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This is the way Shaun O’Hara greeted the day when he played center for the Giants during the 2008 season. “That year, I tell people all the time, was the most fun I’ve ever had playing football in my entire life,’’ O’Hara told The Post. “That year we literally kicked the snot out of people. I couldn’t wait to get to the stadium on Sunday, on game day, because we were that good.’’ How good? The Giants won their first four games, lost one, then ripped off six more victories to approach the end of November with a record of 10-1. Coming off their stunning upset of the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, all signs pointed to the Giants claiming or at least making a serious run at another Lombardi Trophy, this time not as upstarts but as a legitimate powerhouse team. “I think that was the best team we had,’’ Amani Toomer, the Giants all-time receptions leader, told The Post. “It wasn’t like we were airing it out, either,’’ O’Hara said. “We’re gonna run the football. They knew it, we knew it, and there was nothing they could do about it. I know we won the Super Bowl the year before but we were a better team in 2008, we were a better offense in 2008 than we were in 2007. It was by far the best team I’d ever been on.’’ |
The Osi preseason injury was a big one too. The DL was really wearing down late.
But what was unbelievable to watch was the 3-headed running game of Jacobs/Ward/Bradshaw. These guys were getting 6+ yards every time they touched the ball. I think they said it was the secodn straight week they went over 200 yards as a team running the ball.
OL was run-dominating and fun to watch.
Its still probably the best top-to-bottom team the Giants have fielded in the last 30 years.
Definitely a "Missing Rings" team
Freaking Plaxico. I was surprised to see him at Eli's retirement ceremony. Had he not made his mistake, I'm pretty confident the Giants would've won the Super Bowl, or at least made a deeper run than they did, and aside from having a more dynastic history (granting another SB win), Eli's place in the HOF wouldn't even be a question.
I grew up in the same town that Plaxico did, and pass by his old high school whenever I'm driving around while at back home visiting my folks. I still mutter and curse whenever I pass it.
I went to the playoff game, it was windy as all hell that day. I remember watching a 1st Q throw from Manning that dropped like a curve ball
He was a damn good 4-3 end with his hand in the dirt. Should have played him there more often.
Always thought strahan May have came back for playoff run, would have got 25-30 plays out of him a game
Osi injury a killer along with play
No doubt we win sb
Nixon drop screwed up home field too
Also, the loss of Osi in the preseason was an even bigger loss. They were fortunate to have Kiwanuka to fill in for him but the D-line was completely gassed by the end of the year. Despite not winning it all, that was the best team I have seen since I started watching the Giants in 1998.
2010 was another possible missing ring. That team was damn good. If they don't blow that Eagles game they are the number 2 seed hosting the 7-9 Seahawks in the divisional round. Fortunately they made up for it the next year.
the giants wouldn't be considered a team that got hot and won two championships and instead would be talked about as a mini dynasty
eli's legacy would be much different and would TC's. eli for instance would not have been a borderline HOF player. 3 trophies with a dominant season to his credit would be more than enough to get him in.
And in addition Mayor Bloomberg went after the ownership and Antonio Pierce.
The last few years have been lousy and presented challenges being the end of Eli’s career. But, so many people here talk like the Giants are the Detroit Lions. (Well, the analytics people do love Matt Stafford.)
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denied them their key aerial weapon and embroiled their defensive leader in the prosecution and scandal. It marked the end of that run.
And in addition Mayor Bloomberg went after the ownership and Antonio Pierce.
Stop and Frisk Mini Mike. Also put the screws to a lot of small businesses.
“And the pass is DROPPED by Dominick hixon - who is NOT Plaxico Burress”
As mentioned above, and a point I’ve always made about Eli’s career, the Giants win the Supe that year and no one says Eli’s “only a two time Supe winner” (which is fucking ridiculous anyway) and instead he’s a first ballot HoF all time QB. And to boot, he’d be remembered as the better Manning. Everyone would remember TC as a great coach and the Giants as one of the best all time franchises. (A lot got fucked up that night. Stupid fucking guns. Just so dumb.
And yeah, it still bugs me today.
The Osi preseason injury was a big one too. The DL was really wearing down late.
I honestly believe that this team would have won a SB over Pittsburgh had Plaxico not shot himself. Oh well, we will never know.
CC Brown in 2009 and Matt Dodge in 2010 were early signs of Jerry Reese's roster building blind spots that culminated in entering the 2015 season with Uani Unga starting at MLB and the 2017 season with Flowers/Hart as the starting tackles.
Imagine if Burress wasn’t a moron (he was being bitchy on the field BEFORE that incident, on a dominant team, the classic me-first guy) and Strahan came back when Osi got hurt?
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In comment 14913568 Torrag said:
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denied them their key aerial weapon and embroiled their defensive leader in the prosecution and scandal. It marked the end of that run.
And in addition Mayor Bloomberg went after the ownership and Antonio Pierce.
Stop and Frisk Mini Mike. Also put the screws to a lot of small businesses.
Glad the douche bag just lost $1 billion. What a POS.
He was a beast, and EXTREMELY under-rated.
His knee injury was very damaging.
He was a beast, and EXTREMELY under-rated.
His knee injury was very damaging.
true. he was a very under the radar guy, but very important getting pressure up the middle and defending the run. Without the offense intact it was too much to overcome.
“And the pass is DROPPED by Dominick hixon - who is NOT Plaxico Burress”
One of the most demoralizing plays in my memory as a Giants fan, and of course it happened against the Eagles (don't they all?). At that moment... the sneaking suspicion crept into my mind that the "run" was over. Prior to it, I was holding out hope that we could keep it together.
I just checked the schedule for the date of that game... December 7, 2008. Those 370 days of Giants football, from 12/2/07 to 12/7/08, might have been the greatest, most dominant ~year stretch of play in this team's history. Just to name a few...
- 12/17/07 @ BUF
- Entire 2007 playoff run
- 18-4 overall record
- 11-1 start to 2008
Man, what could have been!!
Its still probably the best top-to-bottom team the Giants have fielded in the last 30 years.
Definitely a "Missing Rings" team
No it wasn’t, it was the single biggest factor of the season and one that had a chain reaction to it. Completely depleted all focus, positive energy, cohesion, etc. that’s not something you can prepare for as a player, coach, and team. These guys aren’t machines, the mental edge they had was over, the mental edge that O’Hara said was a huge factor going into Sunday’s.
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denied them their key aerial weapon and embroiled their defensive leader in the prosecution and scandal. It marked the end of that run.
And in addition Mayor Bloomberg went after the ownership and Antonio Pierce.
And I’ve never forgiven him since. He stated immediately that Plax needed to go to prison (ultimately of course he did). No investigation. No due process. Nothing. Fuck that POS
Week 8 at Pittsbur: 21-14
Week 10 at Philly: 36-31
Week 11 Ravens at home: 30-10 (probably the highpoint of the season - over 200 yards rushing on that defense).
Week 12 at Arizona: 37-29.
I wonder if they Giants could have shaken off the bad vibes if Dominik Hixon didn't drop that sure TD pass that Eli threw 40 yards on a dime.
This is a really good point. Clearly showed what Reese thought about the value of certain positions, that just throwing a warm body in there was good enough.
You could make an argument that the D wilted down the stretch, but in the playoff game, if you take away a bad Eli INT that set the Eagles up on the 2-yard line for an easy TD, they only gave up 16 points. The Giants' offense was just horrendous that day (3-13 on 3rd down, two botched fourth-and-short tries, 3 turnovers), and John Carney became a pumpkin after a great regular season.
In a way Moss was responsible for the playoff list. If we only drafted a viable receiver instead.
Week 8 at Pittsbur: 21-14
Week 10 at Philly: 36-31
Week 11 Ravens at home: 30-10 (probably the highpoint of the season - over 200 yards rushing on that defense).
Week 12 at Arizona: 37-29.
I wonder if they Giants could have shaken off the bad vibes if Dominik Hixon didn't drop that sure TD pass that Eli threw 40 yards on a dime.
I was just going to post about the week 11 Ravens game. It was the most fun I had watching a regular season Giants game since I was a kid. Total domination by the Giants. Ray Lewis talked about what a whoopin' it was during his post game interview. Man.
They should have had 3 rings. This is a great thread, even better than the Simms v. Hoss thread.