Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like 2007??

I was just looking back at some history with the NFL and I happen to see a comparison of some sorts that I wanted to discuss. This blog will be cover the New York Giants as I compare the 2007 and 2011 seasons. Now why did I pick just these two season for? Well as you know, the Giants are in the midst of another 2nd half collapse, but I'll focus more on the good things and not bad.

Looking at the two seasons, I see some similarities in it. At this time in 2007, the Giants were 7-4 and behind the Cowboys in the NFC East race. This season, the Giants are 6-5 and behind the Cowboys in the NFC East race. Well only a game difference between the two seasons, but more similarities to follow. In 2007, the Giants ended the month of November with a blowout lost to the Minnesota Vikings at home 41-17. Just this past week (the last Monday Night game in November) the Giants lost to the Saints 49-24.

Questions arose from the New York media after both games, and doubt was put into people's head as to question will the Giants go to the playoffs? Should Coach Tom Coughlin be fired? One thing about the Giants under Coughlin is that they respond to criticism well when it comes to situations like this. The game following that Vikings loss in 07, the Giants played another NFC North team the Chicago Bears. They won in Chicago 21-16, a game in which most picked the Bears to dominate the Giants. Fast forward to 2011 and this weekend's game against another NFC North team, the undefeated Green Bay Packers. This game, like the game in 2007, could very well be for the Giants season, in which if they lose this could give the Cowboys a 2 game lead in the NFC East and would put the Giants behind a few teams in the NFC Wild Card race.

We'll keep the Green Bay Packers in mind, the 2007 team played them as well (lost) and played them again in the NFC Championship game (won in OT). The 2011 team could very well see this team again in a few weeks (Considering that they win on Sunday), at the same place and possibly have the same seed they did in 2007. Now I do somewhat believe in divine intervention, but for Giants fans who though that they're season is over with, may need to just relax. 2011 Giants are just as talented as the 2007 Giants team, but Eli Manning as grown more over the years. Remaining schedule doesn't look too good for the Giants (Packers, Cowboys, Redskins, Jets and Cowboys), but with their backs against the wall, they usually respond.

Could this be a repeat of Super Bowl 42 (2007) against the Giants and Patriots? Remember these two teams played this year as they did in 2007. If the Giants make the playoffs as a wild-card team, they'll face the NFC South winner, as they did in 2007 against the Bucs. If they win that game, they could possibly face off against the winner of their division the Cowboys, as they did in 2007 (Considering if the Cowboys win out and the 49ers lose some games). With the showdown at Lambeau Field against the Packers, for whom they would of have already played them in the regular season, just as they did in 2007. Get where I am going with this now Giants fans?

Of course all of this isn't what's going to happen, but then again who's to say that divine intervention can't run it's course again. I mean the Giants are collapsing again in the 2nd half of the season for a second year in a row right? Right? Only time will tell.

Is it that time of the year again?!?!?!?

Well as we turn the calendar to December, we note that a few things usually (Over the last 5 years) happen around this time. For instance, NFL teams making their run to a championship, the New York Giants collapsing, and a team that's either trying to go 16-0 or 0-16. But for the purposes of this blog entry, I'll be talking about one person in particular that everyone knows who has a December collapse. That one guy being: Tony Romo. 

If the month of December has never done a man in, this man right here would say otherwise. Tony Romo is a career 19-2 as a starter in the month of November, but December he's 8-10 for his career. For the last five Thanksgiving games, Romo goes into those games hotter than the turkey stuffing you had last week. After those games is when the wheels come off of the Romo express and the Cowboys go south.

This season is no different, with the Cowboys leading the NFC East by one game to the Giants (whom they play twice in the next 5 weeks). Could 2011 be different then any of the other years (2009 being the last time they won the division and withstood the collapse). The schedule-makers this season gave the Cowboys a HUGE break. Lets take a look at the last couple of Cowboys December's with Romo at the helm.

2006: Romo first year, as he took over for Drew Bledsoe and won 4 of his first 5 starts heading into December of 2006. The Cowboys were in a division dead-heat with the Eagles, and played them on Christmas at, then Texas Stadium. The Eagles won this game and the division, and this was the big Jessica Simpson game (Romo's Ex-girlfriend). Cowboys finished losing 3 of 5 and having to travel to Seattle for a playoff game with the Seahawks. End Result: This is the infamous "Botched Field Goal game" with Romo mishandling the snap from center with him trying to run it in and was stopped short of the goal-line, to preserve the Seahawks 21-20 victory.

2007: Cowboys were rolling this season, winning 11-1 in their first 12 games and another winning November from the Cowboys. After dismantling the Jets and Packers, people started looking at this as Super Bowl contenders. As December rolled around, a new year, they can't hit the brick road soon right? Yes they could and did. Cowboys lost again to the Eagles and the Cowboys lost the last two games to lose home-field to the Packers. This would hurt the Cowboys as they fell to the #2 seed, and had to play the Giants coming off their 1st Round win against the Bucs. Romo was unable to lead his team to a come-from-behind victory. On 4th down with less than half a minute and no timeouts left, Romo threw the ball into the end-zone, but it was intercepted, ending the Cowboys hopes for another championship.  End Result: Cowboys lost at home to the Giants 21-17, as the Giants would become the eventual Super Bowl champs.

2008: This marked the final season at Texas Stadium for the Cowboys and how fitting that in December, they lost their final game to the Baltimore Ravens. This was a huge lost because it set up a key match up in Philly against the Eagles with the winner going to the playoffs. This game was the game that the Cowboys just flat out laid down and got the doors blown off them 44-6. Romo committed three turnovers in the game and went 21-39 for 183 yards and no touchdowns. End Result: Cowboys at 9-7 missed the playoffs after being 8-4 and in control of the wild card at the beginning of December 2008.

2009: This season was one in which the Cowboys bucked the trend. After losing it's first two games in December 09, the Cowboys we're 8-5 and the critics were once again coming out on the Cowboys and their December collapses. However, the Cowboys woke up. Winning it's next three games and winning the NFC East, they hosted another playoff game against the Eagle (whom they played a week earlier). Cowboys won that game behind a great game from Romo. Romo had a 104.9 passer rating in a 34-14 win of the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs, earning the first play-off win in 13 years for the Cowboys, and his own first career post-season win. End Result: However the following week in the NFC divisional round against Minnesota Vikings, Romo had three fumbles (losing two), an interception and was sacked six times in the 34-3 loss at the Metrodome.

2010: This was not a good season for the Cowboys or Tony Romo. Romo suffered a broken left clavicle in a game against the Giants. With a few months of rehab, the Cowboys placed Romo on Injured Reserve on December 21, 2010. End Result: Cowboys finished with Jon Kitna at QB and had a record 6-10.


2011: Which leads us today (As of December 2nd, 2011) what will the Cowboys and Romo do this year? Having the Cardinals, Giants, Bucs, Eagles, and Giants in that order, can the Romo lead the Cowboys to a perfect December this year? End Result: Check back with me in a few week.....only time will tell!!!

Vikings "Failed" Season

For those who truly know me, knows that I don't hide my allegiance to my favorite sports teams (mostly all Minnesota teams). I created this blog to cover everything that I like or find interesting, not necessarily my teams exclusively. But I was requested to do a report on a team (okay my team) the Minnesota Vikings. For starters, before the season started, I believed could win 10-11 games with this team as currently constituted. Okay, I was wrong, but that's not a discredit for this team. I still believe that this team is an 10-win team, just not in 2011.

I'll come up with 3 things that doomed this season as to date:

1.) Lockout: Lets face it folks, it is what it is, the NFL lockout really did a number on the Minnesota Vikings this off-season (or lack thereof). When a team is in transition from one coaching system to another coaching system, they need a full off-season to implement their system into the players and organization. Now for those that will say that Coach Leslie Frazier had 6 games of 2010 to help put his stamp on the team, he also had former coach Brad Childress system from which he had to run for the last 6 games of 2010.

Now to Coach Frazier's defense, this season isn't really how any first year head coach wants to make his "mark" onto the organization. With only having about 8 weeks of training camp/preseason, the offense is the only thing that had a huge makeover (the defense is still under the cover 2 format).

2.) Frazier Offensive Coordinator Choice: The only issue I had with Frazier when it came to the offense is that he should of kept, then offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell (at least for this season). Considering that IF Frazier knew that he would try to get Donovan McNabb from the Washington Redskins, it would made things a little easier for McNabb to run this offense with Bevell calling the plays (i.e. Brett Favre 2 years ago under this same system).

Nothing against current Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave, but I believe that if you we're going to bring in a new system that I would of brought it in with a new QB (insert Christian Ponder or Joe Webb). I'll admit, I was strong against bringing in Ponder before Webb and in place of McNabb, but after watching the horrible performance against the Chicago Bears (on Sunday Night at that), I felt that it was time to see what we had in both QB's. Ponder has played VERY GOOD football, considering the few times I've watched him at Florida State.

3.) Re-tread Veteran Quarterbacks: Well as we saw a few years ago, 2008 to be exact, we saw the Vikings give up on what had been planned on the "Quarterback of the future" in Tarvaris Jackson after 2 games of the season. Gus Frerotte, a Veteran QB, was inserted and the Vikings season was saved. Now after that season, one could of said that Childress should of drafted another QB and tried that experiment again. He actually drafted John David Booty from USC, then to cut him when he decided to bring in a "Re-tread Veteran" in Brett Favre.

The Vikings QB situation has been screwed up since that bad day in Carolina in 2005. Yea the day, then Vikings Franchise QB, Daunte Culpepper had his knee destroyed and ultimately ended his career. Since that time the Vikings had these QB's as starters: Brad Johnson, Tarvis Jackson, Kelly Holcomb, Brooks Bollinger, Gus Frerotte, Brett Favre, Joe Webb, Donovan McNabb and now Christian Ponder. Of those QB's I've mentioned, only two of them are under the age of 30. Safe to say that Ponder could be that replacement that the Vikings been looking for over the last 6 years.

Ponder and Frazier are now married at the hip. After 2 games they have a 1-1 record, so far so good. Only time will tell.........