Big Blue Huddle

mid week funnies

Quote from: uconnjack8 on Today at 06:25:39 PMI think for many of us, the 1st game was a slap back to reality.  It would have been one thing to lose,  but to look completely outclassed was a different story. 

Yup. That game was a complete fiasco. One of the worst performances in franchise history if not the worst. We looked like an expansion team going up against the defending SB champs in that game. Even worse than that, actually. More like a college team playing a good NFL team.

We were only a 2 or 3 point underdog in that game too, and many people were backing the Giants.

 One of my all-time favorite pictures. I used to have it hanging in my basement for years

Quote from: B1GBLUE on May 07, 2024, 12:22:47 PMAt least he can tackle. if you cant give me picks, at least make a sure tackle. lot of cb's get 2-3 lucky int's a year and miss dozens of tackles. break up plays, and keep your guy from getting YAC. im ok with this from a 3rd round pick.

And a good tackler helps in run support where they need help more than they need help in takeaways.

Quote from: MightyGiants on May 07, 2024, 11:20:59 AMThe funny thing is that he did have 1 INT, but it was called back due to a penalty (the penalty was not on Phillips).

While I prefer ball-hawks, I have seen DBs who are skilled at preventing completions from doing well.  I think former Giant Adoree Jackson could be an example.

This 0 INTs thing seems like a classic case of focusing on a thing a player doesn't do to the exclusion of the many things he does do.

I also don't get why he is being pigeonholed as a slot corner by some when he played more than half his snaps outside.

Quote from: todge on Today at 01:36:46 PMJones faced the early part of the schedule. Their losses were to: Cowboys, 49ers, Seattle, Dolphins and the Bills. Everyone knew the Giants weren't winning those games. Taylor and DeVito played the softer part of the schedule.

You also said "one person doesn't make a team". This statement is usually correct but it really depends on what position and who the replacement was. Thomas was out but his replacement Ezeudu was totally overmatched at left tackle. The early schedule also included the rookie OLs starting when they clearly weren't ready. As the season went on, Thomas returned and the rookie OLs matured. Bredeson , who was awful, was replaced by Pugh. Even Aikman and Buck stated that "Jones never had a chance". Which he didn't with only 1.7 seconds until the pocket totally collapsed.

Taylor and DeVito faced the softer part of the schedule and both played behind better offensive line play than Jones had to deal with.


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Oh, but @todge, context doesn't matter.   

Quote from: Trench on Today at 12:47:59 PMThis board has extreme bias going both ways for and against Jones. It is far from a one way ticket.

And that is ok. We are all just fans.

Bias is fine.  Except when it causes you to ignore facts, like the difference between a bad group of receivers and the 7th ranked group of receivers. 

Quote from: Gmo11 on Today at 10:01:42 AMI do think last night Carolina was better.  Though the teams are mostly pretty equal on paper.  The Hurricanes played as though their lives were on the line last night and turned in maybe their best game of the playoffs only to have Igor shove it right back in their faces with a masterful performance. 

They said that teams that go up 2-0 win 85% of the time so Carolina really played as though it was a do or die game for them even if they still have a great chance to go home and tie this thing back up at 2. 

Rangers are now in position to where they have two games to get one.  If they can split the next two games in Carolina I think they're moving on.  I don't think the Hurricanes can beat Shesty 3 straight times when he's playing at this level. Hell they may not be able to beat him once. 

I will give you they were more desparate, better puck handlers going into the Rangers' zone, passing in the Rangers' zone to set up shots on goal. When they were up 3-2, and Emily Kaplan was interviewing Laviolette, the head coach mentioned the Rangers needed some "pep in their step." Not a minute after he said that, the Rangers went on full burners and literally put the Canes on their heels and bombarded Freddie, drawing a penalty not long after, and the game-tying goal by Kreider after that. For the Rangers to absorb all that the Canes threw at them, then put on the Superman capes and literally blow the same Canes off the ice with a power play they cannot stop when the Rangers make their minds up they won't be denied. Top that with a hot goalie, it beats "better paper champions" and that's not taking anything away from a very, very good Carolina team that, in any other division, would likely blow through to Round Three without breaking a sweat.

The series is far from over, and Carolina can get back into this one with two home wins and put the pressure back on the Rangers' shoulders. But they have to do three things that run counter to what they've done all season:

1. Convert on their power play (0 for 10 in this series to date)
2. Dominate on their penalty kill (given up four goals in nine penalty kill attempts this series to date)
3. Excellent goaltending averaging three or less in the playoffs (given up eight goals in two games, avg. of four per game, to date)
4. Taking stupid, undisciplined penalties which lead to #2 above.

The Rangers are literally assassinating them in all four categories. They are literally the difference between the two teams and, if Carolina cannot solve these problems, they will be in a lot of trouble after Thursday. That's not the make-up of a better team; that's a better team ON PAPER!!! As in PAPER CHAMPION!!!

They have their home-town fans, parochial crowd which their box office locked out Ranger fans from out of town to ensure they couldn't get tickets and preserve the home-ice advantage. If they are better, they will have their home ice and fans behind them to demonstrate that they are. But somewhere, in the back of their minds, the thought that the last time the Rangers came to town, Igor and the Blueshirts left with a 1-0 shutout victory.

For the record, I don't see the Rangers sweeping this series. Even if they find a way to pull off a win tomorrow, I still think it will go five minimum, six realistically, seven possibly. To your point, Carolina is too good to go down in straight sets and Game Three may very well end up being a throw-away for the Rangers. I hope not, but let's see how it goes.

Peace!

I have to admit, I had no clue what the connection was well into having a bunch of the words. I knew that digits were numbers obviously, but "kinds of numbers" were not a category that crossed my mind until I had a bunch of them. They got me good today. Pretty clever.


Strands #66
"Can you digit?"
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Quote from: DaveBrown74 on Today at 05:33:06 PMI respectfully beg to differ. Last August there were people on this board arguing that the Giants were going to be "something special this year." I don't think any of those folks, or even a number who were less emphatic but still cautiously optimistic, would have told you last August that the Giant would go 0-5 in those five games.

I think for many of us, the 1st game was a slap back to reality.  It would have been one thing to lose,  but to look completely outclassed was a different story.