Week 6 vs ATL - notes

• So let's start with the fact that everybody thinks the Giants will win this game. That alone is enough to make me nervous.
• Pre-game: "Has Eli proven everyone wrong?" I don't know, but it was nice to see his response to Tiki's bullshit replayed. Being forced to respond to Barber did seem to help him come out of his shell.
• Here's a question: if Tiki worked for ESPN, would he have said that?
• Parcells: 12 teams have played at least 2 quarterbacks this year. Eli stayed in with a sprained shoulder. (Kurt Warner left the game Sunday with an injury to his non-throwing elbow - what a wuss!) Parcells thinks Eli's doing pretty good, that's enough for me. 45 straight starts - hey, what the hell, could be worse, right?
• Harrington - does it suck to be him? Kind of, but at least he's got money. I wonder how it effects your body to be sacked that much (17 times this year). I'll ask Jon Kitna next time I see him.
• I don't know that I recognize everyone in Bocephus' band. I was never a big Stray Cats guy either. Is that Richie Sambora? Step down from Little Steven. On the other hand, does anyone give a shit? Shouldn't ESPN just get a band that would pay them for the exposure? Or use some corporate synergy and have The Wiggles perform?
  
• Yeah, I'd kiss Suzy Kolber.
• Michele Tafoya has a very manly voice.
• Warrick Dunn - any running back lighter than me who survives more than five minutes in the NFL is an impressive guy.
• Mike Tirico has to work his way up to boring.
• Why is Harrington being allowed to lead the team down the field? He stinks. Remind him of that.
• Joe Horn? I thought he was helping Vinny Testaverde get to the toilet.
• Funny seeing how the Falcons have no running game all of a sudden. It's not just that Vick is gone; Dunn is getting old, the other guys are rookies and not Adrian Peterson-type rookies, and the O-line is nothing to write home about.
  
• I wonder how much TV training football players are given. These days they have
• That wasn't a bad pass, but he couldn't keep his feet in bounds. I'd tell you who the receiver was but I have no idea.
• Morten Andersen is 47. Tirico just told us he's kicking a 47 yard field goal. These guys aren't very good.
• Joey is a little too happy about that field goal.
• NFL.com is amazingly behind. I'm time-shifting via Tivo so I'm about 10-15 minutes in the past, and the stuff on the NFL's site is even behind that.
• "A full foot short" of a first down - why not go for it? I know, it's early, but that kind of thing really helps get a team going. Yeah yeah, I know, it's a bad idea. Fuck off.
• ROUGHING THE KICKER? Oh wait, it's on Atlanta. That's fine.
• Is the ATL defense good? I didn't think so but they sure are in Eli's face.
• O'Hara's right - Kareem McKenzie does look like Suge Knight. Plaxico no whatxico?
  
• OK, we're moving here. Not bad. This isn't a world-beating team but they can play. And with the Eagles stinking on ice they've got a chance.
  
• Jacobs is hurt again? Maybe, maybe not. It's a "burner". So we'll see.
• Shockey, nice catch. Dude needs a shrink, he'd be a better player.
• Need to keep in mind that it's only a tremendously dumb penalty that kept this drive going.
• Not a Toomer? IT IS A TOOMER! Touchdown. Nice.
• Please make the extra point please make the extra point... Good!
• OK, what the hell was that? Norwood just ran for 67 yards and a TD. Where the hell was everybody? That guy I couldn't name before, Laron Robinson, blocks Sam Madison a little too easily. That shouldn't have happened. NFL.com thought Warrick Dunn ran that one in. That was last year, guys (and it was 90 yards).
  
• Boomer on a motorcycle, with the mustache? Something I kind of can't un-see.
• ATL is the only team without a 100 yard rushing game so far this year. Well, they'll get it tonight.
• Nice 19 yard run by Jacobs.
  
• Joey Harrington needs to watch himself with that perkiness or he'll become Chad Pennington, waving a towel on crutches.
• NICE pass to Burress. Man, talk about an ad for skipping practice. Has he practiced once this year? I don't think so.
• And Shockey now. He practices, I think. But he's drunk when he does. (We have no evidence of that but, well, whatever.)
• Without that Norwood run this had the potential to be a blowout.
  
• NICE catch by Toomer keeping his feet in. For some reason I always find that really impressive.
• And Droughns just kind of walks into the end zone.
• Kornholio is much better on PTI than he is here.
• Shockey looks like he doesn't bathe. He reminds me of a kid who pulls the wings off butterflies.
  
• Phrase you rarely here: "As The Rock said at the beginning of the show..."
• Apparently Eli is a riot in the locker room. This is according to Mike Tirico. And he should know.
• Strahan might be the most self-congratulatory player ever. He makes a tackle and he's all, "YEAH! I MADE A TACKLE!" To paraphrase Chris Rock, he always wants credit for shit he's supposed to do.
• Fumble, and a challenge, but it fails. At first they thought it came out while he was throwing, but the replay showed otherwise. Coughlin manages to not completely freak out.
• One extra yard, and Andersen can't make it. He can't outkick his age. OK Tirico, that was somewhat amusing.
• Just when I was thinking “isn't it great to use Blogger instead of worrying about your own hosting service” it goes down for no reason.
• Toomer, Burress, Shockey – this is almost (not quite) but almost Patriots-like. Eli's spreading the ball around nicely.
• 10 completions in a row is a record for Eli -
  Fuckin' A, Plax is having a great year. 43 yard TD catch. That was a perfect pass. And he's hurt. An ankle, which is kind of important to a receiver.
• Plax has as many TDs as Randy Moss. And Eli -> Burress? Same # of TDs in the past few seasons as Peyton -> Harrison.
  
• Plax and Eli play catch before the game but no real practice. And the coaching staff is worried that they won't be able "grow". Um, look. If it ain't broke don't fix it. I typed this before Kornholio said it, I swear.
  
• Who the hell is Plax talking to on the phone?
• Completions up to 12 consecutive for Eli. See, good teams beat up on bad teams. ATL really looks like a bad team. This is a good sign.
• I know, West Coast, time difference, and all that crap. But these games should start earlier. Atlanta's not on the West Coast. So start the game at 7pm or something.
• Can they convert on 3rd and 1? This is something they need to be able to do. Droughns... makes it.
• At last, some digs at Tiki. Well, there have been others. And this isn't his network. But it can't be said enough that Barber had/has a big mouth.
• Burress has 89 yards and a TD and the first half isn't even over yet.
• OK, now he's forcing the ball to Burress a little too much. Jaws calls it "trust" but he can't fixate like that. Listen to me sounding like I think I know what I'm talking about.
• Delay of game. It was just a matter of time before a dumb penalty happened. Surprised it was Eli.
• Shannon Sharpe called Plaxico 'Plexiglass' cuz he was so injury prone. That's funny.
• See, they say that Plax 'matured' and is playing better, but they don't say that Shockey is immature and needs to be more mature.
• Sinorice Moss gets into it a little with D'Angelo Hall. That looked like a foul to me.
• Please get the ball back. Harrington's not so good but don't give them a chance to get back in it. The game isn't over yet, guys. Where's my cell phone? What's Coughlin's number?
  
• Nasty sack by the Giants.
• And another one.
• And another one. We may see Leftwich before this game is over. Not because he'll be better but because Harrington will be in the hospital.
• OK Jaws, yes, Spagnola's system could be good, but Pierce just strolled through the ATL line. With better blocking that isn't so easy.
• Harrington looked like he was screaming in pain when he went down. His body jerked around... ouch.
• Interesting, Chris Redman is warming up, not Leftwich.
• Joey stays in. OK, I'll give him credit for that.
• Even if the Giants don't score before halftime this is a decent first half.
• 1:39, no time outs. Running play. 1 yard. Sure, that makes sense.
  
• No, 3 and out, no no no. Stay strong.
• Good getting up quickly Shockey. It's not nap time!
• Good quick conversion on 3rd down, spike the ball, stop the clock. Hey, this is working.
• Spoke too soon. Eli throws a pick. Hate that. It probably won't matter but it fucks with his head. That was a bad one. Not the worst but... ATL has time outs.
• Here's a quote: "Joey Harrington has a left ankle issue." Hey, we've all got our issues.
• Almost a pick by Osi, but he muffs it. At least they stopped him. Bad drop by ATL. To be fair, who are these receivers?
• OK, they snag the Hail Mary pass. Good deal. That helps make up for the Eli pick.