One of the Worst Losses I have Ever Seen

I am completly serious.  In what the players deemed "Super Bowl 43 1/2" the Giants choked and lost 21-20 to a wildly overrated Chargers team.  This game was the epitome of any Jim Fassel coached team that would blow these leads year in and year out.  And I guess to be fair, was somewhat common of Coughlin remember 2006 anyone??  This one hurts, it hurts a lot, dont you dare think just because the Yankees won the World Series that I dont care about this Giants season.  I am stunned, and embarressed by the way they played today.  Whether it was racking up over 100 yards of penalties, or Coughlin "settling" for points, or the fact the defense imploded at the end, the Giants just dont have it this year to win on a consistent basis.

Here is my thinking.  They have a bye week where every little thing from this game is going to get analyzed.  This is awful news for the Giants since this game ended horrifically.  A sure win was taking away by an inept Giants defense and a horrendous coaching decision by Coughlin.  Note to Coughlin: you dont win by being predicatable and settling for points.  The offense never sticks to a game plan, they ran a lot and then went away from it, then came back to it, then passed for 7 straight times etc etc.  So getting back to my thinking of this team, I will give them one more game, the game vs the Falcons in two weeks at home.  If the Giants lose that game, which they very well might, I want them to pull a 1996-1997 San Antonio Spurs and lose every single game to get a good pick.  I already know this team is not capable of winning, they proved that today, and I know that there is a very good chance this team will not win more than 7 games, but if they beat Atlanta, it gives us a glimmer of hope.  At Denver is winnable, and then home vs the Cowboys and Eagles are all winnable.  So, if they re group, and rest, and win the Atlanta game, then I think they are still in it.  If they come out and lose, either getting blown out, losing a close game, or having what happend today, then this team simply is done.  The most annoying thing is a 7-8 win football team, and frankly this is exactly what this team is.

Honestly, I cant talk smack because I thought, like every other Giants fan that this team was loaded and would easily make the playoffs.  Reese made some good moves at the time (I need to see another year of Canty, what I have seen in two games is a guy who absolutley sucks) but the mistake he made was drafting projeccts.  He thought we were loaded enough to draft guys like Travis Beckum, William Betty, and of course Ramses (I probably wont ever play a down in my career) Barden.  Well, looking back on it, that was pretty dumb, pretty dumb to trade for a guy in Barden who HAS NOT PLAYED A DOWN YET!!!  HE IS SO BAD HE CANT PLAY!!!!  Listen, again, I am second guessing, and it is easy for me to do that, but I hate when teams other than the Yankees, take huge projects, because it usually does not turn out well. 

For the immediate future, I think Coughlin, Reese, and Mara have to sit down and discuss why the F*** he did not try to score a TD on that third down.  You cant honestly have faith in a defense that had given up 112 points in the last three games and if not for the Chargers dropping balls left and right, might have been a blow out in this one.  The defense played better, but it did not play well.  The offense did a good job in chewing up the clock, but again, they did not score.  Getting back Coughlin, if he really had faith that his defense would come through, he should have his head examined.  I think that you cant replace a D-Coordinator, and it was quoted that Sheridan was comfortable in the booth but the players made him stick to the sidelines.  Well you know what, PUT HIM IN THE BOOTH!!!! IT OBVIOUSLY ISNT WORKING ON THE SIDELINES.  At the end of the year (lets say they go 7-9) you fire Sheridan and look for a guy who is actually capable of running a defense, not a guy who ran a sub-average linebacking core for years. 

I dont think Coughlin's job is in jepordy at all, I mean the guy led the Giants on one of the most remarkable postseason runs in history just two years ago, but I think he needs to open things up more, stop being so outrageously conservative and try to WIN THE GAME, not "settling" for points.  Heres where it gets interesting though, Coughlin after this year will have two more years on his deal, the guy is 63 years old, and 65 when the deal is up.  You cant bring back a 65 year old coach, what is this Penn St, so you have to look for a new guy anyway.  Which brings me to my point, if they Giants dont make the playoffs this year and next year, you might want to look for a replacement.  I am not saying either will happen, but if it does, you cant have a 65 year old coach coaching a team with one yr left on his deal.  That is a recipe for disaster. 

Overall I am furious, hurt, and flat out bewildered that this team lost today in that fashion, and the season looks bleak, and I am ranting and raving and we all know anything can happen.  But in all seriousness, how can you have confidence in this team.  How can you?  Again, we all know where I stand, I would like to hear G-Men fans (we all know Fish is going to write something anti Giants and try to spin it like he is being unbiased blah blah blah) on what they think the state of this team is.  We are all over our Yankees hangover, and its now football season, and it could be a long one for NY football (I am not making this about the Jets, but we all know they are not making the playoffs either).  Its also tells you how hard it is to win in the NFL, and how unbelievably fortunate we are as Giants fans to have witnessed that 2007 Super Bowl win and playoff run.  If they dont ever win again at least I can say I saw that, I saw my team on the top.  (Not to mention beating a 18-0 Pats team, which still stings New England fans.  If you dont believe me ask one, he will either make up some excuse, or flat out tell you so).  So it sucks, this loss and the fact we dont play for another two weeks, but we got to ride it out and see how the Giants react in two weeks vs Atlanta.

-An emotionally upset Lew