Sun Oct 26, 1:00 pm (FOX) - Giants at Minnesota
Giants at Minnesota.
All the Giants have to do is win. Right now they are 2-4 just like the Cincinnati Bengal's who are celebrating their record. The Super Bowl Champion Tampa
Bay Buccaneers are 3-3 and they are crying. The 2-4 Giants don't know whether to laugh or cry, because they could easily have won two of the games they lost against Dallas and Philadelphia
and be at 4-2, and tied for the lead in the NFC East with Dallas. The point we'd like to make in flipping the results of just two games is that the season is still young for a team if it can
get it's act together.
It's time for Jim Fassel to take off the dunce cap he sometimes wears, and march down the yellow brick road to get a brain. Sorry Jim, but week after week
it seems that something you're in control of could have been handled much better. Last week you proved that you left a very useful running back, Dorsey Levens,
sitting on the bench way too long.
Now it's time for Tiki Barber and Dorsey Levens to become the new 'Thunder and Lightning' and take some pressure off the ever-changing rookie-ridden offensive line. The Vikings will have to
respect the run, and that will give Kerry Collins some shots at throwing the ball downfield, something he is very good at. The last time the Vikings had to face 'Thunder and Lightning' was
when the Giants beat them 41-0 in the 2000 NFC Championship game.
More on Fassel.
The spin on Dorsey Levens is that he didn't grade well in preseason, so Delvin Joyce got the spot that proven veteran Dorsey Levens was hired on for. All the coaches make up the grades, so
you see it's not Fassel's fault. After all, how could he, the head coach, overrule these important grades? Dorsey was nursing a hamstring in preseason, just as other veterans like Michael
Strahan was dealing with his broken toe, and Jeremy Shockey, his bruised ribs. Somehow they made it into the games, but Pro Bowl Player Dorsey couldn't cut it.
It also doesn't matter if Fassel goes for killing an opponents timeouts instead of securing a first down (ref Eagles loss last week), or if Fassel leaves too much time on the clock (ref Dallas
loss), because if players don't ever make mistakes, then his poor decisions won't cost them a game.
Last year it was Sean Payton's fault, and then Matt Bryant's fault for not dealing with the parade of holders and snappers Fassel provided for his 2002 rookie indoctrination year.
Even more.
Becoming part of a Fassel mistake is dangerous. Sean Payton is gone (doing well in Dallas), and Fassel tried to get rid of Matt Bryant in preseason (but Mike Hollis got hurt).
Punter Brad Maynard (doing well in Chicago), pointed out that the players weren't paying attention at the special teams meetings run by
Larry Mac Duff, and some believe that the Giants would not have gone to the Super Bowl in 2000 except for the fact that Maynard spoke up to help the team. The unit had been a lingering problem
all year, and it spurred head coach Jim Fassel to finally take some serious head coach action.
When Fassel gave Sean Payton the offensive coordinator job, he said that he would be able to take a wider view of the entire game and the team on the sidelines,
while leaving the play-calling ["a totally involved job"] to Payton. Fassel had some success with Payton still helping out last year. Maybe Fassel should realize the mistake he made by solely
re-appointing himself to this job instead of getting someone else to handle it. Of course, admitting that mistake could mean that Fassel would have to fire himself.
Minnesota last week.
Former Giants quarterback Danny Kanell came off the bench and completed 12 of 18 for 104 yards and a touchdown, in place of the injured Denver quarterback
Steve Beuerlein against Minnesota last week. Beuerlein was playing in place of injured starter Jake Plummer, and had completed 9 of 19 passes for 119 yards and had 3 interceptions and 5 sacks
before leaving in the third quarter with a dislocated finger on his throwing hand.
Danny Kanell's 1-yard touchdown pass to Mike Anderson got Denver to 28-20 with 6:45 left, and then Kanell got the Broncos down to a first-and-10 at the Vikings 30, but that was it.
Lance Johnstone broke up Kanell's fourth-down pass at the line of scrimmage.
Giants vs Randy Moss and some others.
In 1999 the Giants lost 34-17.
- They held Moss to 3 catches for 44 yards, but this was at the expense of letting Cris Carter catch 5 passes for 131 yards. Moss even threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Cris Carter in that
game.
In the 2000 NFC Championship Game the Giants destroyed Minnesota 41-0.
- Jason Sehorn held Moss to just 2 catches for 18 yards. Cris Carter had 3 for 24 yards and Chris Walsh caught 3 for 23 yards. Jason Sehorn, Emmanuel McDaniel, and Sam Garnes each had interceptions.
In 2001 the Giants lost to Minnesota 28-16, even though they were leading 16-14 going into the fourth quarter.
- Moss had a big day with 10 catches for 171 yards and 3 touchdowns. Cris Carter had 10 catches for 46 yards, and Byron Chamberlain caught 4 for 41 yards. Will Allen in his rookie year, came
away with 2 interceptions.
In 2002 the Giants beat the Vikings 27-20. Moss had 3 catches for 85 yards. Two of them, totaling 80 yards, came on back to back plays in the fourth quarter and helped the Vikings close the
gap to six points before they went ahead 20-19.
How we feel.
On offense, we think the Giants can get a good running game going this week with Dorsey Levens and Tiki Barber.
We think that Kerry Collins can burn the Vikings big time downfield. He already has.
On defense, we think that Will Allen can handle Randy Moss. He already has.
We think that the defense can make Daunte Culpepper look bad. They already have.
Notes.
Giants will only fly 4 times during the 2003 season (Minnesota, Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Dallas).
Giants have never started a season with a 2-4 record and made the playoffs.
Only 2 teams are undefeated in the NFL, Minnesota at 6-0 and Kansas City at 7-0.
Vikings have not allowed a tight end to score this season.
Vikings Randy Moss leads the NFL with 666 receiving yards.
Vikings lead the NFL with 16 interceptions.
Vikings free safety Brian Russell is the first player in NFL history to start a season with interceptions in 6 straight games.
Kerry Collins has thrown for over 300 yards in each of the last three games against the Vikings.
Last time the Giants played the Vikings, Ron Dayne burst through the middle untouched for a 30-yard touchdown.
Next Game.
Giants at Jets Nov 2 at 1PM.
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