Cowboys @ Giants: 5 Questions with Big Blue View

by Dave Halprin on Oct 31, 2008 5:00 AM CDT in News Comment 25 comments

I'm trying to get back in the swing of regular scheduled postings that have slipped the last few weeks for various reasons. One item we missed was 5 Questions. Well, it's back as you can see below. Also, I do plan to have a Scouting Report up today or Saturday.

For 5 Questions this week, I talked to ETVal over at Big Blue View and he sent me the following responses. Enjoy!

Blogging The Boys: Since we last saw the Giants win the Super Bowl, has anything changed about the team this year that the casual NFL fan may not have observed?

Big Blue View: I think the thing that has changed is this team's core belief in itself. They are still a team that is not always pretty, not always perfect. Yet, they have a belief that if they stick to their plan, stick with each other, that things will work out. They have won two games this season -- in overtime against Cincinnati and last week against Pittsburgh -- I believe they would have lost before last year's Super Bowl run. And they won them mostly because they believed that they were supposed to.

BTB: We have a WR who gets a lot of negative attention in the press. I see that you guys have one, too. Give us the truth about Plaxico Burress.

BBV: Ha-ha! I have taken to calling him 'Distrac-Tico.' I believe that 5-year contract he just signed with the Giants isn't worth the paper it's printed on. No way he finishes it as a Giant. As for this year, I am just hoping they can get him to play hard and quit the nonsense for three more months. This team can go back to the Super Bowl, but Plax will need to make some plays at some point for that to happen.

BTB: When I think of the Giants I think of the pass rush. Is that still the case? Are they producing up to expectations even with Osi out?

BBV: Yes, they are. Justin Tuck is playing extremely well, and Mathias Kiwanuka (back at DE now) had three sacks last week. He is healthy, and seems to have settled in at the end slot. Fred Robbins is playing well at defensive tackle and, as always, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dials up pressure from everywhere. Against Pittsburgh the Giants blitzed Ben Roethlisberger like crazy the final two times Pittsburgh had the ball -- situations where most defensive coordinators would have rushed three and played coverage. I loved it!

BTB: Good Eli and Bad Eli? We hear about that all the time. What happens when he goes bad and is it caused by the opposing defense or is it self-inflicted?

BBV: When Eli goes bad the ball is off target, simple as that. And it's usually off target by a lot. Sometimes it is self inflicted, but you can get him to make mistakes if you can flush him and get him to move around. The Giants offensive line has been rock solid, though. I'm not sure he even got hit last week against the Steelers, who have a great pass rush. We are seeing less and less of the Bad Eli, as his career-high completion percentage (61.4) will tell you.

BTB: Give it to me straight, do you think the Giants are going to roll over the Cowboys on Sunday?

BBV: On paper, they should. I am not counting on that, though. It's Giants-Cowboys, no love lost, no holds barred. The Cowboys are pretty desperate right now, and I expect them to play that way. I have a lot of respect for the talent they have, injuries or no injuries. This will be a close game, but unless the Giants beat themselves with turnovers I don't see how the Cowboys can score enough points to win it.

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BBV clearly knows something about football

because he pegs the classic formula most people forget – the QB (and offense) gets a whole lot better when the offensive line plays well. It’s sexier to talk about QBs. Romo gets harpooned even while putting up among the best numbers in the league. It’s more entertaining to talk about diva wide receivers and it sure keeps Ed Werder in bad toupes.

But the reason Dallas either does or does not get into / deep into the playoffs will be the line. It really is that simple. The Giants line played well all last post-season and they look good again this year. And that is why Dallas will probably lose this weekend.

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Oct 31, 2008 6:33 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

+1 dunk

Besides Romo, the most important part of this team is the OL, no question about it, as they go, so goes the Cowboys.

Its no coincidence that we go 13-3 with the OL having 3 players making the pro bowl and then lose in the playoffs because they played poorly or starting off 3-0 with them playing well and protecting Romo and then losing 3 out of the next 5 games because their play is poor again.

The Giants are currently the best team in the AFC and quite possibly the entire league because of both of the lines, its that simple. If the Cowboys have any hope of beating the GMen and making a run the 2nd half of the season, the OL must really step their play considerably because like dunk said, they are the key, no question about it.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Oct 31, 2008 7:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Giants are in the NFC

Keep doing what you been doing, keep getting what you been getting.

by OskieOskie on Oct 31, 2008 8:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

thats correct and what I meant

good catch

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Oct 31, 2008 8:39 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

so if the boys don't beat the giants sunday they have no hope of making a run in the 2nd half? I think we've already accomplished our goal of splitting the final two before the bye. I'm more than content with 5-4 going into the bye week, knowing everyone

is coming back healthy.

by DieSlowKeyshawn on Oct 31, 2008 9:38 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

no, thats not I said at all

I said if our OL doesn’t start playing well, we have no hope of making a run during the second half, but I have confidence they will just like the defense is starting to pick up their play.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Oct 31, 2008 10:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I kind of agree here....

however, i think loosing both the Giants and Skins basically ends our season…

i would really like to beat the Giants, I don’t think it will happen, but this game is not the final nail in the coffin…

we come back healthy, and play the way we should, we will be ok, if we don’t come back healthy OR play the way we should it does not matter anyway….

by stephena on Oct 31, 2008 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'll be at FedEx cheering our Boys on...

And if things start getting out of hand, I’ll run on the field and take Jason Campbell out at the knees…Have no fear haha

by AikmanNailedMySis on Oct 31, 2008 11:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

True definition of a diehard fan

Willing to be charged with multiple felonies in order to help his team win. Give ’em hell Aikman!!

"So you can’t stiff arm at all? What about the throat?"- Marion "Barbarian" Barber

by DC_fan on Oct 31, 2008 5:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

not if we win out..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Oct 31, 2008 12:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

More coffee

Keep doing what you been doing, keep getting what you been getting.

by OskieOskie on Oct 31, 2008 8:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

O - Line

Grizz, I know you have been preoccupied but I have really missed the game analysis from the past few games. I have been waiting to see what you had to say about our O-line play. I VDR each game but have not been able to get myself to watch the recordings since the Washington game because the play has been so lousy. I know the sports writers don’t see it this way but in my opinion what Owens said after the Washington game did not amount to him thinking that Romo wasn’t throwing to him enough, I think what Owens was saying was that Romo was able to get the ball “to” him, meaning the O-line was playing so poorly that Romo just didn’t have time to make the throws the way they needed to be made, he was just having to get rid of the ball. I am pretty sure that Flozell has an injured right arm or shoulder & it is showing on his blocking ability. Proctor just has not played well at all. Of course, Gerrard has been making some really dumb mistakes snapping the ball. D-Lineman are lining up off of Davis therby making him block nothing but air, they are just avoiding him & concentrating on the left side of the line. Colombo has been giving up some sacks & playing pretty lousy himself although he did seem to step things up in the Tampa Bay game. All those writers who were dogging Romo before his injury must not have been watching the same games I was. Romo has played outstanding, the O-line has been the Achilles heel of the offense.

by geth13 on Oct 31, 2008 11:36 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

very well said geth

I’m glad somebody else besides dunkman has been seeing the same thing I’ve been seeing all season.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Oct 31, 2008 12:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I haven't been able to do the film reviews the last couple of weeks partly because of time

but also I was wondering if people were reading them and were interested in them. They generate some of the lowest amount of comments of any posts I do and they take a long time (hours) to prepare so I wasn’t sure if they were worth the effort anymore. I generally judge interest by the comments generated.

Anyway, in terms of the o-line, they have definitely underachieved in the last month and have caused plenty of problems for our offense. But I’m not backing off the fact that I think Romo hasn’t played his best football recently (before the injury). His passes haven’t been as crisp and he wasn’t hitting guys in stride all the time like he normally does. He’s also lost some of that uncanny sense he had to gauge when the pocket is about to close on him. Again, before Terry and dunkman make their response, I don’t think he’s been bad, he just isn’t playing as well as I’ve seen him play. He also has to learn to quit fumbling the football, just becasue you get hit by the defense doesn’t mean that you have to put the ball on the turf.

In general, the o-line is part of the problem. But I’ve seen plenty of plays were the o-line gave perfectly good protection but Romo had some problems on the play. He’s still an elite QB, I just want to see him return to some of that great play I know he can produce.

by Dave Halprin on Oct 31, 2008 3:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I for one always enjoy reading the film review

even if I don’t comment on them, and I really appreciate the effort you put into them. I can understand if you don’t do them because of the hours to prepare, but I definitely read them all when you do.

by scottmaui on Oct 31, 2008 4:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

I also appreciate the film reviews, one of my favorite posts. I think they may receive low comments because the post is mostly fact, not opinion, so the more opinionated members on the blog may not feel the need to post comments. This seems like the only place I can find that can give a detailed breakdown of the film, telling exactly what worked and what didn’t.

"So you can’t stiff arm at all? What about the throat?"- Marion "Barbarian" Barber

by DC_fan on Oct 31, 2008 5:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+2

I always read it, and find it very enlightening, too. Grizz gives a great breakdown of how the players did. It’s obviously a lot of work, but I hope we see it in the future.

by kindablue on Oct 31, 2008 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+3

I love the write-ups..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Oct 31, 2008 5:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+4

I look forward to them most of all.
It is usually so In depth and well though out that
theres NOTHING to dispute or disagree with!
Thats why there are so few comments…..

You'll never get in a traffic jam,while going the extra mile. -Roger staubach

by TrueBlue24 on Oct 31, 2008 7:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

indeed

i think the lack of comments reflects more on the nature of the content than on the level of interest…

by scottmaui on Oct 31, 2008 8:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

OK, I will endeavor to make them happen each week

from here on out!

by Dave Halprin on Oct 31, 2008 8:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Heck YEAH!

Thanks Grizz
I’d wondered about the Film review
we know you put in A LOT of work doing this!
And It’s greatly appeciated!

You'll never get in a traffic jam,while going the extra mile. -Roger staubach

by TrueBlue24 on Oct 31, 2008 11:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love the reviews too

except the part where you tear up Romo. Just kidding!

I know he hasn’t been quite up to his own standard. My point has only been he’s still among the best and that among the issues for this team this year, he doesn’t even rank third.

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Nov 1, 2008 8:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Giants fan here

I’ll be honest, this game scares the crap out of me. The Cowboys are too talented for me to dismiss them the way many in the media have, Romo or no Romo. Brad Johnson may suck, but you guys still have a great running back, great receivers, and a very good defense. My big fear is that Eli sometimes has a tendency to play down to his competition (meaning the other QB). The best games of his career have come when shooting it out with Romo/Favre/Brady/Peyton/Brees/Rivers, and some of his worst games have come against the Tavaris Jackson’s & JP Losman’s of the world. So in a weird way, I’d almost feel better if Romo was playing.

In any case, I hope the Giants pull this one out and then you guys spank the Redskins. I’ve lived in DC for the past 3 years, and for the first time in my life, Redskins fans are really starting to get on my nerves. The way they talk about a 6-2 start, you’d think they were last years Pats.

by cjmulrain on Oct 31, 2008 11:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs