were laying out a list of reasons why the run game struggled, we need to include Killdrive in the list with injuries, age, talent and garbage TE/FBs.
A few days ago we went back and forth on trading JPP and Osi and kujo suggested he’s trade Osi for a left tackle. I said I’d agree only if he were really young and the next Jonathan Ogden. For all of the reasons mentioned above and the conclusions that I’ve begun to share with Cosell that a lockdown tackle can be ignored when you’ve got a QB who knows what he’s doing.
wrdag:
I don’t think the plan is not to be able to run the ball effectively but I do think pass protection is valued more which is why Beatty is our LT. I think that’s part of the reason we signed Bennett. I think in today’s NFL that Matt Lights and the Chad Cliftons are what you want. They good players but not great and affordable to keep long term.
Dirt:
I think sacks allowed is a poor stat. Eli like his brother gets rid of the ball and avoids sacks. Pressures and knock downs is really a much better indicator. I think the OL did get better and protected pretty well the last 6 games. To blame the OL struggles on Gillbride is crazy. We couldn’t pickup 3rd and 1s.
wasn’t Eli the most pressured QB of all the playoff QB’s last year? and one of the most pressured of any QB in the regular season
wasn’t he sacked and knocked down 125 times in the Niner game?
Pass protection was not good last season
Eli was other-worldly in spite of a porous offensive line
We can agree to disagree that teams looaded up every time the Giants lined up under center and dared them to pass. This isn’t our father’s NFL, these DTs are enormous, it’s a challenge for any line to simply blow 350 pound dudes backwards.
I agree that sacks isn’t a definitive stat. But the facts are your man simply wasn’t put on the turf that often, and it can’t be 100% because of him avoiding hits.
FWIW, they were 14th in QB Hits. Teams with supposed elite tackles gave up a lot more, like Miami, who was 29th, or Cleveland who was 25th.
And why is it crazy to include the coaching in the discussion? Harbaugh took Singletary’s team and made it 13-3. Crap coaches get fired regularly.
And, look: I’m not even saying Killdrive’s strategy was bad. Hell, if you’re gonna stack the box and hold me to 4 YPC and let Nicks, Cruz and Manningham win 1-on-1 battles all day, I’d sign up for that in an instant. Hence, a 32nd ranked rush offense with a near-5,000 yard QB just won a Super Bowl.
Clay Matthews is so full of it. The Packers did make some mistakes, but let’s not forget how the refs tried their hardest (literally) to try to give the game to the Packers — TWICE. The Giants outplayed them and the whole “we beat ourselves” stuff just doesn’t fly. The Giants were able to shut down Rodgers (for his standards) and had guys in his face all game. Plus wasn’t that the game with Osi’s infamous “late hit/helmet to the head” that was nowhere near Rodgers’ head? Anyway…I just hate when teams say stuff like they weren’t beat by the other team, that they beat themselves. I hope Matthews keeps running his mouth because this is bulletin board material.
Poor Clay, he’ll never be able to watch that game on replay.
Tommie B. can’t bring himself to ever watch the ’08 or ’12 Supes; now Clay.
What are the Giants doing to the future of the recorded game market?