Reviews and Comment

1/13/12 Amani Discusses the Giants vs. Green Bay:

The Giants defense will definitely slow down the Packers because of their front four plus WLB Michael Boley. The last time the two teams met, Boley wasn’t healthy and didn’t even come up on the stats sheet.

And with WR Victor Cruz and WR Hakeem Nicks both playing great on offense and now with the emergence of WR Mario Manningham, that’s an additional player the Packers will have to game plan for.

I think the Giants should concentrate on their run game because the Packers don’t really have that great a run defense.  Also, if they can keep QB Aaron Rodgers off the field and control the clock I think they have a great chance to win this game.  If they do get a lead with the running game then they can grind it out.

But I think the most important thing in this game is that QB Eli Manning can’t throw interceptions; he can’t throw one interception.  The last time they played it was Manning’s interception that went for seven points.  If you take those points off the board the Giants win that game.

If the Packers don’t get those interceptions they aren’t as effective on defense.  A lot of the Packers defensive flaws get covered up by their being so opportunistic.

I think the Giants will win this one.

Giants: 24 – Green Bay: 21

1/12/12 Giants: 24 – Atlanta: 2

Last week’s game was a big game for QB Eli Manning as I expected because he’s been great all season.  But I also predicted that WR Hakeem Nicks would have a big game because he’s the star receiver, the No. 1 draft pick, and all of a sudden WR Victor Cruz comes in and steals Nicks’ thunder.  They get along great, I’m not saying otherwise, but I still thought Nicks would feel the need to have a great game, as he did have.

On defense I think that DC Perry Fewell simplifying down the defense last week helped a lot.  Sometimes coordinators get caught up in their schemes and don’t account for the fact that at some point in time the players on the field are going to have to go one-on-one in battle.

I also think the addition of MLB Chase Blackburn is a big factor because he is doing a better job than the rookie MLB Greg Jones did.   But another thing that I think is a big deal is the fact that WLB Michael Boley is back and healthy.  His hamstring is better and because of that he’s more confident.  

1/03/12 Amani Discusses the Giants vs. Falcons:

Atlanta seems like a team with a lot of talent but they get to the playoffs and lose.  I don’t think they’ve won a playoff game in years and I’m hoping it will be really, really cold during the game.

I think the Giants have a great shot to win this one.

Giants: 26 – Atlanta: 21

1/2/12 Giants: 31 – Cowboys: 14

They saved their best for last!  That was by far their best game.  There was a consistent effort throughout even though there was that little lull in the third quarter.  It’s a championship game and Dallas is capable of being a championship team also but the Giants closed them out.  They closed them out very well.

The defense was solid throughout the game. DE JPP had that one play where he slammed his foot into the ground and reversed to make the tackle.  That was one of those things that you just don’t see happen.  When you watch a lot of football and watch a guy make a play like that, it just blows your mind.

JPP can rush from the inside as well as the outside. We thought DE Tuck was very versatile because he could do that and now you have JPP who can do the same.  And you bring back DE Osi Umenyiora and there’s DT Canty and let’s not forget about OLB Mathias Kiwanuka.  He had a couple of big plays as well and it’s almost like teams don’t have enough ball carriers for the defense to go after.

But it all comes down to WR Victor Cruz.  Every time they needed a play Cruz delivered and that’s all you need to say. 

Cruz is a “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” guy and he’s from New Jersey as well.

Of course QB Eli was great and I’ve never seen Eli throw so many what we call "funny body throws" before with them being as accurate as they are now.  I just can’t say enough about how well Eli has played over the entire season.

And finally, the Giants really played well at home and the crowd was fired up and helped with their enthusiasm.

12/28/11 Amani Discusses the Giants vs. Cowboys:

This weekend the Giants are playing against the Cowboys, a team with one of the worst defensive backfields in the league.

The Giants know this team very well, they know what defensive coordinator Ryan is about with his blitzes and it’s going to be the game of the week for a good reason.  A lot of people want to see what’s going to happen and I’m one of them.  

I think the Giants are going to win this one.

Giants: 28 – Cowboys: 21

12/27/11 Giants: 29 – Jets: 14

When I looked at last week’s game against the Jets, I considered the areas of weakness on the Giants defense, such as the linebackers and secondary, but the Jets aren’t really built to take advantage of the Giants weaknesses.
 
The Jets needed a big game from TE Dustin Keller and they needed QB Sanchez to be consistent and throw downfield at times.  But in this case you had a tight end who didn’t make any plays and a quarterback who can’t throw consistently downfield.  That just played into the Giants hands.

You know the Giants pass rush is going to get there eventually and I think that’s why the Giants defense looked so much better.  They made the Jets one-dimensional but, overall, I wasn’t that impressed with the Giants defense as a whole because they did give up a lot of yards. They still couldn’t stop the run as effectively as they should with their talent.  The only reason the Jets couldn’t run the ball was because of the Giants lead.

The Giants weaknesses were still apparent and, even if they do make it to the playoffs, I think they’ll go out very quickly if there’s not some drastic improvement in the Giants defensive secondary. I’m really disappointed in CB Ross and rookie CB Prince Amukamara is a liability out there.

The Giants are like a Molotov cocktail. 

They’re loaded with talent on defense but they need some sort of catalyst to propel them into playing and that’s when you see the explosion they’re capable of.  When Victor Cruz made that big play, it’s like the defense exploded into life.  That tells me the Giants need more go-getters on defense, not guys who just stand around and wait for something to happen.  That has nothing to do with their talent; they have plenty of talent. That has everything to do with the leadership on defense.

On offense Nicks has had a pair of really bad games but he’s played against really good corners in Hall and Revis.  They’re both upper echelon corners and they played him really tight. Last week Nicks was stuck on “Revis island.”  He dropped balls he shouldn’t have dropped and Cruz has been pretty much been the No. 1 receiver.  When Nicks dropped that first ball against Washington, I think it got into his head a little.

I was impressed with Barden against the Patriots but he has also dropped too many catchable balls.  And when he fell running that out route, that’s just not acceptable.  When people see things like they think the guy just can’t play.  That’s just the cardinal sin of a receiver.

Eli has had a few touchdowns dropped in the last couple of games; Barden, Nicks and even Cruz have dropped catchable balls but these are young, still developing receivers and I’ll bet that next year they will be a lot better.

I think all of Coach Rex Ryan’s talk was a big motivating factor for the Giants too.  It’s been a while since they beat the Giants, almost 20 years, so the Jets are kind of like the little brother and all the talking didn’t change that.  They are still the little brother in New York.

12/21/11 Amani Discusses the Giants vs. Jets:

This is an interesting game, an away home game.  I don’t recall ever losing to the Jets so I can’t see it.  On the other hand, the Giants team is like Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde. 

When they played great teams, with the exception of the New Orleans game, they played them tough and then they have games like these against weak teams.

When Rex Ryan was throwing barbs around, Coach Coughlin wouldn’t respond.  He knows what it means to be a Giant.

This one is tough but I’m going to say that the Giants will win this one.

Giants: 28 – Jets: 21

12/20/11 Giants: 10 – Redskins: 23

The whole game was so frustrating. 

As a retired player you realize you can’t do it anymore but, if you could still play, you would love to be in a situation like that.  You control your own destiny; it’s against the Redskins and for the players not to show up is the ultimate insult to the fans, the organization and even to the former players.

I don’t know what the players are trying to do.  Just go out there and do your job and let the rest take care of itself. I just think they’re overanalyzing why they’re not playing well. Just go out and play.

They’re so close to having a special season.  They have the talent to get there; they have a franchise quarterback like Eli.  They can’t waste the season because of dumb stuff, it’s just such a waste.

I thought the game plan was good and I think Coach Coughlin is the right kind of coach for the Giants organization.  Coughlin puts plans in place that put the Giants in position to win.  The problem is that the players are not playing with any passion and that tells me there’s a lack of leadership in the locker room that needs to be filled.

When the plays aren’t run the way the coach intended, they aren’t going to work and the execution of those plans is the players’ responsibility.  And I don’t know what Rolle is doing talking so much when he got beat big on a simple play.  I think he should look to his own game and not talk so much about others. If you live in a glass house…

Also, I think when the Giants go out on the field at home, some of the players can be a little tentative because the Giants organization has had good success and the fans have come to expect it from the team.  Also, tough love is a New York characteristic and if the team doesn’t perform well, we’ll hear about it.  Since a lot of the players aren’t from New York they don’t understand the culture right away and it can shake them up to be booed.

On the road you expect a hostile environment so that’s no problem.  At least that’s my take on it.

12/09/11 Amani Discusses the Giants vs. Cowboys:

I feel that if they get to Romo and run the ball like they did last week, then I believe they’ll have no problem against the Cowboys.

The key is whether they’ll be able to run the ball that well again but they probably will have the same offensive line this week.

I know OLB DeMarcus Ware is an excellent pass rusher but I don’t worry about the outside rushers so much.  You can always put someone over there to chip them, but the rushers up the middle are a lot tougher.

I just want to see them play like they did last weekend.

I predict Giants: 31 - Cowboys: 28

12/08/11 Giants: 35 – Packers: 38

I wasn’t happy with the clock management at the end of the game.  I’m referring to the Giants throwing a touchdown at the 2-yard line instead of running the ball.  If they had scored running the ball it would have used more time.

Defensively, the Giants gave up some big plays but I thought they got pressure on Rogers, more pressure than I’ve seen in the last three weeks.  So, that was a good step forward but they’re still exposed in the secondary.

The Chase Blackburn situation disturbs me.  After only a few days back he gets an interception as well as making other impact plays throughout the game.  He should have been back with the team weeks ago, if not for the whole season. 

How do they explain that?  It just doesn’t make sense to me.  I know they have a youth movement at linebacker but they should consider what they’re putting on the field too.

Instead the Giants have rookies who, after most of the season, still don’t know what they’re doing and then you have Chase who has good experience.  I never thought the Giants organization would allow something like that to happen.

It’s not fair to the fans who are spending their money only to see their team underperform.

I was impressed with the run defense but you really can’t judge the Giants run defense against the Packers because the Packers aren’t a running team.

On offense I feel that the last minute offensive line switches worked great and Diehl did a better job than Beatty at left tackle.

Again that made me question whether the team is playing the best players. 

This offensive line was twice as effective in terms of running the ball.  It wasn’t just because Bradshaw was back; the line was actually moving people.  And if Boothe isn’t their top offensive lineman I don’t know who is.  Diehl hasn’t been good because of the move and Snee is having a terrible year.  McKenzie looks done and the only guy on the line that gives them a spark is Boothe.  He plays all the positions and he plays them well.  He was flat-out better than Baas at center.

12/01/11 Amani Discusses the Giants vs. Packers:

This could get really ugly. 

The only thing I can say is that when you’ve been humiliated like the Giants were on national TV you really have to come back and have a great game if the defense wants to get their respect back.

But whether they’ll do it or not, I don’t know and think this could be an even worse blowout than the Saints game.  The Packers are relentless; they don’t stop; they just don’t stop and the Packers potentially will get a lot more turnovers than the Saints did.

I’m afraid the Giants won’t get the job done. 

Packers: 45 – Giants: 6

11/29/11 Giants: 24 – Saints: 49

In the past the Giants defensive line covered up a lot of ills but last night they didn’t do a thing.  They really didn’t even show up.  The only person who showed up on that line was DE Jason Pierre-Paul.  Tuck is hurt and isn’t playing well enough.

I just really think the last two defensive game plans were really bad. 

TE Jimmy Graham manipulated the defense like a puppeteer and it was really tough to watch.  I know Jimmy Graham is a tough cover but that said I was disappointed how head coach Sean Payton outwitted and outcoached DC Perry Fewell so easily.

There are so many areas where GM Jerry Reese missed.  He missed with Ross, for example.  And why did the team bring back Deon Grant?

Grant’s inability to tackle QB Drew Brees one-on-one at the goal line just blows my mind.  A professional safety who can’t tackle a quarterback?  C’mon.  Grant’s on the downside of his career so why did they bring him back?

On offense Eli is really lighting it up.  If you just watch the offense, you think the team is great.  But when you watch the defense they’re terrible.  This is the worst functioning defense I’ve seen.

If you lose the way the Giants did last night, accompanied by the perception that the defense is giving up, it means some changes need to be made.  And I think the Giants need better players on defense because you don’t have to motivate self-motivated players. And I don’t see many self-starters on that defense.

If they really want to get the job done the players can find ways to get it done, no matter who the coach is.  It’s really sad to me.

Kiwanuka is playing hard but he’s playing out of position and it’s showing.

The secondary is porous and rookies are starting at linebacker and they’re not doing anything for us right now.  I think Herzlich and Williams will be good but they aren’t there yet.

The team says they draft the best player and to that I can only say, “Really?”  I’m just not buying it.  Either their talent evaluation is off or something else is wrong. It shouldn’t have come down to being dependent on rookie linebackers.

11/24/11 Amani Discusses the Giants vs. Saints:

This is probably going to be the toughest game of the season for the Giants because they have to go down to the dome on Monday night and deal with RB Sproles, QB Drew Brees, WR Meacham and the rest of the receiving corps, along with the crowd at the stadium.

The New Orleans Saints offense is almost tailor-made to expose the shortcomings of the Giants defense so this could be tough.

If the Giants don’t get a rush on Brees and allow him to sit back there with time, he can be as effective as anyone in the entire league. 

If Boley still can’t go, and hamstrings can take a long time, I’d start Jacquian Williams at WILL, Herzlich in the middle and of course Kiwi at SAM.

I thought Herzlich acquitted himself pretty well against the Eagles.  I would pick him over Greg Jones because the coaches say he has a better grasp of the defense.  Some guys just pick things up more quickly than others but I don’t necessarily think that means he’s brighter than Jones.

I know Boston College has a pro-style offense and that may have given Herzlich an advantage over Jones who went to Michigan State, especially since there were no OTAs or mini-camps.

I think the Saints are going to win and it could get ugly.

Giants: 17 – Saints: 35

11/23/11 Giants: 10 - Eagles: 17

The Giants need to figure out a way to run the ball because their running game is pathetic, beyond pathetic. For Brandon Jacobs to run for 1.7 yards per carry is almost a crime.

Last Sunday I noticed the offensive line more than the week before.  That last sack was a culmination of Eli getting hit throughout the game so he got happy feet and stepped up into the pocket before he needed to.

This week several of the Giants players have said that the Eagles just wanted the game more and I just don’t know how to explain that because after all it’s a game against the Eagles.  You always know that whatever their record is, the Eagles match up well against the Giants because that’s who they draft to beat.

But at the end of the day it it’s a game of emotions, and even with Vick and Macklin out, the Eagles played with greater emotion than the Giants did.

11/16/11 Amani Discusses the Giants vs. Eagles:

(Michael Vick reportedly has two broken ribs) I think Vick will play. 

With Boley being hurt now, one of the linebackers needs to step up or maybe the team will need to look at free agents.  They can’t just sit back and let Greg Jones play the way he did last week and expect a different outcome.  The kid is a rookie and just hasn’t played enough yet. I think he's a talented kid but he needs more time.

When the Giants realized that the 49ers were going to have a passing attack instead of a rushing attack they took too long to make any adjustments and the Giants aren’t traditionally very good at making adjustments during the game.

This week the Giants need to play a lot better.  They just can’t go through the motions for three quarters of the game and then expect to step up and win the game in the fourth quarter.

I think the Giants may lose this one.

Eagles: 21 – Giants: 14

11/14/11 Giants: 20 - 49ers: 27

The Giants can’t go on relying on the fourth quarter to bail them out every week.  To me it’s becoming a habit and that’s not a great thing.

The Giants are obviously much better physically than the teams they’re playing and in a sense they’re playing down to the level of competition. They’re just trying to beat them at the end when these are teams they should be dominating.

I felt they made a couple of mistakes which they couldn’t come back from.  One was on the 49ers onside kick and the other was when Eli threw a PIC when Manningham stopped and all of a sudden they can’t come back from that.
Then there was the special teams’ breakdown.  

I wouldn’t say that the Giants were outcoached because that would be a disservice to the 49ers, who I think are a good team.

I think on offense the team worked pretty well but on defense, when LB Boley went out, that changed the whole ballgame.  MLB Greg Jones, the rookie, made a couple of costly mistakes. I’m not saying that he isn’t going to be good eventually because he’s a talented guy.  But he isn’t ready yet.

Grant is good at the line of scrimmage and they could have brought him up to help and, if they can get Amukamara back, then it frees up the rest of the backfield which should help a lot.

But overall I was impressed with Eli; I was impressed with some of the receivers even though on the one interception Cruz should have come back and at least become a defender.

On the other PIC if Manningham had come downhill and cut off Carlos Rogers, it would have been a completion or at least knocked down.  But when he stopped and didn’t make the adjustment, which is tough, especially against cover-2, he needed to do it earlier and be more definitive with his body language to let the quarterback know what he was doing.  

It was basically a miscommunication because the QB throws to where he thinks the receiver is going to be.
 
I was also surprised by the lack of pressure the Giants got in the first half of the game. I thought their defensive line would get after Smith more and get him flustered like they did in the second half.

11/09/11 Amani Discusses the Giants vs. 49ers

I think that the 49ers are going to give the Giants the toughest game they’ve played all year but I think the Giants will be playing into their sweet spot. 

By that I mean both of these teams are tough, downhill teams who want to make you blink, the Giants especially.  I say that because the Giants are playing a quarterback who isn’t going to win the game, that’s going to be up to Frank Gore for the 9ers. He’s their offense. So, the Giants have to make sure that they rub the 49ers’ noses in that fact. 

The Giants are a team that’s never been about letting any team beat them up so it’s going to be a huge test for the Giants.

I think this is going to be one of the best games of the weekend and I’ve been looking forward to it since the 9ers beat Detroit, another physical team, though I would say that I don’t think that Detroit is really mentally ready yet, they haven’t been battle tested.  This is the first year that they’ve had any success.

That will be different than playing against a team like the Giants who expect to win year-in, year- out and won’t beat themselves.

I think the Giants are going to win this week because I don’t think the 49ers have played a team that’s as physical as the New York Giants.  Remember the Eagles had them on the ropes and let them win.

The 49ers pride themselves on stopping the run and they’re doing a very good job on that but they’re not able to pass the ball the way the Giants can.  This is going to be a real test for Alex Smith because he’ll need to really step up.  I don’t think he can do it to the extent that will be necessary.

Giants: 28 – 49ers: 10

11/08/11 Giants: 24 - Patriots: 20

I thought that the Patriots were going to win so I was wrong about that. And I’m not saying that the Patriots are the Patriots of old but they’re still a very good team.  For the Giants to go in there and beat them at home with the Patriots at-home record, says a lot about the talent and depth the Giants have.

Everybody thought Jerry Reese was crazy when he said the Giants had enough on the roster, even with all their losses, to be a play-off team.  I didn’t believe him either but now we’re starting to see the Giants’ depth, players who can step in and not just play but excel.  It just goes to show that the guys in the front office know what they’re doing.

What really surprised me in this game was that WR Victor Cruz is really stepping up and playing like a capable No.1 receiver and WR Mario Manningham is making big plays down the field, though Manningham does still need work on his feet and sideline awareness.

When I entered the league I didn’t have great feet but it was something I worked on every day until I could toe-tap with confidence.

But the thing that made me happiest about last week’s game was the fact that RB Brandon Jacobs finally started running like the back that everybody knew he was.  He had one play where some Patriots bounced off him and I feel that he really developed his momentum from that play. 

That was big and it will help his teammates to respect him in the locker room and for the fans to welcome him back into the fold.  It wasn’t a great day but I feel it’s significant that he seemingly turned a corner. 

People will flip the switch on how they perceive him now and say, “Well, maybe he’s back” or some other positive comment.

On defense, if DE/SLB Mathias Kiwanuka isn’t a Pro Bowler, then I don’t know what one is.  For a SAM linebacker to do some of the stuff he does, not only with the sacks, is amazing and I can’t say enough good things about his intensity and effort. 

Kiwi’s just a freak athlete.  How many players can you take from defensive end and put them at SAM with success?  And he’s a full sized defensive end too; he’s not a college guy who comes out too undersized to play DE in the NFL.

I’ve also been very impressed with WLB Boley this year.  Previously I just didn’t see any real sparks from him but this year he’s making big plays, game-changing plays.

These guys are really starting to step up as individuals and a group and it’s starting to show results.

11/2/11 Amani Discusses the Giants vs. Patriots

In last week’s game vs. the Steelers one thing that I would have expected with Brady’s years of experience is that he would feel comfortable under pressure.  But the Steelers applied a lot of pressure, just as the Giants can do, and he clearly was uncomfortable. 

It actually shocked me that he looked the way he did but he’s a limited guy in terms of his mobility so, when you can exploit that, that’s when you’ll have success against him.

You have to make Brady one-dimensional to have success against them.

The Giants need to focus on running the ball and stopping the run.  If they can run the ball they can control the clock and, if they can stop the run, they can make him one-dimensional and then that’s when you’ll really see the pass rush show up.

With all things being equal, I’d give the nod to Bradshaw to carry the ball over Jacobs because he’s hungry.  Of course last week Jacobs was rusty but I’d also like to see Scott activated over Ware and bring Brown up from the practice squad too. 

The Patriots were built on excellent defense and a ball control offense.  And now they’re a passing offense with a terrible defense.  Their secondary is terrible.

Maybe Belichick has let all the comments about his being so great go to his head and has come to believe that he can just plug anyone in there.

I think it’s kind of funny but you never can count out the Giants when they’re playing against a team that’s supposedly better than they are.  That’s when they always play better than you expect but this week I think I’m going to go with:

Patriots: 24 – Giants: 17

10/31/11 Giants: 20 - Dolphins: 17

I didn’t feel that there was anything the Giants could get out of this game so I wasn’t looking at it and thinking that they really had to play well.  I knew they would struggle coming off the bye week and I felt this was a no-win game situation for the Giants. 

If they had gone out and beaten the Dolphins badly, people would have said that it didn’t mean anything because they were playing against a team that hadn’t won a game.  If they lost, it would have been really bad so I just didn’t see anything good coming out of this game.

So my thinking was to get the win and not dwell on how you did it too much.  Just move on. (That said) In the first half the Giants were horrible and then they just seem to have decided to start playing.  That's when it became an interesting game.

But it’s saying something when you let Reggie Bush run for over 100-yards for only the second time in his career.  The Giants aren’t run blocking or stopping the run very well so they’re not in the best situation.

Teams have noticed that the Giants aren’t running or stopping the run effectively and you can see what they’re doing. 

They are daring Eli to beat them and he’s having his best year. So the Giants are going to be a passing team whether that’s what they want to be or not until other teams decide to change their approach and until the Giants run game improves.


On defense I didn’t notice MLB Greg Jones very much but I did notice that Kiwi played a great game.  He was everywhere and that just shows me that a hungry, talented guy can do big things as Kiwi has been doing all year.

I also didn’t notice Williams at all either and maybe the team feels that at this point in their schedule, they can’t develop players; they have to just go. 

10/27/11 Amani Discusses the Giants vs. Dolphins

On offense, RB Jacobs should be back and playing on Sunday.  Whether that will help the running game or not remains to be seen.  I like the way RB Bradshaw is running the ball and I think he had a great game against the Bills.  His average is up so I don’t know if having Jacobs back will be a plus or a minus.

In the fourth quarter Bradshaw definitely showed that he was a little bit stronger than he was early on.  Some backs do get stronger with more carries and that’s how I see Ahmad Bradshaw.  He’s a tough kid.

WR Ramses Barden will be back soon but whether he can play at a high level remains to be determined.  He’s been injured a lot and that’s not a good thing because you only get so many chances to show what you can do, and once they’re gone, they are gone.  So, we’ll have to wait and see with Barden.

On defense, CB Amukamara (out) will help when they can get him back because they can put him in the slot. Then they can put S Rolle back in the middle of the field because S Grant is not the guy you want up there.  He’s not making the tackles.  All those runs the Bills Fred Jackson made was because the lane opened up of course but, if you’re playing that Cover-1 defense, you’re going to need a safety to come up and make that tackle and Grant just couldn’t keep up with Jackson.  Grant in space is a weakness of the Giants defense right now.

Getting DE Tuck back will obviously help in that he’ll be the guy that will be the run stopper.  DEs JPP and Umenyiora are both good run stoppers but they’re not as good as Tuck. Tuck has a better anchor and is more like Strahan in that regard.

All important is that the Giants not play down to the level of their competition.
 
It’s hard to play against a team that doesn’t scare you and they showed that against the Seahawks.  They have to find a way to remedy this problem.  If they don’t they’ll lose a lot of respect and will end up right back where they were after the Seahawks game. 

The ultimate mental challenge is when you’re playing against somebody that doesn’t scare you.

I predict Giants: 35 – Dolphins: 10

10/25/11 Giants: 27 - Bills: 24

I feel that the game against the Bills was a big game and a big win for the Giants.  They got a lot of respect back throughout the league with that win.

It’s really a pretty simple equation when you look at the Giants.  It’s how well Eli is throwing the ball and how many touchdowns he has vs. interceptions.  When he isn’t throwing interceptions, more than likely the Giants will win.

Everyone laughed when Eli said he was a top five quarterback and he’s proving that he is with a top-five passer rating.

I was happy to see the running game get together a little bit.  Baas was back and they didn’t miss a beat without Snee. Boothe is invaluable because in a pinch he can play all the positions, even some tackle.  That allowed Bradshaw to have a good day.

On defense I think it’s great that they’re moving Corey Webster around to cover the best receiver and I think they should have done it earlier.  Corey is a very talented corner and I practiced against him every day so I know how good he is.  But for him to get the respect he should have in the league he’ll have to be the Giants version of Revis.  He has that kind of ability.

10/12/11 Interview with Amani:

It seems like your concern that last Sunday’s game against the Seahawks would be a trap game was valid.

Amani:  Last week’s game was a good example of what happens when you allow a team to hang around and gain confidence.  The team came all the way from the West to the East coast and the Giants needed to jump on them early and convince them that they weren’t going to be around in the fourth quarter.  Once you allow a team to hang around into the fourth quarter, it’s anybody’s ball game because they get confident.

Like I said last week, if you look at the Seattle Seahawks on tape they don’t scare you.  If a team doesn’t scare you, you don’t have the fear that you have to play at a high level because you could lose the game.  And when you don’t have that fear you’re going into the game with a mental disadvantage.  The Giants were way too confident and too relaxed. 

They also rested some players that would have probably played if it were a big game.  I guarantee you one thing – if the Giants were playing Dallas, Washington or Philadelphia, all the players who could possibly play would have been on the field.  In big games players tend to get healthy more quickly.

Moving on, the Giants need to regroup for this Sunday against a team with a good record.  How do you see that playing out?

Amani:  I see this as a great opportunity for the Giants because whenever you stub your toe, all you want is another opportunity to go out and perform well, especially against a team like the Buffalo Bills that’s getting a lot of respect in the league.

It’s a great situation for the Giants and I feel like they‘re going to play very well and that they’re going to win.

They seem like they’re outmatched and that their defense can’t stop anybody but this is the same feeling that people had about the Giants before they went down and beat the Eagles.  I see a lot of similarities between this game and the Eagles game with the advantage that the Giants will be playing at home.  I have a good feeling about the Giants this week.

I predict Giants: 28 – Bills: 24

10/05/11 Interview with Amani:

How do you view the Giants victory over the Cardinals?

Amani:  I think last week’s game was a big step forward because for them to go on the road and win in the fourth quarter showed a lot about how the team is coming together.  They’re getting a lot of production from their bench and it just goes to show that Jerry Reese knows a little bit about what he’s talking about in terms of the Giants having a playoff team.  Reese knows the talent on this team better than anyone else and that’s beginning to be apparent as injuries happen because the people being plugged in are doing well.

Are you concerned about this week’s game against Seattle being a trap game?

Amani:  Yes, I see this as a horrible trap game so this is a bigger game than last week’s game.  The Giants are playing against a less accomplished team and need to avoid getting overconfident about the outcome.  They need to continue to work on the things that they need to do to improve.  The Giants should concentrate on the pass rush, some consistency stopping the run and offensively on running the ball.  They need to come away from this game with a W and keep working to improve consistently.

This is really a horrible trap game.  The Giants are playing against a team that’s 1-3 while the Giants are 3-1.  Seattle is desperate and probably believe that if they go into New York and beat the Giants at home that they can right their ship and save the season.  Whenever a team is desperate, they are a team that you really don’t want to face.  Those are the most dangerous teams and Seattle is definitely one of those dangerous teams.

What’s your prediction for this game?

Amani:  Giants: 28 - Seattle: 13

09/29/11 Interview with Amani:

The spread is very low, though in the Giants favor, so they still aren’t getting much love, even after beating the Eagles.

Amani:  I can understand why they aren’t getting much love because after three games they have played, they’ve only had one complete game.  Even in that game they had lulls where they didn’t look like the team they were supposed to be.  Getting Osi back will be big along with how well they played in the 4th quarter last week. The fact that Eli didn’t throw any interceptions is another positive and I think a lot of people are pleased with how well the third receiver, Victor Cruz, played.

What about Beckum and his failure to get the first down?

Amani:  Beckum was a disgrace not getting that first down.  A receiver has to be aware of where he is on the field.

How well do you feel the defense played?

Amani: I’m happy with how well the defense played, the way they were physical and knocked Vick around.  That’s something the Giants defense has always been known for and they have to get back to that.  That’s what makes their defense special.  I really liked the fact that CB Aaron Ross had two interceptions.  He had a great game the week after being benched.  Now his confidence is going to be sky-high.  You can’t forget he was a first round pick so the surprise isn’t that he played well last week, the surprise is that he didn’t play well earlier in the season.  I was talking to Jesse Armstead and he said he thought that Jacquain Williams was the complete package and could be the best linebacker on the roster eventually.  He’s big, fast and aggressive and I remember a pre-season game where Williams was all over the field.

Giants: 28 – Cardinals: 17

9/1/11 Interview with Amani:

What are your plans for the season?

Amani:  I have the Madison Square Garden varsity so I’ll be doing at least 12 high school games and I’m also doing the Giants post-game show again this year for My 9.  The post-game will be at the Stadium this year so it will be a lot easier because I don’t have to worry about getting stuck in traffic going into NY.

What will you be looking for tonight as the Giants face the Patriots in their last pre-season game?

Amani:  I’ll be looking for the same things I’ve been looking for the whole pre-season.  I want to see who’s going to step up and take that third receiver spot.  I want to see more consistency from Victor Cruz because he has dropped too many balls in practices. Coaches want to see consistency.

What else will you be looking for?

Amani: I also want to see how the secondary reacts and how they’re going to find a way to have more continuity with all the injuries to the defensive backfield. 

We’re not going to see much of Eli tonight but I would like to see him be more consistent with his throws.  A lot of the mistakes he made last year, he’s still making.  I want to see more growth from him. 

I also want to see how this defensive line is going to look, especially JPP.  I want to see him play consistently the way he did in the Carolina game. I’m concerned with the linebackers because the Giants haven’t really hit on a top linebacker since Lawrence Taylor. At the beginning of the pre-season, I wasn’t concerned about the Giants.  I thought they would be a competitive team.  But now after watching their pre-season I’m concerned.

6/08/11 Boot Camp for Broadcasters:

I’m really excited about having the opportunity attend this camp and show a large number of broadcasters what I can do.

The camp begins on June 20th. It runs through June 24th and is located in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey.  

By attending this camp I hope to demonstrate to the executives from CBS, ESPN, the Big-10 network, and pretty much every network, that I’m really serious about becoming a broadcaster and will work very hard to improve my craft.  Because it really is a craft and like any other you always need to work to improve your performance.

I’m looking at it as a combine for announcers and am really excited about having this opportunity to show what I can do and let the executives present see that I can speak concisely and eloquently and at the same time let them see my personality.

I think your personality is what makes observers want to see you again and I’ve been working hard this whole off-season with my broadcasting coach to take my ability to the next level.  So I’m really excited to have this opportunity.

IMPOSTER USING MY NAME: I've recently become aware that someone is tweeting obsenities using my name.

Those who know me, know full well that these comments couldn't be coming from me. But for all of you who do not know me, please be assured that this is an imposter whose viewpoints I reject.


My actual twitter address is: amaniatoomer.
Amani

Amani will be on First Take for the week of 4/18-4/22.  Check your local listings for the time in your area.

4/15/11 Interview with Amani:

What do you consider to be the priorities for the Giants going into the 2011 NFL Draft?

Amani:  I’d say offensive tackle, then interior line (center), linebacker and then maybe running back.

What would you do with Will Beatty if you drafted another tackle?

Amani: He’s a guy with a lot of ability but I just don’t know if he has it in him. An offensive tackle should be ready to play by the second year once they get used to the speed of the game and have had a year to get stronger.  Some of the plays I’ve seen Beatty give up on were just soft and that’s the aspect of his game that really bothers me.  You can’t coach softness out of a player.

Overall, the offensive line is getting old and they need to get some fresh legs in there. You don’t know how many years LT Diehl will play so I think they should get a tackle like Nate Solder from Colorado or Anthony Castonzo (Boston College) but I’m not sure he’ll still be there.  I think Derek Sherrod from Mississippi State would be good but I don’t think he’s as polished as some of the other guys I’ve mentioned.  Gabe Carimi (Wisconsin) would be OK but I don’t see him as having the upside of the other guys.  Carimi has the size but his lack of athletic ability scares me. Tyron Smith from USC also is a very athletic guy.

Who do you like in the second round at center in that case?

Amani: I’d like to see them pick up Pouncey if he lasts until the second round.

Are you concerned that Pouncey, like Koets, had difficulty snapping the ball?

Amani:  I think Pouncey’s a talented guy and will be able to snap, but if he can’t, you can move him to guard.  His versatility is another reason I like him. If he makes it at center, that’s great, but if not you have a great guard to match up with Snee.

What else do you see as a priority need for this draft?

Amani:  They really need to address the linebacker position.  It’s been a few years and Sintim isn’t getting on the field which tells me a lot.  Plus they signed a veteran (Bulluck) who they knew didn’t have the legs anymore so I think they really don’t like Sintim.   But I do like Martez Wilson from Illinois.  He’s a big rangy guy who can play any of the linebacker positions.

Would you consider WILL backer Bruce Carter around the second round even if you knew he might not be able to play this season because of his recent ACL surgery?

Amani:  No, I wouldn’t do it.  You have to have your early picks ready to participate quickly.  Maybe if you could still take him in the seventh round I’d consider it.

Another guy I really like is DT Corey Liuget and he’s climbing the boards.  I’ve seen him play against Michigan State and he had 11 tackles in just that one game. He’s a high energy, high intensity leader on the field and you don’t usually see that from 300 lb. guys that often. I don’t think the Giants should take him because he’ll go too high. Even though he might be the best player available, you really can’t take the best player when there’s no free agency to allow you to fill other needs.

Are there any other positions you think the Giants will or should address?

Amani: Maybe a running back next because Ahmed Bradshaw is a free agent.  There are also needs at corner and safety but I think they should address both later on in the draft.

3/23/11 Amani Discusses Moving Kickoffs to the 35-Yard Line:

I think people are missing the real point of this change in the kickoff rules.  I don’t think this is going to impact player safety because people get concussions on touchbacks as well.  If you’re on the coverage team or you’re on the return team, you don’t know that the ball will go into the end zone so you’re going to play just as hard. So, I don’t think this will change anything.  I think the only thing that will slow players down is the five-yard rule.  That’s a good start. 

L ast year the average starting position for the offense was the 26-28 yard line and now that will drop to maybe the 25 yard line because of the increased number of touchbacks.

So, it reduces the chances for a kick returner to score and it ultimately will reduce the number of exciting scoring plays in a game throughout the league.

The teams that already have a dynamic kick returner will be at a huge disadvantage and it will put the kick returners in this draft at another huge disadvantage because their value will be lessened.  They’ll disappear the way tight ends did in the 80s with the run and shoot offenses.

The league says they’re doing this for safety but I think it’s really that so many teams have such a hard time covering a dynamic kick returner.

The league didn’t change the two-man wedge rule and that could have affected safety because anytime you have two men coming down on one guy, there’s a safety issue.  Doing away with the wedge would have been a good start.

Instead keep the kickoff at the 30 and have the cover teams be stationery like they are in high school and college.  As soon as the ball is kicked then the cover team could move and that would reduce injuries and high-speed collisions.

Fewer touchbacks will reduce scoring which is something the league has said they want so I wish I knew what the real reason for this change was.