I have been feeling that way for several years. It seems like their are more injuries today and more severe injuries. I think we are snake bitten and jaded with the Giants not only having led the NFL the past two years, but seeing so many promising young players have career-ending or career-limiting injuries.
The NFL has a problem here, but I don't think they feel this way. Hey look at their TV ratings and revenue and get a hard on. However, it's because the product is better. It's fantasy football. Fans have more at stake every week than ever before. It's not just an allegiance to the home team. Hell, in some cases the locals couldn't give a crap about the home team. It's about 'their' team.
If FF was outlawed, and I'm not advocating this, NFL owners would haveno choice but to take a hard look at the game.
because this year, I feel like everyone else is getting hit with them too.
I don't really believe in things like karma, but I sometimes wonder if the absurdly good luck we've had at QB position (really since Collins took over in 1999) has something to do with our shitty injury luck elsewhere.
from the building of the team. Following the draft, free-agency, and camp can get you to emotionally interested in players. Have to root for the blue jersey not the number. Watching guys rise to stardom like Cruz and than see them go down can really hurt if you let it.
well, forever, in any sport. OJ Anderson became a Giants Super Bowl hero because George Adams broke his hip in the 1986 pre-season and they needed a veteran backup to Joe Morris.
Victor Cruz got his chance because Steve Smith blew his knee in Minnesota in 2010 and didn't get his big contract...and then Dominik Hixon blew his ACL on a circus catch against the Rams in Week 2, allowing for Cruz' week 3 breakout against the Eagles.
Drew Bledsoe got blasted by Mo Lewis, breaking a rib and causing his lung to collapse, which opened the door for Tom Brady.
The most famous injury (or headache) of them all...Wally Pipp, giving way to Lou Gerhig.
Injuries are part of the deal and they open doors for others to take advantage when they get their shot.
when you invest so much emotion into a team, the rash of injuries we've had can be a real downer. That down feeling can translate into caring less. I have felt a bit of that myself. But in the end, at kickoff time I'm there glued to my seat and cheering for the team. I don't see that changing.
But I get what Shabu is saying. Many teams best players are already out this early in the season and it takes a little away from the game. Not sure why players are getting so banged up but it is taking the quality of the game down a little.
Now to hear of all the deaths in high school football, that is frightening.
You know, no one wants these guys leaving the game, in the end, walking and thinking worse than when they got in it. Looks like the league is doing more and teams are doing more to see to it that this happens. Good!
when you invest so much emotion into a team, the rash of injuries we've had can be a real downer. That down feeling can translate into caring less. I have felt a bit of that myself. But in the end, at kickoff time I'm there glued to my seat and cheering for the team. I don't see that changing.
( before anyone comments, yes many names are misspelled below )
Yes, I think i can still like the Blue but its becoming hard to care or get excited when backups are playing all the damn time... I love the idea of watching youth grow in the game and frankly, that's all i care about lately... but even some of those guys are not playing this year !
Flowers and the OO d-end ( forget name ) was dying to see that guy grow.
. think of the guys we lost in the past several years that were "Giants heros"
KP
Nicks
Bradshaw
Cruz
Snee
Rich Ice cream ( forgot how to spell SCHEUBERT ) LOL
etc
etc
I know i am forgetting some... its staggering.
This year, i have no idea who is playing what position, because to keep up I would have to read daily and figure out who is injured,,
This week, our only promising D-ENd gone again, Rogers-C ?, Cruz ? Flowers ?
All the guys i get excited about just don't freakin play and i wont mention the ones that do play that i am excited about for fear of them getting it next.
I think when i was a kid, there was banks, carson, LT, Simms, Bavaro, Mckonkey... the corners ( forget them but did know them back then ) stephen baker touchdown maker, then later in my life Shockey, strahan, AP, Jesse Armestead many of these guys were playing most all the time, every sunday for me. and that is what drew me in, when LT was out it was like unreal, but i don't recall not seeing banks still play .... and simms was always playing until the hoss year ...
I dunno, it just seems really hard these days to have any attachment at all because i dont know who my giants are week to week.. ( and i wont mention the ones i still hold on to ).
Yes, sappy post but its making me not give a shit about football and lose interest for a hobby I have truly loved.
more common today but I think the impact is much greater. In the pre-cap eras teams could carry a lot of quality depth. Joe Morris went down and the Giants had OJ Anderson who they had been carrying for 3 years just for insurance. Phil went down and in came Hostetler who was a 7 year vet by that time. No way you could keep guys like that around today. OJ would be too much under the cap and Hoss would have fled after his initial contract was up.
from the building of the team. Following the draft, free-agency, and camp can get you to emotionally interested in players. Have to root for the blue jersey not the number. Watching guys rise to stardom like Cruz and than see them go down can really hurt if you let it.
Maybe thats the idea, just root for blue who cares whos in uniform..
I dunno, i remember when we signed AP, how excited i was and impressed, even the other linebacker ffrom 2011 ( cant recall name )
Can we do that about BAAS, Beason, DRC, Ayers, Scwartz, um, not so much.
We have a freakin Mash Unit mess every year. if we do this for 2 more years, i will hang up my Giants cap cause its just not fun anymore.
for me. It's tough because I love the game, but the amount of players we are discovering with permanent brain injury as a result of professional football is disturbing.
You stole my thunder. I feel exactly the same way. I too believe the salary cap era has impacted the way teams are built and the lack of quality depth you can stockpile.
Shoot, back in the day the Giant linebackers were LT, Carson, Kelly and Van Pelt. Soon to be LT, Carson, Reasons, and Banks. Backed up by Johnny Cooks ,who played significant minutes, as well as Byron Hunt who was a starter pre Banks. And don't forget after Carson retired in stepped Pepper Johnson to keep the ball rolling. There is another player I'm forgetting who wore 54. I just can't remember his name. He could get after the passer as well.
All these guys would have been starters anywhere else. When is the last time you saw any team in this league with that kind of quality depth. I think that's why its hard to keep as invested in a team because if just one guy goes down the impact can be so severe it really hampers a team's chances more so then in the past. It really can take the steam out of ones rooting interest and overall following the team beyond the game itself.
The bottom line is a teams success is so married to their overall health to such a level in the end it becomes counterproductive. And everyone just keeps their collective fingers crossed no one gets hurt because when a guy goes down it just upsets the balance so dramatically it can pretty much destroy a teams season. And to think a that lot of these guys are getting hurt in OTAs and meaningless preseason games doesn't make it anymore desirable.
I think the salary cap ERA has fostered this type of fan malaise. It's like our best player went down today. Oh well. The season is over. It really cuts to the heart of the fan interest because the NFL wants parity but at the same time they are killing fan interest on a lot of levels because a lot of them think shit our team has no chance and view the season is over for their team before it ever got started.
Me personally I watch and root like hell but I don't take it to heart nearly as much I had in the past. Players come and go to the point where you are almost rooting for the uniform anymore then you are the players in them.
The NFL has a problem here, but I don't think they feel this way. Hey look at their TV ratings and revenue and get a hard on. However, it's because the product is better. It's fantasy football. Fans have more at stake every week than ever before. It's not just an allegiance to the home team. Hell, in some cases the locals couldn't give a crap about the home team. It's about 'their' team.
If FF was outlawed, and I'm not advocating this, NFL owners would haveno choice but to take a hard look at the game.
Same here. Every year. It will never change for me. I'll die loving this team..
However he has drafted poorly and its just awful to watch scrubs like Hosely and Kuhn take the field.
I don't really believe in things like karma, but I sometimes wonder if the absurdly good luck we've had at QB position (really since Collins took over in 1999) has something to do with our shitty injury luck elsewhere.
maybe stick to video games?
Victor Cruz got his chance because Steve Smith blew his knee in Minnesota in 2010 and didn't get his big contract...and then Dominik Hixon blew his ACL on a circus catch against the Rams in Week 2, allowing for Cruz' week 3 breakout against the Eagles.
Drew Bledsoe got blasted by Mo Lewis, breaking a rib and causing his lung to collapse, which opened the door for Tom Brady.
The most famous injury (or headache) of them all...Wally Pipp, giving way to Lou Gerhig.
Injuries are part of the deal and they open doors for others to take advantage when they get their shot.
Now to hear of all the deaths in high school football, that is frightening.
( before anyone comments, yes many names are misspelled below )
Yes, I think i can still like the Blue but its becoming hard to care or get excited when backups are playing all the damn time... I love the idea of watching youth grow in the game and frankly, that's all i care about lately... but even some of those guys are not playing this year !
Flowers and the OO d-end ( forget name ) was dying to see that guy grow.
. think of the guys we lost in the past several years that were "Giants heros"
KP
Nicks
Bradshaw
Cruz
Snee
Rich Ice cream ( forgot how to spell SCHEUBERT ) LOL
etc
etc
I know i am forgetting some... its staggering.
This year, i have no idea who is playing what position, because to keep up I would have to read daily and figure out who is injured,,
This week, our only promising D-ENd gone again, Rogers-C ?, Cruz ? Flowers ?
All the guys i get excited about just don't freakin play and i wont mention the ones that do play that i am excited about for fear of them getting it next.
I think when i was a kid, there was banks, carson, LT, Simms, Bavaro, Mckonkey... the corners ( forget them but did know them back then ) stephen baker touchdown maker, then later in my life Shockey, strahan, AP, Jesse Armestead many of these guys were playing most all the time, every sunday for me. and that is what drew me in, when LT was out it was like unreal, but i don't recall not seeing banks still play .... and simms was always playing until the hoss year ...
I dunno, it just seems really hard these days to have any attachment at all because i dont know who my giants are week to week.. ( and i wont mention the ones i still hold on to ).
Yes, sappy post but its making me not give a shit about football and lose interest for a hobby I have truly loved.
Maybe thats the idea, just root for blue who cares whos in uniform..
I dunno, i remember when we signed AP, how excited i was and impressed, even the other linebacker ffrom 2011 ( cant recall name )
Can we do that about BAAS, Beason, DRC, Ayers, Scwartz, um, not so much.
We have a freakin Mash Unit mess every year. if we do this for 2 more years, i will hang up my Giants cap cause its just not fun anymore.
winning cures everything. A victory at Buffalo this Sunday will put your head right.
Hang in there buddy ! .... : )
Shoot, back in the day the Giant linebackers were LT, Carson, Kelly and Van Pelt. Soon to be LT, Carson, Reasons, and Banks. Backed up by Johnny Cooks ,who played significant minutes, as well as Byron Hunt who was a starter pre Banks. And don't forget after Carson retired in stepped Pepper Johnson to keep the ball rolling. There is another player I'm forgetting who wore 54. I just can't remember his name. He could get after the passer as well.
All these guys would have been starters anywhere else. When is the last time you saw any team in this league with that kind of quality depth. I think that's why its hard to keep as invested in a team because if just one guy goes down the impact can be so severe it really hampers a team's chances more so then in the past. It really can take the steam out of ones rooting interest and overall following the team beyond the game itself.
The bottom line is a teams success is so married to their overall health to such a level in the end it becomes counterproductive. And everyone just keeps their collective fingers crossed no one gets hurt because when a guy goes down it just upsets the balance so dramatically it can pretty much destroy a teams season. And to think a that lot of these guys are getting hurt in OTAs and meaningless preseason games doesn't make it anymore desirable.
I think the salary cap ERA has fostered this type of fan malaise. It's like our best player went down today. Oh well. The season is over. It really cuts to the heart of the fan interest because the NFL wants parity but at the same time they are killing fan interest on a lot of levels because a lot of them think shit our team has no chance and view the season is over for their team before it ever got started.
Me personally I watch and root like hell but I don't take it to heart nearly as much I had in the past. Players come and go to the point where you are almost rooting for the uniform anymore then you are the players in them.
How many franchises are worth a billion now? We need to pretend to enforce artificial parity?
I bet your feeling a little bit better ... on to 6-2 Shabu!